ezra650

This is a comp I found that I thought about using on a threaded barrel and slide ride optic for 9minor open in steel challenge. They will bore it to the diameter you request as well. Not many direct thread comps for standard threads out there. Most minor comps seem to be 2 ports from what I have seen. https://www.zrtacticalsolutions.com/shop/zrts-1911-compensator/

I got a 650 (no casefeeder) and 2 toolheads complete for $480 at an estate auction last year. This past November I picked up a MBF from a friend for a good deal... The 650 is still sitting on my back bench unused. I'll have just over/around $1k in my 650 when it's ready to load. When I'm able to shoot 1k rounds a month I'll finish setting the 650 up, but for now the 550 is still my workhorse. I may never own a 1050, but I believe the ideal setup would be a single stage, 550, and 1050 for competition reloading and any thing else misc. relaoding

Just wanted to share the DIY strong mount I came up with for my rock chucker. Used a boat seat pedestal made by Attwood, purchased at Walmart for $10~ I did have to put a piece of wood between the press and pedestal to elevate the press high enough so the link assembly would clear the bench. I clamped the wood to the pedestal using C clamps and drilled the mounting holes through the wood and pedestal at the same time. This helped keep the drill bit from walking. This method possibly could work for a dillon press too if you got the 13" high pedestal and the mounting surface was wide enough. I used the 7" pedestal. For $20 it's a great way to get the press on and off the bench quickly when working with limited space.

What's a good SASS forum to visit?

So long story short I'm selling a gun collection locally for a family member. In the collection was this 12ga winchester 1897. I've heard these are popular with the SASS crowd. This one isn't a US service gun so no extreme collection value. However, the gun is missing it's forend and the butt stock is cracked in the grip area. The hammer spring is dead, and it's missing a pin/screw on the receiver and also needs a buttplate. Serial numbers show it was manufactured in 1920. If I restore it I'll likely leave the buttstock as is and get a forend, buttplate, and whatever internals are needed. Is it worth restoring to 100% function to sell or should I sell as is? Value for each way? Looks like Sarco is my best bet for parts, any other recommendations? See pics of gun here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wu5sxz7uguiz13g/AAChYBlkc2g_qalxw1NsW6Yfa?dl=0

I have a JEM fitted to an edge. It took a lot of sanding even with a dremel, plenty of material to work with. It was also a little tight on the sides and had to be lightly sanded to fit in the frame. I hate the "memory bump" style GS. That and the fact it is barstock is why I went with JEM, as ZZT pointed out. Wish the JEM fit a standard 1911 frame. That cheely looks perfect, I like how flat it is. Was unaware of those until now.

I load 1.100 with blue 125gr round nose. I can't remember what the front to back dimension is of a typical 1911 9mm mag, but looking at the space left I don't think it would be worth the extra OAL. I've never had an issue with my 1911 feeding that short. After a match recently I shot/plinked with a friends shadow 2 with my ammo. When I chambered some of them the slide would have to be pushed all the way into battery. I'd stick with 1.09 Not worth screwing with your dies, just adjust powder for different guns/loads if need be and go shoot.

Using a RIA as a base gun is not a bad idea, but a few more parts need to be swapped for my personal preference, mainly thumb safeties (way too thin) and grip safety. Also the triggers suck pretty bad. On my Springfield I got a 2.75# trigger with some polishing and sear spring adjustment. I shot an ultra match 40 once and I couldn't stand the edges on the TS,GS, and the frame. I'd take a dremel to one in a heartbeat . So if I was ok with replacing EVERYTHING/had spare parts already I may use a RIA. However, for a few dollars more you can get a springfield RO and start a little ahead... IMO I would skip the bushing comp though, they aren't much cheaper than a cone comp and they don't seem to be as effective from what I've seen. If I was having the slide cut up anyway I might as well have the smith cut the slide back, thread the barrel and fit the cone comp. I'm quite curious to see how I stack up with a slide mounted optic and no comp vs the open guys with a comp and frame mounted. If I'm good enough to notice the difference that is lol...

If you are a DIY type you can always do the reduction/stipple yourself and add a short trigger. I used a sanding wheel on my dremel and reduced the grip. Just take it slow on the panels and be mindful of the mag release area when undercutting, the grip is thin in that area. The main difference in a 2011 grip and 1911 grip is the circumference. In fact the grips are very similar in width, measure with a caliper and you will see. The area to get the most reduction that will make a difference is the front strap and especially the front edges. Thankfully the grip is fairly thick here and leaves room to reduce. After you are done and have cleaned the grip off stipple to your desired pattern. I simply flipped the standard soldering iron rod upside down for a circular imprint. See pics in my dropbox link. That's my edge I did. You may also consider grip tape instead of stippling to get an even smaller grip feel on the gun. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hp7zpyt4kp74yw2/AAC7BeDmnlFSYr-nM32hbmona?dl=0

I use chip mags and ordered their extend basepads. I did have to clip a coil off the mag spring so they would seat easily, otherwise they have been great for the cost. No malfunctions. Only compliant is there are difficult to unload by hand when full... but it's more fun to shoot them empty Basepads are discontinued on midway which is where I bought from. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/893715/chip-mccormick-power-mag-extended-base-pad-1911-polymer-black

That's good to hear about Burris warranty. Really the only reason I am interested in the burris is it's 8moa. Yep I've read some threads about the emitter lens failing frequently. I don't mind hitting the button several times. I hated the Burris FF2 buttons because if you missed your setting you had to go all the way back through them and the button was difficult to press and hold. With the vortex you can go up or down which I like. If the FF3 is the same as the FF2... I don't want it. Sounds like my decision is getting easier, vortex. 6moa should be fine for steel challenge and I could use the same sight for CO in USPSA if I wanted too. It's also good to hear the vortex is brighter. I also read somewhere that the burris dot has more of an orange color and the vortex is more red.

From their site it looks like they do some ruger revos, ruger Mk I,II, III, and IV. Just saw they have clear 1911 grips you can see through. Pretty cool haha. When I was looking for some basic wood grips I couldn't fine much, but glad I found these guys. Good price, and it's good to support a small USA business! Those in my pic are walnut, which I picked for the lightest weight for SS weight requirement.

UPDATE: I shot a CO gun this past weekend after a match. Wow, way more fun than I anticipated! It was on a Shadow 2 and the dot was very easy to track. I'm looking at getting a vortex venom or the FF3 on a dovetail mount for the 1911. I think I'll shoot it like that for a bit. I wonder if adding a comp would really make me much faster, maybe after a season of shooting I will convert completely to an open gun with slide lightening etc. Might have to ditch SS to pick up a CO gun later for USPSA anyway, I've sold a few guns recently so a good excuse to get another I'm staying away from an open 2011 for now. I'm not in a place budget wise to justify having one and being able to shoot it regularly.

I recently wanted some wood grips to put on my 1911 to shave down and cover in grip tape to fit my smaller grip. First time ordering from LS Grips, but Lance was very helpful with my questions and they shipped very fast. I ordered through his etsy store. For $15 to my door I was very happy. Pic below of them after I had shaved them down to my liking and before I applied grip tape. They fit the grip bushings great as well. Thanks Lance! https://www.lsgrips.com/collections/wood-1911-grips-full-size

OP- I've been debating between the FF3 8 moa and a Venom 6moa for steel challenge. Any preference between the two aside from the zeroing issue? The pros to the vortex IMO are the warranty and the brightness adjustment buttons. I'm not a big fan of the burris push and hold button.

I've heard spraying the comp with case lube after cleaning helps it come out easier the next time, anyone found this to be true? After poking my hand and cussing the last time I cleaned my .22 comp I've been wiping it with q tips after every firing and spraying it with lanolin wax/alcohol.

In my 9mm Springfield loaded I installed a 17lb mainspring, dawson mainspring/magwell, STI trigger, and an EE race disco. My slide was hanging up on the factory disco and dropping in the EE was easier than working on the factory one. After that I polished all internal/contact surfaces with a cotton wheel via dremel. Make sure your mainspring plunger is not dragging in the MSH, if it is you can sand/polish the inside of it. Brownells sells a reamer specifically for it, but I just used a dowel wrapped in sandpaper, chuck in your drill and go. I lightened the left leg of the sear spring slightly and was done. On a lyman gauge I'm at 2lbs 10-12oz trigger pull. It could break better, but I'm not messing with sear angle and it is fine where it is. I haven't personally installed the Brazos kit, but I've felt several and was impressed by all of them. If/when I get another kit I believe that would be my first choice.

Don't check just the grip screws, make sure the bushings are holding the grip to the frame tightly as well. I had some worn bushings that gave me the run around with trigger parts. Spent a lot of money and time for an easy fix. That or like others said, sear spring. Sounds like you figured it out though.

Thats great to hear. I think it will serve me just fine for steel challenge once I get used to it. Thanks!

Let us know how you like the venom AND the mount. I've been thinking about getting one on a EGW mount as well for my SS in open steel challenge. I have no doubt the mount will be solid coming form EGW. Assuming you got the 6 moa venom? I was looking at it or the burris FF3 8moa. The only reason I fancied the burris was the 8 moa for faster acquisition on the steel... price is a wash.

Blue 242 is what I use. You might have to wrap it with piece of leather and twist it off with pliers or if you don't mind a few knicks on the edge don't. But its not really a part that gets taken off very often anyway. Enjoy!

sweet. You'll be pleased. Might want to put a small drop of blue loctite on the threads. Because there is no screw its not as easy to cinch it down.

I'm going to echo others and say Springfield RO or loaded. I have a loaded. I did nothing except polish parts that needed to be polished, put in a STI trigger shoe and made sure all trigger parts fit correctly. I tweaked the sear spring to lighten it a little. It gauges 2.75lbs and the break is great. Safeties are tight and the barrel lockup is very tight, no movement whatsoever. Never had a jam. Runs great with tripp power mags. The loaded has front serrations and the LDA sight cut. Not sure what else is different. I really enjoy mine. It's in 9mm and is a blast to shoot.

Adjustable rear is great if you use different loads. For example I use my SS for uspsa some and then shoot a soft load for steel challenge. I also like to see more of the plate in steel challenge so I tend to aim lower, being able adjust elevation is useful for this. Dawson fiber front, red for me. I do really like the brazos manny dot on my limited gun though. It's .07 blade and flares down to .09 at the base.

I'm a trigger rider, meaning I don't take my finger off the trigger shoe between shots. Therefore a little pre travel is fine with me and preferred. I think the brazos article is spot on and what I followed with my edge. I agree with Keith, overtravel is more noticeable. After picking up a different gun/trigger a few shots and I'm already used to the "correct" amount of pre travel and how to stage the trigger for my preferences. It is nice to have a "wall" with the overtravel.