Tag Archives: Pistols

Weapons

HK VP9SK

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In my brief on the FN Reflex, I let slip that I owned the HK VP9SK. This pistol has been on the market for some time now (2017). Since I mentioned it, I might as well talk about this one too.

The VP9SK is as the name implies, it’s simply a compact version of the VP9 which has been out since before Trump’s first presidential term. 2014 actually. Back when I was helping run a certain Gun Store and Range, I was able to spend some time with the VP9, and it impressed the hell out of me. It was a good looking piece, with good sights and one of the best striker triggers I had ever felt. In fact, it shot so good for me, I actually won a bullseye contest with it.

I snagged this one when a sweet trade option came to me because I really did like the VP9, and this EDC Friendly Version of that just seemed like a great way to go. The trade offer was straight across and the gun I traded was completely useless to me, so why not?

The ergonomics on it are great, due to the swappable back strap and side plates on the grip… you can make it fit your hand perfectly. Which is a huge advantage. The un-ergo thing for a lot of shooters is the HK Magazine release. Americans prefer buttons… but I’ve run the HK USP as a Duty Pistol and got used to that, so the German Way is not unfamiliar to me.

Firing the HK VP9SK is a pleasure. For one so compact, this little HK feels absolutely plush compared to other pistols in this class. Compared to most Micro Compacts which can feel rather “Snappy”, the VP9SK feels like a Cadillac. The accuracy is very good. And with some practice getting reacquainted with the paddle mag-release, speed reloads and “Tactical” reloads are very easy and quick. Something some of the Micros cause struggles with.

The VP9SK is an interesting pistol… Because the newest HK that just dropped, the CC9, is basically a VP9SK that got into Crossfit and Bicycling and Veganism and won’t let you forget about it. I think the CC9 is a bit late to the Micro Game, and is kind of unneeded because THIS EXISTS and the CC9 doesn’t offer anything over this, save for being slightly skinnier, has the Button mag release, and is made in the USA… and now we’re MAGA Country again, so we’ve got that going for us. Which is nice.

In short, if you are considering a Micro Compact, but don’t quite like the way any of them feel… The VP9SK is probably a great choice for you. But don’t take my word for it. Go find one at your Local Gun Seller, and wrap your hands around it. You’ll be glad you did.

Weapons

FN Reflex

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FN was a little late to the Micro Compact 9mm game when they came out with the Reflex. But don’t hold that against them… Because they built the best one. 11+1 capacity with the flush mag, and 15+1 with the extended mag. This smokes the other competitors in terms of Capacity. It has fantastic sights and trigger that feel like a Single Action. There’s a good reason for that trigger feel… Because it is a Single Action trigger. In fact, regardless of the looks, this gun isn’t a Striker Fired gun at all. There is a Hammer in there. An actual, honest to Thor hammer where the striker system normally lives. Hidden Hammer guns are nothing new… Just really rare in today’s market. Because of this, the trigger pull and reset are a little different than other guns in this class. So that might take a bit to get used to. But once you do, it’s no problem at all. Because even though it’s different… It’s a very good trigger.

In the hand, the Reflex is TINY. But it doesn’t shoot like a tiny gun. It is a bit snappy, but not unpleasantly so. You can add the Pinky Wedge floorplate to the flush magazine so your pinky finger doesn’t dangle. If you want. The extended magazine gives you both a full capacity and a full grip, just like everything else in the Micro Compact Class. Unlike the other Micros, the Grip Texture FN uses, while aggressive, really locks the gun in place while shooting.

FN is well known for making absolute shooting MACHINES. This little guy runs like an Engine. A furious little engine powered by 9mm ammunition and anger. The slide is even easy to operate. A lot of Micros have stiff slides that can be a tad bit difficult to run, but the Reflex is easy. It’s also spookily accurate. I found it easy to keep all of my 15 yard shots in the 10 Ring.

Now, HK just released the CC9, which is a slimmed down VP9SK that had some Cosmetic Surgery to turn it from a Sub-Compact 9 into the desired Micro 9. And I don’t say that like it’s a bad thing… Because the FN Reflex looks like it’s a 509 that had the same operation. (But it’s not)

Full Disclosure. I have the VP9SK and it’s a fantastic EDC option. It’s only a little bit bigger than the Reflex. And it shoots amazingly well, as you would expect with anything from HK. The Reflex does carry better, being a bit smaller and a bit lighter… and it shoots almost as good as the HK. And while being smaller and lighter it has more capacity than the VP9SK, and more than new HK CC9. So if you are thinking about the CC9… get the Reflex.

In short, if you are in the market for Micro 9 as an EDC gun… get the Reflex. It’s the astute choice for those that want their cake, and want to eat it as well. You really don’t sacrifice much at all with the FN Reflex. You can get an Optics Ready version, and there are sub-compact lights that will fit on the rail as well. So it has everything you could want. I have no complaints or criticisms about this piece at all. And that’s a first for me. I’ve been examining ALL of the Micro 9s on the market, and I think FN has made the perfect one.

The only downside to the FN Reflex is the same as any gun choice that Zigs and not Zags… and that’s Holster Selection. There are holsters out there for it, but your options are limited. Luckily, the FN Store has those options in stock for you. If you go to your local gun seller, such as Cabella’s, you will a plethora of holster options for the Glocks, Hellcats, M&Ps, and 365s… and nothing for the Reflex. So if you want to get the Reflex, just go ahead and order the holster online that fits your style and get it on the way before you go pick up your Reflex. Because as soon as you do get the Reflex… You are going to want to carry it immediately.

Weapons

I’m a 1911 guy, but…

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You guys know I’m not in the Gun Business anymore – Not in any way. But once in a while, I do talk guns. Mostly folks who know very little about them, who want to run their mouths about how great their Taurus is and then ask me what I think. I have to put in effort to not roll my eyes… Smile, and say they’re a great value for the money. And then I exit stage right as quickly as possible. But sometimes, I actually have a great conversation about guns. These are rare these days, and I enjoy them. But I’ve seen a trend with Gun Guys… This is something that kinda makes my eye twitch just a little… “I’m a 1911 Guy, but…”

So, saying you’re a 1911 Guy is supposed to give you some sort of Authenticity. A Ballistically Moral High Ground. Or some sort of Trendy Gun Hipster Status. Maybe it’d to establish some sort of Fudd ground… Like saying “I’m a 1911 Guy” makes you a True Gun Guy.

And then they say “But”. When you say “But”, that pretty much means that what you said just before, is total bullshit. “I’m a 1911 Guy, But…” tells me that no, you’re not a 1911 Guy. Usually, the sentence finishes up with them saying they carry a Glock or an M&P or something other than a 1911. Look, it’s simple… If you don’t carry a 1911, then you are not a 1911 Guy.

“But wait”, you say… You are going to tell me that you shoot your 1911 at the range the most often. That you’re a competitive shooter and you use a 1911 in your matches. Really? So you do all this training and exercising of your skills with a 1911… But when it comes to what you stake your life on, you do so with something else? What you just explained to me is that you don’t actually shoot with your Carry Gun, you just carry it. For emergency use. Dude… WHY do you even carry a gun? Just to have? So that life-saving device that you carry with you isn’t the one you train with the most? It’s not the one you challenge yourself with? Of all the guns you train with… the one you should be using is the one you are packing to bet your life with – and the lives of your loved ones. That’s the one you need to be working out with. So no, you’re not a 1911 Guy. You’re a Poser.

NOTE: The only guys that get a pass on this, are you guys out there at carry a gun for a living that’s either Department Issued, or Department Mandated… I know most Departments don’t even allow 1911’s anymore – and that’s sad, but not your fault. You get that pass, because it wasn’t your choice. I’m talking about the guys that have a choice.

I’m a 1911 Guy and a SIG P22X Guy. Any SIG Pistol that starts with “22” is awesome in my book and I love them. 220, 224, 226, 227, 228, 229… and I do quite often carry an M11A1, which is essentially just a 228 with factory night sights. I’ll carry that piece on special occasions, now and then. And I’ve shot the hell out of them for hundreds of thousands of rounds, and I’m very familiar with their handling characteristics.

Back to the 1911 again. The gun I carry most of the time, almost daily, is a 1911. Because while I love the SIG 22X platform with that smooth DA/SA trigger and rebounding hammer… There’s something very special to me about the 1911. No other pistol allows me to make such accurate first-round hits. And no other hit in a firefight is so important as the first round. Most of the time, that first round is also the last round. I love that the 1911 points so naturally, it’s a thought and not an action… I don’t do it – I just think it and it’s done. Sorcery. That’s a 1911 for me. And that’s why it’s my preference for the majority of my Pistol Packing Policy.

Out of all of the myriad of 1911 types and configurations out there… All of them being excellent, of course… my very favorite is the classic Light Weight Commander. In .45 Auto. This formula fits me to a T. I could actually quite easily just forego all other pistols and carry nothing but an LWC-1911-45. If I knew I was walking into a situation where I was going to have to draw and shoot, and that my life was on the line… I’d want no other gun on me.

(If I knew it was going to be an actual firefight and concealment wasn’t a requirement – SHOTGUN – but that’s another article)

Weapons

Springfield Armory MC Operator

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If I were in the market for another full sized, railed 1911, I’d be looking for a Springfield Armory MC Operator. Let me tell you why…

Back when I was still in the Gun Industry, a Springer Rep came with a number of guns to try out first hand. I shot the lot of them, but the one I kept coming back to was the MC Operator. It just felt awesome in the hand, was exceptionally accurate for me, and it was flawlessly reliable.

A couple years after that, I was visiting the MARSOC armory at Camp Lejeune. We were fitting holsters for their new Colt Rail Guns, that won the contract to replace the MC Operators. The Marine Operators there spoke highly of the Springers and talked about how they never had problems with them… and the new Colts were giving them fits and nightmares. This made a lasting impression on me… and here I am years later again, and the MC Operator remains just as accurate and reliable for those that I know that have them and shoot them.

There are a lot of great railed 1911’s out there on the market. But few provide the bang for the buck value that the Springfield MC Operator gives you.

Weapons

FN Five-seveN

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FN’s Five-seveN pistol is one strange handgun. The exterior of the pistol is all polymer, including the slide. The gun is very light with a balance that makes it feel like some sort of toy. The safety strange too, like an AR-15’s safety, but reversed. The 5.7x28mm cartridge it fires is also odd, like a little bottle-necked rifle cartridge.

But as strange as it is, the gun works very well. It’s accurate and reliable. And it hits like a .22 Magnum from a rifle. Which is impressive from a handgun. And with a full 20 rounds in the magazine, that’s a good amount of firepower on tap. And with the proper ammo selection, it’s armor piercing.

The gun is odd feeling in the hand. The long narrow profile of the grip frame is different. It’s 1911 Government Model in size, so it points well, and handles the recoil quite well too. What recoil there is. It’s low. And the trigger is different too. But it’s not bad. Not bad at all. But the oddities all mix together into something unique and pretty damn cool. Making hits with the Five-seveN is easy.

If there is any downside to the Five-seveN, its that it’s $1,435.00 MSRP makes it an expensive novelty with a proprietary cartridge that needs to be chambered in a small light bolt action rifle that would then equal a .22 Hornet. Instead of a nice little bolty, the option is the FN P90 series of carbines which is even stranger than this pistol. Which is pretty dang good. The options for holsters and ammo is limited, but they’re out there. Overall, I like these weird little pistols and shooting them is a blast.

Weapons

The Most Unreliable Pistols

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I put out a survey and talked to a lot of Firearms Instructors about the most consistently unreliable pistols they’ve seen come through their classes.  When the pattern emerged through the Signal/Noise filters, it confirmed my theory.   Short Barreled 1911’s are the Most Unreliable.   Let’s look at this for a second and see why.
The 1911 family of guns tend to be very reliable.  During the Pistol Trials before the gun was adopted by the US Army, the Colt ran well over 6,000 without problems and thoroughly crushed the competition (Savage) which didn’t even make it halfway.   Since then, it garnered a reputation for being unreliable?  What happened?
Well, for a long time, Colt owned the patent on the design and if a 1911 wasn’t built by Colt, it was built under license and the guns all tended to follow that pattern rather closely.

Continue reading The Most Unreliable Pistols →

Weapons

Top 5 Production 1911 Pistols.

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At my core, I’m a 1911 Guy.  Though I have a great fondness for SIG, CZ, and Beretta DA/SA type pistols, and a love of Revolvers… my heart belongs to the 1911.    I get asked about them from time to time, though not as often as I used to.  Because everyone’s talking about polymer framed, striker fired pistols these days.  People are generally forgetting about the amazingly wonderful 1911.  When asked, I’m most often asked about what my top choices are in a 1911.  And usually, I’m asked about this after the person buys their 1911 pistol and then gets their Feels bruised because their pistol isn’t on my list.
Now, as far as lists go, I’m not going to a top 5 Brands.  Because that’s not just boring, but obvious.  So I’m going to pick the Top 5 Pistols.  The individual model version… This is a much more challenging list.  Made far more difficult by limiting it to only 5 pistols when this list could easily – very easily – go to a Top 20.  So if you’re baby isn’t in the top 5, it’s probably really close… so your knee-jerk reaction of “What about this?” is going to be answered with, “There Can Be Only Five.”
Also, this list is just for Production pistols… Wilson Combat, Nighthawk Custom, Carolina Arms Group, Ed Brown, Les Baer and the like, I classify as “Custom” 1911’s.
Anyways, without any more preamble, here’s my Top 5 Production 1911 Pistols: Continue reading Top 5 Production 1911 Pistols. →

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.