Sep/Oct - uspsa

lea about doingTimitedneed co do,ceng what youwhere itatikts.softcover 16.95 pk.ls 6.00 sthhardcover 27.95 plus 6.00 sthsend checks toZEDIKER PUBUSHINGP.O. BOX 1497OXFORD MS 38655to 47? 46"5" • al.., 4., 4,PRACTICAL SHOOTINGMANUALt.)1:0$0..1(KLI‘TMAW BURKETTHOT SHOTS1100•4112•91105Send check or money order to 7040 E.Wilshire Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85257602.949.1553/602.947.2773 FAXpull. When I swapped mainspringhousings with my ownLimited gun, which has a lightweight16-pound spring, I foundit reduced the pull by morethan two pounds. I've never hada primer fail to ignite with thislighter spring and I find thatthe slide cycles more smoothlywhen it doesn't have to overcomethe force of the heavymainspring. I did all of myshooting with the lighter springin place. Reliability is the numberone concern on a carry gun,of course, so in that instancethe heavier mainspring makesgood sense.When I stripped the gun, Ifound the feedramp to be wellpolished and the stainless steelsix-groove barrel throated forsemi-wadcutters. The barreltube is slightly enlarged at themuzzle and ensures a snug fitwith the bushing. 'The ejector isabout halfway between extendedand standard length,long enough to give consistentpositive ejection yet shortenough to allow a loaded bulletto be ejected without the bulletnose hanging up on the edge ofthe ejection port.The lightweight aluminumtrigger, most likely hand fit, exhibitsvirtually no play; anothernice touch is the L45's split-fingersear spring, which is designedto prevent the hammerfrom following the slide down.Half of the finger exerts pressureon the disconnector whilethe other half pushes againstthe back of the trigger bow.This keeps the trigger from developingenough inertia tobump the sear and drop thehammer to half cock.The month ofJune in Tucsonfound temperatures alreadyinto three digits, so I resolvedto do as much as possible of myshooting indoors. Fortunately,near where I work is theMarksman Pistol Institute, featuringan indoor twenty-fiveyard range, automatic targetreturns and, best of all, air conditioning.Groups were firedfrom a seated rest across a MillettBenchmaster, five shots toa group. I tried a variety of reloadedand commercial loads Ihad on hand. Groups averagedfrom just over two inches tofour inches. No surprises here.All groups were centered, butthe 230 grain loads impactedabout two inches below point ofaim. The lighter bullets wereeven lower. I thought that thegroups might have been a littletighter if the fluorescent orangefront sight hadn't overwhelmedthe sight picture. Thingstended to get pretty blurry duringextended range sessions.Reliability was fantastic.With just over four hundredrounds fired, there were nostoppages or failures. A goodquality, eight-round magazinewith a removable floorplate andpolymer follower comes withthis pistol and is partly responsiblefor its flawless performance.The L45 even fed myIPSC handloads of 174gr LSWCloaded to major with WinchesterAction Pistol powder. If thegun were going to choke on aload, this would have been it.While BROLIN ARMS maycall the L45 "standard," I call ita bargain. With plenty of customfeatures, including a limitedlifetime warranty, the suggestedretail price of $449 ismore than competitive. In fact,it may just be the ticket for anovice Limited categoryshooter. For more informationon the L45 and the rest of thesoon-to-be-introduced Brolinproducts, contact BROLINARMS, P.O. Box 698, La Verne,CA 91750-0698, toll free (888) 8Brolin and tell them you sawit in Front Sight.Page 36 September/October 1996