Kutter, as always, gives great advice from his experiences. If and when I decide to do a permanent shim on the BSS it will be according to his great essay on it. I have a "set" of those various thickness shim stocks already on hand, and also a set of those transfer punches, but the details on using the OA tip to do the heating is priceless.
I agree the HVAC tape is soft, being aluminum, but it lasts amazingly well. I can put two or three days worth of 1 1/4 oz. steel shot duck loads through it, pretty hefty stuff, and it still stays on face. Or, as I mentioned before, 200-300 target loads. I get the impression it's not about the recoil generated and the forces against the shim when firing, as much as it is the simple act of opening and closing it. It's pretty amazing how long it lasts. I can tell when it needs replacing without looking, just by the feel of the top lever, and the effort needed to open the gun, after firing.
