New Steel Open Gun

Just finished up my new Steel Challenge Open gun for 2011. I started with a stock SW1911 9MM Pro Series and had my friend Bill Hailey lighten the slide with a surface grinder and port the barrel by EDM, as well as drilling and tapping the frame to mount my Aimpoint Micro H-1. The result is a short and light gun, with most of the weight centered in or directly around your hands, which is the optimum location , especially when you are doing as many transitions as SCSA calls for.

I know a lot will wonder why I opted to port the standard bushing barrel instead of adding a new barrel with a traditional comp, the short answer is weight savings. To bring the balance of the gun to frame area with a comp hanging out on the end of the gun can be difficult, which means more time making more precise cuts in the slide, and can also increase the chance of the slide cracking which, needless to say, is something you do not want to happen at a critical time.

Preliminary testing leads me to believe that while I may not be able to shoot the gun faster, I should be able to shoot it easier. It gives me the feel of being able just to move my hands to wherever I need to aim, instead of swinging a gun around to the targets. Looking forward to using this set-up in the upcoming season, look for pictures of the new gun on my Facebook Page.

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