shootertim 5 Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) Picked this thing up on Friday.....with a case of Federal 1 1/8 1290 3 1/4 dram loads and went to the range on Saturday. Didn't really do a thing to it, except added a couple extensions to the 5 round mags that came with. Had a few hic-cups with fully loaded magazines......decided that the feed ramp need to be polished and the start point needed to be lowered. So I shot and shot and shot and had a blast getting to know the shotty. Now I've known Jim at Firebird for years and he is a very good friend of mine, I also know Matt from Tooth and Nail and he too; I call a good friend. I think that between the 2 of them there is a lot of knowledge. I've been in this game for a number of years as well and know how to make things work.......but bouncing ideas off any of my peers is my idea of great evening of talking cars, guns and old times. Sooooo......I've got lots of irons in the fire and there is NO way I am gonna do anything other than extensions for these shotguns.......but I did come up with a WAY cool magazine well for the 1919 match that actually works well and looks good too.......doubt it will be offer for sale at this time. Anyways, get back to the shop.......start making the shotgun 922 compliant as well as getting to know and understand why things are like they are...........the steel fed ramp is VERY NICE, I believe that what I said earlier needs to be done and I took it out of the receiver and lowered the start and polished the crap out of it!! I also cleaned it up......don't anyone thinks and where they think grease needs to go in the action.....I used WEAPON SHIELD oil on everything......nothing better, maybe stuff as good, but nothing better.....it's full synthetic, stays on the metal, keeps dirt in suspension and does not dry out. It's not made from crisco, or olive oil or Chuck Norris' tears, nor it does it have PTFE (thank God)......you can say all sorts of things about other oils being the best......well if it is.....then it is as good as Weapon Shield....period. One thing I did was put a carbine buffer tube on, but for the life of me I could not find my Magpul CTR.......so I end up putting a milspec stock on for now. I did put the barrel in the mill and drilled 1/8" holes 3/4" apart for 3" from about a 1/2" back from the rear of the choke.......really doesn't do much for felt recoil, but it really helped keeping the muzzle down....I'm not so recoil sensitive anyways. Put the legal 922 compliant shotty back together....this time with the low power ring in. Now that I was done with the 3 25 dram loads.....i wanted to try something lighter, much lighter!! So.....I was told to try Remington STS light trap which is 2 3/4 dram 1 1/8 ounce 1145 FPS load. Weelllll......I live in smallsville USA with a Walmart, so I found the Remington Gun Club Equivalent.....same loading, MUCH cheaper hull, probably the shot isn't quite as round either. JUST AN FYI with the Wally World ammo.....you hear lots of bad things about it....some is true, some is hype....YMMV, but once you find an ammo that runs in a semi auto....try to keep buying the same stuff all the time. Went thru all 150 rounds starting with full mags (13 and 16 rounds).......and never had a malfunction, 'cept one time trying to charge the weapon by releasing the bolt catch as oppose to pulling the charge handle back. So needless to say, I am impressed, at least up to this point......seems like a very reliable flat shooting shotgun. Next up.......low recoil Fiocchi slugs and low recoil buck shot....wish me luck!! Edited September 8, 2015 by shootertim 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 Why not run full trap spec ammo. The load suggested is mild. I really don't see the point of going that weak, and it surely is pushing your luck with expecting just about any semi auto shotgun to run well. Also you aren't hitting the plates as hard. Your gun is semi, and normal 3 dram plus trap spec ammo is still tame for recoil even in a single barrel brake action. I don't think you will have any problem with normal trap spec ammo slowing down your target aquisitions. I'd like to see pics of your gun, especially the fancy magwell. Also, what's so bad about teflon lubes? Superlube (synthetic + PTFE) is one of my favorites. It is smooth, not gritty, and temp stable. easy to wipe clean when it gets full of smoke and sand, etc. It costs a lot less than frog residue too. addendum, I guess the extra light makes sense just for testing to see what the lower end of your gun's reliability is. I've done that too. STS ammo is good and consistent, and the hulls are teflon like in their feel. Might make them feed better. I just made a bunch of buckshot in STS hulls, since they are so nice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flatland Shooter 22 Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 It will be interesting to see how well accuracy-wise the Match handles low recoil slugs. I ran a test of just about all slugs under 1300 fps I could find trying to get something accurate past 80 - 100 yards. I never found one. Others also reported dismal accuracy with all but full power slugs. Decided to stock up on the 1oz Remington Managed Recoil slugs. Work well to 60 or 70 yards. Past 100 yards I'm just loading the berms with lead. As for 1145 fps shells, my well broke in pre-XN gun loves the Remington Gun Club, Remington STS and Winchester AA rounds. I've still got a few cases of 1200 fps shells to use up but prefer less wear and tear to my match gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gose 17 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 It will be interesting to see how well accuracy-wise the Match handles low recoil slugs. I ran a test of just about all slugs under 1300 fps I could find trying to get something accurate past 80 - 100 yards. I never found one. Others also reported dismal accuracy with all but full power slugs. How did it do with Fiocchi? Both my XN and pre-XN shoot them very well. Surprising that the Match would be so much worse. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flatland Shooter 22 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Tim has the MKA Match, Mine is a pre-XN gun run with Carlson chokes (CYL, SKT, LM and Full). I'm hoping Tim will take her to the range with some slugs and give us a report. The Fiocchi Low Recoil functioned well in my test but at distance did no better than any other shell. Some match somewhere shot slugs at a 4' x 4' steel plate at 125 yards. Thought this might be a good option target at a local match, so for practice we stuck a big chunk of steel out at 150 yards and then 125 yards. Shooting from sandbags, I could circle the target with a center hold but could not connect. At closer ranges, all of the slugs did decent but that was not my goal. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shootertim 5 Posted September 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Why not run full trap spec ammo. The load suggested is mild. I really don't see the point of going that weak, and it surely is pushing your luck with expecting just about any semi auto shotgun to run well. Also you aren't hitting the plates as hard. Your gun is semi, and normal 3 dram plus trap spec ammo is still tame for recoil even in a single barrel brake action. I don't think you will have any problem with normal trap spec ammo slowing down your target aquisitions. I'd like to see pics of your gun, especially the fancy magwell. Also, what's so bad about teflon lubes? Superlube (synthetic + PTFE) is one of my favorites. It is smooth, not gritty, and temp stable. easy to wipe clean when it gets full of smoke and sand, etc. It costs a lot less than frog residue too. addendum, I guess the extra light makes sense just for testing to see what the lower end of your gun's reliability is. I've done that too. STS ammo is good and consistent, and the hulls are teflon like in their feel. Might make them feed better. I just made a bunch of buckshot in STS hulls, since they are so nice. Pretty much any semi I've owned runs 2 3/4 dram 1 1/8 loads......seems to be a very solid reliable set up. Now.....1 ounce becomes iffy in a 2 3/4 dram. I would not call this a light trap load, nor is it a heavy trap load....some where in the middle, maybe a little to light side, but not really too much. I do use 3 dram loads in 1 ounce, but really haven't had any issues knocking anything down with either.....and when I do? Out come the 3 1/4, 1290fps, 1 1/8 ounce loads Teflon will build up.....dry out and harden at the end of travel. Used PTFE lubricants in hi-speed stamping dies, needed to clean and maintain every day. Went to a lube very similar to Weapon Shield and we ended up running dies for 7 days in stead of 1 day. Also.....seen firing pins bind up in holes filled with teflon lube that was never taken apart to clean.....never had to worry about that with Weapon Shield. Will post pics some time on the shotty......need to figure out what I am gonna do for a HG still...if anything. I believe I will do a custom job in the shop for sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toothandnail 275 Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 We run AA 1 1/8 oz 1145fps about 90%+ of the time, up to 1300fps if size or distance dictates. Slugs are Fiocchi 7/8oz 1300fps, hold about a 6" group at 100yds. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flatland Shooter 22 Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 (edited) Slugs are Fiocchi 7/8oz 1300fps, hold about a 6" group at 100yds. Much better than I'm getting. What brand choke are you using? And what constriction? Are you using the 19-1/2" barrel or the 22" barrel? Thank you. Edited September 10, 2015 by Flatland Shooter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toothandnail 275 Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 (edited) With our choke - Mod Briley - L Mod, in my gun IC has a slightly larger group. My sons gun, Briley - IC LM & M are almost identical group , I haven't tried his in my gun Both 19.75" barrels Edited September 10, 2015 by toothandnail Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gose 17 Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 (edited) With our choke - Mod Briley - L Mod, in my gun IC has a slightly larger group. My sons gun, Briley - IC LM & M are almost identical group , I haven't tried his in my gun Both 19.75" barrels 19 for me too, Briley LM and M chokes. Looks like mine shoot slightly tighter with the M choke than the LM, but 6" is about what I got as well, maybe even a little less c-c. Foot note: Both mine are fully modded by FB. Edited September 10, 2015 by gose Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shootertim 5 Posted September 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 End up putting a Magpul CTR stock on it with a 1/4" riser and the .7" thick butt pad.....really like that set up. Still running 100% for me......I think I am gonna move to the dark side next year. Still need to get some more mags for it....a few 5's and a couple 10's......gonna be the heat for hog hunting if I ever get around to doing that. 7/8 ounce FIOCCHI slugs inbound.......we'll see how those work out out of this thing Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GregB72 2 Posted September 17, 2015 Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Congrats. So, I gotta ask, what's the difference between the Match and the XN? Thanks, GregB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shootertim 5 Posted September 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 Congrats. So, I gotta ask, what's the difference between the Match and the XN? I am the wrong person to ask.......all I know about is the shotgun I have. But it seems there is a lot of subtle differences.....one thing I do know is that the outside of the magazine well is about a 1/4" longer than others due to the fact that the match has a steel feed lip that is spring loaded and rides up and down when the magazine is inserted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shootertim 5 Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 So I printed up a magwell for the 1919 Match.......very strong (ABS....car bumper stuff). HUGE funnel....almost sucks the mag in all by itself. No need to look.......just drop the spent mag and slam a new one home!! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AKJD 0 Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 When will the magwells be for sale on your web site? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flatland Shooter 22 Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 And will they also fit pre-XN and XN guns? How wide is it? How much distance is needed between the magazines if they are coupled? Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shootertim 5 Posted September 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 First off......it appears that the akdal lower is about a 1/4" shorter (front to back) than the the match lower.....second, I'm not sure if I will actually make these for sale as there seems to be so much variance in the receivers so I'd be flying blind. If I do offer them, at first it would only be for the newest match versions. And as of yet, I do not know how far apart you'd have to couple the mags as even I've not gotten that far.....but I will as I progress on this project Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shootertim 5 Posted September 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 So here is the dim's for the magwell.......a buddy of mine has one of the original Akdal 1919 and I made a magwell for his shotgun as well.....turns out the the Akdal is 1/4" shorter front to back, due to the new design having a retractable steel feed lip. Tim 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JeremyT 15 Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Any plans on making them for the SAS lower Tim? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flatland Shooter 22 Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Any plans on making them for the SAS lower Tim? Or the Firebird Precision billet lower? (May be the same size as the SAS lower?) Thanks. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shootertim 5 Posted October 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I have them for the MKA 1919 match and the Akdal lower. I been told that the latter will also work for all other plastic lowers except the MKA 1919 Match..... Soooooo....i did pick up a BR99 10 steel magazine.....which required A LOT of work to drop free in my shot gun and added a +11 to it. Now I have a 21 round magazine that works pretty well. The 17 round spring is, as expected too weak to do 4 extra rounds in the column.....so I backed it up with a floor plate and a factory 5 round spring......it works rather well now!! And yep.....thats a poly choke 2 on the end.....which just adds a little tacticool to the end as well being functional!! On Jim's lower.....I need to get one from him one of these days to see what I can do......no idea on the SAS lower Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flatland Shooter 22 Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 The 17 round spring is, as expected too weak to do 4 extra rounds in the column.....so I backed it up with a floor plate and a factory 5 round spring......it works rather well now!! That's pretty clever. Do you think a longer spring would get you to 22 rounds? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FOG50 12 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Where do you find a BR99 10 round steel magazine? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flatland Shooter 22 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) Where do you find a BR99 10 round steel magazine? I've never ordered from these folks but appears they have some available. http://www.fedarm.com/product/br-99-10rndmag/ I assume these do not fit MKA 1919 guns. Right? Update: I found elsewhere on the forum that BR99 magazines can be fit the MKA 1919 but only if the magazine well is lengthened. This modification will result in the MKA 1919 magazines fitting looser than they do without the modification. Edited October 4, 2015 by Flatland Shooter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ringram 0 Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Would this also fit a BR99 lower? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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