Monthly Archives: February 2012

Crusader, Weapons

Ordered a .40 Magnum today.

37 Comments

I wanted a gun with more power and longer reach.  So I ordered a Glock 20SF today.  That’s a 10mm, Sports Fans.
Should be here Friday or Monday.  Some have said all pistols suck.  10mm… sucks a lot less.

The Glock 20SF was my pick because I just don’t dig the Gen 4’s and the SF is a lot like the Gen 4 with no backstrap attached.  The only one I could find with any of the distributors were only coming with the 10 round mags, so I ordered some 15 rounders.

I’ll need a holster for it.  I need to pick out some good sights.  And I need to get it to Joe at Crusader HQ for the Full Tilt Crusader Conversion.

This is all because of Nightcrawler.

Weapons

More .40 thoughts again.

75 Comments

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.

 

Crusader, Training

Crusader Defensive Pistol: May 26th.

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May 26th.
Buckskin Hills Shooting Complex.
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Cost – $200.

DEFENSIVE PISTOL

“The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory.” – Jeff Cooper

Self defense and personal safety should never be taken for granted, and Crusader is committed helping you learn the skills you need to survive an encounter. Our Defensive Pistol course is the most entry-level of all our courses and is structured with the novice and intermediate level student in mind. In this course you’ll learn everything you need to run your pistol efficiently and effectively. From basic safety procedures and guidelines to aiming, proper grip and stance, trigger control, movement and cover, and tactics, we’ll give you the skills and you’ll run the drills. Consistency, accuracy, speed. These are our goals.

COURSE OUTLINE
Safety Brief
General Assessment
Grip and Stance
Trigger Control
Aiming and Accuracy
Draw and Fire
Effective Distance
Movement
Ground and Cover
Basic Tactics

PREREQUISITES
This is an entry-level course and as such does not have any prerequisites.

If you have special medical needs, inform us beforehand.

REQUIREMENTS
Handgun of your choice
Holster of your choice
300 rounds of ammo (minimum!)
Proper eye and ear protection
Hydration and a light snack
Appropriate dress for the expected weather conditions.

NOTE that our range facilities are spartan, so if there is a creature comfort you want you will need to bring it yourself. Shade, something to sit on… and of course beverages and snacks. We don’t cater. However, after the course, students and instructors alike have been known to congregate at a local Mexican food restaurant for good food and discussion.

BE PREPARED FOR ANY WEATHER CONDITIONS. We shoot no matter what, rain or shine!

Weapons

Love for the .40

35 Comments

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.

Automotive

Chevy Volt

33 Comments

I read that GM is forcing employees to drive the Volt.  Some employees are opting to pay for their own cars in order to avoid the Volt.  GM is offering to pay for public and home charging and doing everything they can to get people into the Volt cars… and employees are not pleased about it.  The stunning thing about the report is that after all the reinbursments for charging and everything, GM is chest pounding that they will save millions of dollars.

How?  If GM is paying for everything, it’s spending an awful lot of money to get people into a car that people are not wanting to get in.

Here’s an idea for GM.  Build a car that people actually want.  I don’t want a Volt.  I would never buy one.  Ever.  Here’s a promise.  I promise that I will never in my life buy a Volt.  Or a Prius.  Wait, maybe I would if I could get one for less than a pound of Tannerite.  I do like reactive targets.  But I would never buy one to drive.  Pretty much very few people want a Volt.  GM has made a car that only Metrosexual Hipsters want, because they don’t really want a car.  They want a political statement.  I want a car.  A real car.  Not a rolling iPod dock, not an Entertainment Center, not an “experience” or a rolling billboard for the Leftist’s Agenda.    No computers.  No BS frills.  A simple car that is fun to drive.

GM needs to build the Triumph TR6.

Think about it.  People would want it… they would buy them and GM wouldn’t have to pay out anything.  Sporty engine, light weight simple car with good handling, engine up front driving the wheels in the back…  People would enjoy driving and would be texting less and paying attention to the road more because they would realize that actual driving the car is more fun than the distraction devices in the car.  The car with an efficient little spirited 4 banger would get great mileage and would still be fun to drive.  I’d buy one of them!

Weapons

Feeling Swampy

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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.