Bshooter

You will enjoy reloading on your 550, but casting your own bullets may discourage you. I have recently learned that wheel weights, which make excellent bullets, have been changed from lead to steel. A mechanic that works for a tire place told me this. If you find enough lead to cast your bullets, you have to size and lube them. It is a rather time comsuming process. I did it for a long time and now shoot so much I wouldn't have time to cast. Just call SnS Casting and get a good quality bullet for a good price.

gunracer38, were you talking about your reloading dies that you use? I am sure Case Pro dies are the only ones made for Case Pro. I don't have 38 dies but I roll size all my 40 and 9mm.

I replaced the shield and slide but not the shim. It runs like a new press. No lubrication needed either. Hope it stays that way. Thanks Dillon.

I mainly shoot single stack at the locals club matches. I usually finish fairly high in the standings. We don't have enough shooters to break the scores down into divisions so we are usually all lumped together. I will shoot minor just to see if I can finish as high in the standing as I do shooting major. It is also a lot of fun shooting with very little recoil. I don't plan on winning any matches, it is just the challange of shooting them.

We have talked about it here is SW Florida but can't come up with the right plan. There are so many variables to deal with. If anyone has plans for one of these, would you put the details on the forum someplace. Thanks.

I have stripped the screw holes out on two of the shields. The first fix was getting longer screws, the second fix was send them back to Dillon. Cannot complain about the Dillon guarantee.

I am surprized the press let you run a full stroke on the handle. What kind of press are you using?

Sarge, I find if I let my priming system go dry I have issues with it. It is a very old machine and has a lot of wear. I have to keep it lubed to make it work right.

DQ'd at a 3-gun match in Texas. Was on vacation there and found a monthly match. Got through the 2 pistol stages fine. On the first rifle stage I proceeded to fire 10 rounds at 5 targets, move to another postion and fired 2 or 3 rounds and could not pull the trigger. Pull the charging handle and still nothing. The second time I pulled the charging handle it slam fired over the berm. I almost had the gun empty before the RO could say stop. I appoligized and politely left the range. I found two primers in the gun case when I inspected my rifle. I discovered I had some soft brass that I had loaded and primers popped out of them real easy. Later found out that brass had been close to a building that had burned which made it soft.

I also just came across this thread and it really hit home. I have been shooting USPSA since 1989. Unfortunately I was 41 when I started, that means it is tougher to stay at the top of your game. I would shake like a leaf when I competed in any big match, until about the last stage. I had butterflies in my stomach at monthly matches, fearing I would do lousy or screw up that other competitors would make comments about my shooting. It really bothered me for a long time. As the years went by and the major matches mounted, I calmed down and realized it was the challange of getting to the match, competing to the best of my ability and enjoying who I was shooting with. Sure I wanted to win, but sometimes it isn't in the cards. I shot the Single Stack Nationals this year and was happy to be in the top 1/3. I shot with a wonderful bunch of guys and have good memories of a great match. Sometimes I have the attitude of a Cub's fan(am not really a Cub's fan), "Wait til next year"

I hope you got enough to fill this class. Shannon is a great teacher and his Fast Academy is a grueling course. You will not want to shoot another shot when you get done.

I agree with bobmysterious, The Monster Match. Guaranteed to to be a good one.

Royal purple or Mobile one in a dropper bottle or syringe. A little on the rails and on top of the barrel before you shoot.

At a Sectional match last November, which was a Plaque only match, we had raffle tickets for prizes both days. Each day a LC9 and a $300 watch plus many donated prizes were given away. Tickets were good for one day only so you had to buy new tickets the second day if you wanted to participate. The first day I won the watch, the second day I won the gun. How lucky was that. I didn't shoot the match that bad either. What a great weekend.

I always set the barracades, if used, up first. Then I set the targets at the distance I want them shot at. Then place vision blocks or no shoots in strategic position to make the course challanging. You must be talking about a big match which requires approval of the stages. I usually set up stages on the spur of the moment, with about 2-3 hrs before match time.

My wife bought me a 1100 Competition Master for 3-gun. I wouldn't let that gun go for anything. I love the way it shoots. The only drawback is the recoil pad got soft or something and when I put it in the gun-case it stuck to the foam inside. I am told they would replace the recoil pad but haven't persued the issue. Anyone got any insight on this?

I like the idea of having a good prize table for order of finish, plus prizes by randon draw. The average shooter is not going to win the big prize, yet they are always told to support the match sponsors. Do the "professional" shooters buy thins from the match sponsors? One year at the Single Stack Nationals, Smith and Wesson gave away pistols to the top finishers who shot a Smith and Wesson Single stack. I don't think to many shot them that year and maybe three were given away. Too bad Kimber doesn't do that. (Hint-Hint)

Powdered graphite is good but can be more of a mess than oil. My loading is in a small room and I like to keep the fan running which blows graphite too much for my taste. I use a syringe with sinthetic oil to lubricate the bar. Once it accumulates too much grime, I take it apart and clean it. I do use dry graphite in my magazines.

I know Rich personally and have had 2 XDs, 2 XDm, a 38 super built and my son bought a 40 springfield single stack from him. He does superb work. I have never been happier with all his work. I was at his shop in May, just after the Single Stack Nationals and he is expanding.

Where you at in SW Florida. Lots of shooting down here.

I see more and more random drawing for the prize table. The "Big Guns" usually walk away with the top prizes which could be guns or cash and the rest of the shooters are put in a random drawing. I like the idea because I am too old to win anything for shooting good.

I found a table at Sam's Club with a 2 " wood top, 2'x6' mounted on steel legs for $200. I bought two of them and have my 550B mounted on one and my Case Pro on the other. They are very sturdy and plenty of room under for storage as well as on top for shelves.

I have found that flipped primers are caused by the primer transfer bar not being lubricated enough. If it is dry, the bar jerks back into place and the primer will flip, sometimes upside down and sometimes sideways. Check that out.

frange, you say you cast bullets fro, wheel weights? I have heard that all wheel weights are now made out of stell, do you know anything about that. I used to do the same thing but haven't done it since moving to Florida. Let me know if you discover this to be true.

I hope not. I have seen shooters after the "Make Ready" command go through all sorts of movements just to get ready. Can you imagine putting on one or two gloves, adjusting the velcro strap(usually more than once) then load your gun, adjust you ear protection, scrape the ground with your feet, go through the targets in your mind, ugghhh. If this will be the norm, the stages need to be shorter so shooters have more time for preperation.