Wimping Out And Going Minor...

[Ron Ankeny]

I guess it's finally time to go to minor. You know, just worn out joints and that stuff. I was going to go to the softest shooting open gun I could get, but I have some experimental glasses that might keep me in irons for a couple of years (thank goodness for modern technology).

Just out of curiosity (and I really desire some input) what do you folks think would be a good way to go for something that is really easy on the joints. Let's say you were setting a gun up for your grandmother, lol.

I have never shot a really heavy, stable, open gun. I have asked before about soft shooting Open guns and I got some good suggestions. But I am wondering, do heavy open guns of conventional construction still impart a lot of sharp jolts to the body. Do any of you guys with arthritis and such have some input?

I have a single stack .38 super for the provisional division and it's soft. But, the magazines are a bear to seat when there are 10 rounds in them. I am using McCormick mags. Anyone know of a 10 round .38 super mag that can still be seated or a fix for mine short of welding in a section to extend them a bit?

One of the better known pistolsmiths owes me a single stack. What about a Caspian Race Ready frame with the gun built in .40 S&W? I hear the .40 single stack Cobra mags work great. Maybe a bull barrel and tungsten guide rod? I could shoot it in L10 with major loads as long as I can tolerate it, then go minor in L10? Maybe I should just get totally away from the 1911 (oh man I would go into mourning) and shoot Production with an XD or the like?

I know it's tough to offer advice and make choices for other people. But I really want to know. What will you do when shooting major is more than you want?

[Flexmoney]

A Glock 20 is likely the softest shooting Limited gun around.

[Loves2Shoot]

A Glock 20 is likely the softest shooting Limited gun around.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How do you figure that?

I would think a Caspian with all the extra heavy parts, Light slide, and a light recoil master would be much softer, just make sure you have a high ride safety . Heck my SVI with a KKM tungsten barrel is softer than a Glock 20, you throw Grams tungsten magwell on any S_I gun and it softens them up quite a bit.

If you want to stay in open I think the .40 is a good choice. With 170mm mags you can still get enough rounds in it to be competitive, the brass is cheap too

[markm]

Ron: for open, I swap to a 7# recoil spring, load up my 115's instead of 124's and shoot plates at a 125PF. Think your shooting a 22. Have even shot a local match minor and really don't lose that much. Have a limited top end built in 9mm, but I think the 40 downloaded is little softer. YMMV

BTW I have tried glocks, just don't fit me.

[SRT Driver]

Why not shoot a steel gun in Super?

The loads I shoot in my Bianchi Open and Met sight guns are really soft at 130 PF.

Or maybe drop the spring weight in your Open gun and see if it runs.

My Caspian Open gun runs with a 9lb recoil spring, 17lb main, and light loads. It has a 4 port EGW comp and a really light slide though. But it was origianlly built for the 175 pf major days.

[shred]

Heavy Open guns shooting Major loads still jolt you somewhat. Minor loads, a whole lot less so.

You could always crank the bullet weight up into softer-but-flippier territory with 147 or 158 or heavier bullets.

[Ron Ankeny]

To be perfectly honest, the notion of shooting a minor load in Open Division never even crossed my mind. I was thinking in terms of minor in L10 or provisional single stack. Now I have even more options to ponder.

Flex:

If I go to a Glock, I think I would snap up a G34 and shoot Production. It's oh so tempting.

[Flexmoney]

Flex:

If I go to a Glock, I think I would snap up a G34 and shoot Production. It's oh so tempting.

G20 in Minor is even softer. The bitch of that for Production is that you can't swap a 40S&W barrel into it (which you can do for L or L-10). You have to keep the 10mm barrel for Production. No big deal...except for brass.

[dwt]

Glock-20 , bar none !! With a 40 bbl its soft in Major or Really soft in Minor . If you can handle the big frame,its the berries ! No malfunctions either,thats a plus .

Dale