The Shooting Wire posts a bold announcement. “A new paradigm of pistols“. Oh? Really? A new paradigm, eh?
Well, I gotta see this then. What could it be? Could it be a Glock Killer? A Striker 1911? Something in 10mm that will make the 10 popular again? What could it be?
Oh, it’s a Derringer. Made out of Titanium. Really?
Nothing important to say tonight. Just some thoughts I had. First, I am disappointed that I missed my goat of finishing my second book. I got carried away in Uprising: UK. My goal on this five day weekend I just had, was to write/edit until it was finished. This didn’t happen. However, today I expanded U:UK by 10 thousand more words. Sections of text, details, and lose ends that I felt needed tying up. I still don’t have an ending.
Returning characters are Rebecca Hallbrook, Arizona Police Officer and Stacy Roth, daughter of the fighter pilot that killed a Chinese aircraft carrier, and Cadet Jackson, who was a casualty of some wackos from Wyoming. Not all of these characters live to book three. Speaking of Character Mortality, I rewrote the death of Paul, aka FMJ from WTA. Paul’s role as a sniper comes to a sudden end due to a case of acute of thermal ingestion. He goes out in a great ball of fire. Mark Walters, our friend from Armed American Radio is seen taking part in the Invasion of France as he storms the beach with a sword and a Krinkov SMG. He might make it to book three… hmmm….
Also today, I realize that I do indeed like the Glock 23 a great deal, so much so, that it just may have taken the place of the venerable 1911. Examining the Defensive Power Factor of a magazine of .45 in a typical 8 round mag +1 and + a Reload, and comparing that to the typical magazine of .40 caliber… +1 and +reload… the 23 does indeed dish out twice the firepower. (I reload with a Glock 22 magazine) Now, why would I be all over the Glock 23 over the 1911? Well… Man, I have to say that I really like the trigger that Joe gave this Glock. I had some trick parts in the Glock to start with, then Joe checked it out and freaking made it better. Seriously. He made it better. I liked it before, but I love it now. The break is super crisp with zero over travel… no safetly lever to get in the way or forget to swipe off. I used to prefer a manual safety. But I’m now moving away from them. Glock type and SIG types, I think, are better for the modern gunslinger.
Two words to remember: VULTURE DOWN.
There are few firearms that just give me such gratification as a lever action rifle. The elegant lines that fuse form and function with a mechanical simplicity that makes the Lever Action one of the most beautiful of all firearms. Doesn’t matter which lever you have… they are truly lovely. I find myself simply taking out my Rossi made Winchester 92 clone, just to look at it, just to feel it, just to hold it in my hands. I’ve got a lot of other guns that I like… but they don’t stick in my mind like that little 92. I’ve got my guns I use for certain purposes… and to be honest, this 92 doesn’t fall in to any of those purposes. But that’s all besides the point. I could probably very easily adopt the 92 for more serious purposes. Maybe I will. But I do prefer the right tool for the right job, shotguns, magazine fed semi-auto rifles, long range precision bolt actions. And they are all fine and good within their spheres. But if I had to have just one gun… well… that would still be an 870, but the 92 is encroaching on that in a big way.
The MAG-40 class is a subject unto its self. And will be. My thoughts at the moment are about the Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol that is on my hip right now, and was with me through the course. Riding of course, in my Sharkhide rig from Adams Holsters, which was asked about all the time through the course. Sharp looking rig, good rig, and it worked great through the class.
I will make this point as clear as I can. The Crusader Modified Glock 23 RTF2 performed flawlessly. It shot point of aim, point of impact when I did my job right. The gun was digesting some horrid ammunition. I did what I had sworn that I would never do… I used steel cased ammo for the class. 500 rounds of Tulammo, 180 grains. Let me tell you, this stuff is complete crap. I could feel the differences in pressure from one shot to the next. Some rounds felt like 10mm loads, others felt like they were damn near squibs. But it was cheap. 14 bucks a box, so I snagged it. I am impressed with the Glock in that it shot all of that very well. I had zero malfunctions of any sort. Period.
I do believe that my groups could have been better with some better ammo, but I can’t make any excuses. Just before the course, Gundoc gave my Glock a Trigger Job, which caused me some stumble at first – all the sudden I had a different trigger than I was used to! But I quickly adapted to the new pull and I was well pleased with the result. The same weight, but it was crisper and there is no over-travel. Very nice. Using this combination, I shot a 298 out of 300. I’ll take that. I’ll happily take that. I wanted 300. I wanted it bad. But the shots I dropped, high and left, were not the fault of the gun or the ammunition. Those were my mistakes and I’ll own those.
I’ve taken other guns to other courses and sometimes I come away unhappy with the gun or pleased, depending on things. I was less than satisfied with Beretta and CZ in some shoots… HK and SIG has pleased me… and now this Glock has pleased me a great deal. I am very confident with this pistol and I am more and more impressed with it.
I think I’d like to change up the Warren Tacticals. I like the straight 8 configuration, but I wish the front sight had a white ring around the tritium insert. There was a couple instances where I lost the front sight post…. totally my fault, but I think some more visibility would have been a help.
Other pistols in the course I observed had some issues. I observed a couple XD’s with light primer strikes, and one that had a trigger return spring that failed and the shooter, Gail Pepin, had to change to another weapon. Kimber’s had some issues after the first day… one just didn’t want to run. Others had failures to eject. S&W M&P’s ran gun, only a couple failures to feed a couple times. I saw no failures with any of the Glocks on the range. Now, my Glock did give me some trouble with failing to lock back on an empty mag. Reason being, Gundoc also gave me an extended slide release and my Ogreish thumb kept riding it. This didn’t slow me down though and my mag changes were just fine. It’s easy to count 6 Shots when you only load 6 rounds n the magazine every time.
The solid reputation for accuracy and reliability of Glock handguns is well earned.
If I was going to take the MAG-40 class again, I think I would bring a 4″ revolver.
These are some of our Broadswords. SR-25 Type .308 rifles and carbines that give Precision Accuracy with Reliability, these will go toe to toe against rifle systems that cost twice as much… and then spank them. These guns shoot like you are shooting a 556 weapon… and our 556 weapons shoot so soft you think your shooting a rifle with a .22LR kit in it except they don’t jam.
Our Slipstream is also being used on Robots in the War Zone… it makes every mechanical system it’s applied to run better.
For some time I’ve been wanting an Encore rifle. Unfortunately, TC doesn’t make one that I want. Here’s the run down.
Stainless receiver. Polished blued barrel. Walnut stocks. With barrels in 7mm Rem Mag, .338 Win Mag, .25-06, .375H&H and a 12 gauge rifled barrel. Then a couple short 16″ barrels in .308, .223, and .30-30… and I’m thinking a .35 Whelen and 7-30 Waters. A nice collection. There are several gunsmiths out there that specialize in TC Encore triggers, and this would also be a requirement for me. Parting it out, I’m probably looking at about 800 bucks for the first set up brand new, and then additional costs for the other barrels. But I’m not sure if I am wanting brand new. I’m thinking old… I’m thinking used. Used guns often have more “soul” than a brand new gun. I might start this as a “Project” gun. No hurry to build this as I’m in no rush… but I’m going to work on this. Many are going to ask “Why”. To those I simply ask “Why Not?” With a cool leather roll up kit for the barrels. That would be very cool.
This is Uber-Un-Tactical. I know. Many MadOgre readers wont understand this as there are no Rails and Pmags to go with this Single Shot system. No Bolt-Forward Assists or anything. I mean, yeah, you can throw on a Ching-Sling and be psudo-tactical if you want, but a simple leather sling would be ideal.
You know it’s coming. Grab your long gun and your side arm. I think I had that question four or five times today talking to different people. Not zombies, not monster hunting, but a simple good old fashioned gunfight. What will you bring to the fight? And don’t say “Friends with Guns.” Just you. High Noon.
In all seriousness, if I know a gunfight is going to happen, I’m bringing one of my 870 Tacticals… most likely my old Police Gun. It’s slick as hell, being all Slipstreamed and running as reliable as the Sun Rise. It’s going to be loaded with Federal Premium FC 00 Buck. My pistol is going to be my Glock 23 in .40, loaded up with Winchester PDX1’s.
Why? Because they are SIMPLE and they are RELIABLE. Above all, they are going to deliver my violent will when and where I need it. No bells and whistles and tricks to remember. They are potent enough, with enough firepower on tap to end a hostile encounter – and to win that encounter.
I was thinking about my Crusader tuned AR… Gun’s not a problem. But my optic runs on batteries. Will they fail me? I don’t know. My Shotgun’s sights wont. I was tempted to say my Springer GI – because I can hit with it very well. But I like hollow points and I just don’t know for an absolutely certainty that that old 1911 is going to run my PDX1’s as flawlessly as I require. My Glock does, and I have more in the gun with one mag than my 1911 has with two, and that is an advantage.
I trust my Glock. I trust my 870. I trust them with my life. Hype, popularity, online smack talk… I don’t have time for that. It’s about Trust. Also, if I have to go Mele… I’m bringing a baseball bat, a heavy wooden one. A Louisville Slugger. Just saying.
Terry let me shoot his Double Eagle. A unique pistol that I actually like. What it is, is Colt trying to make the 1911 into SIG. It didn’t really work all that well, and they did have some problems… but I would have liked to have seen Colt make a better effort in the idea.
Now I am all for people thinking outside of the box when it comes to the tools of violence.
However this idea, is pants on the head retarded.
This makes the rifle unable to be lived with. Your rifle cases, anything the rifle might touch… it’s going to get torn up.
What the hell is this crap for? Come on.
For less money, get a BattleComp and get something that is actually going to make your gun a better gun.
The AK is gaining popularity and I’m getting more messages via email and facebook about the AK all the time.
What can an AK owner do to make the AK a better platform? First thing I’d suggest is to do something that makes it more reliable. This is a multi-part step that requires a bit of work. You have to obtain a number of magazines and go through all of them and find the ones that are the least reliable. Mark those as such, destroy or discard them. I find that faulty mags can help when you are training for stoppage clearing. But that’s just me. Next, the gun needs to be Lubricated Well. All Machines run better when they are properly lubricated. An ST-2 treatment of Slipstream from Crusader Weaponry would be ideal, barring that, the generous application of Slipstream to the inner workings of your AK will be a blessing.
Next, something that can help your AK be more controllable. We at Crusader Weaponry have become hugely impressed with the products from BattleComp, and we use them on our Rifle Builds. Here is Why:
One of the reasons we like BattleComp and this video doesn’t show – is that the blast from the brake is better dissipated than the other brakes. That means less blast to disturb dust, and less blast into the faces of your fellow shooters and team mates.
Now that you have an AK that Runs, Stays Fed, and Stays in Control – you are well ahead of the game. Regardless of what you do with the sights or optics – these things are in my mind the top priorities for running an AK.
The best way to get this, is to send your AK to Crusader Weaponry and ask for the ST-2 Treatment and an AK BattleComp. While it’s there, ask for a Finish Upgrade and make your old War Horse look as good as it’s going to shoot.