Ken Mays

Some good suggestions here. I will add this: I recently bought an SVI that was holding onto mags. It happened with the mag catch out of the gun. These same mags dropped free in my other SVI, so I knew it had to be the gun. I fixed it by filing a few strokes off the mainspring housing where it was protruding into the mag well. No problems after that. Good luck!

This isn't your 180 grainers, but it is a Precision bullet. 155 gr Precision coated with 6.0 grains of Universal gives me about 1100 fps on average.

I've also got the Oly. I use Sten mags with the Socom block in a .223 lower and so far so good. The Sten mags are a PITA to load, but there are tricks and tools you can use to make it easier.

I bought some of that walnut at Wal-mart, and it's about the dustiest stuff I've ever used. I put a couple damp shop towels in the bowl to keep the dust down and keep the media clean. Other than the dust, it seems to work well. I've also tried pet store corncob, but the grains are way too large -- they'd get wedged in most every case and didn't clean very well. I think I'll stick with Midway's corncob.

I was using RCBS carbide for .40, but was getting the occasional case stuck in my SV's chamber. Switched to a EGW undersized sizing die and it has fixed the problem. I also use the Lee FCD in the fourth station. For .223 I was using Lee dies, but the seating die would occasionally squash the case just enough and flare it out at the shoulder. This led to stuck cases in the chamber, so I switched to a Redding seating die and that fixed it.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. It sounds like it's in my best interest to get some 180 grainers to play with and compare. Since Hodgdon refuses to give out load data for lead bullets in .40, sometimes I feel like I'm in terra incognita. I do have Maas's load data, so that's some comfort.

I've been using Precision's 155 grain .40 bullets with something around 6.0 grains of Universal. This gives an average velocity of 1120 or so out of a 5" gun. I'm noticing most folks are going with 180 grain bullets, but I've always been a bit leery of them because the case volume is pretty tight at that point, and setback might lead to unpleasant things happening, plus it seems that the gun jumps around a bit more with heavier bullets. What's the conventional wisdom regarding trying to make major with a medium weight bullet? Should I just jump on board with the 180s and not worry anymore?

If the nose is broken, it sheared off cleanly, which is why I can't quite tell. The surface is a bit rough but that could be simply wear and tear. God knows how long it's been like that. Thanks for the info, guys.

Does your ejector have an extended nose? The reason I ask is because I was cleaning mine, and the ejector looks like it might have broken the nose off at some point... on the other hand, it could be original. I honestly don't recall whether it ever had an extended tip or not. The gun runs fine. I bought it used and it ejects quite consistently. It's got about 10,000 rounds through it just from me. Thanks!

I'd think that rabbit ears would contribute toward sight confusion... that is, the front would resemble the rear ears too much for the eye to quickly pick out. I think a better route would be to shape the blade in a pyramid.

I had a P7M13 for a little while. I quickly sold it once I realized that plated bullets (and lead, too) would clog up the gas chamber. A curious design but one that's going nowhere. I put the money toward a SVI and have been happy ever since.

Hi, Check your local AutoZone or equivalent. They should have something that will suit the application.

I've had a Oly 9mm for several years. It was an older model, and it developed the disturbing habit of doubling and tripling on me. I tried several things but ended up sending it to Olympic. They replaced the barrel & bolt with their current version, which seem more massive. It's been fine since then. I use the Socom mag block too, with good results. As far as shooting it, the mass of the bolt reciprocating makes the gun move around a little more than .223 ARs, but it has less recoil and is in no way unpleasant. It definitely hangs right on target. I'd have no problems buying another one.

A fired .45 ACP case works well for scraping the carbon off the back of the bolt. Slip it on the end and roll it around. I've also used the SLIP 2000 carbon dissolving jar'o'stuff, and it works, albeit slowly.

When we toured the Coors brewery in Golden CO a few years back, we had some very fresh Blue Moon. It was the best I've ever had, and it turned my wife from a "ehh, beer's OK" person to a "damn, that's GOOD BEER!" person. She constantly measures every subsequent Blue Moon to that one we had on the tour, and they all come up short in her opinion. Since we live in Memphis, we toured the Coors brewery here recently. Even though they make Blue Moon (and Zima -- gack!) here, it didn't seem as fresh. Now that brewery's sold and shuttered at the moment. I do enjoy Blue Moon, but it's the kind of beer I have to be in the mood for. Same thing with the stouts -- I can't drink them in the summer or when I'm hot, but I do love them given the right circumstances.

You will soon find that the 3-in-1 mill just doesn't have enough travel or table size to do very much. Here's the problem: you need a stout vise for even handgun work, and the smaller mills either don't have a table big enough, or enough Z-axis travel to do anything if you do manage to get a big vise mounted. I have the mini-mill and it is too small for much past cutting dovetails and a few other slide jobs. Doing frame work, such as machine cut checkering, is out of the question because there's not enough room to mount the jig.

Wow, so much for the First Amendment. Apparently the Ministry of Truth is working double shifts in the educational system these days.

Another thing you might consider is taking an allen wrench of the same diameter as the "screw", filing a notch in the long end so that it matches up with the broken "screw" head, and JB welding that SOB in there. Let it cure for a day or so. If it were me, I'd probably just drill the SOB out and write off the mag catch as a loss, if it gets damaged. But I think you may be able to drill it out without ruining the catch, if you're careful.

Sure.... http://www.roderuscustom.tzo.com/Details.htm#September 30 http://www.roderuscustom.tzo.com/Details2.htm#February 13

I'm a bit hesitant to post this, since I'm not anywhere close to the same league as these 'smiths. I'd ask them not to follow the link since it will undoubtedly make them physically ill. This chronicles my first attempt at fly-by-night, do-it-in-the-garage checkering. As one beginner to another, hopefully this will give you some encouragement. http://grahamcracka.dns2go.com/1911frame/1911frame2.htm There's also a section a couple of pages further along where I have some photos of checkering a mainspring housing.

Before bluing, the gun should be stripped down as far as possible. When I hot blue guns I leave only the grip screw bushings and plunger tube intact (sometimes the ejector, too). I'd let the refinisher do the disassembly and reassembly, unless you are explicitly told otherwise.

I've used a bottle of Midway's brass polish... I think I've had it about five years, but then again I only add about a teaspoon every blue moon. I guess I don't really care how shiny my brass is.

I'm right there with you! This is my one and only Kimber, and I bought it just to see if I would experience all the fabled MIM breakages and external extractor failures. So far, it has not, and it has revised my opinion of the brand upwards a notch or two. But it will probably be the last factory 1911 I buy. Customs (and even semi-customs) are just too much fun to shoot and own.

Calling the Dillon a Cadillac isn't really accurate. It's more like an Accord or Camry: solid, reliable, efficient, and comfortable. Lee makes some decent gear, especially for the money -- their Anniversary Kit is a good value, as are some of their other tools... but their progressives are kludgy, cheap, and not very robust. They use a lot of plastic, and I've heard from some Lee owners that they go through a lot of broken parts. Dillon built a better mousetrap, and they are constantly refining their product. I've had a 550 for about six or seven years, and there have been several upgrades applied to the new 550s since then... not that I've ever needed any. I agree with the poster who said that the average Field and Stream reader isn't going to load more than a few thousand rounds a year. For the total amount of frustration that a Lee is likely to give you over a year's time, you'd find the cost difference between Lee and Dillon very easily justified. I have some gripes about Dillon, mainly that everything else is too expensive for what you get, but their presses are definitely worth the money and I'll never regret buying mine.

I also suspect your light recoil spring may be contributing to your problem. I run a Tactical Custom II (with external extractor) with the stock spring and it has always run flawlessly. I believe the reason DrKyle1 gutted his CMC mags is because the gun has an alloy frame and the stock CMC follower will gouge the frame. This is why I use Wilson 47Ds in mine; the follower is quite inoffensive.