NuJudge

To build on the above, if you are right handed and right eyed, you point a shotgun with your left hand, not your right hand. It helps me to have my left index finger pointed down the barrels. The typical commercial shotgun sold in the US is set up for a male, 5ft-8in tall, about 180 pounds, right handed and right eyed. If you deviate from that or have habits such as crawling the stock, you need to see a fitter before you go further. You can stand behind someone else who is shooting Skeet and point ahead of the bird with the necessary lead (this does not work everywhere). Your eye focuses on the bird, but looks ahead of it by the necessary lead, and the shotgun will follow. The lead at station 1 is 6 to 9 inches. Station 2 is 1.5 ft. Station 3 is 3 ft. Station 4 is 4 ft. The lead then decreases down to the other end of the arc. Constant lead described above does not work for me 3 places: At station 2 on the outgoing bird, the bird has an angular velocity which is so high I cannot achieve a constant lead. At station 2 on the mirror image outgoing bird, I have the same problem. What I do is simply swing through and be pulling the trigger as I do. This is a very different aiming technique, which the British use on live birds, chanting to themselves the succession of sighting plane pictures they have, "Butt, Breast, Beak, Boom!" Once you get the muscle memory for the trigger finger, you'll break about 75% of these swing through birds. The third place where constant lead does not work for me is at station 8. This is the station out in the middle of the field, where the bird goes nearly over your head. Here you need to call for the bird, catch up with the bird and cover it with your barrels, and be pulling the trigger as you do, keeping the barrels covering the bird. Presuming you are right handed/eyed, you can practice all these, standing behind someone else shooting. You will look stupid doing so, but it worked for me, and may well for you. Visualizing the lead you need is not hard: 1 foot of lead at the distance you shoot at a clay pigeon is about the thickness of a finger. Hold up the appropriate number of fingers on your left hand, and move your left arm such that you have the bird on the trailing side of your fingers, and you are looking on the leading side of the fingers. This is valuable on stations 3 and 5, where you lead is 3 whole feet, which is a LOT of lead. Where it is critical is station 4, where the necessary lead is 4 unbelievable feet. If you are presented with a bird and you don't know what the necessary lead is, try and figure out what range of leads might be right, and go with the one on the long side. The shot charge going down range is usually visualized as an enlarging disc as it goes down range, but this is incorrect. It is better to visualize it as a teardrop-shape, with a long tail. For small gauges like the .410, it's all tail. For larger gauges, if you go with too much lead but you are right for elevation, the tail will hammer your bird. Shotgunners encapsulate this with the saying, "Miss in front!" For everything I do with a shotgun, except Waterfowl, I can do almost everything I need to with a 20 gauge. I only need the payload from a 12 gauge on Waterfowl, and maybe on Trap. The nice thing about this is the 20 beats me up a lot less, so I can shoot more rounds of Skeet. I have several shotguns with barrels in both 12 and 20, and the difference is quite marked. I also handload both 12 and 20 gauge, and it is possible to load a 12 gauge shell (traditionally 1 and 1/8 oz Lead) with a 20 gauge shot charge (traditionally 3/4 oz), and I see no difference in Skeet scores. Maybe I see one in Trap.

Can I suggest you look at a kit like this: https://cylinder-slide.com/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=catshow&ref=1911DI You probably will have to fit a new Safety after it, and you may need to tweak the leaf springs also. It worked for me.

I have several of their National Match triggers on rifles that I use for Service Rifle. They have given me no trouble with doubling or durability. They have required zero maintenance.

I hope that reading is the result of using a micrometer on a slug, not using a vernier caliper on a slug.

Bushing dies for rifle calibers work brass less and give you more control over neck tension. A normal Full Length size die will squash the cased neck much smaller than it needs to be, then expands it out to what is usually needed. The body of a bushing die is like a normal Full Length die, but there is a floating bushing in the neck region. The bushings are available in different internal diameters. The thickness of the brass in the neck of a case will vary somewhat between batches, and if it's thinner you will want a smaller bushing to achieve a smaller ID. The hardness of the brass in the neck will vary between lots of brass, and for softer brass you may want to size it smaller to hold the bullet harder. I typically don't need that much control in Service Rifle, except maybe at 600 yards. Occasionally you'll have a lot of brass that will be an outlier, and a bushing die may save it for you. I have a large lot of IVI (Canadian) 7.62x51 which has really soft necks, and the soft necks have such a weak grasp on a bullet after going through a size die with a normal expander that bullets push back into the case. A bushing die, with a smaller than usual bushing may allow me to use this brass in autoloaders. There is a guy named Zediker who has written a lot about loading for Service Rifle, who has written a good bit about tools such as bushing dies, with the rules of thumb you need to guide you. Some of it is available for free: http://www.zediker.com/articles/articles.html#AR_topics Here's another good, short article: http://panhandleprecision.com/redding-bushing-dies-select-proper-bushing/

I would add to the above that, if you are right handed and right eyed, you point the shotgun with your left hand. The first coach I worked with had me point the index finger of my left hand down the barrels, just to try to strengthen the hand-eye coordination. Also, he had me focus on the bird, but be looking ahead of the bird by the lead I needed, and the shotgun would follow my eye. Visualizing the lead you need in Skeet is important. It goes from 6 to 9 inches at station 1, to 1-and-a-half feet at station 2, 3 feet at station 3, and 4 feet at station 4, then back down to 6 to 9 inches on the incoming bird at station 7. At the distance you will shoot at a bird, 1 foot distance will be occluded by about the width of a finger on an outstretched hand. My first coach would have me hold up a hand with the appropriate number of fingers to visualize the lead I needed, before calling for a bird. The only station this does not work on for me is the outgoing bird at stations 2 and 6, where the change in angle is so fast I don't have time to set up a steady lead, all I can do is swing through and be pulling the trigger as I do. The last station on the field is the hardest and the easiest, at the same time. Pure muscle memory. I blot out the bird and be pulling the trigger as I do, keeping the gun moving. I came to Skeet after a lot of Service Rifle, so I tend to crawl the stock, and need a 'pull' on the stock that is ridiculous. My most serious problem was stopping my swing, because my rifle targets held still for me. The thing that helped me most to not stop my swing was to have my weight on the balls of my feet, in very much a Boxing-type stance. The help of a fitter is critical, and going back to them for another, later, session, is a good idea. I went from breaking 12 to 15 birds, to breaking 21 or 22 birds, sometimes to breaking 25. For just shooting Skeet targets, I would suggest a heavier gun, and lighter shot charges. For Skeet, I don't think I lose any birds with just a 3/4 oz. shot charge in 12 gauge, and I don't feel sore the next day if I shoot 4 rounds of Skeet. I don't feel I need the full payload of a 12 gauge for anything but waterfowl.

From Lays of Ancient Rome by Thomas Babington Macaulay, an account of Publius Horatius' words before trying to hold back an attacking army long enough for a bridge to be destroyed: Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the Gate: "To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his gods,

Langdon really knows his stuff...

Essentially none. Just cosmetics.

I also got one with the trigger job. It has a very nice trigger pull. I believe you could get much the same trigger pull with one of the Langdon Trigger Job In A Bag ("TJIAB"). I installed a TJIAB in a different 92G, and am very impressed by that trigger also. I believe Langdon installed a 13 pound mainspring on the LTT. I have been experimenting with a 12 pound mainspring on my other 92G, with no failures to ignite cartridges. I have no experience with the Wilson pistol.

I have two Beretta barrels that give me problems with plating spalling off, but it looks quite different than that. The bullets I have had it happen on are factory loaded Blazer Brass. The marks around the bullet holes look like little throwing stars have hit the target, little pieces of copper sometimes not completely piercing it and the backer. Most of the Beretta barrels I have are factory barrels, and have a groove diameter almost .358".

There's also this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/142770080129

I recently dropped a Langdon Tactical "Trigger Job In A Bag" into one of my 92G pistols, and I can not be happier. It uses the new Wilson trigger bar, plus a lighter hammer spring, and a different hammer.

I run a shock buff in range pistols only, and only in Berettas that function reliably with them. I have several Beretta 96 that I use them in, but one I do not because it becomes unreliable with them. None of my 92 pistols are reliable with them.

Sometimes, after I install a shock buff, I get jams, and without it I do not.

I bought one and installed a Cylinder & Slide 4 pound fire control set. The result was an excellent trigger pull that was actually slightly below 4 pounds. I then had a gunsmith fit the safety to the fire control set, and do an extractor job on it.

Limited time offer that you might want to consider: http://www.shootersproshop.com/catalog/product/view/id/13914/s/nosler-7-62x39-310-diameter-123-grain-fb-tipped-bullets-blem-100ct/category/2/

You will save money on what I will term Specialty shotshells. An example would be high performance steel shot loads for ducks. I can load steel shot 3/4 ounce loads that will do 1800 fps (200 fps faster than any commercial ammo I have seen), far cheaper than commercial steel shot ammo. To get this level of performance I have to weight powder, weigh shot charge, and hand assemble, but the difference on a duck is easy to see. Smaller gauge ammo is quite expensive. Loading it will save you lots. For your typical ounce-and-an-eighth 12 gauge load, it will be hard to beat the price of promotional loads.

I did some cast bullet work with the .223 in an AR15 with a 1:12" barrel long ago. Pressures have to be high enough to cycle the action, which is hard on Lead bullets. The pressures you will have to run will be particularly hard on bullet bases, so the structural support given by a gas check will be necessary. At velocities over 1400 fps, you need a gas check no matter what, and you'll be over that velocity with any load that will function an AR. If you are shooting cast Lead out of a AR15, you will need them to be quite hard: most Lead scrap has Antimony in it already, so add a small amount of Tin, and drop bullets from the mold into a bucket of water. Too-soft bullets will slump and shoot poorly. Lead bullets don't like high RPMs. AR15 barrels available now are in the 1:9" to 1:7" range, typically. I have not shot cast bullets in such an AR barrel. I have recently tried long, hard, gas checked cast bullets in a long barreled Swedish 6.5x55 rifle with a 1:7.87" twist. Above very modest velocities, bullets stopped hitting the target. I was not seeing the puff of smoke indicating they broke up, they simply flew very wild. My experience was with grooved, gas check bullets, lubricated with 50% Beeswax/50% Alox 2138F. Data came from an old Lyman manual, and I was using 4198 powder. The pressures run were high for cast bullets, but low for that powder. Powders typically burn dirty at low pressures. The bullet lubricant makes for lots of residue. I wanted to be able to say I shot cast bullets out of my AR. My family comes from a place in Europe where people are known for doing things differently, and being stubborn. After a session, the rifle was filthy. Sessions were typically not long before various jams started. If you want to do this, get an old Lyman manual. Get an old, slow-twist AR barrel. You'll need a tool to bell your case mouths. I find an AR to function better with lighter lubricants when very dirty.

For cast or swaged Lead in a revolver, fit is King, and you need to have a mold that fits your pistol, particularly your pistol cylinder throats. I bought a set of pin gauges awhile ago and was shocked by what they told me about some of my pistols. You want a bullet that is right at throat diameter, and you want the throat diameter slightly larger than barrel groove diameter. Some barrels have issues, which makes them difficult to get good results with cast bullets, some of which can be dealt with by a gas check and/or a really good lube. You would do well to look at the articles on these websites: http://www.lasc.us/ArticlesFryxell.htm http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?21598-A-beginner-s-guide-to-revolver-accuracy I like a 158 grain semiwadcutter for all around use in the .38 Special, a Thompson- or Kieth-type, with a large diameter front driving band. There are specialized uses where I prefer something else. If I need to reload quickly and surely, I prefer a round nose. For self defense, I like a JHP. For targets on a range, I want a wadcutter, probably hollow based. For less recoil, I like a lighter bullet. Plated bullets are hard to get the plating even, so usually don't shoot really well at longer distances.

I am amazed they have not run out of these yet

Can I suggest you find a Shotgun Fitter, before you do anything more? A wonderful Englishman named Jack Mitchell made a huge difference in my shotgun shooting, live birds, Skeet or Sporting Clays. Jack is dead now, God rest his soul. The typical commercially sold shotgun sold in the US is made for a male, about 5' 8" tall, about 180 pounds, and right handed. I differ from that a lot, and I also crawl the stock. The typical commercial shotgun has a distance from the trigger to the butt of about 14-and-a-half inches, but Jack said I needed 16 inches. After working with him, my scores almost doubled. I have worked with several fitters. Some ask you to just shoulder the shotgun with your face on the stock. Others will watch you shoot for awhile, and make temporary changes, then watch you shoot some more. Jack was one of the latter. He taught me to focus on the bird, and look ahead of the bird by the lead I needed, as my body will make the gun follow my eye. As the shot cloud is a long tear drop, too much lead is just fine, so long as your elevation is right, as that tail will break your bird. I am right handed, but Jack taught me that I pointed my shotgun with my left hand, and encouraged me to point my left index finger downrange on the hand guard. He showed me that Improved Cylinder choke does just about everything. It is useful to practice visualizing the lead you need as others shoot. A Skeet field is standardized so it is easier. At the distances you break Skeet birds, a foot of lead will be about the thickness of a extended finger. For the 7 Skeet firing positions around the arc, the leads will go: #1-6 to 9 inches, #2-about 18 inches, #3-about 3 feet, #4-about 4 feet, and then downwards in the same progression to the far end of the arc. The angular speed of the outgoing bird on the #2 and #6 stations is so high I cannot visualize the lead necessary in time, so I just swing through and be pulling the trigger as I do. The #8 station out in the middle of the field also demands that one catch up t the bird and cover it with the barrels while pulling the trigger.

When going to the range to shoot a Beretta 92, I grabbed a bunch of 96 magazines. I did not notice until I got home again. .

This problem could be from a number of causes, and all of them magazine related. I have a Colt 1911 that, when I use it with Wilson-Rogers magazines (no bump on the follower as with GI magazines and the springs aren't that strong), always does this with the last round. Browning put that bump on the follower for a reason, and it is to prevent this. The last cartridge in the magazine is probably being pushed forward as the next-to-last round feeds. After firing the next-to-last cartridge, when the slide reaches the end of its travel rearward and hits its stop, there is an inertial jolt rearward of the entire pistol, and the inertia of the last cartridge in the magazine will tend to make it stay put. With a early release point magazine or one with a weaker spring, the last cartridge pops out. If it happens with the next-to-last cartridge, it may cause you a variety of problems with your extractor, such as loss of tension or breakage. There are a number of lengthy threads on 1911-related forums on this.

Can I ask that you try some +P and +P+ ammo with the 12 pound spring? I anticipate that the ammo companies may use harder, thicker or less sensitive primers with that ammo.