LngRngShtr

drop the chalupa

To the criminal Element : A. You know you are already where you don't belong, as you do not live here and you don't have an invite from my wife or myself and my dogs don't like you why would I give you a 3rd indicator ? seems to me 2 would be enough to help you realize you need to find another line of work but if you must continue in after damaging my door/window..... B. Why give away my position or capabilities to defend/cause you harm,..this is what keeps your "job" interesting and is an occupational hazard on your part C. 1 shotgun (? see answer 2.) several rooms (unless you pulled a builders design sheet in that case you now know your odds of rooms to armed homeowner ratio ( wait see rule .2 ) ) oh, and there may be house guests,who may also be armed.. These odds don't look good even from the "bookies in Vegas" D. I am only unsociable to those who arrive uninvited,..you will have 2 choices on how to leave walking out and being carried out Then again you might just get lucky.....but since most folks in your line of work are in the grasp of a few of the deadly sins be envious, greedy,lustful and somewhere else..lest you are visited by the other deadly sin......WRATH so to answer the OPs question..... :P:P John P.S. there are a lot of variables to this question but think of it this way a hunter is in your house would you let him know anything more than what he already knows? would a deer or any game animal jump up and sqwawk Here-Here (click-CLACK) to help him home in on a target ? I would advise to take advantage of what little surprise you have left and home court advantage (think like a bad guy for a min) if you know someone is in the next room and is armed you have 2 choices, leave or shoot it out..however a well timed confident loud and clear "GET OUT" won't give you much bearings and you still won't know if your quarry is armed but a "click-clack Get Out Or I'll Shoot I am calling the cops !" will possibly let you know which wall to shoot through . Every encounter is different so in the end is there really a 100% right answer to this question? yes.. train to use your guns and train to adapt quickly to answer the shooting problem which you will get as a "pop quiz" on test day,..if it ever comes and I hope it never does John

You could also chemically strip it off,.. try some "Naval Jelly" the pink rust removing goop won't hurt the metal or etch the surface,.. I used some to strip the blue off before rebluing with some cold blue and it worked fine,..be careful though this stuff removes all protection from the metal and it will flash rust on you if you leave it too long..just wipe on watch it do its thing and rinse in HOT water and a green scrub pad. John

http://www.m1911.org/loader.swf click the boxes showing split,alpha,hide, and show to see cutaways in this animation helps to visualize what happens in "old slabsides" John

well,.. keep it in the safe maybe someday a .22 conversion if the bottom end isn't bad that crack probably wouldn't mind a .22 top end.. or use it for a carbine conversion.. Mech Tech Systems, Inc.

Does the 'smith think she can be saved ?

SavageSig here you go.. added my S&W 52-2 and my 1974 Browning Medalist with a clamp on scope mount it was too beautiful to drill and tap so I had a local smith make one back in '89' . The hole on the frame of the 10mm (middle) near the slide stop was for a scope mount it used to have a red dot on it before I got the Super with a C-Mor (3rd. owner) which was done by Mike LaRocca in Worchester Mass.

If your firing pin is overcoming your spring it is time to replace the spring..JMB put the spring there to keep this from happening (an AR will dimple primers because there isn't a firing pin spring) ..Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911's have an extra heavy FP Spring (and Ti firing pin) to pass CA-DOJ drop test to make it sellable in Cali without all that Series 80 levers and plungers Colt uses.. A pic of the back of the casing and a fired casing (before the incident to compare any offset,as most will be slightly off center) would answer if it was in battery or not as the barrel slides up the breech face the last 1/16" of slide travel or so.. a centered firing pin strike (comparatively speaking) means the gun was in battery.. a perimeter hit would lean to a worn or somehow disabled/defective disconnector (maybe the frame was on its way to cracking due to some other factor) allowing the hammer to fall and no hit would be a high primer.. John

This is how the sickness takes hold.. Before too long you will have a spare parts bin box or maybe if it gets bad enough a tackle box and more pieces stones and files and punches maybe even the books by Jerry Kuhnausen etc. I am glad you got to learn this it is something every 1911 owner should know. John

First off, I am glad you are OK guns are easier to fix than hands....glad it was cold enough for you to wear gloves... Lets see what we see... with the bulge in the bottom of the barrel and a separated head it would indicate a high pressure failure.. the gun being cocked indicates to me the extractor slipped off the casing (or the casing sheared) and was pushed back by pressure at least enough to recock the pistol the round below too mangled to feed or possibly blown down by pressure at that point the safety being on would be perhaps if you shoot "low thumbs" or just pressure inside the gun finding its way out.. the markings on the slide for the disconnector are a mystery to me perhaps the pressure venting forced it upwards ? I reloaded some ammo once for a Detonics and got a double charge,(we pulled the other 40 or so and found a second one...casings looked similar but it didn't crack the frame and the pachmayr grips held together but did bow out (steel linings) and there was scorching near the slide stop/plunger area I may be possible that when setting up for your run of ammo you double charged a casing? I know most 650s auto index but it can be disabled and a shooting buddy usually disables to setup charge weight,COAL, etc. and resets index to run his batch of ammo could this have happened ? Usually straight walled pistol cases shrink and get thin at the mouths as they age so a too long case (range find?) is unlikely you could measure from your barrel hood (top) to the chamber cut with a vernier and see what you come up with.. Fired too many times ? I have some casings that have been fired to the point of no head stamp writing is visible they usually crack down the side first,but none of my .45s have been through a Glock as far as I know.. High primer,.. I can't see the case head but that wouldn't explain the head separation which shows that case was fully or very close to fully chambered usually a high primer .45 will pop sooner and really open it up or not allow the slide to close as the round slides up the face of the slide... is the primer flush and how flattened is it ? can we see a pic of the casehead ? and the face of the slide ? As for the 3 red circles,.. looks like the left most (by the hammer) matches a mark on the hammer,the other 2 I am unsure, there isn't really anything in a cycling .45 that hits there the slide impacts up forward unless the magazine was forced back by pressure but I am unsure if this would crack your disconnector hole, a properly working disconnector keeps a 1911 from firing until it is almost 100% into battery try it with another 1911 that barrel is almost totally locked up before firing now if it developed this crack ,unnoticed , could it have allowed the pistol to fire further out of battery ? Ramp polish,.. we would need to see another pic or 2 to see how it looks compared to a "stock" barrel and ramp.. I am sure someone here has a pressure program to check the pressures of your load vs. a hypothetical double charge.. Yet another possibility is some errant powder in the measure,not 231, but say a different burn rate powder creating pressure spikes? what would say a 5.6 charge of Bullseye powder do ? or some rifle powder ? I do not know your handloading technique, nor am I bashing you it is just a possibility I hope we can all learn what happened here to keep it from happening anywhere else... John

At 100 yds. wind reading is important but that would show as a lateral stringing.. Your gear sounds capable enough to start so buy a few bricks of ammo and start out close if you have a range you can do this at... start out at say 25ft. and as your groups shrink add more yardage your errors are magnified with range and if it is a windy day you could be just depressing yourself thinking it is something you are doing fundamentally wrong when it is the wind that is whats the problem and wind reading is another skill for a later time I have seen beginning small bore shooters at 50ft. struggle to keep all 10 rounds on the paper at first some I coached with shorter distance shooting to build confidence others I had them shoot from position with a tall tripod supporting most of the weight again trying to limit the variable while learning a skill set. sometimes we would have them run 10-20 rounds prone from a rest to reverify they hadn't picked up a bad habit that would be masked by the more difficult position offhand being the hardest of the 4 we taught them..(prone,sitting,kneeling and offhand) As far as the sights go,... set them off the rest and leave them alone you are looking for consistent groups first, then we worry about cutting 10's and X's or poker chips or whatever the target is.. until you have a consistent group you will chase your sight adjustment to hell and back trying to get centered up..tight groups show consistency consistency is what we are after..... Rifles are accurate or inaccurate,..Shooters are consistent or inconsistent... hits/scores are high when an accurate rifle meets a consistent shooter 1. breath control there is a pause at the bottom of your respiratory cycle some folks breathe in a half step this is also used to fine tune adjust elevationwhen you are more experienced. 2. trigger control slow controlled break,should be a surprise not anticipated finger goes straight back just the pad touching the rifle rest of your finger is surrounded by air.. 3. follow through let it all settle back down after firing before anything else movesor breathes.. 4. natural point of aim if you close your eyes does the rifle point the same place when you open them again after counting to 5 slowly ? 5. visual acuity - don't stare at the sights/target too long or you see shadow images.. 6. call your shot - where did you think it went vs. where the hole in the target tells you it went with experience these will coincide and then the holes will tell you what you did wrong ( see #'s 1-5 each of those not done correctly will produce a result there are charts that decipher this "code" ) Hope this helps..this will help if you are a handgunner also, fundamentals are the same.. John

this may help explain what is happening,.. near the last 2 paragraphs GunTech : 2-½ lb. Trigger Pull - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools in short : 1. the pin holes in the frame are in the wrong place.. I have an old Essex Arms that suffers that malady I am unfamiliar with the DW having this problem or not but it may be possible after the parts wore in that it would rear its head... 2.Someone could have tried to home smith the trigger for a lighter/smoother pull and shortened the nose or thinned the engagement too much 3.the 3 finger spring could also have gone soft allowing the sear to "bounce" under recoil ( IIRCthe series 80 Gold Cups had a special spring and lever to avoid this ) 4. fire control pieces are worn but with the age of this pistol it sounds unlikely... Time to see a gunsmith to check for these problems.. Good Luck and I hope your problems leave you soon.. John

yes they are,... at one time they ll passed through the doors of Colt , except for the bare stainless frame it cam from Vt. (Essex Arms)

on the wait to call 911,.. all 911 calls are recorded.. if your spouse can dial while you defend against a break in or attempted break in and something does occur it can help when replayed later.. legal eagles please clarify I was taught that it can help if the Jury hears the recording and you are stating clearly that you are armed intend to defend and they need to leave NOW and you end up having to shoot it out it shows your " I was in fear of my life or grave bodily harm would come to me/my spouse" mindset during your civil trial... I am not a lawyer nor do I have legal experience... John I have heard of the car alarm idea and it makes sense in that the intruder does not want attention from the outside world while they work but I put it in the "another piece of the defensive toolbox " file and would not rely on it as the only tool to summon help or defend..

There is no cure... the Addiction must be fed..... 5" is .45ACP Green mag gun 10mm Blue mag gun 38Super frame was the first .45 now a project gun..maybe a dedicated .22 John

Beware ..the 1911 is the small block Chevy of the shooting world.. you can get anything for it.. as for calibers... I say the more the merrier but I do have a Dillon and several die sets to reload all of my calibers..even the revolvers. a .22 conversion is a good plan if you don't reload so you can get more practice for your $$$ and as far as MIM parts go my 1911's have had the internals replaced several times between them and parts are relatively cheap check World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS for all the toys and gizmos you can buy new "drop in" internals,ambi safeties,sights,caliber conversions,.they even make a carbine conversion that you put in place of your slide..and about every gunsmith I have ever met knows and works on a 1911. My 5" .45 has been reblued so has my 10mm and the slide on the 38 Super also,.. the question is "is it a showpiece,... or a workhorse.." if you carry the bad guy isn't going to critique your bluing besides bluing on barrel bushings usually don't wear off and if it "races" well worn bluing looks like racing stripes to me..safe queens will hold bluing quite well.. As far as trading/selling guns... after growing up hearing all the " I shouldn't have sold my ..." stories I deemed my safe the "firearm motel"...firearms check in but they don't check out..." it is like a time capsule in there.. back to my first purchases but that is a personal decision to make. John

MCSCOTT, you beat me but here is my post The concerns I would have: 1.Would be the wife needs to stay put and standby with a cell phone ( not landlines, if someone is in the building they may have been disabled ) and after training a suitable defensive device, 2. dogs , usually if someone/something is about the dogs here tend to bark.. I have had a similar situation happen where a picture fell and broke its glass after we returned from a long trip which made the night longer the dogs looked up sniffed and went back to sleep the house was cleared after waiting a few minutes for any other noises or outside sounds,hearing none I then secured the perimiter. If I come home and have a friend try to get close to the house ( after letting the wife know we are trying this) the dogs come unglued, try it sometime with a co-worker the dogs haven't met to see how they react. most dogs have this hardwired to protect their "pack" on a side note a pet underfoot while trying to out maneuver a possible adversary negates home field advantage.. might look into training him to stay and protect "mom" or work out from underfoot giving you room to move without tripping over him.. 3. Lights,.. what did you do with the lighting as you cleared the house? did you back light yourself? going into a downstairs is a tough maneuver maybe someone here with more experience can chime in but think of how you view it from below... legs and lower abdomen before gun,.. kind of a good target for BG if one is hiding there... If it is just you,the wife, and dogs maybe staying put is best make the threat come to you where you are in a strong defensive position not caught in a stairwell with no room to move and 2 armed homeowners together is better than 2 separate ones wondering if the noise is a BG or your SO and hesitating (because the BG won't hesitate if he is solo he knows anyone else is a threat) Just some thoughts : replay the incident during the day with your wife and have her retrace your steps WITHOUT a gun and play the part of a bad guy hiding downstairs to see and hear it from their view then switch positions it may help you learn a few things in case the next time it isn't an air compressor I am glad all ended well and nothing got shot.. John

Proving once again,... a moments inattention can be costly I meant to type your Generally Unseen Nine(-mil) Then I realized I don't own a nine.. so G.U.N. can't save me.. "Here is the Muzzle, this is the Breech...be as careful with these as you are with your speech.." John

on the slam fires,.. the only one I saw involved single loading without a clip yes clip not magazine.. the safe way to single load is to,and this takes some practice is to load in an empty clip then reach down with thumb and depress follower the clip will hold the bolt back, insert 1 or more rounds then depress clip and ammo as normal if it were an 8 rounder then get your thumb out of the way.. the clip slows the bolt as the single round is fed in which helps avoid slam fire they also make a SLED or Single Loading Enhancement Device Fulton Armory FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions here is some good info to wander through.. I use IMR 4895 and a 147 or 150 fmj I have never had a problem with Winchester primers and remember to keep brass trimmed to prevent jamming and possible pressure spikes.. Enjoy your part of history and maybe someday we could get a bunch of these old warhorses together for a "mad minute" John

Ranger Rick, You should always strive to "shoot straight" just realize you may have to send it there in a curving arc or 2 (remember windage also) Thanks for the compliment, I just find it less frustrating if I understand the "why" behind the "do" versus blind repetition. I still have the "now how the hell did he....." moments it means my eyes are still open and more to learn and above all I think that was the most important lesson learned.. Learn from everyone you shoot with or against...unless he is shooting at you John

Spiffy,.. you are right,.. I guess you could use that one at the house while putting your gun on before going out there.... John

I use carlsons extended in my Condor Carlson's Shotgun Choke Tubes and accessories for the hunter and shooter here ya go.. John P.S. if it is a pre-1993 Red Label it takes win-moss-browning chokes might have to check that first before ordering

I reload ammo and I also reload my beer bottles,... in both instances Homebrew is really better....

DaveH1 the 9 shoots flatter but accuracy would best be answered out of a machine rest or a test barrel fixture if grouping is your measure of accuracy...trajectory is a function of sight offset and compensates for falling off Now concerning accuracy of out of the box "duty" guns it should be shot from same MFG. as some designs are more inherently accurate out of the box.. the National Matches are dictated by "What the services carry" this is why you see more 9mm being used and they will shoot accurately and no more .38SPL since the USAF discontinued issuing of the revolvers to flight crews or you would still see .38 wadcutter guns on the line.. a .38spl. S&W M52 was guaranteed 2" accurate to 50 yds. from the factory a reworked 1911 .45 will do the same as will a reworked 9mm just visit the big Bullseye precision matches nobody shoots stock carry guns the carry division is for IDPA and USPSA and their accuracy requirements are a bit different as they have no reshoots due to malfunctiions but accuracy is still very important to them, a 6" plate @25 yards is tough after running 30 ft. and shooting 3 mags worthof ammo at 10-15 other targets... Impartial ? let one of the ammo companies run these loads through their testing fixtures, a barreled action clamped onto a heavy bench no shooter to flinch just a firing pin and 50ft. 25 yds or 50 yds. You could also contact BARSTO and ask them what the potential accuracy for these calibers are with their barrels Shootability,.. now thats the great debate I see here with "a .45 shooter can shoot a 9 straighter than a 9 shooter can shoot a .45..." that boils down to how recoil sensitive a shooter is and if their gun fits them.. my 5" limited gun and my 2 6" open guns fit me very well and it won't matter if it is a .45 a 10mm or a .38 Super that gets sent downrange I am sure it will go where it is told... the S&W 52 doesn't fit as well but with a bit more work on my part it will tear out a 10 ring at 50 ft. and rested will still shoot 2" @ 50 yds. same with the Browning Medalist which is a lowly .22LR I have seen "Super Squad" shooters do amazing things with their raceguns,.. I have seen Bullseye guns shoot a ragged one hole group and it didn't bother the shooters as to what caliber it was I even saw a 64 year old man out shoot a 32 year old A class IPSC shooter on a rack of 5 steel plates...with a Colt SAA in .45LC back before all the cowboy action shooting got going because he recognized his gear and what it would do and the other fellow figures sixguns were slow enough he could miss a few..he walked off the line learning that they don't score misses John It is all good and this is why we all have our favorite calibers,..they work for us,...and those that don't,.. well they work for others.. as long as we don't delude ourselves by thinking our pet is the "Hammer of Thor" or the only answer to a given shooting problem it isn't a problem

COOP. Being that they are resized after receiving .004" plating you will want to be careful about overcrimping and cutting into the plating... I would suggest taper crimping (dillon dies do this) enough to function reliably. measure a resized case and taper to that measurement or slightly smaller,.or you can use this formula : (the measurements are based on a .45 but you can adjust for your 9) You can measure the thickness of the brass wall, double it, and then add it to the bullet dia.. The rough formula is: i.e. .010" x 2 = .020" + .451(jacketed) = .471. Remington and Federal SWC heads are .452" ,hence .472". This is not written in stone and in some guns the accuracy difference may not be detectable till you overcrimp and deform the front shoulder. that will get you back to spec. then you can subtract your amt. I used .003" for all my IPSC rounds and accuracy was stellar however once I set the crimp to .005" or something like that and velocity went up and bullets went sideways @ 30 yds. it was not a good match that day But you live and you learn... so .003" it is and I always verify measurements on the first few rounds.. John