I’ve been an 870 fan for a long time. Preferring them over the Mossbergs, even though I’ve used 590’s as my Patrol Shotgun for some time… 870’s just seemed more rugged and smoother. Mossbergs have never been known for being smooth operators. But they do slick up nicely with a little work and use.
Today I put a lot of use into one. With the intent of purposefully abusing it, and my shoulder, to see which would break first.
I fired at least a hundred shells, all high brass, mixed of Buck, Slug, and various birdshots most of that being #5 and #6 hunting loads. I grabbed the shells blind and loaded them in no order. Just a random mix, with no purpose, other than to find any failure in the gun.
What I found instead was an even greater respect of the Mossberg design, and the design of the Magpul stock. After so much abuse, my shoulder and my shotgun remain just fine. The recoil absorption of the stock is amazing. It made the session quite tolerable. I really do like the Mossberg’s shell lifting mechanism over that of the Remington. Much easier to load and unload. This is a clear advantage over the 870 mechanism. And with the Magpul stock, a clear advantage in the position of the safety as well.
This is something I don’t think anyone saw coming… the most interesting thing at the 2016 SHOT Show was a snub-nose revolver. I don’t think a new snubby has been the most most interesting new gun for the year since maybe the 60’s. Or when the SP101 came out.
The Kimber K6 is a pleasant surprise though. It’s the same size and weight as a S&W 640. Yet it has a 6 round cylinder. That’s a significant upgrade. But that’s really not the point.
The question is if a little revolver is still a viable self defense option. If the answer is yes, then this is certainly the most viable option. So… to the question. Is a revolver viable?
The round we’re working with here is the .357 Magnum. A cartridge that was the most significant advancement in handgunning since the 9mm Luger. And speaking of the 9mm Luger, it is the chief self defense cartridge choice these days and the most over rated at that. Comparing most 9mm self defense pistols to .357 Mag options it’s hard to find an apples to apples. Generally speaking though, the .357 Magnum will hit about 100 to 200 FPS faster and harder with similar bullet weights out of similar barrel lengths. This is a big advantage in exterior and terminal ballistics for a handgun. And you want as much of that as possible. The biggest advantage though comes in the heavier Magnum loadings with bullets that can weight almost twice that of some of new hottness 9mm loads.
Now combine the flexibility of a wide variety of ammunition for your selection. Now mix that in with a firing platform that is inherently reliable and accurate. You trade some capacity in exchange for greater power, accuracy, and reliability. But is that really a big deal?
Most self defense shootings are between 1.2 and 1.8 rounds, depending on the source of the stats. What do they have in common? The 1. Generally the one who hits first wins. That being the case, that 1 hit needs to be as big of a hit as you can make it. So yes, indeed, .357 Magnum is a great option for self defense.
In the realm of small snub nose .357 Magnum revolvers, the K6 is going to be a great choice. And it’s not just because it’s a +1. It’s a premium quality revolver that’s priced less than something from S&W’s Performance Center, yet is reported to be smoother. And the K6 is cool looking. Solid stainless construction, no MIM, and all made in the USA… and it’s a plus one… Yeah, I really like it.
For some reason I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the best pump action shotgun. Well, here’s the deal… There is no best pump action shotgun. There’s no ideal pump action shotgun. It doesn’t exist. There is no such thing. Even my beloved 870 is not the ideal shotgun. It’s not perfect. My top Pump Action Picks are as follows:
1. Remington 870.
2. Mossberg 500/590.
3. Benelli Super Nova.
And that’s it. Those 3. In that order. And really, the Benelli if you want the option for 3.5″ shells. Which is nice, but unnecessary. But I do like the stocks and the sights. But not much else.
My ideal pump action shotgun, which doesn’t exist, would be a hybrid of the 870 and the 500/590.
I like the Steel Receiver and the Bolt of the 870. But I like the Shell Lifter and Safety on the 500. If I could have an 870 fitted with a Mossberg Safety and a Mossberg Shell Lifter – and use the Magpul shotgun stock – That would be just about damn near as ideal as it could get. Let’s add good Rifle Sights to it, and interchangeable choke tubes. That would do it, pretty much.
The Magpul stock on a Mossberg is probably the ideal set up. Or at least the most ideal set up I’ve handled. It’s very ergonomic and feels great… keeping the felt recoil under control and keeping the safety right there where you need it.
There’s a lot to be said about the new Ruger American Pistol. But let me start out by saying that it’s a great shooter. It’s a great looking gun too. Out of the box, it’s been 100% reliable. First shots with it – were exactly where I wanted the bullets to go. The trigger is great, and easily one of the best in the business. It’s up there with Walther PPQ and HK VP9.
The internal machining of the new Ruger shows that’s up there with SIG and FNH in terms of quality. That says a lot. Every part is done exceptionally well.
The feel of just the polymer frame is excellent. It doesn’t feel chinsy and hollow like say, a SIG 320 does. It feels like it’s quality. Because it really is.
The American Pistol departs from the normal “Like a Glock” pattern. This is a whole new mechanical system here, and the proof is in the feel of the trigger… Which is excellent.
I like how they beveled the leading edges of the frame rails. Which makes assembly easier than most autos. The rails are also much longer than normal Poly-Strikers, and they are polished. Thus giving the Ruger American Pistol a very smooth action.
Another nice thing about the Ruger American Pistol is that the steel sub-frame is machined out of one solid piece of steel. Giving the whole pistol a much more solid feel than other gun of this type.
And dare I say it? It’s one hell of a good looking pistol too. The lines, the proportions… it looks “right” and it feels just as good too.
The sights are standard Novaks, so finding and installing aftermarket sights should not be a problem. It you like Novak 3 Dot sights – you are in luck. If you like something different – the options are vast.
Take down and such is just like a S&W M&P or a SIG P320… Lock it back, push the lever down, pull the slide off the front.
Ruger has said that these pistols will not replace the SR series of pistols. But let’s be real – it will. Because to buy an SR pistol, you will have to look at this gun and say “No, I don’t want that”. Which is a statement you will not hear very often or ever.
Interchangeable backstraps are included with the gun. It comes with the Medium size installed, and you can opt for the Small or Large as you wish. The Medium size though, feels small as it is.
Ambi Slide lock lever and Mag Release. Works perfectly from either side. I love the angles on the gun. It looks fantastic. This is the best looking new gun to come out since the HK VP9 and M&P…. Both of those are sexy looking pistols too. But I really like the looks of this new Ruger.
Ruger has said that they have no interest in a Military Contract. And have in the past refused to even participate. Ruger looks to have changed their minds on that. In fact, they have mentioned the military requirements in the development of this pistol. And having shot this gun and the other possible contenders – Ruger actually has a dang good shot at a Military Contract for this gun. As well as contracts for LE Agencies across the globe.
Well done, Ruger. Well done indeed. I’ll be buying one soon enough. Speaking of buying them. They should be available for ordering as of Jan 1st from your local dealers. Initial supply is very limited, so patience will be required for some time. MSRP is 575, which means this should hit the streets at about 500. It’s easily on par with everything else on the market at that price – and better than most.
Ruger, you’ve come a long way, Baby. You have arrived.
Now make a Compact version for me.
I hear this all the time… usually from Mouth Breathers… “Those SIG and S&W 1911’s are crap because they have external extractors. No gun should have them.”
Dude – Just shut it. Most modern autopistols all have external extractors. All the guns that are well known for utter reliability have external extractors. John Mosses Browning even put them on the Hi-Power! Glocks. SIG’s. Beretta… very few guns have Internal Extractors and those that do generally are problematic.
I’ve shot a lot of 1911’s. I’ve got a lot of 1911’s. And what I don’t have or have ever shot – was a 1911 with an external extractor that had a problem that was extractor related. Ever. You don’t hear about Glocks and FNS’s with Extractor problems… do you? No! You really don’t! Sure – maybe somewhere out there in the vastness of the internets, under some dark rock in a dark corner – someone had a Glock Extractor problem. But really, on the whole… such problems are pretty much just non-existant.
If you think an external extractor is problem – you really just don’t know what you are talking about.
I still can’t decide on what configurations to build with these two lovelies. I think one should be a pistol at least. They were both transfered as “pistols”, so maybe both into pistols. Light weight builds, but they don’t have to be airweights. Maybe one pistol and one light carbine? I want them to be unique.
Post links to images of suggested builds and the Parts I should buy for the builds. Help me out here.
I’m a 1911 guy. I became a 1911 guy when I was a teenager. My girlfriend’s father, Dave, instructed me on the ways of the Old Slab Sides. I think I was the only guy that dated his daughter that he liked. He was a cool guy too. But he introduced me to the gun and how it operated. Which is good. Because not very long later the US Government put a 1911 in my hand without any instruction. I really liked the 1911. Dave too. Looking back, I liked hanging out with Dave more than his daughter. I’ve had a lot of 1911’s since.
1911’s have developed a reputation for being less than reliable. This is because saying “1911” is like saying “Pickup Truck”. You can’t say all pickup trucks are unreliable. Make, Model, Condition, and Maintenance Records are all important, no? I’ve found 1911’s can be just as reliable as Glocks. Can. Not all. There’s one specific word though that when combined with “1911” that should always be avoided. That word is “Ultra”. Don’t get any “Ultra” 1911. Any 1911 that has the word “Ultra” on it, or even near it – just don’t do it. Also, any barrel length below 4″ is best to be avoided. This goes along the same lines as the word “Ultra”.
I can’t remember when I had last seen it… Not for at least 15 years. So long, I didn’t even think it an issue. Like Small Pox, I thought it had been cured.
We had an AR-15 at the range that was having problems. We looked at everything and we finally found the cause.
A loose gas key.
This was a S&W M&P15. And the Gas Key was not staked. It had worked loose and was causing every issue you can think of. It was the last thing we looked at. The bloody Gas Key. Huh.
We’ve seen some interesting developments in defensive pistols this year. And by Development, I mean product enhancements, changes, tweaks… that may or may not be Earth Shaking, but are nice none the less. Here’s my favorite one for 2015. The Ruger’s LC9S Pro.
Ruger finally made the LC9 right. This is finally what the gun should have been right out of the gate. In fact, it’s so good, that not only does it top this list… but it’s so good that if you already have an other version of the LC9 – just sell it and go buy this one.
It’s not what Ruger put into it, it’s what they deleted. Ruger deleted the manual safety. Thank You. The unnecessary and redundant safety on this gun is like a pretty girl with a festering boil between her eyes. The poor dear… It’ll be alright…
The other thing Ruger deleted was the magazine disconnect safety. A Magazine Disconnect Safety is to guns what Double Clutching is to Cars. It’s outdated and unnecessary, and pisses you off when you come across it. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put that in there in the first place, needs to explain that to Jerry Miculek.
Here’s the great things about the LC9S Pro:
1. It’s affordable. MSRP is 450 with Retail around about 400 bucks. One place I know had them for 389. That’s crazy.
2. It’s light. The thing weighs nothing.
3. It has a good trigger pull. Some have said it’s a bit long, but come on. This is an EDC CCW pistol, not a Match Blaster. The trigger is excellent for the purpose of this pistol – and I’m a Trigger Snob and I’m saying this.
4. It has good sights. And by good I mean they are usable and you have a bunch of Aftermarket options that you can swap them out for.
5. It’s skinny. Going hand in hand with the light weight, this gun being so skinny means it can disappear on you when packing… it just evaporates. Gone. Stealthed Out. And since Concealed means Concealed, this is a good thing.
6. Ruger has a 9 round magazine for it. So if you have to go Fangs Out and Loud you can reload with a higher capacity magazine. I’d suggest buying 3 of those and one extra spare at the normal flush fit size. So you can rotate your magazines to keep the springs in order. I do that with all my guns, and I’d do that with these too. Carry with the short mag in for EDC Concealment… and my Reloads will be with the Niners. Done.
I’m going to say this now – and it’s going to be shocking. I like the Ruger LC9S Pro better than the S&W Shield. There. I said it. It’s out there. I like it better than the Glock 43 as well. That grip is too small for me to hold onto well, the LC9’s grip fits much better. And its much easier to conceal than the Shield’s grip.
Here’s my top 3 compact single stack 9mm’s:
1. Ruger LC9S Pro
2. Springer XDS 4.0
3. Walther PPS
Today I put a lot of use into one. With the intent of purposefully abusing it, and my shoulder, to see which would break first.
What I found instead was an even greater respect of the Mossberg design, and the design of the Magpul stock. After so much abuse, my shoulder and my shotgun remain just fine. The recoil absorption of the stock is amazing. It made the session quite tolerable. I really do like the Mossberg’s shell lifting mechanism over that of the Remington. Much easier to load and unload. This is a clear advantage over the 870 mechanism. And with the Magpul stock, a clear advantage in the position of the safety as well.
