Garrison Joe

I'd run the Model 12 in several matches to get used to it, then check how it runs at speed when the adrenaline is coursing. I have 2 12's and still find I shoot my 97s faster and with fewer hickups. 12's take a bit of smoothness in operation that seems more than I can call up on demand. There will be markets for 97s for quite a while yet. Good luck, GJ

I'd agree you have non-factory Cutts compensators, since you found factory choke marks on all three barrels. They really have no value to most folks - in fact a negative value. Hope you have enough barrel length to be able to chop off the comps, because of the rule pointed out above by the principals in the rules committee, they would be illegal barrel compensation ports. Make sure the folks you are going to gift the guns to really want a short-barrel with no choke. It would be too late if they decided they wanted to take one duck or turkey hunting, after you had their gift shortened. :'( That short stock on the '57 would be a great youth shotgun for the sport. (Make sure the transfer is to the parent, not a child under 18.) Good luck, GJ

Remember that the professional loading data you find for .45 Colt is chronographed from pistols. Rifle usually adds another 150-200 FPS to the muzzle velocity. But the number Kid Rich gave you is about what I found to be a good load when I tried 700-X. Gave an accurate load for me. It was considerably dirtier than WST, so that is what I have shot for a 200 grain rifle load for 8 years now. Good luck, GJ

Several shooters have fixed a feed problem in their long chamber guns, where the nose of the 2 3/4" shell falls off to the right of the chamber as the carrier rises, by putting the 2 3/4" carrier having shell stop blocks on it's top edge into their 3" chambered gun. Prevents 3" shells from feeding, I would imagine. Good luck, GJ

Factory vent ribs are allowed. As I mentioned in Cowboy forum, no, I believe you don't have to remove a factory installed Cutts compensators/chokes, because factory configurations of many guns (such as the model 97 shotgun, or any of our rifles) are allowed. 3" chambered Model 12 guns can be used, they are legal. Don't use 3" ammo, unneeded, slows you down, may compromise your ability to load 6 in mag tube, and may easily be "high velocity shells" (which are not allowed). You MUST get in the habit of every time you go to the loading table, to close the action and PULL THE TRIGGER before loading the magazine. If you have not done this, when you attempt to rack the gun (with mag loaded, empty chamber, and internal hammer cocked), you will find you cannot get action slide to move, and the TO will call a Stage DQ for coming to the line with the hammer cocked. Good luck, GJ

Goatneck - Can you please see the next modifications to the WB rules call this out explicitly? I've asked for this before, and folks didn't seem to think it was important to improve the definition of a BAM rifle. Since then, we've had multiple questions on this forum, and several have asked at matches, about the Model 48 and unnecessary fur has flown because of it. Good luck, GJ

Think you will need to discuss the rule with WB rules committee, not me. Not all rules always make sense from every shooter's point of view. But we've been doing real well with the rules we've had. There's a ton of variant-gun rules that could have been written, but they saw the wisdom of trying to keep the rule set simple and the gun selection process pretty simple, and the "race mods" to a minimum. Thus my guess is they took the same approach on external mods that the Cowboy rules have, even for mods that don't make much competitive difference. I've seen the rules committee always open to a constructive discussion, though. Try it and see, if you think it's important. Get out and get active shooting. I'm pretty sure suggestions carry more weight if you have been shooting actively, widely and recently. Good luck, GJ

Baltimore - Believe you read the answers incorrectly. A military-issued Model 12 is fine, and it may have the heat shield and bayonet lug. You just can't hang a bayonet on it during the match. A civilian M12 is not to be externally modified, except where a modification is called out in the rules as allowed. Like any other firearm we use in Wild Bunch (or Cowboy shooting). Adding a heat shield or bayonet lug is included in the many modifications that are not allowed. Why are you wound up about this? Good luck, GJ

My experience with an early one with a Rock Island Armory mark was that it was barely usable due to poor machining. I believe they have fixed most of the errors they made in early production, but that is not from personal experience, as I will not ever have another to put through a serious test. They certainly use a lot of MIM parts (MIM is metal injection molding). This results in sintered parts with noticeable seams from the molds (unless they are carefully removed). But even close attention to removing mold marks does not make a MIM part equal to a machined-from-bar-stock part. I consider the use of MIM parts on fire control parts a major error for any firearm used for serious purposes. Armscor still makes most of their sears, disconnectors, thumb safeties, magazine releases and several other parts with MIM technology. The examples I have seen and discussed with other owners have needed a major action job before they were fit for serious match shooting. Here's a video of a knowledgeable shooter testing and tweaking an Armscor 1911 in .45 auto. The Springfield, Remington and Ruger 1911s are not much more money, and are considerably better in their machining and metal selection. IMHO. As you can tell, it all depends upon how good you expect your pistol to be. I expect a level of smoothness, crispness and reliability that requires me to do a lot of action work on even my Colt models. Good luck, GJ

It's always wise to return to the rulebook instead of interpreting rules to be something other than written. A bent bolt handle would sure seem like an external modification from the design that the Czech's (and adopted by Yugoslavia) prepared in 1924, which was a straight bolt handle action. The 48 uses an intermediate-length action, not the full length of a German 98. So, receiver, bolt and other parts are different. The 48 dropped the magazine cutoff also. Looking up the date of end of WW II (VJ Day), that was Sept 2, 1945. Considerably before 1948. If the rules really ARE supposed to allow the use of the Yugo 48, then let's get them changed so they CLEARLY allow this particular design of the Yugo Mauser. We've talked around this particular situation several times before and the rules have always stood as written originally at the end of those discussions, with the emphasis given to "enforce the rules as written." We do not do our potential BAMM shooters any favors by making it impossible for them to read the rules and obtain a clear answer in all situations. Good luck, GJ

Da nada. Or are we saying "no problemo" any more? Mas o menos. Check your ejection and fired brass - should be no damage to the mouths. Should be good feed, easy racking, reliable. If not, find the problem and stomp it out. No shock buff - no mooning. Good luck, GJ

The Yugoslavian 24/47 was an arsenal rebuild on the original Model 24 design. Has been judged legal every time I've shot it. The Model 48 was "designed after WW II" and is judged not legal for BAMM at major matches that follow rules. Although it's very similar, it's a different design. Biggest modification - bent bolt handle. Be aware both of those have a shorter action than the normal Mauser. This means there is a shorter OAL on the loaded cartridges and a different stock if you ever restock it. Good luck, GJ

This isn't just the standard flat mainspring housing. This one is angled to have more metal at the bottom than the top, so the housing makes for a larger grip at the bottom than at the top (ALA a hog leg revolver grip frame). If you look at the ad for this in the Brownell's site, it explicitly says it forces the shooter's hand upward into the grip safety. Directly quoting the web page: Good luck, GJ

I'd bet that V-Grip housing will make a non-beavertail safety gun (Traditional) try to bite the web of the hand even worse than normal. Since it forces the hand up into the grip safety area. But with a beavertail, no problem. Good luck, GJ

Three possible suspects could be grabbing the slide/barrel at halfway-forward on the closing cycle of the slide. Barrel bushing grabbing the barrel Disconnector not sliding down to allow bottom of slide to pass by Ejector pivoting enough to grab the narrow slot in bottom of slide that the ejector slides within Sudden bushing tightness isn't something likely to "just pop up". Unless you see the inside of bushing galled or the outside of barrel scarred, and bushing is not super tight on barrel when you disassemble the gun, probably not there. Disconnector needs a drop of oil on it's tip every time you clean gun. That disconnector is not driven upward by much of a spring (one leaf of the three-legged leaf "sear" spring). It could have it's channel in the slide filled with gunk and be not wanting to be pushed down by slide. Ejector pivoting would be my guess from what little you have to work on. If the ejector is moveable by hand, you need to re-pin it and make it solid. It could pivot up and down, or rotate some sideways (especially if one of the two legs on the extractor has sheared off). If ejector has been damaged (peened), it could be dragging in it's raceway. That, though, would seem to be a regular drag on the slide, not a one-every-200 rounds problem. Then again, it's probably something else..... ??? Fourth possibility - probably very rare.....Did the slide release wedge itself in the disassembly notch of the slide somehow? Good luck, GJ

You will find that it is the MAINSPRING that is the big contributor to how difficult it is to rack the slide. Because the mainspring is what you are compressing as the hammer goes back, and it is stronger than the recoil spring. Don't use a light recoil spring because of cocking ease. Use correct one to properly return slide during firing, and also checking that you can charge an empty gun when using a fully loaded magazine (both from slide lock, and manually racking slide). You need enough force to go to battery 100% after stripping the top round from a fully charged magazine, even with a dirty chamber. Run this test: The effort difference between racking the slide with hammer down, to racking with hammer already cocked, shows you that the effort to cock the hammer (against mainspring) is the main force! It's normally about 2-3 times as hard to rack-to-cock than it is to rack-an-already-cocked 1911. Of course, that higher level of force drops off when the slide has retracted about 3/4 inch, because the hammer has fully cocked at that distance. Full slide travel during cycling - about 2 inches. The rest of the backwards travel - is compressing the recoil spring only. Good luck, GJ

I run a 15 recoil and 19 main with 165 PF loads. Don't need or want a shock buff with that. That combo in my gun still lets me shoot a factory load when I need to. CHeck to see how far you are tossing empties. 4-6 feet from you is very common for a well tuned gun. Good luck, GJ

I'd say there's something you are not seeing. Bout time for the gun to visit a good smith that knows 1911s well, I'd say. Your barrel link pin should not be free to come out. Take center punch to the each end and give it a good smack to upset the end of the pin (make it swell a little). I've sheared a link pin before when it came loose. Then since the link could not pull the barrel down out of lockup, I had to press down on barrel hood to open slide. Good luck, GJ

You should have been able to see what caused the lockup when you finally got the gun disassembled. Now is a little late, because the material that jammed it is probably gone - since it moves normally now. At this point, you need to closely examine the slide rails on the frame, and the grooves in the bottom of slide for galling or other damage or remains of foreign materials. It's almost certainly the slide to frame contact that is causing slide to stick, if it has stuck half way back and also at full retracted position. The disconnector touches the slide but it does not have enough surface area to lock the slide to it. Muzzle end of barrel goes through the barrel bushing. Something galled or stuck there could lock slide forward, but not so much at half way or all way back. If the frame or slide ways are galled, heavily scratched or otherwise rough, there are stones/files that can clean that up, but for top accuracy's sake, I'd have a good 1911 smith do that refitting, because it's easy to make it too loose and thus lose some accuracy and lifetime of the gun. Good luck, GJ

Accurate #7 will very easily run a 155 to 160 grain lead slug at 1000 FPS, even up to 1100 FPS according to Lyman Cast Bullet handbook. Win 231 is a little fast burning to be pushing hard under those heavy slugs in .38 Super. In Lyman, they don't even list 231 with 147 grain bullets. Good luck, GJ

Well, a 1911 in 10mm will easily make 150 power factor, even major. 8) WB wire allows loading data. That puts a lot of responsibility on the READER to check that the data makes sense and is safe. I like it that way. Good luck, GJ

Ya know, a properly fitted trigger bow (stirrup) rides in a raceway BELOW the surface of the frame. Unless the frame has been worn away or the trigger bow sticks out from the surface of the frame, that magazine will NOT be able to touch the trigger bow. I'd be looking at the trigger bow for being fitted badly or being warped. Put in a new trigger and make sure the bow is down lower than the frame surface both right and left! I have an early Armscorp 1911 in which the raceway was not cut deeply enough on the right side. Sticks almost every empty magazine so the mag has to be manually yanked out of the gun. But that is the gun, not the fault of a Tripp mag. I've got a raceway stone, and when I get some time to fiddle with the bow ;) I'll make that thing work correctly. Good luck, GJ

First, a bullet pressing on the mag release isn't going to cause trigger to stick. It might cause mag to try to drop out of gun, but not a stuck trigger. My guess would be the mag body is slightly fat. THAT could cause the trigger to be sticky and hard to press since the stirrup of the trigger slides around both sides of the magazine body. Try miking the magazine body. When they get dropped and dented up, they can swell to be fat enough to interfere with trigger. Brownells even has a gauge to check if your mag bodies are out of spec (too thick). But - Why on the third round to be fired ???? Don't see a reason to interfere with trigger just at that number of rounds (5) left in mag. Good luck, GJ

My reading on this is No, its not legal. Max of two loops per holder is the way I read the rules. If those seven loops were sewn onto a full belt, it would be legal. If the holder could be cut into 3 2-mag holders, it would be legal. But, unfortunately, as made, it would not be legal. Now, to me the rules covering this situation seem a little "picky". It might be possible to get a favorable ruling from the WB committee on this by requesting a review. Or, just get the style of 2 loop holders that several of the commercial leather makers have been making. That's what many of us have done. Good luck, GJ

Another thing that was really cool at that NM State BAM Match - we were shooting easterly in the afternoon on a clear day, with the steel painted black. Through the spotting scope it was very easy to see the last 25-50 yards of the bullet flight! Looked like a gray streak falling down against the black background until the bullet slammed into target (or dirt backstop) and splashed the target with lead streaks. For someone who thinks BAM rifle bullets fly fairly horizontally to the target, seeing that really reinforces the reality that we are rainbowing slugs into targets! Good luck, GJ