You might be a gunny if.....

You Might be a Gunny if.....

 

1. You could give a damn about baseball stats, and can't figure out how anyone would memorize them, but you can name the make and model of every firearm from every movie and TV show you've ever seen without thinking about it. 

 

2. You've stopped thinking of it as "Brown" and now only see things as Coyote Tan, Flat Dark Earth (or FDE), or Desert Tan...

 

3. You subconsciously count shots fired during movie scenes and know when the hero really ran out of ammunition...

 

4. ...And it drives you nuts.

 

5. The thought of a new model from Smith, Ruger or Kimber makes you physically salivate.

 

6. Even though you KNOW they make good gear, you just can't buy HK because they are a bunch of self-centered, PR Inflated, elitist pricks. 

 

7. You see the sense in paying $30,000 - $100,000 for a double rifle. If the name on it is right...

 

8. Chances are, you've shot more in the last month than the last cop you met has in the last 5 years. (Unless they are from NYC, in which case, you've likely shot more than they have in their career...).

 

9. 1000 rounds of ammo constitutes a decent afternoon at the range. 

 

10. Your initial thoughts about 911 upon being mugged is to call them to provide medical assistance to your aggressors...

Review: GSG 1911 .22LR Pistol

Review: GSG 1911 .22LR

By: Michael Em (Mez)

In todays world of ever increasing cost of ammunition we are all looking for better, low cost ways to practice more.  One method is to use a .22.  There are many excellent .22’s to choose from.  The Ruger MKII series (and new models) or the Browning Buckmark are 2 excellent examples.  But they do not mimic the size or shape of your favorite handgun. 

Ideally, you should use a .22 that is the same size, shape as your handgun.  For those who shoot the 1911 family of handguns, GSG (German Sport Guns) has the solution for you. 

GSG is producing an excellent copy of the 1911 but designed around the .22 cartridge.  The GSG 1911 is a full size copy of the 1911 handgun.  Made from lightweight aluminum alloy with a steel barrel and steel parts where necessary.  It has a 10 round magazine (10 not 12.  Don’t be an over achiever like Gundiva) and fixed sights.  Other features are ambidextrious safety, magazine disconnect safety and changeable front sights (3 different heights) to help set zero. 

In the box you will find instruction manual, tools for cleaning and takedown and the obligatory safety lock. 

One additional feature is the GSG can accept a threaded adaptor for those who own suppressors.

The GSG 1911 functions as any other 1911.  But does have a slightly different takedown.  In their need to overdesign everything, the Germans added an additional screw and pin on the right hand side of the frame that must be removed in order to field strip the GSG 1911.

What I like:

1.    The fit and finish is excellent.  This is one handsome pistol right out of the box.

2.    Reliability is also excellent. (Using proper ammunition)  I was able to shoot approximately 900 rounds through this pistol over a 3 month period without cleaning before I experienced failures of any kind.  A thorough cleaning solved these problems.  If you take care of this pistol and run ammunition it likes, it will run reliably for you.

3.    Accuracy is good.  Definitely not a target pistol.  But 2-3 inches at 15 yards is realistic.  Basically a standard 4 inch clay pigeon out to 20 yards should be doable if you have the skill.  Plenty accurate for a training pistol.

4.    The magazine functions very well, feeds reliably and is a nice heavy duty steel construction. (Again, it holds 10, not 12)

5.    Some parts are interchangeable with 1911 parts.  I was able to replace the safety for one I like better.   (Note: not all parts will interchange)

6.    Full size 1911 and will fit into standard holsters.  As will the magazines fit into standard carriers.

7.    Lighter weight than a standard steel frame 1911.  Being an alloy Aluminum frame, there is a significant weight savings.  This is great for a long day of training or competition. 

What I’m indifferent about: (Things that irritate me but are not deal breakers)

1.    This handgun works best with high velocity .22 ammunition.  Reliability goes down when using standard velocity ammunition.  But you do get to practice your malfunction drills.  This could be a good thing. 

a.    CCI Mini Mags work wonderful in this handgun.

b.    Try several different brands of high velocity ammunition and see what works best.  (And no, CCI Mini-Mags are not expensive.  When you start buying Eley Match, then you can complain about expensive ammunition)

2.    The magazine disconnect safety.  I’m not a big fan of a magazine disconnect safety.  Especially when the original design does not have one.  But the Europeans like them for some reason.  But the good news is, this feature is easily removed.  Just remove the backstrap as you would with any 1911, and pull out the spring and transfer bar that make up the magazine disconnect safety then reinstall the backstrap. 

3.    The finish does wear quickly.  Being an aluminum alloy, the frame and slide are anodized.  And most commercial anodize finishes will wear quickly with heavy use.  After 3 months of use for Steel Challenge competitions, I noticed typical holster wear.  Do expect cosmetic wear if you use this for training and are drawing from a holster.  This is solely cosmetic and will not affect performance. 

4.    The factory guide rod is plastic.  This is a known weakness of this handgun.  It will break eventually.  Be prepared for this.  The good news is, replacements are readily available.  Either the factory plastic one or an aftermarket stainless steel rod.  The good stainless steel rod will run around $25. 

5.    Cost.  The cost is moderately high for a .22.  The base model will run approximately $350 and go up from there.  Sig Sauer also sells this same handgun under the Sig name.  They just charge you more. ($380 - $460).  But with the Sig you have one option not available from GSG.  The Sig comes in Black, OD Green and everyones favorite FDE (Flat Dark Earth).  

Shop around for the best price.  Magazines are also a bit pricey at approximately $30-$40.  But being all steel, they should hold up well and give you years of service.

What I don’t like:  (Things I want the factory to improve upon)

1.    The safety catch.  It is nice the GSG 1911 has an ambidextrious safety.  But does it need to overly large with sharp corners?  I think the safety is ridiculous.  It is too large and has many sharp corners.  I would definitely replace this item.  Which I did. 

2.    The plastic sights.  Really?  Plastic sights?  WTF GSG?  For the price you charge, I would at least expect aluminum sights.  Something a little more durable than plastic.  But I guess the 1911 is such an uncommon firearm there isn’t a large aftermarket base to use a standard off the shelf part.

a.    In reality, I think there should be some aftermarket sights that will fit.  But I do not know for sure.  I don’t know which dovetail the GSG is cut for.  Call the factory to verify before buying aftermarket sights. 

Conclusion:

If you are a 1911 fan and want to shoot lower cost .22 ammunition, look at the GSG.  It may be a bit pricey but I think in the long run you will get good value for it.  Especially if you practice a lot. 

It has a few irritating nags that I want to see the factory improve upon.  But overall I think this pistol will give you good reliable service and value. 

I like this pistol.  I would definitely buy one again and even recommend it to friends and family. 

UN Gun Treaty is NOT dead

I've heard recent commentary by several government officials that they plan on signing the UN Treaty on Small Arms.  Great, then all it will need is a sympathetic Senate to pass and become law.   The Senate we have is not interested, but the next one or the one after that might be a reason to worry.

I subscribe to a free news letter written by Alan Korwin called Page 9.  Alan is a lawyer and pro gun rights spokesman that runs an outfit that breaks down and publishes the gun laws of each state, you've seen his work, though you may not know it.   I'm going to copy and paste an exert from his latest news letter.   If you want to subscribe, or read the rest of the news letter, you can go here, http://www.pagenine.org.

5- UN Arms Trade Treaty Lives
Full plain-English analysis


The lamestream media told you:
The lamestream media told you:

The UN Arms Trade Treaty ended in failure, as the parties could not reach agreement before their self-imposed deadline. A dull sentiment of remorse fell over the conference as high hopes for an agreement ended dashed. Both Hillary and Barack withdrew their support in the eleventh hour when it became apparent the agreement would not be finalized. The Huffington Post blamed the Obama administration for the failure, and also the NRA which it said spread "lies"; USA Today blamed it on the U.S., Russia and China, who asked for more time to review the draft.



The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The first draft of the current effort at a UN Arms Trade Treaty was a smashing success after nearly six years of effort and a solid month of direct negotiations in New York at UN headquarters. It yielded a draft proposal with many of the most difficult terms and conditions hammered out in grueling sessions with all major parties and 170 nations represented.

This is how a treaty like this gets enacted. In fits and starts. Ideas come together over a period of years, and are gtahered in drafts and proposals like this one. We can now see how everyone is thinking -- and it is not in defense of our rights. Ostensibly, the treaty is about international arms trade, but functionally, it attempts to regulate arms from top to bottom.

No one who really understands the situation seriously expected a final document to come out of these first round negotiations. Media reports however did carefully lead the uninformed public into holding out false hope for such a result, leading to a widespread sense of failure. This will help boost public support when the next effort seems to magically spring forth.

Failure was not the case however, as the positions staked out by the pro-rights and anti-rights factions became well known, and the main actors left understanding clearly where the next round of negotiations would have to go to reach an executable document.

The U.S State Dept. issued a statement with spokespersonwoman Vic Nuland's name on it that said the U.S. supports a second round of negotiations next year. "While we sought to conclude the month's negotiations with a treaty, more time is a reasonable request for such a complex and critical issue," the statement said," according to USA Today.

The British foreign secretary, a man, William Hague, according to the British "news" service The Guardian, said, "We have made huge progress. The chair's draft treaty has our full support as well as that of the great majority of other states. But to be fully effective, the treaty will need very broad – ideally universal – participation. It is clear that more time is needed to reach the widest possible agreement."

I usually tear these legal documents apart, and report on their content step-by-step, in plain English. That's what my company does with gun laws: http://www.gunlaws.com/books.htm. That's how you find out what your gun laws are locally. That's how we support this work, and spread the word on new laws, tactics, gun-rights struggles, and a lot of other cool stuff, take a look, go ahead, I'll wait.

I've read the thing cover to cover and outlined it in a general way below, since it wasn't formally adopted. So much of the content is loose and broadly interpretable in unexpected ways that the document must be dead on arrival. If they even dreamed of enacting such sweeping language without controls, the grant of power to do virtually anything regarding guns would be absolutely dictatorial. They can't possibly intend to do that, can they? The potential for harm to the health and sovereignty of our nation (or any nation) is so great, no freedom-oriented American could support it. But that is the draft they came up with. I linked to a copy at the end of the analysis.

All that's left is to hold Mr. Obama, Hillary and others responsible for supporting it in the first place. Their loudly announced backing for the treaty shows their true (often hidden) colors, and their repeated tale that it would not impact gun owners, is exposed as a lie. They will erase the Second Amendment if they can, and lie about it while they're acting.

The Guardian opined that, "This leaves the door open for further talks and a draft arms trade treaty could be brought to the 193-nation United Nations general assembly and adopted with a two-thirds majority vote. Diplomats said there could be a vote by the end of the year." The Uninvited Ombudsman suspects that will hinge largely on the results of the U.S. elections in November.


Key Elements of the Draft Treaty

1. The treaty makes it clear that it recognizes, and that nothing in the treaty can interfere with, a nation's right to self defense. This is one of the most dangerous aspects of the entire deal, because it refuses to recognize any element of personal self defense. Like the UN's so-called charter of human rights, the international body has no place in its framework for people defending themselves. Given that governments are the main perpetrators of violence in the world, this is a travesty beyond measure, but the 170 nations involved are all comfortable with the plan. The nation can defend itself, but you cannot. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

2. The whole focus of the draft is to control arms for what it calls authorized and unauthorized users and also end users, which it does not define or attempt to define. This is literally carte blanche to justify any law making a nation could want for gun control. And the treaty is not written like law -- it leaves almost everything up to the nation-states who agree to cooperate. What are the chances that people at mortal peril from their own "authorities" will be authorized users of arms, especially in nations where they have no right to arms in the first place? Some of the greatest abusers of human rights sit on the human rights council of the UN, so hope for an equitable outcome here are hopelessly remote. Because you have no vote, no elected representatives and no voice at the UN, chances for change to anything adopted here are zero.

3. Part of the plan is to track all arms, ammunition and parts from manufacture to disposal, through a regulatory system which is undefined. A special UN agency (the "Implementation Support Unit" with a budget, staff, reporting, etc.) will be created to do this, pulling the entire gun industry globally under its watch. Sweet, huh? It would be voluntary to start of course, because they recognize no one would cooperate otherwise (and probably won't then either, but that's how you get the camel's nose under the tent, and start building a bureaucracy). This could eventually make possession of even small amounts of ammunition subject to burdensome government regulation beyond anything the worst gun-rights haters in Congress even dream about. The next treaty draft, now being dreamed up in deep dark corners of UN imaginations, will take this further.

4. There is not a single word designed to protect personal gun ownership, any individual rights, promote or encourage proper firearm use, provide accountability for governments that abuse people's rights, or authorize people's use of arms against governments that use arms to commit armed atrocities against their own people, although none of that is a purpose of this treaty. Typical of the UN this is about empowering government, and has virtually nothing to do with empowering the people or balancing power. That's their way.

5. The treaty in its preamble does recognize "lawful private ownership and use of conventional arms" for "recreational, cultural, historical and sporting activities for States where such ownership and use are permitted or protected by law." It does not include crime prevention, personal defense or resistance to tyranny (though it does say 'among other things', in Latin). Early talk that it would only include military weapons was false, "small arms and light weapons" are part of the package, and nations must maintain and publish a list of all such goods.

6. This is the really scary part -- the way they're thinking. Article 6 -- they do make noise that it only pertains to international action, but there are holes you could drive a supply train through:

"Each State Party shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures necessary to implement the provisions of this Treaty and designate competent national authorities in order to have an effective, transparent and predictable national control system regulating the transfer of conventional arms."

That's what the "news" media means when they say the treaty is dead.
Read the dead treaty here:
http://iapcar.org/?p=970


Stay alert and stay tuned in.

Shoot straight,
Double Tap

CCW Reciprocity

I received an email today that alerted me to a graphic that 5.11 Tactical had developed.  It's a chart showing states that allow concealed carry and the reciprocity between states.  While it doesn't tell you exactly which states honor your permit, it's cool to see how many states allow concealed carry and where your state ranks as far as number of states who honor your CCW.  For people who have a CCW permit, it's nice to know how well received your permit is.

Source: 5.11 Tactical

Good Gear, Good Price

Admittedly, I'm a gear junkie. I recently purchased a pair of 5.11 59351 Station Grip (Multi-Task Glove). Since you read about guns on FB and here, you probably dabble in gear too. I'll keep this brief, but informative. The gloves cost $29.95 a

t a local retailer, so they come in on the low cost side for tactical gloves. I have experience with other gloves, but we'll judge this model 5.11s on their own merit.

Fit: I was able to try on the gloves before purchase and I went with a medium. My hands are pretty average in size and I prefer a snug fit for working gloves. The fit was sufficiently snug, but unlike leather, I was able to maintain dexterity with no break in period. During our Tactical Course walk through I was able to load pistol and AR magazines with no loss of dexterity. I was able to use my Leatherman and other tools equally well. Dealing with the locking mechanism was a bit of a pain, but I did not have to take them off for these tasks.

Durability: Honestly, we won't know the answer to this question for some time, but I can go over the construction of the gloves here. As you can tell from the photo the palm of the glove is a synthetic material that is very rough to assist with gripping slippery items. The back part of the glove is made of a synthetic that, at this stage, does offer padding to the knuckles and back of hand, and does stretch with your hand as you grip. The gloves offer 2 sets of stitching across every seam. After 2 big days at the range the gloves are in no danger of coming unraveled, but they are developing that sweaty funky smell, so good thing they are washable. As with most 5.11 products I've run across this one is also well made, solid, and for the price has good value.

The glove did a good job of protecting my hand from barrel heat, though it felt warm, it did not burn through or damage the glove. After a 100 rounds of AR ammo I could grip the barrel of my RR with no discomfort. 

Silly things: I like the ID tag, I like the pull tabs and utilized them both and found them both functional (not silly). However, the goofy target indicators which make up the 5.11 logo on the top side of the trigger fingers I found to be goofy and took away from the overall appearance of the glove. Early going the internal seams rubbed the inside of a finger to the point of irritation, but my finger got tough and not longer gripes about it.

For the money, a good tactical glove that can do double duty as work glove, that you can beat on, tear up and not get bent out of shape if you wear them out fast, lose or destroy. I think you gals should be asking 5.11 why they don't have women sizes, or maybe I missed that. My 2 Cents.

Link from the MFG is here, 

http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Accessories/Gloves/Station-Grip-Gloves.html.

Shoot Straight,
Double Tap

A Contest, an Open Saturday, An AR-15 and a Unique Opportunity

I finally won something on one of those “like our Facebook page and be entered in a drawing for a prize” contests. I, however, wasn’t the initial winner of said contest. I was the second name randomly selected after the initial winner had to reluctantly decline due to scheduling conflicts. My Saturday schedule was wide open so I graciously stepped in when my name was selected and accepted the prize. What was the prize you ask? A one day, 6 hour, beginner tactical rifle class! This is a brand new instructional course dreamt up and designed by the guys at 13Zulu in conjunction with DoubleTap. And by winning the Facebook contest I was invited to take the very first walk through of the course with them. Now, I had to get an AR-15 so I could participate in the different courses of fire. No problem, I just called up my dad and he let me borrow his for the day.

Saturday morning rolled around and it was time for me to head out to the Pawnee Sportsmen’s Center (PSC) range to get ready for the class. I admit I was a bit nervous and had some butterflies about what to expect. I had never owned an AR-15 before and had probably only put about 20 rounds through my dad’s, ever. I started to think I might be in over my head, even as this was slated to be a “beginner” course. Fortunately, my apprehensions were put at ease as the guys from 13Zulu, Casey and Mike, started to discuss what they had planned for the course. I knew immediately that not only was I going to have fun, I was going to learn a lot of information about the AR platform and how to operate it safely and precisely. Casey and Mike were very knowledgeable and have a vast amount of military training and instructing between them.

The day rolled on and I soaked up as much of the information and training as I could. We progressed from the basic safe handling and functionality of the AR and added new skills and techniques each time we went to a different course of fire. I learned the difference between a “tactical” reload and a “speed” reload and how to perform each of them. I learned how to clear a jam and how to transition between the AR and my 9mm sidearm. We worked on all the different skills dry (unloaded) first before progressing to a live course of fire. This was really a great way to learn. It helped build my confidence and allowed me to focus on the technique and the mechanics of it before attempting it with live ammunition. Mike and Casey were very helpful and offered constructive criticism throughout the course. I am grateful for their patience and agree wholly with their mantra of creating “consistency” through repetition. It is all about doing these skills the same way every time and reducing wasted motions.

I don’t want to drone on and on about each course of fire and what the guys from 13Zulu had me do, you’ll have to take the course yourself to find out. And let me say that I highly recommend it, even if you are not new to the AR platform. I will be taking the class again when I get my own AR-15.

I would like to give a huge thanks to Casey and Mike at 13Zulu and DoubleTap for allowing me to be their guinea pig for the day. It was an incredible opportunity that I won’t soon forget.

Jay

A note from GunDiva: if you are interested in taking this course, please click on the "Training" tab under the header.

Dragon Leatherworks Review

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Dragon Leatherworks saying that Brigid from Home on the Range had suggested I'd be willing to do a review on a holster for a 1911.  Since I just happen to have a 1911 and, like most shooters, I'm always looking for the perfect holster I jumped at the chance.

Within a week, I received the holster.  One of my favorite holsters is the Galco Side Snap Scabbard, because it's nice to be able to just snap a holster on over a belt instead of having to get undressed to put on or take off my holster.  When I opened the package and saw the holster that Dragon had sent me, I was excited to see that it also had snaps. (Which I didn't think to take a picture of, of course.)

I was intrigued by the cut-out, but before I had a chance to ask about it, I got an email from Dragon explaining the evolution of this holster.

I had a request to modify an existing design called the DL Classic that I sell, so as to fit the following:

1) The pistol had to have a medium -low ride height
2) The pistol had to have as close to zero cant angle as possible
3) There had to be a deep combat cut so as to allow as close to a full grip as possible for drawing the weapon
4) Had to hold tight to the body, but not angled in at the top so as to avoid having the gun dig into the ribs

There really wasn't any way to modify the original design, so I used it as a basis for how the holster should *look*, then went to work getting the function to follow form. The end result is what you received last week. The holster was a complete re-thinking of an existing design.

I would say that he met his goals with this modification of his original holster.  In order to test it out, I came up with a game plan by which I will test all holsters.  I'm not allowed to carry at work, so I decided I'd carry it on a "usual" day off and again at the range.

My "usual" day off consists of driving to my parents' place, taking Estes out for a ride, doing some horse chores, and doing laundry.  Fairly typical stuff.

For my range day, I decided I'd do essentially FitShot lite.  The beauty of FitShot is that it requires a lot of movement and requires that the holster keep the gun secure.

For my "usual" day, I strapped on the holster and loaded into the car.  My parents' place is 73 miles from our apartment and I usually don't wear my gun in the car because it's uncomfortable as hell, but I wanted to treat the holster like I did when I was able to carry all the time, so I hopped in the car with it.  I carry just behind my right hip, at 4 o'clock.  It took just one adjustment as I buckled up to settle the holster and gun in.  And then I forgot it was there.  It was hands-down the most comfortable holster I've driven in to date.

Once I got to my parents' place, I went about my usual daily activities.  For the most part, the holster was comfortable, but I did feel some pressure along the top of my SI joints.  I didn't know if it was because of the belt I chose to wear that day, or the holster, so I decided to change belts for the range day. 

I figured that if anything was going to test the holster during my "usual" day, it would be riding.  I grabbed Estes and mounted up.  The holster was comfortable and secure during my short ride.

Later that day, we went for a much longer ride, in which I did not wear the holster because we rode into the National Park, where carrying is forbidden.  However, I would have been perfectly comfortable wearing the holster for the five and a half hours we were out - I'm certain of it.

So far, so good.  I finished day one happy with the holster and was looking forward to getting to take it out to the range.

My plan for the range day was, as I said, FitShot lite.  I had not done any practicing with the holster.  I strapped it on, slipped my gun in it, and that's it.  The FitShot workout I had in mind was:

• 4 squats (supposed to be goblet squats with weight, but I forgot my weights)
• 4 tuck jumps
• 4 release push-ups

It's not a huge workout, but it does involve a fair bit of movement and I'll use it with every holster review I do.

I changed my belt to the web training belt I usually wear out to the range.  Doing so alleviated the pressure across my SI joints that I noticed on my first day of wearing the holster.

When I got to the range, I handed the video camera off to Tara and told her to video tape me as I went through the FitShot.



Unfortunately, the snaps that I was so excited about gave way after my first tuck jump.  I wasn't sure that I it had actually happened until the second snap gave way after my second tuck jump.  At that point I stopped the test.

I so, so wanted to love this holster, but the snaps coming undone were pretty much a deal breaker.  The workmanship on the holster itself is top-notch.  It carries comfortably.  Even after the snaps came undone, my gun was secure in the holster.  But the holster wasn't securely attached to my belt anymore.

Luckily, I think this is an easy fix for Dragon Leatherworks.  Replace the current snaps with sturdier snaps and this holster again moves to the top of my "favorites" list.  I don't mind having to work at unsnapping snaps; it means that they won't come undone at an inopportune moment.  If I can't get a snap undone, it's not the end of the world - I just thread my belt through it like I would a belt holster.

Pros:

• well made, good quality leather
• comfortable to wear when driving
• holds the gun securely
• easy to draw from

Cons:

• snaps came undone

Overall, this is a good holster and the fix is easy.  If you're in the market for a leather holster, this is one from Dragon Leatherworks is a good option.

Question for you: What do you look for in a holster?  Do you have an immediate deal breaker?