2011 Area 1 Championship Junior Camp

Posted on July 1, 2011 by

A couple days ago, I got back from the 2011 Area 1 USPSA Championship. Area 1 encompasses all of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. The match itself had 12 awesome stages and an equally awesome Junior Camp. I did fairly well in the match, especially considering some equipment issues I had, and the class for Juniors was fun and I learned quite a bit. Thanks to all the staff, sponsors, stage designers, and Junior Camp instructors for making this an awesome match. Also thanks to the guys at Speed Shooters Int’l. for setting up as vendors there, and helping me out with some equipment issues.

Junior Camp

The day before the match started, Keith Tyler, a Grand Master shooter, and Master Class shooter Bill Maine (who’s name I probably mispelled), gave a class for the juniors that showed up. This was the second year in a row for the class, which Area Director (and another GM) Chuck Anderson taught last year.

The instruction was excellent even though it’s hard to teach a high “B” class shooter who’s set in his ways (which were pretty much identical to the instructor’s, minus a small stance difference). I did, however, learn that I was unconsciously taking a ”3rd Sight Picture” on every target, which dramatically slows down my target transitions.

I also learned a new type of draw, the “Side Mount”, where you bring your hand into the side of the gun and form your grip (as opposed to the “Top Mount” and ”Bottom Mount” where you bring your hand either up and then down onto the gun (Top Mount) or straight up into the frontstrap (Bottom Mount).

I currently use the Bottom Mount because it’s faster when the start position is “hands at sides”, but use the Top Mount when you start in the “Surrender Position”. The side mount works just as fast for both, but it still feels slower to me when I start “hands at sides”. Keith (the instructor) said that he also uses the Bottom Mount because he’s practiced it for years, but if he had to re-learn his draw he would definitely switch to the “Side Mount”.

I learned a lot about shooting at this year’s junior camp, and I also learned a few drills that’ll come in handy when my Dad and I run the New Competitors Class at our home club. I also met some great shooters and awesome guys Dad and I shot and squadded with at the USPSA Nationals, Scott Pries and Scott LeReoux.

Many thanks to Keith Tyler and Bill Maine, who gave the class.

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NAZ Classic

Posted on June 6, 2011 by

Last week I shot got he fourth annual Northern Arizona Classic, in Prescott, AZ. This was my first time going, and it definitely won’t be my last.

The stages were fun, the staff was very friendly, the range was nice, and the weather was great. Thanks to all the staff, especially MD John Killian, and AMD Mark Markley. Also thanks to the sponsors, especially Ruger, Cameron’s Custom, and K.I.S.S. BulletFeeders. A complete list of sponsors can be found here.

And I didn’t do too bad either. 1st Limited “B” Class, and High Junior (out of 7). Congratulations to Eddie Garcia, for the Overall and Open Division win, Nils Jonasson for Limited Division 1st, Tony “Looch” Luciani for L-10 1st, Brian Manges for Production Division 1st, and Chad Reilly for 1st Single Stack. Also congratulations to Dean Dudden for High Revolver, or as John Killian put it, “You’d have to be high to shoot revolver. All the scores can be found here.

They also had 7 Juniors come shoot, which is a great turnout.

What Went Right

I was on top of my mental game. I knew my plan for every stage and I stuck to it. Getting five minutes for a walkthrough also helps a lot. I was fairly fast, and I had some real good stages (I actually won a stage in Limited, Overall). I did well on some exotic props (such as a “windmill, four spinning targets on a modified Texas Star). My gun ran 100%, I cleaned the magazines after each stage and meticulously cleaned it after the first day of shooting. I did have one hiccup on the last stage, my weak-hand thumb caught under the thumb safety and I had to re-grip (which took about .5 second).

What Went Wrong

Mikes. Misses. I had a run of 7 stages where I had at least one miss. I need more practice shooting on the move. I have a habit of bringing the gun in closer to my face and bending my elbows downward while I move and shoot. So the gun flips a lot more. I’ll practice that at home during dry-fire and with an Airsoft, and at the range.

Dad had some issues with his health near the end of the first day of shooting, which he remedied after the match. Unfortunately, they did cause him to blow a stage.

Conclusion

Thanks to all the staff and sponsors, as well as the other shooters for helping my Dad out when he had to conch out for health reasons. Next week Dad and I go to Albuquerque as staff at the High Desert Classic, and then off to Oregon for the USPSA Area 1 Championships.

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Posted in Upcoming, USPSA | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Menck Rimfire Chamber Iron

Posted on June 2, 2011 by

I used this tool to remove dents from the edge of my neighbor’s old F.I.E. .22 Single-Action (Old Model Ruger clone). The dents are caused by excessive dry-firing. In a rimfire, the firing pin doesn’t actually strike the center of the back of the case. The actual primer is a putty inside the rim (hence the term rim-fire). That means that when you dry-fire a .22 you will eventually form a dent in the edge of your chamber.

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An extreme example of this dent can be seen in the right corner of the chamber. This chamber (in a revolver cylinder) will not let rounds extract, and it’s tough to load, too.


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The Tom Menck Chamber Iron.

Tom Menck’s Rimfire Chamber Iron will get rid of the dent and get your .22 ( or .17 HMR, .22WMR, and anything else based off a .22 case) back in working order. Using it is simple simply:
  1. Oil the chamber. I use either Dillon’s Snake Oil, Mili-Tec 1, or Rem-Oil. This will prevent galling.
      
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    2. Insert the tool into the chamber, threaded-end first. Make sure that the flat side of the tool faces the dent in the chamber.

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    3. Turn the tool. Check your progress with a dummy round. When you’re done, wipe out all the oil and call it good! This old clunker now lets the brass fall right out, now ejector rod required.

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Lotsa little parts…

Posted on May 10, 2011 by

A local shooter gave me a nice looking custom Officer’s Model 1911 to work on. It is what I would consider the perfect carry gun, except for one thing: It doesn’t work. Every time you rack the slide, the bullet nosedives out of the magazine and hits on the bottom of the chamber. Additionally, there was one spot, near the end of the slide’s cycle, that was really rough.

We all thought there was an issue either with the chamber, frame rails, or both.

Wrong. The barrel bushing was so tight around the barrel that it wouldn’t cycle completely. An “Officer’s” model barrel tapers out into a cone under the bushing, then back to the chamber area. Why? Only the Colt designer knows. IMO, it seems like there’s a market for an Officer’s barrel that’s either a ”bull” (no bushing, tapered) or a bushing barrel.

Product photo

Anyway, now I have to ream the bushing out to get the gun running. Then I’ll loosen the fit of the bushing to the slide to make it easier to take out and clean (it’s really tight).

Posted in 1911, Gunsmithing | Leave a comment

An XD(M) Production RaceGun

Posted on May 10, 2011 by

A local shooter tasked me with kitting up his stock XD(m) into a “RaceGun” for USPSA’s Production Division. When he went and shot it, he couldn’t have been more pleased!

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Before: (note: this is another XD(M) I’m working on. It is stock except for the sights)  

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After.

Here are the parts I used to turn this gun into a Production Division “RaceGun”.

Trigger

Probably the most important part of any competition gun is the trigger. The stock XD(M) trigger is long, heavy, and has a very long reset. To address this, I installed a Powder River Easy-Fit Trigger Kit. The kit comes with Powder River’s own striker safety lever, trigger, and sear/trigger springs. The kit brought the stock trigger down from a long 5.5 lbs. to a very short 3 lbs. It’s easy to install the kit, and Powder River has some instructional videos on YouTube that really make it easy. The kit does require fitting of the over-travel stop on the trigger, but all you need there is a file or some sandpaper. MSRP is $110.00 for the kit.

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Sights

The shooter I built the gun for shares my preference for a thin, fiber-optic inserted front sight. Match that with an adjustable rear sight and you’re seeing your sights and shooting faster, and shooting tighter groups.

The sights I use are by Dawson Precision, and they’re the best XD competition sights I’ve found (short of a C-more :-) . A good gunsmith could mill a slide for a Bo-Mar style rear (a’la 1911), but with a Dawson sight there’s no need to. The cost of the rear is $80.00, the front is $40.00.

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The rear sight is easy enough to install, you do need to file the new sight base a bit but that’s no big deal. BUT the factory front sight is darn near impossible to get off. I finally gave up trying to hammer it off when I broke my steel punch, and used a pillar file, triangle file, and some verrrry careful dremel work to cut the sight in half. Then I used another steel punch to tap it out. If you want a new front sight on your XD, let a gunsmith deal with it!

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The old front sight before I knocked it off with a steel punch.

Mag Release

The factory magazine release is short and stiff. I replaced it with a Canyon Creek Custom extended catch that really speeds up reloads. It’s easy to install, and Powder River has an instructional video on how to install theirs (which is not very different from the Canyon Creek, but was out of stock). Canyon Creek also offers a Tungsten, and an Oversized (really wide button) magazine release, but they’re not legal for USPSA Production. The extended magazine release button costs $35.00

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Grip

You might have noticed the sandpaper-style grip on the gun. That’s a laser-cut “X-treme Grip”, available through Powder River. It’s pre-cut and it looks really neat, what with the cutouts for the existing grip texture. It also holds really well, but isn’t too abrasive.

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Looks slick! (well, not really :-) . The backstrap is also cutout to allow for a lanyard if you use one.

Note that USPSA Production Division rules only allow grip tape in certain areas, so check with the rulebook before you apply your tape.

Conclusion

It’s easy enough to build your own XD(M) competition gun, but unless you’re really good with files and a Dremel, have a gunsmith take care of your front sight. I’m currently working on another XD(M), this one for USPSA “Limited” division, so stay tuned!

Posted in Gunsmithing, USPSA | Tagged | 3 Comments

Check out my Guest Post…

Posted on May 3, 2011 by

At TheFirearmBlog. I’ve got another one that should be published in a couple days.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

How to make Marvel Precision 2011 conversion magazines drop-free

Posted on May 3, 2011 by

Marvel Precision’s 1911-22 conversion kit is a great training tool, however on most STI 2011s, the magazines won’t drop free easily. But, with the right tools, it’s really easy to make it work.

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You Will Need:

  • A good, sturdy vise
  • Padded vise jaws
  • An Allen-Wrench set (SAE)
  • A hand-file
  • The supplied magazine loader

Step One:

Tighten down the allen-head screws in the magazine adapter block. Make sure they’re not so tight as to bind up the magazine follower or the rounds won’t feed.


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I’m tightening down the allen-screws with an allen-wrench bit in a Brownell’s Magna-Tip driver.

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These screws are in too tight. The little loading tab (which is attached to the follower) is stuck.


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Check the mag. If it drops free, you’re good! (Thanks to sister Jenny for modeling with the gun).

Step Two

If tightening the allen-screws didn’t fix it all the way, you’ll have to do some filing on the magazine catch cutout on the adapter block. Bevel the top corner of the cutout and the front corner of the adapter block:


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File the front corner of the adapter block or it’ll hang up on the magazine catch.


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Then slightly round the top edge of the magazine catch cutout.


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The finished magazine. You can touch it up with some paint if you like.

Check to see if the mags will drop free. If not, call Marvel and ask them to send you a replacement magazine. Based on my experience with Marvel’s customer service, if you call today and get lucky, you might get one by the end of June!


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Posted in Gunsmithing | 1 Comment

Review: Marvel 1911-22 Conversion Kit

Posted on May 3, 2011 by

If you’re looking at a .22 conversion kit, I’ve found Marvel Precision’s “Unit 1″ 1911-22 kit to be accurate and reliable, although their customer service is somewhat lacking.

Marvel 1911-22

Marvel Precision offers a .22 conversion kit for the STI 2011, the gun I shoot in competition, as well as Para Hi-Caps and 1911 single stack. The only difference between the kits are the magazines, the 2011 and the Para are Hi-Cap 1911s. The kits start at $429.00 and go up depending on what options you choose.

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The difference between the Marvel kit and most other 1911 conversions is that the barrel is fixed in place, and a big chunk of the slide is part of a non-reciprocating sight rib. That means that, unlike most conversion kits, you don’t have to use high-velocity ammo for the slide to cycle. It also makes the gun very accurate. It comes with a 50-yard test target to prove it (mine was pretty tight!).
Marvel offers a compensator for the barrel, as well as different sight ribs including one with an integrated Picatinny rail for mounting optics. Throw a C-More “Railway” on there and you’ve got yourself a heck of a Steel Challenge or RRC racegun. The rib that comes standard has a Bo-Mar clone adjustable rear sight and a black serrated front, but I added a red fiber-optic sight to mine.
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The fixed barrel/sight rib.

The standard barrel has a hole tapped in it for Marvel’s proprietary compensator. Marvel also offers a threaded barrel to allow the use of a suppressor, (Clancy fans remember John Clark/Kelly’s weapon of choice in Without Remorse) such as Gemtech’s Outback II .

Magazines

The magazines for the single-stack kit are for the old Colt “Ace” conversion and hold 10 rounds. The 2011 mags are the same Ace mags in an adapter block so they’ll fit the wider 2011 double-stack frame. However, the 2011 mag adapter does require some fitting if you want it to drop free (how-to coming soon), and the adapter blocks aren’t available on their own.
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The magazines are pricey, $58 for a metal single-stack mag ($30 for a plastic mag) and $63 for a double-stack STI or Para magazine, although they are cheaper than other conversion kit mags such as the ($105) Tactical Solutions 2011 conversion mag.
Gun Compatibility

The conversion kit will fit any 5” 1911, 2011, or Para. Marvel also offers a “Commander”-size kit for 4” 1911s. If you have a 1911, a 2011, and a Para you can use the same kit, with different magazines. BUT if you have a C-more sight on your gun, the kit won’t fit. That’s because, for some reason, there’s a big ridge behind the slide-stop cutout. That ridge will hit on the C-more mount and the kit won’t slide onto the frame.
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Note the ridge behind the slide-stop. Unnecessary!
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That C-more mount will hit on that ridge on the conversion kit. Note that this normal 1911 slide doesn’t need a ridge for the slide-stop.

I’m sure if you wanted to you could file the ridge off and make the kit fit, but a better option would be to put the kit on another gun and order the Picatinny rail sight rib.
Another issue with the Marvel kit is holsters. A “race” holster like a CR-speed or Ghost holster won’t have any issues, but a normal holster might hit on the sight rib. I know the more tightly-molded Kydex holsters (Blade-Tech and most custom holsters) will hit on the rib, and the barrel (slightly longer) will hit on the bottom of closed-bottom holsters. I have found that Blackhawk! SERPA/CQC holsters will work, as will 5.11 Tactical holsters (made by Blade-Tech!).
Customer Service

My Dad ordered this kit at the SHOT Show in January. I got a call asking me to pay for it and for a shipping address in early March. Then, they proceeded to use Dad’s business card (as president of a 12-bay pistol range, our address written on the back) that he gave them at the SHOT Show as the shipping address. Mid-April he gets a call asking again for a shipping address because they sent the kit to 12th Bay Street, Pistol Range, UT. Seriously?! If I’d known it’d take that long to get the kit, I would have gone with a Tactical Solutions!
Similar Kits

Several makers offer kits that are similar, if not identical, to the Marvel kit. I haven’t got any experience with these kits, but I’m sure they all work just as well.
Bob Marvel, the designer, started another custom gun company (not affiliated with Marvel Precision) that offers an identical kit. Nighthawk Custom, Advantage Arms, and STI International all offer one rebranded as their own. It goes for about the same as the Marvel Precision.
Tactical Solutions also offers a similar kit, but as I mentioned earlier, the magazines cost an arm and a leg. I’m pretty sure that the Marvel mags will work with it if you wanted to buy additional mags. The kit itself sells for about the same as a comparable Marvel, and all the same options are available. It runs normal .22 ammo just like the Marvel kit.
Marvel Precision also offers a “Unit 2″ kit that will fit any 1911 holster but requires high-velocity ammo to cycle.
Conclusion

Marvel Precision makes a fine .22 conversion kit, plenty of accessories for it, and the cheapest conversion kit mags around. I’ve only had a few issues with reliability and those were all user error. But, if I had to buy another kit, I’d probably go with a Tactical Solutions or an STI International kit entirely due to Marvel’s poor customer service.
Posted in Steel Challenge, USPSA | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Road Trippin’: The Law

Posted on April 13, 2011 by

My Dad, Grandpa and I are headed back from the East after picking up Grandpa’s ‘60 Ford Starliner parts car. So far we’ve seen a somewhat disappointing NASCAR Hall of Fame, the AWESOME Michael Waltrip Racing facility, a gun manufacturer, and we’ve been stopped by the Law.

The Law:

On the way to North Carolina from Utah, an Arkansas highway patrolman (supposedly) noticed that we were drifting a bit in our lane and pulled us over. More likely is that we matched a profile (big van hauling a trailer with a bunch of tires chained down on it), but I’ll let commenter Kevin confirm or deny that.

We weren’t speeding, so we got off without a ticket, but the officer got a little indignant when my Dad “failed to present his Carry Permit upon being stopped” after he asked if we had any guns in the car (he noticed the stack of gunsmithing books I picked up on Craigslist Oklahoma City). Apparently there’s a new law in Arkansas that requires all Concealed Carry Permit holders to present the officer with their CCW upon being stopped. He lightened up when he realized we were from out of state.

Side Note: he was packing the newish Gen 4 Glock 22.

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Road Trippin’: The Car

Posted on April 11, 2011 by

Light posting for a little while because my Dad, my grandpa Wayne, and I are on a road trip back east to pick up a ‘60 Ford Starliner parts car in North Carolina. So far we’ve picked up the car, been stopped by the Law, toured a rather disappointing NASCAR Hall of Fame and a very cool NASCAR Racing Shop (Michael Waltrip Racing), and arranged some gun tours (not necessarily in that order).

The Car

The Starliner was the Top-Of-the-Line Sport model of Ford’s flagship ‘’Galaxy’’ line that ran from 1959 to 1974. The ‘60 Galaxies were the biggest-of-the-big Ford big cars, up to six inches longer, almost 200 lbs. heavier, and nearly five inches wider than the ‘59 models. The Starliner and the convertible Sunliner were Ford’s sporty fastback models, the Starliner being used for NASCAR.

The Star- and Sunliners were only made in ‘60 and ‘61, and very few of the parts from different years are interchangeable, so finding parts in restorable condition has been pretty hard. Grandpa’s been looking for about a year now for decent parts and parts cars to restore. We found one donor on a trip to Texas (he tagged along while we went to the Double Tap Championship), and recently he found one in Wilson, North Carolina.

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Like New Condition. Grandpa Wayne grabs the title from previous owner Grover Jones in the background.

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Grandpa examines the interior: most of the seats are good, comes with most of the chrome and the steering wheel!

Mr. Grover Jones, the previous owner, likes his privacy. He built a wall around his junkyard made entirely of vans! Coincidentally they all happen to be Ford Econolines, the same ride we’re cruisin’ around in. The wall’s made up of a bunch of different years, so it’s kind of like a Cadillac Ranch, in North Carolina.

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Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

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Stay tuned: Our Heroes are stopped by the Law in Arkansas.

Posted in Road Trip! | 1 Comment

Building a Para RaceGun, Pt. I

Posted on April 5, 2011 by

At the match last Saturday a local shooter handed me his Para P16-40 and told me to “Fix it”. Apparently it would not cycle with Federal factory ammunition, and it had about an 11 pound trigger pull weight.

My first priority was to make it run with the short Federal ammo. Most factory .40 S&W rounds are loaded to a short Overall Length (OAL) so they’ll work in modern handguns like Glocks. Unfortunately this shorter OAL causes feeding issues in 1911s because the feed ramps are steeper. So, as the bullet comes out of the magazine and up the feed ramp, it makes a turn into the chamber. With a longer OAL the bullet doesn’t have to make so drastic a turn, but with short ammo the bullet will hit the top of the chamber and bind up in a “3-Point Bind”.

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Here’s what a “3-Point Bind” looks like.

To eliminate the 3-Point Bind, the barrel must be “ramped”. Ramping the barrel means removing material from the mouth of the chamber where the feed ramp meets the chamber. Rounding off any sharp edges there makes it easier for the bullet to make the turn in from the feed ramp to the barrel, so shorter ammunition will function reliably. To “ramp” the barrel, a Dremel tool and various bits and polishing compounds must be used. First I use a Carbide Cutter to remove the bulk of the material, following the radius in the chamber.

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Then if I need to remove any more material I use a Grinding Stone:

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Then polish it out with some Red Rouge on a Felt Bob:

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Once the barrel’s been ramped I true up the feed ramps with a fine sandpaper drum:

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…And polish it all to a mirror-finish with some White Rouge.
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The important thing is to keep the tool steady and not get too crazy. Remember, it’s lot’s easier to remove material than it is to put it back.
Before I ramped this barrel, it’d jam on almost every round. Now it runs 100% with the factory recoil spring.
Next…I do a trigger job using new components, getting it down between 3 and 3 1/2 pounds, install a Dawson Tool-less guide rod, and curse Para yet again for there decision to go with the “series 80″ safety.
Posted in Gunsmithing, Pistols, USPSA | Tagged | 2 Comments

Multi-Gun in Vegas

Posted on March 24, 2011 by

Dad and I drive down to Vegas on Sunday for a 3-gun. This’ll be our first time running the Saiga in a match. Here’s hoping everything works!

Posted in 3-Gun | Tagged | 2 Comments

Cool…Saiga LRBHO

Posted on March 24, 2011 by

Carolina Shooters has a Last Round Bolt Hold Open lever for the Saiga 12. Instead of the factory bolt hold open that only works when manually locked back, it locks back on an empty mag. It also allows for the bolt to be released using the lever. And, according to Carolina Shooters, it works with the JT Engineering magwell. Apparently there’s fitting involved, and apparently the makers are making a video on how to install it, so I’ll hold off until that comes out.

CGW SAIGA 12 LAST ROUND BOLT HOLD OPEN (LRBHO)

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Saigas on TV

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

Shooting USA just aired an episode about the Saiga in Competition. It’s worth checking out! John Scoutten also does some work on an M&P .40.

Posted in Saiga, shotguns, USPSA | Tagged | Leave a comment

Anasazi Steakhouse

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

My grandparents from Washington D.C. visited for a couple days on a tour of the Southwest. So, we thought we’d take them someplace unique for dinner.

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Imagine cooking and eating on the Monolith from ”2001”.

The food is nothing too exotic, steaks, some seafood, chops. Oh, yeah, and it’s served raw on a 700-degree lava stone. I ordered a Pork Chop:

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The idea is to cut a piece off, let it cook through, then eat it fresh off the ”rock”. But if you’re feeling less adventurous, you can have it cooked in the kitchen and served on a plate. Pricing ranges from $13.00 to $30.00, menu can be downloaded here. Oh, and for dessert they have some excellent chocolate fondues.

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Mauser Project

Posted on March 22, 2011 by

An former neighbor in Vermont mailed my Dad some guns she had been holding for us. Among them was a custom FMAP 1909 Mauser, rechambered in .30-06 and customized by my Dad’s uncle (a WWII veteran and gunsmith) back in the ’70′s. Unfortunately it’s taken a beating over the years. The stock is cracked, and several parts are rusted. My plan is to refinish it, do a trigger job and restock it.

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First, the stock. It was cracked during some rough hunting in Vermont and has been held together with packing tape since the late ’90′s. Thanks to a generous local shooter, I have a $100.00 gift certificate to Bullberry Barrel Works (makers of excellent T/C Encore barrels, as well as custom Walnut stocks). And since Bullberry is out in Hurricane (about 10 miles from my house), I’m going to see if I can arrange a tour to see how wooden stocks are made. And, of course, I’ll blog about it.

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Then maybe I’ll throw a Timney trigger in it, angle the follower so the bolt will close without a round in the chamber. Then maybe cold-blue it and jewell the bolt, and I’ll have one sharp-looking sporter!

Posted in Gunsmithing | 1 Comment

More Saiga goodness

Posted on March 2, 2011 by

Firebird Precision offers some neat Saiga stuff, such as a mid barrel compensator, a monolithic trigger guard/grip adapter/magwell/AR-style mag release, as well as offering complete Saiga 12s.

Here’s a 3-Gun Nation video of Craig Outzen shooting one at the 2010 USPSA Multi-Gun nationals. At the end there’s also Ralph Arredondo shooting a Saiga with his mag coupler and AR stock/red dot adapter.

Posted in 3-Gun, Saiga | 3 Comments

Arredondo Saiga stuff

Posted on February 28, 2011 by

Arredondo accessories, makers of quality 3-gun and USPSA gear, have branched out into the Saiga market, introducing an adapter for AR 15 stocks, as well as a magazine coupler.

The stock adapter also provides a mount for a JPoint sight and comes with adapter plates for the C-more STS, Leupold DeltaPoint, Burris FastFire, and Docter sights. The adapter allows an AR-15 buffer tube (fixed, Mil-Spec or Commercial) to be threaded on.

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MSRP is $165.00 which is high for a stock adapter, but considering that a Jpoint mount will cost from $80-$100.00, it seems a reasonable. When I convert my Saiga, I’ll probably throw one of these on with a Magpul PRS stock and a C-more STS. image

The coupler is a two-piece aluminum clamp with a one-piece baseplate that replaces both of the magazine’s floorplates. It also comes with a shell stop that screws onto the side of the receiver to keep the shells from coming out of the magazine. MSRP is $65.00.

I’ve got plenty of Arredondo gear and it’s all made well, I’ve yet to have any problems with it.

Posted in 3-Gun, Saiga | 2 Comments

Hmmm…..

Posted on February 17, 2011 by

Just got back from a practice with a local GM (Tim Tucker). I borrowed Dad’s STI because of the broken thumb safety on mine. 

About midway through it I noticed I was bleeding from the base of my thumb. I was flicking the thumb safety off and pinching my hand between the safety and the frame.

I wonder if this could be related to the snapped thumb safety?

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New Blogging Software

Posted on February 17, 2011 by

If you subscribe to my blog you may have gotten a notification Email that I posted a

“Temporary Post Used For Theme Detection”. That’s because I recently set up an unused PC with Windows LiveWriter. I have previously used Ecto, MarsEdit and WordPress on a Mac, but I much prefer the LiveWriter software my Dad let me use to blog the SHOT show.

I also very much enjoy blogging on a 32’’ HDTV that was not used after a recent flood in the Nelson house.

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