Springfield Armory has discontinued my #1 favorite 1911…. The beloved GI model.
I am a saddened Ogre.
Category Archives: Weapons
More .40 thoughts again.
I’ve had some discussions at the Gun Counter where I work, about the .40. Most of my Co-Workers are Die Hard .45 fans. And that’s fine. I’m a .45 fan myself. But the .40 is no slouch when comes to the Defensive Power Factor. The Defensive Power Factor gives some more insight into why I like the .40. Looking at the Winchester PDX1 loads to give a more even playing field… going heavy for caliber.
.40 PDX1 180 Grains at 968 FPS = DPF: 69.69.
.45 PDX1 230 Grains at 882 FPS = DPF: 91.2.
9mm PDX1 147 Grains at 954 FPS = DPF: 49.78.
Looking at the Defensive Power Factor, it shows the .45 is indeed the potent one. As we all knew. And the .40 falls in line where we thought. Now here’s the deal… the .45 advocates insist that the average defensive shooting is 2 rounds. 1.5 to be precise. So to them, the shorter round count is not a problem. Well, that’s not me. The US Army taught me to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. So I’m going to pack more rounds when I have that option. I’m not planning on getting into a shooting. But I’m also not planning on firing twice and then stopping and then waiting to see what happens. I’m going to shoot to stop the threat. And that might mean giving them a whole magazine.
A typical .45 Mag with 8+1 rounds gives a .45 pistol a total DPF load of 820.8.
A typical .40 mag… Glock 22, 15+1, gives your .40 a total of 1115.04.
Typical 9mm Glock 17 magazine, 17+1 gives that 9mm a total of 896.04. That’s actually even better than the .45! I can see why the 9mm is popular with shooters… But even the vaunted “more shots in the magazine” argument kinda feels stale now.
These numbers paint a different picture in my mind. I am looking at these figures and I see that .40 is no longer just the Middle Man… but a jack of all trades, Multi-Role Fighter. This is one of the reasons the .40 enjoys so much popularity with Johnny Law. And with Ogres. You can keep your .45 Autos… and your 9mm’s. I’ll stick with my .40 calibers… thanks.
Love for the .40
The Gun Community is starting to drift away from the .40. A lot of Trainers that I respect are moving away from the .40 to the 9mm. They can shoot faster with it. They have their reasons… Cost of ammo is higher than 9mm, it has more recoil than 9mm, and you can get more rounds in the same size magazine in 9mm. That’s all true. Sure. But I think some of them just like to wow students with Buzz Gun firing rates. Sure, you can shoot a 9mm really fast and look like Chris Costa doing it… but you are doing it with a smaller and weaker cartridge. The .40 has more recoil because you are putting out more punch.
In .40 I have a bullet that has a 27% increase in Diameter, heavier bullet weights. It performs more like a .45 than it does a 9mm, yet I get roughly double the capacity of a .45 in a pistol with the size and comfort in the hand of a 9mm grip frame. A .40 caliber will typically give up only 1 or 2 rounds from a 9mm. Yet we have about double the capacity from your typical .45 pistol. Considering that you are not really giving up any actual power from a .45, that’s a good trade.
The .40 is the cartridge of choice for a majority of Law Enforcement for a reason. Police, both Federal and Local tend to be picky about what they choose to carry and usually do a lot of testing. This is why they usually end up picking a .40. They don’t just adopt a cartridge because it’s popular. Let’s not forget that reason we have the .40 is from the unfortunate event with the 86 Miami Massacre. During that event, the 9mm failed to do it’s job. So did the .38 Special. The result was the FBI’s search for a better cartridge. This gave us the 10mm, which was fantastic, but too much for the Lawyers and Accountants of the FBI to handle. S&W then developed the .40… which is where we are now.
So I do like the .40 S&W cartridge, and will continue to use it. I don’t need to follow the typical path of going backwards. .45 to 9, back to .45, then back to 9mm… See this goes back to the Old West days… we all had .45’s. Then the Army went to the .38’s. After we fought the Moros, we had the Trials of 1905 where we decided we needed a .45 again… this the 1907 trials that lead to the 1911 adaptation which served just fine until the 80’s when we went with a 9mm again. I’m done with all that, and so is Law Enforcement… I’ll stick with .40 caliber.
Feeling Swampy
Packing the S&W M&P 9mm today. I’ve been thinking about getting one in a .40, so to get a feel for it, I am packing my boy Kilo’s Swampy.
Everything good about the Glock is there in the M&P, but with a 1911 grip angle. It feels good in the hand and handles more intuitively than either a Glock or 1911 for me.
I would absolutely have to change the trigger. The stock Swampy trigger flat out sucks. It feels sloppy and rotten. But with a little work, it does just fine.
Still wish they did a mid sized gun, but I can live a full sized pistol.
The Marine’s 1911
According to the Military Times, the US Marines are looking to officially pick up an off the shelf 1911 for it’s MARSOC program.
The choice is between the Colt Rail Gun and the Springfield MC Operator.
Between the two, I’d pick the Springfield in a heartbeat. Springfield has shown consistent quality control and a commitment to its customer base by backing up their products with the industry’s best customer service. Everyone I know that has one of these MC Operators has been more than impressed with them. Accurate and reliable.
One thing I don’t understand is why the Operator instead of the TRP? The Springfield TRP Pro was the pick of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team…. a group that is a little picky about their weapons, and absolute artists when it comes to the application of those weapons. The TRPs roll out for about 1500 bucks and the MC Operators for about 1200. But money isn’t a question for these guys. It’s not the rail, because we’ve seen TRP’s with and without rails. Mayhaps the MC Operator is more reliable than TRP? Hmmm…
Marlin Update
Just a quick update on my Marlin 1895GBL, .45-70. To recap, I bought one, and it was faulty. The stock was loose and the action was locking up. I only got a half a box of rounds through it before I had to send it in to Marlin for repair.
It came back from Marlin the other day, repaired and ready for action. Some nice Freight Damage on the stock now. Thanks a lot for that, Marlin. I send you a new gun in and it comes back looking like an old used one. That’s just SPIFFY, Marlin. Thanks for that, seriously. THANK YOU.
The good news about it is that the gun function and the stock fits. It’s now a functional firearm now. Looks 10 years old, sure, but hey, at least it’s a gun now. So to celebrate the return of the Guide Gun, I picked up a box of Remington 405 grain Jacketed Soft Points. A nice heavy slug on a moderate load. Recoil is mild. It’s isn’t a kick, but a shove. The muzzle blast is impressive, especially after dark. To say it’s fun to shoot is like saying Bacon is Tasty. No kidding! One can easily fire multiple rounds in rapid succession, with accuracy.
But man, I love shooting this thing! It’s a blast! And the fact that it packs enough punch to knock down Bigfoot, it’s a bonus.
So, I have to give a thank you to the Evil One on WTA, my friend Jim Jones… He’s the one that talked me into getting this gun, and I am very happy he did.
Glock vs the 911
Most guys are comparing the Glock to the 1911. I’m going to compare it to the 911…
For the last 40 years Porsche has been remaking the same design and calling it brand new, and the fans have been lapping it up and eagerly await the next version. Those on the outside look at it and see that it is the same thing. The engine was misplaced, tacked on the rear like an afterthought outboard motor. Every one is waiting for Porsche to scoot it in a bit to improve the car’s balance.
Glock only comes out with a new gun when someone makes a new caliber… In the twenty years of Glockdom, we have seen new generations which we are told are better than the previous ones, and the Glock Enthusiasts will happily explain it to you like evangelical missionaries. But those on the outside look at it and see the same fault… That grip angle. It’s wrong. It’s not the same geometry that Saint J. Moses Browning chiselled in stone, so it can’t be right.
Now here is the thing about both the car and the gun… Like them or not, they work. The racing beetle continues to be one of the worlds very best sportscars, as the Glock continues to be one of the best handguns. Wrong or not, there is something very right about them.
Benelli M4.
I didn’t really understand the desire to own an M4. The magazine was limited and it was just overpriced.
Then we got in the new civilian M4 H2O. It’s even more expensive. But this time there is a difference.
Now, its worth every penny.
You get the full capacity. The anti corrosion coating. And the collapsable stock… It’s the full enchilada. It is the most badass automatic tactical shotgun in the world.
Dear Savage
I really love my Savage 93R17 rifle. It’s accuracy is staggering. Easily on par with .17 caliber rifles costing twice as much.
Unfortunately you guys have the worst magazines out there. The mag its self is kinda sad, and the way it locks on the rifle is just stupid. Sharp edges, finicky feeding, and slow to use.
Please do something about that.
Remington made it interesting.
Remington has brought out their Versa Max in a Tactical version. It has their breaching choke, extended feed tube, a small section of rail up front to mount a light, and a rail over the top of receiver for an optic, oversized bolt release… all fine and good.
But Remington has once again proven that they just don’t really get what tactical really is. They have some guys working on the 870 that know Tactical, and that’s about where they stay. Because they just got it wrong.
They took the Versa Max, which is a gun that can shoot all 3 sizes of Shot Shells, and neutered it so it can’t shoot the 3 1/2″ shells. This was the whole point of the Versa Max, and they ruined it. Then they are keeping it as long as Punt Gun. The 8+1 capacity is nice, but good grief this is a long gun… In WWII Germans shot down Spitfires with these things. “Ja das ist das 88mm Waffe für den Abschuss Flugzeuge.”
So it’s not a real tactical gun for anything… but what makes it interesting is that this is almost ideally made for something. 3 Gun. This has all the features suited for the growing sport, and it’s going to have a very reasonable price… So for you guys looking into getting into 3 Gun and you want a Semi Auto, I think Remington has the gun for you.
For me and what I’d want, I’d want the barrel cut down to 18″, ghost ring sights, and a pistol grip with an adjustable stock that isn’t an AR stock. Maybe next month, Remington? Oh, and maybe, if it would help – let it keep the 3 1/2″ shells just for fun.