Flatland Gun Nut

G&A Gets It Wrong Again

2011-12-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

As I was checking my facetube account, I noticed an update from Guns&Ammo. They're still doing zombie-themed stuff, which I could live without, but they had a list of "great zombie calibers". There is no list of zombie calibers. There is only one zombie caliber: .22 Long Rifle. Only headshots count, so all the kinetic energy in the world is useless if it doesn't hit some grey matter.

I'm pretty tired of zombie-themed things, but I have to set the record straight here. G&A lists the common handgun and rifle calibers, to include .308win, .223/5.56x45, 30-30, .270, 9x19mm, 45ACP, 44 Rem Mag, and .38Spl. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong. Those of you who are also gun nuts, go get 100 rounds of any of G&A's calibers listed, then get 100 rounds of .22LR and tell me which one you'd be more mobile with.

Additionally, you can get wildly accurate and anvil-reliable .22LR semi-auto rifles, chief of which is the venerable Ruger 10/22. You can also get equally reliable and accurate .22LR pistols like the Ruger MKII/III and Browning Buckmark. Conversions for 1911s and Glocks are also available.

In every zombie movie, there is a horde that must be escaped or a building that must be defended. Well, in either case, each person in your surviving band could carry two or three thousand rounds of ammo. Additionally, the .22LR is so low pressure that guns chambered for it have a virtually unlimited service life with only the most basic maintenance. The old .22LR doesn't burn up barrels either, though leading can be a problem with softer projectiles. But that can be cured with a quick brush and rod or bore snake if time isn't available for a proper cleaning.

To my mind, the .22LR is a great solution for a number of real-world problems, as well as whatever imaginary ones we can come up with. But Hornady probably doesn't make Z-Max ammo in .22LR.

2011-12-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

I hit the range over the weekend. Managed to dust off my trusty Savage 10FCP HS Precision, crank about a million more rounds through my H&K MP5-22, and fall in love with a Glock 20. I'll start with the torrid love-affair first.

So my hetero-lifepartner is a 10mm cultist and has a Glock 20 and 29 (as well as a Delta Elite) that he took with us to a very nice range in the western reaches of the flatlands. I hung up a 100-yard rifle zero target at about 20 yards and my friend handed me his prized G20 and a 15-round magazine of PRVI Partisan 180gr JHPs. I took the first three shots slowly, analyzing my technique and carefully aiming. I lowered the muzzle and saw that a chunk of the bright red bullseye was gone. Happy with myself, I let five more go. More rapidly this time. Again, I lowered the muzzle and the red bullseye was almost gone, and the 9 ring had been pierced as well. I finished the mag as fast as I could get the front sight back on target and I was pleasantly surprised. That thing was stunningly accurate. Of course, my much-missed G17 was plenty accurate and took a number of rabbits and other unlucky vermin.

Now, while I respect and admire the 10mm round, if I get a full size Glock, it will be a 21 because I am lazy and don't want to load for yet another caliber. Yes, the 10mm is much more powerful, but I can slap a Storm Lake barrel in the G21 and shoot the same reloads I put through my faithful Para LTC. Although I like the idea of loading my own 40cal 180gr XTPs at 1250fps and launching them through a Storm Lake barreled G20.

My old reliable 10FCP put up two 3/4" groups at 200 yards with my excellent Sierra Matchking loads. I prefer the 168gr projectile, though I have used 175s with similar results. Basically I shoot 168s because thats the load I have the most proven data on for my rifle and I'm too lazy to re-zero and work up a new data book for my rifle.

That reminds me. If you're into accuracy, keep a log book on your rifle. I started doing it this weekend and it really did help me to think about each and every round that was launched. I also sketch out where on the paper each round hit and make any necessary comments. The most common comment in my book is "shooter error. No change to call." but it does keep me from dialing when not necessary, and I now know *exactly* where my 200 yard zero is, and *exactly* where my 100 yard zero is. When I finally get to a 300 or 400 yard range, I can extrapolate calls to get me on paper and dial it precisely from there. It's super tedious if you're not into details, but I'm a nerd, so I like it. Also, the reason I don't have pictures of my two half-MOA groups is that my target is also in my log book. If I get around to it, I'll put up pics later this week.

And I'm off to watch MNF. Until next time!

White Collar White Lighting

2011-12-07T17:15:00.001-08:00

So while I'm off topic, I'd like to mention a new whiskey I just tried. It's from an Iowa distillery, and it's called "Cedar Ridge Unaged Whiskey". And it is one of the best things ever created by humans. Here's a festive picture of the bottle:

I'm drinking it neat at room temperature, and it's pretty awesome. The first note is like really good vodka or sake', which is to say, it doesn't have much flavor at first. But it goes down with a whisper of whiskey flavor, and very little heat. Very little heat, even though it is 100 proof. Be CAREFUL with this stuff.

I don't always drink unaged whiskey, but when I do, I drink Cedar Ridge.

Oh, and it's about the same price as Jack Daniels, only this stuff is good.

FLGN Goes Political For A Minute

2011-11-27T19:42:00.001-08:00

Whenever I read about police brutality, or incompetent use of deadly force, it really makes me sick. It makes me doubly sick to read about young veterans of the current wars being cut down by trigger happy and incompetent police. See the link here. A US Marine in Arizona was gunned down by a SWAT team some time ago, and the shooting has been cleared, as has the phony baloney warrant used to do a dynamic entry into the home of a person suspected of being suspicious. From the information that Yahoo! so graciously provides, it looks like the police had little more than circumstantial evidence to suspect Jose Ortiz.

I've been a cop. In a small town, where our intelligence service was whatever we could pick up through the grapevine and substantiate through first-hand witnesses. Then came due process, where I would write a search warrant and get a judge to review it and see if I had done my due diligence. Most of the time, I had. Then, with warrant in hand, I would rally my superiors and we would make a plan. Our plan was ALWAYS a knock warrant, but with sufficient back-up to save us if someone decided to get crazy. Maybe I'm a hopeless libertarian. Maybe I'm an idealist. But my bosses and I, and the county and state police who backed up my warrants would always go in with the Road House mantra in mind: Be nice until it's time to stop being nice.

I served warrants on real drug dealers. Meth houses. Guys who pulled guns on a whim. Most of them would give up when they saw me and my boss on their doorstep. In my opinion, SWAT teams should not serve warrants. SWAT should only be used for emergencies. And I don't have too many nice things to say about SWAT cops. Many of the ones I have met have been dumb jocks who didn't have the balls to join the military. A few have served, and a few are great fellas, but by and large, they just want to play Army and would relish the idea to "kill a bad guy".

I have no doubt that Jose Ortiz answered the door with an AR15 upon hearing a loud boom and seeing men in masks clad in black swarming toward his house. I would probably arrive at my door with my Para LTC in hand if I heard a flashbang or shotgun blast and saw people in black outfits heading toward my door. Why it was necessary at all to use SWAT to serve this warrant is beyond me. If you have such strong evidence, then why not arrest Jose on his way to work and then serve the search warrant? If he really was a drug dealer, why were no drugs found on his property? If he really was a bad guy, where is the evidence? The only thing the story proves is that Jose Ortiz was killed in his home in front of his family on suspicion of being suspicious.

And to top it all off, the team dumped 71 rounds into the man's house with his wife and child inside. What a shame. For the 2nd Amendment crowd, for the police community, and veterans everywhere. I hope Pima County makes this right. Someone needs to lose a badge, and maybe a few years of freedom.

Medium Iron

2011-11-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

One of the first handguns I ever fired was a 1911, and I've had a soft spot for the old warhorse ever since. I have a Springfield GI 1911 that I customized and spends most of its time as a .22LR with a Ceiner slide. I also have a Para LTC that is getting back into my concealed carry rotation, but spends most of its time as my woods companion or at the range.

So over the Thanksgiving holiday, I went to the family farm and proceeded to bust a few caps in the Para. I put a hundred of my handloaded 200 grain hardcast LSWCs (powered by a near max load of HP38) and 50 rounds of Federal 230gr FMJs. I've always been pretty decent with a 1911, but I threw in the wrinkle of talking to a friend on my cell phone (by wedging it under my ear muffs) and shooting for group at 20 yards. Things turned out okay.

Said 20 yard cell phone group.

I've had the LTC for about a year now, but with the deployment, I haven't spent much time with it. But I do have a few observations. First, the black finish on the slide is not very durable. While I haven't yet had a battle with rust, the finish wears off at an alarming rate. A hundred rounds will usually result in a new scratch near the ejection port. That's annoying on a $700 gun. Next year I will probably pay a guy I know to refinish the slide with CeraKote. But it shouldn't be necessary on such a high dollar piece. Also, both Para 8 round mags failed. They were prone to double-feed. I had a bunch of GI 7 round mags, and that's what I prefer to use. I may pick up a Mec-Gar 8 rounder later and see how that works out.

Scratches from ejection/holster wear.

Holster wear from my Fobus scabbard.

That said, my Para is very accurate and totally reliable with Winchester Supreme Elite 230gr JHPs, 200gr LSWC handloads, and 230gr ball of several makes. I think I've put a few Winchester Silvertip 185gr rounds through it too, but not enough to form a conclusion about their reliability through my pistol.

The 1911 has always been controversial. In the early days it was too dangerous, having only a single action trigger. Now it is dangerous because it has a thumb safety and some internet heroes will tell you that it's impossible to remember to flick the safety off under stress (you mean like soldiers do every day on their M4s?). Capacity is relatively low now compared to the M&Ps and Glocks of the world. And it weighs a lot more, which is an issue for all day carry.

25 yards just plinkin'.

I shot a mag transitioning from left dot to right dot quickly.

I will always have a soft spot for big, heavy, metal guns with great triggers. I have fond memories of learning to shoot with a 1911, and doing a few shooting matches as a teen. I will probably always have a 1911, and I believe it will always be king of the target range, though detractors constantly declare it obsolete.

Reality Bites

2011-11-10T07:42:00.001-08:00

Two things make me want to pull my remaining hair out when it comes to firearms training. #1- Training to snatch a pistol from an assailant's hands. #2- Training to clear your house when you hear a noise at night or to confront an intruder. These things are absurd and will probably kill you, but they are a neat "hook" to get people into martial arts and firearms schools. Now sit back while I blow off some steam.

First, the Jackie Chan pistol-takeaway. There are dozens of different schools and techniques, but they pretty much all involve you taking a pistol from an attacker. The thought is that if an attacker gets too close, it would afford you the opportunity to disarm them. Well, I agree with the principle that you should go out fighting, but this is an absolute last-ditch effort and a motivated attacker isn't going to let loose of that gun. You should accept the fact that you're getting shot in the effort, whether it works or not. Don't believe me? Buy an airsoft pistol and have a friend point it at you (wear appropriate protective gear) and try to take it from them. I would bet you get shot 80 or 90% of the time and the gun goes off every time--regardless of outcome. The pistol-takeaway is a neat trick, but I would spend most of my time training for something else and doing my best to avoid this situation. Those of you out there who are not spies or convenience store clerks will probably not have to worry about this scenario. Ever.

Second, clearing your house. Let me start by saying that at this point I've been in the infantry for over nine years. I've done two deployments to Eastern Trashcanistan, and served as both team and squad leader for real-life operations where we had to clear houses. If you get online and download a Warrior Task Manual, you will find that the task "Enter and Clear a Room" is listed as a fire-team level task. That means that you never clear a room with less than three people. Clearing a house is generally a platoon level task at least. That means to clear your house properly, you need about 27 people. Granted, part of that platoon will be providing support from outside, but no less than 15 would be assigned as entry teams.

My advice is to have a plan for things that go "bump" in the night, and that plan is to hold one room with everyone inside while one adult holds a gun on the(locked) door and another dials 9-1-1. Again, if you want to test my logic, buy a pair of airsoft pistols and try your luck against a buddy. My suggestion is to tell your friend (the "invader") to pick a spot and stay there. I think you will be surprised how hard it is to clear a room even against a static target.

That said, I don't think it's silly to learn how to clear rooms. It's really fun and a buddy and I bought .22LR clones of classic "tactical" weapons just so we can relive our glory days without being shot. Learning to clear rooms is great and you should always seek more training if you want it, but don't let it go to your head. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Well, thanks for tuning in for my little rant. I'm heading to the family farm for the weekend. Probably going to play with the MP-5 while I'm there. Maybe that will generate a new post. Maybe not. Keep your stick on the ice!

Badgers Badgers Badgers Badgers....

2011-10-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

My Badger Custom grips came in over the weekend and they look amazing. Unfortunately, I still can't locate my camera. Anyway, the grips look even better than the (stolen) picture from my last post. My SP101 looks like it could destroy Aldoran. The grips are super comfortable and have a glassy shine. They carry really great in my jacket pocket and at 4 o'clock in my bellyband. The only drawback is that they aren't relieved enough near the cylinder to allow a reload from a 5-shot HKS speedloader. Of course, since Badger is a custom shop, you can order specially relieved grips for use with speedloaders. I use Bianchi strips for concealed carry anyway. I like HKS loaders on the range and at matches, but in the real world, the strips just work better.

Anyway, maybe this weekend I can get some range time with the new grips. And find my camera.

SP-101 Part II

2011-10-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

I got to crank out about 150 rounds from the new SP 101 over the weekend, but I couldn't find my digital camera, which is annoying, so I'll have to steal other pictures to make up for it. I never really made any noteworthy groups anyway. I spent the bulk of the time from the 10 yard line and had good results. I used my K-frame-sized Fobus paddle holster to draw and fire two or three shots at a time as quickly as possible...with mixed results.

When loaded with Winchester White Box 110gr .357 mag loads (box claims 1300fps in a 4" barrel) or any flavor of .38spl I could make a roughly quarter sized group at 10 yards when firing at a comfortable pace. As I turned up the speed, it went to more a dollar bill sized group. Not bad by any means, but I felt the grip was too small at the top and the hammer is very over-sprung. To remedy this, I have ordered a Badger Custom boot grip and a spring tune kit from Wolff. Below is a similar 3" SP101 with the black boot cut grip I ordered. Note the thickness near the top.

The SP101 was completely reliable and never had casings stick to the cylinder, and the properly sized ejector rod knocked all rounds safely clear of the gun to make for a quick reload from an HKS speedloader.

I had four kinds of ammo on hand for my initial test-fire. In 357mag, I had some handloads consisting of 158gr XTPs over a stout charge of Hodgdon Lil'Gun, and Winchester 110gr "357 magnum" quoted at 1290fps. In 38 Special, I had a few rounds of Winchester 38+P 125gr JHPs, and a couple of boxes of my own 125gr LFN handloads over a stout-ish dose of HP-38. All of them shot to point of aim at 10 yards. The only load that produced any kind of recoil was my 158gr XTP load, which should have been producing over 680 ft/lbs of energy from the 3" Ruger. Buffalo Bore offers a very similar loading, though I think they use a 158gr Gold Dot instead of XTP. This load is what will be in the gun when I'm in the woods. I will be purchasing some Buffalo Bore ammo to carry on the street.

In general, I'm really happy with the SP101. It is very nice to carry both concealed and on my hip when I'm out in the wild. The 3" barrel and 5-shot cylinder make this gun small enough to be very handy to carry without sacrificing utility. This gun will do it all, and is stout enough to do it for a lifetime. I'm very happy with my SP101 as-is, but will do yet another update once I install the shiny new grips and reduced power spring.

2011-10-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

I've been busy getting set up again here in the US of A, and kinda busy. But I did go get my carry permit renewed and I've picked up another carry piece that I'm pretty proud of. Yep, I'm carrying a five-shooter again. This time it's a Ruger SP-101 3" .357 Magnum, and I'm really liking what I see so far. Hopefully I will get in some good range time this weekend, so for now I'm doing a "first impressions" kind of look at it.

The DA trigger is VERY heavy but pretty smooth, though it isn't classic S&W smooth. The single action is really great, so I probably won't be doing any spring-swapping but will break it down and polish all the guts once I get my tools out of storage.

Size wise, it is almost the same as my M&P9c, but packs nicer because of the grip and barrel geometry. I've done some test-runs carrying it in a Bulldog bellyband around my new apartment, both in the 4-o'clock and 11 o'clock crossdraw position. It is much more comfortable to wear than the M&P9c, though going from 13 rounds on deck to just five may be too much of a trade for some folks.

The sights are a familiar and extremely rugged groove down the top strap and simple pinned blade front. Nothing special, but far from inadequate. I dig that arrangement, though I wouldn't fault someone for replacing the front blade with a tritium night sight. There are many inexpensive options from quality names out there. Grips, however, are harder to find. I am already thinking of going to some very handsome wood grips from Badger Custom Grips. They're expensive, but worth it to accommodate my larger mitts, though the factory grip is adequate.

Now, why did I pick this model of this gun to add to my stable? Well, this is a great all-arounder. It's small enough to pack, but large and sturdy enough to digest a steady diet of magnum loads, though I will probably stay away from the super hot 125gr variations that were linked (correctly or not) to flame cutting and damaging the forcing cones on earlier .357 mags. I plan on using a 158gr Hornady XTP powered by a stout dose of Hodgdon Lil'Gun as my hiking load, and a factory load from Winchester as my carry ammo. I chose the 3" model because I've read a number of blogs and reports with chrono data which leads me to believe I can get 90%-95% of the velocity offered by a 4" barrel. That means my little five shooter could drop a 700ft/lb bomb on an aggressor of either two or four-legged variety. To me, that is more compelling than 13 rounds of any 9mm +P on the market. I'm not a "bigger is always better" guy, but stoutly loaded factory ammo in the 500-700ft/lb range is pretty appealing to me.

I'm also a revolver lover of epic proportions. Yeah, I only have five shots, but those five shots should deliver twice the kinetic energy of any concealable auto-loader . There are a number of subjective reasons why I like wheelguns, but the biggest reason I can justify spending the cash on this gun is that it can do double duty as a kit gun and a carry piece. Now, most folks think of a smallish .22LR as a real "kit gun", but since the state ecologists have decided that we need mountain lions where previously there were none, I like the idea of reaching for a .357 better than a .22LR. Also, the cost of reloading for .357 magnum is fairly low, providing you can find components.

That's it for now. Hopefully I can put up some pics of the genuine article and some holes in targets by Monday.

I'm Back! Also A Treatise on the MP5

2011-08-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Ahoy! I've been back from my second tour of Trashcanistan, this time as a team leader, and later as a squad leader. This latest tour was no fun at all, and I while I may discuss it later, right now I'm stoked about my "I'm still alive" present that I bought myself once I got home: The H&K MP5A5-22LR.

One of my best friends ended up being in my squad and during the boring and not terrifying segments of our deployment, we devised a 22LR action shooting league that we will try to launch as soon as we shoot a few matches amongst ourselves and work the bugs out of the scoring system. I've always wanted an MP5, and a .22LR MP5 makes for one awesome range toy.

I started by online-stalking some GSG-5 rifles, and eventually calling around to some big box sporting goods stores and my favorite, Sportsman's Warehouse (who offers a military discount) had no GSGs but did have two H&Ks. The next day I drove up and bought the MP5A5 Navy version. The other one was an MP5SD6 Navy version. Though both had a collapsable stock, I chose the A5 because it was slightly less bulky than the SD6. $500 later, I had the Navy and two bricks of American Eagle .22LR High Velocity in the trunk of my Subaru WRX.

The best sights that 1970 has to offer.

I have since put about 2000 rounds through the (Walther) H&K MP5A5, and I came up with the following. First, the sights are authentic drum and hooded post H&K sights which are totally unacceptable if you are looking for a target rifle. I sighted in the irons while prone over a shooting bag and I never made any noteworthy groups at 25 or 50 yards, though they were all perfectly acceptable. Then I purchased a Leapers UTG picatinny rail for it, and after machining it because it is built totally wrong for an MP5, I mounted my Vortex Strikefire red dot. Suddenly the groups shrank DRASTICALLY. The attached photo is my initial 25 yard zero target. Once I made my adjustments, I put four rounds into a ragged hole in the bull's eye and of course sent one flyer less than half an inch from the group. This thing is a shooter! I shot a number of walnuts off a post at my friend's house when we were playing with it. Usually on the first shot, and never more than three shots were sent before a walnut exploded like the Death Star after a visit from Luke Skywalker. Shots were generally 40-55 yards kneeling or offhand. Again, this gun is a shooter! It is heavy though. It weighs a shade less than seven pounds, which is about what a real MP5A5 weighs.

The can is fake. The performance is not.

Now for the interesting stuff. This gun WILL NOT accept GSG-5 magazines. You MUST purchase factory Walther magazines through Umarex USA. Again, GSG-5 mags DO NOT WORK IN THE H&K 22. However, the Umarex/Walther/HK mags are excellent. In 2000 rounds, I have experienced one failure, which was the 15th round ever fired, and it was a failure to feed, so I would guess the brand new magazine was not fully seated. Since then I have gone through two 600 round sessions with a mix of Federal bulk 22 and Winchester bulk 22, both copper washed 30-something grain HPs, and a number of shorter sessions with no failures. This gun can be filthy and disgusting and will still happily spit out brass sharply to the 3 o'clock at about four feet. The trigger is a two-stage affair with an effortless first stage and a roughly 5lb second stage with a sharp break. It shoulders and points well. Also, the bolt locks to the rear on the last round, and it locks against a real BHO device instead of just hanging up on the magazine follower, which is a rarity in .22LR clones. The safety is a short throw with a positive "snap" into position.

My best at 25 yards over a backpack as a rest.

If I were looking for a hunting .22, I would go with a bolt action Savage MkII. If you want a cheap range toy or tacticool toy, look no further. It looks the part, has genuine H&K markings, realistic control surfaces, and a collapsing stock for easy storage and transport.

A TREATISE ON THE MP5

This is 2011. The MP5 is dead. As a tactical, operational platform, the AR-15 has the submachinegun handily beaten. Any 12.5" barrel AR in 5.56mm will outperform any MP5 variant with muzzle energy, effective range, ease of use, available accessories (real accessories like IR aiming lasers, etc. Not whatever Tapco junk you can bolt on), and in virtually every other measurable dimension. Also, most ARs are FAR, FAR cheaper than a real MP5A5, so police in poor areas (like where I was a cop) can very easily get equipped. An MP5 is better than a 9mm pistol, but not better than an AR-15 SBR. The AR is just too versatile. By bolting on a different upper, you can change from a 12" room broom to an 18" designated marksman variant that is indeed deadly to 500 yards. The MP5 simply falls flat after 150 yards. Optimistically 200 yards.

That said, I've always wanted an MP5 since I read Tom Clancy's "Rainbow Six". I found a 9mm civilian MP5 once, and it was $5400, so I jumped at the chance to have an MP5 for $489. If you prefer the AR platform and want to shoot .22LR, the M&P15-22 is the bee's knees.

That's All Folks!

I'm glad to be back, and will continue to update regularly as I ease back into civilian life. Keep 'em in the 10-ring!

Out With A Bang

2010-07-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

This is my promised Kahr Arms CW9 review, which will also be my final article until I return from Afghanistan. The good news is that I'll be leaving on a high note.

My friend James and I argued a lot over my carrying a S&W 442. I loved my 442 because it was so small and light that it wasn't a pain to carry. I could easily conceal it under just a t-shirt in an IWB holster. James's counterpoint was that I only had five rounds of rather anemic .38+p on board and that it takes an eternity to light off the second shot because of muzzle rise. Then one day I went to a local big-box gun dealer and saw a Kahr CW9 in the gun case and just out of curiosity, I asked to see it. It was very small and very light. Strikingly light. Then I pulled the trigger and fell in love. It had the same long, smooth pull as my 442, but several pounds lighter. Add in that the CW9 has a 7 round magazine (8 with one in the pipe), and it didn't take long for me to make the trade.

As of this writing, I have about 350 rounds through the CW9 with no failures of any kind. It has been a fantastic carry piece, and I love it. The only hitch has been that one of the extra mags I bought (Kahr brand, not some cheap knockoff like Pro Mag) does not drop free. That's fine because I have two mags that do drop free and when I carry an autoloader, I typically only carry one extra magazine.

On to business, the first time I took the CW out, I practiced from 10 yards on a steel plate rack. I dropped one shot on the very first magazine I fired, but then went on to hit every time, and only missed when I rushed a shot. The gun is accurate. Sometimes I needed to adjust the nut behind the trigger though. I can draw from concealment and fire a volley of three or four and keep them all inside 4" from 10-15 yards. It handles fast too. There's some muzzle flip, but very little felt recoil. My M&P9c might be a bit quicker, but doesn't carry as nice. Oh, and I put about 50 rounds of Hornady XTP 124gr JHP through it without a hitch. I will feed it some 147gr Winchester Ranger STX tomorrow and see what happens. I'm guessing it will continue to be as reliable as an anvil.

On that note, I've been carrying my CW9 since I put the Kahr-recommended 200 rounds of "break-in" through it. It carries just as easily as my 442, if not a little easier. My shirt was forever being caught on the rubber grip of my 442 as I got in and out of cars or stood up out of chairs. The hard plastic grip of the CW doesn't do that, and it is easier to hide because it doesn't have that lump in the middle where the cylinder goes.

I will probably go back to the M&P for winter carry just because I get four more rounds in each magazine, but the CW is much thinner. The CW has a longer grip that accommodates my whole hand, but is about half an inch shorter down the slide. For a skinny kid, the CW makes more sense, and is really easy to put in the waistband every day. And that's what you want--a gun that you won't leave at home or in the glovebox because it's a pain to carry.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the CW. I would absolutely recommend it, especially given its very low sticker price. Mine was marked $440, but I got nearly $300 in trade from my 442. If you shop around, you can probably find one for around $400. Maybe less. Mags are a little pricey, especially since they only hold 7 rounds (8rd mags are available, but stick out under the grip).

I'm looking forward to shooting this thing a few more times before I strip it down for long term storage. Best of luck to my meager audience over the next year. Plan on seeing an owner's review of the 2011 Mustang GT when I get back.

Adios.

Coming Soon: Kahr Arms CW9 Review!

2010-07-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

I traded off my trusty S&W 442 for a Kahr Arms CW9 this morning. I should get some range time tonight, and quite a bit over the weekend. Coincidentally, my steel plate rack should be in this afternoon, so I may turn the little guy loose on that this weekend. Oh, and the Justin Timberlake vid is here because Kahr's tag line is "Thin Is Sexy". We'll see. I'm a Christina Hendricks fan myself.

Check Out My Brazilian!

2010-06-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I picked up a Taurus PT92 AFS (the shiny one) as a training stand-in for the much more expensive Beretta M9. I would have picked up a blued one, but they didn't have one in stock and the price was right anyway.

First off, Taurus builds the PT92 on old Beretta tooling they bought in the early 90s. The biggest difference is that the Taurus's safety is frame-mounted and has three positions: safe, fire, and decock. The Beretta's safety is mounted high on the slide and isn't as handy to use. The Beretta offers a better fit and finish, as I'll explain later, but the Taurus is several hundred dollars cheaper. Yesterday before dark, James and I headed out to give the PT92 AFS a good wringing out. 500 rounds later, I reached a conclusion.

My PT92 AFS came with two 17 round magazines, and that's about it. No plastic case or loading tool or any fancy extras that other makers give you, but again, that is reflected in the price. There are some tool marks on the inside, but not bad. The trigger was shockingly good. The double action pull was slick and nice. The single action pull was light and pretty crisp, which made for some tight groups at the range. From 25 yards, I could make repeated hits on my zombie target's 4" square scoring zone target made from printer paper and a thick sharpie. Accuracy was really quite good. Also, because this is an all steel, large-frame 9mm handgun, there is very little felt recoil. It handles FAST. Not through cleverness or science and math, but simply because they used 44 tons of stainless steel in this gun. It really started to grow on me by the second or third magazine.

But there were hints of Taurus's sordid quality control history. The issue was the magazine release, which hadn't been fully screwed into place. Just like the Beretta mag release button, one side is a nut and the other is threaded. You simply screw it in to lock it down. It had been screwed in, but was left one rotation short of being fully in place. That meant that under recoil, the button would shift downward and prevent the mag from being ejected when the button was pressed. When we got back to civilization, it took about five minutes to fix this, but it shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. On the range, this issue was annoying. On the street, this could have been fatal.

Additionally, Taurus has retrofit its 15 round PT92 mags to hold 17 rounds by changing the follower. And it hasn't really worked. It was hard to get past 15 rounds, and one mag held 17 while the other could only get to 16 before giving up. I'd rather just have 15 round mags that worked a little better. I had two occasions where the slide wasn't held open at the last round, but that could have been an ammo issue too, as I had some REALLY crappy NATO-knockoff stuff that had sleepy primers. I also had one double feed out of the 500 rounds expended. This was a mag problem and not a gun problem, so I'll let that go.

Over all, the PT92 series is a great Beretta knockoff. There are still some hiccups, but they are not huge issues. The mag button was a quick fix, and the mags worked, but I did order some Beretta brand mags from CDNN, and might relegate my factory mags to range use only. Mechanical function was outstanding. The only malfunction in 500 rounds was a double feed, which can't be blamed on the gun. It fired 115-124gr FMJs from three different manufacturers without issue. This gun is accurate and I think it is one of the fastest handling guns I've used. The only gun I can shoot any faster is the M&P9, and it wasn't a lot faster.

If you're okay with spending some cash on Beretta, Mec Gar, or C-Products mags (which are all pretty affordable--say $15-$20 each), then the Taurus is the gun to get. Especially if you're looking for a bargain-priced stock class competition gun. I can't wait to get a weekend off and take this thing up to the IDPA club.

Horse Sense

2010-05-30T14:13:00.001-07:00

Picture stolen from Motortrend

As I was relaxing before work a couple of days ago, I went to the Ford website just to see what was what for 2011, hoping against hope that the Fiesta would be offered as a 3-door with a turbo. It wasn't. Just for grins, I clicked on the 2011 Mustang GT and started playing with the "build and price" feature. Then my life changed.

I'd heard from a guy at my unit who tunes up and races Mustangs that the 2011 was supposed to have 400hp and get better fuel economy than the 2010. "Yeah, right" I thought to my self. But it's all true. And it's relatively cheap. My spec'd up Mustang GT that I built in the computer (with optional Brembo 14" brakes, window louvers, and side scoops) cost $32,500 or so. But it gets better. I read some reviews from Motortrend, Edmunds, and Car & Driver. Motortrend hooked their test 'stang up to a dyno and found that the engine did not make the 412HP that Ford claim. No, it made 435HP. This year's GT weighs about 200lbs less than a Camaro SS, and nearly 400lbs less than a top spec Challenger. It still isn't a light car, less weight is better.

The shock came when I watched a review by Edmunds. The Mustang GT danced through the slalom at 67+ mph, and pulled .91G on a skid pad. These are numbers not far off from a Mazda Miata and Mini Cooper S. This year's GT might not handle like a shed! Ford has done away with hydraulic steering, which sucks power from the engine and makes it feel like an F-150. Instead, the 2011 is an electronic rig which the reviewers loved. The Mustang might be verging on "sports car" status. Add in an EPA rated 17/26mpg, and it starts to get REALLY appealing.

Oh, I'm still going to drive the other cars I wrote about here before I buy, but the Mustang just nudged its way back into the running. I like hot hatchbacks and nimble roadsters, but there's something inherently appealing to me about thundering along in a Mustang behind a massive V8. Way to go, Ford, and please continue to be the fly in GM's taxpayer-funded ointment.

FlatlandCarNut

2010-05-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'm about 90 days out from going to Trashcanistan again, and oddly enough, it isn't a gun that I'm planning to blow my combat pay on. I really want a fast car, but to get something really fast, you have to pay quite a bit up front, and then continue paying for exotic engine oils, frequent maintenance that can only be done at a dealer, and tires that cost more than the gross national product of Paraguay. On top of that, I'm only 25, so the insurance man gets very nervous when I'm in the same place as a supercharger.

But let's examine my definition of "fast" for those of you who don't watch Top Gear constantly. The track has 12 turns and is 1.76 miles long. A Ferrari Enzo can do it in 1:19.0, a Lamborghini Murceliago can do it in 1:29.0, and an Audi S4 Quattro can do it in 1:30.9. A really good hot hatchback should do the track in the low 1:30s. Basically, to break the 1:30.0 mark, you have to spend about $60,000 on the car up front, plus all the high-dollar maintenance that such machines require down the road--let alone insurance costs.

So I've narrowed the field to three cars that I can afford, are cheap to own, and are reasonably fast according to the boys at Top Gear. Here they are in no particular order:

2004-2009 Honda S2000
237 hp@7800rpm, 162 ft/lb torque @ 6800rpm
Top Gear test track time: 1:37.4 (Very Wet--estimated 1:33.4 dry)

The S2000 is a much loved, simple, nimble roadster that is fun, cheap to run, and reliable. The only problem with this car is that American insurance companies don't like it because it is fast, cheap, reliable, and lots of middle-aged men wrap themselves around telephone poles in them. Insurance for me, as a third car for a married 25 year old male police officer is about $350/6 months for a $1000 comprehensive deductible and no collision coverage. That's sort of a lot, given that Honda doesn't make S2000s anymore, so you're paying lots of money to insure a second or third-hand car. I've found quite a few S2000s on the internet for $14,000 to $20,000 depending on year and miles. Not terribly expensive up front, but insurance might be a deal breaker.

Another slight against the S2000 is that all the power and torque comes at the very top of the rev range. Now, I haven't driven one, so I don't know how annoying it is, but my other two choices have more power more of the time. Also, I don't like convertibles, but I'd learn to live with it for such a nice little simple roadster.

2007-2010 Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works
208hp @ 6000rpm, 192 ft/lbs torque @ 1850-5600rpm
Top Gear time: 1:34.2

I have a friend with an older JCW that is supercharged (2007 and newer are turbo) and it is really, really nice. The interior is interesting and very comfortable. Also, it is quite fast and planted through the corners. The supercharger sounds great when you wind it up, but when you just want to drive somewhere like a normal person, it all settles down and you can just drive it like a small hatchback. I also think the Mini looks great. This car has four seats, and I can fit in the rear seats. You can fit stuff in the back as well.

The primary drawback to this car is that it is fairly rare, and is therefore appropriately expensive. A new one will start around $30,000, and good luck finding a used one--but you just might luck out like my buddy did. Also, Minis only run on premium gas, and a JCW will only get you about 25mpg if you drive like an undertaker.

2007-2010 VW Golf GTI
200hp @ 5100-6000rpm, 207 ft/lbs torque @ 1800-5000rpm
Top Gear time: 1:33.7

The GTI, like the Mini, has torque all across the rev range, and all that power is discreetly tucked away in the body of a 3-door hatchback. The Golf isn't as sharp looking as a Mini, and the interior isn't as interesting, but I will reserve judgment until I drive one. The best part is that this was faster around the TG track than a JCW, but is cheaper to buy and there are lots of them only a year or two old with around 20,000 miles on them for $17-$19,000. The GTI is just a bit bigger than a Mini, so the rear seats should be more useful, and it will hold a bit more stuff on your weekly run to the store. Also, the new GTI gets about 31mpg on the highway. New VWs get three years of free service from the dealer, and aren't a lot more expensive than a lightly used 2007 or 2008.

The drawback to the Golf is the sort of bland styling. It isn't offensive, it just isn't really anything. It's a bit of an off-the-rack business suit. But that could be a good thing because it probably won't draw any extra attention when you're dive-bombing backroads at full speed. The JCW Mini will beat a GTI in a sprint to 60mph, and it looks better, but right now the GTI is at the top of my list.

Mushroom Hunting With the CZ-82

2010-04-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

I got 75 rounds through my CZ-82 today while I was mushroom hunting and all was pretty well. My wife managed to get it to fail to feed twice, with the round making it about halfway into the chamber both times. I'm thinking it was probably due to the "Liberace hold" which slowed the slide enough to just barely dump the empty case. It never went wrong in my hands, so I have to think it was just a difference in grip.

The double action trigger is long and light, which is always nice. The single action pull is....long and light, but shorter than the DA and also a bit lighter. I was expecting pretty good accuracy, and I was not disappointed. The P64 in 9x18 is very accurate but its small stature make it a little hard to get all of its potential out. The CZ-82 is big enough to be tame and not take chunks out of your hand if your grip is high and firm like mine. It is big enough to be pleasant to shoot, but small enough to be carried all day pretty comfortably. All in all, it is fantastic value for money, and is really a generally very good firearm.

Being a commie-era gun, the CZ-82 isn't without its quirks. The generous plastic grips fit my hand perfectly and feel great with a one-handed stance. But they totally block the mag release, which is annoying. I can get around that problem by slightly cocking the gun to the left in my hand when I go to change mags, but I think I'll just swap out grip panels at some point. I believe they are generally compatible with CZ-83 grips, and the CZ-83 is still in production, and can be special ordered in 9x18 (it's normally a .380ACP).

Above: the oversize thumb rest that blocks the mag release.

A guy might be able to carry a CZ-82 tucked inside the waistband, but it is a bit of a stretch for me since I'm skinny, but even I could get it done if I had a cover shirt or a jacket. The thing is that if I'm going to wear a cover shirt, I'll carry my M&P9C which holds the same number of rounds, is smaller, lighter, has less felt-recoil, and is more powerful. The P64 is considerably smaller and nicer to carry.

But back on the positive, the sights are big and easy to find at speed. Also, the feed ramp is nicely polished, and it was very reliable when my wife wasn't shooting. It even fed a Silver Bear 94gr hollow point, but to be fair, I only tried the one, so I can't say for sure that it will always feed them. And to brag a bit, I was able to launch that hollow point into a 6"x8" steel....thing at the range from about 25 yards.

Over all, I'm impressed and will try to get a whole lot more rounds out of this thing and do any necessary updates. Might want to pick one of these up if you would like a sort of "my first centerfire" training pistol. Ammo is affordable right now and the pistol is damn near cheap.

.....with extreme prejudice...

2010-04-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

I finally got a 911 call that required me to use my issued firearm. Yes, I had to shoot a sick raccoon that was stuck in some dude's trash can. Well, to be perfectly honest, another officer showed up and used his .22LR revolver so I wouldn't have to uncork my "Glock Foddy"so close to occupied homes. The thing that struck me was that the raccoon required TWO shots to the head before it quit squirming. I called my boss and asked if I could carry something for dispatching rodents and he said that most guys do, I just have to conform to manner of conveyance laws. No problem. I then started thinking about something other than a .22 that wouldn't be much louder. Because I know way too much useless crap about guns, I immediately thought of a Makarov (the real one--the Russian or Bulgarian Pistolet Makarova). J&G surplus had some Bulgarian PMs, but they were at the very top of my price range of $300 (J&G wants $269 +S&H, which isn't bad at all). Then I cruised by AIM Surplus and found CZ-82s:

AIM has CZ-82s, chambered in 9x18 Makarov, with two 12rd mags (where legal) and a holster for $219.95 with shipping included! I got on the phone to see if AIM had my local FFL's information, and they didn't. A couple of short phone calls later, my FFL had sent in his info and I placed my order. Hopefully the gun will be in later today. I'm just waiting on the brown truck of happiness.

The CZ 82 was probably the first eastern bloc pistol to have ambidextrous controls and sights big enough for even human eyes to see them. The '82 is a little smaller than a Glock 19, but is big enough to soak up pretty much all the recoil from the middling 9x18mm round. Recoil from my PPK-sized P64 is pretty brisk and more than a couple of mags will leave you with "railroad tracks" down the back of your thumb if you have a high grip like me. The CZ 82 (and 83) have pinned barrels and are blowback operated. This makes them very accurate, and most owners report great triggers and fantastic reliability.

Oddly, I've read a lot of reviews online that say the CZ-82 is "too big" for concealed carry, but the CZ-83, which is exactly the same size, is great for carry. I will report on this as soon as I get mine. I have a couple of days off, so I should be able to get a range report done by the weekend. Once I get the '82 cleaned up and test fired, I'll be ready to terminate sickly rodents with extreme prejudice. It also may accompany me on a mushroom hunting expedition planned for this week. I loves me some morels! Nothing like fried morels and a new gun!

Stay tuned!

Chicks Dig SCARS

2010-04-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

I got back from drill and was cruising the interwebs when I saw that J&G Sales has "blemished" FN SCAR-Ls for $2399. If you recall, that's the same price as the "base model" Bushmaster ACR 5.56x45, which was very graciously being sold UNDER MSRP by AIM Surplus. Since the neutered ACR is essentially a SCAR that costs $1000 extra, you might as well get the SCAR. Oh, and the $2399 SCAR does have a folding and telescoping stock, which the $2399 "base model" ACR does not. If I were about to sink $2400 into a rifle, guess which one I'd have.

My Obsession : S&W

2010-04-15T00:16:00.001-07:00

As I was going in to the office tonight, I mentioned that I collect older S&W revolvers to my boss. He then said that he had a "Colt Highway Patrolman" .357 Magnum that he would like to sell or trade. I'm hoping he meant a S&W Highway Patrolman (Colt made the Trooper, which was sort of similar in its 1970s incarnations). Below is a picture of the S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman. It's a 4" barrel on an N-frame. With these facts swirling through my Gun Nut brain, I am now trying to put together a trade on my Ruger Blackhawk and some AR-15 magazines. Hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have another S&W badge in the gun case.

I'm not sure why I'm drawn to older S&Ws, but I am. Smith never really made a *great* semi-auto until the M&P series, but S&W has been making some sweet wheelguns for some time. I think the ones from the 1950s to the 1970s were probably the best, and those are the ones I like the most, but I'll take whatever S&W I can get. I love the 64-4 I got as surplus from J&G Sales for the pittance of $250.

From a practical stance, here in the middle west, a .357 mag goes a long way. We don't have particularly large predators. Sure, there's the occasional mountain lion, but a .357 mag hollow point or soft point of most any weight would make short work of such a critter. The Model 28 was made as a working man's gun that was to be quick from the holster, balanced, and powerful. It's a natural choice as a trail gun (maybe a tad heavy...) or camping companion. Or it could just be another S&W for your collection.

Thinking Positive

2010-04-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

After my rage about Bushmaster ruining the ACR subsided, I found something that gave me hope regarding the shooting world:

Yes, the Kel-Tec PMR-30. It's a .22 Magnum that holds 30 rounds in a gun that weighs about as much as a single atom of hydrogen. It uses an odd "hybrid" blowback/locked breech recoil system that doesn't make any sense to me, and it is obviously shaped like the FiveseveN from FN, and may in fact be a mechanical work of art meant to satirize the FiveseveN. Stay tuned because I'm going to go all Harry Plinkett on the 5.7x28mm some time next week.

Anyway, rumor is that KT will have this gun in .22LR by the end of the year. I saw the PMR-30 in CDNN's latest catalog marked $299. Consider that the lowest end Walther P22, Ruger MK.III, and Browning Buckmark all start around that figure, and the Kel Tec becomes the bargain of the decade. It is prettier, lighter, and holds THREE TIMES as much ammo, so you won't get stuck buying a bunch of expensive and finicky 10rd magazines.

Kel Tec does have some quality control skeletons in their closet. That's a problem when you carry one for defense, but the PMR-30 was clearly (or at least clear to me) meant to be a hiking pistol or range toy. I'm very excited about this pistol, and plan to pick one up either just before I ship out or after I get back. The $300 price tag is certainly competitive. Kel Tec seemed to have gun nuts in mind with this one. Lots of ammo on deck, relatively cheap, lightweight, has a rather rare single-action trigger, more rails than the Santa Fe line, and makes fun of FN. Perfect.

Piling on the ACR one last time

2010-04-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

I was cruising the internet this morning trying to decide between an M&P9L and M&P40, and looked at ammo at AIM surplus to help me figure it out. On the front page I saw that they had ACR basic models in stock and were selling them for $2399, which is about 300 under MSRP. Props to AIM for being an awesome distributor and cutting us some slack, but I have to twist the knife in Shrubmaster one last time.

The $2399 version has no telescoping/folding stock. For about $2200, you could get an LWRC M6A2, which does have a telescoping stock. Or TWO M4LEPs from CMMG. I have a feeling that hardcore Modern Warfare 2 fans will probably be the only ones who buy the ACR, especially this version which offers literally no advantage over a piston-op AR, and one could make the case that the lack of a telescoping stock actually makes it worse.

I'm only infuriated because I had been counting on the ACR being faithful to the Masada design, and sticking to the $1500 price tag that Magpul had promised. I really wanted one, but it ain't gonna happen for one quarter of what my 4x4 truck cost. However, I'm looking closer and closer at an MSAR.

My condolences to fellow Masada fans. Maybe next time....

The Gun Nut Goes Too Far....Maybe

2010-03-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe I was a little rough with Bushmaster over the ACR. The truth is that I've wanted one since I saw it on Future Weapons about two years ago. Unimpressed with piston-op ARs I'd seen in the gun rags, I was looking for something new and interesting. I *almost* bought a Sig-556, but then the reviews on it were so-so. Throw in a proprietary trigger that isn't very good, and it looked like I could spend $1350 in better ways, and I ended up with an M&P15 which was well under $1000. But the ACR (Masada at the time) used AR triggers, so if the stock one wasn't what you wanted, there were already lots of affordable replacements in production. Add in that the Masada used cheap and plentiful M-16/AR15 barrels, you could have it in whatever length you wanted in seconds.

According to some vague postings on the interwebs, which I know is a fantastic source of information, the ACR no longer accurately reflects what Magpul was trying to accomplish. The current ACR uses proprietary barrels, and if I read the article right, it also uses proprietary triggers, so good luck customizing either of those things without spending MORE money with Bushmaster. As if $3061 wasn't enough. I also read that there is no longer an option for an AK-47 lower that took cheap AK mags. Originally, converting your ACR to 7.62x39 and shooting cheap steel case commie ammo would only require spending the cash on a barrel, bolt, and plastic magazine well. The original design was brilliant! And it isn't like Magpul was pulling these ideas out of a hat. They had working prototypes that had these features. Bushmaster has just decided that these revolutionary features---features that would justify spending the money on the rifle---were not necessary. In short, it would appear that Bushmaster has re-engineered the ACR to be not as good, but more expensive, and at the same time made it so you have to keep spending money with Bushmaster if you want to achieve what Magpul said they could do for the pittance of $1500.

Maybe $1500 was not a good estimate. Maybe injection-molded plastic parts cost a lot more to make than I think they do. Certainly start-up costs have to be covered and they'd need a lot of stuff to start making ACRs. But as Magpul had it designed, the ACR could have been built with a lot of stuff that Bushmaster already had lying around. That certainly would have kept costs down. Or at least I think it would have.

At any rate, the ACR is still at least interesting, even if it isn't revolutionary anymore. If prices do ever drop down below $2000, I'd at least think about getting one. But right now it looks like the SCAR-L is going to be more affordable--which is shocking because FN hates civilians almost as much as H&K does.

And while we're on the subject of expensive 5.56 toys, the MSAR and FS2000 both used to retail at or above $2000, which I think is about the ceiling for 5.56 prices. For me anyway. But those two guns offer meaningful departures from the AR platform, while still using cheap AR mags. Now that MSAR E4s are down to $1400, I'd think about one. FN still wants around $2000 for their bullpup though. They're definitely worth it if you need a short 5.56 but can't get an SBR.

As for me, yeah, I'll think about an ACR, but only in a few years if the price drops dramatically. $3000 is just way too much to spend on a toy gun. I'm not a super duper Modern Warfare 2 operator. I don't spend my weekends running secret ops against communists in Paraguay. If I get a rifle like this, the closest it will get to combat is wasting zombie-shaped cardboard targets. It might even go camping with me and fend off a 40lb coyote. Maybe. Then again, my $450 AK-74 does that pretty well already. And for $3061, I could get about 21,600 rounds for my AK. Or I could get a used motorcycle. Or put a downpayment on a house. Has Bushmaster gone too far?....or have I?

Bushmaster To Release Cutting Edge Rifle; Shoots Self in Foot

2010-03-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hitler and I apparently had the same reaction upon learning that the Bushmaster/Remington/Magpul ACR is now going to cost $3061 in civilian hands with a 1/9 NON CHROME-LINED BARREL. For some perspective, you can get a fantastic LWRC M6A2 for about $2000. The FN Scar, which would have been the ACR's primary competitor, has an MSRP around $2400 for the 5.56mm model and $2900 for the 7.62x51 variant.

I have been waiting with baited breath for several years for Remington to release the ACR, which started life as the Magpul Masada. Magpul said they would try to keep the price around $1500, which I would have gladly paid. That's about what you'd pay for a souped-up, top-shelf piston powered AR15. What Bushmaster and Remington have effectively done is take a cutting-edge design from Magpul, then build it down to a price (why else would you NOT line the barrel and chamber with chrome?), then give it a price tag that would make H&K fanboys flinch. Remington (who now owns the infamous Bushmaster name) had the recipe for a great weapon system that I think could have edged the AR out of the law-enforcement and personal defense niche. As it existed at Magpul, the ACR was revolutionary. Now it is just another piston operated 5.56, but priced at about twice what the competition charges. And marketed under a name that is known for cutting corners on their AR15s.

Congrats Remington/Bushmaster. You've officially shot yourselves in the foot.

Prove me wrong.

FAIL: My Final Experiences With the AR-24

2010-03-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the positive. The AR-24, Tangfolio (EAA Witness) and CZ 75B are all fine weapons with excellent ergonomics, a solid feel, and lots of options for how to deploy them (Traditional DA/SA or cocked and locked). I should also add that every review I've ever read of the above listed firearms has been either good or great. In fact, there are some very rabid CZ fans out there that will probably be plotting elaborate revenge after this column is complete.

My specific AR-24 has been nothing but trouble since I traded in my 3rd Gen Glock 17 for it about this time last year. I fell in love with the ergonomics, and loved the idea of a single action 9mm with 1911-like ergonomics for such a low price. Add in the fact that it takes cheap and plentiful EAA Witness 9mm magazines (which now come in 16 and 18 rounds in free states), and I thought I would be getting a great trail/competition gun. The fit and finish was very good. The frame/slide fit is excellent. The trigger was decent, but I thought I could tune it up a bit with just a bit of polishing.

From the start, the AR-24 had a really bad habit of failing to extract about 1 in 25 rounds, which is abysmal. Over the last year, I put in an 18lb recoil spring, a stronger extractor spring, and finally an extractor from an EAA Witness. Now it only fails about once every 150rds, but it was pretty dirty at that point (which shouldn't really make a difference). In an effort to reduce the trigger pull, I clipped ONE coil off the hammer spring, and polished the engagement surfaces on the sear and hammer. Now it produces light hammer strikes and doesn't reliably set off rounds with hard primers (i.e. the cheap stuff from overseas). I have a replacement factory tension spring on the way. As soon as it's here, it's getting a deep cleaning and is going on the chopping block. I refuse to own anything that behaves like this. Yeah, it will be working fine, but it's the principle of the thing.

My M&P 9C, on the other hand, has been reliable as a wood-burning stove, and I can shoot about 50% with it from 50 yards unsupported. Just today I shot 15 rounds from 50 yards and 7 hit the 8.5"x11" target, with 5 of those rounds striking within about 4" of each other, roughly centered on the paper. The rest I strung out vertically and over-shot my paper. Not bad for a 3.5 barrel with a run-of-the-mill gun nut behind the trigger. Oh, and I was using 124gr S&B cheap-o ammo.

That's how it ought to be. Yeah, no matter how tight quality controls get, a stinker will inevitably squeak though. I'm not mad at Armalite (the importer) or Sarsmilaz (the actual maker). I could have sent it off to Armalite (at my expense) and they may or may not have had it running again and who knows how long it would take to get it back. Armalite has been a little busy, what with Obamamania just a few months ago. I was especially hesitant to sent it back when I knew the problem was with the extractor, and the money I put into a new extractor, extractor spring, and recoil spring would roughly have covered the shipping costs to get it to Armalite.

I still would recommend an EAA Witness (which is about $100 cheaper than the Armalite, and $150 less than the CZ). I have a friend with a Witness .45 and he likes it, and he carried a CZ-97B for a number of years as a duty gun as well. Still shoots the CZ in competition as of the last time I saw him. My situation is sort of like the guys who experience a Glock "Kaboom!" (google Glock + Kaboom images). Well, not exactly. Glock Kabooms are usually experienced by guys who ignore Glock's warning that the chamber does not support the cartridge and +P ammo or handloads can and will create an explosion. It's a freak occurrence to get a bad gun from a reputable maker. Gratuitous Glock Bashing (I carry a Glock at work):

On the bright side again, I'll let you know what I replace the AR-24 with since I'll be without a service-sized 9mm. Leaning toward an M&P9L right now, but we'll see, since I'll be overseas again soon. I may just sell it and buy something shiny for my wife. Hey, Dan Wesson makes a very shiny 10mm 1911.....

Stay tuned.

The Gun Nut Lives

2010-03-20T01:04:00.001-07:00

Obligatory rock video. The Cars rocked!

Yep, I'm still alive and blogging. I've been insanely busy at work, and thus my gun-nuttery has been put on the back burner. However, I have some days off coming up, and some projects I'm working on for FLGN. Curiously, my number of followers has increased since I slacked off, so I guess I'll try to get some new and useful stuff up here by the middle of next week.

I recently replaced the extractor on my problematic AR-24 with one from an EAA Witness, and a test fire is due here pretty soon. I may try to take it out tomorrow if the road crews can get the five inches of snow cleared by the afternoon. I'm anxious to get out there because my record of shots between FTE's was 99. I'll be bringing 150rds and wringing that sucker out good. Once it's fixed, it's going bye-bye and I'll be adopting a new M&P40--if my boss will let me carry it. Otherwise it'll be an M&P9L. So that's two things in the works.

Also, I'm working on a treatise on personal security based on various works by the big names in shooting, as well as my recent professional experiences. Here's a sneak-peek: LOCK YOUR DOORS.

Keep 'em in the 10-ring.

Here We Go Again...

2010-03-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

Above, you will see a Smith & Wesson 3906. J&G Sales has a few for $350 in very good condition, and dammit, I need one. Let me explain why.

The 3906 was born in the late 1980s, and was nearly D.O.A. thanks to the influx of mega-capacity "Wundernines" with plastic frames. The 3906 is about at anachronistic as they get. It was made from enough steel to make a Volvo station wagon, and features a low-capacity single-stack magazine (eight or nine rounds, depending on manufacturer). It seems like engineers looked at the future of handguns and decided that lightweight polymers and magazine capacities reaching toward 20 round were NOT the wave of the future, and built a gun that everyone else had been making a version of since dirt was new. That's not to say they didn't do a good job. The 3906 is very solidly built, has a slim grip, and developed a reputation for accuracy and dependability during its short life (it was discontinued in 1991 after unimpressive sales numbers rolled in).

To sum it all up, it is a classic. The presenters on my favorite T.V. show, Top Gear, say that to be a classic, a car has to be two of three things : interesting, rare, or beautiful. The S&W 3906 is all of those things. And now it is fairly cheap as well. I think it would make a great utility piece, or bowling pin gun. Mainly, I just need more S&W classics in my safe. I may not pick one up soon, and I may step up to the 5906, which was a double-stack version of the 3906 that held 15 rounds (17rd mags are now available, though the 5906 has also gone out of production). I've always wanted a single-stack 9mm, and the 3906 may be just the thing. You just can't have too much stuff with a S&W stamped on the slide.

AK-74: Day Two

2010-02-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

I got up a bit early and got the AK shot from the 70 and 100 yard lines today and came up with some more important observations. First, shooting an AK while blaring Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop" is about as close to being cool as I will ever come. Second, you'll want to buy an AK sight adjustment tool for your AK if you get one. They're cheap and available from lots of vendors. All of the zeroing of an AK is done at the front sight post, then the rear sight leaf can be used for quick range adjustments by selecting the corresponding number. The rear sight leaf on the Tantal is very, very optimistically graduated out to "10", which I would assume is 1000 meters, or just over half a mile. If I had been a communist dictator in the 1970s, I'd have said to graduate the sights to 300 meters at 50 meter intervals and call it good.

Anyway, I started off at 70 yards using the "S" setting, which stands for...something. I shot clean over my zombie's head by about 8" while holding dead center on his chest. Alarming to say the least! So I moved the rear sight leaf to the "2" mark, which probably means 200 meters. Then I was bout 4" high from point of aim and slightly right. I was holding dead center of the chest and the rounds were making great groups in the neck area, trending slightly to the right of center. The story was the same at 100 yards. Shooting across the hood of my truck like a man, I was able to get groups about the size of the palm of my hand. That's pretty good for an unstable position in a 20mph North wind that could make Sasquatch want to go back indoors. I think this thing is capable of pretty decent accuracy--perhaps nudging into AR territory--but I'd better reserve my judgment until I can sit down on a nice day and shoot it off some bags.

Clean-up is a pretty easy job after 90 rounds. It breaks down into four giant pieces in about ten seconds, but there is a catch. The rear of the receiver is higher than the bore, so you have to clean the bore by pushing the rod in from the front. This pushes all the soot and misery from your Russian surplus ammo back into the non-chrome-lined chamber, so pay attention and clean the chamber when you're done with the bore. It isn't more work, just sort of a bass-ackwards way of doing things, which is one of the endearing features of the AK series.

This gun is just a hoot to blast away with. Despite the sights being way off, I was still able to drop rounds on a cardboard zombie from 210 yards while shooting out of my truck window because it was very cold outside. I bought this gun as a toy, and I'm very happy with it. If you're thinking of getting one for varmint hunting or any kind of serious work, it has some...issues.

First, if you want to fit an optic, you'll have to get a very expensive picatinny rail rig from Texas Weapon Systems. That or take an ax or Dremel or milling machine to a picatinny rail handguard set because the Tantal has very unique quasi-free floating handguard set. Second, you're on drugs if you think you can reload an AK as fast as you can an AR. Yes, you can train to come close, but the rock-in system of mag changes just isn't as efficient as slapping in an AR mag. Be prepared to do some training to get up to speed. That said, if I were going overseas I might think about the non-neutered Wz.88 Tantal just because of the awesome recoil characteristics. Or I might get a full-auto AR in 5.45x39mm.

Anyway, pictures to come when I get back home.

Freedom Got An AK

2010-02-15T18:57:00.002-08:00

I got my AK this morning and 600 rounds of Russian surplus 5.45x39mm. I then loaded up my mags and headed to the family farm for some R&R.

First things first, it's a Polish Tantal imported by Century Arms, so it is a mash-up of original commie parts and new American parts. The biggest difference is that the barrel, made by Green Mountain, is NOT chrome lined. This is important because the cheap surplus 5.45 on the market right now is corrosive, so without the chrome lining, you really need to make an effort to clean the rifle as soon as you're done firing. I solve this problem by soaking the action in CLP before going to the range, and then soaking it again when I'm done. This keeps all the filth from getting too attached to the metal and I can just wipe most of it off without much effort. You need to get that barrel clean because a small rust spot in there will ruin the accuracy, and this AK is actually pretty accurate. The trigger may be American because it is very good for an AK. There is some slop in it, but it is smooth and light.

Starting with the outside, it appears to have a fresh, thick parkerized finish. The muzzle brake is held on with a detent pin, and is removable, revealing threads so you could add a suppressor if you live in a free state. The Tantal features a thumb-safety that is totally useless. It works if you're flipping it from Fire to Safe, but Safe to Fire has to be done old school by flipping the dust cover down. You can use the thumb safety for the switch from safe to fire, but it is an unnatural motion and very stiff to move. My Tantal has a black plastic (probably Tapco) pistol grip and wooden handguards. The folding stock is pretty solid, but has a tiny bit of side-to-side wobble. I've seen an ACE folder for an AK that had no wobble at all, but it cost about as much as my AK.

I ripped off 90 rounds in probably five minutes, which got the handguards smoking, despite the arctic temperatures outside. I set up a cardboard zombie at about 50 yards and used the "S" setting on the sights, which I presume to mean "battle sight zero" which should be pretty close to dead on from 25 yards to about 300. The American made barrel performed pretty well. I kept most everything on the zombie from standing and kneeling. I was firing at a very brisk rate since it was cold and this thing is a blast to shoot. There isn't so much "recoil" as just a bit of wobble when you fire. The same sort of wobble you get from firing a .22 quickly. I was absolutely stunned at the lack of recoil. It really is great fun. And pretty cheap to shoot, with 1080rd cans of Russian surplus ammo going for $129-$159 + S&H.

I bought this gun as a range toy, and boy does it do a good job at it. It's cheap to buy at $429+S&H+ transfer fee. Mags are cheap, ammo is cheap, and it can be fired with the stock folded or extended. If I were looking at go-to-war gear, I'd look to an M4 or AR-15 clone first. If I could have a full-auto, pure-bred Wz.88 Tantal, I'd think hard about that for the control it would offer under F/A fire. But one of those would probably fetch close to $20,000 plus the thousands of dollars in tax stamps for owning a full-auto firearm. There are better guns for work, but this one does fun pretty well. More to come, and pictures when I get back home to my camera.

Stay tuned.

?

2010-01-12T04:22:00.001-08:00

Looks like they've either made it better or MUCH worse. I grew up with the A-Team, so you better not screw it up, Hollywood!

I love it when a plan comes together.

Concealed Means Concealed

2010-01-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

I've only been carrying concealed about 10 days, but I already had some kinks to work out in the way I carry my hog leg. The most important thing I've learned is the difference a holster can make. In a lot of states you MUST use a holster to carry legally. Even in states where a holster isn't required, it's still the smart thing to do. Just ask Plexico Burress.

The difference a holster can make became abundantly clear when I tried to carry my P64 in an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster. Thankfully, I never got out of my driveway before I discovered that the finger rest at the bottom of the magazine was getting caught under my shirt as I sat down and pulling it upward when I got out of the truck. The P64 was pulling itself out from concealment as I moved around, which isn't cool because displaying your concealed carry piece is against the law. Concealed means concealed. Note the problematic finger groove below.

Then I tried carrying my M&P9C today in exactly the same position (just above my wallet, most people call it the "4 O'Clock position"). No problem. Now let me show you why this was surprising:

The M&P9C (Left) is much wider than the P64. Thickness is a problem with a concealed carry gun, especially if you are tall and skinny like me. I can get away with the M&P9C though. The P64 should be easy to conceal, but the $5 holster I have it in doesn't do a good job of holding it against my body and keeping the magazine's finger rest from getting stuck on my shirt. James uses a Desantis Tuck This (or Tuck This II, not sure) and he doesn't have this problem. He also carries in a different spot, but that shouldn't really matter since the problematic finger groove has equal access to his shirt.

The reason I can conceal the M&P9C so much easier is that I use a Desantis Tuck This, which was only $30 or so, but is infinitely better at holding the gun up against my body and spreading out the "print" across a much wider area without looking lumpy.

P64 at left, M&P9C right.

My point here is that you might want to spend a little more on your holster to make your life easier. I'll be ordering a Desantis Tuck This for my P64 on my next order from Midway. I think I've also made the case as to why you should do some dry runs with your CC rig before you go in public. A tiny bit of forethought will go a long way toward keeping you out of trouble.

Before I go, I'd like to remind you that even if your holster clips onto your waistband, you should also wear a belt! The belt will help steady and secure the gun, and keep you from drawing your Galco when you meant to draw your Glock. Avoid nylon belts, as they expand with temperature and moisture. Get a decent $20-ish leather belt that fits you properly. Higher end belts are great if you have the money. I've got my eye on a $160 shark skin belt. I may settle for horsehide though, as they're considerably cheaper, but resist weather just as well.

The Police Dream

2010-01-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

I'm going to test for a position with a small town police department this weekend. I stand a good chance of getting the job, what with me being in excellent physical condition and being college educated. It doesn't pay much, but it's what I want to do. At least until I find work as a highly paid mercenary or win the lottery. Anyway, this job opportunity is solid gold for me as a gun nut. Not because I plan on using my gun, or even want to. The last time this town lost a police officer was in the mid 1920s, and I think he was hit by a steam engine (I'm not kidding). It's solid gold because now when my wife asks "Why do you need ANOTHER gun?" I can say "But honey, I need it for work!". Perfect!

For a handgun , I would prefer an M&P40. I'm not a fan of the 40S&W, but I've spoken to the Chief about it, and it is their S.O.P. to carry 40S&W. They issue Glocks, but the Chief said he could make an exception as long as the unit armorer approved (this is a 3-man police department, and they have an armorer). I shoot Glocks well, but I'm faster and more confident with the superbly ergonomic M&P.

James and I have been arguing at length over what I should carry for a long gun. As I've written several times here, it is foolhardy NOT to go for the long gun when violence is expected. Now, this is a very rural town with a population under 2000. If I need a big gun it will be either for killing wounded animals, or blasting away at bank robbers (it happened in 2001 or 2002-- our Chief of Police had his eye shot out by 1920s-style bank robbers). I have three ideas in the running. First, a Benelli M2 Tactical with a standard stock.
I've also beaten this dead horse quite a bit. It doesn't get any more versatile than a 12ga shotgun. And this is one of the fastest semi-autos available to people who can't afford an AA12. Yeah, a pump (like my Benelli Nova) would get the job done, but this is just slicker. And nearly $1000.

Another absurdly priced gun on my list is a DSA FAL Paratrooper (OSW model shown with 13" barrel not available in Iowa).Because I live in Iowa, I'd have to have the 16" barrel, or the ATF will lock me up forever. And I'm not built for prison. Anyway, the 16" barrel version measures 27" with the stock folded, making it very compact and easy to store. I'd have it set up largely as shown...which would cost about $3000. I cringed too. This isn't really any better than an AR-10 now that Magpul is making 20rd AR-10 mags for a VERY reasonable $20 each. AR-10 mags used to run around $45 each, and FAL mags were $15-$25 each.

Another one I'm looking at is the DPMS LR-AP4 in .308. Slap an EOTech 512AA on there and I'm done. This one goes into the running because I can have one more or less built-to-order for $1700. They're only around $1000 for a base model. They're good rifles, so I hear. The best part here is that this operates exactly like my AR-15 and the M16/M4 series rifles I've been shooting for almost 10 years now--this one's just been stuck in the copier at 125%. I could also nearly afford to shoot it because the AR action is very gentle on brass so I could reload the empties and plink on my days off. Maybe one day there will be cheap 7.62x51 NATO surplus again. I won't hold my breath.

This is what I plan to blow your taxpayer dollars on. Well, if I get the job.

Contradicting Myself Again

2010-01-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm about to do something that irks me to no end--bloviate about the war from my nice, safe house here in the US. What brings this on is that some soldiers, congressmen, and gun nuts are up in arms about the supposed fragility of the M4 and M16 series rifle. I have a lot of experience with the M16A2, and am getting to know the M4A3 professionally. I have my own neutered civilian version of it, the M&P15 carbine, but we got issued M4A3s in my 'guard unit last summer. So far, everyone likes them. Most of us liked the M16A2 too.

Any Counterstrike ninja or internet commando will tell you that the M16/M4 (hereafter M4 for brevity) is fragile and requires constant, intricate maintenance to operate in inclement conditions. A lot of the guys in my unit five years ago when we deployed were fretting about it, even though the only people who experienced malfunctions were office rats who insisted that running them dry made them easier to clean (which meant turning them in faster, which meant more downtime). I always ran my M16A2 with a good coat of CLP, and it never did me wrong.

Overseas, I had occasion to see the M16A2 (and M240B) used in combat when my squad got cornered by a slightly larger force, and the result was an hour long gunfight that ended with all of the good guys alive, and a number of bad guys with a severe case of lead poisoning. But I admit we were lucky. Tactically, we were in bad shape--surrounded on three sides with our backs to a 500ft shear cliff. We had the high ground and plenty of cover provided by the stone and concrete skeleton of a half-built school building. The bad guys were also disorganized, and not terribly motivated, as the attack slowed considerably as soon as our SAW and M240B started laying down fire. So I do have some experience with the M16A2 in combat. Everyone who fired had their weapon work just fine. I only expended about six rounds before taking up a spot marking targets for the M240, but several guys ended up shooting four or five magazines. Our SAW spent 300 rounds, and the M240 spent about 350 over the course of 45 minutes to an hour. This against a hailstorm from probably 18 AK47s, at least 3 RPG launchers (we found the tailfins from 11 rockets all together), an RPK, and two PKMs. Well aimed fire, and judicious use of machineguns on high-priority targets won the day.

Then I find this story of a couple of very unfortunate service members who were killed when their M4s and SAWs quit working. I am sincerely sorry for their loss, and extend my condolences to their friends and families. This is not something to make light of, and it isn't terribly fair of me to armchair quarterback this like I'm about to do, but I think I have a point, and I think my point could save lives.

The following quote makes my case: "My weapon was overheating," McKaig said, according to Cubbison's report. "I had shot about 12 magazines by this point already and it had only been about a half hour or so into the fight. I couldn't charge my weapon and put another round in because it was too hot, so I got mad and threw my weapon down."

He had fired 360 rounds in thirty minutes! Our standard combat load was 210 rounds! I'd like to know how many of those 360 rounds hit anything at all. One SAW had fired 600 rounds in 30 minutes! That's just too much shooting with NO effect at all. I wasn't there, and I don't know how heavy the incoming fire was, but if you are shooting that much with no effect, you need to either move to flank, or break contact. I know how hard it is to stop pulling the trigger when tracers flicker and pop over your shoulder--I've been there and done that. But that sort of fire is just plain excessive, and would probably have overheated a piston-driven M4 like an H&K416, which is what a lot of SOCOM guys and internet commandos are pushing for.

They say direct-impingement guns like the current M4 run too dirty and too hot, and cause jams, cook-offs, and other malfunctions. My case is that while piston-driven guns keep the dirt and heat away from the bolt, they still get hot and dirty. The heat and dirt just accumulate in different places. And shooting 360 rounds in 30 minutes will make anything way too hot, especially when you consider that some places in Afghanistan are 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit most of the year.

What would have kept these guns in the fight, and what may have saved these brave young men's lives is leadership that took control of their team's fires. Standing there blasting away with no effect may make you feel better, but it won't win the fight. What do you do if you do win the fight with no casualties, but shoot off all your ammo? How do you defend your patrol base until supplies reach you? How do you fight off a second wave if everyone is blowing their whole allotment of ammo in the first 30 minutes of the fight?

Is the M4 perfect? No. I actually like the idea of the Remington ACR a lot more. I also like the SCAR and SCAR-H. Is the M4 a death trap? Is it a detriment to our troops? I hardly think so. Yes, you have to maintain and lube it. Yes, it gets hot. But if you as a trooper train hard and control your adrenaline--and therefore your trigger finger--you'll stand a better chance. If you are a team leader, it is your responsibility to direct your team's fires and that includes rates of fire. If your SAW gunner is ripping through belts too fast, it's your job to say something. I know how hard it is to do these things under fire, but training will help, and keeping things like this in your mind will help a lot more.

An Open Letter to Ford

2010-01-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

I'm a Ford man by birth, but when I get back from my deployment next year, I'll probably not be buying a Ford. Why? Because they don't make the car I want. Mitsubishi and MINI (BMW) each make a car that makes me want to rush out and sell a kidney--the (2009) Lancer Ralliart, and Cooper S respectively. They're both small, fun cars with favorable power-to-weight ratios, reasonable fuel economy, and shocking practicality. Ford, listen carefully and you could still get my business.

Ford, you have the recipe. In fact, it may already exist in your top secret testing labs.
This is what I want. Yeah, go ahead an de-tune it a bit, and maybe relax the boy-racer fender flares (but don't lose them entirely). Keep the ridiculous wing. This particular Ford Fiesta 3-door was blown up north of 800HP. I'll settle for about 210-240HP with that 5-speed all-wheel-drive transmission. Price it around $24,000-$26,000 and you're in the running with an Impreza WRX, Lancer Ralliart, Golf GTI, and Mini Cooper S. But I have faith, Ford. I think you can do it better. Please, for the love of Carol Shelby, release a turbo'd up AWD manual transmission Fiesta. You're already burying Government Motors. Now throw the last shovelful of dirt on their shallow, taxpayer-financed grave.

Oh, and see if you can sweet-talk Mazda out of a 2.3L 4cyl turbo from their Speed3, and put that motor in a Ford Ranger Edge. Think about it. People love to off-road in Rangers because of their light weight and ruggedness. Now imagine making it lighter and more powerful than ANYTHING GM, Toyota, Dodge, or anyone else can offer the American redneck...err truck enthusiast.

Thank you for your time, Ford. Now go out there and give GM another reason to start bawling for a handout.

FLGN'S Pocket Protectors

2009-12-22T18:44:00.000-08:00

In the last year or two, snubbies and .380 semi autos have seen a HUGE resurgence in popularity. If the chest-thumping .45 fanboys will hold their boos til the end, I will make my case for the pocket gun. As a card-carrying gun nut, I have THREE sub-compact pistols. Granted, I JUST got my permit to carry, I've been practicing drawing from concealment for about four years--since I first put my name on the list to take the class from the Sheriff's Department.

First, let me bloviate about carrying concealed. I emplore you to practice using your concealment holster EXACTLY the way you plan to carry, and with NO LIVE AMMO present, practice drawing and firing the first round. You'll find kinks in your form this way. I know I did. Also, try doing every-day motions that could reveal your gun. Revealing your gun or having it "print" against your clothing MAY be illegal in your state (it is in Iowa). Practice reaching something from a high shelf, or picking up something off the ground. Sit down and stand up. Does your shirt hang up on the grip? Also practice using the toilet. (*Do this previous bit at home, before you go out in the world!* I hate to specify that, but I really don't want to be sued.)There have been some high profile cases of people carrying concealed firing rounds off in public toilets while trying to catch a falling firearm. Make sure the only noise from the lavvy is coming from you, and not your gun. Practice WITHOUT LIVE AMMO PRESENT before going live in the real world. It will pay big dividends.

Starting from least kinetic energy, my S&W 442 (lowest in the pic). It holds five rounds of .38SPL and is rated for +P ammunition. It is absurdly light and small, which are big advantages during Iowa's tropical summers. I love my S&W revolvers, which is why I still own the 442. It is hard to shoot well (but I do because I'm awesome), slow to reload, and absolutely wild under recoil. With a gun this small and light, you have NO REASON not to carry it when possible. However, you better practice your ass off with a piece like this. J-frames are really a master's weapon, and shouldn't be carried by folks who don't want to put in the time with it. But thankfully, there are many other choices in this frame size that are more forgiving.

The P64 (the middle one) is a very, very good weapon and really deserves your consideration. It is incredibly accurate, about 15% more powerful than a .38SPl from a short barrel, reloads faster, is controllable under recoil, and is very thin. This gun just BEGS to be carried concealed. Ammo is even very cheap. It is a bit slower from the holster than the 442, and is noticeably heavier in a pocket, though it is hardly a heavyweight. I also find that, in my hand, it points very naturally. It disappears well in a pocket holster in the inside breast pocket of my stylish leather jacket or a diminutive inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster. The only reason I still own the 442 is that is is marginally lighter, and that if I am cut, my blood spells out "S&W". Also, I think the P64 is terribly gramatically correct, which I admire. You see below:The only proper use for quotation marks is to either quote from another source or when being ironic. Clearly, the Reds printed P64 on the first gun ever produced, and then quoted it when producing the next 46,000,000 P64s. Damn if I don't admire proper grammar. Well played, communist slaves, well played indeed.

Then there's my M&P9C (top), which I absolutely adore. I've shot it out to 50 yards a few times and can usually keep my whole group on an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper, which is pretty damn good for a gun with a 3.5" barrel, and a gun nut from the flatlands behind the trigger. It is considerably bigger than the other two, but is still concealable quite handily in an IWB holster under just a t-shirt, though I'd probably opt for a cover shirt as insurance (think a t-shirt under an unbuttoned button-up shirt). The trigger is fantastic, the ergonomics are fantastic, it is light, but still has very little recoil. It's chambered in 9x19mm, so it is the most powerful of the three, carries 13 rounds (12 in the mag, one in the pipe), and is generally a work of genius. The only problem is the size, which isn't all that problematic. I could still carry it most of the time, but the P64 and 442 are more concealable, and lighter. I'll still keep this thing around though because it is just such a great firearm.

The great thing about these little friends is that they can go anywhere and everywhere with you! Sure, a 1911 in 10mm might be more impressive, and packs WAY more whoop-ass, but isn't practical to carry everywhere if you aren't an enormous person. The gun you have in your pocket is always better than the gun you left in the glove box or at home because you didn't feel like carrying it.

FLGN Goes Big Bore

2009-12-17T08:56:00.001-08:00

With the possibility of a deployment ahead, I've begun budgeting for some "I love me" presents. Near the top of the list is a big bore revolver. Thirty years ago you had one choice: the .44 Remington Magnum of Dirty Harry fame. But today, the .44 mag isn't "the most powerful handgun in the world"--probably not even in the top 5 anymore!

Then one day, the designers and engineers at Smith & Wesson stopped taking their meds. The result was the .500 S&W Magnum and the .460 S&W Magnum, which are ridiculous. My first thought was the .500. Who doesn't want a .50 caliber handgun? But ammo--even reloads--will eventually bankrupt you. Then I considered the .460 S&W Magnum, which is actually a tiny bit more powerful than the .500 mag at some bullet weights. The .460 is actually almost practical because it can fire .454 Casull and .45 Colt also. But to switch rounds, you have to thoroughly clean the cylinder because the shorter .45 Colt and .454 can leave powder and lead deposits which will make extraction nearly impossible for longer rounds. No big deal if you pay attention and maintain your firearms--which you'd better because X-Frame S&W revolvers (the .500 and .460) start at about $1100.

The problem with the X-Frame is that you only get five shots. The cylinder had to give up the sixth round to make it strong enough to withstand the nearly 60,000 PSI created by pulling the trigger. The 5" barreled model, which is the one I'd have, weighs in at 62.5 ounces. That's nearly four pounds, which could get old in a strong-side hip holster. Especially when you consider that .460 S&W can shoot rounds that weigh in at nearly two ounces each (complete rounds--the bullet weight tops out at 395 grains), so loaded weight would be nearer to five pounds. The .460 S&W is an amazing firearm, but a bit too expensive for me, and I have a sinking feeling I wouldn't really want to pack it around that much.

So I took a second look at the .44 magnum, and started to really like what I saw. I found a load from IMR's website that said I could use the same HP-38 and Winchester 231 powder I use in my .38SPL, .45ACP, and .45 Colt. The powder charge was very economical, but still drove a 240gr cast lead bullet to nearly 1400 feet per second, which yields 900ft/lbs of kinetic energy. (Of course, the .460 can generate nearly 2500ft/lbs.) In fact, the .44mag I want is shockingly practical. Behold:
This is a S&W Model 629-4". It retails for about $700 to $750, which is still fairly expensive, but consider that a revolver looks a lot like a Rolex inside and you start to understand why they're so expensive. This one has enough barrel to preserve a lot of the muzzle velocity of the .44mag, but be light and handy enough to carry everywhere, but still hefty enough to soak up some recoil at 41 ounces. It's almost boring in its practicality. Being made of stainless steel, it should be pretty easy to clean up and resistant to rust. It measures just 9 5/8" from end to end, so I might just be able to carry it concealed, though that would be more likely in Iowa's arctic winters than our fairly tropical summers. But I could certainly find space for it while hunting or enjoying a walk in the woods. Reloads would be cheap enough that I could actually go plink with full-house mag loads.

Now to develop a plan to convince my wife to let me get it....

The Only Man With A Wheelgun

2009-12-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

By the way, I was the only one in my 30-person NRA class to shoot a revolver. I posted the best groups of the day, but I felt a bit like this:

The Gun Nut Bloviates

2009-12-15T17:15:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to write something coming out of the experience of taking the NRA First Steps defensive shooting class for my concealed weapon permit. Writing about the process is sort of a moot point unless I have more than James reading this from Iowa (the states that allow carrying have totally different laws and procedures). The class was geared toward someone who has never held a gun before, and I'm assuming my meager audience has been shooting for a while. But one thing stuck in my mind a bit.

The caliber debate between 9mm, .40S&W, and .45 Auto raged on throughout my two day course. The instructor kept saying "pick the biggest caliber you can shoot well", and gently hinting that 9mm and .38spl were okay, but not the best. I can tolerate that because a bigger hole is generally better when it comes to self-defense. But the occasional Counterstrike ninja would mumble that 9mm and .38 are too small and weak. Well, once again, I'm forced to get out my calculator and calipers for a mental beat-down.

By the numbers: (Velocity squared x weight in grains)/450436 (per Modern Reloading by Richard Lee) will yield kinetic energy in ft/lbs.

9mm: 124gr Hornady XTP (what I use in my 9mm) at 1100fps = 333ft/lbs

.40 S&W: 180gr JHP at 1000fps = 399ft/lbs
.45ACP: 230gr JHP at 900fps = 413ft/lbs

So the .40 has 66ft/lbs on the 9mm and the .45 has about 80ft/lbs on it. Both are, by the numbers, more powerful. But let's compare them to yesteryear's gold standard--the .357 Magnum. Say, a 125gr JHP at 1650fps. That's 755 ft/lbs. Nearly twice what the .45 has and the .357 isn't a fabled manstopper like the .45. So maybe it's frontal area we're concerned with.

9mm: .355"

40S&W: .400"

.45ACP: .452"

We see the .40 has .045" more frontal area than a 9mm. The .45ACP has a whopping, massive, HUGE .097" more frontal area. That's very nearly a tenth of an inch!

And then there's anecdotal evidence. "Mr. X" was shot a million times with 9mm and still didn't go down. Well, I've done a number of research papers on police use of force, and for every instance of a 9mm not killing a suspect, I can bring you another showing a .40S&W or .45ACP failing to stop a bad guy. Perhaps the answer is that a handgun is a poor choice for stopping an attacker outright. Perhaps it isn't caliber alone. Perhaps it is shot placement that kills attackers dead. A panicked shot to the lower abdomen (which is where lots of panicked shots go, and which does little damage to vital organs) will not stop a determined adversary. Even if they're hit by a mighty .45ACP.

The one time the instructor slipped, he was referencing a case in Des Moines where a man was able to free himself from an armed robber by shooting the bad guy in the shoulder with a .22 magnum revolver. The instructor opined that "a .45 would have taken the guy's shoulder off". I've seen the results of shootings and bombings first hand, and let me be the first to tell you that it takes a hand grenade sized explosion at very close range to tear limbs off. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I suspect a hand grenade has more kinetic energy to impart than a .45ACP round. Shoulder shots don't end hostage situations. Gut shots don't stop coked-up murderers.

This is what a dead would-be murderer looks like. And my "antiquated" S&W Model 64-3 helped me put holes in that paper. Of course a .45 would have made the X explode in a tiny mushroom cloud.

Keep your shots in the X ring and caliber doesn't really matter a hill of beans!

You Spin Me

2009-12-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

I bought a S&W 64-3 double-action only .38 Special from J&G Sales a while back and it's been sort of sitting around while I waited on my .38 Special reloading dies to come off back-order. Well, they did, and I hit the range with some handloads to test, and I shot this group from 20 yards.Above: Houghton custom ammo into a Houghton custom target--printer paper with a 4" triangle drawn with a sharpie and tape measure.

Looks like all that snap-cap practice paid off pretty huge. Part of it is that a heavy and smooth double action trigger pull from a vintage S&W will help you master the art of a clean trigger pull. I haven't mastered it yet, given the two rounds that did not go in the same hole as the other four, but damn if I'm not getting closer. Granted, I did this very slowly. It probably took me 45 seconds or so to fire all six shots. But I'll take it.

Semi-autos own the "tactical" (I hate that word) world, but the wheelgun still rules the range and the hunting world. I have a soft spot for S&W revolvers, and I'm also partial to mega-bore revolvers from Ruger. S&W has tried to resurrect revolvers as a tactical piece by making an 8-shot .357 Magnum that uses moon clips (AKA full moon clips) for faster loading. But you could spend a fraction of the money on a S&W M&P9 service model that has 17 rounds on deck and can be reloaded by your average person very quickly. As far as I'm concerned, the wheelgun has seen its day as the primary sidearm of choice by 99% of law-enforcement and 100% of the military. But it is FAR from dead.

Revolvers will always live on because they aren't limited by the dimensions of a detachable magazine that runs through the grip. You can make that cylinder just as big as it needs to be to house a nuclear bomb like the .460 S&W or .454 Casull. I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to take my hetero-lifepartner's .454 Casull Ruger Alaskan into bear country with me, or in case I ever had to shoot down alien spaceships.

Another great reason to own a wheelgun, particularly in .357 magnum or .38 Special, is the cost of reloading. You SHOULD be able to recover 100% of your brass, and .38 special operates at very low pressure, which helps lengthen case life. The .38SPL takes a very light powder charge, even at max loads, and cast lead bullets in the 125-158 grain range are pretty reasonably priced. I can reload .38 Special 125gr LRNFPs pretty cheaply. There isn't much better than cheap shooting, except for hitting what you're aiming at.

Gratuitous S&W Pornography

As a side note, I plan to shoot the 64-3 for my concealed weapon permit class on Sunday. I bet I'm the only one there under 65 who shoots a wheelgun. Probably the only one PERIOD to shoot a DAO wheelgun.

FLGN out.

Seeing Red

2009-12-04T18:12:00.000-08:00

I got my Vortex Strikefire zeroed tonight and played around with it a bit, shooting 110 rounds of Wolf 62gr JHPs. James and I headed out to his place just before sundown and I got about 30 rounds in the darker part of dusk. This really wasn't much of a torture test or anything, but surely 110 rounds would have exposed any serious faults. Overall, it performed flawlessly. Just a heads-up: I don't have time to get proper pictures, but I will put some up. I'll steal a few from around the interwebs until Sunday or Monday. My point-and-shoot Nikon just doesn't take good indoor pictures.

My sight arrived on Monday from www.midwayusa.com and I got it mounted right away. I ordered the Strikefire kit with the AR-15 specific extra-high ring. The ring is a fairly heavy duty six-bolt of the aluminum persuasion. I didn't use thread locker on it, but I did carefully torque everything down pretty well. You have to be careful with scope rings--especially aluminum ones because you can crack them from over-tightening, you can crush the scope tube, or you can break screws, or some combination of the above. Anyway, the ring is good stuff. The optic is NOT mounted in the ring when you receive it. You have to very fastidiously mount the bottom half of the ring to your AR, then level the optic, then place the top half of the ring on and tighten it down evenly. It's a lot easier than it sounds--especially if you've done it a million times before, which I have. (Well, maybe not a million, but nearly.)

The 2x magnifier cuts your field of view by at least half. I haven't tested it yet, but I plan to and I'll do an update accordingly. It is easy to install and remove, but doesn't come with any kind of carrying case (I bet an old 35mm film canister would work great) or lens protectors. For $150 though, I can forgive that and raid my dad's old photography supplies for an empty canister.

On the range, the Strikefire fires a clear warning shot across Aimpoint's bow. With the reticle in red mode, it is a dead ringer for an Aimpoint Comp M2. It has 10 daylight brightness settings, and two nightvision settings. In green mode, the dot seems brighter and blurrier, but James reminded me that the human eye is three times more sensitive to green light than red. The green dot is still pretty good, though I think I prefer red.

The adjustment turrets feel a bit weird at times. The elevation turret didn't have terribly positive clicks, but still made precise and predictable adjustments. The left/right turret had very positive clicks and also adjusted well. All around, fit and finish is more than you'd expect for a $150 red dot sight. The lens covers are sort of flexible rubber/plastic stuff that seems very durable and seals tightly. I absolutely love the control layout (below). It reminds me of an EOTech, but is more accessible if you're right-handed. Left-handed freaks lose out again I guess.
I don't have any real complaints, just some minor gripes. I wish it took AA batteries instead of CR2s. I also don't understand why the Vortex Optics logo is in white on the front of the battery cover (seen below).
Vortex has to know that this is going to be bought by zombie-slayers and weekend-ninjas, and having a huge white logo on the front of your optic isn't terribly tactical. I like the logo, but I think it would make more sense if it were in coyote tan or flat dark earth. I'm halfway tempted to buy a can of Krylon Ultra-Flat and paint this thing coyote tan myself. I'm really thinking hard about it.

With all of 110 rounds downrange, I think I really like this sight. I have about half a case of Wolf ammo to burn up, so I may do that over Christmas vacation. If I can get a couple hundred rounds through this, I think it may very well earn the FLGN seal of approval. This could prove to be SERIOUS value for money.

Return To Broke Disc Mountain

2009-12-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

James and I got together to test penetration again. He brought some of the old toys, and I brought some new ones.

This time the brake discs were from a 2005 Mazda RX8, which is a sports car, which means the brakes are bigger and badder than the ones we shot last time, which were from a Toyota Tercel. As you can see, if the bullet hits one of the fins between the layers, it faces one inch of steel. If it hits a void, it has nearly 3/4 of an inch to punch through.

We used James' TPD AXR (5.56x45mm NATO), Cugir TTC (7.62x25mm), and Steyr M9A1(9x19mm). I brought my S&W Model 64-3(38 Special), Cugir TTC (7.62x25mm), and Yugoslav M48B Mauser (8mm Mauser). The rifles were shot from just over 35 yards, and the handguns from 10 to 15 yards. Ammo varied, and I'll get to that later.

First, the AXR launched a Remington 55gr FMJ lead core (left) and a PRVI Partisan "green tip" 62gr steel core. The lead core seems to have shattered on the first thickness, hit a fin, and stopped on the second layer, but cracked the back of the disc. The green tip (two shots shown--right and center) punched cleanly through the first layer, and one steel core made it out the back while the other ricocheted.

Then I brought out the Yugo with some Romanian surplus 8mm 150gr steel core from the 1970s. It very nearly did what I thought it would. It sliced through the first layer, then smashed through the second. The surprise was that the disc stopped the steel penetrator, and we found it amongst the wreckage.

Cool, huh? Remember in that "What's Bulletproof and What Ain't" article I posted a while back? This is why I said that if you're taking fire in a parking lot, you should get behind the engine block and align yourself with the wheels. Remember that this bullet didn't make it through the brake disc, and would have had to punch through a wheel rim before getting there. Okay, ego massage complete, moving on.

I then had a go with my S&W 64-3 shooting 125gr lead flat point handloads. They did exactly what I thought they would, shattering on the first surface without doing any damage at all. Moving on.

Then James had at it with his Steyr M9A1 shooting some kind of cheap 115gr FMJs. They made a bit more show of it, and sort of made a dent you could feel, but hardly see. But still no penetration, and no serious damage of any kind.

Then we both tried our Cugir TTC (virtually identical to a Tokarev TT-33) pistols and shot 1970s surplus Romanian 86gr steel core ammunition. The RX8's brake disc proved tougher than the Tercel's. Frustrated by a lack of results, James unleashed a barrage of 7.62x25mm and ended up making a few cracks in the first surface. Some of the steel cores seemed to weld themselves onto the disc, which was unexpected, but made some cool marks.

We left Broke Disc Mountain satisfied and exhausted, sure to return in the future.

Walking Contradiction

2009-11-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

I hate Aimpoint red dot sights. I have been issued them for about seven years now and though the latest batch have been better, I still don't trust them.

Every Aimpoint I was issued until we got new Comp M2s last year has had the same set of problems. It refused to stay zeroed. The light would go on and off randomly, or go out under the barely perceptible recoil of an M16A2. The ones we had in Afghanistan all went wrong before the year was up, and we all went back to using our iron sights. The special forces unit that we occasionally traveled with all bought their own EOTech 511s, but our platoon sergeant said we couldn't do the same.

Now, I have to admit that the Aimpoints we were issued before were pretty clearly refurbished. Badly. The last batch we've received were brand-spanking-new Comp M2s and they haven't gone wrong on anyone in my company. Not yet anyway.

So why use a red dot sight? Simple: they're faster than irons. Instead of aligning three sight planes (rear aperture, front post, and the target), you only align two (the dot and the target). Also, the Aimpoint is parallax free beyond 25 meters, meaning no matter what angle you look at the dot, it still points to where your round will impact. But the dot is usually 2 or 4 MOA, so it covers 2 or 4 inches at 100 yards. So at 300 yards, it covers six or twelve inches--which is a lot, but still good enough for combat purposes where every hit counts (and ONLY hits count).

But for my money, the EOTech holographic sight is the way to go. It is more rugged, more accurate (1MOA dot), has a better reticle, and is just generally better. Unless you need to deploy from under more than 15 feet of water. Aimpoints are submersible to some ridiculous depth, which the Army often touts as their reason for not choosing the EOTech. Yeah, because there are so many places in Iraq and Afghanistan where the common soldier finds himself underwater.

So I've been looking for an optic for my M&P15 carbine. And I bought this:
Yes, an Aimpoint clone called the Vortex Strikefire, and it retails for about $150. But it has rave reviews from most everyone who owns it. But I can live with an Aimpoint clone for $150 because there's nothing else out there in its price range that has great reviews. It's also called the "Strikefire", which is terribly manly. And it comes with quite a bit of kit for that meager $150, to include a 2x magnifier that screws into the eyepiece. It also comes with the lens covers and an aluminum scope ring to mount it in. There are two kits available--one for hunting rifles, which comes with a medium height ring, and one specifically for an AR-15 series flat-top rifle which comes with an extra high ring. The dot itself can be either red or green, and it has nightvision compatible settings. Vortex is based in Wisconsin and offers a full line of sporting and tactical scopes, binoculars, and spotting scopes. Most of their stuff is VERY reasonably priced.

It should be here Monday, so look for a review as soon as next weekend.

GO-TO-WAR GEAR

2009-11-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

I got a phone call from my unit about a month ago saying I'd be taking another all-expenses-paid trip overseas next year. In that spirit, I thought I'd list the gear I'd take if I ran the world. So here we go, starting from the ground up.

UNIFORM:
Multi Cam, BDU cut from Crye Precision. Moving on.

ARMOR:

Crye Precision Armor Chassis Gen 2. It's breathable and sensibly laid out to preserve your range of motion. It's got to be better than the old IBAS I used last time. I'd get a multicam tac vest to wear over it. Something like the one below, but in multicam.
THE GUNS:I'd pick the Remington ACR (designed by Magpul, so it's a work of genius) as my rifle. Since it is essentially a Lego set from hell, I'd put a 16" barrel on and have it chambered in 6.5 Grendel for some extra range over the 5.56x45 NATO. No matter because changing calibers is as easy as pushing a couple of pins and locking a new barrel assembly in place. I'd put an EOTech holographic sight on it for good measure.These are also a work of genius. The EOTech sight is the best holographic out there, and it's pretty reasonably priced to boot. They're durable, accurate, reliable, and take very common AA batteries. I've seen these turn in 1 MOA groups on AR-15 rifles. The Aimpoints we've been issued in the past have been very fragile, moody, and annoying. Last time I was in Afghanistan, the SF team that lived down the street from us were all issued Aimpoints, but ended up buying EOTechs. I don't think there's a much better endorsement out there.

Of course, I'd also carry a handgun. I'd choose the S&W M&P9 standard model with a 4" barrel. The M&P9 is better than the Beretta M9 in every possible way. Lighter, more accurate, better trigger, better ergonomics, more capacity, and I think it's the fastest handling gun I've had the pleasure of firing. Handguns are a last resort at war, but it's better to have and not need, etc., etc. I'd only carry three magazines for it, and the gun would go cross-draw on my tac vest because I imagine I'll be in vehicles a lot. I really like the Blackhawk Serpa on a drop rig on my thigh, but it is impossible to draw while seated and gets banged by the door if you're on the passenger's side.

THE KNIFE:
The first thing you need to know is that the purpose of a knife at war is to impress your friends, not slice the enemy's face open. They're also handy for opening MRE rations and prying rounds off the bolt face of a Mk-19 grenade machinegun. That's what I did with mine and I really can't think of a reason why I'd be using a knife for combat unless things really went terribly wrong. This big fella should be plenty impressive, and looks like it would be great at prying things. It comes from CRKT, my favorite knife maker, and is over a foot long.

So there it is, I'll have multicam clothes and equipment, what I think will prove to be the most innovative rifle design for years to come, the best handgun on the market right now, the best holographic weapon sight, and the flashiest knife possible. Now we just wait for someone at the Pentagon to read this and start refitting the Army. FLGN out.

Talking 10MM

2009-11-12T17:21:00.000-08:00

Above: Video of the first tests of a 10mm Automatic.

My hetero-lifepartner announced the other day that he's getting a Colt Delta Elite with his re-enlistment bonus. That got me thinking about something in 10mm. Join me on my train of thought.

First, I thought about getting a Delta Elite myself.
But for the $1100 price tag you get plain Jane sights, and a standard grip safety (most people shoot a deep cut beavertail type better). You'll get Colt's street cred, but I'm not sure this is the most you can get for your $1100.

Which brought me to the Dan Wesson RZ-10 Razorback.
These go for about $1100 also, but you get a beavertail grip safety and Novak sights. Oh, and it's pretty much hand-built. Expensive, but I think they're worth it. I love me a 1911A1. I think that in 100 years, people will still get all misty-eyed when talking about their 1911. Still, $1100 is a LOT of money. And if you want to shoot it, you'll need to take up reloading (which I do, but I'll need a new set of dies, powder, and the like) or get comfortable with paying $2 per shot. Reloading is still costly, but most people can find space in their budget for it. Especially for a gun this cool.

But then I talked to James about it and he reminded me about the EAA Witness Elite Match.
This is a single-action only variant of the EAA Witness. It also has adjustable sights and holds a whopping 15 rounds of 10mm while the 1911s only carry nine. And it costs about $550. That's right, $550. Can you say "Value for money"? I could buy tools and components for 1000 rounds of 10mm on top of buying the pistol and still NOT spend the same $1100 commanded by the Dan Wesson and Colt pieces. Hmmmm....

But why a 10mm? Well, it's pretty much the most bang you can get in a reasonably sized automatic pistol. The .45 Automatic, which about half of the pistol shooting world swears by produces about 400 ft/lbs of energy with a pretty briskly loaded 230 grain projectile. The 10mm can get over 600 ft/lbs with a 155 grain bullet over a maximum load of Longshot. Plus, right now, it is cheaper to reload for 10mm than for .45 Auto.

Now if only I had a real job....

Grounds For Divorce

2009-11-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit of a big dreamer when it comes to my collection. I'm also married and broke, so with that in mind, I came up with a short list of firearms that will result in divorce if your average gun nut were to purchase any one of them. If you're independently wealthy and your life-partner is into guns, go for it. There are even more expensive guns than these, but these are attainable and recognizable by people who don't spend 20 hours a day on Google.

#1 The Barrett M82A1
It's huge, it's expensive to buy at around $8000, plus you'll need a scope and rings that will stand up to the nuclear-grade recoil from a .50BMG. Oh, and surplus ammo is about $7.50 PER SHOT. You can load your own for about the same, but you'll need a special press that can accommodate the milk-jug-sized empty cases.

I've fired the M2 .50BMG machinegun many times and can attest that it is indeed a beast. You better have a 1000yd range AND one hell of a backstop. I've seen ricochets climb mountains. I mean proper mountains--Afghanistan style. You can safely fire one here in the states, but you will be hard pressed to find a rifle range in the Midwest that will allow .50BMGs to fire. You can shoot on your own land, but you better invest in a berm, or hire Matlock as your attorney. Owning a .50BMG is a serious money pit. Of course, it's a serious piece of hardware. When your life-partner kicks you out, you can pawn it and finance an apartment or a week in Vegas.

#2 An Accuracy International AW in .308 Winchester.
Why so specific? Well, the AI's in .300 Win Mag and .338 Lapua are actually pretty reasonable since a heavy rifle like this one tames the recoil pretty well (so I've read). The problem is that it's pretty much the same rifle in the .308Win flavor....and it still costs $3600 without a scope or rings. Now, it's a fantastic rifle, but I'd bet that most people who aren't editors for SWAT or Guns&Ammo won't shoot this any better than they would shoot a Savage 10FCP HS-Precision or 10FCP McMillan--both of which are under $1000. But when your wife tosses you out on your ear, you can bring it to your college buddy's house and play HALO ODST with this in the room, and comment on how much it looks like the sniper rifle that your character can get.

#3. Anything Chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum.With at least 98 grains of gunpowdery fun pushing a 250 grain FMJBT, the .338 Lapua is right between a .300 Win Mag and a .50 BMG. In fact, if you're just punching paper, the .338 LM might just be the better round. But it still costs about $3.50 per round if you reload. Factory ammo--while very good--could give Congress sticker-shock. And you'll need a really good rifle like that AI pictured above. And you'll need a pretty awesome scope. And expensive scope rings. And a really good berm. And the list goes on. The .338LM gives about 33% of the .50BMG's muzzle energy* while supplying about 90% of the cost of ownership. (* 250gr .338LM=about 5000ft/lbs, 750gr .50BMG= about 13,000ft/lbs--for a frame of reference, a .308Win 168gr= about 2500ft/lbs) Enjoy living in your cardboard box. Until your wife throws you out.

#4 A Wilson Combat CQB EliteThis pistol wins at everything forever. And you pay for it....to the tune of $2600. But, thankfully, it is available in .45Auto and 10mm Auto (as well as a few other calibers that aren't .45 or 10mm, but who cares?). One day I will own one. I love 1911s, and this is pretty much the best (so I've read). Assuming I have a mid-life crisis, I'll buy one of these, jump in my Miata (the ULTIMATE mid-life crisis car), and head to Texas to become a mercen....private security contractor. Then I can brag to all of my 45-year-old, balding and fat Army buddies who have also looked into the private sector that MY sidearm cost more than ALL of theirs. Plus it will be a 10mm, which can bring down a water buffalo. Hopefully my wife won't leave me, but if I'm fat, bald, old, and broke...well, she is the practical type.

#5Too big to carry, and too small to hunt with, the Desert Eagle does a fantastic job of not doing anything particularly well. Even my large man-hands can't get a good grip on this thing. I've never shot one, but I nearly bought one after my tour in Trashcanistan, and I'm eternally grateful that I did not. I hear the .44mag (the one I'd have) doesn't like reloads, or lead bullets. So you're stuck paying for factory ammo, which is expensive. The .50AE is even more so, but you have to be 15 years old to want one. These actually aren't too expensive. I almost always see a used one or two for $1100 or so--usually in .50AE because some kid-at-heart bought one and found out how much fun it is to watch $5 fly downrange every time you pull the enormous trigger. If you buy one and your wife DOESN'T leave you, she is either a saint or plotting elaborate revenge.

So, ladies and gents, you can thank me later. Flatlandmarriagecounselor is done here.

The Ramones on Defense

2009-11-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

Principles of self-defense are so easy, The Ramones can sing them to you. Here's four simple rules to keep you out of trouble based on "Commando". Thanks to Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee. Hey, ho, let's go.

First rule is: The laws of Germany
Be familiar with state and local laws regarding "castle doctrine", concealed carry, and open carry. Also, know what it takes to legally transport your firearms. Know the laws and follow them. Even the dumb ones (no concealed carry on college campuses or for soldiers on post--that worked out great, right V-Tech and Ft. Hood?).

Second rule is: Be nice to mommy.
Of course you should be nice to your mother. Be polite to other people as well...until it is time to stop being polite.

Third rule is: Don't talk to commies.
Don't talk to commies or other lower forms of life. Be careful with whom you associate. If you and your buddy get pulled over and he has an ounce of pot in his sock, you're both going downtown. And if you're carrying concealed at the time, you just committed a felony! (see rule 1) Get better friends.

Fourth rule is: Eat kosher salamis.
Watch what you eat and exercise! If your body is in good shape, the better your odds of surviving a self-defense situation (even one that doesn't need a gun). The better shape you're in, the more stress you can handle. If your gut is full of sticky buns and energy drinks, you may be in trouble. Eat kosher salamis instead.

Learn it, live it, love it.

What Not To Carry

2009-11-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

The only good part about my wife being deployed to Iraq is that I no longer have to suffer through "What Not To Wear" in the afternoons. But since I do miss her, I thought I would do my own version of it with "What Not To Carry"--big mistakes a lot of people make in an honest attempt to be safe.

1. A Knife

I'm not against carrying a knife to use as a tool. I carry a big locking folder from Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT--my favorite knife maker). A knife can be a life saver from a utilitarian standpoint. Say you get in a car accident. The car is on fire and your seatbelt is jammed and the 19 airbags inside haven't deflated due to a malfunction of some kind. The doors are stuck shut also. Well, with a big folding knife like my Desert Cruiser (or any other big folder with lots of metal in it-- Desert Cruiser pictured above), you can pop the airbags, cut yourself free, then fold it up and use it to shatter a window and escape. A knife can be very handy indeed. But unless you are Ninja, pulling a knife in self defense will only end with you stuck to your own blade.

Most people that I have talked out of carrying a knife were women...who wanted to carry a knife to "scare an attacker". If you pull a deadly weapon, you better intend to use it--and stabbing someone to death is hard (so I've read in my criminal justice classes). Stabbing into bone is like stabbing into concrete. Most slashers are caught because the knife pops back across their own hand as the blade bounces off a rib, leaving a tell-tale sign on their hand. Conceivably, a novice knife fighter could deal as much damage to his own hand as he does to his opponent. A knife requires a great deal of skill, training, and will to use it. Even then, slashing wounds can take hours or days to cause incapacitation. Stabbing wounds can be substantially more effective, but a masterful knowledge of both human anatomy and knife-fighting skills is required for someone to be able to count on landing such a strike. That's why you should not carry a knife for defense (unless you are a ninja. In that case, go for it.).

2. A TASER

Fancy TASERs like the one above fire two prongs into your would-be assailant and, for three to five seconds, pass huge amounts of pretty harmless electricity through his body. As soon as the cycle is complete, you can pull the trigger again and send him on another five second ride through Painville. However, once the prongs come out, the batteries die, or a wire breaks, he's good as new in short order. You may or may not have time to escape or time for the police to show. Once the cartridge is spent, you must reload or choose to use it as a cattle prod. The problem with cattle prod mode is that the pain only occurs in the muscle(s) between the two terminals. It causes pain while not causing any permanent incapacitation.

The TASER is a great tool for cops who need to take belligerent suspects into custody without harming them. Their only option just a few years ago was pepper spray (everyone loses...trust me) or going hand-to-hand, which leaves plenty of opportunity for both parties to sustain permanent damage. The cool bit about the TASER is that nobody is resistant to it like you can find with pepper spray. Civilians may or may not find the TASER useful. It might give you a chance to escape, but if you're confronted by more than one bad guy, then you're pretty hosed. If you use it in cattle prod mode, you have to get up to contact distance with your attacker. I'm not sure I want to do that.

3. Itsy-bitsy Cans of Pepper Spray/Mace

Sorry, wrong sort of mace. Cool though.

Okay, here's the stuff. I actually like pepper spray or mace (two different things, but the differences are so technical that they even bore me). I've seen this stuff work wonders. But you have to have a decent sized can of the stuff to make a difference. I keep seeing itsy-bitsy bottles of the stuff in supermarket checkout lines and on gun store shelves dedicated to stuff just for the ladies (I guess pepper spray isn't very manly?). First, some people are not effected much or at all by this stuff--which is bad if you're attacked by one of these people. Second, if they keep sustaining the attack after they've been sprayed (he's on meth or something) then you get to share in the burning sensation because it will rub off on you! How fun! Third, tiny bottles don't have enough juice in them to hit two or more targets with enough product to cause sufficient pain. Additionally, I've seen girls have negligent discharges with these things in public places, which is more than embarrassing.

4. A Gun You Don't Intend to Use
Back to the idea of "scaring" an attacker away. A gun might do that. But it might not, and if you don't intend to pull the trigger, you'll probably get shot with your own piece. If you aren't willing to fire it at an attacker, don't carry it. Period.

Flatland Whiskey Nut

2009-10-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah, a whiskey review on a gun blog. Sue me (please don't, actually). I live in Iowa, and for 11 months of the year is it about 30 degrees below zero, with no sunshine and lots of rain or snow or both. If I can't get out to shoot or hunt, I like to relax by the fire (or oil-filled heater in this case) with a glass of whiskey (traditionally spelled "whisky" but if I spell it this way the spell checker lights up like a Christmas tree). Below are my favorites. Enjoy responsibly--put the guns away, lose the car keys, and turn on some Top Gear. Don't forget the ice.

#1. Maker's Mark bourbon.
Maker's has a traditional smoky bourbon flavor, but is really mellow on the way down. It brings some heat, but in a pleasant way. The flavor is quite good when served neat, and gets even mellower over a few ice cubes. If you want a mixer, get some Jim Beam or something cheap that you can defile with Coca Cola with a clean conscience. This stuff is only a dollar or two more than Jack Daniels, and oh so much better. All Jack has going for him is a fantastic advertising firm. I've read on a whiskey snob blog that you should keep JD in the liquor cabinet on the odd chance your teenager should get into it. They'll go for the JD first, given the brand recognition, and leave your good stuff alone.

#2. J&B's Blended ScotchI was recently turned on to J&B's while at dinner with my father-in-law. I was blown away by how mellow yet flavorful it was. It tastes like....good whiskey. There is only a warming sensation as it finds its way home. The flavor is light, but still bold enough to make itself known. Honey and grains really stand out in the taste. Served neat, it is great. Served over crushed ice, it is sublime. Consider that it is CHEAPER than Jack Daniels (which is the gold standard around here, despite the fact that I wouldn't clean my spark plugs with JD), and this is a real bargain for "everyday scotch". I had it with some chicken alfredo at a fancy-ish restaurant and it was awesome. It's a good starter for someone just getting into whiskey snobbery.

#3. Chivas Regal Scotch WhiskeyYou want good scotch? Here it is. Plain and simple. Serve it neat or over just a little ice....or I'll find you. This one's a bit more expensive at $40-ish for the 18 year vintage. The 12 year stuff goes for a bit less. Both are good, but I find them a little sweet on the finish, and I think that gets old after the second glass. Still fantastic stuff though. Probably pretty good with a cigar.

Honorable Mention (haven't had enough yet)
Knob Creek small batch bourbonI had a glass of this at a restaurant the other day. I had it neat, because I'm the paradigm of manhood. It had a really enjoyable spicy and smoky flavor, but it goes down with some serious heat!! I imagine a couple of ice cubes would calm it down a bit, but I don't know that. So it goes in the honorable mention category. I think Maker's Mark is a bit better, but I haven't had more than a glass of this yet.

Honorable Mention
Templeton RyeI had quite a bit of this once, and I'm ashamed to admit that I mixed most of it with Coca Cola. I'd never heard of Templeton before that fateful day, and I've wanted more ever since. This stuff hails from Templeton, Iowa, and is probably the only reason to live in Iowa willingly. Templeton Rye is truly "small batch" and only so much is released every year. It is not in wide circulation yet, but Templeton is slowly pushing into the rest of the country. Templeton has a very strong scent of vanilla and spice, but it is very understated and mellow tasting. There is very little burn, and the flavor is really great--not overpowering like most rye blends. If you must mix it, it is THE original ingredient in a Manhattan (not bourbon as is popular today). Templeton Rye was Al Capone's favorite drink and has survived prohibition to become a "legit" label today. Al evidently had good taste. This only goes in the "honorable mention" category because I've only had about four glasses of it in my life--but I just acquired a bottle of it tonight. Here's to Iowa's cold, crappy climate.

Cheers.

Long Term Relationships

2009-10-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

I typically write quick range reports on my guns, but that isn't always the whole story. Today I'm going to write out what it's like to live with my favorites....and some chronic pains in the arse.

First, you'll notice that most of these updates are positive. That's because I do weeks if not months of research before buying a gun. I recommend you do the same. There's no such thing as too much information when it comes to making a major purchase.

Starting with long guns, I've had my Savages the longest, so they're up first. The 10FCP HS Precision (10 FCP hereafter) in .308 Winchester is pretty easily the most accurate rifle I own. At a range session a month or two ago, James put three of my 168gr FMJBT handloads into 3/4" at 200 yards. I managed to screw up a 1" group at 200 yards by dropping the fifth round about two inches low with a poor trigger pull. This rifle commonly turns in sub minute-of-angle (MOA) groups, even in the hands of novice shooters. The only problem with it is the weight. It weighs about 15lbs--maybe a touch more. It sucks to pack around, but it wasn't really meant as a walk-around gun. Savage built it as an out-of-the-box sniper rifle/benchrest rifle, and it does that very well. The Accutrigger is fantastic, the HS Precision stock is comfortable and unbelievably stable. Occasionally extraction gets weird and empties don't always make it all the way out for some reason. Maybe I'm just not using my man strength to work the bolt fast enough. All in all, the 10FCP is the most accurate gun you can buy for under $1000. In fact, I would bet you'd have to spend $3000-4000 on something like a Blaser or Accuracy International to see an appreciable increase in accuracy over the humble Savage.

The 10FCP's little brother--the Mk.II has also served me very well. I've killed two flies with it and my 9 year old niece was able to put 10 rounds into about 1.5" at 50 yards with it (the stock is too long for her, but she did very well anyway). I have killed starlings and sparrows at ranges up to 120 yards with it. Once again, the Accutrigger is really the key to the accuracy. It breaks cleanly and crisply at about 3.5 or 4lbs. I've never adjusted it. The only problem with this rifle is that I may have worn out the magazines. I bet I've shot close to 10,000 rounds through it and that may be a bit more than the rather flimsy magazines can take. The rifle REALLY needs a feed ramp or much tighter tolerances in the mag well because every once in a while, the round won't make the jump from the magazine to the chamber--with nothing at all to guide it home. The best fix is just to be quick on the bolt...but even then you can get some annoying hang-ups. This annoyance is easily forgiven due to the amazing accuracy.

My M&P15 has been fed a steady diet of crappy ammunition to include Wolf steel case stuff, and I've NEVER had a failure while shooting centerfire ammo. I've had a couple with my CMMG .22LR adapter, but that's to be expected. Even then, I've maybe had 10 jams out of 2000 rounds or so through the adapter. I've never really sat down and accuracy-tested the M&P15 and keep telling myself I'm going to do it...but then I get ADD again and go do something else. I've killed a few melons and soup cans with it, but I always end up hunting with something else (even though I justified buying it as a coyote gun). I would sell it, but it feels very comforting in my hands--like an old friend coming to visit. I love the M16/M4 platform and an M16A2/M203 saved my bacon once in a very nasty part of the world. I will not forget it, and even though this rifle has ended up being more of a range toy, I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, even if I do think about it once in a while.

For some reason, I bought a Benelli Nova slug gun and converted it into a tacticool piece and it has proven to be pretty awesome. It does everything really well. It breaks clays (better be quick though), launches slugs with a good deal of accuracy, and throws buckshot pretty well out to 25 or 30 yards. I've never had any problems with it, but it's a pump action shotgun. I do like it much better than the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870. The Benelli is just "nicer". The pump feels faster, the magazine interrupt is handy, and for some reason I don't feel as much recoil as I do with the 870 or especially the 500. If you only shoot a few rounds a year for deer or pheasant season, the Remington and Mossberg will do fine. If you shoot more, I think you'll appreciate the Benelli.

On to handguns....

Top of the list here is my M&P9C, which continues to be as reliable as a wood-burning stove, accurate, fast, and concealable. It is a very good gun, and used to be cheap. You'll pay a premium for one nowadays, but I think it's worth it. I've owned the XD, Glock, and M&P. The only one I still have is the M&P. It has a better trigger, better ergonomics, and I shoot it WAY better. I've put rounds on target at 50 yards with this little gun--from an improvised rest and from standing unsupported. S&W hit this one out of the park. The only problem with this gun is my P64.....

The P64...ugh. How on Earth did communist slaves make something this good? How?!!! I bought this because I always wanted a PPK, but .380ACP ammo prices are still in high orbit, and the PPK is about $500. The P64 cost me $217 after shipping, FFL fees, and a new set of springs (you need the new springs). The 9x18mm round is marginally (and I mean MARGINALLY) more powerful than .380ACP, but costs about the same as cheap 9mm Luger ammo. But price isn't the only selling point. James and I shot his P64 (he bought two after firing mine) at 50 yards and got about %60 hit rates from an improvised rest. In fact, one of my six actually hit the bull's eye. If all you're looking for is a "do everything" concealed carry piece, you would be very silly indeed not to get a P64. I haven't had this gun very long, but I've put about 300 rounds through it without a hiccup. It is so good I had to include it.

You can't watch an old detective movie without seeing a S&W J-Frame of some kind. My 442 is the hammerless ("snag-free") pocket model in .38 SPL(+P rated). It is a current production model and features the "Hillary Hole" or integral locking system. I have put maybe 250 rounds through it so far and can do pretty well out to 15 yards. It is hard to shoot, period. The 442 was designed as a pocket gun for gun fights at knife fight ranges, and it does pretty well at that (though the P64 would be a better option...damn you, communism!). J-Frames are not for the faint of heart, nor the "one-box-a-year" shooter. Often, uninformed men will try to push these pocket cannons on their wives because the gun is so small. What they don't realize is that a gun this small--even when chambered in the mild-mannered .38 SPL--is really obnoxious to shoot!

That's pretty much it for guns I've owned for any length of time. Stay tuned.

The Best Kept Secret In Shooting

2009-09-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

This is the long-awaited P64 range report. I thought I was going to get back and write something along the lines of "good, but not great". I was wrong. The P64 proved itself to be utterly reliable through 150 rounds, and was surprisingly accurate. I dare say I shoot it better than I shoot my M&P9C. I used Silver Bear 94 grain full metal jacket rounds and loaded a "Barney bullet", or topped off the magazine after loading a round into the chamber. The mag holds six, so with the Barney bullet I had a total of seven. The little gun hurled the empty cases between 25 and 30 feet to my right, and just slightly behind me. I had no problems of any kind.

The trigger was the sticky wicket, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I replaced the hammer spring with a Wolff 17lb spring and put an extra strength firing pin spring and recoil spring in it before I ever fired a shot, so a bone-stock P64 might not shoot this well. I guarantee the double action pull is horrid without these upgrades. In interest of full disclosure, I polished the hammer, sear, and a big section of the trigger linkage that drags on the disconnector. This helped the double action pull get a little slicker, but it is still very heavy and has a pronounced "stacking" effect--meaning the resistance gets stiffer as you pull through it. I'm not sure of a way around it. At least not a safe one. A competent gunsmith could probably cure it, but then it would cease to be a cheap gun and you'd be better off spending the money on a PPK or PPK/s. The stiff and sort of clunky DA pull made my first round hit a little low and a little left of my point of aim. The next six rounds fired from SA would all find the same hole, or close to it.

I shot the target below from 10 and 15 yards with 7 rounds from each distance, and there really isn't a difference in the group. The two holes low on the target were the first shots of each string. I threw one high, and strung a couple out, but most went exactly where I wanted them to and made very tight groups.

...and a little closer...

The only "problem" I had was that my grip is very high, and the P64 lacks any kind of beavertail to protect the web of your hand between forefinger and thumb from the slide under recoil. I got a little bit of slide bite and it just barely cut me open on the side nearer to my thumb. Of course, it took about 100 rounds for it to do that. I still prefer my high grip because it affords a bit more control, but those with larger *cough* fat *cough* hands might get scuffed up substantially more.

The recoil itself was maybe a tiny bit snappy, but really not any more than any other small pistol I've shot. The muzzle rise is considerably less than my S&W 442 in .38 Special. It also didn't seem as loud, but that could just be my seasonal allergies clogging up my head. All in all, the P64 handles very well. The recoil doesn't slow down double taps as much as the long reset of the trigger.

My general impression is that, with the upgraded springs (another $20 all together), this pistol could very easily hang with the better-finished PPK any day of the week. Keep in mind that a PPK is about $490, while the P64--after the spring upgrade kit--is about $217. Ammo for the P64 is also cheaper, more plentiful right now, and slightly more powerful than the PPK's .380ACP. The 9x18mm Makarov is about 100fps faster than the .380ACP at their most common projectile weights. Additionally, most small pistols are very obnoxious to shoot. This one is not. It is fairly docile, and I imagine the PPK is as well, since they have more similarities than differences. I have no qualms about suggesting the P64 as a concealed carry piece. None at all. It is small, reliable, and accurate. That's a great formula for a defensive weapon. The Polish P64 is a truly great little pistol, with a tiny bit of work anyway. I thought about riddling this article with Pollock jokes, but if you don't get a P64 while the price is right, the Pollock joke is on you.

Dodging Bullets And Ducking Questions

2009-09-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

You'll recall I said I'd think about writing a piece on engaging an active shooter in a sort of "worst case scenario". Well, the truth is that I can't teach you that over a blog. Hell, I might not be able to teach you that in person. Yes, I've taught urban warfare classes (on tactics, not strategy) in the Army at the platoon and company level. I've been in a gun fight before, and came out on top. I read everything I can get my hands on about tactics, techniques, and theory behind shooting. I intend to go to a private shooting school and take tactical pistol and carbine courses once I get a real job. I have experience, training, and an adequate level of marksmanship. I fancy myself a journeyman gunfighter--not a master of anything, but capable or even good at a few things.

Engaging in a gunfight is something that you must weigh against your training, experience, skill, mental agility, and personal moral code. I cannot advise you on how to proceed. There are just too many variables. Yes, this is ducking the question a bit, but a wise man knows when he is out of his league, and advising on this is definitely not something to do over the interwebs. In lieu of my advice, I will point out a list of reading materials, and some places you can go for training from an instructor--not just a gun nut from the intertubes.

Reading:
SWAT Magazine: Great for gearheads who have to know about the latest and greatest tacticool toys. It also generally gives sound tactical advice and is written by dudes who have been there and done that.

Anything by Col. Jeff Cooper: Cooper lived a wild life, from the Marine Corps to intervening in conflicts in Africa on his own time, as well as being a truly great big game hunter. He also championed the 1911A1 pistol and pretty much wrote the book on self-defense. He was a great man and his books are very informative. He has some strong opinions, and occasionally he and I differ, but I'd never say he was wrong.

Schools

Thunder Ranch
Lethal Force Institute
NRA
Blackwater

Of course there are many more, but these are probably the most popular/famous.

Learn, train, then practice.

What's Bulletproof, and What Ain't.

2009-09-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

As Gary Jules put it, "it's a very very mad world". Nutcases get guns illegally and then go shoot up malls, synagogues, churches, and schools. The worst part is that the law abiding are not always allowed (despite the 2nd Amendment...) to carry guns to defend themselves. Even if you are lucky enough to be carrying a gun when the poop hits the oscillating metal blades, you need to know what to do to stay alive. And punching holes in the 10-ring of your 25 yard NRA pistol target, while a good start, is not everything. Because engaging an active shooter is an even more nebulous subject, this article will focus on evasion.

You're walking through your local mall when all of a sudden, gunfire erupts. Now your first instinct might be to locate the fire and run away. You might get away with that if the crowd is big enough and the fire is far enough away.

What you should do is hit the floor immediately. Then, if you can, get a general direction of the fire and find something concrete or thick metal to get behind. Most malls here in the midwest are made of brick or some kind of compressed concrete. About 6" worth of that should stop most handgun rounds and most shotgun rounds. A rifle, however, may penetrate it and a burst or two certainly will. See the fountain above? If you put that between you and the threat and crawled away as quickly as possible, that thing would take a lot of fire for you.

Dry wall will not stop much of anything. Most common handgun calibers can penetrate six to ten thicknesses. Shotguns and light rifles can penetrate much more. Drywall and wall boards are not cover, but they can conceal your escape. Stay low, and keep out of the threat's line of sight. Move fast, and if you get shot, don't stop and whine about it. If you can still move, then move. Modern medicine can put you back together from pretty serious damage. Flesh wounds to your extremities are nothing to worry about immediately. Keep going and feel the pain later. You can only get medical help if you're out of the shooter's range.

Cars are not cover either. The engine compartment will provide some cover, as will the wheel rims, but if the shooter has a rifle, they may not be enough. Car bodies are easily sliced up by even light pistol cartridges. If you get stuck behind a car, put the engine compartment between you and the threat, and protect the rest of your body by staying in close alignment to a wheel rim if you can. Stay low and crawl on your belly to other positions, going under other cars if you can instead of around or over them.

Tables, chairs, and other furnishings are not cover either. All of them will be easily shredded by anything that goes "boom". These things can conceal you, but if you draw fire while behind them, you will be hit, and the bullet won't even slow down much. You have to be smart about using concealment. There are too many variables for me to give any good universal advice. Just keep your cool and pick a fast, protected route the hell out of there.

If you must run from one point to another, do so in short bursts. The Army preaches 3 to 5 seconds, with your sprint ending at a new covered or concealed position. If you get a chance to run longer, i.e. the threat starts moving in the other direction or stops paying attention to you, then run, run, and run some more--keeping near covered or concealed positions. Have an idea of what you're going to dive behind if the threat turns his attention back to you. Being fat is not an advantage here. You don't have to look like Arnold, but being able to sprint a few hundred yards without pooping your pants will be very helpful.

Another idea of note is that once the shooting starts, all rules go out the window. If you need to kick down a door or smash a window to get out, then do that. Don't break glass with your body. Use a chair, a baseball bat, a large potted plant, even a very large book might do. Common fire extinguishers are great for breaking glass. If you must break glass with your hands or feet, wrap the appendage doing the breaking in heavy cloth or leather. You're still probably going to get cut. Oh, and kick doors near the door knob, as most locking mechanisms are found there. Being fat will help you break the door down, as more weight is usually better. Kick like you mean it. Steel doors or doors with reinforced jambs will probably not break, so you're better off finding somewhere else to try. At this point your goal is to survive, not to be polite. Break what you have to if it gets you out alive.

I hope none of you ever need this advice. Stay tuned, as I may do a short write up on engaging an active shooter, but there are a HUGE number of variables there and it may take my tiny caveman brain some time to pare it down to something useful and intelligent sounding.

One More Nail In The Caliber Debate Coffin

2009-09-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Both images shamelessly stolen from the interwebs. The authors behind both were clearly brilliant. Cheers.

Look, chest thumping 9mm bashers! Look at the ballistics gel test! Look at it and tell me there is a meaningful difference between 9mm and .45ACP. Yes, the permanent cavities are slightly different, but it looks to me like they both caused "caliber and a half" permanent cavities and penetrated more than 12", per FBI recommendations. I'm not knocking bigger calibers, I'm just trying to throw some cold water on the "9mm is too small" crowd. Don't carry it if you don't want to, but don't pretend that it is not a capable caliber.

Pick the one you like, and practice, practice, practice. If you can't hit the 10 ring, it doesn't matter how big your projectiles are!

The Four Rules of Safety

2009-09-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

RULE I: TREAT ALL GUNS AS THOUGH THEY ARE ALWAYS LOADED

RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY

RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET

RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET, AND WHAT IS BEYOND IT

The idiots in the video above showed very well just how important these rules are. I would add "Don't do drugs or consume alcohol around firearms". Surely my audience is sharp enough to not need that rule written down, but the wastes of skin in the video may.

Oh, and a side story about flares I picked up in the military. I heard from a guy who was deployed to Bosnia (third hand Army stories, take it for what it's worth) that they had trouble with a sniper showing up in the same spot night after night, and taking two or three shots at the base. The U.S. forces were not authorized to fire live ammunition, however, they were authorized to fire flares as a warning. So, the next day, said sniper shows up right on time, in the same spot as always. One cowboy decides he is going to actually aim his 40mm flare AT the sniper. The whole platoon lets loose with 40mm flares, pop flares, and pen flares. Said cowboy makes a direct hit on the bad guy, and the flare WELDS ITSELF TO HIS RIBCAGE!!!! Human flesh BURNS when exposed to extreme heat!!! The flare nearly killed the sniper, and managed to burn most of the skin and muscle off his upper chest. So the story goes.

Guns (and by extension, flare guns) are NOT toys! Follow the five rules above, or someone could get more than a scorched face! Acting a fool like this is exactly the sort of thing that gives the appearance of legitimacy to the anti-gun lobby. Every time you pick up a firearm, you are acting as an ambassador of the shooting community. What kind of ambassador will you be?

Oh, and stupid should hurt.

Polish P64 First Look

2009-09-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

I got the P64 back from my FFL today. It came slathered in something I wouldn't call grease, but is too heavy to call "oil". Sort of snot-like, but no matter. A few minutes with my trusty cleaning kit, and it was good to go. J&G calls these "very good plus" condition, and I solidly concur. There is only a hint of holster wear around the muzzle. I think it is going to be one heck of a concealed carry piece. This pistol was designed by the Polish state weapons factory, Radom. It was "inspired" by the Walther PPK and PP, obviously with more than a little help from some tracing paper.

Here it is next to my pathetic cell phone. I don't need any apps. I need to send and receive calls, and occasionally text. Back on the subject of guns, you can't tell from this angle, but it isn't much thicker than my cell phone. Can't beat that for $197 delivered!

Here you see a crappy picture of my wallet next to the P64. They're about the same thickness. This thing is really easy to hide! I tried it out in an inside-the-waistband holster (hereafter IWB) and it is absolutely invisible, even under just a t-shirt.

Here's the pic of that "Euro style" mag release. Push it toward the backstrap to release the magazine. Those lamb-burning communists in Poland didn't bother to use the PPK's button style mag release. Of course, this one is simpler, and when you're using slave labor to make guns, simpler is better.

Now, two things the Walther DOESN'T have: tiny, squinty sights (the PPK's are better, but not much) and a loaded chamber indicator. You see the shiny dot? That's it. It sticks out about 1/10th of an inch when there's a round in the chamber. You can feel it as well as see it. Not a bad addition, and sort of makes up for the lack of a proper mag release.

Over all, this is a very well made gun. There are a couple of wear marks and tool marks on the inside of the slide and frame. However, the finish is deep and even. The grips are pretty decent for being communistical plastic. I've never shot a PPK, but I have fondled one many times. The P64 has almost sharp corners on the frontstrap. We will have to see how that feels under recoil.

Oh, and the trigger! The DA pull is every bit as bad as I've read on the interwebs. Some claim to have measured it between 25lbs-27lbs! That's absurd and darn near useless. The SA pull is awesome. It feels like my tuned up 1911! I couldn't believe my finger! I would guesstimate the SA pull at 2lbs or so with a long take up and a crisp break. Nicely done, communist slaves!

It may be a while before I get this to the range (the new springs aren't here yet). I will post a range report in a couple of weeks though. Stay tuned.

J&G Sales Rocks Again

2009-08-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

Pic shamelessly stolen from www.jgsales.com

I ordered my P64 today at about 10:15am central time and I just got confirmation (at 6:45pm central) that it has shipped. It should be here by the end of the day Wednesday. I've never waited more than three days for a handgun to get from Prescott, AZ to my local FFL holder. I had to wait about a week for my M48 Mauser, partly because rifles can ship via UPS Ground and handguns have to ship 2nd Day Air.

Three cheers for J&G sales!

Gun Nut WANT!

2009-08-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a short list of the new friends I want to purchase in the near future, as well as a bit of explanation as to why I want them. In order of how I'm going to buy them, behold:

First, the Polish P64. You'll immediately notice the similarity to the Walther PPK. It is in fact nearly identical to the PPK. The P64 has a European mag release (A sliding button on the butt of the gun), is chambered in 9x18mm Makarov, and has a price tag around $160. That's right, a well made PPK clone for $160 (Plus S&H, and transfer fees. Call it $200 all together). 9x18mm ammunition goes for about $10/50rds and is in stock online at just about every major distributor. Keeping your LCP or PPK fed right now isn't so easy, since .380ACP is backordered into oblivion or the price is stupidly high. 9x18mm is also marginally more powerful than most .380ACP loads. This gun is tremendous value for money. I think I'll be ordering one this week perhaps. If you get one, you'll need some new springs. The old recoil spring was rated around 16lbs, which lets the slide beat on the frame because it isn't being slowed properly. Wolff Gunsprings sells a 22lb recoil spring for $8 or so. You'll want that. You may also want a reduced power hammer spring to clean up the trigger pull. Those go for $5 each (or $9 for a pack of three), and are available from 20lbs down to 17lbs. The factory hammer spring is a carpal-tunnel-inducing 26lbs. You'll probably want an aftermarket spring.

Next, the Polish Tantal AK-74. These babies were upwards of $900 in December '08, but now that Obamamania has subsided a little, they're back to $550-$600, which is more reasonable. They are about as accurate as a Galil (maybe shoot 2" at 100yds. MAYBE), but the 5.45x39mm round has less recoil than the 5.56x45 NATO--and that's saying something. My 9 year old niece has shot and enjoyed my M&P15. So a skinny 9 year old girl can easily handle the 5.56x45mm...and the Tantal has less recoil than that! The Tantal has one of the most solid side-folding stocks on anything, AK or not. In addition to being more accurate and more controllable than an AK-47, it's also HALF AS EXPENSIVE TO FEED! Surplus 5.45x39mm ammo is easy to find for about $185/1080rds shipped. Consider that a case of 1000 5.56x45 is about $360, and 1000 rounds of 7.62x39mm is about $280. The 5.45x39mm rounds cost about the same as match grade .22LR ammo. There are really only two problems with the Tantal or any other AK74. First, mags are expensive, at least for AK mags. Used bakelite mags go for about $20 each, which isn't terrible, but AK47 mags go for about $8 each. Second, the 5.45x39mm round never really caught on here in the US, and I'm not sure why. Importers nearly cut us off from 5.45 during the late 90s, possibly just in an effort to make a profit on a low demand, low price round. I guess the solution is to buy a few cases and hope the surplus doesn't dry up for a while.

Now an aside on the 5.45x39mm round. It does not penetrate hard barriers as well as the 7.62x39mm, or even 5.56NATO. However, there is an air cavity that is a byproduct of the manufacturing process that is located in the very tip of the round. This makes it VERY unstable upon hitting soft stuff, like flesh. It spins and yaws, and sometimes the jacket separates in a very violent manner. Center of mass hits with this round are usually a death sentence because of the random wound channel. The Afghans called it "the poison bullet" or "the devil's bullet".

Lastly, the M&P9L. If you read "Blinding you with Science" you've seen the group my 3" barreled M&P9C made from 50 yards. This big boy has a 5" barrel. It's an M&P, so has great ergonomics, is very reliable, and has a pretty good trigger (that gets better if you own an Arkansas stone). Most people who shoot the M&P series agree that they're faster to get back on target than any other tactical tupperware out there. Even my 9C is really quite fast and easy to keep on target during rapid fire. The 9L may turn out to be quite a match pistol, and a good choice of duty gun.

You can never have enough guns. I don't collect them. I accumulate them.

Blinding You With Science!

2009-08-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

The Setup

If I have any regular readers, they know I think the shotgun is pretty much the best self-defense option for ranges of 100 yards or less, and really shines within 50 yards. The 12 gauge shotgun is a modern day battle axe. What it lacks in subtlety and finesse, it makes up for with raw power, ease of use, and availability to the masses. Here in the Midwest, you can go to any sporting goods store or even some Wal-Marts and walk out with a handy home defense/sporting piece for under $350, certainly under $400 anyway (provided you aren't a felon or currently facing any criminal or civil court actions). Add an extended magazine tube for $45-$60 and for under $400, you have a formidable tool with which to defend yourself. But the shotgun, powerful as it is, is limited by range and accuracy. But how far is too far? Well, James and I decided to find out. The following test does not take into account terminal ballistics. We just wanted to know what the pattern looks like at 10, 25, and 50 yards. For a twist, we decided to include our 9x19mm pistols. I read in this month's issue of SWAT Magazine (which I encourage you to go read--better than average this month!) an author opining that though some police officers might be tempted to transition back to a handgun for shots of 40 yards or more because of precision, that if circumstances allow, you're still better off using the shotgun--even if you aren't carrying slugs. Forty yards is a very long way to ask a handgun to bring the pain, especially under stress. But there was no stress today, just blue skies, 73 degrees, low humidity, a light southerly breeze, and lots of ammo to burn.

The Tools (No, not James and I)

James used his recently acquired Remington 870 Express with a 20" slug barrel (improved cylinder bore), and I used my orphan-soul-possessed Benelli Nova slug gun with 18.5" cylinder bore and Tac Star +2 magazine extension (for a total of 6+1 3" shells or 7+1 2 3/4" shells). James will be adding a Tac Star +3 tube to his Remington for a total of 7+1 3" shells or 8+1 (!) 2 3/4" shells. For all intents and purposes, these shotguns are pretty similar. The handguns we used were my M&P9 Compact (what I'd be carrying concealed if they ever held the class...), James' M&P9 service model (4" barrel), and his Steyr M9A1. So to re-cap, we used two 12 ga shotguns-- the Benelli Nova and Remington 870-- and three handguns, all in 9x19mm-- M&P9C, M&P9, and M9A1, respectively.

The Ammo

We tested Centurion Multi-Defense, Nobel Sport 12 pellet 00 buckshot, Estate 9 pellet 00 buckshot, Sellier & Bellot 9 pellet 00 buckshot, Federal Magnum 15 pellet 00 buckshot, Winchester HP slugs, Federal "Power Shock" slugs, and Brenekke K.O. slugs. All the slugs were 1 ounce loads in the standard velocity range. Oh, and they were all cheap. In fact, everything but the Multi-Defense is pretty cheap, comparatively. The 9x19mm fodder was either Blazer Brass 115gr FMJ, or Winchester White Box 115gr FMJ (also the cheap stuff).

The Results

Well, as you can see, a 12 gauge from 10 yards makes one big hole, with just enough pattern to make sure and destroy or damage everything in a 7" circle. The Multi-Defense made a very nice tight pattern. This is one truly nasty little round, and is worth the $1.10 per shot. If I was fighting for my life, I think I'd rather have this than anything else.

Nobel Sport left a shard of its plastic cap in the cardboard deep enough to scar the wood underneath, and all 12 pellets filled the 8" dinner plate. Lead, it's what's for dinner. Here we see Nobel Sport from 10 yards (Not 25 as noted).

From 25 yards, things got a little spread out. Multi-Defense did very well from this distance and made one horrifying spread from both shotguns that included a very accurate hit with the .65" ball and a roughly 12" spread of the six buckshot pellets. At .33" each, that makes for a lot of fairly large wounds.

On average, Multi-Defense would have resulted in several center of mass hits. I don't believe in "knockdown power", but three or four pellets of 00 buckshot and a .65" slug would probably convince me to stop if they went crashing through my ribcage. But maybe that's just me.

At 25 yards, buckshot was very viable. Estate and Nobel Sport both made decent groups that would have put devastating fire on target. Both groups were from 25 yards, not 50 as noted.

At 50 yards, things got very sketchy for buckshot of all flavors, but they did manage to at least put some holes in the target. Not much made it on the whole patterning board at all. At 50 yards, you may want to hold your fire and move or switch to slugs.

On that note, slugs had no trouble at all making pretty good groups at 50 yards. In the SWAT article I referenced earlier, the author mentioned that some police departments don't allow their officers to carry slugs (which is dumb). If you can't, for whatever reason, Multi-Defense was more effective than buckshot, but the non-rifled spherical lead slug is not as accurate as a rifled slug, though you can still aim it fairly well. Since I can't resist being snarky, I have to say that there is no good reason at all to pay the huge price of specialty slugs made of the next big magic alloy, or with special expansion flux capacitors or whatever. The 12ga slug measures .72" across. If that isn' t a big enough hole to bring down what you're hunting, then go buy a bazooka. The cheap stuff is every bit as accurate as the stuff with the huge price tag. Don't waste your money, unless you really want to. A $9 15-pack of Remington Sluggers will shoot just as straight as an $18 5-pack of slugs made from Unobtainium or Hypetainium or with ninjas on the box. Really, they will.

Then it was time for the handguns to step up. I used my truck and Dakota ruck as an improvised rest and fired five rounds from my M&P9C, taking about two seconds between shots to breathe and aim carefully. James did pretty much the same thing with his M&P9 and M9A1. I managed to hit the 8" target twice, and drop the other three rounds within about a 2" or 3" radius of the plate, so call the whole group 11". From 50 yards, that isn't bad. Not great, but not bad. Some shootists (and I mean REAL shootists) fire their handguns at 100 yards or more. I'm not there yet, but I will be one day. James made about an 8" group centered above the plate with the M&P9, and did decidedly worse with the M9A1, though all five rounds were on the board.

So What?

I think we can agree that the author in SWAT was right to say that, if circumstances allow, stay with the shotgun at 40 or 50 yards, even if you're shooting buckshot. I would add that 12 pellet buck would give the best compromise of number of projectiles launched and magazine capacity. At the end of the day, the guy with the most bullets to launch has a better chance to live. The slug is the obvious answer to the 50yd question. James and I have both fired slugs out to about 100 yards and can still hold a 6"-8" group from kneeling or standing supported. Better shooters might be able to squeeze that down even more. Furthermore, handguns--even short barreled concealed carry pieces--are not out of the question at 50 yards. They are on the ragged edge of their usefulness, in my hands anyway, but they still would have delivered hits. They all proved to be more accurate than buckshot at 50 yards, but consider that in combat, you don't always have time or opportunity to aim carefully enough to achieve that accuracy.

All in all, stick with the long gun either way. Switching to slugs gives you all the range in the world (for most self-defense situations), so do that if you can. Also, don't count the handguns out if you should run out of shotgun ammo, or for some other reason need to take a long shot with a short gun.

Let's Get Stupid, I Mean Outrageous

2009-08-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I've read my share of SHTF (Sh*t hit the fan), TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World As We Know It), and Apocalypse threads on various not-so-professional message boards (yes, I'm a nerd). I don't think these are helpful ways to frame a training program or guide your firearms purchases. I've even had my own supposedly non-mall ninja friends ask me what I'd use in such a circumstance. While I don't think these kinds of conversations help the pro-gun world win many friends, sometimes it is fun to pretend. I love zombie movies, and have played some "Left For Dead" as well as the "Nazi Zombies" level on COD World At War. So in interest of rampant sillyness, I give you my ideal arsenal for the Zombie Apocalypse.

First off, I'd carry a rifle, a shotgun, and handgun. I have a vest system that supports all three weapons and isn't that much heavier for it. I can carry 10 magazines for an AR-15 style rifle, 60 rounds of 12ga ammo, and four double-stack pistol mags or seven single stack pistol magazines. I would opt for my German surplus flak vest underneath because it is light and flexible, but would still protect me from errant rounds my rag-tag band of survivors might send my way. We all know zombies can't use guns, but I would like the protection anyway. It could concievably prevent some bites or scratches that would otherwise turn me into a stumbling, bleary eyed, mindless destroyer of nations (no, not an Obama supporter...zing!).

Starting at the low end of the power spectrum--the pistol. My chosen World War Z pistol is.....the M&P 9L.

The M&P 9mm with a 5" barrel provides a better sight plane and a little extra horsepower for those 124gr XTP's I'll be launching into the forbrains of the undead army. It holds 17+1 rounds, but the mags can be overhauled with an Arredondo +6 round magazine extension. That gives me a whopping 23+1 capacity. Four of those mags is 92 rounds, plus my one extra in the chamber to start with means 93 rounds just for my pistol. This bodes well for my ability to survive and run away with Jessica Biel and Scarlet Johanssen to repopulate the Earth. In all seriousness though, the M&P has, in my experience, proven itself every bit as reliable as the Glock, but with far better ergonomics and a better trigger. The undead will wither under the muzzle of my fearsome M&P 9L. And since we're fighting zombies, the "mine's bigger than yours" argument of .45 vs 9mm becomes irrelevant because the only good shot is a headshot that destroys the brain. So the 9x19mm is clearly better because of less recoil and higher capacity.

My shotgun will naturally be my Benelli Nova slugger with the Tac Star +2 mag extension. My ammo of choice will be Centurion Multi-Defense, which tosses a .65" ball behind a curtain of six 00 buckshot pellets. Those zombies are entering a world of pain.

This round can be accurately aimed like a slug, but also gives you some spread from the six 00 buck pellets (which are .33" each). Aside from being pretty, my Benelli is a truly glorious shotgun to shoot. My friends and I have decided it may be powered by the soul of an orphaned child and uses this dark magic to make it more accurate. I have a scabbard that allows me to carry the Benelli on the back of my armor, always keeping it handy should I need to do a Detroit reload, or hand a weapon to a newfound survivor (hopefully either Jessica or Scarlet).

My rifle will be my trusty M&P15 carbine with an EOTech holographic sight. The M&P15 has proven itself utterly reliable shooting Wolf steel case ammo, surplus XM193, my reloads, and even a bit of factory ammo from Remington. I dropped a Rock River Arms two-stage match trigger in it for a lighter pull, and it performs famously. I love it. One day, I will once again own an EOTech (I had one but sold it when I was in a tight financial spot. Wish I hadn't.). It is the fastest and most accurate holographic sight you can get. The Special Forces all carried them in Afghanistan when I was there and they were issued Aimpoints. However, the Aimpoints are fragile and only capable of either 4 MOA or 2 MOA, while the EOTech does 1MOA. And it will. I've seen 1" and 1.5" groups at 100 yards from my buddy's RRA carbine, and my Bushmaster National Match made several 1" groups at 100 yards using the EOTech and XM193 ammunition. My M&P15 with an EOTech and 300 rounds will put the undead back in their graves--one way or another.

All the ammo will be easy to come by if my supply gets low. 9x19mm, 5.56x45 (or .223 Rem), and 12ga are all in HUGE circulation in the law enforcement and military community. Once they are overwhelmed by the undead hordes, I will be able to get as much as I want. And if you weren't counting, my total ammo count is 453 rounds. That should be good for getting me out of The Hive or making it to The Winchester for a pint and some chips.

A Noble Savage

2009-08-09T14:53:00.001-07:00

Last week I was working on the family farm when I stumbled across an old friend of mine-- the above pictured Savage Model 64F, bought from our friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart around 1998. Back then, I believe it sold for about $90 (I saw one today at Wal-Mart for $118) which wasn't (and still isn't) a bad deal. I hadn't really played with it since I left for basic training in 2003. I decided to clean it once when I was 18 and put it back together wrong, so it hadn't worked for the last six years. Dad had it leaning on a wall in his office, gathering dust. Last week I put it together properly and it still runs like a train. The only bad part was that I had three 10 round magazines for it, but was only able to locate one of them. Extra mags go for $10 each, and no hi-cap mags are available for it, nor are aftermarket stocks or barrels, so it won't make for much of a project gun. Thankfully, Savage made it properly to start with. I do sometimes wish for bigger magazines, so if anyone in my meager audience can point me to some, please do so. Oh, and it is cut for dovetail style scope mounts, so if you want some glass, you can have it. I'd reccommend staying small so you don't ruin the ergonomics or the handiness of its light weight. A small red dot or fixed 4x scope would do nicely, if you must.

The 64F has a two-stage trigger that breaks very cleanly at about five pounds. Not fantastic, but still plenty good. The barrel is free-floated, and it comes with standard old ironsights. The front blade is drift adjustable (and for some reason has a sort of "bead on a post" blade--more on this later), and the rear notch is adjustable for elevation. Mine is zeroed at 50 yards and requires a 6 o'clock hold at 25 yards. The bead on top of the blade covers the bull's eye completely at 50 yards, which can be annoying, but I've done well in rimfire matches and killed a lot of varmints with this rifle. It shoots straight, period. You'll also notice that there are no sling studs, though they are easy to add with the plastic stock. I think Savage didn't bother with a sling because it only weighs about five pounds, and is very well balanced so it feels like less. The light weight and great balance make it pretty ideal for walking the field for rabbits or strolling the woods for squirrels. I find it very easy to throw to my shoulder and acquire a target--and make a hit.

It is quite long for a .22lr at 40 inches. The Ruger 10/22 comes in at 37" for the full length model and 35" for the carbine, so shorter guns of similar design are available. The stock is clearly designed for an adult. The length of pull is very comfortable for me, but my niece found it to be a bit cumbersome (she is tall and skinny too, but only about 9 years old). Most shooters will be able to fire this rifle comfortably, but if you're looking for a trainer for your kid/niece/nephew/other very small person, look elsewhere. Most teens, male or female, should have long enough arms to reach the trigger comfortably.

I shot about 200 rounds through it this week, and my niece put another 40 or 50 rounds through it, which brings us to the reliability factor. It likes shorter, pointier bullets like the American Eagle (by Federal) 38gr hollowpoint hi-velocity, and the 36 grain Federal Bulk Pack hi-velocity. It fed some Winchester bulk 40 grain hollowpoints pretty well, but they are longer and more blunt than the Federal rounds. It was about 90% with Winchester and 99% with Federal. The 64F doesn't mind running dirty--VERY dirty. I generally just wipe the bolt face with a q-tip and a rag, drag a bore snake through it, and add a drop of CLP. Done and done. I went about 10,000 rounds without taking it apart for cleaning and probably didn't need to take it apart then.

Well, mine had some rust on the receiver when I dusted it off, and when I removed the rust with steel wool and 15w40 motor oil, it left a lot of bare metal. Luckily, I had some paint left over from painting my Savage 10FCP. I used an OD base (two good coats) and dusted it with some tan over a handful of straw. Both cans of paint were Krylon Ulra-Flat from Wal-Mart. Behold:

And the whole thing:

My old friend is now good as new, despite digesting about 20,000 rounds of various cheap .22lr ammo over about ten years. If you're in the market for a semi-auto .22, and don't mind not having the extra Gucci gear you can stick on the 10/22, this is definitely the way to go.

AR-24 Update: Cold Hard Bitch

2009-08-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Push "PLAY" to share my frustrations...

I took the AR-24 back out to the range last night and fed it 74 rounds of Wolf Military Classic 9mm and James shot ten rounds of Winchester white box through it. Of those 84 rounds, I had seven stovepipe style jams. That's entirely unacceptable. I've only got about 250 rounds through this gun and it has about a 15% failure rate. Like I said, completely unacceptable. The Glock I traded off for it had digested several thousand rounds with zero jams at all.

So why am I still dealing with the AR? Well, it has awesome ergonomics and is one of the most accurate pistols I've ever shot. It also gives the option of carrying cocked and locked, or in the traditional DA/SA mode. It also has a nice trigger. And it was $150 cheaper than its cousin, the CZ-75B. From the look of things, you'd think this would be an awesome firearm. And when it runs, it is. But, being a happily married man, well acquainted with female behavior, I can safely proclaim that this firearm is clearly female. When it wants to, it treats you famously. But when you bring her out to show off to your friends, she shuts you down and makes you look like a real jackass. The AR-24 is a cold, hard bitch. But I can't quite bring myself to write her off just yet.

But if she does continue to give me hell, I've got my eye on a rebound girl--either the FNP-9 or the EAA Witness Elite Match. Hopefully we can work things out though.

Riding The Mechanical Bull

2009-07-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have decided to delve into a dangerous subject: the quality of Taurus firearms. With my personal safety at stake, I've decided to be as judicious as possible and start with full disclosure. My experience with Taurus firearms entails shooting my friend's PT1911, and another friend's dad's Millenium Pro compact 9mm. I do not own a Taurus, but I am open to the idea. Let me explain why riding this particular mechanical bull may lead some into a crisis of conscience. What led me to write this was my experience working with my NG unit at a recruiting event just yesterday. I was talking to a local cop, and when he turned his right side toward me, I saw a two tone Taurus 24/7 Pro (pictured below) .40S&W on his hip. My knee jerk reaction was "Holy crap! He's carrying a Taurus on duty!". I told James of my reaction, and he reminded me that the 24/7 Pro has virtually nothing but stellar reviews. Upon that revelation, I decided to examine my knee jerk reaction in some more detail.

For those of you who haven't been around guns for very long, Taurus has a long and sordid history with its quality control measures. About half the people you talk to in real life either swear by or swear at Taurus handguns. That was especially true when I was shooting handguns competitively in the junior division from roughly 1999 to 2003. Taurus's quality control was famous, or rather, infamous at my local shooting club--but worse, it was a hotly debated subject with both sides viciously defending their view. I was shooting a borrowed Browning Hi-Power, and new to handguns, so I was fairly ambivalent. The only thing I knew was I could come near affording a Taurus PT92 (a copy of Beretta's 92FS) even on my wages from washing dishes at the local college cafeteria.

Fast forward a few years and Taurus's line of handguns has grown, and the debate rages on, though I believe (or would like to) that Taurus has turned a corner, QC wise. What has sparked this hope is that Taurus pushes the envelope in handgun research and development. They also actually listen to their customers and produce new designs based on customer feedback. How novel! One of the new designs is the PT709 Slim (below). It is a single stack 9mm along the same lines as something Kahr might put out, but will be several hundred dollars cheaper than Kahr.

If it proves reliable, the Slim looks like it could be quite a nice concealed carry piece.

But something always pulls me back from buying a Taurus. My only complaint with Taurus is that their low price comes from a generally "adequate" fit and finish. Both Taurus guns I've shot had lots of sharp edges all over the grip and controls. The Millenium Pro I shot had an awful trigger and felt slightly cumbersome in my hand. That said, I could shoot bowling pins with it at 10 yards. My buddy's PT1911 is really quite nice. The problem is that there are odd sharp corners on the backstrap that are not present on my Springfield Armory 1911. Also, the PT1911's ambidextrous safety broke after maybe 200 rounds, and the bluing started wearing off after only a couple of months of normal use for a concealed carry gun. But the trigger is really nice, the sights are fantastic, and it is every last bit as accurate as my Springfield. But it cost less. And if you're worried about the bluing, Taurus offers a stainless model for about $50 more than a blued one.

So what's my conclusion? Well, I don't know. I'm still interested in Taurus pistols. I really want another 1911 but the S&W 1911PD I want as a range toy is about $1000. A similar one from Taurus is about $650. I also can't seem to get enough 9mm pistols, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a PT709 show up in my stable in the future. Though my experience with Taurus has been pretty good, I still can't bring myself to reccomend them as a cheap defensive weapon with the same assuredness I do Ruger's P85 and P90. However, if the stories of Taurus's repentance and transformation are true, they will have my full support (that and 75 cents will get you a USA Today). Taurus continues to draw my curiousity as they continue to ambitiously develop new models. They certainly draw my applause for listening to their customers. I wish others would follow their example in that regard. I guess until I actually own a Taurus, my advice will have to be that you thoroughly research the model you're interested in and maybe shoot one before you buy. Then again, that's good advice for any firearm you buy.

The New Arrival

2009-07-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Click to play some 38 Special while you read about my 38 Special.

I took possession of my surplus S&W Model 64-3 tonight. I haven't fired it yet, so this is just a "first look" article.

First of all, it is in FANTASTIC shape, except for the Pachmayr grips which have been crudely modified for someone with slightly smaller hands than my own. No matter. New grips are cheap, and these have plenty of life in them, they're just ugly. The stainless steel of the rest of the gun is in really great condition. There are a few dings and scratches on the right side, but none are deep or really all that noticeable.

The cylinder locks up like a Swiss watch. It has almost no play side to side when the gun is at full lockup (trigger pulled fully to the rear, hammer down as if it just fired). It has no play front to back, which is great. Front to back play is more serious than side to side. Regardless, this one locks up tight. The trigger is heavy and slick, like you'd expect from a DAO revolver.

Overall, I am really liking this gun a great deal. I bought it because, well, it was cheap and I like S&W revolvers. Who doesn't need another .38 Special anyway? Sure, the .357 Mag walks away from it, power wise, but the good old .38 is a great deal of fun to plink with and is a great soft shooter for training new shooters. Handling this thing makes me want to go back to the pistol matches I enjoyed so much in high school. Shooting in the revolver class is pretty cheap if you load your own ammo (which I do). I can't wait to get this thing back where it belongs: on the range.

Maths and Myths

2009-07-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

I've taken load data from the Hogdon Reloading Data Center and used it to produce a list of calibers and their estimated muzzle energy in ft/lbs. I used the highest velocity listed for what I consider the most common bullet weight (in grains) for each caliber. The formula for calculating muzzle energy is: (weight x velocity squared)/450450=engergy in ft/lbs [which is a constant for a projectile fired on Earth--not sure where it comes from but that's what it says in my Lee reloading manual.] A note on bullet types: JFP=Jacketed Flat Point; JHP= Jacketed Hollow Point; FMJ= Full Metal Jacket; LSWC= Lead Semi-Wadcutter; JSP= Jacketed Soft Point; LRN= Lead Round Nose.

Now, a word on muzzle energy. Do not choose a caliber solely on muzzle energy. Target penetration, expansion, and (above all) shot placement determine how effective a caliber is for self defense. The FBI determined that a round must penetrate at least 12" in ballistics gel to be able to penetrate deep enough to disturb vital organs. I do not have that data here, but it is available with a little Google-fu. A saying that I find the most helpful when discussing self defense is this "Knockdown power = where you hit and how many times you hit it!". I find the concept of a "one shot stop" to be more than a bit specious.

Here we go:
22LR (from handgun) 40gr LRN @ 1000fps=88ft/lbs

380 ACP 95gr FMJ @ 937fps=185ft/lbs

38 Special 158gr LSWC @ 865fps=262ft/lbs

9x19mm 124gr FMJ @ 1115fps=342ft/lbs

40S&W 180gr JFP@ 1009fps=406ft/lbs

45ACP 230gr FMJ @ 890fps=411ft/lbs

357 Mag 158gr JHP @ 1591fps=887ft/lbs

44 Mag 240gr JHP @ 1522=1234ft/lbs

454 Casull 300gr JHP @ 1716fps=1961ft/lbs

500S&W Magnum 400gr JSP @ 1721fps=2630ft/lbs

So what? Well, I threw in the .22LR as a way of pointing out why I say .380ACP is the BARE MINIMUM I can suggest for concealed carry or self defense. The .22LR has killed people. Probably lots of them. But I still can't suggest it in good conscience. I threw in the .454 Casull and .500 S&W Magnum for the purpose of being absolutely absurd, and to point out a point of diminishing returns. Yes, the .500 and .454 have HUGE amounts of power, but trying to apply that power quickly and efficiently is a task that even master pistoleers find difficult. You are better off sticking between .380ACP and 44 Mag, really most people can stick with the .357, but if you live in a state with bears, your .44 could do double duty as a concealed carry piece and as a trail gun. The .454 and .500 mag are truly shocking in the amount of power you get on tap.

As an aside, I had the chance to fire my hetero-lifepartner's Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull. I can honestly say it was the only time I've found the amount of recoil from a handgun distracting. I've shot a couple of .44mags, and while they were impressive, the .454 is in a whole different class. I'd advise new shooters to avoid this cartridge as a first or maybe even second handgun. If you don't have at least a decent form, it will make you pay. Don't fear it, but don't take it lightly either.

But back on task, I think we can all see that the eternal debate of "9mm vs. 40S&W vs. 45 ACP" is a fairly worthless argument. The only meaningful difference is the bore diameter. While I am a dyed-in-the-wool 9mm fan, I will readily admit that a larger wound channel is always better than a smaller one. That said, I've seen ballistics gel tests that showed Winchester Ranger hollowpoint ammunition in all three calibers. They all penetrated about 13" and expanded up to the standard "caliber and a half". That means the 9mm ended up at about .53", the .40 at about .60", and the .45 at about .68" respectively. So the argument ends. Buy the one you like the best and shoot the best.

Now for the low end of the power spectrum, the .380 and .38spl. There is a pretty heated debate about shooting full metal jackets vs. hollowpoints in each caliber. The FMJ guys claim that you should rely on shot placement and the superior penetration of the FMJ bullet. The HP guys claim that the larger wound channel of the HP will bring the threat down faster, provided they hit the vitals squarely and have enough energy to penetrate deeply enough. One load for the .38spl that both sides tend to agree on is the "FBI Load" from Federal. The .380ACP has a number of decent JHP loads available, and if your .380 feeds them, I think they're the better way to go. Either way, both of these calibers require a high degree of accuracy to be used in defense. Then again, accuracy is always key, even if you have an Smith & Wesson X Frame chambered in .500 S&W Magnum. Shot placement is king, and penetration is queen.

More Props to J&G Sales

2009-07-15T16:32:00.001-07:00

I ordered my S&W Model 64 (square butt, very good condition) from J&G sales at 11:29AM central time. I got an update via email at 6:09PM central time stating that my order had shipped (2nd day air, per federal law regarding the shipping of handguns).

All too often we hear horror stories about retailers, so I thought I'd buck the trend and give some props to a retailer who has supplied me with three firearms so far. Way to go, J&G, keep up the good work.

Oh Yes, She Will Be Mine...

2009-07-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

To the right, you will see several variants of the S&W Model 64 chambered in .38 Special. These guns have had their hammers bobbed and converted to "double-action only" (or DAO). They were carried for decades by brave policemen around the country. Now they are retired and are sitting in surplus waiting for good homes.

J&G sales currently has a bunch of them in stock in various condition and trim levels, none of which cost more than $300. They may have some wear on their finish or grips, but they should still be fantastic shooters. Being police guns, they should have been taken care of reasonably well, and fired only a few times a year for qualification.

I am a huge fan of S&W revolvers, and really love this old school stuff. I think these are beautiful old guns, and they're just about giving them away now. I will be placing my order before the week is out. I can't wait to adopt one of these old public servants and give it a good home where it can live out its retirement with other under-appreciated old school firearms. I urge you to consider doing the same.

Where To Save Money (And Where To Spend It)

2009-07-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

In these rough times, a gun nut needs to know how to gear up for concealed carry or self-defense without breaking the bank. But there are places where you shouldn't skimp. Here's the short list:

1. The gun!
You don't have to spend $1000+ on a new 1911A1 with all the trimmings, or a shiny new Sig. But you also don't need to take chances with shady names like Bersa, Taurus, and Hi-Point. (Please, no angry "I have a Taurus/Bersa/Hi-Point model X that has never malfunctioned etc" emails or comments. For every one of those I get, I'll get another that says "Amen, I had a Taurus/Bersa/Hi-Point model X that went back to the factory/gunsmith five times and never worked right". I've heard it all, save both of our time.) Instead, look for police trade-ins, second hand Glocks, Sigs, Berettas, or other big-name trade-ins. Also, you can get a S&W M&P-series pistol for $550 or so if you look long enough. Glocks are still around $500 in my neck of the woods, and most Ruger double action six-shooters and their full line of semi-autos come in under $500 new. Some older Rugers can be had for under $400 new. Keep your eyes peeled, and don't rush into a purchase.

As for long guns, most any flavor of pump-action 12 gage shotgun from Mossberg, Remington, and Benelli will be under $400 new, and a very good used one can be had for much less. Military surplus rifles are also usually a bargain if you aren't afraid to do some light gunsmithing/woodworking. If you know what you're looking for, a pawn shop can be quite a gold mine also.

2. Defensive Ammunition.
Your self-defense ammo should be reliable and proven. It doesn't necessarily have to be expensive though. For handguns, the CCI-Speer Gold Dot, Federal Hydra-shok, and Remington Golden Saber ammunition in most any caliber can be trusted. Stay away from Extreme Shock, DRT, and other ammo that costs ridiculous amounts of money and has pictures of ninjas or bikini babes on the box. For rifles, a good jacketed soft point makes a lot of sense. Most any major brand will do. With the shotgun, go with the biggest bite you can get away with, and once again make sure it's from a decent maker (Nobel, Centurian, Federal, Remington, Winchester, Fiocci,etc.).

3. Holsters.
Once again, you don't have to spend a bloody fortune for a good one, but make sure you get a *decent* one. Concealed carry holsters should be very carefully thought out (how, where, and what position will you carry?) and a one-size-fits-all holster probably isn't going to get it done properly. General or rough duty holsters can be one-size-fits-most and you can get away with it. I use a heavy canvas molle-loop enabled holster that came free with my tac vest. It is blocky and cumbersome, but it holds my AR-24 or 1911 high and firm and holds on tight to them when I'm out stomping around the farm. Good leather and good plastic will cost you money, but you'll probably be happier than if you cheap out on them. A bit of forethought goes a long way with holster selection.

Now, places where you can skimp a bit or just invest wisely to save in the long run.

1. Sub-caliber adapters.
I have .22LR adapters for both my 1911A1 and my AR-15. The adapter kits themselves both cost about $200 each, but consider that 500 rounds of .223 Remington (for the AR) costs about $280, while 500 rounds of .22LR costs about $15. Shoot one bulk-pack of .22 and it has paid for itself. Meanwhile, you keep practicing with the same mag pouches, same holster, and same gun. All that changes is the recoil pulse and the cost of training.

2. Range Ammo.
In contrast to defensive ammo, range ammo does not have to be quite as reliable, nor does the bullet have to do anything special. Thus, full metal jacket bulk ammunition is cheaper than defensive ammo. It used to be just plain cheap, but then Barry O got elected and a buying frenzy ensued. Prices probably won't fall for a while yet, so you may want to look at option #1 unless you have a bigger budget than me (and if you aren't a homeless person, you probably do).

3. Snap Caps
If you don't have money to blow on ammo, then spend less than $20 on a set or two of snap caps and do as many dry fire drills as you can. You can practice most anything with these, to include drawing and firing, reload, unload, clear a malfunction, and plain old trigger control (trigger control is 99% of pistol shooting!). Why not make a minor investment for a major payoff?

Shooting is getting expensive enough that it might make you want to throw up your hands and just blow your money on gold chains and a gym membership. But worry not. With a bit of forethought and careful investment, you can afford to keep shooting or at least keep sharpening your skills.

How To Win A Gun Fight Part II: Go Long.

2009-07-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

In a gun fight? Want to win? Pay attention to how the James-Younger gang was defeated in Northfield, Minnesota on September 7, 1876 (citation, full article here).

The James-Younger gang cased Northfield before hitting the bank there. The gang was mainly armed with six-shot revolvers, which were in reality only five-shot revolvers because the firing mechanism of the day did not allow the user to carry the hammer down on a live cartridge. To this day, cowboy-action shooters only load five for safety, though new Ruger cowboy gun clones have safer frame-mounted firing pins and transfer bars.

Back on point, the gang members had maybe two or three handguns, which only held five shots and were painfully slow to reload (the Schofield style revolvers were faster to reload though). When the gang actually entered the bank, a teller refused to open the safe and was killed for his trouble. The residents rather resented the attempted robbery and cold-blooded murder, so they went on the offensive. But not with handguns.

One A.R. Manning used a single shot rifle to kill a horse (why not?), wound Cole Younger, and kill William Chadwell. Henry Wheeler grabbed "an old army carbine" (likely a Sharps single shot carbine) wounded Bob Younger, and killed Clell Miller. The residents finished the fight by dispatching possies which in total numbered around 2000 men.

William Chadwell (left) and Clell Miller (right) "pose" for their last photos. Note the solid heart shot on Chadwell, and the hole in the top of Miller's head. Those Minnesota farmers could shoot, eh?

The James and Younger brothers were deadly with their handguns, so why were they trounced by a bunch of farmers and businessmen? Well, the reasons are many, but two big points come to mind: 1) The rifle is MUCH more powerful than any handgun. Even today, the hyper-magnum revolvers only nudge into light or medium rifle muzzle energy. And in my opinion, they are still slower and less accurate than a rifle from most practical positions. 2) Rifles are easier to shoot at distance than handguns. While they aren't necessarily *easy* to shoot, a mediocre rifleman should be able to make hits at much longer ranges than an above average pistolero. Considering ballistics of the day, a rifle could be expected to make hits (in the hands of your average citizen) at 200 yards or better. A long-barreled revolver of the day, in the hands of a skilled marksman (say, Wild Bill Hickok) could kill a man at up to 75 yards with a carefully (NOT under fire) aimed shot. Add in the stress of a battle, a bucking horse, and a dirty bore, and maybe we should reel that range back in to 15 or 25 yards.

So, conservatively (and that's the way I prefer to do things...), the kind folks of Northfield had nearly double the range of the James-Younger boys, and their rifles hit with more authority. In short, the armed citizens who responded to the robbery gave themselves every advantage. Only a fool would go toe-to-toe with a professional gunslinger. However, an accomplished rifleman would stand a chance if he fought his fight--with aimed fire at distance. The point? When you can do so, go for the long gun. Never fight fair!

I should add that while this article focuses on the rifle, the shotgun is also quite an awesome tool for repelling robbers--particularly for urbanites who need to be concerned with over-penetration. I use steel BB shot (brand doesn't matter much to me, but I like Winchester and Federal) in my 12ga Benelli Nova when in the city, and Centurion Multi-Defense or whatever 00 buckshot I can find cheap when I'm in the country. I sometimes load slugs if I think big mean nasties are in the 'hood (cougars, coyotes, escaped prisoners, insurance salesmen, Jehova's Witnesses, etc.). The shotgun is, in my opinion, the most versatile tool available to civilians. It can be loaded for anything, mouse to moose, is easy to use, and can be quite accurate out to 100 yards.

Now, I know that there will be some situations where you may not have the opportunity to grab a shotgun or rifle. Say you get mugged in the mall parking lot. Well, as nice as it would be to have your AR-15, you'll probably have to settle for your pistol (in my case, an M&P9C). While it's true that "you fight with what you have", I think it is also wise to choose the long gun if the chance presents itself. If you can, go long.

If You're Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough or: How To Win A Gunfight, Part 1

2009-06-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

Lets assume for a moment that you're familiar with recreational shooting. You shoot holes in paper using monk-like concentration and a perfectly smooth trigger pull. You regularly thrash the bull's eye. Right?

Well, most of the experts (Bill Jordan, Jeff Cooper, Mas Ayoob, Clint Smith, etc) agree that treating combat like a range session will result in you assuming room temperature rather quickly. So what's the difference between recreational and self-defense (combat) shooting? The biggest differences are speed and movement.

Recreational shooting provides the basis for SD shooting. You need to learn what a good sight picture looks like, and what a good trigger pull feels like. You need to learn how to do that every time under any conditions. But when shooting for your life, a few things change. The best way to illustrate the following principles is through real life experience. Let's see what we can learn from the untimely demise of George "Baby Face" Nelson, and maybe I'll sprinkle in a bit of my own experience.

(wikipedia "Baby Face Nelson") Nelson's wife, fleeing into an open field under instructions from Nelson, turned briefly in time to see Nelson hit with the shot that would prove fatal. He grasped his side and sat down on the running board as Chase continued to fire from behind the bandits' car. Nelson, possibly aware of the severity of his injury, then walked in the open towards the agents, reportedly shouting, "I'm gonna kill you sons of bitches!" as he fired at them with a .351 rifle so rapidly that bystanders mistook it for a machine gun. Cowley fled first, seeking a new position in a ditch across the road. Turning to aim his machine gun at Nelson, his weapon failed to fire as his ammunition was exhausted and he fell in a hail of fire from Nelson. Hollis then fired a shotgun blast that struck Nelson in the legs and momentarily downed him. When Nelson quickly regained his feet and kept coming, Hollis, possibly already wounded, fled across the street, turned, and tried unsuccessfully to fire his weapon. He then drew an automatic pistol but quickly collapsed under fire from Nelson, who stood over his body for a moment. After the fight was over, Nelson limped to the agents' riddled Hudson and fled the scene with his wife and Chase. He had been shot nine times (usually misreported as seventeen), telling his wife "I'm done for". Nelson gave directions as Chase drove them to a safe house where Nelson died in bed, with his wife at his side, several hours later.

Here's my list of important points:

1. Return fire and get to cover FAST!
If you don't return fire, the bad guy can and will establish fire superiority and you will be killed. Nelson's fearsome initial barrage was enough to unnerve Agent Cowley, forcing him into a second (poorly chosen) position. Upon reaching his position, Agent Cowley found his weapon was empty, and he was killed. Agent Hollis did much the same thing. Agents Cowley and Hollis violated every "rule" I just laid down here. I don't blame the men, I blame whoever trained them for doing a fine job of training him to perform on a qualification range--but leaving him woefully ill-equipped for a life and death struggle.

2. Learn to reload quickly and efficiently.
Both Agents were killed because of empty or malfunctioning weapons. If they had practiced reloading under stress, George Nelson's last stand may have been decidedly less spectacular. Instead, Nelson killed two more G-Men. Learn to reload and clear malfunctions quickly and efficiently. Keep your fresh mags in the same place every time so reloading becomes more instinctive. Practice shooting in exactly the kind of outfit you'll be fighting in. Cops and military should practice in their heavy armor, with their Batman belts and entry vests on. Civilians who carry concealed should practice using EXACTLY the holster and mag pouches you'll be wearing when some nice young man asks to see your wallet and watch. Oh, and keep your eyes UP (watching the target area) while you reload or clear malfunctions.

3. Two guns are better than one.
Carrying a backup gun doesn't make you paranoid. It makes you a student of history. Perhaps, had either Agent been carrying a handgun (or two), they could have successfully defended themselves once their primary weapons went down. Hollis went for his pistol after it was FAR too late to turn the tide. If your primary has some kind of catastrophic failure (a case stuck in the chamber, broken extractor, etc), simply perform the "Detroit Reload"--toss your malfunctioning weapon and draw the next one. Sounds hokey or perhaps a bit "Hollywood", but it just might save your skin!

4. Overwhelming firepower is hard to argue with.
Nelson knew the fight was on, and so he turned on the pursuing agents with a devastating barrage that scared them. By establishing fire superiority, Nelson was able to fight his fight. He took the initiative and won decisively. This is not advocating "spray and pray". Certainly not for concealed-carriers who will have to defend themselves among many innocents. What I am saying is that if you can keep the bad guy's head down most of the time, you control the fight, and you win.

5. Mindset is everything.
George Nelson was fatally wounded before the fight began. He may have known the extent of his wound and decided to go out with flair. Or maybe he just wanted t give his wife some time to escape. Either way, he was determined to win or go down fighting. He ended up being shot no less than nine times, and he kept fighting. He did not give up, and neither should you. Fight to win. Never quit.

FlatlandCarNut

2009-06-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Just this once, I'm taking my pathetic blog into the realm of CARS. James got me hooked on a BBC show called "Top Gear". It's a car show that ANYONE can watch and be entertained, and education sneaks in between the laughs and dumbfounded looks. That show got me hooked on cars, so here we are. As I get older and more practical-minded, I find myself drifting toward the rice-rocket as my affordable/practical/fun ride of choice. I've been eyeballing the Ford Focus coupe, but as I was clicking through Ford's website, I found something amazing. Wait for it....wait for it! The Fiesta is coming back to the U.S. in early 2010 (as a 2011 model). Feast your eyes on the 5-door hatch model:

And the posterior of the same:

Ford say they're going to power it with a 1.6 liter four-banger cranking out about 120 horsepower. It will offer a 5-speed manual or 4 speed auto transmission. I'll have the manual, thank you. Any boy-racer worth his salt will pick the manual. But it gets better. Ford lets you play around with building your own Fiesta, choosing 3 options you'd like to see on the final production car here in the U.S.. The three that get my gears shifting are: a turbocharger(!), stiffened sport suspension (yes, Ford, oh goodness, YES!), and a racing body kit (seen on the two cars above) which includes a chin spoiler, a spoiler on the top of the hatch, and lowered skirting on the back end. And the best part? They make it in "Tuxedo Black" with brushed aluminium trim.

The Brits have had this car for maybe three years now and they adore it. It's cheap (about $15,000USD nicely equipped), it's reasonably powerful with the basic engine, and a bit of tuning turns it into an axe-murderer dressed in business casual. Oh, and you can afford to drive them! In Europe, in absence of CAFE standards, they get 40+ miles per gallon. Hopefully the U.S. model is close in MPG to its European cousin. If it launches here in the U.S. with similar or the same stats as the Euro-style Fiesta, I'll have one without a second thought. I want a runabout that's cheaper to run than my beloved Ford Ranger XLT 4x4, which struggles to break 22mpg on the highway and about 14mpg in town. Of course, I'll be willing to fill up a bit more often if it comes with the turbo (*drool*), sport suspension, and the sharp looking body kit.

Way to go, Ford. No wonder you don't want bailout money. Now go build it!

The Everything Rifle: Completed (and tested!)

2009-05-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the bad picture. I may have James take good ones after I re-finish the stock.

I got my rifle on Saturday (30 May 09) and immediately sprung into action. James and I stripped it down to nuts and bolts and gave the whole works a good washing with mineral spirits and brushed the cosmoline off with a soft paintbrush. After about 25 minutes of washing and gently scrubbing with the brush, the cosmoline was off, and we began to dry parts and fit the scope mount. Oh, using mineral spirits to remove cosmoline dries the metal out quite a bit. I rubbed it down with a dab of Rotella-T 15w40 engine oil to prevent rust and keep the metal in good shape.

I found a couple of small spots of rust pitting on the receiver, and just a bit of surface rust on the barrel, but otherwise, the metal bits were in very good condition. The stock is dinged up and a bit rough looking, but I plan on re-finishing it in late June or early July. The best part, however, was that the bore looked bright and shiny. It looked like it had potential!

Then we set about replacing the rear sight leaf with a weaver-style scope mount. That required the use of my gunsmithing punches and some very small Allen wrenches. I also had to carve some very small notches out of the upper handguard so the new screws could fit. However, the amount of wood removed was very small, and will blend right in once I sand down the whole thing for re-finishing (with marine-grade spar polyurathane).

We got the whole works put together in about 25 minutes. It would have been maybe 10 minutes, but being a real man, I did not read the instructions on my scope mount and had to install it twice. I then did a rough bore-sighting by removing the bolt and looking at an object about 25 yards away. I then moved the scope's crosshairs until the object was centered in them, as well as in the bore.

This morning, James and I headed to the range to get a rough zero, and see if the old warhorse was going to work. It did. My bore-sight work had the first group hitting about 8" left and 2" below the bull's eye. After a few more rounds, I zeroed it to hit about 2" high at 50 yards, which will bring it pretty close to dead on at 200 yards, and about 2.5" high at 100 yards. The 1970s vintage Romanian surplus 8mm ammunition (150 grain FMJ steel core) was pretty accurate, very powerful, and just a bit smoky. It is not advertised as "corrosive", but it most likely is. Accuracy with five shot groups tended to hover around 5" at 50yd standing, 3" to 4" from kneeling, and 2-3 inches prone on some funky ground and shooting through some weeds. I think with a proper shooting position I could shoot 3" to 4" at 100yds with this ammunition. Some have reported that the Yugo Mausers prefer the heaver 196 grain loads.

The 24/47 handles pretty well. It isn't a short rifle, but it is just short enough to be quite handy to carry or toss in the back of a truck. The three-position safety is just a bit clunky to operate, but it locks in position very positively, and it is very functional. The trigger is a standard old-school military style two-stage. The first stage is very light with about 1/4" of take-up, and the second stage breaks at a very crisp and clean five or six pounds. The 24/47 weighs in at about 9lbs and some change, so it isn't a pain to pack around. The weight helps to tame the recoil from the 8mm cartridge which is only a half-step behind the iconic 30-06 in velocity. The difference between 8mm Mauser and 30-06 in actual muzzle energy (velocity squared x bullet weight /450436) is negligible. The recoil pulse is different than some in that it is more of a long push than a slap. The muzzle rises and it pushes your shoulder around, but it doesn't really hurt (like say, a Mosin Nagant 91/30). I like this rifle very much, and may edge out some of its younger competitors in my collection.

It's not very pretty (yet), but boy can it shoot. I customized this rifle to be my "everything-rifle"--powerful, handy, accurate, and reliable. I think it will fill this role nicely. Now to get crackin' on that stock!

How To Survive The Robot Apocalypse

2009-05-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

I went out and saw Terminator: Salvation last weekend, and my over-active analytical brain parts would not stop trying to solve John Connor's little problem of how to efficiently kill terminators. In this movie, the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in the first 3 Terminator installments) had not yet been created by Sky Net, and the antiquated T-600 was prowling the streets of Los Angeles.

This isn't meant as a movie review. After all it is not flatlandmovienut. But I must say that T4's depictions of gunfights are fairly close to the real thing. In T4, you need air support (provided by A-10 attack aircraft--which I am fond of since a team of them helped break up an ambush for me in Afghanistan), and withering gunfire creates casualties. Also, guns aren't death rays. John Connor's troops mainly used AR-15s or M4s (with the occasional FAL or UZI) and carried a side arm of some kind (lots of H&K Mk23s survived the apocalypse somehow...). The problem was that it took gobs of ammo to kill or wound a T-600, and handguns (as they would in real life) did not penetrate the T-600's steel skull which conveniently holds its CPU much like a human brain.

The intermediate rifles, and even some M60 medium machineguns had trouble hacking through the terminators' hard heads. That got me thinking "What do I own that would take down a terminator?". Those of you who read "Broke Disc Mountain" a while back will know where my mind immediately went--

Why not the Mosin Nagant--either the 91/30 or shortened M44, M38, or M28 carbines? With cheap and plentiful steel core surplus ammo (which would also surely have survived Judgement Day), the T-600s would be mowed down in droves. Following that logic, a good choice of sidearm (largely useless against machines, period) would be a TT-33 or TTC pistol. The weapons and ammo would be in hugely abundant supply worldwide, and young resistance fighters could be very easily trained in their use. Recoil might be an issue for some smaller or younger recruits, but they would ultimately be able to knock down a lumbering T-600.

As the T-800s rolled out, a PKM (below) shooting the same 7.62x54R steel core ammo would have shredded Sky Net's shiny metal soldiers. Of course the bigger (and AWESOME looking) troop transport vehicles would still require some kind of explosive or mega caliber machinegun fire to bring down, but the individual could defend himself very well with a rifle chambered in 7.62x54R.

I ended up on the wrong side of one of these once. Not a place you want to be.

So my realization that the hordes of mechanical ground troops could be easily felled sort of took something away from the rest of the movie. So, if you find yourself among the resistance, and facing a horde of T-600 terminators, just remember this article.

Oh, and as for the movie itself, I liked it (despite the fact that the war would be over as soon as the resistance found a crate of 110 year old (in 2018) MN rifles). There wasn't a lot of character development, and you don't gain any further understanding of the human vs. machine war. The "Marcus Wright" character really stole the movie from Christian Bale, who needs to lose the raspy Batman voice. However, the action and effects were fantastic. The depictions of combat are sort of realistic (stuff still explodes much more often than it should), and the depiction of a post-apocalyptic humanity is pretty much how I imagine it will be. (I say "will be" not because I'm a tinfoil hat wearer, but because everything has an end. Period.) Don't go in expecting a masterpiece of cinema, but it really is entertaining, tense, and action packed. Worth a look if you like shoot-em-ups.

The Everything Rifle Parts List

2009-05-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

I finished buying the parts to complete my "everything rifle", and we shall see just how much gunsmithing (should be NONE if the ads are to be believed) is needed to complete this project. Below is my parts list and prices rounded to the nearest (higher) dollar:

Rifle: M24/47 Yugoslav Mauser- $180 (after transfer fee and shipping costs) from J&G Sales
Scope: Simmons 4x 32mm ProHunter handgun scope-$99 at Midwayusa
Scope Rings: Leopold Rifleman 1" low mount-$16 at Midwayusa
M48 or M24/47 Mauser scout scope mount (made by S&K): $70 at Cheaper Than Dirt
340 rounds of Romanian surplus 8mm Mauser ammo (150 grain FMJ steel core)-$99 from AIM

Total (with 340rds of ammunition!):$464 or $365 for the rifle with no ammo. That's hard to beat!

Project: The Everything Rifle

2009-05-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

I just got off the horn with my local FFL (that's Federal Firearms License--a license to deal firearms) holder and ordered a surplus Mauser from J&G Sales. It's a Yugoslav model 24/47 (pictured above), and has been re-arsenaled at some point. They are said to be in good or very good condition. Higher grades are available from other dealers, but you pay dearly for a collector or "very good +" grade German Mauser. The Yugos are cheaper, but still very high quality. I ordered this particular one because I am looking to build a nice scout type rifle. The 24/47 is a bit long to be considered a "scout" rifle, since Col. Cooper defined that class of rifle as one which measures 39" or less (the 24/47 measures 43.5" tip to tip), and has a short length of pull (the distance from the butt of the stock to the trigger). The scope is typically mounted in front of the action thusly (below).

The rifle will end up costing about $180 after shipping and transfer fees. A tin of 340 8mm rounds costs $99 from AIM surplus, and can be shipped to the 48 contiguous states for but a penny. The scope, mounts, and rings will end up costing about the same as the rifle, so for say, $360, you can get a nice shooting do-everything rifle. Commercial ammunition from a myriad of manufacturers can be had for roughly the same price as 30-06 ammo, and runs from 150 grains up to 200 grains. Most military surplus is either 150 grain FMJ, or 196gr FMJ. Soft-point or other hunting ammo in 8mm is pretty well suited to most game within the United States. Most 8mm loadings are pretty darn close to the 30-06, which is really the measuring stick for rifle cartridges.

Cooper tells us that our rifle should be powerful, handy, and accurate. This Mauser fits the bill pretty well. It is 6" shorter than my Mosin-Nagant 91/30, lighter, and has a slicker action (and the Mauser generally has a better trigger). By mounting the optics forward of the action, you can keep both eyes on the target as you raise the rifle into position. The low-power scope is also a fixture of a scout rifle. Generally 4x or 6x fixed-power scope tops a scout rifle. The low power means your field of view is wider, which helps with acquisition of a target, and engagement of a moving target. My Mauser will end up very close to Cooper's description of a good rifle. My intent is to build a short, handy, powerful rifle that can do anything I need to ask of it here in the Midwest. As a bonus, I can load my own target rounds if I choose, or I can shoot up some cheap military surplus 8mm when I don't feel like scavenging for spent cases to reload.

Now we wait and see what condition the bore is in, and shoot some groups. Stay tuned.

Broke-disc Mountain

2009-05-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

James, Nathan, and I got together and did an experiment with penetration. Wait. Let me try that again. We all got our guns together and saw how much of a brake disc (from a late 90s Tercel I believe) they could get through. James took the pictures, so they're good this time. All rounds were fired from about 25 yards out. Family picture below:

Long guns (from left--BOLD= James', plain italics=mine): DPMS Sportical, FN TPS, Benelli Nova, AXR, Mosin-Nagant 91/30, LWRC M6A2 (center--belongs to Nathan)
Handguns: M&P 9, Steyr M9A1, Beretta U22, TTC (center)

First up was the TTC pistol, firing a 7.62x25mm full metal jacket, which weighs in at 86 grains and moves at between 1390 and 1500fps (Most manufacturers claim 1390fps, while some UNCONFIRMED posts on the interwebs have the velocity at an ear-splitting 1500fps). Results below:
You can see that it penetrated the first layer of steel, and shattered on the second layer. That's pretty impressive for a handgun. A 9x19mm will only shatter on the first surface (we tried). The 7.62x25mm round has a higher muzzle velocity and a smaller cross-section, so it follows that it would penetrate better than most other pistol cartridges.

Next up was Nathan's (VERY nice) LWRC M6A2 chambered in 6.8mm SPC (a.k.a. 6.8mm Remington). He fired a volley of three and hit the hub area, which is only one layer thick. Of course it went through like a hot knife through marshmallows. Then James shot with his AXR chambered for 5.56x45mm, and I followed up with my beloved Mosin-Nagant 91/30 chambered in the ancient 7.62x54R. The AXR had some trouble penetrating the tougher bits of the disc, but performed admirably. The 91/30 didn't realize there was a brake disc hanging on the fence post, and continued on. If you own a house on the opposite side of the planet, there may be a 7.62x54R bullet hole through it, as I believe that round may be able to penetrate the entire Earth. Labeled picture below:
A third whack with the MN 91/30 resulted in the brake disc splitting in two. Here I am holding it, and trying to look super badass.

No, my arms aren't 18" long and my head isn't quite that large. It was a funny angle. I'm sticking with that story.

I think one lesson we can learn is to NEVER count C&R guns out, as the two senior citizens of the group performed very well. Second, the 5.56mm round displayed some irregularities, as two rounds appeared to have been at least partially deflected (they impacted at a very shallow angle), while several others shredded the meatier section of the disc. I think angle of attack has a lot to do with the 5.56's ability to penetrate hard surfaces. The 6.8SPC probably relies on its greater mass and sectional density to hack through the metal. I wish Nathan would have put a round through the rim (which is twice as thick) and see how it fared. The 91/30 proved once again that bigger+faster=better. That said, if I had to carry a weapon all day long, I'd prefer the AXR or M6A2 for their lighter weight, and not being as long as a bus. Of course, the 91/30 remains a very useful and tremendously powerful rifle.

All in all, our experimentation with penetration was a great deal of fun, and I hope we do it again some time. After all, it is legal in Iowa.

Mindset of the Shootist

2009-05-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

After reading Col. Jeff Cooper's "The Art of the Rifle", I had a chance to apply his teachings to my own everyday life. I'm here at my dad's farm in northwestern Missouri and I happened to go with him to check his snares (small noose-like traps for smaller fur-bearers). He's had a severe problem with coyotes killing his sheep, and has taken about a dozen or so 'yotes up to this point. What follows is a detailed description of my shooting of a trapped coyote. This is not a brag letter, nor an attempt to gross anyone out. It is simply a real-life application of some of Cooper's teachings that I think some people might find useful-not the least of which is a graphic description which reminds us that guns are lethal instruments! I take no real pride or pleasure in shooting a snared critter. It was just a dirty job that had to be done. It saved us some sheep, and it put the coyote out of her misery in the least painful way I had at my disposal. Hopefully it serves to help some of my readers to wrap their mind around shooting.

My dad, his dog (Bree, an 18 month old Border Collie), and I went out checking the eight or nine snares set up around the perimeter of the sheep fields. Bree likes to go explore, and her nose is quite useful for telling us where the coyotes are crossing, and how active each fence breach is. I was toting my Tokarev TTC and three magazines of Romanian surplus ammunition. (Cooper teaches us to always bring enough ammo--just in case.)It was early afternoon and a stiff southerly wind was blowing rain clouds over the hills. We had checked the first four snares, which hadn't been touched. Each snare was about 300 yards from the next, and after close to half a mile of walking, I had started to daydream while occasionally scanning the treeline for movement. Dad was walking further away from the fence than I, obviously thinking about the imminent rain storm. Bree was bounding happily through the knee-high grass while obviously thinking about her favorite soccer ball. (Cooper teaches us to be in the right mental alertness condition when we are trying to engage potentially dangerous game...way to go, Flatland Gun Nut...)

As Bree topped a small mound near the edge of one of our ponds, the whole fence began to shake and I immediately drew my pistol and turned 45 degrees to my right to square off with the noise. I saw the head and shoulders of a coyote bobbing and weaving on the opposite side of the wire fence. Bree saw about the same time I did and evasively jumped sideways, away from the coyote. I watched Bree and the coyote make eye contact as I shifted my attention solely to the coyote while bringing the pistol up to a firing position. I was about 20 feet away at this point, and dad saw me raising the pistol, which cued him to plug his ears. (All of the above happened in maybe three seconds.)I took four or five steps forward to cut off Bree who was clearly contemplating taking a run at the similarly sized coyote (Bree is small for a Border Collie--only about 30 pounds and maybe 3ft from her nose to the end of her tail.). Bree stopped her advance and studied the strange creature intently.

Dad yelled to shoot it in the head, so I lined up my sights on her (it was female, upon inspection) forehead, but she kept bobbing and weaving. I couldn't stay lined up, and I sure didn't want to rush the shot. The snare had malfunctioned and only grabbed her around the hips (it should have closed around her neck and broken it), so she had a great deal of mobility. She made one last mighty attempt to pull the fence down and escape, but she lost her footing and fell to a sitting position. As she scrambled to get her back feet under her again, I lined up square on her chest (which was slightly quartering away and above my hands), swept the safety off, and squeezed. The pistol bucked in my hands and I saw her roll backwards as my sights settled on her head. She fell backwards and on her left side (away from the shot) and did not move. I took another step forward (now only maybe 12ft away), lined up on the center of her head (just below the right eye) and squeezed again. The shot carried her head backwards and revealed that the first round had shattered her spine just about even with the shoulder blades. She was dead before my sights recovered from the first shot.

Upon inspection, the first round had entered just right (her right, my left) of the center of her chest, destroyed the heart and lungs, then shattered the spine before exiting above her left shoulder blade. My second shot went through her right cheek and exited behind her left ear. The second shot was probably not necessary, but as Cooper writes, we owe animals the quickest, cleanest death we can afford them. Naturally, had the 'yote made an aggressive move toward Bree, I would have taken whatever shot I could get. However, she was snared and likely in a great deal of pain. As I mentioned earlier, I take no particular pride in shooting what amounts to a chained prisoner. However, she was a wild animal whose intent was to destroy our crop of sheep. The coyotes have never been this thick as long as dad or I can remember, and as a dog lover, I don't really enjoy dispatching coyotes.

So what can we learn? Well, first of all, be aware of your surroundings! Had the coyote not been snared, it would likely have beaten a hasty retreat. But had it chosen to engage Bree (the most likely, as coyotes generally realize that a man is too big for them to take on), I may not have been able to shoot it before it had done considerable damage to our young and cocky sheepdog.

Second, we owe our game a quick, clean death. To do this, the shootist needs to keep his or her mind clear at the moment of truth. As I recall, my heart rate never increased at any point during the shooting. I was able to notice several key details that influenced my decision of when and where to engage the target. Also, after the first shot, I kept my sights on the target until I was 100% sure she was dead. Though she fell to the first shot, my sights followed her to the ground--and delivered yet another lethal blow.

Third, bullets are forever. If you point a loaded weapon at a living being, the consequences can be catastrophic and permanent. Be sure of your target, and what's behind it. Never shoot at shadows, noises, or movement. Identify and engage with a great deal of thought and deliberation. You should always know WHERE you shot and WHY you decided to put your bullets there. Think about that every time you go to the range. Why were you aiming where you were aiming, and why did your bullet impact where it did? Answer that question after every pull of the trigger. My first round was fired into the coyote's chest because that was the best shot I had, and it would amount to a quick death if my trigger pull was clean. That bullet went just right of center because my trigger pull was not perfect, but luckily for both of us, the path it took was good for a quick, clean kill. My second round was aimed at her head because I wanted to be SURE that she was no longer a threat to us as we unhooked the snare from her body. I also wanted to be sure her death was as quick and painless as I could make it. My bullet hit exactly where I aimed it because my sight alignment and trigger squeeze were both adequate.

Fourth, a knowledge of anatomy is handy. Thanks to my interest in biology, and years of growing up on the farm, I had a good idea of where her heart, lungs, and brain were at any given time (the point of aim changes as the target's body position changes). A rudimentary knowledge of biology goes a long way.

Fifth, think about having to take a life. If you own a gun for hunting or self defense, think about what taking a life means to you. Granted, there is an order of magnitude of difference between killing a human and killing a snared coyote. But the point remains, can you bring yourself to pull the trigger when the trigger needs pulled? I'm not saying to fantasize about a killing spree or anything like that. Just think to yourself "can I do it"? If you're unsure, then the answer is "no". Remember not to think about it in terms of "will I enjoy it?" but "can I do it?". If it's your first time on the hunt, then leave your rifle at home and just carry the binoculars or the coffee and watch a seasoned veteran do it. Watch all stages of the hunt intently and then decide if you are into it. If you are just starting to get into self-defense, then take NRA classes or classes from a reputable instructor.

Remember that shooting is a lot like golf--99 percent is mental, and the rest is all in your head.

Tokarev Update: Hammer Time(ing problems)

2009-05-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

I took my Tokarev out last Friday and Saturday only to find that the hammer followed the slide back to the safety notch just about every time I pulled the trigger. Exasperated, I spent a few hours inspecting the TTC in great detail. The problem was that the slide was moving too fast, and the hammer spring was resisting the disconnector so much that it couldn't reset reliably. Thus, upon pulling the trigger the hammer would fall and fire the chambered round. The slide would move, which ejected the spent case and loaded the next round. The slide was engaging the disconnector on its way backward, but the hammer was resisting too much, and combined with the slide moving too fast, the hammer was not resetting and falling back to the safety notch instead of staying fully locked back. But being a full-fledged Gun Nut, I decided to gut the trigger pack (which comes apart like Legos) and clip the hammer spring. I cut off two coils and voila! The hammer problem was greatly reduced. It did it three times through 100 rounds, and today, I put 64 rounds through it and it never did it. I have a new recoil spring on the way which should slow the slide better and cure the problem entirely.

In other news, I ordered two new mags from www.keepshooting.com and one was fantastic. The other one had some feed lip issues. If you weren't looking straight at the top of the left feed lip, you wouldn't notice that it was smashed completely flat. Using only pliers and some brass punches, I fixed the problem and that mag works fine too.

The TTC continues to be accurate and very reliable, save for the hammer problem which I think I have cured. I have to change my rating from "must have" to "must have if you are comfortable with tinkering". Cheers.

Shooting The TTC: A Real Romanian Fireball!

2009-05-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Again, not my pistol. Authentic pics to come when I'm not so lazy.

I went back to my home town after a long weekend at my National Guard unit to return James' car (my wife parked hers in the back seat of some guy's Chevy Silverado--she's fine, car is not). I stopped by my mom's place to throw laundry in, and to my surprise, my shipment of 7.62x25mm ammo from Sportsman's Guide had arrived. Shortly after changing into civilian clothes, James and I were off to the range to see what was what.

Initial tests show promise.

We set up a paper target at about 15 yards, and put up some clays as a makeshift plate rack. We shot the clays from about ten paces. James shot better than I did, but we both could kill clays from ten paces or better. I put a few rounds into the paper and all I figured out was that my trigger pull needs work. I made a nice group left of the bull's eye and then another nice tight group just above the bull's eye. It is a very accurate pistol in the right hands. I still claim that I was just hurting from the physical fitness test (push-ups, sit-ups, and 2mi run) combined with the 6.5mi road march under a full load.

The trigger on the TTC is really nice. It is long, smooth, and light with a crisp break. The grip angle is a bit strange, but very workable. The safety was initially nearly impossible to move, but now clicks off and on crisply. It had no failures to feed or eject with about 110 round of Bulgarian surplus ammo which was manufactured in 1951. That ammo had maybe six or seven bad primers, but I simply thumbed the hammer back again and gave it a second tap and every one went "KAABOOOOOM!".

Building on that last statement, the 7.62x25mm has MASSIVE muzzle blast, complete with huge fireball and moderate recoil. I would say it is like shooting a 110gr .357 magnum load. There's a lot of fanfare every time you bust a cap. It was quite fun to shoot, but double taps were slowed down because the giant mushroom cloud of fire that exits the muzzle upon ignition would completely obscure the target. I love it.

In short, I'm rating this a "must have" range toy or woods companion. It's cheap, reliable, powerful, and all kinds of fun to shoot. Go visit J&G sales before they're all gone. Oh, and opt for the "hand select" option. Enjoy.

The Good Guys

2009-04-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

I buy almost all of my shooting supplies from the interwebs. I'm a busy man, and shopping online helps me save time, and usually saves me a buck or two. The following is a short list of my favorite retailers. All too often we focus on the negative, and who not to buy from. Well, here's raising my glass to the good guys of gun-nuttery. Here they are in no particular order.

#1- www.midwayusa.com
Midway has just about everything you'll ever need for shooting. I've customized most of my guns with parts from Midway. They ship FAST and offer many options, including the good old United States Postal Service. If you're just buying a new set of grips and some replacement springs, you can have it shipped "parcel post" or priority for just a couple of dollars, instead of being stuck with FedEx or UPS (which are the better deal for bulkier, heavier orders or hazmat).

#2- www.aimsurplus.com
Surplus guns, ammo, and assorted accessories. I just buy ammo from this place. They are the cheapest I have found for 7.62x54R and 7.62x25mm. They occasionally have 5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm surplus at reasonable prices. If you have an 8mm Mauser to feed, they can keep you stocked up at better prices than almost anyone else. They also sell surplus rifles, and occasionally surplus pistols. I've never bought a gun from them, so I can't comment on how smooth the process is.

#3-www.ammunitiontogo.com
If you need ammo for your 9x23mm Largo pistol, or some 37mm flares, or rocket assisted 12 gauge slugs, ATG has it. All sorts of oddball stuff is available at reasonable prices. I mainly buy 12ga buckshot and Multi-Defense ammo here. Reasonable prices, and a huge selection make it very appealing.

#4-www.jgsales.com
Guns, ammo, and accessories only a mouse-click away. I just ordered my Tokarev TTC from here on Thursday, the 23rd at about 2:30 p.m., and by noon on Friday, it had shipped. Fantastic turn-around, and great customer service. They are currently backlogged on ammunition and accessory orders, so you'll have to wait up to 14 days for it to ship. Guns, on the other hand, get shipped with blinding speed.

Shortage? What Shortage?

2009-04-23T13:30:00.001-07:00

My guns have fallen silent. Mostly anyway. Ammunition is gone, back-ordered into oblivion. Prices are ABSURD. My poor 9x19mm children will likely spend their summer locked away in my footlocker. Even the once ubiquitous .22lr is impossible to find. So what do you do if you want to keep shooting? Well, you can always do some snap-cap practice. Or you can start shooting C&R guns. C&R, for those of you still pursuing gun nut status, is Curio and Relic--guns older than dirt. Anyone who has watched Gran Torino will tell you not to count the elderly out.

I am about to tell the internet's best kept secret, but with my meager readership, I'm not scared. Ammunition for C&R guns--especially those from former commie republics--is in plentiful supply, and still mostly cheap. I will email folks my sources if they inquire, but I'm not outing my sources just yet. After all, I still need a tin of 7.62x25mm (or 7.62 Tokarev).

My order of laughably overpriced 9x19mm was back-ordered again, this time until June. I was going to pay (don't laugh) $217 for 900 rounds of Wolf 9x19mm. Fed up with waiting, I cancelled my order and went to www.jgsales.com and ordered a Romanian TTC pistol chambered in 7.62 Tokarev. This round is a fantastically hot loaded roughly .30 caliber steel-jacketed bullet that shoots flat and straight...and can defeat most soft armor. Not that I plan on shooting many armored coyotes, but nice to know you could if you had to. Oh, and 1224 rounds of ammo costs about $150 after shipping.

Just a bit of background on my new hog leg: it served as the Red Army's standard issue pistol from 1931 to about 1965. Truth be told, the Red Army used anything that would go "boom" as a pistol clear up to the fall of the Soviet Union. For the Reds, a pistol was for either executing prisoners, or executing their own troops. That said, the Tokarev TT-33 (and its Romanian clone, the TTC) is a stout, accurate, and (by the numbers anyway) powerful pistol. I saw quite a few of them still in service in the Afghan National Army, as well as in a few American holsters.

This is my pistol. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Buying a new pistol just because you can find ammo for it may not make much sense at first glance. Until you realize that this rebuilt Romanian beauty queen cost me $247 after the transfer and shipping. I even paid $10 extra for the "hand select" option where the nice people at J&G sales will pick the best of five pistols to ship you. Extra magazines are $14 each, and it comes with one mag and an original holster. So the pistol cost me about $30 more than my laughably overpriced 9x19mm, will be here sooner (even though J&G is about two weeks behind on shipping), and I'll be able to shoot it more. In the internet vernacular: Epic Win.

If I Only Had One....

2009-04-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's not my Nova, but mine looks similar. Authentic photos to come...

Believe it or not, I frequent gun-related message boards, sharing and absorbing advice when I can. There are a number of threads asking what you should own if you could only have one firearm. Well, if I could have only one, I would have my Benelli Nova slug gun. (Pictures to come next week. My shotgun isn't available for a photo op right now.) It's a 12 gauge, pump action shotgun with an 18.5" "cylinder" bore barrel. It has basic blade and notch sights (the rear is adjustable, but not easily), and I hit the front blade with my infamous metallic gold paint pen. My Nova can accommodate up to 3 1/2" shells, and now holds 7 rounds of 2 3/4" shells (or 6 of the 3" sort) thanks to a Tac Star +2 magazine extension. It handles very well, is nicely balanced, and the extended pump arm makes it faster to work the action, and easier to support for accurate slug fire.

If you can only afford one firearm for sport, defense, or fun at the range, the Benelli Nova will do it all. For about $300 you can get the base model slug gun, and for a bit more you can get the long-barreled waterfoul/turkey gun. I like the slugger because it is short and handy for defense--but it still breaks clay pigeons like nobody's business! You better get on 'em fast though because the short barrel does not throw a birdshot pattern very far.

With buckshot of any flavor, and certainly with my favorite 12ga. round in the world--Centurion's Multi-Defense, the Nova is very capable of delivering devastating payloads out to 50 yards or so. Slugs can be launched successfully out to 100 yards with accuracy. I recently put up a three shot group at 100 yards that had about a six inch lateral spread and four inch vertical spread, all centered about six inches below my point of aim. The sights came from the factory set dead on at 50 yards, and about six inches low at 100. I used my favorite slugs for the test- Remington Sluggers. They are cheap, plentiful, and knock a .72" hole in whatever you point them at. On a personal rant, there's no real incentive to buy the $5/shot slugs. The cheap ones do just about the same as the expensive ones. In my experience, the Remington Slugger and Brenekke K.O. (back when it was cheap...) fly just as straight as any of the high-dollar slugs I've shot.

Multi-Defense: When a .65" lead ball just isn't enough.

Moving on, as I've written here before, the shotgun is terribly versatile. It is powerful, and generally easy to use. (If you're a newbie, get training from QUALIFIED friends/relatives/paid professionals before firing a gun.) The shotgun can fill a number of roles by simply switching ammunition. Want to knock down deer or coyotes inside 125 yards? Get a $9 15-pack of Remington Sluggers. Want to break clays? Go get a $23 100-pack of birdshot. Want to send burglars on the highway to hell? Buy an (expensive) pack of Centurion Multi-Defense, or a case of 12 pellet 00 buckshot. Heck, steel BB shot will work for those concerned with shoot-through (apartment dwellers/urbanites with close neighbors). With the Nova, switching ammo types in the middle of a range session or a shootout (!) is easy. Lets say you are loaded with buckshot, and you need a slug NOW! The nova has a roughly 1" square button on the bottom of the pump arm. Pressing that button will cut off the magazine as you pump the buckshot round out of the chamber. So you now have an empty chamber and no new round of buckshot was fed into the action. Now you just drop your slug in the ejection port, close the action and you're all set. At first, I thought this feature was a bit of a gimmick, but I find myself using it just about every time I go to the range.

It's versatile, durable, handy, short, and lightweight. Not to mention powerful. So, if I could only have one firearm, it would be my trusty Benelli Nova.

AR-24 Range Report

2009-04-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

The AR-24 reads up on ballistics

I took the AR-24 out and put 160 rounds through it this weekend. I had two strange malfunctions, which I will address later. Other than that, it was pretty fantastic.

When it comes to accuracy, the AR-24 was everything I hoped it would be. My crappy trigger pull left more than a few rounds hitting just below the bull's eye. A quick mental scolding, and most rounds thrashed the bull's eye. We (James and I) were also shooting clays with our tacticool 12ga shotguns. Those that got away were subjected to a pounding by the AR-24 or James' amazingly accurate Steyr M9A1. Keep in mind that those clays were lying on the ground at 20 yards or better--and often on a side profile which didn't present much of a target.

I had read on Gunblast.com that the AR-24 handled "like a rimfire target pistol". I have to agree. Its weight, balance, and ergonomics really make it easy to keep the sights glued to the target. Most 9x19mm pistols don't have much recoil. This one has less than usual. The swooping cut of the back strap almost forces you to grip the pistol properly. It makes you put your hand high and firm.

I am not left-handed. (bonus points if you get the obscure reference)

The AR-24 has only right-handed controls. Sorry, southpaws.

If your grip looks like this, you are wrong.

Now for those two failures to eject. The first one occurred in mid-magazine. The slide locked open, a live round was on the extractor, and the spent case was below it, wedged between it and the magazine--but entirely free of the extractor and chamber. The second failure was on the very last round fired. The slide locked open on the empty magazine, and I visually checked the chamber to make sure it was clear. Sitting on top of the magazine was a spent case. Again, free of the extractor and chamber. Just sitting there, making my head hurt from trying to figure out the cause of such a malfunction. The common denominator was the factory magazine which was in use for both malfunctions. This particular magazine required extra force to lock in place, would not drop free of the mag well, and would only feed the first round if you used the slide release. My other three magazines don't do any of that. Oh, and while we're on magazines, EAA Witness magazines function flawlessly in this pistol.

Overall, I am really digging the AR-24. Hopefully I find the gremlins behind my failures to eject. It sure as heck is accurate enough for duty or even bowling pin matches. It's a real tack driver. But a pistol shouldn't have a malfunction from firing just 160 rounds. I will pull the extractor off later this week and check for a glob of cosmoline or some other defect. If I can fix the reliability issue, this thing would be just about perfect.

Hoarding?

2009-04-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Cocked and Locked

2009-04-06T12:15:00.001-07:00