Garrison Joe

Congrats Elwood! Looks like you burned things down! Say, Back 40, you might know. I did not find the stage description for the Sgt York side match anywhere. Can you or someone else sketch out how that was shot at EOT? Oh, digging deeper in the archives and I found it = SERGEANT YORK – Wednesday, March 2 – 2:00pm to 4:00 pm Beyond Bay 14, beside the BAMM match - 5 rifle, 6 pistol Two rifle targets at 100 and 125 yds. Six pistol targets from 50 to 25 yds. thanks, GJ

Yes, you got it right. The last two rounds in the "7-round spare" magazine, when fired, are "illegally acquired ammunition" - these have to be counted as misses if when shot they hit the correct target. From WB Shooters Handbook: So, two misses would be the call on the main part of the question. OK, second part: If shooter only fired 5 from the spare and left a round from the spare magazine in chamber (and one in magazine when dropped), that one round would be "illegally acquired" if it is later fired and hits a target. That would be one round counted as a miss (if it hit the correct target). To make this work without penalty, one way would be to do a tactical reload after 4 rounds are fired of the 7 rounds in the spare. Thus you leave 5th round in chamber, and drop the mag with 2 live rounds left in it. Then fire the chambered round and four of the five rounds from your last 5-shot magazine. Lots of thinking involved, though. Shows you that for these particular stage instructions, even your spare mag(s) should be loaded with no more than 5 rounds. Would prevent the possibility of illegal ammo calls. And keep you from having to count rounds fired from a magazine or doing the tactical reload at the right time. good luck, GJ

Yep. wide spur is fine. Lots of 1911s issued with 'em. GJ

Type of sights is really personal preference. What ever you can use faster. I like a sight picture just like my main match rifle - a flat-notched rear sight blade, and a post with medium bead front. TR is never going to be a match that requires precision. I don't like a tang sight for a quick shot. good luck, GJ

Not locked into just one powder. I use what works, and with a 300 grain slug, I got better groups with 2400 than with Unique. Both work, just 2400 shoots better in my gun. You would have to test what works for YOU. Cast bullet loads depend SO much on what each rifle shoots well. Much more than jacketed bullet loads. That cast bullet load shoots real well with 19 grains 2400 - 1" groups in my Marlin at 100 yards. With 12 grains of Unique, was more like 2" groups. Both are plenty accurate for Teddy Roosevelt matches. One can. The recoil with 405 grain slug is 33% higher than the recoil of a 300 grain slug at same velocity. For shooting steel quickly at 50 yards or less, one is better served with a light bullet. Especially if one can get a nice group and consistent feed and function. But, the 405 grain bullet can shoot well in the Marlin, too. Mine gave about 1" 100 yard groups or slightly larger with 12 grains of Unique, too, in my tests last summer. Lots of 405 grain and heavier bullets won't feed in Marlin 1895s when seated to crimp in the crimp groove. The standard Lyman 457193 design needed to crimp at the top of the driving band, above the crimp groove. good luck, GJ

Surely can. I've got a light bullet load with 2400 that hits 1" at 100 yards with my iron sighted Marlin 45-70, ballard rifling. good luck, GJ

6 pouches is all I have ever needed. good luck, GJ

Thank you and the Rules Committee for the hard work again! good luck, GJ

And make sure to keep it canted over to the left. good luck, GJ

Generally those 3" chambered duck gun Model 12s are avoided like the plague in WB. Sorry, but it's been true for a long time. Lots of parts swapping tried, and as far as I ever heard, none really improved the feeding reliability or the speed. But if someone has cracked the nut on this problem, I'd like to hear about it too. :) good luck, GJ

That's a Winchester Model 12 with a vent rib. Nothing I see that makes it illegal - unless that's a fluorescent red bead at the muzzle. More complete picture might show something else. Rule on page 13 of WB Shooter Handbook If it's not one of those colors, it may be replaced pretty easily. Don't see a heat shield or bayonet lug... don't know what the talk here about Trench Guns is about. good luck, GJ

The parts-condition rules for a Traditional pistol are on page 5. Here's a very specific rule that pertains to your question: My interpretation of "the back of the sight" is that would be the whole back surface of the sight. Perhaps a Rules Committee member would care to comment. If the sight just "shows normal wear" that has removed bluing at the top of the sight, I doubt it would be considered an illegal modification. So, I'd give it a pragmatic view, and say it's good to go, without having seen it. But then, I've run local matches and shot in big ones, but not run the big ones. If you tune your gun to a typical 160 power factor load, the bullet weight won't matter much for your spring selections. And for a 160 power factor, I have found a lot of tuners (like Wilson) usually say a 15 pound recoil spring and a 19 pound main spring is a good balanced match. Remember that most factory 1911s (ones not intentionally set up for high power levels) are tuned to factory hard ball PF levels - 230 grains at 825 FPS or so, or about 190 PF. For that, Colt and several other makers install a 16 pound recoil and a 23 pound main spring when building guns. Why reduce the mainspring weight when reducing the PF and the recoil spring? Consider how those two springs are used. The mainspring is providing the major resistance to the slide moving back (more than the recoil spring, which is kind of the weak assistant during rearward travel). Really, the recoil spring is mostly storing enough energy to shove the slide forward to strip the top cartridge off the magazine and shove it upward and forward into the chamber reliably. Meanwhile, the mainspring is storing energy for the hammer fall that will come later. And, some slide energy is used up when the fired case hits the ejector, too. On forward motion of the slide, the main spring does nothing (it stays compressed until the hammer falls). The recoil spring is what drives the slide forward. So, when you reduce the PF in wild bunch ammo to 160 or slightly more (staying away from the absolute minimum of 150 provided by the ammo rules), the slide will be moving backward with less energy. To prevent a short slide travel that could fail to cock the hammer (or even fail to eject the case cleanly), the mainspring is commonly reduced somewhat. Testing shows, one can reduce mainspring weight to about 19 pounds in a smoothly running gun, with the mainspring housing honed to avoid wasting energy rubbing against the typically rough bore of the mainspring channel. And the reduction of the mainspring reduces trigger pull slightly. And the recoil spring can be reduced just a little, so drop it to 15 pounds. Safe to do since there is a fair amount of rearward slide speed reduction when the PF is dropped to 160. The lighter recoil spring AND mainspring reduces the effort needed to rack the slide, too. Along with radiusing the bottom of the firing pin retainer plate. The recoil spring still has to do the same amount of work to run the slide forward, so it does not drop as fast as the mainspring weight drops. You get into a balancing act with the two springs. Just dropping recoil spring weight lessens the reliability of going into battery well. Just dropping mainspring weight lets slide come back too fast and batters the hammer/sear engagement point and possibly the frame. Is there a quick way to see when you have a good spring-weight pair? I follow recommendations I've seen on Wilson and a couple of other sites. Clean up any fired cases on the range around your firing position. Load a full mag of your intended loads when you have gun smoothed like you want. Firm grip, using your intended shooting style. Fire until gun empties. Should see no failures to eject and no failures to feed and no failure to cock hammer. And last round should lock slide open firmly, not just hanging on edge of slide release engagement. Fired cases closer than 5 feet => often springs are resisting rearward motion too much (mostly the mainspring is heavy, but if one is reduced, consider reducing both) Fired cases farther than about 15 feet => spring set is too light and cases are being flung out with abandon. Go to a heavier set of springs. Free related failure troubleshooting experiences follow. Fired cases are dinging the mouth => extractor nose shape or ejector length isn't quite right to push the case out the middle of the ejection port Failures to eject - check ejector first. Then extractor tension. Failures to strip out of magazine - check magazine and magazine follower first (I use Tripp as a standard magazine) Jams going up feed ramp (3 point failures) - here, several things can be the source of problems. Subject of discussions galore on 1911 sites. But check magazine and mag spring first. Jams just short of going into battery - check ammo first, second and third. Then look at too tight a radius on break over from barrel ramp to chamber. A really good 1911 and spring maintenance guide is found in one of Wilson's videos: Including spring change out intervals. And, of course, these are guides I find to be useful on fairly smooth, tight Colt 1911s. Your gun will vary from that "legacy standard". Your goals in how the gun runs will vary. My goals are: Reliability - especially feeding and chambering and magazine operation Good trigger pull at about 3.5 pounds, breaking cleanly and consistently Sight visibility at speed. All the rest - doesn't matter anywhere near as much, even accuracy, but who doesn't love an accurate gun? good luck, GJ

Boggus Deal (a top shooter here) does excellent 1911 gunsmithing. Search the Member List for his contact info. I had my Series 70 Colt slide dovetailed, and a custom tall front sight fabricated, and a 10-8 National Match (legacy) rear fixed sight installed by Mars Armament, a smith shop in Salt Lake City. They also have done tuning suitable to ensure the gun runs 100% reliably. They were slammed by work in 2020 and may be back to accepting and completing 1911 work now. Top notch, but rather pricey. https://marsguns.com/ Recently made Colt Series 70 guns ship with pretty good, Traditional legal, sights already. But, I would highly recommend a dovetailed front sight. My 1911 lost a tall staked front sight after a professional installation was done. Tall sights just are harder to keep on the slide than original heights with their lighter weight. The dovetail, if done to one of the standard dimensions, allows you to easily change over to a different configuration quickly. Be careful to review the allowed modifications and replacement parts configurations that are within the rather tight window for a Traditional pistol. A standard Colt Government style gun (or Springfield, Ruger, Remington, RIA, etc) with * a beveled magazine entry (no added "well"), * no checkering or serrations on front strap, trigger guard or slide, * military-spec shapes and sizes on hammer, safety, grip safety, * fixed sights in solid color, blue, black, or natural colored steel/stainless (may be polished). No dots, beads, inserts, glow devices, etc.) * and a well tuned "duty" weight trigger are about all that is really needed most of the time. Gun tuned to run perfectly with "light hardball" lead ammo, at a power factor of about 160. Gun weight cannot exceed 40 ounces with empty magazine. good luck, GJ

Pretty common stage design. Rules cover the situation, and shooter is expected to be able to follow the rules. good luck, GJ

I gave up on hotels in Phoenix at MLB Spring Training time. and have stayed at AirBNB houses last three times I went to WR. If you are careful about reading descriptions, you can find houses about 5 miles or less drive, that are friendly to Ben Avery competitors. There are several cheap, non-major-name hotels around the northwest Phoenix area that are just horrible. Essentially week-by-week noisy apartments. And lots of vehicle break-ins reported by WR competitors at any hotel when vehicles have any hint they have firearms in them. Hard to say it, but if you want a hotel, go with "Big Names" that EOT website calls out, and take an extra arm and leg and don't leave stuff in the vehicle. good luck, GJ

This page might help show the small adjustment that is usually required to prevent bites https://www.theboxotruth.com/educational-zone-45-fixing-hammer-bite-on-a-1911/

You gotta have a spur on the hammer to be a legal Traditional hammer. That kinda eliminates "bobbing" as far as I understand the definition of bobbing. I've not seen anyone yet get a "more precise" description of minimal size allowed than what is in the handbook. good luck, GJ

I shoot a Colt Govt Model 70 traditional. Flat mainspring doesn't let the web of hand move down enough. The longer (dimension away from the safety's pin) grip safety from A1 does help quite a bit. But the best solution is to take a little metal off the top of the grip safety and bottom of hammer spur until the hammer, at full slide recoil, leaves a quarter inch of air gap, or more if you have more skin to get in the way. Leaves the hammer in the same overall dimensions, just removes the interference. When my gun was new, the hammer spur would come back far enough to touch the grip safety, leaving a ding. You can see how that is an automatic bite if there's skin in the way. good luck, GJ

You haven't seen enough BAMM shot. I use a 1907 style leather sling and find it improves my shooting a lot. All positions, unless we are shooting a bench rest event. good luck, GJ

A cheap Harbor Freight chop saw with an abrasive blade to get within about 10 thousands of the final length of 0.898" Drilled a couple of half-inch holes in a block of oak to hold the cases while chopping off. Then a Lyman case trimmer to do that last little bit of trimming to length. Can trim about 3-4 a minute that way. Then a hand reaming tool to bevel inside and outside the mouth. With a power case processing tool, those steps would be even faster. good luck, GJ

More folks on the Cowboy wire will have that brass. But it's rather rare to find someone selling it. I used to use the Starline special production C45Spl brass. Now I just trim off old .45 Colt cases. Lasts longer. I make as many as I want. good luck, GJ

The app states "Side Matches the afternoon of the 27th" From that statement, no shooting seems to happen before noon on the 27th. And the main match is on Saturday and Sunday, the 28th and 29th. good luck, GJ

You folks gonna require shooters run the Garands with lead/gas checked only? Or with jacketed slugs? Any velocity limitations, regardless of whatever bullets are allowed? Just a hint - it will be tough enough running the Garands with lead bullets....and especially tough if you have a fairly low maximum velocity limit as well. good luck, GJ

A fine crew, I can tell even from afar. And a super fine match, humidity excepted - sorta like shooting in the Philippines, I would guess. Congrats to all you match honchos! Wish I coulda been there. good luck, GJ

Medium size hands. Shoot Traditional. For me, the flat mainspring housing brings sights up on target from draw. An arched housing puts front sight too high. And a medium length trigger puts my trigger finger pad properly on the trigger face without reaching for it. good luck, GJ