MemphisMechanic

Everyone prefers the 9mm to the .40 when it comes to shooting a gun straight and shooting it fast. The more compact the gun is, the more glaring the advantage becomes.

Walther PPS. While I’m fond of the M&P Shield and Glock 43 type options... in the “subcompact singlestack large enough to actually fight with” competition? The PPS is the most shootable for me. And that’s not subjective: I shot it well enough in a USPSA match that I’ve got a Shield with night sights and some stippling I’ll have to get around to selling eventually now! One of the stages from that little adventure: https://instagram.com/p/BgnJSRllPxk/

I don't really shoot practice except for local matches to stay tuned up for major ones... And even in a casual Tuesday night league it's no fun having to rack rounds out of the gun. If I was a casual Plummer it wouldn't be an issue at all. Here's the video from this weekend's USPSA match - managed a 1st place in Production Division even with more than a few rounds going CLICK! https://youtu.be/-AUHvJJNW2s

I'm on the fence about selling 9,000 Wolf small pistol primers... I stepped out of shooting around 5 years ago and just got back into it... and even though they were kept indoors, my primers aren't perfectly reliable like they previously were. In a USPSA match this weekend I had six primers out of 400 rounds go click instead of bang. For match ammo, that's unacceptable. (I know they weren't high primers as I check them all and bump any round that went through my 650 without a below-flush primer a second time.) I actually just lucked into Federals (someone had some!!!) at a damn good price, so I'm set for what to use from now on. However, while those Wolf primers won't suffice for match or defensive ammo, I'm potentially comfortable seeing if one of my local shooting friends is comfortable buying them for plinking ammo - maybe $20 per thousand or so - enough of a discount to make buying them worth it. What are your thoughts? Would you sell them or trash them? Assuming, like myself, you really don't make casual range trips and need a bang 100% of the time.

What he said. They are numbered in order of their introduction. And actually, you can't find a G18, 25, or 28. There are three unobtanium guns. The 18 is select-fire full auto... and the other two are .380s which don't meet ATF import criteria. Very simple system, just not an easy to understand one.

I like the Sierra manual's data. The binder format is designed to make it easy to swap out pages with newer data. In reality, it makes it easy for the current pages to tear and fall out. I will choose a different manual for this reason when it gets a few more years out of date.

If in doubt, guess long when it comes to OAL. The less bullet you have stuffed back in the case, the more case volume you'll have. Which means lower pressures. Worst thing that happens if you lengthen a round too much, is that it won't feed in your gun, or is too soft to consistently cycle it. Worst thing that happens if you shorten a round too much, is a KABOOM: 9mm tightgroup - Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo! OAL varies by gun, too. My Glock34 would eat soft 147gr handloads well out past the 1.150" length I usually loaded them to. In fact, a 9mm round could be loaded too long to fit in the magazines before it affected how the gun cycled. But the same 147 Precision Delta FMJ bullet will not chamber in an M&P 9L unless it's shorter than 1.125".

Mine come off the web. Bullets (FMJ) Precision Delta - The Ammunition of Champions www.montanagold.com Bullets (Moly) www.blackbulletsinternational.com Primers & Powder www.powdervalley.com Graf & Sons - The Reloading Authority I have ordered 7,000 9mm FMJs from P.D. and 18,000 130gr Moly's from BlackBullets this year. I have 18lbs of Solo1000 and 7 pounds of titegroup in the garage. About 4,000 Winchester and 24,000 Wolf Small Pistol primers remaining. I suppose I should mention that I'm a competitive shooter who burns a lot of ammo, and also that I shoot with Black Bullets International's name on my shirt. So I tend to shoot Tony's rounds whenever I can. They're cheap, accurate, and clean. And his wait time is the best anywhere right now. 18K worth of bullets took about 2 weeks to arrive at my door.

1. Because I'd rather give my money to someone I trust. 2. Because it's none of your damn business.

Excellent product: BrianEnos.com Electronic Digital Powder Scale

Definitely an SDB measure.

When in doubt, guess long. Most manuals will go VERY short on length. Somewhere in the realm of a 1.100-1.110" length, and that is what you'll see from a lot of factory ammo. When in doubt, go with the lighter powder charge, and the longer OAL, and work your way up to anything resembling a max load. Most competitive shooters (particularly those running a 1911 in 9mm) load extremely long by comparison. My loads for my Glock 34 were 1.145" ... and theirs were typically in the 1.160" neighborhood. (SAAMI max spec for the 9mm is 1.169" OAL.) The reason I recommend that you load long, is that pressures will be lower than a short round, because of the additional case volume. I would have recommended a length of 1.125" off the top of my head, as that is a bit longer than many manuals start with, and I have never found a pistol that won't feed a 115gr in that length. Guess what? The powder manufacturer agrees. Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide By the way, you can treat a TMJ like an FMJ when it comes to velocity - it's a bit cleaner due to the lack of an exposed lead base, but the jacket results in velocities pretty much identical to a standard FMJ. Yes, I've chrono'd both and speak from experience with a Speer 147 TMJ and a Precision Delta 147 FMJ with the same powder charge under both of them. Their websites velocity (1233 from a 4" barrel is a pretty hot load) would probably have me start with 6.1gr at 1.125" OAL, and work up. 6.3 could turn out to be a bit... snappy.

I can take care of that for you, possibly. We hold an IDPA match every Tuesday night at the TWRA range in Bartlett from 6pm-9pm, and I do have an MGW sight pusher. Won't cost you anything. I also just jumped ship to the M&P Platform, and put this together for the guys on the M&P forum a few weeks back: I know my way around both guns pretty well. Striker replacement on a Glock or an M&P takes about 30 seconds. Care to give us a few more details about what you're doing to each gun, and how many guns? The M&P is the easiest gun in the world to perform a trigger job on, by the way.

Buds gun shop

I can vouch for that. I've shot more than one match at RangeMaster, and never attended a class there... yet. That door is certainly wide open, funds eventually permitting. However, they know they don't have to worry about me when it comes to safety violations - not that any of us will ever stop looking when holding a timer. The just have to worry about me beating them once the scores are finalized. It probably helps to be personally known to the guys who run the match, and also to be an IDPA Master and a certified IDPA Safety Officer. *shrug*