As I have stated in the past, after about 20 years, I finally got around to buying the revolver I have always wanted.


A Stainless 5" Ruger GP100, with deluxe rosewood grips. Gave it a trigger job, and a set of Wolf springs, 10# hammer, and 8# trigger.


Thing is, even though I have always wanted one in my collection, I needed an excuse to get it, since I own so many other side-arms, all semi-auto.


Well, I decided to buy it for my wife as a Valentines Day gift. The problem is that she knows nothing about guns, and is deathly afraid of them, being from Calgary Canada. She's never fired or even held a firearm before. I of course, grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, was in the Navy for 10years, and have handled firearms my whole life. It's second nature to me. It was obvious she needed "proper" training. I sat down and taught her the basic parts of the revolver at the kitchen table, and I have been blessed with having a good friend who is a certified instructor. After asking him to give her some actual lessons at the range, he of course said he would teach her for free. To keep it best for her, I did not attend the range on these days. She went while I was at work. I told her she needs to do this without me there, so she can concentrate on her lesson, and not be disrupted. Well, after only 2 lessons she is getting very comfortable properly handling, loading, and using this new beauty.

The best part, is she is already calling this her gun. Yeah, seriously. She calls me up at work, and says, "Hon, I open the safe but where's my gun? Which shelf is it on?" Sweetest words out of her mouth in years.   :mrgreen:

Well, after her lesson, she was very grateful, so she bought my buddy a bottle of bourbon. He of course will give her as many lessons as she feels she needs.

Here first lessons:

her Instructor started with the his personal 22lr Ruger Bearcat. Then, she moved up to the Buck Mark to see the difference in how a semi-auto works. Then, she got a crack at her friends CZ-75 with a 22 conversion kit. The final stage was moving the targets back a few more yards, and getting used to the GP100 with 38sp rounds.


Once she is used to running the 38's, then I will introduce her to a few hotter defensive loads so she is aware of what a 357 can really do when needed in a defensive situation.








Here's a pic today of her second lesson. Shooting some light loaded Freedom Munitions 125gr HP's in 38sp. After she shoots these for a while, I'll load up some hotter rounds, eventually loading some defensive stuff for her to know what a real 357 is like. 

Her target was #5 at 10 yards.




I think I'll post his on all the forums I frequent, just to show everyone how stoked I am.

Well, I got my nice big jug of 800X, and found some interesting load data in the Hornady manual that includes loading with 800X down to 6.7gr.

So, I loaded up 50rds of X-Treme 180gr heavy plated HP's @ 7.0gr and a heavy crimp using a Lee FCD. I assume using the heavy crimp will give be better initial pressure with a more complete burn and slightly less smoke. Just wondering what I should expect from such a low load in 800x. Any experience from you guys doing this?

Sure, sounds good. I'll give 'em a shot. Pun intended.

I also found a good deal on a Lee melting pot. Have you ever done any 10mm casting chance? Sure would be a money saver for lots of plinking.

I noticed Starline also makes nickel plated 10mm. I have 1,000rds of regular, but have any of you noticed any real benefits for spending the extra $20 to get the nickel plated stuff?

Gotta admit. As much as I like the idea of downloading a pdf to say, a tablet, and reading at my leisure, I still prefer the feel of a magazine or a newspaper in my hands.

The one thing I like best about getting my monthly American Rifleman, is that I just leave it at work for others to read as well. Really ticks off the liberals when they come in, and see a couple of American Rifleman mags sitting in the middle of the table. It's like a big sign that says, "Bill of Rights.... in your face!!!"

I got an old M1 Garand that has been hanging on my wall for the last 15 years and haven't shot it since Clinton left office. 


(I take it down once a year, check the lube, and run an oil patch through the barrel)

I haven't been to a gun show in years. Literally, I think the last one was about 15 years ago when Bubba was Pres. Even then, I found the pricing pretty ridiculous, even for the WAC show in Puyallup WA.. Nowadays, I have to say the internet is a godsend. I can rarely find a better deal anywhere better than doing some searches on the internet.

I'm almost afraid to try the WAC show again, for fear it will be nothing but a serious waste of $9 + gas, and personal time.

The only better deal I have found than the internet in the last year, was when my wife bought me the Hornady Auto-Charge powder dispenser at Sportsman's Warehouse on sale for $159.99. Perfect for IMR-800x.

BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER!!!

Well, I just finished running a set of 50rds out at the range, and thought I'd let you know what I got for some data.

- Starline brass

- Winchester Large pistol primers

- IMR-800X - 8.4gr

- Rainier plated 180gr RN-FP

- 1.260" COL.

I did not do an accuracy test, as I was on the rifle line with my Chrony. However, I did get a good sound average of ~1190fps

I was very surprised at the average being so high with only a mid load using 800X. Must be the 6" long slide.

Anyway, I find the Rainier plated bullets to feed and function just fine, even thoguh I only shot 50 of them. I plan to pick up 1,000 Berry's in the same design.

Has anyone here used the Berry's plated 180gr? How well do they run in your rigs? Should I consider just spending the money and going with Montana Golds instead?

Keep in mind, for those who like to build your own 1911's, Caspian makes a wide body frame that also can be built into a 10mm. I know, I did it.

Also, Dan Wesson makes that same frame into a 10mm, but is extremely expensive. It's the 10mm Titan.

http://shootersmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/dw-titan-3.jpg

Have any of you loaded 800x with shorter lengths when using lighter loads?

if so, what were your results?

And, would using the Hornady Auto-Charge be the best way to measure 800x?

Quote from: fanninland on December 23 2013 08:36:42 PM MST
Nice looking projects on both counts. I'm currently building my first AR, but building a 1911 seems pretty intimidating to me, least for now. What barrel did you go with on the 6.8?

I used an ARP 18", 4150cmv, 5R threaded barrel.

Quote from: The_Shadow on December 23 2013 02:16:15 PM MST
Condor, Being a catholic christian, I know the Chi-Rho symbol and its history.  I found it interesting being on the grip panels and was just wondering if it held a special significance for you.  Thanks for sharing.

I'm Catholic. That's pretty much it.

As I was building this, I really wanted something on the panels to stand out. Using the DTOM symbol, (I love the DTOM), and others you commonly see (molon labe, etc), are something I wanted to avoid. I wanted something else. Something original, and unique to me.

Yes, the symbol is a Chi-Rho symbol. One of the first known monograms used for the Christian faith. A bit of history.....

Roman Emperor Constantine first used it by painting it in red on the shields of his Army, after having a dream where God told him to do it, he would be victorious in battle.....

...and, his army was victorious.



As far as the Cerakote goes. I have really gotten into doing a good number of my rifles in Cerakote. The stuff wears like iron. Here's my other project completed recently, in 6.8spc, and a Piston Driven kit from Adams Arms.

Basically, this is just like a Dan Wesson Titan, only in a long slide. Here's a couple pics of it. The entire build thread is over here at 1911forum.com

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=425658

So far, I only have 50rds through it, but the thing runs like a champ. I still have a few more mags to modify, but they seem to work just fine. They hold 16+1, which to me, makes the word "overkill" seem a bit mild.

Here she is!!!!

Over 5 months in the making...countless hours of labor...dozens of incidents of blood loss...and many nights either losing sleep, and crying a few tears. Literally a BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS project.

But man was this a great learning experience. Other than building some RC Airplanes from scratch, I have yet to get into a project that I have enjoyed so much.

Here's a complete list of parts -

Frame - Caspian Hi-Cap w/proprietary parts, mag catch, beavertail, MSH, safety and trigger.

Slide - Fusion 6" slab side w/diamond lines on top, and wide serrations. Also w/ extractor and firing pin.

Barrel - Fusion 10mm 6" target crowned.

Guide Rod - Fusion 6" SS full length , and Fusion SS bushing.

Hammer - Harrison Engineering tooled steel.

Sear & Disconnector - Harrison Engineering tooled steel.

Pin/Spring kit - Ed Brown rebuild kit.

Sights - Kensight Adjustable Novak White dot front and rear.

Slide Catch - 10-8 Performance, tooled steel.

Finish - Tungsten Cerakote, and Graphite black parts. Also, taped off the serrations and filled with graphite black, just for fun.

With exception to Bob Serva over at Fusion checking/timing the drop-in barrel for me (thanks Bob), every aspect of this beast was assembled and fitted by me. I currently have one Band-Aid left on my right index finger to prove it. LOL


Here's the first mag I have completed the necessary mods for 10mm. Fits like a glove, and runs flawless so far. 4 more mags to go. I will be refinishing all the mags at once, when they are all done.

Ok, will do. I would expect that to happen with the auto charge, as it reacts slowly, so an overcharge seems logical.

If running a lighter load using 180gr projectiles, wouldn't simply seating the bullet a little deeper create better ignition pressures without too much spiking, and provide better clean burning? Say, seat it down to 1.23" or similar?

This seems entirely viable to me, as I do this with my 6.8spc to help get better velocities, and cleaner burning at lower charges with no adverse affects.