January 1, 2006
The 2006 Wish List Begins...
The revolver shown above is a new Smith
and Wesson Model 22. The Model 22 is a .45 ACP revolver.
S&W also has a Model 325, a Scandium frame lightweight .45 ACP
revolver. Both appear to be worth a look. The 2006 SHOT
Show is just a few weeks away in February in Las Vegas.
Kimber has a new polymer pistol called a "KPD." A lot of pictures have been appearing, but there's not a lot of additional information in the usual places on the Internet.
Another item that may not be seen until just before the SHOT Show is a metal frame for the Glock pistols. One of the advertisements says that this frame won't flex. Well, hello...maybe one of the reasons the Glock is well liked is that the frame does flex a little and dampens the recoil. On the other hand, the Glock stock ("grip") angle is a little bit too much and the the result, at least for a new Glock shooter whose brain hasn't found the right thing to remember, is that if you push your hand(s) straight out, the Glock will be pointing a little bit higher than a Springfield XD or a 1911. If this new frame has a different "grip" angle, then it will be a Big Winner. As long as Glock continues to win the trigger reset comparison test, I don't mind any other little less than perfect aspect of this pistol. If the new frame makes things better, and doesn't cause any degradation in key areas like trigger reset, then I'll convert as least one of the Glocks to the new frame. Come to think of it...hmm...the Model 24 might be the ideal candidate for the new frame. Long sight radius, 6" barrel, better "grip" angle - sounds like just the right pistol to take to Front Sight for a pistol class.
Springfield XD .45 ACP
Kimber has a new polymer pistol called a "KPD." A lot of pictures have been appearing, but there's not a lot of additional information in the usual places on the Internet.
Another item that may not be seen until just before the SHOT Show is a metal frame for the Glock pistols. One of the advertisements says that this frame won't flex. Well, hello...maybe one of the reasons the Glock is well liked is that the frame does flex a little and dampens the recoil. On the other hand, the Glock stock ("grip") angle is a little bit too much and the the result, at least for a new Glock shooter whose brain hasn't found the right thing to remember, is that if you push your hand(s) straight out, the Glock will be pointing a little bit higher than a Springfield XD or a 1911. If this new frame has a different "grip" angle, then it will be a Big Winner. As long as Glock continues to win the trigger reset comparison test, I don't mind any other little less than perfect aspect of this pistol. If the new frame makes things better, and doesn't cause any degradation in key areas like trigger reset, then I'll convert as least one of the Glocks to the new frame. Come to think of it...hmm...the Model 24 might be the ideal candidate for the new frame. Long sight radius, 6" barrel, better "grip" angle - sounds like just the right pistol to take to Front Sight for a pistol class.
Springfield XD .45 ACP
But in the meantime, there are other new
things available right now. An example is the new Springfield XD
pistol in .45 ACP. It is not a coincidence that a picture of this
pistol appears just above these words, because I had a chance to fire
the new XD this afternoon, and I like it. At some point a Glock 9
mm, regardless of barrel length, is still a 9 mm. Shooting a .45
takes a little bit of extra effort, not a lot but enough to
notice. The .45 ACP XD has a 13 round magazine (wow) yet this
does not increase the size of the pistol's stock ("grip") enough that I
could notice. The new XD comes with a holster and a double
magazine pouch. It costs very little to make these accessories in
a modern factory, but it was smart for Springfield to put these items
in as part of the package. The new holster is canted, and I
prefer what some people call a "straight drop" holster. Even so,
once you have a good firing grip on a pistol the rest of the
presentation is not difficult. All I had for a target today was a
steel plate at 25 yards. I hit that most of the time - without my
shooting glasses. I consider this a good omen of what might be
possible with some additional practice.
A later note. As much as I liked the XD in .45, I sold it to someone who is a big XD fan. Although I've seen what the Springfield Custom Shop can do with an XD trigger, even their best efforts do not match those of Glock when it comes to a short, crisp trigger reset.
At the 2006 SHOT Show, I had a chance to see the new Kimber KPD pistol. As others have noted, the trigger is "mushy," but the trigger is also curved in a way that your finger contacts the bottom on the trigger where it curves, and, in my case at least, this doesn't provide a good contact area for the trigger finger. The FN DAO pistol on display at the SHOW Show had great triggers.
FN FNP Pistol
Smith and Wesson Military and Police Model
A later note. As much as I liked the XD in .45, I sold it to someone who is a big XD fan. Although I've seen what the Springfield Custom Shop can do with an XD trigger, even their best efforts do not match those of Glock when it comes to a short, crisp trigger reset.
At the 2006 SHOT Show, I had a chance to see the new Kimber KPD pistol. As others have noted, the trigger is "mushy," but the trigger is also curved in a way that your finger contacts the bottom on the trigger where it curves, and, in my case at least, this doesn't provide a good contact area for the trigger finger. The FN DAO pistol on display at the SHOW Show had great triggers.
FN FNP Pistol
Smith and Wesson Military and Police Model
My first initial impression ("first
first" just doesn't sound right) of the new S&W M&P pistol was
not positive. I just saw it in a gun store for a few
minutes. Later, I spent a little more time with it at the SHOT
Show. Everything felt pretty good and the trigger reset is short
enough and positive enough to be within striking distance of the
industry standard (Glock, of course). Today (Friday March 3,
2006) I had a chance to fire 50 rounds of Blazer 180 grain .40 S&W
ammuntion through the new pistol, another 50 Magtech rounds, also 180
grains, and almost a full box of Speer Gold Dot 155 grain
ammunition. The 180 grain rounds all worked fine. The Gold
Dot was a more realistic load and I found all of the ammunition to be
easy to control. The pistol didn't have any growing pains
(malfunctions).
The M&P comes with "grip" (stock) adapters, and I found the larger of the three to fit my hand best. If you take a careful look at the picture shown above, find the small piece just below the grip adapter and just behind the magazine baseplate. If you turn this part 1 quarter turn, you can remove it from the grip. This releases the grip adapter. This part is also used to disassemble the pistol.
One of the advantages of the M&P is that you can disassemble the pistol without pressing the trigger first. From a safety standpoint this is a Big Advantage over the Glock. The downside is that you have to take some sort of tool and move a part inside of the frame. This is similar to the disassembly of a Ruger centerfire semi-auto, except that you are not depressing or moving the ejector, but instead moving a part designed to permit this approach to disassemble (taking the trigger out of the picture, and removing a potential for an accident).
The magazine release can be moved to either side. There are slide releases on both sides. The beavertail is just about right. S&W did a good job on this pistol. Maybe they can recapture some of the law enforcement market with this design. The M&P is supposed to be available in 9 mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG, and there may be compact models available later. I do not recall seeing a compact model at the SHOW Show, but it's not hard to imagine what one might look like.
I do have a minor "Where is my Dremel tool? complaint. When you apply the proper grip to the stock of a handgun, the second joint of your middle finger should be against the area where the bottom of the trigger guard intersects with the stock. If the surface of the handgun is rough in this area, it may abrade the skin this area. For those who may be reading this East of the Rockies, "abrade" means to rub off the skin after a while. Someone at Smith and Wesson decided to bring the rough surface on the front of the stock up into this area instead of leaving this smooth. This can be fixed with a Dremel tool, of course, but one has to wonder how much feedback was received from experienced shooters during the design process. Oh, well. Nobody seems to get it right the first time.
The M&P comes with "grip" (stock) adapters, and I found the larger of the three to fit my hand best. If you take a careful look at the picture shown above, find the small piece just below the grip adapter and just behind the magazine baseplate. If you turn this part 1 quarter turn, you can remove it from the grip. This releases the grip adapter. This part is also used to disassemble the pistol.
One of the advantages of the M&P is that you can disassemble the pistol without pressing the trigger first. From a safety standpoint this is a Big Advantage over the Glock. The downside is that you have to take some sort of tool and move a part inside of the frame. This is similar to the disassembly of a Ruger centerfire semi-auto, except that you are not depressing or moving the ejector, but instead moving a part designed to permit this approach to disassemble (taking the trigger out of the picture, and removing a potential for an accident).
The magazine release can be moved to either side. There are slide releases on both sides. The beavertail is just about right. S&W did a good job on this pistol. Maybe they can recapture some of the law enforcement market with this design. The M&P is supposed to be available in 9 mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG, and there may be compact models available later. I do not recall seeing a compact model at the SHOW Show, but it's not hard to imagine what one might look like.
I do have a minor "Where is my Dremel tool? complaint. When you apply the proper grip to the stock of a handgun, the second joint of your middle finger should be against the area where the bottom of the trigger guard intersects with the stock. If the surface of the handgun is rough in this area, it may abrade the skin this area. For those who may be reading this East of the Rockies, "abrade" means to rub off the skin after a while. Someone at Smith and Wesson decided to bring the rough surface on the front of the stock up into this area instead of leaving this smooth. This can be fixed with a Dremel tool, of course, but one has to wonder how much feedback was received from experienced shooters during the design process. Oh, well. Nobody seems to get it right the first time.
When I went to the 2005 SHOT Show, I
wrote that a weirdness award could be given to Taurus for making a big
revolver that fires the .45 Colt and .410 shotshells. I'm not
afraid of weirdness so when one of these showed up in the local gun
store, I had to give it a try. Lacking the proper physical
conditioning (due to surgery), I let some friends fire it first and
they all enjoyed it. We used .45 Colt Blazer ammunition, along
with some Remington .410 slugs. The slugs hit the steel plates
pretty hard. I've ordered some Winchester .410 buckshot (3
pellets per shell). That should be a blast, so to speak, in the
Taurus. Changes are always considered, and in this case I think
maybe a plain black sight, instead of the fiber sight, might be
better. This is a fun gun to show people in class in case they're
not sure what a CYLINDER looks like. Although a litttle short of
a Magnum Research BFR .45-70 cylinder, this one is big enough to use as
a visual aid.
Since I couldn't find the exact picture,
try to squint as you look at the two images above. Imagine the
gun on the right, a Taurus PT38S (.38 Super) with the black
grips. This would be a Taurus PT38S with black grips and gold
trim, a hybrid of the two images. In a moment of weakness and
great curiosity about the .38 Super, one of my favorite cartridges, I
got a Taurus PT38S that was on sale. Right way I found minor
quality problems and sent the gun back to Taurus. Neither problem
was a safety issue. It will be interesting to see if they fix the
problems and if I get reimburused for Fedexing the gun to them. I
should remember that with very few exceptions, Taurus firearms tend to
be novelty items compared to the higher quality products available from
other manufacturers. I still like my Taurus Tracker titanium 7
shot .357 Magnum, although it does spit lead back from time to time.
From weird to practical on the very same
Web page. This is a picture of a Browning Buckmark .22
pistol. With a nice balance, nice "grip" (stock), and a very good
trigger, this pistol is perfect for our training classes for
beginners. I wish someone would make a single stack 9 mm pistol
with the ergonomics of the Browning Buckmark. This is a nice gun.
And now for something different. I
always liked the FN FortyNine pistol. I have one of the first
ones in .40 caliber and it's a nice gun. I've always liked the
handling and the feel, balance, trigger, etc. When FN, and I
guess Browning is collaborating with them, tried to make the FortyNine
in 9 mm, I understand they had reliability problems getting all of the
different kinds of 9 mm ammunition to fire. The solution is to
use more mass to whack the primer and the easiest way to do that is
with an external hammer. The new Browning PRO-9 appears to be the
solution to this problem. I've not fired it yet, but it looks and
feels like a winner. The picture above shows the gun with the
safety on in a double action mode. The gun can be carried "cocked
and locked" like a 1911, and this is a most excellent feature.
The safety is also a de-cocker, and it works like the SIG - dropping
the hammer, but keeping the hammer clear of the firing pin.
Sometimes new guns don't fit existing holsters, but the Browning PRO-9
fits Springfield XD holsters. There are plenty of Springfield XD
holsters on the market these days. Now I just need to find a
couple of extra magazines.
And the news just gets better. I received a couple of 10 round magazines for the PRO-9 today (May 8, 2006). That will let me use the gun for IDPA competition later this month. I also did something else that has improved this gun quite a bit - and I still haven't even fired it yet! Notice the curved backstrap in the picture above? It comes off, and may be replaced by a straight backstrap. Now the gun has the grip angle of a (sharp intake of air approaching a gasp would be the right sound effects right now) 1911! This is very impressive. I think I am going to like this gun a lot.
In the meantime, I've backordered an FN Herstal FNP9 in double action only. This will arrive at Ogden, Utah in a few weeks and be shipped up here to Idaho Falls. The FNP9 with a double action trigger will be what the FN FortyNine should have been. Crisp, even if a little heavy, trigger press and reset are Good Things.
June 3, 2006. Due to a medical restriction, I've been shooting revolvers for the past few weeks. Today, I had a chance to try out the Browning Pro 9 at last, along with some additional practice with the S&W M&P. Here are some pictures.
Browning Pro 9 on the left. S&W M&P .40 on the right.
And the news just gets better. I received a couple of 10 round magazines for the PRO-9 today (May 8, 2006). That will let me use the gun for IDPA competition later this month. I also did something else that has improved this gun quite a bit - and I still haven't even fired it yet! Notice the curved backstrap in the picture above? It comes off, and may be replaced by a straight backstrap. Now the gun has the grip angle of a (sharp intake of air approaching a gasp would be the right sound effects right now) 1911! This is very impressive. I think I am going to like this gun a lot.
In the meantime, I've backordered an FN Herstal FNP9 in double action only. This will arrive at Ogden, Utah in a few weeks and be shipped up here to Idaho Falls. The FNP9 with a double action trigger will be what the FN FortyNine should have been. Crisp, even if a little heavy, trigger press and reset are Good Things.
June 3, 2006. Due to a medical restriction, I've been shooting revolvers for the past few weeks. Today, I had a chance to try out the Browning Pro 9 at last, along with some additional practice with the S&W M&P. Here are some pictures.
Browning Pro 9 on the left. S&W M&P .40 on the right.
Notice the straight backstrap on the
Browning Pro 9, and the large size grip adapter on the M&P.
Both worked great in terms of pointing the pistol at the target.
The Browning was reliable in terms of going bang and cycling, but there
were some Serious Magazine Problems in this session. I brought
two ten round magazines, and neither would lock the slide open on a
regular basis. I neglected to bring the hi-caps and hope to try
those out Very Soon. If the hi-caps have problems, then there
will be Issues of Concern. I'm hoping that will not be the
case. I plan to write to Browning and say, more or less, "What
the heck, guys??" Why are you selling magazines and guns that
don't work right? In terms of shooting, the Browning worked very
well. I always, and I mean always, fired the first shot single
action. I have no interest in using this pistol with double
action on the first shot.
The S&W M&P worked fine. I am beginning to like it. I would not take it to Afghanistan if I could take only one pistol, but in terms of reliability, it's great. One of the main reasons I wouldn't take it anywhere is that this is a new design and parts might be hard to find. Glocks appear to be everywhere. With one spare trigger return spring, I can fix every problem I've ever seen on a Glock.
By the way, those are not unfired shotgun shells stuffed into the holes on the Cowboy Action loading table at our range. Those are fired shells stuffed into the holes so the ammunition won't fall through. Cowboy Action shooters have an interesting loading process where they load and unload under supervision.
Since there was a cowboy match today, I got to try out a "coach gun" (double barrel shotgun) and a new Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt with a very nice trigger.
H&K USP 9mm
The S&W M&P worked fine. I am beginning to like it. I would not take it to Afghanistan if I could take only one pistol, but in terms of reliability, it's great. One of the main reasons I wouldn't take it anywhere is that this is a new design and parts might be hard to find. Glocks appear to be everywhere. With one spare trigger return spring, I can fix every problem I've ever seen on a Glock.
By the way, those are not unfired shotgun shells stuffed into the holes on the Cowboy Action loading table at our range. Those are fired shells stuffed into the holes so the ammunition won't fall through. Cowboy Action shooters have an interesting loading process where they load and unload under supervision.
Since there was a cowboy match today, I got to try out a "coach gun" (double barrel shotgun) and a new Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt with a very nice trigger.
H&K USP 9mm
Before writing about the obvious
significance of an H&K pistol image just above these words, I
should mention that a second trip to the range provided a Clue about
why the Browning Pro9 slide did not lock back. I took a 16 round
magazine, tried it, and the Same Thing Happened. This led me to
wonder if maybe, just maybe the magazines are not the problem.
Then I had a thought. I was shooting the gun with my thumbs
stacked on the safety - right were they belong on the 1911 and other
pistols (including the USP) when these pistols are being fired single
action. I tried shooting the Browning with my thumbs below the
safety and lo and behold (and how many times do you get to write "lo
and behold" these days) the slide locked back. Then I got very
scientific and repeated the test to get more data; this is what
scientists do every day and it's a good technique. Putting a
teeny tiny bit of downward pressure on the thumb safety appears to be
enough to prevent the slide from locking back. I have written to
Browning about this. I hope it is unique to my pistol. If
not, it suggests their pre-prototype testing wasn't very
thorough. Some of us like the single action guns, regardless of
caliber - so if the pistol has that feature, it should, to use an
Eastern Idaho expression, darn well work right.
The local Sportsmans Warehouse has a "clearance rack" of guns. If you are reading this in some other part of the world, this is yet another example of why this area is ideal for firearms hobbyists. Yesterday, I spotted an H&K USP 9 mm "at cost" and got it. That went to the range today, too. Once the clues were gathered on the Pro 9, the Pro 9 was used as a paperweight on the shooting bench, and I transitioned to the USP. Boy, oh boy, did it shoot real good (as we used to say in Tennessee). The only, and I mean only, complaint I have is that you can't put a regular weapon mounted light on this gun. New models maybe, but not this one. I can live with that small problem. I'm not on any SWAT teams, amateur or professional.
You can collect a lot of data in less than an hour with two guns and two boxes of 9mm from Wal Mart.
But you can collect more and better data in an actual shooting match. During the slow and deliberate shooting during the test, I never put any significant pressure on the de-cocker lever on the USP. During an IDPA match a couple of days later, I did and the gun would not fire. As it turns out, "Variant 1" (DA/SA/SAO - meaning you can de-cock the gun and fire the first shot double action with the follow up shots single action, or you can have it "cocked and locked" like a 1911) permits the combination safety/de-cock lever to be depressed just enough to keep the gun from firing. I did a little research on the Internet and discovered that changing the gun to Variant 9 may fix this problem. The change involves replacing a detent plate, a 5 minute task that even I should be able to perform. I ordered the other detent plate and will report on how all this goes when it arrives and has been installed.
In the meantime, the Beretta PX4 is back from the shop where it was converted to de-cock only. This means that when the gun is de-cocked, the lever springs back up and the gun is ready to fire. This gets rid of the dreaded "down is dead" problem with guns that have a combination safety and de-cocker, like the Beretta 92 and some of the Smith and Wesson pistols.
And, as always there's something new and different to experiment with. This time it is a Kimber Pro Carry II. This is an aluminum frame (yes, I know that's not a good idea sometimes...) Colt Commander size gun (full size stock, shorter barrel). This one is a 9mm. Here is a picture.
The local Sportsmans Warehouse has a "clearance rack" of guns. If you are reading this in some other part of the world, this is yet another example of why this area is ideal for firearms hobbyists. Yesterday, I spotted an H&K USP 9 mm "at cost" and got it. That went to the range today, too. Once the clues were gathered on the Pro 9, the Pro 9 was used as a paperweight on the shooting bench, and I transitioned to the USP. Boy, oh boy, did it shoot real good (as we used to say in Tennessee). The only, and I mean only, complaint I have is that you can't put a regular weapon mounted light on this gun. New models maybe, but not this one. I can live with that small problem. I'm not on any SWAT teams, amateur or professional.
You can collect a lot of data in less than an hour with two guns and two boxes of 9mm from Wal Mart.
But you can collect more and better data in an actual shooting match. During the slow and deliberate shooting during the test, I never put any significant pressure on the de-cocker lever on the USP. During an IDPA match a couple of days later, I did and the gun would not fire. As it turns out, "Variant 1" (DA/SA/SAO - meaning you can de-cock the gun and fire the first shot double action with the follow up shots single action, or you can have it "cocked and locked" like a 1911) permits the combination safety/de-cock lever to be depressed just enough to keep the gun from firing. I did a little research on the Internet and discovered that changing the gun to Variant 9 may fix this problem. The change involves replacing a detent plate, a 5 minute task that even I should be able to perform. I ordered the other detent plate and will report on how all this goes when it arrives and has been installed.
In the meantime, the Beretta PX4 is back from the shop where it was converted to de-cock only. This means that when the gun is de-cocked, the lever springs back up and the gun is ready to fire. This gets rid of the dreaded "down is dead" problem with guns that have a combination safety and de-cocker, like the Beretta 92 and some of the Smith and Wesson pistols.
And, as always there's something new and different to experiment with. This time it is a Kimber Pro Carry II. This is an aluminum frame (yes, I know that's not a good idea sometimes...) Colt Commander size gun (full size stock, shorter barrel). This one is a 9mm. Here is a picture.
I got three magazines with the pistol,
so this should be a good gun for IDPA matches and to save wear and tear
on my custom Colt .38 Super. The Colt is fired in one match a
year, the Big Sky Practical Shooting Club's "Single Stack Classic"
every July in Missoula, Montana.
It's almost the end of July! Good grief! I've not written anything in awhile. The Kimber 9 mm got a workout in an informal club match in Bigfork, Montana on Saturday July 8th. Before that I had a chance to take a Front Sight "Night Skill Builder" on July 2-3. The day after the Bigfork match, I made it to the Missoula match - for the 12th year in a row. There's some irony in this July schedule. Seven years ago, I postponed surgery for a malignant tumor for a week so I could make it to Missoula. It was a slow growing tumor so that wasn't a stupid a decision as it sounds in retrospect. But wait, there's more. This year I scheduled radiation treatment for yet another bout with the same illness so that I could make it to Missoula. If I have to deal with this every 7 years or so, I'll be an old man before it becomes too annoying. Getting to be an old man is one of the goals of modern day cancer treatments, by the way.
July 2006 Sunset Pahrump, Nevada
So, back to July 2nd. The Night Skill Builder class at Front Sight takes place in three different lighting conditions. The class starts around 6 p.m., and there's daylight until around 8 or so. During that time, the handguns may be presented from the holster. During low light and "no light" conditions, firing is done from a ready position. This is for safety. The instructors can't see as much at night, so it's better to have the guns pointed in a safe direction while loaded.
We learned a lot about night shooting techniques. The first night everyone used the Harres flashlight technique. The second night, those of us who had weapon mounted lights were able to use those lights. I had two guns and two lights, a Glock 34 without night sights, and a Glock 17 with night sights. I had an M3 and a TLR-1. The first model has a light bulb and the second uses a Light Emitting Diode (LED) that's bright enough to get the job done.
There were many lessons learned from the night session. The most important lesson is that most of us will never carry a pistol with a weapon mounted light. This requires a special holster. So, of all the techniques we used, the Harres technique that uses a detached flashlight is the one to practice. There's a newer technique called the "Woo flashlight technique (developed by John Woo) that I like a little better in terms of comfort while shooting, but the idea is to learn something that doesn't require a weapon mounted flashlight.
One can make the argument that a weapon mounted flashlight would be handy on a pistol used for "home defense," but this particular application calls for a shotgun or rifle rather than a pistol, so that's sort of a weak argument. I guess the SWAT teams and Special Ops soldiers have a need for these lights, and the firearms manufacturers try to sell this stuff to the rest of us, but this is a very limited application.
Anyway, many of us who were taking a "Skill Builder" class were sad to learn there was no skills test at the end. I like the skills test a lot because it's a "no excuses" type deal where you either perform or you don't. Actual use of a fiream is a "go-no go" situation with considerable stress attached. The skills test doesn't come close to that level or stress, but it does provide enough stress to make it a useful exercise. Regardless, we didn't have one. I understand the safety issues at night, etc., but I missed that opportunity after staying away from Front Sight for several months for this medical stuff.
After the night classes, it was time to try out the Kimber at an IDPA match. Between IDPA and IPSC, I much prefer IPSC. IDPA for all of it's real world trappings seems to have a lot more rules and restrictions and the fun factor goes down as a result. While IDPA is supposed to present a problem and let the shooter solve the problem, there's enough "guidance" that you wonder if this represents good training or the equivalent of trying out for a high school drill team. IDPA here in Idaho Falls is a little different. We follow the rules, but don't get excited when someone does something clever that doesn't violate any safety rules. Part of the reasoning for doing things a certain way in IDPA is that "this may save your life in a gunfight." This is very true in terms of using cover, but I have yet to find anything "in the literature" (as the scientists say) that shows a correlation between convoluted reloading methods and winning the fight. In real gunfights, nobody counts rounds, and you reload with the gun is empty. Everything else, to use a technical term from Political Science, is "BS."
The Kimber "Commander" 9 mm is a very nice 1911 style gun. I had no problems, no malfunctions, and no misfires. I prefer the double stack magazine guns (Glock, S&W M&P, etc.) when it comes to handling the magazines, but the Kimber is easy to conceal, and reliable. These are Good Attributes.
The fun started on Sunday July 9. There were 6 stages in the match. This is when the "big guns" came out. I took the Colt .38 Super apart and cleaned it before the match. It worked great. The Colt is very accurate and the Dawson red dot front sight and Heinie rear sight make it very easy to get everything lined up. I had several controlled pairs that I thought were pretty fast where the group size was 2". That's way too small and suggests you could shoot faster, but that's generalizing in the case of this gun. My score in the match was respectable, 13th out of more than 40 shooters. Each year when I put the Colt .38 Super away and start using other guns I should remind myself that I shoot best with this particular gun and caliber. This is a Clue. Admitting this would prevent me from buying and trying out other guns, so I don't admit it. Problem solved.
Maybe the best shooting experience in July was the weekend of July 22-24. I went to NRA Hqs in Fairfax, Virginia to help mentor new students in the NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home course. When I took this course, we learned to use holsters, fanny packs, and purse holsters. Fanny packs have been dropped from the course. I like fanny pack holsters and they are save, but you have to be very careful where you put your support side hand when the gun is being withdrawn from the holster. After the first class where we had Galco fanny packs, I wrote to Blackhawk and asked if they could send some holsters and fanny packs for the NRA to use. In my opinion, Galco holsters are overpriced, use obsolete designs in many cases, and do not represent the state of the art. Blackhawk is the state of the art these days. I was very glad to see a wide selection of Blackhawk products when I showed up for the class. Blackhawk is on the Good Guy list.
Other new things to try out Real Soon. A new S&W M&P 9 mm pistol arrived this week. I already have the .40, but prefer shooting 9 mm guns. A new .357 SIG barrel arrived for the Glock 24 and it fits just right. That needs to be tested. Imagine a 12 shot .357 Magnum revolver with a 6" barrel. That's what the Glock 24 is capable of right now.
Oh, I almost forgot. There's always something new.
The picture of the S&W revolver shows the Model 460 in a "survival kit" configuration. At first glance it appears as though the front sight may be too high for the rear sight, a problem I saw on another S&W shot barrel revolver once, but time will tell. At the ranges this revolver might be used, this may not matter much. The "460" fires the new S&W cartridge with the same name, but can also fire the .454 Casull and .45 Colt cartridges. The Ruger Alaskan, another big short barrel revolver designed for back country use, does not fire the .460. Advantage goes to S&W in this regard. The Ruger has a plain black grip. The S&W has a bright yellow grip. S&W wins big in this category. I use the same grips, in plain black, on any revolver here that has the word "Magnum" on the barrel, and these grips "tame recoil." When I put something in quotes like "tame recoil," I'm sort of making fun of "gun writers" who make up stuff to describe things relating to guns. The grips help the person operating the gun to control recoil and lessen the effects of recoil, but "tame?" I am confused by the use of that word - while admitting that everybody else understands what's being said.
It's almost the end of July! Good grief! I've not written anything in awhile. The Kimber 9 mm got a workout in an informal club match in Bigfork, Montana on Saturday July 8th. Before that I had a chance to take a Front Sight "Night Skill Builder" on July 2-3. The day after the Bigfork match, I made it to the Missoula match - for the 12th year in a row. There's some irony in this July schedule. Seven years ago, I postponed surgery for a malignant tumor for a week so I could make it to Missoula. It was a slow growing tumor so that wasn't a stupid a decision as it sounds in retrospect. But wait, there's more. This year I scheduled radiation treatment for yet another bout with the same illness so that I could make it to Missoula. If I have to deal with this every 7 years or so, I'll be an old man before it becomes too annoying. Getting to be an old man is one of the goals of modern day cancer treatments, by the way.
July 2006 Sunset Pahrump, Nevada
So, back to July 2nd. The Night Skill Builder class at Front Sight takes place in three different lighting conditions. The class starts around 6 p.m., and there's daylight until around 8 or so. During that time, the handguns may be presented from the holster. During low light and "no light" conditions, firing is done from a ready position. This is for safety. The instructors can't see as much at night, so it's better to have the guns pointed in a safe direction while loaded.
We learned a lot about night shooting techniques. The first night everyone used the Harres flashlight technique. The second night, those of us who had weapon mounted lights were able to use those lights. I had two guns and two lights, a Glock 34 without night sights, and a Glock 17 with night sights. I had an M3 and a TLR-1. The first model has a light bulb and the second uses a Light Emitting Diode (LED) that's bright enough to get the job done.
There were many lessons learned from the night session. The most important lesson is that most of us will never carry a pistol with a weapon mounted light. This requires a special holster. So, of all the techniques we used, the Harres technique that uses a detached flashlight is the one to practice. There's a newer technique called the "Woo flashlight technique (developed by John Woo) that I like a little better in terms of comfort while shooting, but the idea is to learn something that doesn't require a weapon mounted flashlight.
One can make the argument that a weapon mounted flashlight would be handy on a pistol used for "home defense," but this particular application calls for a shotgun or rifle rather than a pistol, so that's sort of a weak argument. I guess the SWAT teams and Special Ops soldiers have a need for these lights, and the firearms manufacturers try to sell this stuff to the rest of us, but this is a very limited application.
Anyway, many of us who were taking a "Skill Builder" class were sad to learn there was no skills test at the end. I like the skills test a lot because it's a "no excuses" type deal where you either perform or you don't. Actual use of a fiream is a "go-no go" situation with considerable stress attached. The skills test doesn't come close to that level or stress, but it does provide enough stress to make it a useful exercise. Regardless, we didn't have one. I understand the safety issues at night, etc., but I missed that opportunity after staying away from Front Sight for several months for this medical stuff.
After the night classes, it was time to try out the Kimber at an IDPA match. Between IDPA and IPSC, I much prefer IPSC. IDPA for all of it's real world trappings seems to have a lot more rules and restrictions and the fun factor goes down as a result. While IDPA is supposed to present a problem and let the shooter solve the problem, there's enough "guidance" that you wonder if this represents good training or the equivalent of trying out for a high school drill team. IDPA here in Idaho Falls is a little different. We follow the rules, but don't get excited when someone does something clever that doesn't violate any safety rules. Part of the reasoning for doing things a certain way in IDPA is that "this may save your life in a gunfight." This is very true in terms of using cover, but I have yet to find anything "in the literature" (as the scientists say) that shows a correlation between convoluted reloading methods and winning the fight. In real gunfights, nobody counts rounds, and you reload with the gun is empty. Everything else, to use a technical term from Political Science, is "BS."
The Kimber "Commander" 9 mm is a very nice 1911 style gun. I had no problems, no malfunctions, and no misfires. I prefer the double stack magazine guns (Glock, S&W M&P, etc.) when it comes to handling the magazines, but the Kimber is easy to conceal, and reliable. These are Good Attributes.
The fun started on Sunday July 9. There were 6 stages in the match. This is when the "big guns" came out. I took the Colt .38 Super apart and cleaned it before the match. It worked great. The Colt is very accurate and the Dawson red dot front sight and Heinie rear sight make it very easy to get everything lined up. I had several controlled pairs that I thought were pretty fast where the group size was 2". That's way too small and suggests you could shoot faster, but that's generalizing in the case of this gun. My score in the match was respectable, 13th out of more than 40 shooters. Each year when I put the Colt .38 Super away and start using other guns I should remind myself that I shoot best with this particular gun and caliber. This is a Clue. Admitting this would prevent me from buying and trying out other guns, so I don't admit it. Problem solved.
Maybe the best shooting experience in July was the weekend of July 22-24. I went to NRA Hqs in Fairfax, Virginia to help mentor new students in the NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home course. When I took this course, we learned to use holsters, fanny packs, and purse holsters. Fanny packs have been dropped from the course. I like fanny pack holsters and they are save, but you have to be very careful where you put your support side hand when the gun is being withdrawn from the holster. After the first class where we had Galco fanny packs, I wrote to Blackhawk and asked if they could send some holsters and fanny packs for the NRA to use. In my opinion, Galco holsters are overpriced, use obsolete designs in many cases, and do not represent the state of the art. Blackhawk is the state of the art these days. I was very glad to see a wide selection of Blackhawk products when I showed up for the class. Blackhawk is on the Good Guy list.
Other new things to try out Real Soon. A new S&W M&P 9 mm pistol arrived this week. I already have the .40, but prefer shooting 9 mm guns. A new .357 SIG barrel arrived for the Glock 24 and it fits just right. That needs to be tested. Imagine a 12 shot .357 Magnum revolver with a 6" barrel. That's what the Glock 24 is capable of right now.
Oh, I almost forgot. There's always something new.
The picture of the S&W revolver shows the Model 460 in a "survival kit" configuration. At first glance it appears as though the front sight may be too high for the rear sight, a problem I saw on another S&W shot barrel revolver once, but time will tell. At the ranges this revolver might be used, this may not matter much. The "460" fires the new S&W cartridge with the same name, but can also fire the .454 Casull and .45 Colt cartridges. The Ruger Alaskan, another big short barrel revolver designed for back country use, does not fire the .460. Advantage goes to S&W in this regard. The Ruger has a plain black grip. The S&W has a bright yellow grip. S&W wins big in this category. I use the same grips, in plain black, on any revolver here that has the word "Magnum" on the barrel, and these grips "tame recoil." When I put something in quotes like "tame recoil," I'm sort of making fun of "gun writers" who make up stuff to describe things relating to guns. The grips help the person operating the gun to control recoil and lessen the effects of recoil, but "tame?" I am confused by the use of that word - while admitting that everybody else understands what's being said.
I heard today [Saturday July 29, 2006]
that Glock's production run of Model 24s, the long slide .40 caliber
pistol shown above, is just about sold out with fewer then 50
left. Well, I got one, and today I swapped the barrel for a .357
SIG barrel. I set up an IPSC target at 25 meters and put all the
shots in the "upper scoring area" (the head...). This is a very
accurate gun - getting close to the SIG P-210 in terms of
performance. The long slide and extra weight dampened the
recoil. I moved up to 3 meters and fired controlled pairs as fast
as I could get the second sight picture, then moved back - like they do
in the Sky Marshal test, and the shots stayed right in the "A"
zone. With the right ammunition, this would be a very formidable
pistol. The .357 SIG magazines hold quite a few rounds.
But wait, there's more. I unpacked another new pistol today, the 9 mm S&W M&P model. I have the .40 and like it, but I like 9 mm more for a number of reasons: recoil and cost come to mind.
But wait, there's more. I unpacked another new pistol today, the 9 mm S&W M&P model. I have the .40 and like it, but I like 9 mm more for a number of reasons: recoil and cost come to mind.
The first thing I did with the 9 mm
model was to change the stock ("grip") adapter for the largest size
adapter. I just like this one best. The Kahr T-9 has a much
smaller grip, and I like that pistol also. I guess it's the
overall combination of size and fit that makes the difference rather
than just one dimension. The opportunity to fire the M&P will
come later, and I am looking forward to that time.
Converse Desert Boot(s)
Converse Desert Boot(s)
I should insert an unsolicited plug here
for a product and company I like a lot. Converse came out with
these new desert boots a few months ago. I ordered a pair from
one of the police supply places on the Internet. The boots had a
problem and I sent them back for a new pair. The replacement pair
had a problem. Then I got sick and went in the hospital and
couldn't return the boots to the police supply place. When I did
get a chance to do that the police supply place said I had to contact
Converse and provided an 800 number. The person I spoke to said
that I had to contact the police supply place for a replacement, that
Converse wouldn't do that. So, again medical treatments
intervened and by the time I got in touch with the police supply place,
they said too much time had passed and they could not replace the boots
or give me a credit. In other words, they were saying 1) we've
got your money, 2) we don't care if you were sick; you waited too long,
3) if you had contacted us sooner we might have helpted, and 4)
[implied] tough luck, pal.
Readers are invited to ponder this specific application of situational ethics.
So, figuring I had nothing to lose, I did some Web searching and found Converse's customer service address and contacted them with the story. The response was extraordinary. The person I corresponded with said they knew about the problem and would fix it. They stood behind their products and cared about quality. A new pair of boots arrived soon after. I sent the others back with masking tape marking the spot where the fabric had split. What a great outfit to deal with. Had the police supply place put me in touch with this part of Converse sooner, everything would have been ok. Now Converse is looking like a stand up bunch of people who care about customers and do the right thing. The boots are made in China (what isn't these days?), but the design is done by the Warson Group in St. Louis. St. Louis was always known for quality shoe manufacturing. Isn't it great to see that kind of tradition continue?
It is tempting to mention the name of the police supply place, but I won't, other than to say it's in the Los Angeles area.
Would I recommend Converse and anything else made by or designed by Warson Group? You bet.
Rohm "Twinmaster"
Readers are invited to ponder this specific application of situational ethics.
So, figuring I had nothing to lose, I did some Web searching and found Converse's customer service address and contacted them with the story. The response was extraordinary. The person I corresponded with said they knew about the problem and would fix it. They stood behind their products and cared about quality. A new pair of boots arrived soon after. I sent the others back with masking tape marking the spot where the fabric had split. What a great outfit to deal with. Had the police supply place put me in touch with this part of Converse sooner, everything would have been ok. Now Converse is looking like a stand up bunch of people who care about customers and do the right thing. The boots are made in China (what isn't these days?), but the design is done by the Warson Group in St. Louis. St. Louis was always known for quality shoe manufacturing. Isn't it great to see that kind of tradition continue?
It is tempting to mention the name of the police supply place, but I won't, other than to say it's in the Los Angeles area.
Would I recommend Converse and anything else made by or designed by Warson Group? You bet.
Rohm "Twinmaster"
This summer several of the local
instructors are helping a bunch of kids learn to shoot pistols so they
can join us at matches, have fun, and be safe. One of the
traditional problems with kids is that they think speed is important,
so things like sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger control are
not appreciated. Mastering those fundamentals is very
important. It's useful sometimes to start with a good air or CO2
pistol like the one shown above so that the student can concentrate on
the front sight and the trigger. After that a good S&W or
Browning .22 can add a little more noise and recoil, and then the step
to a centerfire gun becomes much easier.
Browning Buckmark, S&W .22, Olympus "Wolverine," and S&W Model 686
Browning Buckmark, S&W .22, Olympus "Wolverine," and S&W Model 686
Guns that aren't reliable are a
distraction during training, and the last thing we need when teaching
kids is distractions. I went out this afternoon (Sunday August 13
and checked out the .22 pistols to be used in this week's class.
I had not fired the S&W pistol, or revolver, since last year - or
maybe longer than that for the revolver. I had never fired the
Buckmark or the Wolverine. Notice that the Browning .22 has its
own holster for field use. This is the pistol and holster I'd use
while hiking. A .22 wouldn't do much to convince a bear to go
away; that's when bear spray is a lot more useful than any handgun,
regardless of caliber (or marketing hype). Each of the .22s will
shoot a very small group. The Wolverine was the most fun to
shoot. It's modernistic design goes back maybe 30 or more years,
but the new model is made of a plastic, except for the action and
barrel. Loading the magazine requires a small rod the diameter of
a .22 LR cartridge to be used to compress the spring. I don't
like that very much, but it does let the gun designer keep the stock
thinner than most .22 semi-automatic pistols.
The Model 696 revolver was there because we're having a "BUG" (back-up gun) IDPA match this week. This calls for a 5 shot revolver with a barrel 3" or shorter. As nice as the wooden grips appear, they do slip in the hand when the gun fires. Since the range session I've replaced these grips with the Big grips used on the S&W .500 Magnum revolver. These grips handle recoil very well, and these grips fit my hand very well.
Oops, I've not written anything for awhile. There is a picture on the home page that implies I might be in the process of testing a S&W Model 627 revolver - an 8 shot .357 Magnum with a 5" barrel. But, wait, isn't there a 686 here, 7 shot with a 5" barrel? Of course there is, but that's not a Performance Center gun and the 627 is. And the same holster fits both guns. Another question might be what happened to the very low cost, very frugal, and very effective Model 64 with fixed sights. The Model 64 is still available at a moment's notice, but the 627 is much more interesting.
S&W model 627
The Model 696 revolver was there because we're having a "BUG" (back-up gun) IDPA match this week. This calls for a 5 shot revolver with a barrel 3" or shorter. As nice as the wooden grips appear, they do slip in the hand when the gun fires. Since the range session I've replaced these grips with the Big grips used on the S&W .500 Magnum revolver. These grips handle recoil very well, and these grips fit my hand very well.
Oops, I've not written anything for awhile. There is a picture on the home page that implies I might be in the process of testing a S&W Model 627 revolver - an 8 shot .357 Magnum with a 5" barrel. But, wait, isn't there a 686 here, 7 shot with a 5" barrel? Of course there is, but that's not a Performance Center gun and the 627 is. And the same holster fits both guns. Another question might be what happened to the very low cost, very frugal, and very effective Model 64 with fixed sights. The Model 64 is still available at a moment's notice, but the 627 is much more interesting.
S&W model 627
If it's hard to read what it says on the
barrel in the picture, it says, ".357 MAG - 8 TIMES." This is a
clever, but not too clever for the average person like myself, way to
say it's an 8 shot revolver. If someone engraved, "It's an 8 shot
revolver" on the barrel, that would might be considered bragging or
showing off. Paying around $900 for a revolver is plenty of
showing off. The 627 comes with a very nice set of wooden grips
that look good in the store. Those came off right away and were
replaced with the, also enclosed, rubber grips shown in the
picture. How does the 627 shoot? I don't know yet, but will
soon find out.
I continue to like, in spite of its double action/single action setup, the Beretta PX4. Some pistols will move as the sear releases. For those in Jefferson County, Idaho, the term "as the sear releases" means when the gun shoots. The PX4 just stays very still and it doesn't matter if it's a long heavy trigger pull or a short and light trigger pull. It just works.
It's September 20th, a little past midnight in case you're wondering when these additions to the Web site are written. Last night we finished the shooting range portion of the NRA First Steps Pistol Orientation for a group of local adults and young men. It was interesting, as always, to watch the perceptions become insights in terms of understanding, appreciating, and then putting into action the "3 secrets" of shooting (sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger control). One of the students I worked with had a Browning BDM.
Browning BDM
I continue to like, in spite of its double action/single action setup, the Beretta PX4. Some pistols will move as the sear releases. For those in Jefferson County, Idaho, the term "as the sear releases" means when the gun shoots. The PX4 just stays very still and it doesn't matter if it's a long heavy trigger pull or a short and light trigger pull. It just works.
It's September 20th, a little past midnight in case you're wondering when these additions to the Web site are written. Last night we finished the shooting range portion of the NRA First Steps Pistol Orientation for a group of local adults and young men. It was interesting, as always, to watch the perceptions become insights in terms of understanding, appreciating, and then putting into action the "3 secrets" of shooting (sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger control). One of the students I worked with had a Browning BDM.
Browning BDM
Talk about weird. Take a look at
the picture. The gun started out as a normal Browning Hi-Power
and then some designer decided to make a few changes hoping perhaps to
reach a different market with the gun. Notice the trigger is set
for double action. Check out the safety and decocking
lever: up is "safe." Several generations of Browning
Hi-Power, not to mention CZ-75 and 1911, owners have pushed down on the
safety lever to enable the gun to fire. With the BDM, you push
the safety lever up to fire. I guess they were trying to copy the
S&W approach, but this looks and feels like a normal thumb safety
so someone somewhere is going to revert to their previous experiences
and training, flip the safety down, and then notice (too late) that the
gun doesn't work. But wait, as the saying goes, there's
more. There's a little circular control above the tiny slide
lock. This control is labeled "P" and "R." In the "P"
position, the gun operates as a DA/SA (double actioni first shot,
single action on subsequent shots). In the "R" position, it is
Double Action Only (DAO). The "P" stands for pistol and the "R"
stands for revolver.
After fighting the double action trigger for awhile, the student switched to a Glock 17 and found the trigger much easier to operate. Then the student tried out a Kimber Target Model in 10 mm with a much lighter trigger and shot some decent groups. Meanwhile the young men had replaced the .22 Long Rifle conversion slide, barrel, and magazine on the Glock 17 and were shooting nice groups with 9 mm ammunition. The slow and careful transition from dry practice to the .22 to a larger caliber worked. By the end of the class everyone was getting some decent groups and had mastered the "3 secrets."
The Browning BDM broke near the end of the session, by the way. The owner was asking how to trade it in on a Glock 17. It's fun to be there with a new student and watch the lights come on.
Another Front Sight weekend approaches. This will be a 2 day Basic Handgun class, not something new for me, but brand new for four friends who are attending a Front Sight class for the first time. Day 1 of the 2 day class involves a lot of lecture time, and not very much shooting. I use this first day to try out a new gun in a controlled, predictable environment. This time it will be the Beretta PX4. On the second day, I will either stick with the Beretta or switch to the old reliable Glock Model 34. One of my friends has volunteered to be a medic with a SWAT team in a large California city. He will be shooting a Glock 17 to master the basics, and then switch to his department's Glock 22 (.40 S&W) later.
In other news...the S&W M&P is back in Ohio getting a trigger job. I hope this results in a crisper reset. If so, the M&P will provide some competition for the Glock. The S&W 696 (5 shot .44 Special) is back at S&W for the "combat revolver package" work. The 696 doesn't fit into any neat categories, but it's fun to shoot.
There's also a Taurus .32 H&R Magnum revolver around here somewhere. I've taken it to the range once and it's very accurate at closer ranges. This is a nice back-up gun, something that can be left in a convenient place in case it's needed and a Real Gun (in a higher caliber) is not available.
To bring everything up to date I should mention that I put a few 10 mm rounds downrange this evening from a Glock Model 29. This particular Model 29 has Ashley Express sights, the sights with the big round front sight (with a tritium dot in the middle), and a wide "V" notch rear sight. These sights are great at close range - and so is the 10 mm cartridge.
Glock Model 29 10 mm
After fighting the double action trigger for awhile, the student switched to a Glock 17 and found the trigger much easier to operate. Then the student tried out a Kimber Target Model in 10 mm with a much lighter trigger and shot some decent groups. Meanwhile the young men had replaced the .22 Long Rifle conversion slide, barrel, and magazine on the Glock 17 and were shooting nice groups with 9 mm ammunition. The slow and careful transition from dry practice to the .22 to a larger caliber worked. By the end of the class everyone was getting some decent groups and had mastered the "3 secrets."
The Browning BDM broke near the end of the session, by the way. The owner was asking how to trade it in on a Glock 17. It's fun to be there with a new student and watch the lights come on.
Another Front Sight weekend approaches. This will be a 2 day Basic Handgun class, not something new for me, but brand new for four friends who are attending a Front Sight class for the first time. Day 1 of the 2 day class involves a lot of lecture time, and not very much shooting. I use this first day to try out a new gun in a controlled, predictable environment. This time it will be the Beretta PX4. On the second day, I will either stick with the Beretta or switch to the old reliable Glock Model 34. One of my friends has volunteered to be a medic with a SWAT team in a large California city. He will be shooting a Glock 17 to master the basics, and then switch to his department's Glock 22 (.40 S&W) later.
In other news...the S&W M&P is back in Ohio getting a trigger job. I hope this results in a crisper reset. If so, the M&P will provide some competition for the Glock. The S&W 696 (5 shot .44 Special) is back at S&W for the "combat revolver package" work. The 696 doesn't fit into any neat categories, but it's fun to shoot.
There's also a Taurus .32 H&R Magnum revolver around here somewhere. I've taken it to the range once and it's very accurate at closer ranges. This is a nice back-up gun, something that can be left in a convenient place in case it's needed and a Real Gun (in a higher caliber) is not available.
To bring everything up to date I should mention that I put a few 10 mm rounds downrange this evening from a Glock Model 29. This particular Model 29 has Ashley Express sights, the sights with the big round front sight (with a tritium dot in the middle), and a wide "V" notch rear sight. These sights are great at close range - and so is the 10 mm cartridge.
Glock Model 29 10 mm
I'm planning to get another Model 29
soon. This one will have regular night sights on it.
The Beretta PX4 Double Action Only arrived. I changed the mainspring to lighten up the trigger a bit. I've discovered a Bad Thing about the PX4. When you operate a pistol, you take out the slack in the trigger, then apply steady pressure until the shot fires. The trigger should be held to the rear and then released just far enough until you feel a "click." This is the trigger reset point. With a pistol like the FNP-9 DAO, the reset point is all the way forward - just like a revolver. With the PX4 DAO, when you release the trigger there is a definite click, but it's misleading. Applying pressure there accomplishes nothing. You have to let the trigger go all the way forward. Granted, with training this is not a big deal, but for people who have been trained with Glocks and everything else that provides a positive trigger reset point, this is Just Awful. So, now I need to get the PX4 DAO either fixed or sold. The regular PX4 DA/SA works like a charm - more important, it works like a DA/SA. The DAO is like a DA/SA (false alarm click for non-existent trigger reset) without the "SA" feature.
The FNP-9, even with the heavy trigger, is much more intuitive. Too bad the FNP trigger isn't available in a PX4 body. Drat!
Ruger Alaskan (in .44 Magnum)
When the Chips are Down...SIG .357 SIG
The Beretta PX4 Double Action Only arrived. I changed the mainspring to lighten up the trigger a bit. I've discovered a Bad Thing about the PX4. When you operate a pistol, you take out the slack in the trigger, then apply steady pressure until the shot fires. The trigger should be held to the rear and then released just far enough until you feel a "click." This is the trigger reset point. With a pistol like the FNP-9 DAO, the reset point is all the way forward - just like a revolver. With the PX4 DAO, when you release the trigger there is a definite click, but it's misleading. Applying pressure there accomplishes nothing. You have to let the trigger go all the way forward. Granted, with training this is not a big deal, but for people who have been trained with Glocks and everything else that provides a positive trigger reset point, this is Just Awful. So, now I need to get the PX4 DAO either fixed or sold. The regular PX4 DA/SA works like a charm - more important, it works like a DA/SA. The DAO is like a DA/SA (false alarm click for non-existent trigger reset) without the "SA" feature.
The FNP-9, even with the heavy trigger, is much more intuitive. Too bad the FNP trigger isn't available in a PX4 body. Drat!
During a recent visit to Front Sight I
spotted the top rifle in the picture above. This is a "Krinker
Plinker," a Ruger 10/22 conversion that looks like a Russian battle
rifle. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but it looks like
it's going to be a lot of fun.
After a recent NRA
pistol class in Cody, Wyoming, I realized that we did not have an
example of a "tip up barrel" pistol like the Beretta Model 86 (.380) or
the Bobcat (.22 LR as shown or .32 ACP - as I have now). All
three of these new guns, Krinker and the two Berettas, need to go to
the range for more evaluation, but all look to be useful and fun.
The big news is the inbound Kimber Pro Carry II HD .38 Super pistol. This is a Commander size stainless 1911 with (thank you Kimber) PLAIN black sights. This should be a great addition to the collection. The Kimber shoots my favorite pistol cartridge and will be a good companion to the Colt .38 Super used in IPSC matches during the summer.
And, time has passed since the last note here, and I have had a chance to try both of the Berettas. The little .32 is sort of fun to shoot, but has to be held in a way to avoid the slide coming back and cutting someone with large hands. There were a couple of mis-feeds also. The little .32 will make a nice classroom prop. The .380 was easier to shoot, but shot high and to the left - at least on a patch of snow and a pumpkin. This was not a very scientific test. I don't plan to induct either of these pistols into the category of "trusted" just yet.
The big news is the inbound Kimber Pro Carry II HD .38 Super pistol. This is a Commander size stainless 1911 with (thank you Kimber) PLAIN black sights. This should be a great addition to the collection. The Kimber shoots my favorite pistol cartridge and will be a good companion to the Colt .38 Super used in IPSC matches during the summer.
And, time has passed since the last note here, and I have had a chance to try both of the Berettas. The little .32 is sort of fun to shoot, but has to be held in a way to avoid the slide coming back and cutting someone with large hands. There were a couple of mis-feeds also. The little .32 will make a nice classroom prop. The .380 was easier to shoot, but shot high and to the left - at least on a patch of snow and a pumpkin. This was not a very scientific test. I don't plan to induct either of these pistols into the category of "trusted" just yet.
Ruger Alaskan (in .44 Magnum)
I haven't fired this new revolver yet,
but expect the flash to bang ratio to be very high, as well as this
thing pegging the fun meter. The balance on the Alaskan is pretty
good. It doesn't feel a lot heavier than the S&W 696, but the
Alaskan can handle some .44 Magnum +P+ from Buffalo Bore and I can't
wait to try that stuff.
When the Chips are Down...SIG .357 SIG
Someone wrote about the making of a
piano once, and in the article (in "The Atlantic," of course) the
writer mentioned that before a concert a pianist will try different
pianos to see which sounds better in the "hall." In theory, all
pianos are the same, but to a trained ear they are not. With this
in mind, I went through a bunch of different pistols to take to
yesterday's December 9 IPSC match in Idaho Falls. For some
strange reason I wound up with the SIG 229 in .357 SIG caliber.
The pistol worked great. I don't think I have a more accurate or
easier to shoot pistol in the entire collection. I didn't place
very high on the score sheet, but I use IPSC matches to practice
defensive shooting techniques. Response from the rear is an
accepted technique to a surprise threat from behind. An IPSC
shooter will pivot their body toward the target to minimize time in the
turn, but I can't do that. I have to turn the same way to wind up
in a Weaver stance and then see what's going on, so I always lose a few
tenths of a second to a "competitor," while maintaining the skill I
might need in a more realistic setting. Plus, I try to shoot from
concealment and lose time that way, too. This is because the open
carry of a nice two tone SIG pistol just might generate some undue
attention at the local shopping mall (not that I would ever go there
except to get a needed part from Radio Shack).
I've never forgotten and do not intend to forget that when the "D.C. Sniper" was on the loose, that the gun I took along to feel better (no pistol is a good alternative to a Bushmaster .223 rifle) was a SIG 229 in .357 SIG. If the sniper missed, I could have engaged him, or her, at 200 meters with the pistol. That sounds like a lot of bravado, but there's nothing inaccurate about the technical basis of the bravado. The SIG in that caliber, with the addition of the "DAK" trigger, is a clear winner over a lot of other more complicated guns.
Well, it is getting close to the end of 2006 and the inevitable end of "page2j.html." That's the page you're reading now. At some point I decided to organize the Web pages by year. In retrospect, that would have been a much better idea if I had done it several years ago, but 2006 wasn't a bad place to start. I understand there is something called a "blog" that's available to people who want to share information on the Web, but I'd rather just continue doing this. The word "blog" sounds political, sounds like it is a vehicle for an agenda of some sort. I don't have any agendas that I know of, although I'm supposed to have another CT scan in January and who knows what that's going to show.
Unless there is some unplanned event, I think I've bought all of the guns I'm going to buy this year. I have several for sale, on consignment for the next nearby gun show. Those have been discussed before. At the moment I need to take the S&W 627 out to the range, and the Ruger Alaskan will go, too. I'm hoping to use the "Krinker Plinker" in a match on December 30, 2006. This will be a "4 gun" match, and even though the "Krinker" is nothing more than a Ruger 10/22 in disguise, I think it should look cool enough so that no one will complain about the caliber.
At the beginning of the page I mentioned a wish list. I never did get the S&W .45 ACP N Frame shown in the first picture, and I've never fired the .44 Special "Thunder Ranch" model that I have now. It does have a Real Nice Display Case, however. The Springfield XD .45 didn't last very long in the collection, but there are two new 2007 .45s on the horizon: FN and Glock are both getting ready to introduce new .45s.
This reminds me of a story, a story that will make no sense at first, as usual. Many years ago, the Federal Communications Commission had one of its many nutty plans to create another "Citizens Band" radio service around 220 MHz, carving this band out of spectrum available to amateur radio operators who, unlike many owners of CB sets, do in fact know something about how radios work. Many manufacturers made 220 MHz radios, hoping to snag some additional business if this nutty change passed. Those manufacturers wound up being stuck with a lot of 220 radios that wound up being sold to ham operators, because that "Citizens Band' never came into being. The same thing...and now we get to the point...appears to be happening with a lot of new .45s coming onto the market in anticipation of a, as I understand it, now cancelled military contract to replace the [bad word deleted here] Beretta 9 mm service pistol. Bad guys, whether they be overseas wearing fan belts and table cloths around their heads, or here in the states wearing authentic bad guy garb, do not always stop their nefarious deeds when hit with a projectile less than 10 millimeters in diameter. There is a word to describe the need for a new .45 pistol, or the re-issue of someone's current production 1911 design, and the word is OBVIOUS. So, in the grand tradition of the FCC and the 220 MHz band we now have some other part of the government saying, in effect, "Never mind."
I like FN pistol so much that I have already ordered an FN .45, and I can't wait. There won't be one under the Christmas tree, and there won't be many around until well after the SHOT Show, but I still want one, so that will be on the 2007 wish list - guaranteed. And it's sad to note that the SHOT Show is being held in hot and humid Florida this year, so I'm not going. With luck the show will be back in Las Vegas next year.
As the year ends, I think I should choose a "Gun of the Year." The one I pick is the one I would have picked for the past 5 years, and I won't be surprised if it doesn't win again in 2007. While the other very cool guns come and go, the one that I'd take overseas with me tomorrow is the Glock 17. But it's just a 9 mm! Yes, and a very accurate and reliable one at that.
Late word. I thought I was done writing this page for this year, but, lo and behold, I ran across an interesting pistol the other day and, of course, had to take a closer look. No dealer loans out pistols for a closer look or any other reason so "take a closer look" is a nice way of saying my curiosity reached a point where I bought one of these things. The latest and I hope last item for this year, if you don't count the new Benelli Super Nova pump shotgun that I forgot to mention, is the new Springfield XD .45 "compact." This model has a 4" barrel and that's good, and a shorter, but not too short, stock with a magazine that holds 10 rounds. Regular full size XD 45 magazines also work with a spacer, and one of those was included with the pistol. I've owned XDs before and was never thrilled with the longer trigger reset (longer than the Glock). This newer model has a heavier trigger and a very definite reset point, and I can live with that. Any .45 pistol calls for a serious amount of isometric tension in the grip, and this pistol is no exception. Firing it with the right amount of tension snaps the front sight right back down onto the target. As noted above, all things considered a .45 is Good Caliber.
The XD reminded me to mention one bit of folklore I've decided is Important after trying out a bunch of pistols under different conditions during the past year: I like pistols that have a definite trigger reset, and I don't much like pistols that don't. In an attempt to make a S&W M&P "better," I sent it off to a very good gunsmith who did what 99 percent of his customers want him to do: lighten the trigger pull and shorten the reset. For me, the trigger wound up being too tight. My scores at Front Sight with the M&P and with the Glock 17 were quite different. This preference is driving me nuts as I try to speed my revolver shooting, because while you trap a Glock trigger to the rear and then reset it, that's the opposite of what you should do to shoot fast with a revolver. Oh, well, there's always something to learn, and 2007 will provide more opportunities for learning.
Go to the 2007 First Impressions page.
I've never forgotten and do not intend to forget that when the "D.C. Sniper" was on the loose, that the gun I took along to feel better (no pistol is a good alternative to a Bushmaster .223 rifle) was a SIG 229 in .357 SIG. If the sniper missed, I could have engaged him, or her, at 200 meters with the pistol. That sounds like a lot of bravado, but there's nothing inaccurate about the technical basis of the bravado. The SIG in that caliber, with the addition of the "DAK" trigger, is a clear winner over a lot of other more complicated guns.
Well, it is getting close to the end of 2006 and the inevitable end of "page2j.html." That's the page you're reading now. At some point I decided to organize the Web pages by year. In retrospect, that would have been a much better idea if I had done it several years ago, but 2006 wasn't a bad place to start. I understand there is something called a "blog" that's available to people who want to share information on the Web, but I'd rather just continue doing this. The word "blog" sounds political, sounds like it is a vehicle for an agenda of some sort. I don't have any agendas that I know of, although I'm supposed to have another CT scan in January and who knows what that's going to show.
Unless there is some unplanned event, I think I've bought all of the guns I'm going to buy this year. I have several for sale, on consignment for the next nearby gun show. Those have been discussed before. At the moment I need to take the S&W 627 out to the range, and the Ruger Alaskan will go, too. I'm hoping to use the "Krinker Plinker" in a match on December 30, 2006. This will be a "4 gun" match, and even though the "Krinker" is nothing more than a Ruger 10/22 in disguise, I think it should look cool enough so that no one will complain about the caliber.
At the beginning of the page I mentioned a wish list. I never did get the S&W .45 ACP N Frame shown in the first picture, and I've never fired the .44 Special "Thunder Ranch" model that I have now. It does have a Real Nice Display Case, however. The Springfield XD .45 didn't last very long in the collection, but there are two new 2007 .45s on the horizon: FN and Glock are both getting ready to introduce new .45s.
This reminds me of a story, a story that will make no sense at first, as usual. Many years ago, the Federal Communications Commission had one of its many nutty plans to create another "Citizens Band" radio service around 220 MHz, carving this band out of spectrum available to amateur radio operators who, unlike many owners of CB sets, do in fact know something about how radios work. Many manufacturers made 220 MHz radios, hoping to snag some additional business if this nutty change passed. Those manufacturers wound up being stuck with a lot of 220 radios that wound up being sold to ham operators, because that "Citizens Band' never came into being. The same thing...and now we get to the point...appears to be happening with a lot of new .45s coming onto the market in anticipation of a, as I understand it, now cancelled military contract to replace the [bad word deleted here] Beretta 9 mm service pistol. Bad guys, whether they be overseas wearing fan belts and table cloths around their heads, or here in the states wearing authentic bad guy garb, do not always stop their nefarious deeds when hit with a projectile less than 10 millimeters in diameter. There is a word to describe the need for a new .45 pistol, or the re-issue of someone's current production 1911 design, and the word is OBVIOUS. So, in the grand tradition of the FCC and the 220 MHz band we now have some other part of the government saying, in effect, "Never mind."
I like FN pistol so much that I have already ordered an FN .45, and I can't wait. There won't be one under the Christmas tree, and there won't be many around until well after the SHOT Show, but I still want one, so that will be on the 2007 wish list - guaranteed. And it's sad to note that the SHOT Show is being held in hot and humid Florida this year, so I'm not going. With luck the show will be back in Las Vegas next year.
As the year ends, I think I should choose a "Gun of the Year." The one I pick is the one I would have picked for the past 5 years, and I won't be surprised if it doesn't win again in 2007. While the other very cool guns come and go, the one that I'd take overseas with me tomorrow is the Glock 17. But it's just a 9 mm! Yes, and a very accurate and reliable one at that.
Late word. I thought I was done writing this page for this year, but, lo and behold, I ran across an interesting pistol the other day and, of course, had to take a closer look. No dealer loans out pistols for a closer look or any other reason so "take a closer look" is a nice way of saying my curiosity reached a point where I bought one of these things. The latest and I hope last item for this year, if you don't count the new Benelli Super Nova pump shotgun that I forgot to mention, is the new Springfield XD .45 "compact." This model has a 4" barrel and that's good, and a shorter, but not too short, stock with a magazine that holds 10 rounds. Regular full size XD 45 magazines also work with a spacer, and one of those was included with the pistol. I've owned XDs before and was never thrilled with the longer trigger reset (longer than the Glock). This newer model has a heavier trigger and a very definite reset point, and I can live with that. Any .45 pistol calls for a serious amount of isometric tension in the grip, and this pistol is no exception. Firing it with the right amount of tension snaps the front sight right back down onto the target. As noted above, all things considered a .45 is Good Caliber.
The XD reminded me to mention one bit of folklore I've decided is Important after trying out a bunch of pistols under different conditions during the past year: I like pistols that have a definite trigger reset, and I don't much like pistols that don't. In an attempt to make a S&W M&P "better," I sent it off to a very good gunsmith who did what 99 percent of his customers want him to do: lighten the trigger pull and shorten the reset. For me, the trigger wound up being too tight. My scores at Front Sight with the M&P and with the Glock 17 were quite different. This preference is driving me nuts as I try to speed my revolver shooting, because while you trap a Glock trigger to the rear and then reset it, that's the opposite of what you should do to shoot fast with a revolver. Oh, well, there's always something to learn, and 2007 will provide more opportunities for learning.
Go to the 2007 First Impressions page.