WyoBob

I bought a Tokyo Mauri MEU (1911) a few years ago and I think it helped me quite a bit. I have a plate rack in my garage using 5, 5" high density foam "plates", hinged with duct tape, in my garage. (Distance is 21 feet.) We shoot 5, 6" plates at 7 yards at our local plate shoots and practicing with the airsoft has helped me quite a bit---and---it's fun! As I haven't upgraded to all metal, I epoxied some lead sheet to the dust cover of the airsoft to increase the weight. In the last year, I've been pretty busy and haven't practiced much with the airsoft. I do quite a bit of draw and dry fire on my "plate rack" (right before a match) and find that very helpful. I haven't had much time to practice live fire but, between the airsoft and dry fire, I manage to win my fair share of matches. In the last year I shot 3 local IDPA matches (local being, 45 miles away). Lots more complicated than plate shooting but lots of fun. "Running and gunning" is a lot harder than standing in one place and shooting plates, that's for sure. WyoBob

I did quite a bit of research over the last couple of years on 124-125 grain LRN bullet loadings for my STI 5" 1911 (and a M&P and CZ75 Compact that I no longer own). The load I now shoot in my STI is 4.0 grains of W231 with either a 124 gr TL RN Lee or a 125 gr. conventional Lee RN. Out of the 5" barrel, it chronos 1,012 fps and is very accurate. Loadings from 3.3-4.2 grains were accurate in all pistols but the light loads didn't function 100% in the CZ. From my notes, 4.4 grains of W231 is the maximum load with W231. WyoBob

Here's an online cost calculator: http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp I'm loading 9mm for $34.00 per thousand. Of course, I'm burning primers and powder I bought in the last 1 to 2 years, using range pick-up brass and casting my own bullets out of free wheel weights.

When buying .45 once-fired brass, be aware that Speer makes both large and small primer brass and you probably don't want to have that mix. I ordered 1,000 once fired Speer and 70% of them were small primer. Brass marked "NT" have small primer pockets. IIRC, Winchester and Federal make such brass and probably more that I'm not aware of. The Speer I had wasn't marked "NT". Bottom line---things sure slow down loading 45's on a progressive when you come to the small primer brass. "A-MERC" brass---I agree with everyone's opinion. Junk. I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who's buddy had a stoppage at their local IPSC match. Case stuck very tightly in the chamber and they had to pound it out. It was AMERC. He reloads a lot but had never heard the warning about the brass. (He doesn't "do" the internet

I never tried Windex but did use low odor mineral spirits for a time. I use lead bullets tumble lubed with Lee Liquid Alox and the brass does get sticky with LLA from the loaded rounds dropping in the catch bin on my progressive and then dumping them into bulk storage. I now lay 10 rounds in a row on an old bath towel, roll them back and forth to check for any problems (lead "ring" around case mouth, cracked case mouths, etc.) and then take a folded "microfiber" towel and lay across the row of rounds and press down and roll them back and forth. I don't use any solvent. The microfiber towel does an amazing job of cleaning the brass and even cleans up the bullets a bit. I then transfer the rounds into plastic ammo boxes. WyoBob

It sounds like you're using way too much "One Shot". I like using it and I use carbide dies. My LNL AP seems to run smoother when the cases are lubed. I also spray my cast bullets before sizing in Lee push through sizers. One can lasted for 20,000 cases and bullets so, as you can see, I'm not using much. WyoBob

Scotch makes a easily removable tape (using the same adhesive as "Sticky Notes", I think). This is what I use on my left lens. I have a lot of it left over from my metal airplane building days (to tape a bunch of rivets in place on vertical surfaces prior to riveting.) It doesn't leave a residue and comes off easily. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_U...nsparent_tapes/ Go to the bottom of the page. WyoBob

Eric, I'd forgotten about the double stack. Thanks. Surge, I mentioned "re-training" to point the finger toward the target when I talked to him on the phone the other day. Flex, as you said, he just needs to "retrain". He doesn't shoot in any formal IDPA/Ipsc type shoots. Just local stuff. He's like the rest of us, though. Just wants to get better. Thanks, everyone, for all of the helpful advice. I appreciate it. WyoBob

Make sure all traces of copper jacket/plating are removed from the barrel before shooting lead. I agree, once you start with lead it's a good idea to stick with it as it saves you the "clean the copper out of the bore" routine. After a few thousand rounds of lead bullets, all of the bores in my various pistols seem to smooth out very nicely and cleaning any leading/lube fouling becomes easier. Find some copper "ChoreBoy" scouring pads, strip a few strands off and wrap around a brass brush and use this to remove lead. Be aware that some "copper" scouring pads are copper clad steel. You don't want to use those. I always use the C.B. dry. About 6-8 passes and my bores are slick as a whistle. I then run a couple of dry patches through and re-assemble. WyoBob

Thanks for the comments, so far. I'm embarrassed to admit that, though I've known my friend for over 40 years, I was wrong about how much of his index finger is missing. Now that I think about it, it's at the second joint from the tip of the finger that he's missing. Nothing left to operate a trigger. So far, there's no comments on the left hand index finger on the front of the trigger guard. From my fumbling around, it seems to add stability for me. Another thought I had was adding a "Clip Draw" to the pistol: http://www.clipdraw.com./store/index.php?r...ion=show_detail That might keep his finger from contacting the slide and slowing it down. What are your thoughts on this? BTW, he's shooting a double stack STI in 9mm, an Edge, I think? WyoBob

I have a good friend back in Nebraska who is getting into shooting steel with his new STI. He's right handed and right eye dominate. He's also missing the tip of his trigger finger to the first joint. As a result, he's used to shooting by using his middle finger and does a pretty good job with rifles, shotguns and handguns. But, he's having a problem with his right index finger touching the slide on the STI and slowing it down to where the pistol malfunctions. He received some advice to switch over and pull the trigger with his support hand index finger. I didn't think much of that idea as it seems very cumbersome. My advice was to dry fire and draw practice quite a bit and to concentrate on keeping his finger straight and off the slide. Not too elegant but all I could really come up with. I also thought I'd recommend that he use a grip where his off hand index finger pulls on the front of the trigger guard. I came up with this idea as I tried to duplicate the way he has to grip the gun. Because this grip is higher with the right hand, when wrapping my support hand around my right, it feels really weird and very unstable. I know part of this is because of the way I've been gripping my 1911's for thousands of rounds so the new grip feels weird as there isn't good "nesting" of fingers possible. But, pulling back on the trigger guard with my offhand index finger seemed to increase stability quite a bit. Am I on the right track in advising him? Any other ideas? I think he'll be in good shape if he can "train" his right hand index finger to stay clear of the slide. WyoBob

I tried to do enough research on airsoft's and the gas to use in them to make a good decision. I bought my TM MEU knowing that 134A was the recommended gas and that propane was not recommended. I decided to go with propane due to the lower cost and availability. I can't go to a local store to find 134. Coleman fuel is everywhere. The costs for 134A seem to vary wildly. From .023 to .052/ml. (without shipping costs) Propane is $.006/ml when bought at Walmart. So, after 10 canisters of Coleman fuel through my MEU (with no problems so far), I figure I've saved enough money to buy a metal slide. I had a Marvel Unit 2 for awhile and sold it and bought a CZ and the Kadet kit when I was shooting my CZ. The Kadet was more accurate and a very well designed unit but I eventually decided I prefer the 1911 platform. I decided to try airsoft as opposed to buying another 22 conversion. The MEU was cheaper by half than a 22 conversion and, when you factor in the cost/availability of 22 ammo, the airsoft is a clear winner in the "bang for the buck" department. I figure, in all of the airsoft shooting I've done, the savings by not buying 22 ammo has paid for the MEU. When you figure in the costs of driving to a range and the ability to shoot airsoft inside where it's warm in the winter (an important factor in Wyoming), the airsoft really comes out ahead. Bottom line: I figure I've saved enough money shooting propane in an airsoft that if it blew up tomorrow, I could buy another and still be money ahead. If the slide ever cracks on my MEU, I'll go to a metal kit and, in the long run, will still come out ahead dollar wise and will practice much more since my practice range is right here at home. WyoBob

I ordered my MEU from Trinity: http://www.trinityairsoft.com/p-1229-tokyo...irsoft-gun.aspx WyoBob

Bulge at base or bulge due to bullet insertion? If the bulge is due to bullet insertion, if the loaded round chambers, I don't think you have anything to worry about. In fact, I think it's a good thing. You have a tight grip on the bullet which will go a long way toward eliminating bullet setback. If the bulge is at the case head end--- What Steve J said. WyoBob

I've had really good luck with my T.M. MEU. I've put around 10 Coleman canisters worth of bb's through the pistol with no problems and airsoft practice has helped me quite a bit with my plate shooting skills. WyoBob

I've read where factory ammo is tumbled to clean it up. Saying that, it's not for me. I did try it once but, when using Lee Liquid Alox on cast bullets, it's didn't work well at all and really made a mess. I use LLA on my cast bullets and, when the loaded rounds are deposited in the "bin" of my LNL progressive, the LLA transfers to the brass and makes things kind of sticky. I store my loaded ammo in coffee cans which also causes more sticky transfer. When my plastic ammo boxes need refilling, I lay about 10 rounds out in a row on an old bath towel, roll them to check for case mouth cracks, rolled up lead and check primer seating depth. I then take a folded over "micro fiber" towel, lay it across the rounds and roll them back and forth while pressing down. It's amazing how good of a job the M.F. cloths do in removing the LLA stickiness. WyoBob

MM, I don't know if this will be of any help but I made five, 5" diameter foam plates out of high density foam and taped some cut 5" diameter, white "CoolWhip" lids to the foam so the bb's wouldn't get stuck in the foam (and so the targets will last.) For hinges, I used duct tape. I have these set up in my garage at 21 feet and practice with my T.M MEU. We shoot 6" plates at 7 yards at our plate shoots. I made the foam a bit smaller just to make life harder. The bb's last quite a long time when shooting foam targets and, after cleaning them up, I use them again. Airsoft training has certainly been helpful to my shooting (and, it's fun in it's own right.) I've also done a lot of draw and dry fire practice over the last year. I don't know which is most helpful towards shooting improvement but I've come from the middle of the pack the last three years to winning 3 matches since the start of the year and coming in 2nd in two matches. Being a trifocal wearing, arthritic 62 year old, I'm kind of tickled. WyoBob

I shoot plates at our local shoots at 7 yards so 95% of my load testing and practice has been at 7 yards. Off the bench, my 9mm Trojan's best group is .26". Offhand at 7 yards, I can group .59", slow fire. I have yet to shoot the STI at a longer distance. I've been told on various forums that I'm not learning much shooting only at 7 yards and I need to shoot at longer distances. Yesterday, I shot 8 shots out of my 45 CBOB at 25 yards offhand, the first time at this distance. Four shots grouped 1.7" but the other four were flyers of massive proportions. I was aiming at a one of the 6" diameter round targets taped to cardboard that I use for plate practice and had a heck of a time getting a good sight picture. I'm assuming a black bull on a white background would be best. What diameter of black bull would you all recommend for shooting at 25 yards? I have a front sight focus lens on the right and a distance lens on the left so the target is pretty blurred with the left lens blocked with clear tape. I tried to get a good focus with both eyes and it didn't work too well. I also think that I should perhaps put some black tape over the F.O. front sight for longer range testing as I've noticed my groups got larger when I switched to F.O.'s on a few of my pistols. As we don't have IDPA/IPSC shoots within 110 miles of where I live, I doubt I'll ever shoot competition at 25 yards but a guy should know how his pistols shoot at this range, I think. WyoBob

I helped with our local "sight in days" a few years ago. It's a day for out of state hunter's to make sure they're rifles are sighted in for deer season. One fellow showed up with a very fine rifle (read expensive) and was nice enough to tell us all about it. He shot two boxes of shells at a 100 yard target. Not only did he not hit the target, he didn't hit the giant "backing board" that you tack targets to. He said, "That's close enough" and left. WyoBob

After quite a bit of research, I bought one of these: http://www.trinityairsoft.com/p-1229-tokyo...irsoft-gun.aspx Tokyo Marui seems to have a pretty good reputation and mine has performed flawlessly for thousands of rounds. I'm just a plate shooter, nothing fancy. I think that training with the airsoft has helped me quite a bit. I have a plate rack in my garage and am able to practice whenever I want regardless of weather. At our local club's plate shoot, I've gone from middle of the pack to a little higher up. The first matches of this year, I've come in 2nd twice (danged kids and their "fast moves") and first, once. I'm practicing at 7 yards with five, 5" foam "plates" (we shoot 6" plates at 7 yards at our shoot) and broke the 3.0 second barrier today (from draw.) It's a small thing compared to what most on this forum are able to do but, at almost age 62 with trifocals and arthritis, I'm tickled silly and having a lot of fun. We have a great bunch of guys in our plate club and I enjoy every minute shooting with them. WyoBob

For an experiment with my FO front sight (Dawson .100") on my Trojan 9mm, I cut a small "cover" of black electrical tape with a razor blade and pasted it over the front sight. Make sure the front sight is grease free. I shot a little tighter group slow fire with a black front sight but found I liked the F.O. sight the best for shooting plates. WyoBob

My Club lll timer, bought in Dec. of last year, ran for a few weeks and then started doing the "random number" thing mentioned by the first poster. My random number was generally in the 700 range. I'd start with a "good" zero, fire 5 shots and it would say 6 shots with a total time of 7xx.0. I sent it back for repair Feb. 9th and expected it back fairly quickly. After it didn't show up after what I thought was a pretty good wait, I called and they said it would take 4-6 weeks from when they received it. I still don't have it. Evidently, they have a lot of bum timers to repair. I wish I would have bought a CED. WyoBob

I've loaded over 25,000 rounds of 9, 38 special, 40 and 45 on my LNL progressive (no case feeder). The powder measure drops Clays and 231 to +/- .05 grain. The case retainer spring has come apart a few times and I screwed it back together. The primer system has been 100% (just keep things clean.) The ejection was a slight problem with 9mm's every once-in-awhile until I modified the shell plate. It sound like the new eject system fixed this minor flaw. I did quite a bit of research between the Dillon 550 and Hornday. I watched a friend load on his 550 so know how it operates but have not loaded on one myself. I like the auto index feature of the Hornady. It looked like it would be easy to miss a powder charge on the 550. If fact, I have two friends who've bulged a barrel and both reload on a 550. Possibly a coincidence but I like the idea of the auto index. The bushing system makes changing out dies very easy and the powder measure works very well. Anyway, I'd buy another Hornady if this one ever falls into a heap. WyoBob

Good idea on the black bb's. I have white and do find myself watching the bb's fly down range. Not good. For loading, I lock the spring/plunger back on my TM mags with the little plastic thing they supplied and pour some into my hand and feed them into a plastic funnel lined up with the "loading port". A box of high density foam blew into my yard one day and I cut 6" discs, used duct tape hinges and a sheet with a hole in it to collect the bb's in a box below. When the foam wears out, I'm cutting 5" discs. We shoot five, 6" dia. discs at 21' at our shoots. I'm shooting a TM MEU 1911 with Coleman "Green Key" propane. WyoBob