Recent content by McGee

I started reloading in the mid 1970s... yes, I'm old. The only tumblers available then that I was aware of was the hexagon drum rotary style with a rubber drum liner. The preferred polishing media then was walnut shell that was coated with iron oxide, which gave it a red color. It worked well...

Advice on Hoppes No. 9... A gunsmith once told me to never leave a nickel-plated gun soaking in Hoppes No. 9, because it was acidic and would strip nickel plating when given enough time. At my next gun cleaning session, I put a small drop of Hoppes No. 9 on a penny. After about 10-seconds a...

I purchased a satin nickel Tisas 1911A-1 Stakeout, which came with a 9mm barrel & magazine and a 38 Super Automatic barrel & magazine. It featured a commander style hammer and beavertail grip safety. Preferring the classic 1911A-1 appearance, I swapped the grip safety and hammer for mil-spec...

I don't know if currently manufactured brass is of the same quality as from the 1970s. I can remember reloading cases more than a dozen times without issues. Primarily, I kept up with how many times I trimmed a case and discarded it when I thought it had thinned from brass flowing forward. I...

When I first started reloading... many years ago when smokeless powder sold for $3.40 per pound, I used Bullseye for target pistol loads and 2400 for magnum pistol loads. My experience was that Bullseye burned about as clean as coal, and 2400 burned clean with maximum loads. At below maximum...

I see that others have hammers with this additional notch. My first experience with 1911 style pistols was a pair of Series 70 Colts I purchased in 1976... a 45ACP & a 38 Super Auto. Of the may I've owned, this is the first with the additional notch. My preferred hammer is a pre-1939 wide-spur...

My Springfield Armory 1911A-1 has an extra, small sear notch just before the safety notch. I think it was a manufacturing defect, and I contacted Springfield Armory but received no response. I've attached a picture with an arrow indicating the additional notch. A normal hammer is pictured beside...