bp78

I bought mine second hand and it didn't come with it's own mainspring. I've only been swapping it onto to my .45 & 9mm 1911s still using their standard mainsprings which are probably too heavy and explain the short cycling problems I've seen. Sounds like a 17lb mainspring is on the list for my new dedicated frame.

I saw several comments in the current rimfire thread saying they used a Marvel Practical (aka Unit 2) conversion for Steel Challenge. A local club just started a regular Steel Challenge and I'd like to see my Marvel run reliably. In our first match, I had ~8 failures where the spent case would eject but not strip another round into the chamber. I eventually switched over to my 22/45 for the last stage. The day before the match I stopped at the range and ran ~80 rounds without a problem; cleaning and resassembling it afterwards. I have tried Colt, Ciener, and Kimber mags with about a dozen makes of rimfire ammo (it only like a HV ammo). I just sent the Marvel off to a gunsmith to have a dedicated frame fitted. Would using a lighter mainspring help perhaps? What tips or tricks do you have for getting your Marvel run 100%?

Windows Movie Maker works fairly well, you may need to add some codecs if your video format is non-standard: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm My little Aiptek HD camcorder needed codecs added to handle the h.264 format the camera produces. On a 64bit OS like Vista64 or XP64 I have had nothing but problems. Adobe Premiere is very handy but it certainly isn't free. iMovie, Cinerella and others are available on Linux and Macs if you're part of that camp.

Yep. I placed an order with Bob this morning. I wasn't going to comment about it until it arrived since it seems to be a relatively new and untested company. The few reviews I've found seem pretty positive and it can't hurt that he's the former CZ-USA president who's been in the business 20 years. My build with an STI frame, forged slide, no mim parts, setup exactly how I wanted was under $1300. It's only a basic black oxide finish at that price but I'll get it chromed or IonBonded after I run some rounds through it. I'll post some photos and comments in about 8 weeks.

You mentioned $1300. What does that include? I bought a Trojan, sent it to Matt McLearn along with all new internal parts save the barrel, bushing and guide rod/reverse plug and had him do a trigger job plus reliability package and I have more than $1300 in it...more like $1800. The parts I added: Koenigg hammer, EGW sear, Ti mainspring cap, Ti hammer strut and sear spring, SV interchangable trigger, C&S disconnector, McLearn XL firing pin, ISMI mainspring and recoil springs, AFTEC, SV ambi safeties (fit those myself), and a Techwell magwell/Alumagrips. If I were to have it refinished I'd have at least $2K in it. I had the $1300 mark in mind without a refinishing job which I think is doable for a Trojan quality pistol and some minor part swaps. I've been the custom route before with a Nighthawk Custom pistol but I don't want to spend that kind of money this time. I really don't see enough difference between my Trojan & the NHC to justify spending 2x $$$$ again. For the earlier question, I didn't talk to an actual gunsmith yet. I had emailed a request for a quote to a couple well known shops which responded. Based on the answers, I assume the quote only went as far as a secretary / sales person. I think I may have found a newer builder that I'll be using this time, hopefully the risk pays off. I'll follow-up in a couple weeks to post results.

Maybe "custom build" was the wrong word to use. What I probably should have said was more along the lines of who would swap in the parts of my choice on a Trojan or STI frame & slide kit before sending it off to be refinished. I was mostly trying to avoid the DIY home fitting process that I went through on my current Trojan. It took a few outings before I got things 100%.

I recently started shopping around for a new .45 single stack to nearly match my favorite 9mm STI Trojan. I've asked a couple of the bigger shops if they could customize & hardchrome a basic Trojan with my preferred slide stop, sights, ambi safety, and magwell, as well as serrate the silde top. So far the answers have been pretty disappointing, responding that they could add their magwell but that's it. Are there any reputable custom shops that will build a Trojan-like single stack for somewhere in the $1300 ballpark? I'd appreciate any suggestions.

+1 for Major. I tried a couple local matches shooting an STI Trojan in 9mm / minor. There were too many tight shots where I'd happily just take 2 C's to stay out of hard cover or a non-threat. The scoring afterwards hurt. Although the 10 round Chip McCormick 38Super mags do run well, I couldn't really find a competitive advantage to the extra 2 rounds on most stages. I now stick to shooting .45 in SS, major scoring made a big difference for me. But I'm still fairly new to USPSA, best of luck to anyone finding that competitive advantage.

I've shot a grand total of 2 3Gun matches in the last year & half and both were small local matches. They're fun but I've got other hobbies and single-stacks to fund which will keep me from getting too wrapped up in the sport. I'd ask this question over on the ARF forums but don't want to sift through all the 'come EOTWAWKI you'll wish for a Colt + LaRue as the Zombies eat your family etc. etc.' I ordered a Millet DMS-1 when Midway had them onsale last month and plan to mount it on my 18" AR. The idea of spending more on a LaRue mount than the scope just doesn't sit well with me. I'm looking for budget mounting options. The two options I've come across so far are below: YHM Extension + Warne Rings ~$70ish http://www.talonarms.com/talonarms/index.p...products_id=283 http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/...leitemid=541244 Armalite Mount ~$95ish http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4112...cope_Mount.html Any mounting suggestions appreciated, including ring height suggestions. -bp

Hi Doc, That same 'worthless piece of crap' is the suspect in the October murder of my great aunt & uncle. Hopefully NC will be charging him any day now and seal a capital conviction he so richly deserves. I can't imagine the toll your job must take after seeing a published ME report and reading your posts, but those of us outside appreciate the work you do. Thank You.

I bought the 5.11 vest for $17 when they were unloading the digi camo color at http://www.lapolicegear.com/closeouts.html I don't see it listed any more but maybe some other sellers still have the discontinued color(s) at a discount. It's ugly, but it's not as if I'd wear any color or form of it anywhere but an IDPA match.

Keep an eye on the classifieds forum: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=21 Although it seems that Dillon hardware retains a lot of it's value even when used. I watched the forsale forums here and other places for a while before buying a new 550B from this site. And I'm not selling mine anytime soon.

I placed orders today at Brownells & Ghost for another 2 MecGars and a pile of springs; recoil, extractor, +10% magazine, mainspring, and trigger return as well as a DOH. Thanks for the help.

I regiestered over on the CZ forums and was waiting for approval. EERW and friends have a lot of good info over there as well as making SSP weight details I'll add the return spring & slide stop to my list. Thanks.

Is the fixed sight a better choice than the LPA adjustable? I'm still fairly new to reloading and was concerned that future load changes might change the POI. Another local shooter also had a windage problem with that sight which I never heard if he was able to correct. Any spare parts to buy now & keep in the range bag? I've heard at least one person mention a broken slide stop. Thanks for the advise. I run an 11lb recoil spring in my 9mm 1911 and will take the advise on trying 11lb recoil & 13lb mainsprings.

I picked up an SP-01 today to give Production & maybe SSP a try. The trigger and slide are pretty heavy as is now with a 14lb recoil spring and the night sights need to go. Do these adjustable LPAs drop into the CZ-SP01 without any slide milling? http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/...&t=22164010 Or do I need to stick to the Angus sights. What springs are suggested for 128-130PF 9mm with Winchester primers? I'm more concerned about simple reliability than absolute lightest trigger pull with only federal primers. (I still have thousands of Winchester primers to burn through) I have a standard BladeTech DOH in my cart for a holster already. Any other items to look at first? I don't have any action job plans for now but know that a trigger job and FPB fix are probably due down the road. Thanks. bp And of course no new pistol thread is complete w/o a picture.

200gr RNSP Moly bullet, 4.1grs Clays Avg 830.9 fps Avg PF 166.2 PF SD 11.78 MEDIAN 833 fps Out of a 5" 1911. I probably need to bump up the charge so that I'm not so close to PF.

I believe I only stripped one bushing, not the frame. The bushings are all still very tight in the frame. I just want to be sure I'm asking the right questions now so that I don't strip the frame threading. I'll give the soldering iron a go to see if they loosen up.

I've been breaking down my STI Trojan a lot lately and have apparently stripped the grip bushings. I installed a new set of Cylinder & Slide grips screws but two screws feel out in the course of a 7 stage USPSA match Saturday. My STI Trojan shipped with thin grips but I've use standard width grips for some time and would like to replace the bushings with non-thin, standard sized bushings. Cylinder & Slide bushings Does anyone know if STI stakes their bushings on the Trojan? Should this be an easy removal or should I find a local smith to handle this one? One other thing, on the grips screws, I noticed that two screws have flat points and two appear tappered. Is this by design or are all 4 grips screws supposed to be exactly the same? Thanks.

Dry firing tonight I couldn't recreate the problem. After pulling the grip safety, and then breaking down the whole pistol, I don't recognize any issues suggested. The bow is smooth all around, no pretravel tabs. I think I may have just been overly aggressive in adjusting the over-travel screw too close to the reset earlier this afternoon. After following the 1/4 turn adjustment steps above it feels a bit better. We'll see how it runs in tomorrow's IDPA match. -bp

This weekend I installed a new Cylinder & Slide trigger, slide stop, and magazine release in my STI Trojan 9mm 1911. Each part required fitting but was checked frequently and dry fired often. As I have a match tomorrow, I made a quick trip to the range to verify function. Slide lock worked well and the mags drop freely. However, while trying to dial in the over-travel screw to where I like it, I started to notice trigger reset problems. I would drop the slide (LAMR) then pull the trigger which would settle on the over-travel stop, release it and you would hear the trigger reset, letting it fire on the next pull. At first I assumed I over-adjusted the trigger stop but backing it out didn't improve the situation. It appeared that the disconnector was not rising as it should. Is their any fitting necessary to the trigger bow? I've not yet had a chance to strip the pistol down again. What area should I look at further tonight? I did not touch the sear or disconnect at all. I kept my fitting work to the new parts purchased and frequently compared them (measured to the 1000th's) to the OEM STI parts and my Nighthawk. Thanks, bp

Thanks for all the advice. I should have put the M&P on that poll. I'll definitely try one out as well as a CZ. Thanks.

Does switching between platforms really hurt you? I have an itch to get a USPSA Production / IDPA SSP gun but I'm concerned that switching back & forth from the 1911 platform will slow me down. I'd appreciate some advice on what the folks here think about switching or what guns are better suited for a 1911 shooter. I know the Glock trigger and grip angle are a pretty big change from the 1911 as is the DA first shot of an SP01. I've been shooting IDPA matches regularly (~4 month) for about two years now and have started shooting more IPSC matches. The 9mm STI Trojan I shoot is a gamey IDPA ESP gun but the minor scoring is really starting to sting at the USPSA matches. I'll probably buy a .40 single stack before long but still want a Prod/SSP gun for matches where the Single Stack turn-out is low. A match this weekend saw 15 production shooters but only 4 of us in single stack. I like the DA/SA trigger on the SP01 but I haven't seen a clear thread on it's legal standing in IDPA SSP. A glock is readily availble with mags, holsters, and sights but the grip and trigger concern me more about switching regularly.

You may want to check the regulations for your county. In my area, a pellet gun that generates >600fps meets the definition of a "firearm". I picked up a IZH-46m. It has the best trigger of anything I own & it's nice and quiet to punch paper in the garage with just a small silent pellet trap. It's done a fair job at keeping the house-eating critters in check too. http://www.airguninfo.com/46index.shtml

I was in the same situation as a new reloader and spent a lot of time sifting through conflicting powder advice. I reload 125gr black moly bullets in 9mm too. I finally just opted for UNIQUE. I originally picked the powder because it is bulky and well documented for many loads. But after two pounds of it I decided I liked it enough to buy another 8lbs. I thought I might switch over to titegroup but comments about smoking w/ molys from some and the fact I like my current loads just fine made we stick with UNIQUE. With just a few thousand rounds loaded i'm still new so take the advice for what it's worth.