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STI Competitor Make Over


CocoBolo

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I've started working on my old Competitor to bring it up to date a little.

Here is how it started: http://www.sashooter.com/images/mydawson2.jpg

I just got it back from having the slide cut down:

http://www.sashooter.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=719

http://www.sashooter.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=722

The gun is still balanced well forward of the trigger, nose heavy. I don't think that the comp is giving me what it should and I am thinking that should logically be the next thing I take care of, your thoughts? The gun is still heavy bull barrel but I prefer that to my very light gun that has std barrel and cone comp with very light slide..

The gun is till fairly tight and the barrel is in good shape and it runs 38 SC 100%, trigger < 2# short crisp etc. The only noticable thing about it is that in recoil is goes up then down and side to side a bit, stays pretty much in the A Zone. Load is 105gr of Accurate 7 behind a 125gr Zero JHP.

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Giving one of my ex's a new life.

Ron, When I owned the pistol I had talked with Matt Cheely about exactly what you are in the process of. Matt suggested, the slide lightening, as you've already done & then cutting off the last port of the comp or going to a titanium comp. ;)

Edited by Paul Burtchell
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That's what I'd recommend. Plus I cut the last port off the comp as well.

Sorry for the confusion Guys. Matt is right. I had forgotten exactly what he recommended. :wacko:

Titanium comp and cut off the last port.

Sorry, I guess I'm getting senile. :roflol:

Edited by Paul Burtchell
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Not sure if the competitor comes with a recoilmaster or not but if it has a full length guiderod, drill it hollow. It's not that expensive to do and it will make a noticeable difference. You might also drill a couple of side ports in the comp to tame the side to side. You might give up a little up and down but that's much better than any side to side, IMHO.

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Is that a TruBore barrel? Comp and barrel one piece? If so won't you have to change barrel and comp?

No this old gun predates the TruBore it is a bull with screw on, Nowlin cut, I did buy one of those Competitors with < 500 rounds on it with a TruBore. It balanced a bit better but did not shoot as well as this gun. My smith bought it (I made money) and he has been working it over, whacked the slide up big time, swiss cheesed the C-More mount, major dieting going on. His biggest complaint is the TruBore

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Exploring what is possible one step at a time easiest and cheepest first keeping it easy to rollback if it don't work.

1. Different loads, got some N350, 3n38 loads ready to try.

2. Drilled or Aluminum guide rod. Cheap and easy worth a try (just ordered one from Briley).

3. Holes in side of current comp like Brazos Thunder SX.

4. Bedell Comp - Titanium.

This gun is going to stay 38 Super Comp, I have a 9 mm Shorty Topend (4.25 full length recoil system) , I'm going to try on another frame, its a Para cut, std barrel with cone comp 4 port, built by Major 9 Guns, should make a good steel gun with minor loads if nothing else.

Edited by CocoBolo
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Exploring what is possible one step at a time easiest and cheepest first keeping it easy to rollback if it don't work.

1. Different loads, got some N350, 3n38 loads ready to try.

2. Drilled or Aluminum guide rod. Cheap and easy worth a try (just ordered one from Briley).

3. Holes in side of current comp like Brazos Thunder SX.

4. Bedell Comp - Titanium.

This gun is going to stay 38 Super Comp, I have a 9 mm Shorty Topend (4.25 full length recoil system) , I'm going to try on another frame, its a Para cut, std barrel with cone comp 4 port, built by Major 9 Guns, should make a good steel gun with minor loads if nothing else.

Have you thought about trying some 115s?

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G-man - Brilliant, no I have not tired 115gr in major. I could try the Benny Hill Load, you know the 12.2gr of Accurate 7 he has the video of. I think I will work up to it, it may have been a typo on his site. Have not tried 121gr either.

Thanks

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Range Report - Shot the gun with the lightnend slide first match Saturday. Gun is easier to point, and a little faster on transition and it feels a lot better, the dot is actually more stable than before. A tick more recoil but the pluses just feel better.

Sunday - I only shot two stages with the Aluminum guide rod, this improved the balance of the gun and made it even easier to shoot. A little more straight back but no added flip that I could sense.

At this point with the Lightened slide and aluminum guide rod I am very happy with this gun. I am going to try some 115s to see what that does for it but for now the make over is done.

Results Saturday 9th of 30 overall at 62% pretty good since I tanked a memory stage - 30 points.

Results Sunday 18th of 48 no mental melt down but popped two noshoots and mikes in one stage with the backup gun plus tanked out the classifier with jams. but a respectable 45%. I'm a C class so any time I make my % with 3 or more GM's in the match I'm happy.

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You never know how good your gun is or isn't till you shoot other guns. Ok, I shot KevinG's aka Mr Rudy's old gun now belongs to Elliot J, built by Benny Hill. The differece with the same load is very noticable. After shooting the Benny my 1/2 made over is Snappy. Weight wise the Benny is lighter the major difference is the comp and the popple holes. I'm a devout no poppel hole guy so it is now the the quest for a better comp. I just bought a Brazos for one of my other guns so based on much of an improvement I get on that gun the Competior may bet one as well. A OZ heavier than a Titanium but its not the weight anyway.

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Decided Matt Cheely is a pretty sharp guy so went with his advice. Bedell Titanium in bound. Ordered it at shooters connection at 1:25 pm got shipped notice at 1:44pm, they must just have been waiting for me to order.

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  • 2 months later...

The hard parts make over is complete. Had some issues with the bullets hitting the Bedell TI Comp but after 4 trips back to the smith its perfect.

The final product (minus the refinish) shoots and feels as good as any open gun I have picked up and fired. In shot its flat and soft and runs 100%. The Bedell comp did take a little more powder to get it to flatten out. I bumped my load up .3g and its about 175pf but shoots like an air soft.

Not a bad tranition for an old bertha butt competitor that was super nose heavy. Now its well balanced just fwd of the trigger points and drives a lot better. Total cost so far is $320 plus the cost of the gun was $1650 so I've got just at $2000 in a gun that shoots very well.

Soon as the season slows down I have a TenRing refinish certificate and its going to get beautiful.

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