The SIG M11-A1 has been one of my Unicorn pistols for some time. It’s basically the latest version of the P228 that’s no longer in production. I had used a 228 many moons ago as duty weapon when I did patrol work. The M11-A1 simply adds factory night sights, the SRT trigger, and that’s about it. If you are unfamiliar with the 228, that’s a shame. But it’s what the 229 became with the addition of a frame rail. The M11-A1 keeps the lines clean by being free of rails. Now, a lot of new Shooters out there might not know anything about the M11. In the 80’s when the US Army adopted the Beretta M9 pistol as the service pistol, they quickly found that it did not meet the needs of everyone that needed a pistol. So the Army adopted the M11 shortly thereafter. The M11 was primarily issued to Investigators and other DOD Agents that needed something concealable. It also found its way into the hands and holsters of Aviators and others that the M9 was too large for. The M11 has been quietly seeing service ever since the late 80’s. During that time, the civilian P228 was gaining popularity with Law Enforcement and I remember if a LEO wasn’t packing a Beretta, it was 226 or a 228. I myself carried a 228 on duty until I switched to an HK USP, a decision that I do not regret. But I did regret giving up the 228 from my arsenal. It was a good balance of size, weight, and capacity and really worked well.
Springfield Armory has released the XDM in 10mm now. It’s available in two flavors, 4.5″ and 5.25″. The service sized pistol has a fixed rear sight and a fiber optic front. While the 5.25″ pistol has a fiber optic front sight and an adjustable rear sight. It also has a big long open port in the stop of the slide, that I’m not a fan of.
First off, Fiber Optic front sight posts annoy me. I hate them. It’s a cheap sight and I can’t stand them on any gun I own. I’d much rather have seen them use pretty much any other sights. But no matter… I’d put Trijicon HD’s on these things regardless. I’d also liked to have seen a threaded barrel. Or at least throw one in the box with the pistol as an extra option. I know Springfield is just testing the waters, but I’d have liked to have seen them take the test seriously.
What they did take seriously though is the 10K Run they put the gun through… a claimed 10,000 rounds without a failure. If true, that’s impressive as hell.
I hope that this is a signal that 10mm is becoming more mainstream.
Right now your 10mm options are as follows:
1. Glocks.
2. 1911’s.
3. EAA Witness
4. SIG 220’s.
The EAA guns are finicky, the 1911’s can be expensive and or finicky, and the SIG’s are expensive and can be hideous looking in that camo for the Hunter version. Is that Kryptek? That’s the Nickleback of Camo. Don’t buy that one.
So really if you want to spend less than a Thousand Dollars, really the only viable option for a reliable 10mm is the Glocks… and now the XDM’s. It’s good to have options.
I put out a survey and talked to a lot of Firearms Instructors about the most consistently unreliable pistols they’ve seen come through their classes. When the pattern emerged through the Signal/Noise filters, it confirmed my theory. Short Barreled 1911’s are the Most Unreliable. Let’s look at this for a second and see why.
The 1911 family of guns tend to be very reliable. During the Pistol Trials before the gun was adopted by the US Army, the Colt ran well over 6,000 without problems and thoroughly crushed the competition (Savage) which didn’t even make it halfway. Since then, it garnered a reputation for being unreliable? What happened?
Well, for a long time, Colt owned the patent on the design and if a 1911 wasn’t built by Colt, it was built under license and the guns all tended to follow that pattern rather closely. Continue reading The Most Unreliable Pistols→
I’ve had this knife for several years now. And the one thing I can tell you about this, is that it isn’t a tool. See, most knives regardless of their marketing-defined purpose, are cutting tools. First and foremost, they are able to cut things and be used for many tasks. The SOCP doesn’t do any of that. The SOCP does only one thing. Stab. The blade is designed to puncture. And it does that very well, thanks to its needle-sharp tip. It does have some sharpening up the sides of the edges, but only to aid in penetration and to open the wound channel a bit. There is really no other utility going on here. And that’s okay. Continue reading Benchmade SOCP Dagger→
There’s not much to say about the Benchmade Adamas Push Dagger that hasn’t already been said on many a knife forum, blade magazine, or YouTube Video… at least when they first came out. Really not much about them ever since. And I find that a little curious. Because this knife is with me quite often. Even into places where weapons are strictly verboten. It’s a frequent carry item because it’s just so bloody good at being exactly what it is there to be. Your Backup. Continue reading Benchmade Adamas CBK Push Dagger→
This knife is The Classic Military Knife, and to me, just as Iconic as the Willis Jeep, Leather Bomber Jackets, Thompson SMG’s, and Sherman Tanks. It screams History, Heritage, and Tradition.
I’m not going to go into the History aspect of it… I don’t need to. Its been spoken about for generations. This one is stamped “US ARMY”, as all the best ones are… Just sayin… Continue reading Ka-Bar: Classic Military. The Aragorn Knife.→
This knife was a gift to me by the Prince of North Carolina. Actually, we’re on quite good terms. No, seriously… a friend of the family gave this knife to me… and as such, as all Gifted Knives are to me, they become quite special to me. But at the same time, this knife is meant to be used hard. Which is why I had to get another one. Because I wanted to use it – Hard. Everything about the design is beefy and rugged and just screams that it wants to get Deployed or go Hunt Orc. The knife wants to Adventure. Continue reading Cold Steel SRK, Zero Fuq’s Given→
I’m going to respectfully disagree with our friends over at Lucky Gunner. They put out an article where they say that the Shockwave is Mostly Useless. And maybe it is to the untrained, uninitiated, and those who just don’t understand the Shotgun.
What the Shockwave is, is basically a legal to own, stockless, short-barreled, 12 Gauge firearm. It’s legally “Not a Shotgun” because of some reasons no one really gets but everyone, including the ATF, is playing along with. Because no one really cares about barrel length anymore. Too late for Randy Weaver’s family… but there we have it. It’s based on the Mossberg 590 platform, which gives us a robust action and a heavier barrel, making this one tough little firearm. Continue reading Mossberg 590 Shockwave→
I don’t even remember when, where, why, or how I got this knife. I only remember that it was really really cheap. Like McDollar Menu Cheap. I think I remember getting a few of them and giving most of them away… But I held on to this one. Cold Steel made a production version of what is a popular cheap folding knife from South Africa.
On one hand, I think maybe this is something that should have stayed in South Africa. Continue reading Worst Knife Ever? Cold Steel Kudu→
There’s really nothing that I can say about this knife that has any degree of criticism… Save for maybe Cost. These are not cheap knives. However, you really and truly do get what you pay for. This knife is my personal favorite. My #1. I love everything about this piece. The size, the blade shape, the handle and scales, the materials, the lock… This knife checks all the marks for what I personally look for in a knife. Wood Scales, Bowie type blade, good length… it just doesn’t get any better for me. When I first saw this knife, I knew I HAD to have it. But I waited… Because my friends at DNA Guns were becoming Benchmade Dealers, so I wanted to get it through them. I was patient, and good things do come to those who wait. So as soon as I could, I ordered my Benchmade. Continue reading Benchmade Crooked River→
