Gunnut

I have found that Wilson shock buffs are too soft and come apart. CP buffs are tuff and last much longer. However, my experience is with lighter recoil springs than your 18 lbs. spring. Ed.

Wilson used to sell a 5oz. tungsten guide rod. I bought two a few years ago and they worked great in my Para's. A slight modification is needed on the slide. When Wilson dropped them from their line I heard Ross Carter took over selling them. Don't know if they are still availabe since his accident. You can do a search and may find one. The 5 ozs. and a light recoil spring made a huge difference for me. Ed. (Edited by Gunnut at 12:01 am on Feb. 9, 2003)

I have installed 3 Kart EZ fit barrels on my guns. All 3 lock up tight with no movement in any direction. The outside dimensions of the bushings are slightly oversized and had to be taken down to fit the slide. The lower lugs and standard link are fitted from Kart and the lugs rest tight on the slide stop pin. It is a good idea to get the Easy Fit Tool Kit. It includes a file, feeler guage, bench bushing and barrel locating block. The directions are very good and informative. Go slow and use a black or blue marker to see where the barrel touches or rubs and a very small amount of metal can be removed. When I got close to the final fit I felt the file was too aggressive and used a polishing stick. It takes a few hours to complete. After the barrel was fitted I polished the entire barrel. Kart bead blasts the barrel and it has a dull finish. Good Luck, Ed.

Thanks Benny. The mags do have 4 holes per side. I guess they are politicly correct mags . Ed.

Check out the Buckhorn Gun Club in Mebane. About 20 minutes from Durham. Trap, Skeet, rifle ranges, 25 yard pistol range and a pit for close up pistol shooting. http://home.att.net/~ncta/buckhorn.htm Ed.

I thought I read somewhere that Gene Shuey was Mr. America. A quick search on Google confirmed that in 1960 he indeed was. Ed.

I picked up a few STI 38 Super magazines, 126mm. The feed lips are approx. .330" to .335" wide at the front and rear. My tuned mags are approx. .350" to .355" wide. I understand that using smooth jawed channel locks can be used to open the lips towards the front but the rear of the mag lips where they meet the back would be tough to bend with channel locks. I was thinking about using a file. Any advice would be appreciated. These mags differ from my newer mags in that there is more metal in the top front right area and the rear groove pressed on the sides don't extend up past the mag catch slot. Since these mags are somewhat different, could it be that they are older prebans? Thanks, Ed.

Judging from this thread and others 7625 is prefered over 4756. Most claim 7625 shoots flatter even in guns with comps only and no holes in the barrel. The general rule is that slower powders work the comp better. 7625 looks to me to be the fastest powder acceptable for 38 Super major loads. How can this powder be so efficient? BTW I have been checking around and T&T Reloading has SR7625 in stock but only in 8oz. cans for now. Ed.

Oops, fuzzy math. The difference between the two bullets is .0075". That makes more sense. Ed.

Thanks, Warpspeed for the reply. .075" OAL difference between JHP and FMJ bullets seems significant for such a high pressure load. OAL of loaded cartridges don't seem to vary nearly that much. This was probably more of an issue at the old PF. Using 3n37 or n350 which bullet would best serve for both major IPSC loads and minor loads? Ed.

Regarding 38 Super 115gr. and 124gr. bullets, during the transition from magazine, up the ramp and into the chamber is one bullet nose configuration more reliable than another? Are FMJ and JHP bullets typically the same length and have no effect regarding case capacity? (Edited by Gunnut at 12:10 am on Dec. 12, 2002)

Thanks for the response. It appears that the reviews are mixed on the SP2. I think I will take Bam Bam's advice and move on to another powder. I don't think the risk of SP2 working in my Square Deal is worth the savings. I would hate to get stuck with a quantity of powder I can't use. Now is it going to be 3n37 or N350? Thanks, Ed.

I am thinking about using SP2 in my new open gun when it arrives. A search turned up a limited number of mixed reviews. A few shooters found it just great and a few complained about it being too fine and hard to reload with. I would like to hear other experiences anyone has had with SP2 and learn it's characteristics. Does it shoot softer and flater than 3n37 or n350? Is dealing with SP2 not worth the trouble and should I just go with one of the VV powders? My gun is a 5 chamber comp without hybrid or blow holes. Thanks, Ed.

Law Dawg, Thanks for the advice on the Trubor. A search turned up nothing but favorable comments in regards to STI's Competitors and Trubors. Did you experiment with different loads for the Trubor comp and if so what did you decide on? STI lists an option of lightening the slide. Probably a swoop off the top rear of the slide. I wonder if they have these lightened slides in stock or will I have to wait an unreasonalbe amount of time to add options. Anyone go down this road before? Thanks, Ed.

How about bubble gum! Ed.