Written (always) and Photographed (most of the time) by Randy Mays
Copyright 2001 All Rights Reserved
The saga of the Model 29 continues. The picture above shows the mint condition Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum. Rather than leave this very nice revolver in the original wooden presentation box, I decided to take it out and shoot it, and let others enjoy shooting it. Friday night March 2nd, the Model 29 was at Blue Ridge Arsenal (see www.irighti.org for more details on Friday night activities). After searching around on the Internet, I found some discontinued "Bill Jordan" grips and had those on the revolver when we started. Big mistake, sort of. The Jordan type grips are smooth, slick even, so when the Mag Tech 240 grain loads were lit off, the gun rolled back in the hand just like a Ruger .44 Magnum Vaquero. It's great when the Vaquero does this, but the Model 29 rolls back it brings the cylinder release latch back into the shooter's right thumb; nothing a band aid couldn't fix. When the revolver was loaded with .44 Specials, it was a different story. The Model 29 with the lighter recoil of the .44 Special is fun to shoot, and very accurate. One of the Friday Night Group brought 50 rounds of the following: Winchester case, 240 grain hollow point, WW-296 powder, 24 grains, WLP primer, muzzle velocity 1430 fps. The label on the case said ".44 Magnum Max Load." For comparison, Winchester's equivalent factory load has a muzzle velocity of 1180 fps. Thanks to the band aid, I was able to fire a few of these Max Loads, and there is a technical term to describe the resulting experience: wowee!
So, everything was right about the Model 29 except that it was time to try some different grips. Today, March 3 there was a Very Large Gun Show in Richmond, Virginia. The route to Richmond goes by a gun store called Green Top. In spite of their annoying habit of selling guns at the suggested retail prices, Green Top does have an excellent selection of accessories like Hogue grips. They had grips similar to those shown above to fit the Model 29 ("N" frame, square butt). I haven't had a chance to shoot the Model 29 with the Hogue grips, but the grips fit and the gun points and dry fires well.
The Very Large Gun Show in Richmond was at The Show Place on Mechanicsville Pike (Route 360). The Show Place appears to be an old K Mart-like store which has been converted to a big empty building. Set out some tables, line up a lot of dealers, cook hamburgers, sell tickets, and wait for the line to form at the door. Several of us arrived soon after the show began today, paid our $6, and wandered around for the next couple of hours. The Show Place is in Henrico rather than Richmond, so the Henrico police have a table where they make sure guns coming into the show area are unloaded, then put little cable ties on guns to make sure the actions don't move. I had the CZ-75 (with Triton +P ammunition) along, for no other reason than the paddle holster was easy to put on before leaving. The loaded magazine stayed out in the car, of course.
Once past the gun check table, I headed for one of the dealers who often has new guns before others. He didn't have the S&W Model 610 with a 4" barrel. Nobody had one today, and I didn't see the new Ruger .32 H&R Magnum "Single Six." Georgia Arms was there, and they had some .44 Special ammunition with Speer "Gold Dot" bullets. I got some of those and some of the Georgia Arms' .32 H&R Magnum ammunition.
Even though this was a Very Large Gun Show, I didn't find what I was looking for at a good price. As luck would have it, Virginia Arms, back in Manassas had the gun I was looking for, a Smith and Wesson SW99 (in .40 S&W). Here is a picture...
SW99
The SW99 is the result of a joint venture of Walther and Smith and Wesson. The frame is Walther, and the slide is S&W. The gun comes with several different front sight (different heights), and three different grips (the rear part of the grip). These items provide enough adjustments so that the gun will fit just about anyone. I decided to leave the middle size grip in place. Later today, I took the SW99 to Clark Brothers' outdoor range. At Clark Brothers, they require you to shoot ammunition purchased there. I had some American Eagle (Federal), UMC (Remington), and Federal "Personal Defense" ammunition. The .40 S&W from American Eagle had 165 grain FMJ bullets. The UMC had 180 grain, and the "Personal Defense" ammunition has 135 grain bullets for reduce recoil. And I had 5 rounds of Federal's 155 grain police duty ammunition. There were 9 rounds of Magtech 180 grain cartridges in the magazine when I started shooting. Subjective results: the gun likes the UMC and Magtech 180 grain loads, and doesn't work as well with some of the others. All loads were reliable, but some were more accurate than others. The test setup was nothing more than me trying to hold a consistent stance for each string. The Federal "Personal Defense" ammunition did very well, and that is the preferred load for the SW99...for now. Experiments continue.
The SW99 grip was designed by some European target shooting outfit, so the grip fits your hand just right. The gun has a de-cocker, and, my favorite, the front sight is somewhat narrow so you get a great sight picture. The SW99 seems to fit the same holster as the S&W SIGMA.
The short, single action-like trigger on the SW is exceptional. The longer double action pull isn't bad at all. It is a real toss-up whether the SIGMA or the SW99 is better. Each has some good features.
Sunday, March 4, 2001... A cold soaking rain forced the difficult decision to close our outdoor range today. Drat. It was time for Plan B. Plan B means going to the indoor range at Blue Ridge Arsenal. The Sunday afternoon crowd there is different from the Friday night crowd. It is frustrating sometimes to watch people at a shooting range. Many are not doing as well as they could, and any instructor has to fight the urge to walk over and interrupt. I try not to bother other people unless they are doing something unsafe, and that does happen from time to time. That was not a problem today, so our little group could relax, have fun, and experiment with different guns and ammunition.
The S&W Model 29 with the Hogue grips worked great with the Georgia Arms .44 Special loads. When the Magtech ammunition (.44 Magnum) was added, the recoil picked up quite a bit. The last test was with Winchester Silvertip .44 Magnum ammunition. Wow. This is great stuff. Of course, it has always been great stuff, but the combination of this ammunition and the Model 29 was a noteworthy experience.
I tried some new ammunition with the SW99 pistol. It shoots the Triton "Quik Shok" and the Remington 165 grain "Golden Sabre" without any problems, and both are very accurate, unlike the S&W Sigma in the same caliber. The Sigma is very "definite" about what it likes to shoot. Certain kinds of ammunition work fine, while others don't work at all. Since S&W is supposed to have made the upper section of the SW99 (Walther makes the frame), I can't figure out why the feed ramp and barrel are so picky on the Sigma. Feeding problems can often be traced to the magazine, and the lower part of the SW99, including the magazine were designed by Walther.
So, where does the SW99 fit in the grand scheme of things? Well, keeping in mind there may not be a grand scheme at all, I guess the SW99 fits somewhere between the Glock and the SIG. Since that may sound like an odd frame of reference, I'll explain. The Glocks have only one trigger pull. The SIGs have two trigger pulls, with the first shot being double action. This is the way the SW99 works. It is a disadvantage with experienced shooters who have to learn two trigger pulls, but it's a "wash" as far as I'm concerned. Do this enough times and your subconscious figures out which kind of gun you're holding and you wind up pulling the trigger the right way. If you don't believe this, try the Sigma instead - if for no other reason that it is a natural pointing design, while Glocks tend to point high for most people. The SW99 is light and easy to carry. The sights are great. The SIG 229, for example, is a lot heavier, but this helps dampen recoil. Sights on the SIG are very good. Sights on the Glock are 1) fragile, and 2) fragile - unless you get the factory night sights. If I was going to be shooting at targets for several hours, I might pick the SIG. If I was going to carry the pistol all day, I'd pick the SW99. All of this is so subjective that none of these individual differences is all that significant. Bottom line: is the SW99 reliable?" Yes. Is it accurate? Yes. Are the ergonomics right? YES.
This year the Smith and Wesson Performance Center has a special Model 625 .45 ACP revolver with grips designed by Jerry Miculek, the world's faster revolver shooter. The Performance Center grips are not available as a separate item, but Hogue does make similar grips (different wood, different color, same size) which are available as a separate item from Clark Custom Guns in Louisiana. The picture shows a pair on the Model 625 "Mountain Gun." Several of us had a chance to fire the re-gripped 625 the other night. There's not a lot of difference when firing single action at 25 year, but when the target is much closer and the revolver is fired double action, and in a hurry, these grips are a big improvement over older designs. After my recent experiences with Bill Jordan type grips on the Model 29, I was concerned that it would be difficult to hold onto the slick grips shown here. Not so. They work great. When you set out to sent records with a revolver, as Miculek has done, every facet of the handgun is important. These grips are just right. Notice also the Kramer holster. There's no point in getting a decent revolver, adding a gold bead front sight, having a factory action job, and then putting the result in cheap holster. The Kramer holster was not inexpensive, but Kramer holsters fit just right and are worth the cost.
The CZ-75B Single Action pistol is great for IPSC and IDPA shooting competition. So far I've had a chance to use it in both kinds of matches. Although I didn't win any of the major prizes, the gun worked well at an IDPA match in Tennessee and at the North Mountain Practical Shooters' first IPSC match of the 2001 season. Practice is the key to success in any match, and practice, even with 9 mm ammunition, can be expensive. CZ makes a .22 Long Rifle adapter for the CZ-75. The adapter is called the "Kadet." In fact, CZ sells a .22 version of the CZ-75/85 called the Kadet. By the way, the big differences between the CZ-75 and CZ-85 are that the '85 has controls on both sides, and adjustable sights. The CZ-75B Single Action has thumb safeties on both sides, and that's all I ever need. The Kadet has adjustable sights. When I got the Kadet adapter last week, I looked through the manual and discovered there are three places on the adapter where you may have to take a small file and remove some metal in order to get things to fit. I was a bit turned off by that, because I'm not a gunsmith, don't want to become a gunsmith, and did not want to harm the pistol. On the other hand, how hard could it be to file off a little metal to make things fit? Not hard as all, as it turned out. With just a little bit of filing in two of the places mentioned in the book (the other one was ok), I had the adapter installed. The first evening out with the pistol produced the group shown in this picture.
This group was fired at 25 yards, looking at the sights with the target just a blur off in the distance. Not bad. Notice in the picture how just part of the slide comes back. This looks a little like the S&W Model 41 .22 target pistol. The barrel and most of the "slide" stay put and do not move. The adjustable sights are in the part of the slide that doesn't move, so the sights and the barrel stay in the same positions all the time.. You can see the silver barrel between the muzzle and the front of the part of the slide that has moved to the reat. Notice the magazine, which tapers from the regular double stack 9 mm width to accomodate .22 LR rimfire cartridges. Now, my experience is that .22 pistols don't always work with every possible brand of ammunition. The first 100 rounds were Remington, and the next 100 rounds were CCI "MiniMag." The Remington ammunition works better, but I'll keep trying different types until I find something that's reliable. There were misfired with both brands, but sometimes .22s misfire and fire again on the second strike. I'm not going to take the Kadet to any bullseye matches, but that's ok because I'm not going to any bullseye matches anytime soon anyway. Even with the occasional misfire or failure to feed, the Kadet adapter pays for itself by permitting many more shots fired in practice. It's one thing to draw and dry fire. It's another to fire at least a .22, if not a 9 mm.
There are .22 LR adapters for the Colt 1911 style pistols, the CZ-75, and even the Glocks. These adapters are a good investment. In the case of the CZ-75, the added benefit was helping me get over a fear of using a small file on a pistol. The good results were worth those first scary moments with the metal shards started flying across the workbench.
For more comments on the CZ-75, see the Friday Night Group Web site, and the "Gun o' the Week" page.
April 8 is always a significant date... for someone who joined the Navy April 8, 1968, but that's another story. April 8, 2001 was another significant date: the day the Smith and Wesson Model 610 was at the range for the first time. First, here is a picture of the new 610 with a 4 inch barrel.
S&W Model 610 and the "First Target"
The Model 610 chambers both the 10 mm and .40 S&W cartridges. I started testing the new revolver with the Aguila brand "IQ" bullets in .40 S&W. Those shots hit below the center circle around where it says "-1" in the picture. Those bullets are light weight and move at high speeds, and shoot lower than heavier bullets. The next load I tested was the Hornady 155 grain 10 mm and the point of impact moved up. The 200 grain Hornady shot closest to the point of aim (the "head" of the target). Most of the shooting was done with UMC 180 grain 10 mm ammunition. Since the Model 610 uses semi-automatic pistol cartridges, "moon clips" are required for the ejector to work. Unlike the Model 625, there did not appear to be a headspace problem with the 610 and I never had a failure to fire when the moon clips were not used. The 10 mm cartridges seemed to headspace in the cylinder on the cartridge case mouth. The next 10 mm to be tested are some Winchester "Silvertips." Once I see where those hit, I'll adjust the elevation of the sights. Windage seems pretty close as is. Some of the holes on that target came from 9 mm rounds from the now well broken-in CZ-75B Single Action pistol.
The CZ-75B was used in an IPSC match the morning of April 8, and worked well. Since it was already in need of cleaning, I figured it wouldn't hurt to practice with it a little more. The woodchuck target took the brunt of the 9 mm's from about 15 yards. There are some hits on the right side of the target, too.
These targets are interesting, because they show what happens when you are close to a target. Notice the pinwheel type patterns around a few of the bullet holes. Take a look at the one just about the "-0" in the second picture. I'm not sure causes this, either lead coming off the bullet or maybe unburned power, or something else ...not...of...this...world...like a UFO maybe. I was very close to the target when these were fired, doing those Mozambique drills where two shots are fired at the center of mass and a quick third shot is fired to the head. Those three shots can be fired in a very short time. Mr. Woodchuck in the first picture should never have picked a fight at such close range.
Time to catch up with some writing about new guns... on Saturday April 14, I had a chance to try out the new FN FortyNine pistol. The FortyNine is available in .40 S&W now and will be available in 9 mm later. I suspect this is because FN wants to sell guns to law enforcement, and 9 mm is not the caliber of choice for the police these days. The FortyNine is designed and assembled in the US even though the parent company is in Europe. FN also makes and sells military rifles here in the US. The FortyNine we had today had no feed problems at all. This was a brand new gun right out of the box and I was using some very good reloaded ammunition with 155 grain bullets. I also tried a few of the Aguila "IQ" .40s with the 95 grain bullets. Both loads shot very close to the same point of aim at 7 yards, which was a little surprising.
Here are a couple of nice pictures of the FortyNine from the Internet. The picture on the left was taken at the 1999 SHOT Show. The picture on the right came from the Handguns Magazine Web page. Needless to say, my camera doesn't do that well, although it could have taken the picture on the right. There are no more controls on the FortyNine than there are on the Glock. The take-down lever is on the left side of the gun (not shown), and works like the lever on a SIG-Sauer. You do have to pull the trigger on the FortyNine to release the slide. The trigger has a nice feature. You can strike the same cartridge twice in case it doesn't fire the first time. Whether you believe this is a good idea or not is a different subject, but the gun will do it. The Glock won't and the SW99 and Sigmas won't either. The FortyNine has a slide rail for a flashlight. The sights are dovetailed in so you can replace them with tritium sights, and the rear sight is adjustable for windage. The sight on the gun today were fine. A couple of interesting points: the pistol fits in the same Fobus H&K holster as does the SW99. The muzzle sticks out the bottom of the holster, and it is not a perfect fit, but the gun would be secure in that holster. Since Fobus holsters are inexpensive, you could get one and use it until someone makes a holster for the FortyNine, or you could just continue to use the Fobus since it would be fine.
FN FortyNine
The FortyNine has a heavy trigger. It is a lot like the Sigma; maybe a little heavier, but very close in feel. This kind of trigger may be ideal for law enforcement since it takes a conscious effort to pull. I had the CZ-75B at the range also, and it was much easier to shoot with its light single action trigger. The FortyNine seems to be a very reliable pistol, accurate, easy to use, and aside from a heavy trigger, there's nothing wrong with it, and the heavy trigger is there for a reason. This is not a gun you would consider as a first choice for IDPA competition, but it would be a great pistol for a night stand at home, or the glove compartment of a car.
I took the FortyNine apart. It looks like a Sigma inside. It looks like a Glock inside. There are not that many ways you can do what needs to be done in a gun like this without it looking like someone elses gun. A revolver, regardless of manufacturer, has a cylinder. The FortyNine is a striker-fired pistol. You have a trigger and you have a striker, and it is going to look like a Glock no matter what. I'm sure there are some subtle differences to make the lawyers happy, but if you pick up a FortyNine and a Sigma, you'll think they are very similar. The Glock will feel a little different, but if you look inside, and you're not a gunsmith, you'd have a hard time telling the difference.
Well, I like the FortyNine, but with a Sigma and an SW99 around here already, I don't think I'll be getting one. If someone wanted a home protection handgun, I would recommend the Remington 870 shotgun instead, but if they persisted, I'd put the FN on the list of pistols to consider. Nice gun, and well worth the under $400 price I've seen at gun shows.
Wow...
Springtime has come to Northern Virginia. Springtime lasts about 20 minutes and then we have summer with heat and humidity. The improved weather leads to more outdoor activities, and less time for writing and taking pictures. In spite of these outdoor distractions, it has been possible to maintain a grueling schedule of trying out new guns and ammunition. The picture above shows a S&W Model 640 which has been "quadraported." Instead of just two ports in the barrel, there are four ports. Look for the two bright spots in the picture. Those are the ports on the left side of the barrel. You can see the flame pattern, and how little the muzzle has risen as the bullet exits. Is this necessary? No. Most people can control a small frame revolver without porting the barrel, so some of this is just "marketing." On the other hand, if recoil and muzzle rise is a problem, this is the best way to solve it. Ported barrels or compensators attached to the end of barrels work better as the bullet velocity increases. It's hard to get a lot of velocity out of a two inch barrel, but with a .357 Magnum cartridge you'll get enough velocity to make the porting effective. This "shot" shows .357 Magnum Blazer ammunition being fired.
The new Smith and Wesson Model 610 went to Weigand Combat Handguns in Pennsylvania. Weigand does great trigger jobs and other work on revolvers and pistols. I asked them to do all of the normal custom work, an action job, smoothing the edges, a satin looking finish, etc. I got a call from the gunsmith up there who said that the revolver was "out of spec" as it came from the factory and they recommended extra work on the barrel to make it right. The alternative was to send the gun back to S&W to be fixed, then back to Weigand, etc., so I asked Weigand to do the work. The 610 came back this week and was taken to our regular Friday night range session. I fired a few rounds, then handed the gun to someone else. He had trouble pulling the trigger in double action. The gun was binding. Now, all I can figure is that the tolerance were so close for the barrel to cylinder fit that when the cylinder heated up (as it is bound to do in competition), the gap closed during part of the cylinder's turn and it jammed. It was either that or something is wrong in the action. Most of the time when a revolver jams, something is causing the cylinder to stick. At least that's been my limited experience with such things. After paying around $300 for gunsmithing work on a gun that cost almost $600, and having it not work, I was a little bit annoyed. These things happen and one great thing about dealing with Jack Weigand is that when the gun goes back up there, they'll fix it and they will pay for the shipping. I had hoped to use the 610 in an IPSC match at the Quantico Marine base tomorrow, but the match was cancelled. Maybe I'll have the 610 back from Pennsylvania in time for the rescheduled match.
Today is May 12, and a couple of us taught the regular Home Firearm Safety class in Manassas. One of the students had a brand new Ruger GP-100 with a 3 inch barrel. Here's what that revolver looks like:
GP-100 3" with Fixed Sights
The one today had a stainless finish. Here's what a stainless model with a 4" barrel looks like:
GP-100 4" with Fixed Sights
So, split the difference and imagine the lower picture with a shorter barrel, and that is what the student had for the class. Since she had never fired the Ruger before, I invited her to the range this afternoon to learn how to shoot it. Now, being one of the all time great instructors, I always have a Ruger SP-101 .22 revolver available for teaching. Rather than starting her off with the GP-100, even with .38 Special ammunition, we took some time to shoot the .22 revolver first. By the end of the lesson, she was shooting the GP-100 with .357 Magnum ammunition as well as .38 Special. Once a student learns the fundamentals, and learns to relax and be comfortable shooting the firearm, it is not difficult to move to something more powerful. In fact, she was able to get a decent group with the Glock 29 10 mm which most people would agree is not something a beginner should be shooting. Here is a picture of a Glock 29...
Glock Model 29 10 mm pistol
The only difference between this picture and the gun used today is that the actual gun has Ashley Outdoors Express sights. These sights have a big dot in the front that rests in the "V" of the rear sight. These sights are based on those used on the double rifles carried by big game hunting guides in Africa. The "express" sight picture can be acquired in a hurry. I did back of a little on the ammuntion she was shooting, with Blazers rather than the full up Triton or Silvertips. Even so, it was fun to watch someone master something like the Glock 29 in their first real lesson.
Although there are plenty of "carry guns" around here, the power of the Glock 29 is much greater than the .40s and .357 SIG cartridges used in the other models. It is simple to operate, and that big dot (with a tritium insert) makes is easy to get the gun pointed at the target in a hurry.
The other new firearm that got checked out this weekend is the Remington Model 597 rifle. Here, of course, is a picture...
Remington Model 597 .22 Rimfire Magnum
This is a great rifle, with one small flaw. The last round from the magazine does not always feed into the chamber. I've sent e-mail to Remington about this and we'll see how they handle the problem. The .22 Magnum is not as powerful as a centerfire rifle cartridge, but it is more than enough for hunting small animals. I put a sling on the rifle, which makes it easier to shoot in an offhand position. Remington makes this rifle with a heavy barrel and scope mount rather than adjustable open sights. I prefer the simple version with no scope. I hope Remington can fix the magazine problem. It's a very nice rifle. The only way to keep our firearms manufacturers in business is to buy their products. In order to get people to want to buy their products, the products have to work. This is a pretty simple concept, and it is amazing that today with all of the advanced manufacturing capabilties, computers, close tolerances, etc. that someone would sell a rifle that will not feed the last round out of the magazine.
So, stay tuned for the ongoing sagas of the Weigand gunsmithed 610 revolver, and the Remington 597 rifle. And remember that there were NO problems with the Ruger GP-100 or the Glock 29 in case you're shopping for a good revolver or a very powerful small pistol.
May 21. There's nothing special about the date except that I got some good service a few days ago from Remington. I talked to someone in their customer service department and she sent a new magazine for the Model 597. The magazine follower is orange rather than red. I have no idea why the change unless it helps Remington identify the newer magazines. It is not apparent what changes were made between the original magazine and the newer one, but I suspect the angle of the follower or the spring was changed. Why these things don't show up in pre-production testing will always remain a mystery.
The Model 610 has been up in Pennsylvania for a week and I hope it is being fixed. This is still a great revolver. I read a book about bicycles awhile back and the author noted that you should check everything on a new bike, because there was always something wrong. Well, with few exceptions, that has been my experience with most of the brands of handguns I've encountered over the years, including Glocks. Springfields and Colts tend to work pretty well and don't have to be sent back to be "made right."
June 2. Time for a Major Update. It is always a good idea to be ready for anything at a gun show. Have something ready to trade and watch for targets of opportunity. This morning I was bound and determined to trade the SW99 for a Glock Model 33, the subcompact .357 SIG. I got a Glock .357 SIG all right, but not the Model 33. One of the dealers had one of the original Glock Model 31s (same size as the 17 and 22). By original, I mean this one did not have the finger grooves on the receiver. This particular model works fine with the remaining hi-capacity magazines that have been in storage for awhile because these magazines did not work well with the Model 35. Confused? It is easy to get confused until you have memorized all of the Glock model numbers. Hint, the model numbers start at 17 and go up to 36. We're all wondering what the "Model 37" will look like when it appears on the market. Today's Model 31 was a demo model which means it was carried by a sales person or shown at a trade show. Glock's .357 SIG models have an unusual wear pattern, which does not hurt the gun in any way, and you can get a rough idea of how many times one of the .357 SIG models has been fired. The "new" demo gun has been fired, but not very much, unless you count today's extended range session.
Any new gun has to go to the range to see if it works, and to determine where the sights are aligned. The 31 was right on the mark out to 50 feet. There is no need to adjust the sights or do anything else. The pistol is doing what it was designed to do. There were no mis-feeds, no jams, and no problems.
I tend to be particular about "accessories." In this case the basic Glock 31 is surrounded by a few of the items that make it work better. The Fobus paddle magazine holder is in the upper left hand corner. Then you see a bunch of magazines, including an orange hi capacity "practice" magazine (easy to find on the range after some speed reloads result in magazines flying all over the place - and those are the ones you tried to put in the gun...). Last, but not least, is the De Santis holster for the Glock 17, 22, 31, 34, and 35, and I'm sure the small ones fit, too. This is one of the best, and least known, Glock holsters on the market. It is not as inexpensive as a Fobus holster, but the Fobus holsters sometimes prevent you from getting the correct firing grip on the gun. The DeSantis holster does not have that problem. Blade Tech holsters are great, but are also expensive. The new line of inexpensive KyDex holsters may have an effect on the Blade Tech pricing structure. In the meantime, my first choice for the Glock is DeSantis and my second choice is Blade Tech.
Regular readers will note that I like nothing more than tinkering around with a new gun. Glocks offer many chances for tinkering, ranging from replacement of the striker with one made from titanium to adding different barrels. This particular Glock 31 works so well right out of the box that I hope to resist temptation and not do a thing to it. OK, maybe I just might consider getting a .40 S&W barrel for it. That's not the same as a modification. The addtion of a .40 barrel makes it into the moral equivalent of a Model 22.
And now we can bring in the clones...
One Glock clone, the S&W Sigma was at the range today, too. It did not like to fire the Winchester 180 grain practice loads with the flat nosed copper jacketed bullets, and there were a number of mis-feeds. The Sigma did not want to work with the Federal .40 S&W "Personal Defense" ammunition either. The pistol did work pretty well with the Winchester SXT ammunition, but it is very expensive to run a lot of these rounds through the pistol to check for reliability. At least the bullet shape of the SXTs is much rounder and this seems to help.
I wish that Glock had the ergonomics of the Sigma. The result would be a perfect .40 caliber pistol that would fit a lot of hands. Glocks never point at the target. At least S&W got that right.
And now for the latest on the S&W Model 610. I sent it back to see why it was binding. I heard from Jack Weigand himself and he agreed that the cylinder and the forcing cone on the barrel were too close together, so that when the gun heated up these parts would touch and bind. That has been straightened out. Last Friday night, we fired some very hot loads in the revolver, 10 mm loads that are right on the edge of being the maximum safe loads in that caliber. The 610 shot them without any problems. The revolver also worked great with regular, shorter .40 S&W ammunition. It appears as though the sights were centered at the factory for .40 S&W. IPSC and IDPA revolver shooters are more apt to use these lighter loads, still make "major" category, and make it easier for the shooter to reload using moon-clips. I need to get a quiet undisturbed range, if there is such a thing, and get the sight settings for Winchester 10 mm Silvertips, and Hornady XTPs in various bullet weights, because those are going to be different from what is needed for the .40s. The 610 has the makings of a real classic.
What's next on the wish list? Well, I like the Ruger SP-101s. Seems like it might be fun to get one in 9 mm. Ruger stopped making their 9 mm SP-101s, but there are still plenty out there.
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