Canuck63

Why do you favor 310 over 320? I dropped in a 20lbs CS spring in and didnt notice much difference over the 18 but I think I'll keep it. Some say with a heavy recoil spring the nose of the gun actually dips but I haven't noticed. Hi Jim, I favor 310 0ver 320 because with the former I can make major with cartridges that are either accurate and soft.I use it with 200grs LSWCBB, 230grs lead and FMJ bullets and just started experimenting with 252grs lead bullets. I'm rather partial to heavy springs on all of my 40cal limited guns and 1911s.Many may disagree but AFAIC heavier springs translate into less felt recoil,the slide getting back to battery faster and,always AFAIC no front dip to speak of,in fact double taps at a paper target at 8yds result in holes quite close to each other ("cat's eys" and "eights" are not rare by any means)and there's no sign of muzzle dip.On the other hand I've got a very strong grip and I'm now accustomed to this set up and to the way the gun behaves and react. In stages where you start with the gun in condition 2 or 3 you have to firmly grab and rack the slide to chamber the first round,rather than lightly "pinch" it as you would with a 12lbs spring but we cannot have everything,can we? Manny

I run a 18,5 vari coil Wollf in my bull barrel as well.I shoot 200grs LWSCBB over 4,7grs of N310 and it feels like I'm cheating...last month a RO sent me to che Chrono test because he was thinking I was shooting minor ...and it's been right there that the RO at the chrono was to discover that the ammo reached a whopping 186 PF ! I won that match...I won a few more in the following week...my gun runs like a million $$$ with this set up and that's the important thing!As a side not I'll keep using the boatload of truck-stopping cartridges I've loaded in matches...they're surgically accurate and in spite of the PF they're pleasant to shoot...at least as far as the gun is set up! Cheers Manny

Yet.....the differences between the readings when he tested my ammo are definitely to be put down to a faulty chrono! Manny

Hi all, I finally got in touch with Davide and he's told me that he's found the culprit....no hairline cracks in the barrel (I love that super-face thing though ) ...no faulty chronos (he used three or four)...he just got a cr@ppy batch of Fiocchi LP primers! He dumped them and loaded with what he regularly uses (CCI for training and Federals for matches) and everything went as smooth as silk!These Fiocchis are 24karat cr@p but he's been given them for trials and couldn't imagine that they'd have behaved this way! Hurley...I'm with you on the N310 being temperature (and height above sea level ) sensitive...ask me how I know!!!! Boss...I know that trick,even if I don't tilt the gun,I'd rather let the rounds rest on their head for a few days...thank you very much for the tip anyway! Manny

Hi Merlin, as I've written in my first post the cartridges he's chronoed came from my box of match loads and I'm anal as I can be when it comes to being on the safe side with PFs!Davide has chronoed his own loads before last Saturday's match and I think he knows a thing or two about reloading since he's one of the guys of the Modified Italian Team who won the gold at the IPSC European Championship in Serbia last year and the bronze at Bali. If he was a noob then anything would make sense but since he's one of the Tanfoglio "factory" shooters I think he's done all that he could to make sure that the chrono(s)b was/were working...he hadn't the gun with him when he called me therefore a quick check was out of the question but since he was as puzzled as I am about this strange thing I thought I'd have asked here! My gun's barrel may be different but IMHO a difference of more than 20 points isn't justified! Assuming that two chronos put "in battery" would give just about the same readings,which I'm reasonably sure will be similar to the last ones,what could cause such a drop of velocity then?The bullets are ok...the powder throws are constant,the bore hasn't turned into a 50AE... :blink: :blink:

Hi Rob, for starters thanks a lot for chimin' in.That's exactly what I've told my friend a few minutes ago when he's called me again.Now I'm curious to know the readings from a different chriono,but in case it'll work fine the hairline crack is the only thing I can think of! Manny A gas leak like a crack could do it but there would be all kinds of gunk inside the gun, right? Absolutely!Further...the high pressure would be felt,at least on the hands!

Hi Rob, for starters thanks a lot for chimin' in.That's exactly what I've told my friend a few minutes ago when he's called me again.Now I'm curious to know the readings from a different chriono,but in case it'll work fine the hairline crack is the only thing I can think of! Manny

Hi all, yesterday I've given a handful of cartridges (200 grainers SWCBB over 4.6grs og N310 for a PF of 176)to a bud to give this load a try and today he's called me on the phone asking if they were cartridges for minor,since they barely reached a PF of 150 .I told him that A)I shoot major and that B ) they came from a box of cartridges that had been chronoed during a match,hitting a 176 PF and that his chrono's battery may have given up the ghost.At his point he did reply that in fact even his very own cartridges which up to last training session gave a PF of 174 barely reached 130 with a tremendous spread between cartridges ! Now,since he's assured me that his chrono's ok and so is its battery which could be the cause of such a tremendous loss in velocity and resulting PF drop (or the other way round)? I told him to check the barrel for any hairline cracks around the chamber area or even along the whole barrel because if the pistol performed flawlessly up until Tuesday I cannot think of any other reason.He hasn't checjked the gun for accuracy,just chronoed them rounds,packed up his thing and started scratching his head. I'd really love to hear from you and tell my friend about your thoughts! TIA Manny

Ditto! when I started competing in 2007 I did that with a 45ACP SS,then in 2008 I switched divisions to Limited with a gun built around a Para Frame whose mags couldn't take more than 15 rounds without bulging and exploding....15+1 when I was lucky (condition 1) against 18+1,19+1 and sometimes even 20+1 ! I did not feel disadvantaged the least because I could shoot that pistol with a 200 grainer over 4,6/4,7 grs of Vitha 310 as if it was a 22LR and I brought home many a C and an A that would have been Ds or Cs respectively...I did well that year and that shooting like the absolute amateur noob that I was,i.e. (not so)controlled bursts aiming at the "brown",entire mags for three plates,a pepper and a bobber and so on and so forth...lotta noise and nothing to write home about but boy....those 200 LSWC made holes so big that I sorta could afford being carefree...the A-zone was really bigger sometimes !At that time I had a SVI Limited in 40S&W as well (see my avatar)and you could tell that I was practicing with that gun because you could see me walking from stage to stage smoking a Lucky or three and watching the other guys doing their drills...I just couldn't stand the 40,even if my gun ran like a million Dollars ! In 2009 I bought two more SVIs,then a forth and a fifth,all in 40 because I started digging this cartridge after finding the right load(s),the right set-up and started practicing more seriously but deep inside my heart a 45 round was still waving his little hand at me ! This year I'll compete again in the SS division with any of my four SSs (all in 45ACP) and the more I shoot them the more I look at my safe fondling the idea of getting rid of my Ltds to buy more 45ACP SSs!I've shot three matches so far,two first and a second and again...more As and Cs that would have been Cs or Ds and the odd D that coulda been a Mike....even if they were MUCH less than when I first started though ! The 45ACP rules and as wjg3 har rightly pointed out....is WAY FAR FROM BEING OBSOLETE! Best Regards from a cold,windy Italy! Manu

Been to the range today to see how the gun would have behaved.Shooting from 25 yds at a 3" dia round target from a rest (a sandbag...not a Ransom)it delivered groups not wider than 1",and the groupings were consistent,always perfectly cemtered and hitting to the sights,apart from the odd flyer,but my sight isn't that good anymore and shooting from a sandbag isn't fun...not if you try to get consistent,accurate groupings!Looks like it will at least hit the A-zone and down the plates! Cheers Manny

PM Sent!

That's exactly what I thought! Thank you for replying tpcdvc. Cheers Manny

Hi all, given the absolute lack of LB spares in Italy and Germany I've opted to fit a spare KKM Bull Barrel on one of my LB (a SS Concept V),to bring it to the specs of the other gun fitted with heavy KKM barrels I use in the Italian Championship. As we all know the Concept V comes with a classic barrel with bushing and the front of the slide has been machined wide enough to accomodate the bushing but a wee bit too wide for the front cone of the nbewly fitted barrel. Now...my gunsmith has literally worked on the barrel from the ground up,i.e. he starts from KKMs with an entirely "rough" lower lug area which he reworks with a NC machine. The barrel has a vault-lock feeling to it in the upper lugs area (the slides requires a little effort to hand-cycle it and it needs a push with the thumb to fully lock-up)but has a little "spring play" to it in the front area,i.e. where the original bushing used to be.It's not wobbly like the barrel on a M92 Beretta mind you,in fact it rest on the lower area of the slide and only has a little play upwards when pushed from the bottom (6 o'clock point)of the muzzle.It will immediately spring back to its resting point on the slide. Due to the terrible weather conditions here in Northern Italy I haven't fired it yet (the other guns built by my 'smith with a Caspian "heavy" frame,STI "Choice" slide and KKM barrels that will positively lock on the front part of the slide are tack drivers even after more than 40000 rounds (groupings shots from a rest at 40yards slighter wider than 1.5" are the norm)but I'd love to hear from the "cognoscenti" here if such a fitting would eventually lead to unevenly worn grooves and lugs on the slide in the long run. Since the front part of the barrel will rest on the same area every time the slide locks I doubt that this play ,which presents itself only when forcibly pushing from the lower part of the muzzle,will do accuracy much harm but I'm curious to know what you gents think about that. Cheers Manny

Darn right you are Whistlepig! :lol: :lol: Manny

I should add to that that I also used .452 slugs with no evident increase or decrease of accuracy.I had thought to get a few .450 bullets to see if I can decrease felt recoil with them,but,then again,I could easily run into unsufficient sealing and leading! Manny

Hi Buckaroo, your reply makes a lot of sense!I consider the average size of several groups shot aiming at a 4"x4" white square at 20yds from a rest(not a Ranson though!)....I can get 1/2" (1" being the widest) single ragged holes in the middle of the square and add to that that I'm a real bad shot!IMO plenty of accuracy for IPSC matches but you never have too much, have you? Manny

Hi all, I've got a hundred million bucks question for you!I'm running outta 200grs LSWC and next weekend I'm going to get 10k of them from my supplier.My 1911s (a Les Baer Premier II Super Tac,a Les Baer Concept V and an ADC Custom with a KKM bull) deliver ridicolously tight groups with .451 bullets but I could just as easily have them in .452...would I get more accuracy (just for the sake of it and out of curiosity )with them or I may as well save my friend the hassle of going and get them in the warehouse? My fave load is a slight variation of the "Wilson Load" that will give me a 175 PF,i.e. a .451 200 grainer over 4,7grs of N310,CCI LP primers and a 1.245 COL.My guns' barrel are virtually new,hence no wear to speak of. TIA Manny

I'm a jack###...I'd have checked the Techwear site before asking such a stupid question !Those magwell,espexcially the TGO that should fit into the "box" are the bees-nees but looks like shipping them to Italy is a big no-no! :angry2: :angry2:

Hi Tom, thank you very much for the heads-up ...I have contacted Mr. Schafer (HSB) already and he's got no spares available until next February but I hadn't thought of AKAH ....thanks for the tip! as far as magwell are concerned I've opted for a Techwell...they look very promising! Best Manny

Hi Skydiver, this forum's been very helpful once again!At least now I know EXACTLY what I needed to in order to get the right part and Midway Italy has a whole array of front sights and I've found an EGW that wil fill the bill.Shootersconnection is another useful source..found a Dawson there! Thanks for being here guys! Cheers Manny

Hi Bob, for starters thanks a million for your reply!Are US laws THAT restrictive?After all they're only front sights and not "vital parts"! I used to have your Lightning Rod sights fitted on all my Limited Guns....to bad you don't ship abroad anymore! Cheers Manny

Hi all, a few days ago I posted a thread in the "General Gunsmithing" forum asking about the right way to remove the front sights fitted(and pinned) to some Les Baer slides. I got a few very informative replies and then contacted the factory to ask if they'd have sold me a couple of front sights and a magwell for my Concept V. Apart from the fact that when a customer approaches you with a kind and polite request a simple "Hi" would be VERY welcome ,especially if he's ponied up nearly US$ 10.000 (yes..LBs were THAT expensive in Italy!),they did reply that they couldn't ship anything outside the USoA without an export licence and that I'd have contacted Brownells to get what I needed! I've opted for a Techwell thanks to many members' positive feedbacks and I've been literally left on my own when I wrote LB again again asking about the right dovetail cut of the front sights!Is it an EGW...Novak....Kimber....Heinie....STI....Infinity...Smith & Wesson...Schmeisser...ErMa...Springfield...Tom...Jerry...Stan...Ollie one?I'm knee-deep in confusion and I cannot possibly order a boatload of front sights only to see which one will fit my slide(s),can I? Now I'm asking for your unvaluable help again...and I'm even ready to pay upfront to a compassionate sould willing to help me out buying those front sights for mne Stateside! Which dovetail cut is the right one? I love Les Baers but I seriously doubt I'll buy another should they be imported here again!I could have bought a "race-ready" Springfield TGO for the price of the Premier II ST and another SA for the price of the Concept V...or even a Wilson...I'm sure I'd have gotten a much better care! Cheers Manny

These magwells are rad!I'm going to compete in the Classic/SS division in the 2012 Italian Championship with my Les Baers...one comes with a magwell fitted at the factory while the other one hasn't one and I'd like to get one of these since LB won't even ship a screw outside the USoA without an export licence!Where can I look for them?Looks like you need to drill a hole in the MS housing for an Allen to secure it! Cheers Manny

Many thanks for the replies so far guys.I had thought that a minor "surgery" would have been in order to remove those sights,i.e. cutting them in two,remove the "loose" half with ease and then work on the pinned one that would have come off just as easily leaving the pin to be pulled out! While I'm at it may I ask which kind of cut/dovetail angle has the LB sight to it?I.e. is it a Novak an EGW a Kimber,a........these dovetails are very confusing,especially for us living over the Pond ,accustomed to metric measurements! Cheers Manny