practical_man

Why is that? I use 3.2 universal clays /147gr lead and recoil in my glock 34 is like a duck fart. 0326 - Clays is different than Universal Clays. I use both for different things. Clays is a but temp sensitive and gets goofy in the cold. It also gets quirky at higher pressures. It works fine in 45 ACP and 12 gauge. Not so well in 9mm. Universal is closer to Unique in burn rate. Better for higher pressure loads e.g., 9mm, 40 S&W, 20 gauge and 28 gauge. I burn a lot of both powders, along with International Clays, in shotguns. The Clays designation causes a lot of confusion. - John

I like industrial corn cob blasting media much better. Cheap and comes out of bottleneck cases easily. Readily available from your favorite welding supply house or Internet tool source. - john

As anachronism said, scotch Brite is the answer for aluminum mags. That's what we do at work. Then shoot a little tan or green krypton on them. P Surface prep is everything. With them down with acetone after scotchbrite. Wear rubber gloves to keep finger prints off. Try to keep paint off the feed lips when you paint. Use light coats. -john

This is my approach now. A little effort for good results. It is very much worth it.

Thanks Toothguy! I will add a couple of those to my reading list. - john

Dr. Tim -- Thanks. I haven't read that book, but will put it on the list. I completely agree that you must focus on good performance in you after action review and training. Don't think about what went wrong, think about what goes right and how to repeat it m - john

I have both. As others have said, it depends on bench height. The Dillon roller handle works on my 40" tall bench. No problems. Dan Clausens handle shines on lower benches, like my workmate bench. It also works fine on the taller bench. I am in the process of switching over to Dan's roller handle because I like it better. Just personal preference. Anything that makes the process easier is a good expenditure in my view. If I were starting over, I would use the in line fabrication exclusively. It is excellent quality and design. -John

I prefer serrated rear sights. I don't notice the serrations when I shoot and I think it reduces glare. I have Heine sights on a Glock and love them. Bamboo raises a good point about the mental aspect. If you have talked yourself into not liking them, then you're stuck changing them out. Not a big deal. Personal preference is why there are so many options. That's a good thing, and probably why there is a Classified section on the forum. -john

Thanks. You may have convinced me to get a Giraud. I have wanted one for a while but the setup process for small runs kept me from getting one. Small runs are all I every do -- 500 or so rounds per session. Thanks again for posting this simple fix. -john

That is interesting. I haven't had this problem with any pistol powder. I suggest squaring the bottom of the funnel and demurring the inside. Then adjust it down to flare the cases. I have done this with my 45 ACP funnel to smooth machine operation. You could also send it back to Dillon for a replacement. Hope you get it sorted out. - John

Nice looking job. Waaaay more attractive than skateboard tape!

If you are comfortable with the work, try it yourself with the existing parts. 19 pound hammer spring and knocking the burrs of the ignition parts certainly won't hurt. You don't need specialized tools to do that level of work. Your gunsmith might replace parts anyway depending on the metallurgy and how the holes are drilled in the frame. Tolerance stacking can cause real problems with the 1911. -John

Darrell Thanks for sharing your data. It always includes the important factor - accuracy. I always look forward to your posts. -John

Toothguy I have found athe points made in the Bullseye encyclopedia article to be true for me. Also the advice in BEs book Beyond Fundamentals has been exceptionally useful in sport shooting and working on the two-way rifle range off and on for the past decade or so. As an aside, I recommend BEs book to the Army Officers I now teach in the Advanced Military Studies Program. It is useful on many levels. I frequently rediscover the value of sticking to fundamentals so you don't have to go back to them. Works in this hobby and at work. I inevitable regret it when ego drives me away from the fundamentals of either endeavor. Never had much use for self-talk or related techniques. Sticking to fundamentals to solve the problem I have, instead of the problem I want seems to work best for me. -John DeJarnette fort Leavenworth, KS

Diameter is probably fine. I shoot .358 diameter out of a .355 barrel with good results. I load 124 grain lead bullets with 4.4 grains of 231. That load is very accurate at 25 yards; leaves a bit to be desired at 50 yards. Adding tin is a good idea. Tin/lead solder is a good source. Not sure you need to water quench for 9mm unless your pushing them hard. I don't quench anything under 1000 FPS and have no leading problems. Good bullet fit, I.e., .002 over groove diameter, seems to keep the leading down. - John DeJarnette

AMAC - this post reflects my experience. I have frequently regretted selling guns, watches, cars, just to fund some urgent need or to placate the "I don't really need it" fairy. It has always cost me more to replace it later when the desire arose again. Like others have said, if you don't need the money then keep it and shoot it when you can. MIT be better to save up for a while and buy the Glock, M&P, or Springfield plastic gun of your choice to shoot for a while. That will probably drive you back to the 2011 pretty quickly. - John

Cordy I have a Glock 30 and a few 1911s. The 45s can get uncomfortable to carry all day because they are all heavy and big compared to a 9mm or small revolver. As others have said, the 9mm EMP is a good platform and much easier to carry all day every day. So is a Glock 17 or 19. Just my personal experience, not repeated Internet gossip. Most days, I carry a Ruger LCR or J frame Smith and Wesson because they are convenient and I don't mind carrying them. I don't get any cool points for carrying a small reliable firearm but I do have the ability to protect myself and my children if needs be. What you carry is up to you. Be sure you practice with it often. And a quality 1911 won't be an issue. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get one either. All of the major US producers built a good 1911 Government Model or Commander in 45, 40, and 9mm.

That's my experience. As springs get worn out they get compressed and take a set. Not exactly losing elasticity, but sort of.

This is a crappy cell phone picture. I started with a .285 wide carbon trigger and a Dremel tool. Ground off all serrations and redo used the front edges. After shooting, I quickly learned that the rear needed chamfering. All I have done so for is lightly break the trailing edge. Big improvement. Next time I have it apart I will chamfer it more with my fancy new buffer from enco I like this mod a lot. Warren Moore has built a couple revos for me since i did this trigger. He does the triggers slightly different, leaving very small serrations in the middle of the trigger face. That too is easy on the hand in sustained double action fire. I like his approach better. Those guns are in the safe right now so I can't send a pic. They also have a trigger stop. You get the idea tho. I don't prep the trigger as you describe. I can't shoot accurately that way. I try to stroke the trigger at the same tempo for every shot. Once it starts moving I try to keep it moving at the same velocity until the shot breaks while seeing sight alignment. Of course, that's easier to write than to do. When the clock is running I always manage to screw up a string or two, especially those darned Bianchi plates.

Narrow and rounded trigger face. Radius any part of the trigger you might touch during pull stroke, including the rear portion that might pinch if you don't have a trigger stop.

Another vote for Varget. Works well in 308 and 223, as well as others. More important to menus it works well in most temperatures. No spikes in the summer or sluggish performance on cold days. I have shot it for years from Louisiana Summers to Kansas Winters. - John

My first metallic progressive press was a 550. It has exceeded my expectations in every way - pistol and rifle calibers. I also have a SDB for 45 ACP bullseye loads. Not thrilled with SDB because it is so small. I was going to buy another 550 until I used a 650 with Ponsneas-Warren power adaptor. I am saving for the latter set up. I truly makes loading effortless. -John

Matt, The loading block tooth guy posted is a useful item. They can be had for around $25. I made mine, but I just like the satisfaction of tinkering. The load block lets you get by without as many speedloaders. That sad I have about 8 speedloaders. Consider the Jet leader instead of more comp 3s. I have a couple Jet loaders and like the better than safariland. They are worth the extra $5 in my opinion. Wish I had started with them from the beginning. -John

Yep. These two are great. If you can only get one, I think volume 1 is the one to get. It is certainly the one I use most often. It has plenty of detail about fitting critical dimensions. This site can be helpful too. http://www.1911pro.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23&start=0

the 45 bullet i shoot most is the H&G 68 200 grain SWC. Soft shooting and accurate in all of my 1911s.