Category Archives: Weapons

Weapons

The Kriss Vector

10 Comments

I have an irrational hatred of this gun.

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Yes, I hate this gun, and I know it’s irrational.  It’s a fine gun… shoots well enough and from my experience is reliable and easy to make accurate hits with.   But I still hate it.  Let me tell you why.

First time I really examined one was at Crusader Weaponry’s old Utah facility.  Gundoc had one in for some custom work.  He had it broken down to the smallest of pins, every single piece was disassembled from every other piece.   In this state, I concluded from my observation that the Vector is a complicated firearm.  I didn’t really favor it for that reason… I’m an Ogre and I prefer more robust, simpler designs.  It’s not that it befuddles me or that I don’t understand the function of all the tiny bits… It’s just too complicated for my comfort.

20150708_133931Some time later, while I was still at Basin Sports, a customer ordered one in.   On the day he came to pick it up and take it home, this proud Vector Papa asked me my opinion of it.   I said basically what I just said here.  “They seem to be fine guns, but they are too complicated for my personal tastes.”

Well, the sad customer actually went and cried about that to my Boss.  Said he was so angry he wanted to jump over the counter and physically assault me. Which would have been very entertaining for about the 1.5 seconds before I broke his face and one of his arms.   Trust me, that would have happened.  You know how a Lion looks all tired and slow, yet can totally fuck up a whole pack of hyenas all the sudden when the situation requires?   Still…  this man’s Pee-Pee was so deep into that Vector that his feelings were ravaged by my comment that the gun was “Complicated“.

rip-taylor-6I was actually reprimanded about this.  Me giving my opinions to customers… Even when directly asked… My opinion was a Basin Sports Hot Topic while I was there. Even though EVERYONE ELSE behind the Gun Counter always toss out their opinions like Rip Taylor tosses Confetti… and Salads, I was to keep my opinion in check. I actually had to apologize to the customer – for giving him the opinion that he asked for.  Unreal. “I’m sorry I said your gun was complicated.  I should have used smaller words.”  Evidently my opinion causes violent reactions in those who have never lived outside of Vernal, Utah.   This was also the moment when I realized that I needed to live outside of Vernal, Utah.  Hence my response to people who asked why I moved.  “It’s complicated.”

20150708_134052I’ve just never really cared for the Vector since that time.  I’ve shot them several times since then.   Never had a problem.  But for the life of me – I still just can’t get over my irrationally hard feelings against the Vector.

See, this is the problem.  I want to like this gun.  I like the fact that it’s a new design that came from not just thinking outside of the box… but inventing a whole new box to think in.  That makes it cool.

Weapons

Packing a Magnum

8 Comments

20150623_123941It’s been fun packing the SP101.  Having a .357 Magnum on you is… what’s the right word?  Liberating.  There’s a certain feeling of confidence I’m getting with this SP101 that I’ve not felt since… Since I first starting packing.

As you can see from the above image, I’ve changed the grips from the factory squared grips – which honestly I didn’t really care for – to these nice Hogue Monogrips.  The difference in feel is night and day.  This is almost a completely different gun now.  Not only does it feel so much better, but it actually carries better because the butt of the gun is not squared off, but tapers down nicely.  It hides better too.  It’s just – better.   In firing, it dampens the recoil a bit better than stock too.  Not a whole lot, but it’s there.
If you are still running factory – I seriously recommend the change.  Unless of course, these just don’t fit your evidently Sasquatch-Like Paws.

Typically I’m packing the gun with 10 rounds standing by for reloading.  I do not feel like I’m at any disadvantage.  15 rounds of .357 Magnum is plenty for normal concealed carry.   If I need more, I’ll get my backup gun… which is an 870 Street Howitzer.  If I need more than that – I’m calling the Cavalry.
The load I’m carrying remains the Federal 158 grain SJHP.  With which I am satisfied.  For the time being.  Until I am convinced something else is tangibly better in this application.   Normally I’m a Hornady fan or a PDX1… but .357 Magnum is a different animal altogether.  The bullets do not need to be so fancy.  Just heavy and fast.
When I get my holsters from Adams Holsters, I’ll be packing the GP100 Match Champion as my main gun, and the SP101 will become the secondary.    As intended.   But for now… This little Magnum is serving admirably.

Weapons

The Ruger SP101.

13 Comments

CHVm95XWoAAh_aeThe Ruger SP101 just impresses the hell out of me.  I love it.  A friend of mine let me borrow one a long time ago for an article in Concealed Carry Magazine.  (Read That Here)  Ever since I shot Norse’s little Magnum, I’ve wanted one.

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And finally, after all these years I finally have one of my own.  I’m quite happy with it.  Probably the most satisfying of gun purchases I’ve ever made.  Should have got one Eons ago.

Some things I want to do with it.  Gold Bead front sight post.  Nice wood grips.  Trigger job.  Deep target crown.  All in due time.  I’m in no rush.  Like a few other guns – this one is going to be with me forever.   It’s going to be my main concealment gun.

Now, the platform is one thing.  The carry ammo is another.  .357 magnum has a lot of great options out there.  Everyone that makes ammo, makes .357.  And I do like heavy for caliber… so I’m thinking at least 158 grains, and it’s gotta be loaded hot.

Weapons

The Ruger Twins

15 Comments

Brought home a set of Ruger twins. Two guns I’ve wanted for years and today I just said “Screw it… I’m getting them.”  So I did.  Full power .357 Magnum Goodness Gracious.
I’ve not shot them yet. First, I have some work to do on them. They need some smoothing.  Out of the box Rugers are not the slickest of actions or triggers.

20150612_181217-1The SP101 needs a new set of grips, or inserts.  Not digging them.  The Match Champion is awesome.  Still needs to be slicked up, but I love it.
I will also need a couple good holsters.  And when I say I need holsters, I only look to one source.   My exclusive holster maker.  I will not carry them in anything less.

There’s something just… Honest about revolvers.   With Autos there is so much BS when it comes to “Reliability” and chest pounding when it comes to what Elite Unit uses your gun.  Revolvers just ARE.  They are inherently accurate and as reliable as any gun can possibly be.  They are easy to shoot well with.  And dang if they don’t look good.

Weapons

Tired of Tantos.

20 Comments

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I’m tired of Tantos.  Once again the Tanto Rage is in full swing and all the new blades I’ve been seeing… the ones other guys are all “Look at this” all about… They are all Tantos.   The Tanto design is completely over rated.  While it has it’s Pro’s, I’ve found over time that the Cons are out-weighting them.   I’m not going to go into a Nut’n Fancy detailed breakdown of all the points and elements.  These should be apparent to you… you’re a big boy and Google is your friend.

I use my knives a lot.  My “Tactical” knives – most guys keep them well oiled and unused in their “Kit”.  Totally razor sharp.  In case of Zombies, or a call from SECDEF requesting the use of their particular sets of skills.   I’m not that guy anymore.  So all my throat slitting, 4/5 rib punchers get used for other things.  Like what they are designed to actually do – cut things.  Not “Testing” by chopping tree limbs, bending the blade sideways or all the other “Torture” tests people do.   No, I used them to cut things.  Like food.  My Combat Bowie?  That’s become my favorite BBQ knife.    I don’t care if a blade is forged by Hephaestus himself out of meteorite and the souls of fallen Samurai.  It’s pulling KP over here.  It’s going to open packages.  It’s going to slice sheets of vinyl.  It’s going to do the every day menial tasks that is of the peasant class, not the warrior class.

full_gi-tanto-80pgtk-full-1I’ve found that Tanto knives are cool looking, but they don’t like to really work.   For the most part, much of the cutting ends up happening at the point of the blade where there should be a wide curve.  Instead there is a sharp angle.  This is an exaggeration of the original design and is a modern invention from fantasy.  And it puts all the cutting in real world use at that point.  Which will dull easily and quickly regardless of how elite the steel is.  Now, I’m not talking about swords or sword length blades.  I’m talking about knives.  One handed, and generally under 18 inches of blade length.

CS88SDI feel no sense of history or belonging with a Tanto.  It’s not culturally connected to my heritage.  Of course, the blade that does connect with me culturally is of little actual field use either… but I know it’s a part of my family history in early times before they came to America.   These are actually good for deboning and slicing baked goods.   But that’s not entirely the point either.   When I pick up a Tanto, there is no connection to my past in any way.   They feel hollow to me these days.   There is no feeling patriotism.   I have one tanto bladed knife left.  It was a gift from friends… I will never part with it.   All my other Tantos have been given away or just lost and I’ve not bothered searching for them.

My favorite blade, that touches on my American Heritage, and makes me feel that sense of “this belongs here”… are the Bowie Knives.

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Bowies can be big and beautiful.  They can be elegant and refined.   They speak of our Frontier History as a razor sharp national icon.  The Bowie is as American as the 1911 pistol and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.  The actual history of the Bowie has some questions as to the design.  The first Bowie Knife designed by Jim Bowie, carried and used famously by Jim Bowie… we don’t know what that knife looks like.  Or the actual size.  It was just reported to be a big freaking knife.   But the modern style of what we call a Bowie fills the void of details just fine.  The style is unique in a large blade, and translates well into smaller blades.  It’s beautiful and it’s effective… and best yet it actually works.

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Now, I’m not about high polished elegance and all that.  I like working blades.  Just like my guns.  They need to speak of their use and capability.   They need to tell you just by their appearance that they will do horrible things to you.  They need to tell you to be careful with them… and that they don’t care if they have to hurt.   That’s a real Bowie to me.   One of my favorites that says all that is from ZOMBIE TOOLS.   These guys got the Bowie just right.  And added some serious DGAF attitude.

I think that’s probably the #1 thing that Tantos just don’t have.  Attitude.  They don’t don’t have that machismo.   CHARACTER.  The most interesting man in the world wouldn’t carry or use a Tanto.  Most importantly… a Tanto is unfit for use in preparing and serving BBQ and spending the day Grilling.

Go get yourself a damn Bowie Knife.

zombie_tools_bowie_chris

Weapons

HK Love

16 Comments

The HK USP. It came out in 1993, and when I first saw it in 1994, I bought it on the spot. It was a .40 caliber. Big, mean looking, but it shot very good. The gun became very popular, even making the cover of “Rainbow Six”. I loved it. HK loved it too, as it really brought them into the US Handgun Market. Since 1993, there have been many variations, and evolutions. But what made the USP so good, and why is it still a good option today?

HK went all the way with the USP. They used features that American Shooters like… Frame mounted safety that has Up for Safe and Down to Fire, just like a 1911. A 1911 grip angle is also there. Wide, easy to use control levers. If this gun was a car, it would be a full sized Mercedes… big, comfortable, powerful, easy to drive and with a lot of options. Some variants also have a down to decock feature, or a Decock Only, depending on what the shooter wants or is used to. These options made a big difference. Also, the full size slide and oversized trigger guard that make operation with Gloved hands much easier. Aggressive but not uncomfortable texturing on the grip frame… the USP has it all. And it does it all in a package that is well balanced, accurate and great shooting. Outside of Military and Law Enforcement items – the USP was HK’s first real Home Run in the US. And it still is.

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I’m just going to leave this here.

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You can drool on this hot gun porn.

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Now clean your gun… slowly…

 

 

Weapons

Glock’s dominance

34 Comments

Police One put out an interesting survey.  “What do you think of your Police Sidearm?”

Glock’s dominance in the LEO market is epic.  Over 68% of the market is staggering.  But that’s actually not that surprising to me.
What is, well, not so surprising, but disappointing… is the complete falling of SIG and Beretta.   22.6% and 8.5% respectively.  As bad as that is… is the results of the question “What would you like to carry?”  Those numbers being only 21.3% and 4.6%.

No longer the Choice of Professionals.
No longer the Choice of Professionals.

This very clearly tells us that the time of metal framed guns fired with hammers is going the way of the Flint Lock.   This saddens me.   I prefer the metal-hammer guns over poly-striker guns.  The feel, the weight, the superior single action pull… and that I can pull more accuracy out of a hammer fired gun.

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As unpopular as Cream of Wheat.

What saddens me the most about this though – is that it tells me that Law Enforcement is no longer a Profession of Shootists.  Like the FBI, Municipal Law Enforcement isn’t a Gun Culture anymore.  They no longer want fine guns of refinement and craftsmanship… they only want Shooting Appliances.   They want guns – and this is the secret to Glock’s success – that are simplified down to the lowest common denominator.   Yes, I’ll say it.

Glock is the Common Core of handguns.

Most LE Agencies are not hiring shooters anymore.  They want guys with education in Psychology and Human Development… They want Councilors.  We saw this trend starting 20 years ago.   I think this is why we see so many questionable police shootings… so many cops shooting dogs.   I think a lot of these COP 2.0 guys may be power tripping… because the guys that come from the Gun Culture don’t get worked up or feel the need to power trip and flex their authority so much as these C2.0 guys and gals.

Huh… Oddly enough, all my LEO friends are from the Classic Old School variety.  Good Cops that use Common Sense before using Ego.  Damn good Cops.   Many of them carry Glocks, because of Policy, not by choice.  Some choose the Glocks… and that’s fine.  They can’t shoot that well anyways.  (j/k)

The Sidearms used by the most astute of shooting professionals remain hammer fired, metal framed guns.  The US Navy SEALs, I must point out – having the freedom of using anything they want, use SIG 226’s.  I don’t know any single group that personifies a Gun Culture more than the SEALS.  They take Pistol Craft more seriously than any other group… with US Air Marshals being a close second.  And they want that SIG.   They want a stable shooting platform with as much accuracy as you can have in a Semi-Auto handgun.

In the Consumer Market – sales of SIG’s and Beretta’s are down.  Regardless of quality, and regardless of special offers and marketing efforts, you just can’t sell them like you used to.  The first choice is Glock… followed by the S&W M&P and the Springfield XDM series guns.

I’m not counting 1911’s – that is a market unique to it’s own, and I’ll talk about that in more detail at another time.

For me – I will remain a fan of the SIG’s and the Beretta’s.  I prefer the triggers.  I prefer the safeties.  Now, if you are going to go Glock – get a new trigger system from Lone Wolf.  Get some new sights from Lone Wolf.  And you can make the most out of that Glock, if that’s what you prefer or have to live with.   And I do appreciate the Glock for what it is… and do like them with LWD triggers.  But given my druthers, I’ll take my Beretta over any Glock.

Oddly enough, the guns I want the most are all metal framed, hammer guns of the Revolving variety.  With only a couple automatics.  A SIG M11A1 is one the autos.  The other are Browning/FN Hi-Powers and a SIG P210.  But my beard is grey and I don’t like the music these kids listen to these days.   Oh… and get off my lawn.

Weapons

Beretta Px4 Storm .45

3 Comments

I like this gun.  It felt very good in my hands, shot very accurately… Much closer to point of aim, point of impact for me… just ran “Good“.

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Good isn’t really the right word… Freaking Awesome is about right.  It felt freaking awesome.   I know the Storm isn’t a SIG or a 1911… But it’s a wonderful shooting gun.  10 rounds in the mag isn’t all that impressive, but the mag is smooth and easy to load and feels like its a higher quality piece than most other mags.
I don’t mind the Beretta Safety.  I even like it.  I don’t mind the DA/SA trigger.  I even like it.  I don’t mind the funky action – I really like it.  I’m weird that way.  But when you have a .45 that shoots like it’s launching Nerfs instead of 230 grain slugs… that’s something.  When you have a gun that puts the first 5 rounds into the same bloody hole, right where you wanted it to go – That’s awesome.  I know this group doesn’t look like its really all that much better than the Glock 30s’s group.  But the gun felt like I had much more control, and that I was placing my shots better…. It felt like that.  I knew where the bullet was going to go before I looked at the target.  I could call the shots with it.  Normally I can only really do that with a 220 or 1911… but I could with the Storm.
Now, the Storm is not up there like a SIG P220 is, or a nice 1911 is… But it’s right up there, real close.  I like this gun.  A lot.
The trigger pull could use some work.  It’s not all that smooth on the example I fired.  Which was a Range Rental Gun, that I think I was the first guy to try it out.

Five Stars, Beretta.  Five bloody Stars!