want2race

This almost got me on Top Shot: Next time you get up to get a beer (er..soda), pop it open at the fridge but don't put the tab back down. Leave it straight up. Now hold the can freestyle (two handed grip). "Sight" threw the hole in the tab, now walk back to the couch (desk, table, chair etc) without spilling any. Take a sight picture on something across the room as you walk back. Walk fast. Tap the can with shooting finger to simulate firing. Don't spill. Ignore jeering wife. Make video. Send to Top Shot producers. Note: This does not work with Monster. No hole in tab. If you shoot Single Stack, use a Red Bull can. Hold the can with the tab sideways to simulate the front sight blade.

For fitness, I've been thinking about a slide board. In and out of positions use similar motions and muscles. I use an Airsoft 2011 with SVI blue dummy mags (they can be dropped) when I can't be with my guns. I don't bother with BB's or gas. Just dry fire it.

Schuemann's have a longer ramp, or better put, the feed ramp extends into the mag opening a little. If the Armscorp feed ramp is further forward it may just be the way they make them. I've seen others like that. Google Schuemann barrel timing test. There will be some measurements in that. Such as proper clearance at swing down (.010 iirc), amount of lock up on the top lugs (.045-.055 is ideal), etc. One of the key things is to make sure the barrel is unlocking completely (clearing the radial lugs (top of barrel). Let the barrel tell you what link it wants, don't fit a link to the barrel to correct anything. If the lower lugs are overcut, some would suggest a longer link to "tighten it up". Bad juju. The correction is to weld and recut. THEN fit the proper length link. That is assuming your looseness is with the barrel in lock up. If it's looseness at the hood, that can be welded and refit as well. Need more specifics though. Oh, and if the gap you're talking about is between the top of the ramp cut, and the bottom of the feed ramp, that's ok. That allows the crud a place to go. Without the gap, the crud will pack and the barrel will swing down less and less and eventually you'll start to round the radial lugs as the barrel radial lugs are no longer clearing the slide radial grooves.. As per a phone call with Schuemann a few years ago.

Thanks everyone!

EGW has a great bushing. Using a loose bushing ensures the barrel will cam up into lock up. If the bushing is too tight on the barrel, the barrel will act like a leaf spring (bend) when it goes into lock up. This is more important when cutting the lower lugs. I use a loose'ish bushing and a barrel holding block to rough in the hood, then use assemble it to the frame to cut the final dimensions. Bushing fit does erode over time (number of disassembly times). Using a loose one makes it easier to work on since you'll have to take in and out several times.

Thanks. I've got my checkering time down from about 8 hours to 4. That doesn't include the undercut time though. I cut the horizontals first, which is backwards from most. The verticals go quicker once the other lines are cut. This frame got the down and dirty, make it functional, checkering job. I think if Briley redesigned their linkless, it would gain some traction now. There are a LOT more gunsmiths with CNC capabilities these days. I saw some pics of theirs, I'll see if I can post them up. As you can see in the pics, my SA barrel is a standard ramp. It functions perfect as is but I haven't inspected the brass for bulging yet. Can't be worse than a Glock though...LOL.

Definitely try that first. Tap the front of the case extractor from the muzzle end. I've had to clear M2 (.50bmg) barrels where the ruptured case was so smooth it was hard to tell if it was even a case. The operator had tried to chamber enough rounds INTO the ruptured case (front half) that it formed a perfect shoulder and looked like the chamber itself. Only the color and reduced diameter gave it away. Needless to say the front half of the case was very reluctant to come out. Case extractor would just pull right off. I pulled the base of the case extractor towards the side of the chamber, this put the tips at the front firmly into the lip of the neck, then hammered on a cleaning rod from the muzzle. Without applying the side load force on the tool, the tips would just compress and slip right off the neck. On my 5.56 rifle, I used a knurled .30 caliber patch jag and hammered it into the ruptured case in my 5.56 rifle. The knurling took a bite into the brass and I was able to slide hammer it out using the handle of the cleaning rod. Second option was a large diameter machine screw.

Check the loop on the trigger bar, the one that cams the sear. Perhaps they are different in both guns. It's a pressed item so they vary a little. You could take the 9mm one and put it into the 40 along with the sear and see it then feels the same when it's in the 9mm. If there is still a difference, then take the striker from the 9mm and put it into the 40.

Check the back side of both sears. I have seen different profiles on their sears. Make sure they look the same. Tolerances. That could be why one trigger is better than the other. Have you check trigger pull weights on both? I would be your .40 is lighter than the 9. If the sear/striker release with light pressure, and you still have the stock trigger spring, that is one reason that there is no defined "wall" before it breaks. The pretravel weight is nearly that of the overall pull weight. Just an idea, no for certain if that is the case for yours though.

Hurray for the update! SINGLESTACK Class: GM Pct: 95.59 High Pct: 95.59

Fairly inexpensive, BAMF SS. I used to say no hacksaws were harmed....can't say that on this one. I broke my blade making another grip safety jig out of 1/2" bar stock. So far I've used a drill press, dremel and files. Oh and a chamber reamer if you're keeping track. When the time comes, I WON'T be tri-topping this with files. Progress: MSH is temp. Considering doing something I said I wouldn't. Making another set of grips from Micarta. It's 8 hrs with my tool set.

Are you going to try and rock them?

Oh yeah...I rememember that one. 3 on each was a common technique.

You load to 165pf MAX for local club matches? Which means that you are shooting minor at club matches but not majors? Why not shoot the same load? Don't cheat yourself. At majors, your timing will be off if you shoot primarily locals at a lower PF. Reduce as many variables as possible. To the OP: Have you sent it off yet? Any update?

This first post will be a bit wordy: I made a bit of an impulse buy after some discussion about the SA Linkless guns. I was curious about them so I bought one to mess with. Is it the holy grail? No. Is it more accurate than a standard barrel? Not yet. Is it an old design that fell out of flavor because it offered no "real" advantage? You bet! More on that later. The barrel is interesting, and not just for the linkless design. It has polygonal rifling and appears to have been treated with a Melonite like process. The throat was fine for standard length .40 but my 1.180 would not fit. I tried to ream it but my reamer would not fit into the bore. The bore diameter is smaller than standard .40 barrels. I have a few old modified reamers so I took my throater and thinned down the pilot to fit. Now my 1.180's fit. After a few tweaks and stones, the hammer falls at 2.25#. Good enough to test accuracy. First 5 rounds went into one ragged hole at 15yards. That was the only group that was that tight. LOL. I was able to keep 4 inch groups, off hand, rapid fire at 25 yards so that's good enough for now. My 185gr .45 and 180gr .40 loads are the same power factor. My .45 fits my hand like a well worn glove and will be my standard to compare to. For initial testing the SA has a 12.5# recoil spring and standard main spring. The .40 felt a hair softer and was as flat as my .45. Shot to shot, the sight travel looked the same to me. The .45 is lighter so that may have something to do with it. After initial test fire, I got the tools out. The slide to frame was a bit sloppy. Not the worst I've seen but it needed to be tightened. After some hammer time, it's much much better and the barrel doesn't have any vertical play. Cycling the slide is much smoother, it was a bit clunky before. Next was the front strap, high undercut and 20lpi. I cut the checkering to full depth, with nice and pointy tips, then I crop the tips of the pyramids to reduce the sharpness. Sharp 20lpi checkering is really only good for photos and magazines (IMO). It will match the grips I plan to make. I still haven't decided what I want to do about a magwell. My magwells aren't in production yet so I might just fit a 2011 main spring housing to open it up front to back. A Stan Chen bolt-on is my second choice, and I believe it uses a MSH that is very similar to the 2011 style. I haven't blasted the frame yet so the checkering is still shiny. Next up, opening up the ejection port and to fit a grip safety.

The diminsions are the same for cutting a 2011 and 1911 ramped barrel. The diffence is in how to clamp the frame in the vise. I have both 1911 books from Kuhnhausen, they are a bit dated but have very good info.

Yep. It isn't specific to .40's either. I had the pleasure of working on a buddies .45 Trojan. The feed ramp was too far forward. Had it welded up then I recut the feed ramp and it's better.

Reviving this thread as I picked up a linkless .40 yesterday. The frame is the same. A standard ramped barrel will drop right into the frame. Kart has just such a barrel (.40 std ramp) listed on Brownells. Still trying to decide to keep it stock, or add the usual compeititon bells and whistles.

Well I found, and bought, a .40 SA linkless gun. Also got confirmation from Jon Armidon that it is good to go.

Video is essential for me. I can nit pick the heck out of my videos and look to make improvments. Getting into and out of positions for example. When you see it on video it's quite obvious. Is the gun up and ready to fire as soon as you have sights on target? If steel was your last target before moving, did you wait for a visual confirmation before moving? These types of things you may not remember while shooting the stage.

Yessir!

I've had people compare a gun with stock "drop in" Apex parts to a gun I've done and difference is like comparing stock to Apex. That was how I heard it described. Consider it as 3 levels; stock, Apex and gunsmith tuned. It's no different than 1911's. As to it making you a better shooter, that's up to the software not the hardware.

The fly over view on youtube were AWESOME!

It does for me because without doing those mods I don't find the gun comfortable to shoot. Cutting into the trigger guard just a little makes such a huge difference for me. Finger grooves, not so much. I'll remove them because I might not always get the "perfect" grip and not having the grooves gives a little fudge factor. Also depends on whether or not you like the look too.

Comparing the drop in Apex parts with a full custom job is like comparing a gunsmith 1911 trigger job with 1911 drop in hammers and sears (unicorn wings). The parts are great, but they are just the base of a quality trigger job. I've heard nothing but good things about Dan's work, although I've never pulled one of his triggers myself. The only springs I replace are the trigger return spring and the striker block plunger spring. The rest of the job is tuning. I do start with an Apex sear, for me it's worth the additional cost because it saves labor time. Same reason I use EGW sears for 1911's. Both parts take less time to achieve the desired result.