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Planning an Open Glock- 9mm Minor


Jaycwebb

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Hey all!
I currently shoot a Glock 34 (Limited USPSA minor) that I've done a fair amount of work on and I am really happy with.

I'm looking to start planning my next gun; an open glock.

I shoot minot because most of my matches are steel. I shoot a 147gn bullet.

I'd love some feedback about planning this gun out, and if possible to use the same load I'm using to my Limited gun.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

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If your going to use the same load you aren't going to get the most out of you comp. Open pistols work best pushing light bullets fast, with a slow burning powder.

Your limited load might cycle it, but it won't be as nice I would bet

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If you want to shoot Open minor I'll tell you a secret that will save you lots of money: the comp won't do a damn thing unless you load slow powder close to major anyway (and it's going to shoot flatter as the PF goes up), so skip it.

Your G34 with a dot, the lightest recoil spring which will still get the next round into battery, 115 bullets and about 3grs of fast powder will make a really sweet steel gun. Are you shooting shooting static steel or knockdown steel? If you need to knock down steel you might need to bump up the charge a few ticks, but don't think you need to shoot a heavier bullet to knock down the steel, it's all about kinetic energy (which is not the same as PF). Here's a nice calculator to help you see what I mean: http://www.firearmexpertwitness.com/customguns/calcnrg.html

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If you want to shoot Open minor I'll tell you a secret that will save you lots of money: the comp won't do a damn thing unless you load slow powder close to major anyway (and it's going to shoot flatter as the PF goes up), so skip it.

Your G34 with a dot, the lightest recoil spring which will still get the next round into battery, 115 bullets and about 3grs of fast powder will make a really sweet steel gun. Are you shooting shooting static steel or knockdown steel? If you need to knock down steel you might need to bump up the charge a few ticks, but don't think you need to shoot a heavier bullet to knock down the steel, it's all about kinetic energy (which is not the same as PF). Here's a nice calculator to help you see what I mean: http://www.firearmexpertwitness.com/customguns/calcnrg.html

My steel matches are a mix of static steel and knockdown. Some of each on every stage.

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If you can knock them down with your 147 load what I'm talking about will work fine for you.

Your load is what? 130PF? A 115 load has the same kinetic energy at 114pf, but don't take my word for it, see what works for you.

The point of my comment was that with the comp you won't get satisfactory results until you hit about 140-150pf with the right powder and the gun will keep shooting flatter up until ~170-180pf.

I have multiple Open guns and the best powders to choose from, but my choice for a steel match is no comp, 115s and 3gr of Clays. It's soft and fast!

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Gotcha! That makes sense! I'll plan for something like that. Then later if I want to switch over to Major for both guns, I'll just order a barrel and comp.

Do you think it's better, with the understanding that I'm not going to have a comp, to use a 17 or a 34?

Edited by Jaycwebb
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What's the difference between the 17l and the 34?

Let me rephrase my original question; what slide length should I look for? I'm looking to get a glockworx slide for this gun.

Edited by Jaycwebb
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The 17L has a 6" barrel, the 34 has a 5.3" and the 17 has a 4.5", it's really up to you: a shorter pistol will move faster and will have a snappier recoil impulse, but a longer pistol will feel softer, you can also augment the snap vs soft with lighter or heavier bullets.

I like a long slide with light bullets.

How big and strong are you, a longer, heavier gun may be no dig deal for you...

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I'm a pretty big guy. 6 foot 275. I have no problems moving and pushing my 34 around. My 147s feel like .380 coming out of the the gun with my load of 3.8gn of Unique. The gun isn't heavy or hard to move for me a bit.

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I dont agree with the comment about the comp won't do a thing running minor. The comps efficiency with minor loads will be determined by the design of the comp itself. I fought with the same thing for awhile. I have been shooting 3 gun and just running super light loads in open. I decided to take the plunge and order a KKM barrel. While waiting for my barrel to arrive I started playing with compensator design and machined a few prototypes since I dont have access to any fancy CFD software. I tested them tonight and the results speak for themselves.

Running my match loads I noticed a huge difference in the way the pistol behaved with and without a comp. With a comp(specific design) the dot settled much faster and returned to exactly the original point of aim. The reason I say, depending on comp design, is because this was not the case with all the prototypes I built. Port size, location and spacing all play a role in determining how effective a comp is with a specific load. Yes, recoil and muzzle rise was diminished on all, but the results of return to POA was not always the same. The side to side movement was worse on some comps than a non-comped barrel.

I am not using a slow powder either. I am using wst. Granted its not as fast as clays but it is no where near the burn rate of most open powders. I still have a bit of testing to do and have one more prototype to machine but you can have a minor gun work with a comp.

Edited by LoganbillJ
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Plus one

I dont agree with the comment about the comp won't do a thing running minor. The comps efficiency with minor loads will be determined by the design of the comp itself. I fought with the same thing for awhile. I have been shooting 3 gun and just running super light loads in open. I decided to take the plunge and order a KKM barrel. While waiting for my barrel to arrive I started playing with compensator design and machined a few prototypes since I dont have access to any fancy CFD software. I tested them tonight and the results speak for themselves.

Running my match loads I noticed a huge difference in the way the pistol behaved with and without a comp. With a comp(specific design) the dot settled much faster and returned to exactly the original point of aim. The reason I say, depending on comp design, is because this was not the case with all the prototypes I built. Port size, location and spacing all play a role in determining how effective a comp is with a specific load. Yes, recoil and muzzle rise was diminished on all, but the results of return to POA was not always the same. The side to side movement was worse on some comps than a non-comped barrel.

I am not using a slow powder either. I am using wst. Granted its not as fast as clays but it is no where near the burn rate of most open powders. I still have a bit of testing to do and have one more prototype to machine but you can have a minor gun work with a comp.

Plus one on this statement. I shoot a Bobby Carver built 17 with his major comp and an 11# recoil spring and the dot moves very little. I am very fast with this set up shooting 115gr Freedom Munition factory loads. The comp definitely helps.

gerritm

Edited by gerritm
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  • 1 month later...

I've never shot open, but is there a downside to putting a comp on a minor load?

I understand how a hotter load will increase the advantage of a comp vs no comp, but even if a comp on a minor load only produced a marginal benefit, why not do it if you are running a dot anyway?

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