All Activity

Yes, I know that alias! I am related to Col. Cornelius Gilliam. He is my 4th Great Uncle. I researched my family tree and became interested in the Col. He had very a colorful/interesting life. I've been using this alias since about 1996. He died in Oregon Territory in 1848 while serving as the highest ranking officer in the Territory commanding the militia during the Cayuse Indian war.

I can get you a free entry!

Hello, Contact Ruby Ruthless at the SASS Headquarters. She can help you sort out the mystery. Rudy is out of the office today, but should return tomorrow.

Yes, that SASS alias rings a bell with me. A few years back, I used to see it in some of our forum discussions. If I remember correctly/ A SASS Alias name is requested by a member as part of their shooting personna. If the requested name meets SASS guidelines and is not registered as a SASS alias yet, the SASS office assigns the requested alias to the member requesting it. Then, when they shoot or converse here on the Wire (forums), the alias name is used rather than real names. Never have heard of a family member asking about an alias being assigned to one of our members. If you have a serious concern, then you should contact the SASS office by email or phone. good luck, GJ

Does anyone know of a SASS that is related to Col. Cornelius Gilliam? And if so, how did it come about that his name was used for this? thank you, Col. Gilliam’s Niece

Same week as the SHOT Show and Antique Firearms Show in Las Vegas. I have to work! You're killin' me! 😞 Hope everyone has a great time... Cheers, FJT

Already booked that weekend or I'd be there.

Rough rails on the frame or in the slide are not really a function of the steel forming method! Sounds more like the machining on the Rugers was quite a bit smoother than the "forged frame" guns. Honing or polishing the rails a bit will make almost any gun feel smoother, and probably increase the slide closure speed, SLIGHTLY. You are confusing the machining finish that was put on the frames and slides with the process of producing the raw frame before any machining was done, and attributing a poor surface finish to "forged frame/slide". When the rough finish was almost certainly due to machining quality (fit and finish), not the process of making the raw frame or slide. I think the operative phrase you already used is "I dunno" 😀 I have two Colts, both with forged frames. The one made about 1974 was smooth from the factory. The newer one made about 2000 was rather rough until I polished the rails on frame and in slide. But even then, the rough feel on the 2000 Colt did NOT cause the gun to fail to feed. It just made it feel clunky when racking the slide. But, I do understand that you can't go buy a 1970's made forged frame to check this for yourself. good luck, garrisonjoe

I dunno. I have had two Ruger 1911's that needed no break in. Never once had a malfunction. My other 1911's all needed to be broken in to become reliable. I used some Flitz on the rails of my Springer and it smoothed up nicely. feels like butter now.

I used to only buy Wilson Combat 1911 mags but have bought a few Metalform 7 rounders for WBAS. They have not given e any trouble yet and easy on the wallet.

177gr, Thanks, fixed the document

What is the bullet weight for 45ACP

Thank you!

Thank you!

Boggus makes a great point a smooth trigger press makes the difference in hitting the target. Dry fire practice can not be stressed enough, start slow and in time a smooth press can be compressed to quite quick times. I used to at the end of a practice session ( this requires a paper Target). AT 3 to 5 yards put 3 shots into one hole it will show you what you are doing right or wrong. I still like the front sight . I agree with Happy Jack about time and magazine changes wasting time, make sure to get a good grip with the index finger pointing up the slide towards the bullet, you have a lot of practice pointing use it to get the magazine in the well. Put the flat of the magazine to the flat of the mag well and rotate it. ST

Running them through a Bulge Buster at the end of reloading takes this step out.

Best advice I was given is to have mags that work every time without fail. Second was to use a loaded round gage and check every round you will use in a match. Any round that doesn't drop fully into the gage goes into the practice bin. Also check that the primers are fully seated.

Thank you. Marshal Stone

Had some free time, I'm retired, it's all free time 😄 2025 SHB Changes.docx

Howdy Pards: Just did a "word for word" on the 2024 SHB to the 2025 SHB. Here's the changes I've found. If you find others, please let me know. Page 6 Modern Category: May use any SASS legal main match shotgun and any legal main match rifle, .38 caliber or greater. Traditional Category: May use any SASS legal main match shotgun and any legal main match rifle, .38 caliber or greater. Teddy Rosevelt Category: It is recommended that the rifle targets for Teddy Roosevelt be set at 25 to 50 75 yards. Page 7 Doughboy Category: The rifle must be an original caliber bolt action rifle issued by any country to its military forces through the end of WWII. It must be as issued with original iron battle sights and no external modifications. Original scoped rifles are not allowed. Minimum Entrant Category Requirements: *Shooting categories offered at any match, including Teddy Roosevelt and Doughboy as Main match categories, are ultimately at the discretion of the Match Officials to ensure the success and viability of each match individually unless the individual contract indicates otherwise. Page 10 Range Operations and Safety Rules: Add/Change Bullet points 7, 8, 9: - All staged long guns shall have their barrels pointed safely down range, unless the stage scenario and provided prop calls for vertical staging of the long gun(s). (Vertical staging is not restricted by SASS). - All long guns initially staged on a horizontal flat surface shall be staged lying flat where at least the rear of the trigger guard is on the staging area. - All handguns initially staged on a horizontal flat surface must be staged with the entire handgun lying flat on the staging surface. Page 14 1911 Pistol – Range Operations 1911 Safety and Handling First bullet point: Magazines may be loaded with up to seven rounds at any time, unless limited by stage instructions. Third bullet point: After being first charged, the shooter may move with the 1911 as long as the chamber is empty of a live round. The slide may be forward or locked back. It may have no magazine or an empty or loaded magazine. Page 18 Shotgun Gauges: Slide action shotguns must be centerfire of at least 16 20 gauge and no larger than 12 gauge. Page 19 Safe Conditions During a Course of Fire – Shotguns: A shotgun is considered SAFE to leave the shooter’s hands… Add Bullet Point 4: Action open. Page 22 Safety: Safety and Handling Conventions: All Firearms: Replace 12th bullet point with: There is no penalty for an empty case/hull in a gun that is open or that the shooter has cycled. If a proper attempt has been made to cycle the gun, it will be cocked. Page 23 Bullet Point 1: Change to read: “Long guns will have their actions cycled at the conclusion of each shooting string. If the action of a long gun closes after being cycled, then the competitor will, at the conclusion of the stage, show it to the TO. Appropriate penalties will apply if it is not empty of live ammunition/unfired rounds.” Page 26 Change to read: Targets are set at close to medium range. While there are no absolute rules, the following are distance recommendations by firearm, if using a target size of approximately 12"-16" in diameter: Pistol targets: 7 to 12 15 yards. Shotgun targets: 8 to 15 16 yards. Rifle targets: 15 13 to 25 50 yards. Add: SASS recommends the round count for the pistol (per stage) is a minimum of 28 rounds. Page 33 Ammunition Covenants: Power Factor for the 1911 Pistol: Change to read: The minimum bullet weight for the 1911 pistol is .45 ACP and the minimum power factor of 150. The maximum velocity standard for the 1911 Pistol is 1000 fps. Pocket RO Card Remove first entry for MSV “empty or live round……”

+1 on the magazines, add MecGar to the list of good mags. KimPro magazines are very good, but the standard Kimber magazines are a crap shoot. I always swap out all the springs with a Wolff spring pack whenever I pick up a used 1911. Also, this is extremely rare, but there can be a burr on the barrel bushing, which can drag on the barrel. Look for a lengthwise scratch on the outside of your barrel if you suspect this, but it is one of the very last things to suspect.

A failure to feed and chamber is almost never due to the frame manufacturing process. Ruger has proven they can investment cast steel parts to tight enough dimensions to launch space missions. Shooting matches demand less than that. While frame manufacturing process MIGHT make a difference is in how long the frame will stand up to maximum strength loads, I would not put the difference in feeding reliability on that for a new gun. Maybe after 100,000 rounds you will see a difference. No, you have one of several likely causes in failure to feed. First most common I find is: ammo that is not to spec. If you don't have and use a loaded round gauge to check your match ammo and your loading die settings, you are not being serious, especially as a cast bullet loader! Bullet seated too far out of case and the nose of the slug hitting the VERY SHORT forcing cone of a 1911 barrel is most common problem. Second most common: using low price/quality magazines. Run a few true Colt, Wilson or Tripp mags with your ammo and gun, and see what you get. IF good mags fix things, you may not need to look for more gremlins. Feed ramp smoothness and transition from ramp into chamber of barrel is important. "3 point jams" (look them up to know what they look like) often come from either the feed ramp of the frame or sharp chamber mouth edges at the back of the barrel. In the period from 1950 to 2000, NRA bullseye shooting was a major use of 1911s, using lead semi-wadcutters and low power. All 1911s back then had to go to a gunsmith to be tuned in the ramp area, chamber, springs, slide fit, smoothness to shoot bullseye matches flawlessly. Most still need at least a little smoothing and tuning to shoot WB power level lead bullets, even the Round Nose designs. Included in that tuning is shaping and tensioning and smoothing the EXTRACTOR. Perhaps the most important single part in the gun for correct extraction AND FEEDING. But as was mentioned before, if you have not run at least 300 factory level rounds through your 1911, it's not broken in yet. Clean every hundred. Lube as the various lubrication guides for the 1911 show at each cleaning. Don't take guns to serious WB matches until you have got the gun to be able to run 250 rounds of your ammo in a single match. Pushing a gun into a match too early (before you and it and your ammo loading is right) will just sour you on that gun for a long time! Folks who need a shorter "startup time" than that, ought to let a skilled 1911 smith do it for them. good luck, GJ

I had a Taurus 1911 and it worked fine for me. But inherited a series 70 Colt. It also came with a .22 Colt conversion. That said the Taurus is now being enjoyed by someone else. Hochbauer

Would be there if you weren't so far away 🙂

If I lived out that way I would be there for sure.....