I saw some footage of a headcam and instantly decided it was a toy that I wanted to acquire. So I did. It is a GoPro Headcam, and it comes with various attachment devices. I have tested it briefly, using the head strap, and it has potential.
I like the results, and hopefully if I combine it with a third party video of my movements, it will assist me in improving my performance by revealing what I am doing wrong.
Did you spot the oops moment in the second video?
The head strap works very well, and you don't notice the weight, which is neglible. Also the video quality, as you can see, is very good.
You might recall from my earlier posts that owning an open gun, especially a 9mm Major STI, can be an exercise in patience. Last time I mentioned that my magazines needed tuning. Well the dawson Precision Kit arrived, and I set about hammering the feed lips to perfection. Ever since I have done that the magazines have performed flawlessly. The tools that came with the kit are really nice, so now I include examining my magazines as part of my match preparation ritual.
You might recall, way back, that I had extraction issues. I had seemingly overcome these by replacing my standard extractor with an Aftec. At the time of inserting the extractor it seemed to be too loose, but hell it was an Aftec, so it must be right. Right?
Anyway, after I had sorted out the magazine issues, the gun started smokestacking again.
What now?
Because I had already replaced the extractor, I immediately assumed ammo. So I double checked and re-chronographed my ammunition. No problems there. I reduced my recoil spring from a 9lb to an 8lb spring, after the Brian Enos forum suggested that 8lbs is the "right" number. Didn't make any difference. I then got a second opinion on the extractor, and they concurred that it was too loose, and as a result was not holding the round effectively. The Aftec warranty stated that I must not "tune" the extractor, so I contacted Aftec in desperation. I was told to place the extractor in a vice and to "tune" it using, what I call, a BFH (a Big F*****g Hammer). I did this, and voila, a tighter extractor.
I then range tested it, and it worked flawlessly for all but one round out of 250. It may need to be tweeked a tiny bit more. In the interim I have also ordered a sideways mount, to remove the red dot from over the ejection port. Hopefully this improves the reliability too, and helps me eliminate the odd C-More Shuffle (failure to find the red dot). I will report on that, once installed and tested. So next month it is off to the Provincials, and I am holding thumbs that I get to enjoy a 100% reliable gun for once.
This article is somewhat related to an earlier one I wrote on Open Gun reliability. Granted, I am not the best shot, but you cannot expect to make vast performance improvements without equipment that is 100% reliable.
So far, for me, it was extraction issues, which were eliminated by replacing the standard extractor with an Aftec; which meant goodbye to smoke stacking.
Now we are dealing with double feeds. This is when two live rounds are attempting to chamber at the same time. It is a common STI magazine problem, particularly with 9mm Major. The issue revolves around the magazine feed lips. They are usually too far apart, so the round isn't effectively held in position.
I use 140mm magazines, which are high capacity, which compounds the problem. The magazines have to be limited to 10 rounds (Canada), and arrive from the supplier with this primitive plate rivetted in. This plate causes a huge amount of problems. For starters, these things look like they have been cut by a hand saw. Each plate varies in length. The net effect is that, ceteris parabis, when you try to seat the magazine in the gun, those with slightly longer plates make it impossible to seat. You need a little bit of give in the spring to allow this to happen. I initially overcame this by replacing the cheap basepads with sturdier alumium ones. This provided a little more space, which loosened up the spring. But this advantage was short-lived. Another issue with the plates is that the rivets catch on the magazine spring, resulting in feeding issues. A final problem is that you cannot remove the spring and follower, since the plate blocks this process; so cleaning your magazines is a non-starter. Overall the rivetted plate is a bad idea; especially in magazines costing around $75.00 a piece.
Once I started experiencing double feeds I realised that I needed to tune the magazine feed lips. This involves using a caliper to measure the gap between the feed lips, and to adjust inwards/outwards using a combination of brass hammer and/or pliers. The trick is finding the correct measurements for your caliber, and then tweaking the lips to perfection. For me, solving one problem created new problems. I needed to tighten up the tolerances. This meant that the rounds would be tighter, but because of the plates, it meant that tighter tolerances removed the advantage I achieved with the new basepads. So I ended up with some magazines not seating in the gun again.
I then ordered Arrendondo Lim10 inserts, and decided I would remove all of the plates. I removed two, and tested. Voila, the magazines seated properly and didn't experience and double feeds. But the inserts are for 38 Super, so you have to "tune" them to make space for the spacer and spring. Also, because the dimensions of each magazine are not quite the same, you may need to file the tops of the inserts until you get 10 rounds to fit comfortably. Another big problem is the DAA basepads with the Arrendondo inserts. I really struggled to get the basepads to slide over the inserts. In the end I drilled a small hole in the basepads, and I push the insert down, using a thin allen key. Then the basepads slide on easily. I then went off to the range and tested all my magazines, which seemed to be working fine.
But alas, it takes a match to prove you wrong. Straight away my double feed issues were back. So now, out of desperation, I have ordered the Dawson Magazine Precision kit.
So all up, the magazines will have cost me $130.00 per unit, excluding all the time and effort to get them right. You might ask why I persist. Well, you just have to shoot an STI that is performing well, to be hooked.
