Wonderful write up and I'm glad you had a good time. That's the most important thing.
We used to shoot bowling pins at our club and had maybe 1000 pins for the match. It caught on like wildfire because many had gone to the Davis shoot. Lots of fun and enjoyment plus you learn the importance of watching your front sight.
On another forum, but Ned Christiansen offers his thoughts on the 2022 Pin Shoot, including shotgun, here:Originally Posted by Joe45
https://forum.ltwguns.com/viewtopic....art=150#p69377
Thanks @RJ. I hadn't seen that write up yet.
Any opinions on buck vs. slugs on pins?
Definitely buck. 00 or 000, nothing smaller.
Thanks @Mas
Thanks a bunch for the tip! I ordered 100 rounds of this from Velocity and shot some of it today. I'm very pleased with it. It punches nice round holes, is very controllable, and runs 100% in my Garrison. Plus it's relatively affordable, for hollow points. Ok, it may not be +p, or on Doc's list of carry .45 anymore, but I think so far it's the best option I've found for factory Pin Shoot ammo.
So, mid February. Time for an update, with about 4 months to go till the 2023 Pin Shoot.
Hardware
My Garrison is now about where I want it, well broken in at around 500 rounds. The biggest change is that Cylinder and Slide Lightened sear spring. The trigger press went from 5.5 lb to 3.8, quite a big delta. It feels much, much crisper and easier to shoot for me. I recently put in a flat trigger, and am interested to get to the range soon to check that out.
I’ve settled on a pin load, which for me will be factory new Federal Hi-Shok 230 HP, 45D. They punch nice round holes, have mild recoil and are relatively affordable. I had to skootch the rear sight right about 0.030” from the factory install, but now it shoots to point of aim.
Software
I’ve set up my Dry Practice area in our new place, with some paper targets out in a typical array.
After reviewing the winning Pin Shoot times from 2022 that are online, I’ve set my goal: match the #1 place Ordinary Standard Shooter class winner (I mean, why not). That time is 5.72 seconds, average. With a calculated “last pin fall” time of about 0.50 seconds, I need a par time of 5.2s. Breaking it down by pin, #1 to #5, this is 1.20 sec first pin, with 1.00 sec splits, assuming I don’t miss. And you can’t miss on this competition, of course. I appreciate this is a pretty lofty goal, but it will definitely motivate me to do the work.
Need to get busy and establish a regular routine, but I think I’m on glide slope at this point. I’ll check in on this thread in March.
Mid March, 3 months to go.
@Mas has a great article on Jerry Miculek's involvement with the pin shoot. I dunno if Jerry will be there this year, but that would be pretty cool.
https://www.pinshoot.com/post/how-to...-jerry-miculek
My Dry Practice routine was disrupted a bit due to life gets in the way reasons. I need to get back to a regular schedule on that.
The gun is working out, albeit not without some hiccups. Most recently I've struggled with trying to get my selected HP ammo to run. The central issue seems to be the size of the case mouth of the cavity. From what I can gather, it is impacting the feedramp somewhere. Most times the round chambers successfully with a KERCHUNK that I can both feel and hear. But sometimes I get this:
The round has "stuck" into the feedramp and won't go in. This was on round 36 from yesterday's session. Previous to that, I had a whole bunch (5) of stoppages just loading from a slingshot slide. Although I've since reverted back to a stronger Recoil Spring (17) I think the central issue eludes me. Certainly at my skill level to diagnose issues like this, which is not high. I don’t think shoving the round forward with more force with an 18.5 spring is really going to address whatever issue it is I am having with the Hi-Shok. I would rather give up on the Hi-Shok and revert to either the HST (if it runs) or the ball ammo; given I had at least one feedway stoppage with ball dummy rounds; it would seem it’s not the ammo, and I don’t see a need for the 18.5 lb spring at this point, since none of my HP ammo is +p. So for now, I'm taking the approach of simply switching back to FMJ and get to work on shot placement.
I do now have some Federal HST to try, but I don't think it's entirely the ammo. One suggestion I need to run to ground is installation of EGW's higher mag catch. This raises the mag catch shelf by 0.020", with the expectation that the nosedive from 1st round loading of 8 round mags will be lessened, as the front of the bullet strikes the feedramp higher. At $25, it's probably worth a try.
I also got a bunch of excellent input in the "how to keep your 1911 running" thread, including setting extractor tension, measuring cam out, and extractor hook profiling. All are now within spec, so next steps are the ammo and the higher mag catch. Otherwise it's back to AE 230.
The gun has evolved a bit more this month, but I am nearing the end of the changes. Configuration now includes the following aftermarket parts:
Wilson Combat (WC) Bullet Proof (BP): Ambi Safety, Slide stop (trimmed and blued). Sear, Skeletonized Hammer, Disconnector, Extractor, Extra Power Firing Pin spring, Square Bottom Firing Pin Stop, Flat Cap Guide Rod Plug and Recoil Spring Guide.
WC 17 lb Recoil Spring.
Thunder Mountain Custom Short Flat Trigger.
Cylinder and Slide Lightened Sear Spring.
Cool Hand G10 grips (thin).
Talon granulate front strap.
Dawson Fiber Optic Front Sight 0.180”hx0.125”w.
We've confirmed our accommodations in Petoskey this year, arriving June 10 and departing the 18th. I plan to drive down to Central Lake in the truck to shoot my stages, but don't know if I will be there every single day of the match.
Forgive me if you mentioned it and I missed it, RJ, but what magazines are you using?
Mas - I am using Wilson Combat ETM #500 and Chip McCormick Railed Power Mags for the 8 rounders, and Wilson Combat #47C 7 rounders. The Garrison came with one steel blued 7 rounder, but aside from an initial function check, I haven't shot it much.
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