Weapons

Top Ten Guns used in Crime

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According to Time Magazine:

1. Smith and Wesson .38 revolver
2. Ruger 9 mm semiautomatic
3. Lorcin Engineering .380 semiautomatic
4. Raven Arms .25 semiautomatic
5. Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun
6. Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatic
7. Smith and Wesson .357 revolver
8. Bryco Arms 9mm semiautomatic
9. Bryco Arms .380 semiautomatic
10. Davis Industries .380 semiautomatic

I find this all very interesting about what is On and Not on this list.  In my experience, Hi-Points are also highly used, as are Cobra and Charter Arms.  Also, the guns that are not on the list according to the News:  AR-15’s, AK-47’s, and Glocks.   Now, crime according to the Movies and TV:  AR-15’s, AK-47’s, Uzi’s, Desert Eagles, Mac-10’s, Nickle Plated 1911’s, HK P-7’s, and Walther P99’s.

The reality of guns used in actual crimes are that they tend to be cheap, and they tend to be stolen.  S&W revolvers in .38 to .357, this report is as specific as saying “Ford Truck”… You are talking about the most common longest continually made double action revolver on the planet that’s been manufactured since 1908 with the first Hand-Ejector model. That’s over, by my math, a hundred years of constant production.  They are going to be out there in some numbers.   A brand new full sized S&W 686+ is not a cheap gun, MSRP is $849.00.  But I doubt that criminals are sporting a brand new gun.  Not unless they stole it in a home invasion.

Weapons

Top Ten Guns I Hate: Pistols

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10.  The S&W Sigma.   A direct attempt at copying Glock.  Who’s idea was this anyways?  Who thought that it was a good idea to copy Glock so closely the first versions you could even swap parts?  They did a pretty good job to… They got everything right… save for the quality and not knowing what a decent trigger is supposed to feel like.  They were crap then, and only until the last iteration now called the “SD Series” is it even half decent.  Which brings me to #9.

9.  The S&W SD Series.  Trying to make the Sigma into a half decent gun, they’ve almost gone close enough to the M&P  That it makes me scratch my head.  Who are they competing with now?  Drop the SD’s and the Sigmas all together, and lower the cost of the M&P by deleting unnecessary milling processes by giving it normal straight slide serrations and simpler slide geometry like on the SD while keeping the quality high like the rest of the M&P series.  Done.  You’ll be a better price point and you are no longer competing against yourself.   The SD may seem to be filling a nitch, but it really isn’t anymore.  It’s more money than that the cheaper guns, still has the Sigma Stigma, so buyers are just confused about it and either go cheaper or just get an M&P.  Couldn’t give those things away as a Retailer.

8.  Taurus.  Anything Taurus.  This whole list could be just the Taurus Product Catalog, but that’s too easy.  So I’m just going to say “Taurus”.  I’m not a Dealer anymore so I don’t have to make allowances or mince words about them.  The only thing half decent from them are better made by S&W and Beretta.  I know they are growing and trying hard and getting better, but they are not there yet.

7.   CZ P-07 Duty.  It’s ugly.  It’s awkward.  The CZ-100 looked cooler and should have been improved.  “This is a P-01 with plastic frame”, no it isn’t.  Because a P-01 doesn’t look like a Hi Point got drunk and fucked a Baby Eagle with Down Syndrome. I hate the trigger guard, the trigger pull and the sights.  If there is anything good to be said about the P-07 Duty, is that you can’t hurt it’s feelings when you throw it off a bridge from the center span.

6.  Ruger LCR.  A Plastic framed revolver.  W. T. F.  Take something traditional, and make it bite a pillow.  For what gain?  What’s the point?  To make it lighter?  Take an SP101 and make it out of a light weight alloy like Smith & Wesson and even Taurus does with the classic J Frame.  They figured it out, why can’t Ruger?  Come on Ruger, Make an Air Light SP-101.  Put some effort in it.  Instead you phoned it in with a Polymer frame that looks like you made it on a 3D Printer after drinking too much Wild Turkey and staring too long at an HK VP70 and then watching Blade Runner with one hand down your pants.

5.  The SIG 2022.  You want a SIG, but you don’t want to pay for one.  So you get this runt of the litter pick that only has one step below it on the SIG ladder, the P-250… you don’t want that, you want a “Real SIG” as I’ve heard said from behind the gun counter so many times I now have an involuntary eye roll when I hear “SIG 2022”.  While it’s not really a bad gun, it’s just the weird way they made the grips.  They couldn’t sack up and just make a decent grip like other guys, they have to just have interchangeable grips like all the cool guys do… But they could do it like that, they had to make the whole grip frame into two pieces like they just gave up and the end of the design day so it’s like a Stephen King book that’s good until the last chapter when King says “Fuck it” and let’s his Editor finish the ending for him.

4.  The XD.  Sure, it’s a good pistol, functionally.  But it’s dated and now eclipsed by the new XDM series which not only looks better but is better in capacity, trigger and accuracy.  Leaving the base XD’s in the Springfield line up is like Ford leaving the Mustang II in the line up as a low cost alternative to a new Mustang GT.

3.  Kahr’s CW Series.  Horrible patterning and molding on a gun that could be so much better.  The guns themselves are full of good potential but Kahr cheaped out on them so hard that it’s laughable.  The actions are about as smooth as Hillary Clinton’s thighs, while being about the same weight.  It’s impossible to drop the slides using the lever, which is about as sharp edged as a new CRKT knife – and I hate CRKT knives too.  For the price of 399, the gun might hit that “I’m cheap enough to buy on a whim” price, the fact that you can’t even throw in a spare mag makes the CW’s laughable.  And then the price of the upper scale P series is even more laughable considering they look virtually identical.  Find some Middle Ground, make the CW smoother, throw in that second magazine.  The trick to selling a CW is to make sure they don’t try to handle it.  Because they will try to pull the slide back, and then try to release the slide again… at which point the customer fails and and asks to look at the Stoeger Cougar.  Sure it will protect you, but it will also hurt you… leaving the only people who like the CW’s as Domination Mistresses and guys who talk like they’ve had repeated concussions.

2.  I was going to say The Judge here, but I’ll just leave that in the junk pile of #8 and move on to the Hi Point.  However the Hi-Point its self is what it is and remains a self defense value.  If it was food, it would be the burger off the Dollar Menu at McDonalds.  They are cheap.  Crappy, but cheap.  And they work pretty good, for what you paid for it.  But what makes it something that raises my lip into a Billy Idol Snear is the hordes of People Of Walmart who come out of Wal-Zone to defend the Hi-Point, yelling their one toothed yells of how good they are.  I’ve watched 4 of them self destruct in the hands of the owners while shooting.  Spontaneous Self Destruction, or Self Field Stripping… I can’t tell if this is a Bug or a Feature.   Next time someone tells you a High Point is good, ask them to Field Strip it for you.  Piece Of Shit.  For 130 bucks for a self defense tool to ride in a tool box, man, it’s fine for that.  For something to be actually used from time to time – Buy a good tactical folding knife.  You’ll get more mileage out of it.

1.  Kimber Ultra.  Any Kimber Ultra sized 1911.  Ultra Carry, Ultra CDP, whatever it is, it’s going to look nice, but not actually work.  Attractive and Useless… like Half the population of California, Blackberries, and Super Models that don’t speak English.  They are also expensive.   I can’t tell where the pride in ownership of a Kimber Utra CDP comes from, but it must be like owning a Prius.  You have an expensive, nice looking gun that is too good for the rest of us peasants that actually want a tool to be functional.  That’s fine.  You can look down your nose at my pedestrian Glocks, or my son’s M&P… but we can at least get through a day long shooting course without praying to Kimber that the gun finish a Magazine without Jamming.

 

Gear

I really like this.

5 Comments

946737_10201372112158183_1663813155_nI really like this.  This is a G-Code OSH holster, which is enough right there to be like “I’m down with that.”  But what makes this one interesting is that it’s Gray Kydex that’s been stained/dyed black on the surface to leave a Pattern.  Pretty much any logo or design you want within 1 color limits.
The stain is soaked into the kydex so it’s very tough any only deep scratches will dig down to the gray substrate.  Which means you can rock this rig for years and that design will still be there.

We are looking at how possible it would be do offer this as a production option, with the logistics and costs. I think this is cool as hell, but logistically a nightmare to set up.  There are also technical issues to overcome within the web store for allowing a limited number of any one item to be sold.  I’ve got it all figured out, but need to come up with a way to test it to make sure it works right without screwing everything up.

Gear

HSGI M24P Day Pack

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Our friends at High Speed Gear gave Jesse one of their new M24P Day Packs to try out. He’s been using it for a few weeks now and is impressed. Tough zippers that don’t get hung up. Tough stitching everywhere. Handle and and straps that are anchored solid. Very well constructed pack. Molle where Molle is useful. Patch area up top for Motopatches. Good size for every day use without being too small, big enough for what you need for a day. Great pack. Hung my 92FS on it using a GCA87 and an OSH-RTI holster. Carried it just fine… Did that to test the weight bearing. I could see putting all sorts of stuff on there. Extra pouches or medkit. Set it up for what you need for fast access.

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From the Web Store:

High Speed Gear is proud to introduce our new M24P Day Pack. HSGI simplified and refined this design from their original “Moose” pack line. The design provides a basic, but incredibly tough pack that retains features capable of meeting the needs of military personal, law enforcement officers, and civilians alike.

The M24P is large enough to carry sustainment gear, extra ammunition, medical supplies and other gear for a rapid deployment, but is small enough to provide versatile storage options. The internal compartment has 2 large mesh pockets that can fit a large armor plate.

Dimensions: 14.50”L x 10”W x 5″D
Volume: 725 Cubic Inches
Fits up to 10″x12″ armor plate
1000D Construction

Made in USA
HSGI Lifetime Warranty

Get one HERE.

Weapons

Apple iPhone’s iOS7 Review

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The reason for this video was really just to give me an excuse to test out the Beretta 92FS after installing a new D-Spring in it which dramatically effected the trigger pull.  In fact, it cut the weight in half, or so it feels.   This one shot was the first live round I fired through it after I changed it.    To say the least, I am satisfied.  The Double Action pull, which I fired later, was also just as impressive.  Much lower weight than previous, with an overall better feel.  If you have a 92 series pistol, the D-Spring swap is a must.  It just is.
The truth about the iPhone – yeah, it’s a real iPhone, and it was mine, and I really shot it.  However it died the day I bought it because it got a little damp riding in the same pocket as my Droid phone in a water proof jacket, in a water proof pocket… but what moisture got in evidently killed it.  None of the “fixes” actually fixed it.  It was just DOA.  So I kept it.  Always with the intent to shoot it… because Apple.

Uncategorized

Guns, Coffee and Butthurt

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Fashion-Accessory

 

We shot ourselves in the foot over the Starbucks issue.  There are many articles and blog posts about Starbucks and Open Carry popping up all over the place.   Starbucks was never Pro-Gun.  They wanted to remain politically neutral on the issue.  The whole “We will follow the local law” policy was a smart one.  It didn’t take a side.  But so many people used their business as a political soapbox and forced them to take a side.

You guys don’t carry an AR-15 into the Gun Store to buy Ammo or a Cleaning Kit – Why the hell do you need to bring your AR-15 Rifle into a Coffee Shop for a cup of Caffeine?  Seriously, Why?  This is called Grandstanding.  Among other less kinder terms.  Because of this they had to, as politely as possible, ask you guys to stop.  And now some of you are excessively butthurt.   “Boycott Starbucks!” you’re yelling.   Boycott them for what?  For not wanting to be your Photo Op? Do you want people who you don’t know, bringing rifles and shotgun to your house or non-gun industry business?

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I don’t see guys taking pictures like this in front of Sporting Goods Stores.   I don’t see pictures like this in front of WalMart or Cabella’s.   Why do you think it’s appropriate inside a Coffee Shop, who’s Corporate HQ is in the heart of the Liberal Holy Land of Seattle Washington?  Honestly, what did you expect would come of this?   Where is the Moderation?  This morning I noticed driving past the Starbucks in town, the line was just as long today as it was the last couple of days.  They will remain in business.

I’m all for the Right to Carry.  I even advocate appropriate Open Carry on Armed American Radio when the Host and other guests are against Open Carry… I see their arguments against, and for the most part agree.   But there are times and places you can open carry just fine, and other times and places that it’s just unwise.   As a whole, we’ve been unwise when it came to Starbucks.  It went too far.  The whole “too much of a good thing” came into effect like a Triple Espresso with a side of Jolt Cola and a Rip It.

Moderation, people.  Keep Calm, and Carry On… appropriately.

These pictures would be awesome in the right setting.  Enthusiasm for the cause we all love… but in a Starbucks?  GO TO THE RANGE!  Where’s the LOCAL GUN DEALER APPRECIATION DAY?

Update:  Some people have called my position cowardly.  So those of us who say taking an AR-15 into a Coffee Shop, just because it’s technically not illegal to do so yet, is pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior, are cowards? 
Huh.
Gentlemen, there is the problem. To get people to accept guns in polite society as acceptable, by pushing unacceptable behavior with extremism, is not winning anyone to our side. And as this case shows – worked against our cause rather than for it. The fact that so many Patriot Brothers can not see that is the problem.
JUST ACT NORMAL. 
Open carry to make a political statement is not Open Carrying. It’s political grandstanding. And it’s counter productive. Instead of showing people “See, no one got killed by my AR here today”… how about showing people that Gun Owners are normal people like everyone else? How about that for a change? Let’s see how that works.

Automotive

My Top 10 Favorite Cars I’ll never own

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10: 1955 Cadillac Series 62. A huge land barge with a 365 V8 and the Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. Sexy curvy styling, wings, total Mad Men and the herald of the glory that was the Golden Age of Man, the 1950’s. These things had huge bus-like steering wheels and wide couch-like bench seats. I just love the looks of these road going battleships. Riding in one eons ago was an eye opener in what “Disconnected” really means. It’s the street legal version of a clinical sociopath.

Still, as cool as they are, and as much as I love these things… I’ll never own one. They are huge and heavy and can’t accelerate or stop and wallow in the turns like a harbor tug 300 miles out in an ocean storm.

 

9: The Humvee. Not an Hummer H1… a real deal HUMVEE. Military issue. No creature comfort. Huge and unapologetically petroleum guzzling. The version I want is the Fast Back configuration. Of course if it came down to getting one, I’d opt for the more useful 4 door pickup version because that makes more sense, and then from there I’m looking at regular pick up trucks and I’d probably end up with a Silverado or F-150… like I did before with my 2500 Scottsdale Chevy. So I’d never end up with the Humvee.

 

8: A classic 1960’s Jag E-Type. Two seater, long Spitfire hood, convertible, dead sexy, and completely useless as a motor vehicle. They have more mechanical and electrical problems than a Slum Lord’s apartment building. But it’s also probably the most beautiful car ever made. I can never own one now thanks to Mike Meyers. This was the car used in Austin Powers, the “Shaguar”. Because I can’t get that Austin Power’s theme song out of my head every time I see one now. Yeah baby, YEAH! Screw you, Mike Meyers. Screw you!

 

7: Land Rover’s Defender 110. England’s most badass off-roader ever imported into the USA. For a short period of time. It was the best shining example of British Imperial Brutality since Salamanca in 1812. Sold for off roading to the public, the British Military takes them and uses them for long range recon patrols rolling through Iraq and Afghanistan not giving a shit about IED’s and RPG’s like they were in North Africa chasing Erwin Rommel. They are were badass when they were being sold.. and are still badass now because examples are all raw hotrods with four wheel drive. But I’ll never own one because they are now collector’s pieces in the US and if you find one for sale it’s either way too over priced, or beaten to hell and is worthless – but still over priced.

 

6: The Nissan 300ZX. Slipper aerodynamics in a clean and good looking design. Great engine, and for the first time, it proved that a performance car with an automatic transmission can out-perform an manual transmission. As much as I love the way these cars drive and handle… I can never own one because of the nail it put in the coffin for the Stick Shift. Still, they turn my head when they slide by on the road. Dang it, Nissan!

 

5: Tacoma Tacoma. These are my favorite looking pick up trucks on the road today. I love them! They look cool. They are legendary in reliability and highly capable. However they are small in the cabin, not quite enough room for me, and not nearly enough room for the back seats. And they drink fuel just as much as a full sized truck such as a Ford F-150. In fact, if I was set on buying a Tacoma, I’d end up driving of the lot in an F-150 because with practicality speaks, the Ford just makes sense and the Tacoma doesn’t.

 

4: Mazda Miata. The best true modern sportscar in the classic sense of “sportscar”. They are fun to drive and with some mods, gives enough performance to make driving it a thrill. Good brakes, good acceleration for what it is, and it rewards spirited driving. Simple little cars. No pretense. They really did the Miata right. But I’ll never own one. Because you can not drive one without looking like a flaming cock-gobbler.

 

3: Shelby Cobra 427. Sexy curvy fenders and ample wheel arches filled with big well endowed wide tires… drop dead sexy, make your tongue hard vehicular sex appeal. But the originals are really not all that great cars, and the modern Repro Kit Cars are actually better than the originals. And if you are going to drive a fake, what’s the point? It’s like going to Vegas and finding one of those Look A Like Actresses… That’s not Marilyn Monroe. Just looks like her. And that makes me feel seedy inside. So I’ll never own one.

 

2: Porsche 944 S Turbo. As a teenager it was my ultimate “want” car. I’ve almost got one a couple times… but always at the last minute I chicken out or there was something wrong with it that turned me off it. Like one that had a good price, looked great, but had an slight case of overheating after 45 minutes. I’ve never committed to it because I was afraid of it. Like dating the hottest chick at school that you always wanted to take out… and your worried that she might have horrible breath. The fear that the reality wont live up to the expectation. So to save the fantasy, you leave it as the fantasy. Which is why I’ll never own one. The dream of it is better.

 

1: Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or Moab Edition. It’s my automotive Unicorn. My Eleanor. The one vehicle that I’ve always wanted but have never acquired, because of one reason or another. When the means come, other vehicles make more sense for what I need… other vehicles have more space or more fuel economy or are faster or are this or that and I always end up not getting one… probably because I don’t find that one configuration and price that I like… And when I don’t have the means, that’s when I find “The Perfect One”. Just the right lift, not too much but more than stock… just the right size of over sized tires… but not too big. The one that’s perfect – was the 10th Anniversary Rubicon Edition. That was “Just Right”. But then they were so far over priced I just had to laugh. Still… I’ll always look longingly at a well configured Rubicon.

Gear

HSP / G-Code D3 Carrier

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Something wicked this way comes.

D3_Carrier_Promo

 

Buy it from the most innovative and most copied holster company, G-Code.  What is it?It’s a Leg Rig. Chest Rig, Thigh Rig, Molle Rig… Whatever you need it to be it that day.  And change it the next.  No one has anything like this on the market.  But watch how they are all going to scramble to ape it.

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