The Springfield XD pistols. Just horrid looking. Oh, they are indeed good guns… but the are hard to look at. The M’s are better looking, but not by a huge amount. Like the West Virginian Cousin of an Okie.
Springfield really needs to just drop the XD line and lower the price of the XDM’s. The M is all around the better pistol in every caliber and size.
Tag Archives: Pistols
The Caracal
It’s kind of like a cross between a Walther P99 and a Steyr M series. But the Caracal is better than both. I like it. A lot. I loved shooting it at the MAG-40 class, as Zak from Lone Wolf was kind enough to let me shoot it.
I’ve been thinking about thinking about the Caracal a lot since then. I want one.
100,000 More Beretta M9’s for the Army
Beretta has announced that the US Army is set for the M9 for another 5 years and has ordered another hundred thousand M9 handguns.
So there you go… No new Army handgun for some time to come. Sorry guys.
Of course, the M9 isn’t all that bad, when running off of good Beretta made magazines. It’s full sized frame makes it controllable, confidence inspiring, and it’s both accurate and reliable… again, when running off factory mags and not after market. Of course, my problem isn’t the gun, but the chosen caliber. Maybe we can get an upgrade kit and make them all .40’s at least? No? Oh well. The 9mm has done a good job with what it’s had to deal with. The problem though is that the US Military has to use FMJ ammunition, where as we can run good JHP’s if we like. If the Military could use some good old Hollow Points, then I think the complaints about stopping power would diminish greatly.
If not HP’s, then how about EFMJ’s? Expanding Full Metal Jackets. They look like regular Ball ammo but expand on impact.
The 200 Dollar Rescue Glock Project is now completed.
You guys may remember how I rescued an old abused Glock. It cost me 200 bucks, which is about 50 bucks more than a Hi Point and a Box of Ammo.
Well, if you don’t remember, I was working at the gun store one day when a fellow brought in a ragged old Glock that was just beat to hell. We gave him far too much for it on Trade In. The thing was so bad, it wouldn’t be able to be resold. In fact, it didn’t even function. The Trigger wouldn’t reset. The slide… well, the dude tried to polish off all the Black and make it shiny. He failed. The frame looked like a Pit Bull’s Chew Toy.
So I filled out the 4473, purchased it from the store and took it home. It was mine.
The trigger needed new parts. I had a small collection of such parts. Some aftermarket, some Factory Glock. I replaced everything in the trigger mechanism. The result was more than satisfactory. I like it a great deal. After test firing, I was satisfied in the gun’s function. But I hated to look at it. Since I couldn’t hurt it anymore than it had already suffered, I modded it.
This was what it looked like when I got it. Nasty. I cut down the frame from 22 length to 23 length, then I ground off bits and sanded bits and then stippled it. It now feels nothing like a Glock in the hand, and it fits my hand perfectly.
This weekend at Crusader HQ, I took that slide and gave it a fine Media Blast to remove all the problems, old finish, and to rough up the slide so the Cerakote could stick to it better. I took my time on this and really made sure I got everything nice and even.
Then Joe hit it with some Cerakote in a new color I really dig… “Magpul Flat Dark Earth”. This is a darker flat dark earth or Coyote Tan color than is the norm. Looks really good.
The completed gun, better view.
The gun feels better in the hand than it looks. Feels slightly smaller, grippier, and comfortable. This Glock is becoming a personal favorite. I really like the results. If I pick up another model 23, I might chop it down to 27 length. Just for fun.
Glock 21 .45
A lot of guys have discovered the Glock 21. Glock’s full sized .45 pistol. Even Guns magazine has a gushing article about it.
Yeah, it’s a great gun. But why have that, when you can have the model 20 in 10mm and have something amazing?
10mm > .45 Auto. Always.
SIG’s P938
Last Saturday Headshot Willy brought out one of the new SIG P938 pistols. I’ve posted about it before… how cool I thought they were.
Well, at the Range, I was finally able to try my hand with it. The gun shoots as good as it looks. It was accurate and the recoil was plenty mild enough in 9mm. Very controllable.
My target was a small melon sized rock on a berm. 6 out of 6 hits. Plenty good enough for defensive use, and to convince me that one of these days I’ll have to own one of these pistols now.
10mm Handguns for Defense.
Some guys are tired of the 9 vs 45 debate… and they don’t want Middle of the Road. They are looking at the 10mm. I’ve been getting a lot of emails about the 10mm. Which 10 you can get. My answer is simple, but to get there is a winding road.
So you say you are shopping for that 10mm pistol. You start looking at the 1911’s of course, because the 1911 is like the Harley Davidson of the Gun World. Wilson Combat and Nighthawk Custom, as well as other high end 1911 Builders are all doing a few of them. They are all very nice indeed… and expensive. You really want to invest in one like that and throw it in a combat holster and roll in some gravel with it? We’re looking for a defensive gun here. And if you are not willing to roll around in the gravel with your super expensive custom built piece of artwork on your side… then you are not looking for a 1911. Your really not. If you choose one of these, and you are willing, then great. 10mm 1911’s do tend to be a bit more reliable, and accuracy is great, and you can get that first shot off nice and precisely. But let’s say you don’t want to drop 2 Grand on this pistol. We have to look elsewhere. You want that feel of a solid steel gun. Feels good doesn’t it? Oh yeah.
So you look at the EAA Witness pistols. Classic CZ design. Double stacked so you have a good capacity. Their “Wonderfinish” looks good. The gun feels good. But dang, it’s heavy. Accuracy is pretty good, but that long Double Action pull is not as great as it should be. The Witness has some sharp edges here and there… and yeah… that weight issues is just too much for daily all day carry. Let’s keep looking.
S&W is making a cool revolver in 10mm. One of the Nightguard series. Old School Cool, now in 10mm. And you can shoot .40 cal as well. How cool is that? But you have to use Moon Clips. Moon Clips are a PITA. I don’t really care for them and you shouldn’t either. Besides, this Nightguard would be cooler in .44, wouldn’t it?
That leaves the Glocks. You have two options. 20 and 29. The 20 is the full sized and the 29 is called a Sub Compact. Either one is great and either one you can theoretically get with the “SF” frame. The Slim Frame. But they are hard to find. In the .45, you can find SF’s but the 10mm’s are tough. My choice is the 20. Full sized, accurate, controllable, great capacity… There you go. Now we are talking about something.
But I don’t like the Glock Trigger, you say. Okay. So change it. You can put in a trigger that feels just like how you want it. Easy to do. Have it your way, just like Burger King. But the gun feels blocky, you say. You can alter the grip frame as well. It’s plastic. It’s pretty easy if you take your time. But it’s ugly. Do you really care what your Parachute looks like? It’s a weapon. One that if you use in a defensive situation, you might not ever see again anyway. The Glock is the perfect fit for the job. Don’t cry about the Grip Angle. You get used to it pretty quickly if you decide you want to.
The main problem with the 10mm Cartridge is not the Cartridge its self. Its not that the ammo is more expensive than others… Because its not… It’s what, 2 bucks more than .45 Auto? The problem is that it’s been a Commercial Meh. Why is that? Too powerful? I find it just like .45 Auto… it’s not too much. The FBI dropped it, not because it’s too gun for their Accountants, Lawyers and sundry beancounters… It was because there was too much of the gun for them to get their hands around. The 1006 was a gun made for Non-Human hands. It didn’t fit all those little girly hands, so they were not able to shoot it very well.
What the 10mm needs is for the gun makers to put out the guns that people are already buying, and give them the 10mm Option for it. M&P, XDM, and the Storm are three of the most popular guns out there as far as our local sales go… and none are offered in the 10. This is the 10’s main issue in a nutshell… There are no 10mm options in the guns people are wanting to buy.
Guns that SHOULD be available in 10mm.
1. S&W M&P. In Full, Tactical, and Compact sizes.
2. SIG P220. In both Full and Compact.
3. Springfield XDM. In the Full, Tactical and Compact.
4. CZ 97B. The new style with the Decocker.
5. HK45. They have two sizes and neither are 10mm.
6. FNH FNP Tactical. This would turn a 10mm pistol into an offensive platform.
Compact 9mm’s
Another happy moment
Check this out guys. In the last pistol class, we had a young lady attend who trained as hard as she could running a Walther that didn’t want to run. She did her everloving best and got through the course. Today, Dad got her a nice present… a new SIG. Niki was so excited she was giggling constantly and doing that “Pee-Pee Dance”. The genuine delight was wonderful, radiant, and infectious… she had other customers grinning too.
Nothing better than a New Gun! That’s some awesome Pro-Level parenting, Dad. Good job!
Beretta Nano or SIG P290?
We finally got in a couple of the little Beretta Nano’s. A very slim single stack 9mm. It’s a striker fired gun, much like the S&W Shield. For the same price, between the two, the Shield is easily the better gun.
The Nano looks nifty at first. Cool looking lines. Unfortunately it feels kind of awkward in the hand. The trigger pull isn’t bad… it’s no Sigma, but it’s not good. I’ll call it average. But the way the gun points and feels… it’s just… not there. It’s like the Italians designed it for looks to fit within a very small box, not to be an actual firearm for a human to use. Italians are great at designing for looks first and foremost. The only Italians that design for actual performance is Ducati… unfortunately they don’t make guns.
So the gun closest to the Nano, the Shield… Shield wins. Another Striker Fired single stack is the Walther PPS. Unfortunately Walther continues to struggle for relevance in the market, and I am no fan of the PPS. Like the Nano, just because you can make it that small – doesn’t mean you should. Yet it can be done right. SIG is very close to the same size as the Nano. And for the love of all that is good and holy in the world… I think the Germans made a better looking machine than the Italians. Cleaner lines, and it looks like there are no forgotten parts on the gun.
This SIG P290 as pictured does have a higher price tag, but it is coming with Tritium Night Sights and a Laser Module…. two features I rather like on a defensive pistol. I firmly believe that night sights are not optional on a defensive handguns – they are mandatory. SIG has great night sights. The Nano… not so much. The Laser is a bonus. The actions of the two guns show a greater disparity of quality. The SIG is much smoother than the Beretta, it’s like the difference between a night with a Hot Octoberfest Beer Maiden… and the Nano’s Prison Rape by your Cell Mate at San Quentin. Which one would you want to spend quality time with?
The SIG is much better feeling in the hand, and it has a slide release that is not in the way, obrusive, or awkward in anyway. It is there, and it works. Like it should. You don’t have to think about it. The Nano’s complete lack of it… What is this? A Magnum Research Micro Eagle? Come on. Kahr hangs a squared off mailbox off the side of their guns – but at least they have them. The Nano is trying to be slick by leaving the lever off. I’d rather have the mailbox, thank you. Beretta needs to look at the SIG to see how it’s done. Also, the SIG’s texture is superior. You can grip it and it’s not abrasive… it’s just… grippier. And it doesn’t snag clothes. Just like it should. The Nano… not so much. Oh, it’s snag free. But it’s also gripless. Gripless, Pointless… The SIG P290 just makes the Nano seem a cheaper, sadder thing. It’s a good thing it’s cheaper. It will appeal to those without the means to appreciate better. Like a Hi-Point. In fact, the Nano looks like shrunken an flattened Hi-Point. The SIG, looks like freaking SIG. A weapon you can trust. It feels like a weapon you can trust. And they actually shoot very well on top of it all! I’m sure the Nano shoots just fine… but do you really want to?