Tag Archives: Handguns

Weapons

Still Love 1911’s

22 Comments

Still love the 1911.  In fact, this one particular handgun is probably my favorite pistol in the world. I brings joy and comfort to me when I just look at it… Warm fuzzies when I hold it… Bliss when I shoot it. As is… no modifications.  Just Use and Care and a bit of some Slipstream.  It runs very well when I use good magazines and shoot Ball ammo.

As much as I am fond of this gun… I do not consider it to be one of my Fighting Guns.  One of the guns that would be used should there be an unwanted/unexpected bump in the night.  I was issued a gun exactly like this one… it said Colt on it though.  But the feel, the weight, the wear marks… Fond memories of a time when I was lighter, faster, and younger.    But I’m wiser, and better looking now.  I still respect the 1911 and it’s History.  It still has a place in my heart, and it always will.  When I was on the ground and someone was aiming a weapon at me… it was a 1911 in my hand that stopped what could have come next.

While the 1911 was an epoch moment in handgunning, my chosen handgun is the second epoch… The Glock.  It’s an evolutionary leap, as was the 1911 when it was adopted by the US Army.  I very much look forward to the next leap forward.

Uncategorized

Ultra Concerns

4 Comments

I have to agree with our friend Rob Pincus.  Rob is one of the most active trainers in the Gun World.  He’s always on a range.  And he’s describing exactly what I’ve been seeing as well.

I’ve only had and seen good results with small 1911’s from two sources.  SIG and Detonics.  None of the others have run properly.  I don’t know exactly why that is as I am not a Mechanical Engineer. I’m a Low Brow Knuckle Dragging Gunslinger… I know what works and what doesn’t. I’ve seen more failure to function with 1911’s than any other handgun type. In fact, I’ve only seen one 1911 run through a course without a failure. That was an STI in 9mm run by our friend Larry Correia. His “Cheater Heater”. Anyways, back to the caution on these Ultra Compacts. Be careful with them. Find loads that run in your pistol. Lubricate them with Slipstream Weapon Lubricant. Find how many rounds you can go through before the gun starts acting up and needs to be cleaned again. If your gun is not reliable – then for the love of all that is good in the world… Don’t use it for defense. Just Don’t. To do so would be to make a Jump with a Chute packed by the kid that takes out the trash at Wendy’s. Not Bright. If you have an Ultra and you like it… and it isn’t quite reliable. Have a Gunsmith go through it and tune it up.

Weapons

S&W M&P Shield

10 Comments


Smith’s new Shield pistol is going to be a rare find this year… but if you stumble on one – SNAG IT.

It’s very compact, but because of the magazine extension, you can actually get a good solid grip on the weapon.

It’s narrow, but not too skinny as to be awkward.  M&P Lines, so it looks like an M&P, not an upsized Bodyguard… Being a Striker fired gun, it’s all M&P genetics here.  The safety lever is the only wart, but it’s a very unobtrusive one… which means actually using the safety lever is more difficult and of course completely useless.  This is a Bodyguard trait that should have been erased.

Right now, they are out in 9mm.  But they have already gone out to the allotted dealers.  If you see one and pass on it… good luck finding another one in 2012…

It’s kind of like an M&P Compact’s anorexic little sister.

The magazine holds 8, so you are not giving up much on the M&P Compact.  They said they improved the trigger of the standard M&P’s trigger… and that’s true.  They did.  But there are already people out there working on an Improved Improved trigger for it.

It’s not a straight up Single Stack… it does have a slight stagger to it.  This is why it gets as many rounds as it has, and feeds well, and gives you a bit of a funnel for a quicker reload when you need it.

Overall, I’m impressed.  S&W’s M&P line up is all excellent stuff and this gun is no different.  Let’s see, there is the new SIG 938 and the new Beretta Nano, the newest of the Sub Compact Slim Nines… The SIG is a mini 1911 and thus in a class by its self… the Nano is a Double Action.  So while not a real Apples to Apples gun, the Shield smokes it.  The only thing really like the Shield is the Walther PPS and I think the Shield is a much better pistol.  It feels better in the hand, better trigger, and feels like a more solid built gun.   And, I believe, the Shield is less money  These are about 400 bucks and the PPS is, if I remember, about 500.  That’s enough left over for a very nice holster.

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.

 

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.

Military, Weapons

The Marine’s 1911

13 Comments

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…

Automotive, Weapons

Glock vs the 911

30 Comments

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.

Weapons

Springfield’s XD .45 Tactical

15 Comments

The other day I was shooting with The Fellas, and my buddy gave me a loaded magazine and an empty pistol.  The XD Tactical in .45.  He had stippled the gun the same way I did my Glock… and I have to say that it really improved the feel.  I also have to say that the pistol shot extremely well and was uncannily accurate.  This was the old XD model, not a newer M class.  But in the .45 guns, there’s not a lot of difference.  Same Mags, same cold hammer forged barrels… the M triggers are nicer, and of course, the outside cosmetics.  But I don’t like the way the M’s feel slippery in my hands.  Some texturing work fixes that real easy.
Now, I respect the XD’s and know they are all very good guns… but I’m not particularly fond of them.  This one though… I like it.  The XDM’s I think are a bit better and I like them more.  If anyone out there are thinking of getting an M model… it is a good buy.  Especially the long barreled versions if you are looking for an accurate, easy gun to shoot, with a lot of capacity.
While I’m not going to line up to buy one… if any of The Horde does, it would be a good choice.