Something to (Re)Consider

I had a great time at the gun range on Sunday. My best friend is getting married, and he had asked me to organize a gun range outing as part of the bachelor party festivities. Our original choice for location was to be a large, outdoor range in the DFW area; however, "Spring" weather in Texas struck a death blow to that plan with temps in the 40s and a windchill in the 30s.

No worries, the recently reopened DFW Gun Range took care of us on short notice with a three lane bay all to ourselves. We got there at the right time too. When we packed up to leave, there was a huge crowd waiting for an open lane. For those in the Dallas area, DFW Gun Range has made some really nice improvements as part of the rebuild following the fire. It's well worth your time to check them out.

As is known to happen from time to time when acquainted gunnies gather, gats were passed around for sampling. This is both a good and bad thing. It's a good thing in that you get to try out things that you don't currently own without forking over a rental fee and paying range ammo prices. It's a bad thing in that people, like me, afflicted with gun trader ADD might be tempted to sell or trade something for something else because....OOOoooo, shiny.

For the most part, I was immune. I ran a box of .45 through best friend's newly acquired Ruger SR1911...which set me off jonesing for another 1911 (the Sig Traditional Reverse Two Tone to be exact). There is nothing wrong with the SR1911. It's as accurate as every other 1911 I've had the pleasure to play with including a Colt, a Kimber, the Sig 1911, a Umarex/Regent, a Firestorm, etc. Price point wise, you will have a hard time finding a higher quality 1911 for under $700 (buddy paid just over $600 plus tax for it at a gun show a couple of months ago).

The Smith & Wesson 4 inch Model 27-2 in .357 did not awaken any urges for me nor did "Bertha". Bertha is a Colt Single Action Army clone in .45 Colt. She makes a big boom and puts a big hole in the target. She's also heavier than an opera singer on a Ben & Jerry's binge. The Sig P238 in .380 wearing the Equinox finish was cute, and I succeeded in shooting it without leaving blood on the slide (unlike his Colt Mustang from ages ago). Alas, I have no need nor desire for a pocket mouse.

Here's the thing that really threw my gun ADD in a tizzy. The Gen 3 Glock 19 in 9mm. Ugly as sin, and boring as all get out. Couldn't be planer than a white bread bologna sammich. I have no need of a polymer wonder 9. I have the Smith & Wesson M&P40 (with the 9mm barrel). But, here's the thing I could not ignore.

I flat out just shoot a bone stock Glock better than I shoot the M&P.

The Glock has a better trigger out of the box than the M&P. There is no debating that point. The Glock also gives up a half inch of barrel length and sight radius to the M&P, but that's mostly negligible at social distances. The M&P has better ergonomics, better factory sights and just feels better in the hand; but, even with the crappy plastic stock Glock sights, it outshoots the M&P for me.

This is intolerable.

I could spend about $100 on parts from Apex to make the M&P trigger better than it is, but there's no guarantee that it would improve it's shootability enough for me to shoot it better than I shoot the Glock. I had a Glock in the past (a Gen 1 or Gen 2 G23 in .40) with which I had a neutrally ambivalent relationship. I have shot Glocks in the interim with similar results though never head to head with the M&P like this. I bought the M&P on the premise that it's made in the USA (because...'Murica! Dang it!), felt better in my hand and had better sights which should mean that it shoots better. Right?

Wrong.

I ignored my own good advice (given freely to others and now, again, to you) to try before you buy. Seriously. Go find a range or a friend who has what you are interested in. Shoot it against possible alternatives. If it ain't working for you, don't buy it.

Now, I have to go hang my head in shame secure in the knowledge that I will be stuck carrying an ugly Austrian just because it's a better tool for my hands than the sexy M&P.

[grumble, grumble]

Maybe I will name it...Frau Blucher.

Smith & Wesson M&P 40: A Quick Update

Previously, I had reported that the .40S&W magazines would feed 9mm ammo. I found out this past Sunday that such is not 100% accurate. To clarify, during my first range outing, at least one of my mags loaded and fed 9mm ammo with no trouble. Last Sunday, one of my mags would not even entertain the thought of holding just one 9mm round much less feeding it. I suspect that there is a slight tolerance variance in the feed lips that makes one do it and the other not.

In short, if you want to do the multi-caliber barrel swap conversion, you will probably want to go ahead and invest in some 9mm magazines to go with the extra barrel. I'll be doing that soon.

SHOT Show 2014 - Industry Day

A few weeks ago, Gundiva uploaded a post showing some of the fun toys we played with on Industry Day.  For this post, I want to give more details on what we played with.

First up Glock.

Glock (www.Glock.com)

For 2014, Glock introduced 2 new models.  First up, the model 41.  Basically the model 41 is the same as existing model 21 but with a 5.3 inch barrel.  It is built on the Gen 4 frame and uses the same 13 round magazine as the model 21.  And best of all, it is chambered for the great .45 ACP cartridge.  If you are looking for a nice competition model in .45, Glock now has a model for you.

Next up is the model 42.  This is the smallest Glock.  It is a pocket pistol chambered in .380 ACP.  I found this a nice rendition of the pocket pistol.  It sat nicely in the hand.  Was accurate, easy to shoot and soft recoiling.   I think this will be a popular seller for Glock. 

Now to kick Glock in the shins a bit.  ABOUT FRICKIN’ TIME GLOCK CAME OUT WITH THESE TWO MODELS.  Glocks competitors have had similar models out for YEARS!!!!  Way to be a Johnny come lately.  Now to redeem themselves, Glock MUST come out with a pocket 9mm to catch up with the rest of the industry.  And sooner the better. 

Otherwise, I think both of these models are fine additions to the Glock lineup of handguns.

Smith and Wesson (www.smithandwesson.com)

Smith introduced several new models this year.  I will confine this post to the 2 models I actually test fired.  I will write a separate post outlining all of Smith’s new models at a later date.

First up is the new model 69.   The model 69 is a stainless steel 5 shot .44 magnum revolver, built on Smith’s medium L frame and a 4 inch barrel.  It is a bit smaller than the N-frame and fits in the hand nicely.  Still a handful to shoot, but I see this as a nice backpacking gun.  You have the convenient size of a .357 with the extra horsepower of the .44 magnum cartridge. 

Next up, is the new 986.  The model 986 is another model built on the medium L frame and is part of Smith’s Pro series of revolvers.  It is chambered in 9mm and  is aimed at competition shooters who want to stay with the 9mm cartridge.  It has a 5 inch barrel and 7 shot cylinder that is made out of titanium to help keep weight down and improve balance. It is loaded by the use of moon clips, which greatly speeds up the reloading process.

I found this a pleasant revolver to shoot.  If you like the 9mm cartridge and want to get into shooting revolvers, this may be the ticket for you as you do not need to buy (or reload) a new cartridge. 

Tac-Con (www.wesguns.com)

Here is a fun toy for your AR rifle.  The best way to describe the Tac-con trigger is it is a drop in replacement for your factory trigger that has the ability to give you near full-auto rate of fire.  But it is NOT an actual full-auto trigger assembly.  All it does is help you press the trigger really fast.  Thus is does not need an NFA license. 
It does take some practice to get the rhythm down.  But once you do, you have near full-auto rate of fire.  And a smile on your face.

See the video and description on the website for a better explanation.

Ruger (www.ruger.com)

I had a fun time firing the new SR762 rifle.  Basically this is Rugers take on the AR10 platform, just piston driven instead of direct impingement.  Chambered in .308, It was very pleasant to shoot and accurate as well.  The only things I did not like, was the generic AR trigger and the generic mil-spec collapsible stock. I think with a trigger and stock upgrade this will be a fine rifle.  The other good news is it uses the Magpul pattern magazines.

I would love to get ahold of one for detailed testing and review.

Sphinx (www.sphinxarms.com)

Here is an interesting line of pistols.  You may not have heard of Sphinx here in the united states.  But they are well known in Europe.  They are a Swiss made pistol and well known amongst competitive shooters around the world.

They are a double action pistol, similar to a Sig Sauer, just nicer. 

I found the trigger excellent on this pistol.  Smooth with and crisp break.  The grip was also excellent.  Very comfortable in the hand.  It was also very pleasant to shoot, very comfortable.

If you come across these pistols, don’t overlook them.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 

Caracal (www.caracalusa.com)

Caracal is a relative new comer to the American market.  A few years ago they introduced their pistols.  Basically a variation of the Glock design.  But nicely done.  Unfortunately they did not bring any of their pistols to Industry day.  What they did have were 2 rifles.  A carbine and a precision rifle. 

The carbine is chambered in 9mm and uses the same magazines as their pistol.  It comes with a basic set of iron sights.  But also includes a picatinny rail for mounting an optic.  The safety consists of a basic crossbolt safety and a grip safety.  Similar to a 1911 handgun.  The carbine handled and shot well.  The trigger was a little mushy, but fine for what it was designed for.  A light tactical carbine.  Overall a fun carbine to shoot.  And I liked that is shared the same magazine as the pistol. 

The real jewel from Caracal is their precision rifle.  This rifle is not out in the states yet, but they anticipate to have ATF approval sometime in 2014 and start importing them.  No pricing was available, but they did say it will be priced competitively.  I interpret this to mean sub $1000.  Hope I am right about the pricing.  The rifle I test fired was chambered in .308.   An aluminum body, free floated barrel, 10 round detachable magazine.  And the best part, a fully adjustable stock.  You can adjust the cheek piece for height.  The length of pull is also adjustable.  You can fit this rifle to just about anybody.  This rifle was a joy to shoot since it could be adjusted to fit me.  A proper fit on a rifle is important to accuracy and comfort.  It had a very nice trigger.  Smooth and crisp and not too heavy. 

I really liked this precision rifle.  And I look forward to its release in America.  Don’t turn your nose up at this rifle when it becomes available just because it is designed/made in the U.A.E.  If I am right on the pricing, you will get a lot of value for your money. 

Springfield Armory (www.springfieldarmory.com) 

Last up is Springfield Armory.  Springfield is the maker of 1911 handguns, M1A rifles and the popular XD/XDM/XDs handguns.  A very good company that makes fine products. 

Not much new this year other than they now make their 1911 Range Officer in 9mm.  For 1911 purists this may be sacrilege.  But don’t discount the 9mm cartridge.  It does very well in the 1911 platform.  Other than the sharp edges on safety catch, this pistol was pleasant to shoot.  Mild recoil, but very accurate. 

I will post a more detailed review the Range Officer at a later date.   

This is all I have for Industry day.  But there will be more posts about the other items we saw at SHOT show 2014.

-Mez

02/04/2014