Category Archives: Weapons

Weapons

Why do you hate Glocks?

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Message this morning: “Why do you hate Glocks?”
If I’ve given anyone that impression… My apologies. I do not hate them. In fact, I respect them a great deal. For a long time, my EDC pistol was a Glock 23. Solid, good gun. They are reliable and accurate and have a great balance of size, weight, and firepower. A Glock is just fine.

For me though, personally, it’s just not a favorite. I like guns with some character to them. Just like I prefer motorcycles with character to say, a Honda Nighthawk. Nothing wrong with a Nighthawk at all… Fine bike… even a great bike. But like a Glock, I find them to be a very pedestrian, soulless lump that I don’t appreciate spending quality time with, and would rather be spending it with something more interesting. And something that improves on the characteristics that I find important. Like a really really good single action trigger.

If you really groove on your Glock (Or Honda Nighthawk) that is totally good. Join the hundreds of thousands of other people who feel the same way too. Sure, there’s something to be said for them.

There’s also a reason McDonald’s has so many busy locations around the world.

Weapons

RUGER 1911 Lightweight Commander .45 UPDATED

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A few weeks ago I added a Ruger 1911 Lightweight Commander to my personal collection.   I wanted to go back to a lightweight Commander style 1911 as an EDC for some time, for a variety of reasons…  Namely style, accuracy, hard first shot hits… and I’ve always been a 1911 guy and it’s been a few years since I really carried one.   I really appreciate the narrow profile of a 1911.  So I started my shopping process.  I wanted to try something a little different.  And I’ve been impressed with the quality and value that Ruger has been churning out lately.  So I overlooked my normal Go To brands… and I’m glad I did! Continue reading RUGER 1911 Lightweight Commander .45 UPDATED →

Weapons

Unfiltered Gun Rant

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Common Practice is that Semi-Autos and Single Shots are referred to as Pistols on the Form 4473, and Revolvers have their own check box. However, this is quite stupid. The term Pistol can be used for all handguns, and in the past it was quite common for Pistol to be used referring to revolvers.


Arguing that one is not the other and vice versa is like splitting hairs between a Riding Crop and a Driving Whip. The differences do not matter, don‘t even try to make the argument and being a pedantic jackwagon. Because no one should even care. Pistol is as generic a term as “Handgun” and can correctly be used interchangeably.
The 4473 is rife with retrograde thinking. Defining pistol or revolver is just one. Rifle or Shotgun also doesn’t matter. If there has to be any split in type, it should be along the Handgun or Long Gun line. And even there, the line is blurry now with Braced Handguns and SBR’s. I could show you different photos of AR-15’s and it would take the Owner of the gun to tell you which is which. So that’s another thing that needs to be deleted. All the SBS/SBR jackassery that is a part of the National Firearms Act… Which was terrible law making back in 1936 and it’s even worse now.

We have laws and ordinances requiring mufflers on a great many things… but on a firearm it’s illegal, unless you pay 200 Dollars for a TAX STAMP. Something you used to be able to buy from a hardware store for 5 bucks now costs you a Grand, plus 200 bucks, and then you have the asinine wait until His Majesty’s Service deems it’s ready to process your paperwork… average is what, 9 months now? This is beyond retarded. The process for doing a background check to buy a Tactical Shotgun is done pretty much instantly, and if you have a CCW Permit, it’s not even required… and if you don’t pass instantly, the background by law has to be done within 7 days or you can by law go ahead and buy the gun.
But to purchase a bloody muffler – you could have a Baby and start a Family before you get approved for a metal tube with some baffles in it. Never mind you could make a suppressor with stuff most guys have in their garages…. but to buy one requires the Federal Government to deem you worthy and you get to pay 200 dollars for the privilege. Thank you, Sir, may I have another!?!

These laws are utterly useless. They prevent no crime, they serve no purpose. They don’t even make the Feds any money as it requires a whole bunch of people to process everything and at the speed in which they get the job done… if it was a private business doing these transactions, they would be out of business.  Well, maybe not – they are selling a product that they don’t have to either buy or produce… selling you a Right.  Much like the old Catholics selling Indulgences.
Here’s the deal. We either delete the NFA… Or we make the NFA a Checkbox on the 4473 and they get processed like everything else, all at the same time.

Weapons

Visiting Carolina Arms Group Again

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North Carolina is home to one of the best, most advanced 1911 Custom builders in the world, Carolina Arms Group.  You’ve read about them before here, and you might again in the future.   The owner if CAG is a fellow I call a friend… so it’s not unlikely.
I’ve watched the growth of CAG go from essentially one man with a file to a full fledged Gun Manufacturer.    And along the way, the company has evolved in a way that’s quiet remarkable.  The quality control gets tighter and tighter, and the standards get higher and higher.  The gun themselves have always been amazing.  But now I have to admit, these are the best 1911’s money can buy.  Period.  Let me show you why… Continue reading Visiting Carolina Arms Group Again →

Weapons

Gone Mossy

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For YEARS I’ve advocated the Remington 870 as the Defensive Shotgun of Choice.   I’ve always loved the 870, and I still do.
But…
When you take a Mossberg and add the Magpul stock to it… Something magical happens.  You have something greater than the sum of it’s parts.
To explain this… let me explain the pros and cons.
The Mossy has the superior shell lifter for tactical reloading and more efficient and safer unloading.   The Mossy also has that tang mounted safety that allows for efficient left or right hand shooting.  The Remington system is certainly right hand biased, and shelf lifter makes tactical reloading a bit more tricky as you are fighting against the lifter’s spring while trying to shove in a fresh shell.  And you have to finesse the gun and roll it to get it unloaded and cleared.  It’s less than ideal.
Where the 870 wins is it’s steel construction verses aluminum, and the fact that you can easier run a pistol grip… if you are Right Handed, and you don’t have prehensile thumbs.  But really, we make space ships, fighter jets, baseball bats, and armored fighting vehicles out of aluminum… so I don’t think the Steel of the 870 is really that big of an advantage anymore.  It does make the gun a bit heavier, and that’s not too bad in a shotgun… but… now this is more personal taste than any actual advantage.
Now enter in the Magpul stock to the equation.  The stock has these spacers that you can put in, or pull out, that let’s you set the length of pull to be just right for you and how you want your gun set up.  It also allows a perfect positioning of your shooting hand’s thumb to work the safety as needed – Left or Right handed.  The stock’s shape also manages the Gauge’s Recoil very well… making it handle very well while firing.  It might be different in the way it feels when holding the gun and walking around… but when you shoulder it and raise that gun up onto target – it all comes together.  This is the way a shotgun should be.
So… Yes… I am a Mossberg fan.  Specifically, the 590 series.  A 590 with a Magpul Stock is my Shotgun of Choice now.

Gear, Weapons

Killer Deal on the SIG ROMEO 4c

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romeo4c1I just got another Romeo 4c, and this one is now topping Project Kahlan.   The Burris Fastfire, which I also like, has been moved over to Elizebeta… my late Brother Zach’s AK-47.  The Fastfire is better suited to the AK, thanks to it’s more compact nature and lower mounting capability with the current rail situation.    (Photos will come late)

What I like about the 4c version of the Romeo, is the Solar Powered backup to for the battery, which has a 50,000 hour run time.  It has two reticle options, a 2 moa Dot or an Eotech style circle dot.  Quick Detach.  Insane lifetime warranty that is basically saying if anything happens, they’ll replace it, no questions asked.  Which is awesome.

The optic is super clear and bright for a Red Dot, and even with my bad eyes, I can see the dot nice and crisp.   I like these little optics better than the vogue T1 or T2 Micros.   SIG’s Electro Optics are very good… and with that lifetime warranty?  Getting one is a No Brainer.   For Project Kahlan, and any future firearm that I want a Red Dot for – I’m getting the Romeo 4c’s for them from now on.

I got this Romeo 4c from my good friend Steve, who has several more for sale at his store, PrecisionRifleShooters.com.   Now, if you want one too… Go there, and at Checkout enter Coupon Code “MADOGRE” for a nice discount.

Weapons

Carolina Arms Group 1911’s

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I stopped by Carolina Arms Group today to sign a copy of UPRISING USA for Jim, and while I was there, I got the chance to examine the completion of a very special 4 gun set.

These two were complete and the other two were getting final touches done.
Absolutely flawless. Now, CAG has a lot of very cool new things coming… things that I’m sworn to secrecy on, so I wont tell. Even if the NDA is a Handshake, it’s still an NDA, so I’m not saying anything other than this… Give CAG a Like, follow them on FB. Because you are going to want to keep your eye on them.
There is one new thing about to drop that I CAN talk about.
CAG is going to be releasing Fire Control Parts that you can order to be put into your gun. I’ve examined these… FANTASTIC. You are going to want to put these on your gun. Machined from forged billet stainless and absolutely the top quality you would expect from CAG. Also slides and pretty much everything you need to build your 1911 save for the Frames. And since not all of us are Gunsmiths – you will be able to send in your 1911 and CAG’s own Gunsmiths will give you their FEEL THE DIFFERENCE treatment.  All of the services will of course be on a menu for pricing and such. So bookmark this page too:
http://carolinaarmsgroup.com/

Weapons

Ruger’s American Compact

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Ruger just officially announce the American Compact.  Here is the Press Release:

New Compact Addition to the Ruger American Pistol Line
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to announce the addition of the Ruger American Pistol® Compact model.  This new model is chambered in 9mm Luger and is available in both Manual Safety and Pro model configurations. Originally introduced in December 2015, the feature-rich Ruger American Pistol was designed with the latest U.S. Military standards in mind and was tested in the harshest environments to ensure the rugged reliability consumers have come to expect from Ruger.

Ruger polled law enforcement and military trainers throughout the country to select the form, function and features of the Ruger American Pistol.  The resultant pistol combines a recoil-reducing barrel cam (which better spreads recoil over time) with a low-mass slide, low center of gravity and a low-bore axis to provide better balance, less felt recoil and less muzzle flip than comparable pistols.  The Ruger American Pistol also features a pre-tensioned striker system, which allows for a short takeup trigger with positive reset, and a modular wrap-around grip system that adjusts palm swell and trigger reach to fit a wide range of hand sizes. 

With a 3.55” barrel, overall dimensions of 6.65” long, 4.48” high and a weight of 28.75 ounces with an empty magazine, the Ruger American Pistol Compact model shares all of the features and rugged reliability of the duty-size gun in a smaller, lighter, more concealable package. It ships in a hard case with small, medium and large replaceable grip modules and two nickel-Teflon® plated steel magazines (one 17-round extended magazine and one 12-round compact magazine). 

The American-made Ruger American Pistol is built on a rigid, one-piece, precision-machined, black nitrided, stainless steel chassis with integral frame rails and fire control housing. Additional features include genuine Novak® LoMount Carry three-dot sights, a stainless steel slide with non-reflective, black nitride finish, a one-piece, high-performance, glass-filled nylon grip frame and a mil-standard 1913 accessory rail.   

For more information on the Ruger American Pistol Compact model, or to learn more about the extensive line of award-winning Ruger® firearms, visit Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger. A full line of duty and concealment holsters, replacement sights and rail-mount accessories for the Ruger American Pistol are available through ShopRuger.com or your local independent retailer of Ruger firearms.
Here are the released pics:

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It looks good!  Looks like Ruger’s taken a Home Run, and just cleared the bases with it.   *Golf Claps*  Well done, Ruger.  Well done.

Weapons

KRISS VECTOR 10MM

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Yes, Kriss brought out the Vector in 10mm.  And I don’t care.
I LOVE the 10mm cartridge.  The fact that there’s a new 10mm Carbine on the market, makes me happy.  But I don’t want it.

Yes, it looks like it shoots well.  However I find the Vector to be distasteful.  The overall weapon system is far too bulky, and I find the weapon to be awkward on top of that.

During the heady days of Crusader Weaponry, one came into the shop and Joe was working on refinishing it.  The weapon is excessively complicated, and everything pins through and into a sub-chassis that I feel is too delicate.

During my time as Retail Manager for Blackstone Shooting Sports, a customer wanted to look at the fixed stock version of one of the Vectors we had.  He tried to fold the stock… and of course, broke it.  Vector gave me hell trying to replace the part, insisting that I pay for a new one.  I was finally able to get the part replaced under warranty, but it left a bad taste in my mouth for the company.   It’s worth noting that the customer looked like a pasty white Urkel and did not have a lot of power to apply to the stock to get it to break so easily, and he didn’t even try.   It broke far too easily.  So if you want a Vector Carbine, get the folder version, not the fixed stock version.

Honestly, I don’t care if the Vector fired phased plasma in the 40 watt range.  I wont have one.   Being overly complicated, delicate and fragile, being awkward and bulky and is as attractive as George Soros and Diane Feinstein’s Love Child… I have a whole SHOT Industry worth of better options to spend my money on.

If you have one, and you like it – that’s the great thing about the Industry now – There are a great many choices.  But for me, Kriss Vector isn’t one of them.

Weapons

Ruger Mark IV .22 Rimfire pistol

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Ruger Perfects Rimfire – Again: Introducing the One-Button Takedown Mark IV

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is excited to announce the latest development in the Mark Series line of pistols – the Ruger® Mark IV™. Ruger has long set the standard for reliable, affordable and accurate .22 LR handguns, beginning with the introduction of the Standard Pistol in 1949. Since then, the Standard Pistol has undergone a series of enhancements with the development of the Mark I, Mark II™ and then the Mark III™ in 2005.

While the heavily redesigned Mark IV maintains the same classic outward appearance as the Mark III, it incorporates a significant improvement customers will love – a simple, one-button takedown for quick and easy field-stripping. A recessed button in the back of the frame allows the upper receiver to tilt up and off of the grip frame without the use of tools. The bolt simply slides out of the receiver and the barrel can be properly cleaned from chamber to muzzle.

“We are thrilled to be introducing what we consider to be a monumental improvement to this iconic pistol that has been with Ruger from the start,” said Ruger President and COO Chris Killoy. “This one-button takedown alleviates the headache that our Mark III owners are all too familiar with and we anticipate the Mark IV pistols being some of the cleanest rimfires at the range,” Killoy concluded.

Other significant improvements include a one-piece grip frame that is precision CNC-machined from a solid piece of stainless steel or aluminum; an ambidextrous manual safety and a redesigned bolt stop for more ergonomic operation. The magazine drops free on release for faster reloads and a redesigned magazine disconnect safety prevents discharge when the magazine has been removed.  Internal improvements include changes to the hammer, sear, bolt and firing pin for smoother, more reliable feeding.   

Specific features vary by model, but the legendary, one-piece barreled receiver and internal cylindrical bolt construction remain the same. The robust design ensures permanent sight-to-barrel alignment and higher accuracy potential than conventional moving-slide designs. The Mark IV is compatible with a variety of Mark III aftermarket accessories including sights, scope bases and magazines. 

The American-made Mark IV pistol ships with two 10-round magazines.    

For more information on the Ruger Mark IV or to learn more about the extensive line of award-winning Ruger firearms, visit Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger. To find accessories for the Mark IV and other Ruger firearms, visit ShopRuger.com or your local independent retailer of Ruger firearms.

This looks like it solves Ruger’s #1 problem since the Mk I pistol… the stupid take down.  I also like that the thumb safety is a lever instead of a sliding button.  Ruger is really starting to make sense in what they are putting out.   Now if they could just fix the stupid bolt release on the 10/22.
Also – that Hunter is DEAD SEXY.