pnmd Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 I'm looking to get a top of the line open gun. I'm looking at the SV Open Masterpiece or a Limcat. Too beautiful guns, IMO. Anyone have either guns and have any opinions on them? Speedshooter.com has the SV open masterpiece for $3400 in stock Limcats $3495- has so many exotic details!!! : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric nielsen Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 I don't own either of these. However, when I bring my chrono to a match, ppl hand me their guns to shoot & I'm pretty familiar with both types. Have you tried shooting a Super with a Hybrid like the SV? A super without any holes in the bore? Or a super with 2 or 3 'TJ holes' drilled into them? You may find that the all-out Hybrid set-up puts such a blast into your face that it scares you. The #1 cause of blinking while shooting is the pressure change, felt on your face and eyelashes. It's a survival instinct that's there to protect us from tornados, falling trees, etc. It can be hard to overcome. That's my experience - I don't want a Hybid gun. TJ holes, I do like - have 2 of those in my barrel now. Try and see. I'm curious what the Hybrids are like with 125gr loads, instead of the 115s that I shoot. Never tried that. dvc - eric - a28026 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ong45 Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 I have a number of Johnny's guns and am very pleased with his work. There is another comp called the tamer that is not pictured. I think this is the one JJ uses, it is squareish in shape with deeper chambers than the typical round comp. Hybrid or not is the bigger question. You can always start with 2 holes and work your way up. James Ong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 Pnmd, Are you familiar with the design of the IMM Open gun? While I do not own one (yet), I did some R&D work on it, during the testing phase. It uses a 6 chamber barrel/comp setup with 8 ports in addition to the 3 Hybrid ports. The technology used in that gun is not available in any other gun. It is the softest and flattest .38 Super that I have ever shot. The slide has been shotened and the comp is titanium so that it is short, light, fast and shoots very softly for such a short and light gun. I will never say that it is quiet or lacks blast as it is about as loud as they come. If you are looking for a quiet gun you should stay away from having any ports in the barrel at all. That is one gun that I sure hated to see go back! If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask. I know of a few others on this board that have shot the gun and possibly some even have one. Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnmd Posted August 3, 2003 Author Share Posted August 3, 2003 Yeh, I'm not sure if I'm ready for a hybrid. This is actually the SV Open Masterpiece for sale on speedshooters.com " These are the ones that Team SV are presently using. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 I have one o fthese with a few extra holes in the comp, hardchomed, and Scott type grip and I like it very much, it feels a lot closer to a limited gun's ballance, but it is not for those who are afraid of noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rishii Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 I shoot a 4 port hybricomp, with a caspian x comp. everyone tells me its loud, but I think the blast is worse for the RO than it is for the shooter. or maybe I'm just deaf after shooting it for 10 years with the 124 gn heads, it's soft shooting, but it does hurt with the 115's or shooting thru a barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixgun Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 For the sheer "coolness factor" I vote for the Tigercat. I'd also advise you to spend an extra $200.00 and get it in hardchrome. Man does a black grip and hardchromed slide look gorgeous! Just my opinion. Ray C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 I'm running the tribrid barrel and it isn't as bad as everybody whines about. It sucks for the RO's but shooting it you don't notice it. I shot the IMM at Nationals on '01 at the SVI demo. Sweet gun. soft, flat and quick. It is loud but shooting it you don't notice it any more than some of the comped guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 I actually shoot 2 open guns with similar top end of the tigercat, because Limcat built the top ends for me. Shoots soft and flat that I don't even have blow holes on my slide. Have you tried a Limcat yet? The trigger job and accuracy is amazing. josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 I have the SVI IMM as pictured at the top. It is by far the best Open gun I have ever shot, I absolutly love it. But you have to be prepared for the noise...actually its not as bad for the shooter as it is for the RO/bystanders. On the practice line at the '01 Nationals, there were 4 or 5 of us shooting IMMs on a full practice line...shortly after we started there was only the 4 of us ...Matt Burkett doing 30 round bill drills didn't help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 Guys, Limcat and several others make really great guns and they can be soft, flat, short, light, etc... No slam against any of these fine guns or manufacturers intended but the IMM Open gun is at another level completely because of the technology involved in the gun. It is incredibly soft, flat, short AND light ... all in the same gun. You really have to shoot one, side by side, against another good Super to realize the difference. Listen to Pat, and others, that have owned and shot everything available and reached this conclusion. And again ... I don't own one ... yet! Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luiz Francisco Ramos Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 Pat, please, could you tell about the loads for the masterpiece. thanks... Ramos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted August 4, 2003 Share Posted August 4, 2003 I was loading 9.7 grains of 3n37 with a 124 gr Hornandy TJ bullet...obviously work up to this load. 3n38 is supposed to work better but I haven't worked up and loads for it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjanglin Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 You all are paying way too much, 3400 yikes-keep it simple and you will probably be a much happier shooter. Jim Anglin Sailors Custom Pistols Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnmd Posted August 5, 2003 Author Share Posted August 5, 2003 I emailed Johnny Lim and got a reply the next day! He states he's building one now and can make it either a Phantera or Tigercat. I asked him what was the difference between the two and Johnny replied, " The difference between the two design is just the compensator, the phantera is and is a lighter gun (Tamer Comp)..shoots very flat but has a little sharp kick feeling..( JJ racaza shoot this gun Phantera)..I shoot this gun also because we both like a gun that is flat and lite and has a little kick....the Tigercat (Turbo Comp) is a little heavier, lot of people like this style because it shoots flat and soft..(athena Lee shoots this gun)..Now I built this both guns in Hybrid barrel...unless otherwise specified.. " I am torn between the Limcat or the IMM SVI. I am encouraged by some forum members saying that the IMM is the "best" they've ever shot. Limcat and IMM will be hybrids... No one in my area has either gun so unlikely I'll get a chance to shoot before purchase. I was concerned about Johnny Lim's followup service because I read he could be difficult to get a hold of. But his quick response was encouraging. Pat and Leo, the IMM is really in another class? How much were your guns? How long for build time? How come Team SVI is not shooting the IMM? Or do they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 A buddy of mine has had pretty good service with Johnny Lim..He and his wife have guns from him..his latest is a tigercat with four blowholes....can't wait to catch up with to try it out... We have one of the SV IMM guns in the club I shoot with and seems to shoot pretty flat...gun is really light and I like that..it is loud though..I have shot it a little..but not enough to make a good judgement if I were to really want one.. both are really cool..if I only had the money to burn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 As an R.O., squad mate, or spectator, I'd discourage the IMM. It's seriously loud and concussive. As a shooter, the blast is tolerable. (I ran a magazine through one at an SV demo.) Were I to buy one, I'd get a Tigercat, because I like the soft-shooting pussycat guns. If you have a preference for a certain kind feel in a Limited gun, you might consider something along the same line in an Open gun. Reading the Limcat available features, I'll say this: nevermind the front serrations unless you're getting an Optima-type sight; you can't easily rack the slide from the front with a scope mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 "Reading the Limcat available features, I'll say this: nevermind the front serrations unless you're getting an Optima-type sight; you can't easily rack the slide from the front with a scope mount." Ah yeah... but they look so cool and they lighten the gun a bit. Sometimes mr Lim uses them to hide the comp/slide seam. I've seen one gun he built and I had to ask the owner how the heck did the gunsmith blend that comp to the slide so good I couldn't see the seam. Then he showed me where it was. Nice work! The guy actually let me shoot his gun after the match and the accuracy was so superb that I kept my shots on the A and B zone head shot at 50 yards, no bench support. The trigger job was awesome also! If I were to set up an open gun, I'll go with commander length slide, turbo comp, 2 blowholes with the slide lightened at the rear. Am I nuts? just my .02 josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Pnmd, The SV gun had a design that is different than other competing guns. The barrel has 3 hybrid holes followed by 3 ported chambers within the barrel (identical to a Tribrid barrel) and then adds a titanium comp. The slide is shorter and lighter than a Government model and the titanium comp keeps the gun very light. It has the most compensation available in such a small light package. You need to decide if you really like a light short gun or if you prefer a heavier longer (more stable) gun. The GMs mostly like the lighter, shorter and more responsive guns but they are at a different level that the majority of us. You need to decide for yourself. The lead time to get a gun varies. It could take several months to build a gun or you might find a distributor with one in stock. A lot depends on the options that you want on the gun and how flexible you are. The price seems to be the price ... not much variation. Team SV DOES shoot the gun. I'm sure there are some that do not have them yet or some that prefer a heavier gun but the ones that I know shoot the new gun. Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 I am biased, I'm a diehard Johnny fan! That being said, there are a couple of non-technical considerations in purchasing a competition gun. First, do you have a gunsmith familiar with this type of firearm? If you buy the SV, you'll need to find one. If you buy the Limcat, it comes with the smith Second, having a gun built for YOU is very different than buying one "off the shelf". Johnny can customize certain parts as he builds it for you. With the SV, you get it the way it is. And lastly, if you have Johnny build it, you can use either the SV or STI frame. While some may say the SV is superior in it's manufacture, I can't discount the STI contingency program that is now allowing me to build the second Open gun out of parts won through their program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ong45 Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 The lead time is hard to predict, it has been posted on this forum that SV takes forever. However, Johnny is a one man shop and he is always very busy. Johnny also has a very liberal warranty policy. I have seen people who send their guns back after beating the crap out of them and 99% of the time, he just replaces whatever they broke. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titandriver Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Hey James, you talkin' about me? Yeah, I do shoot/beat the crap outta mine and I got to say the Johnny has taken VERY, VERY good care of me! PNMD, I wouldn't consider anyone else to build a gun for either me or my wife besides Johnny. If you send me your e-mail address I'll send you a couple of pix of my Limcat that I just got back from Johnny --- it is awesome!!! rocketman@rmci.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Yeah, I do shoot/beat the crap outta mine rocketman@rmci.net Yup..thats what I would call... if anyone can take a beautiful piece of craftmanship and beat the crap out of it..TitanDriver can and will.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titandriver Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Well, you know my motto: if it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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