Great Gun Liquidation of 2015

Recently because of both financial and loss of interest concerns I sold 3 of my Glock pistols. 

Until about a month ago I was a die hard Glock-tard, this I don’t deny but after handling and shooting offerings from Beretta and Springfield my interest in Glock started to wane. Now I’ve never been against selling guns, some folks will tell you to never sell even one gun, I’m not of that school. I have no problem selling a gun if you need to to not be homeless, you use the money for a new gun, or if you can get more than 80% of its worth. The Glocks I sold were a G17, G19, and a G32. I really didn’t have any trouble parting with the 9mms, the .357sig was a bit harder to sell but it was even harder to find ammo for so it went to a new home. 

The cash I made will go to new toys, I’m thinking a PX4 storm in 9mm and a X D Mod 2 in .45acp. But don’t worry, I didn’t sell my carry gun or my nightstand gun so I’m not totally defenseless when it comes to pistols. I’m starting a new full time, undercover job on 3/30 so I’ve been getting my carry gear in order and was even given a sweet new Galco carry belt for my birthday which was 3/24. 

So if you guys/girls/cyborgs have any suggestions on how I should spend my newfound Glock money tell me in the comments. 

Glock 43

Glock has officially announced their first single stack 9mm, the Glock 43.  

 

Law Enforcement and civilian concealed carriers have been asking for this gun for years. Other companies have been providing similar guns but Glock has finally thrown their hat and considerable reputation in the ring. The G43 might make the G42 obsolete if Glock chooses to release the proper accessories. The first thing I’d like to see is an extended magazine similar to what Springfield does with their XD line. When the G42 was released it had a few small problems, Glock simply can’t afford to make those same mistakes again. Hopefully the G43 won’t be released too soon to take advantage of the buzz this gun has already created. 

Are 1911s a waste of money?

Everyone value shops at some point in their life. The reason behind the act of value shopping doesn’t really matter, the result does. You want the most bang for your buck. 

1911s are no doubt an iconic invention, never mind handgun. Quickly think of another product that has been around, virtually unchanged, for 100 years. There aren’t many. Notice how I called the 1911 a product, that’s how companies see them. The goal of any company is to make a profit. The more the better. A company like Nighthawk employs an army of gunsmiths to custom build all of their guns. The end results are fantastic and cost at least two grand. The finished guns are beautiful, accurate, and reliable. What they aren’t however is better than a Glock or M&P you can buy for around $400-$500. So you’ve payed AT LEAST four times as much for a gun that isn’t any better. Now it’s true that you can buy cheaper 1911s and there are some good ones out there but let’s face facts. They just can’t be as good as the $2,000 one. The higher the cost the better the product. Right! Right? 

Let’s break things down simpler. The name of the game when it comes to pistols is reliability. Beauty fades. Accuracy can be achieved with practice. You can’t fake reliability. Accuracy can only be achieved 100% of the time. The best 1911 ever made by elves or large breasted maidens or John Moses Browning himself can only work 100% of the time. A random lowly Glock or Beretta or Springfield XD will work 100% more often than a random 1911. Hell, people have known for years that .45 caliber 1911s with sub 4inch barrels are unreliable! 

I’m not writing this to trash 1911s, hell I own one, his name is Francis and he lives disassembled in a shoe box. I’m writing this to beg you, first time gun buyer, don’t save up your money and buy a 1911. Now if you already own a few guns and want to splurge? Buy one. They’re wicked fun to shoot. 

3 Gun

I routinely scour the corners of the Internet for relatively unknown gun blogs. Some I have been following for years, and they’ve grown huge. Some have dropped off dramatically, and that makes me sad. A big topic of discussion seems to be 3 gun competitions. 

Now I have only ever competed in one such event. A World War II style match. I was invited to attend by a local range owner and was asked to take some pictures as well. Little did I know that one, there wasn’t an entrance fee for spectators, and two, my natural completely unhealthy competitive streak would rear its ugly head. So after watching a few other competitors warm up I wanted to play too. After a quick trip to Home Depot in my untrustworthy Ford Explorer to buy a carpenter’s belt I decided I was going to shoot. The range owner was willing to lend me the required weaponry. 

A Colt 1911, a refurbished foreign made M3 Grease Gun, and a Model 12 Winchester shotgun. 

Luckily I own a Model 12 and a few 1911s so familiarity wasn’t a problem. The Grease Gun was a different story, I had never even held one before. After finding someone there to show me how to run the damn thing I was ready to go.

 Side note: the gentleman who familiarized me was old enough to have actually helped design the thing. 

Anyway, I was slated to run second to last of the 60ish competitors. I watch another dozen or so guys between the ages of 40 and about 60 shoot the course before my turn. I get ready for my turn and notice my official just happens to be the same guy who showed me the ins and outs of the grease gun earlier. I tell him as nicely as I can that I plan on sprinting the whole course, hopefully he can keep up. I start the course and quickly notice it’s set up more for 1940’s era rifles, not for sub guns made from discarded Chevys. I make due basically by doing a fancy looking version of spray and pray. The shotgun and pistol sections went by fairly flawlessly. I owe that mostly to luck and the fact i could shoot, clean, and strip Model 12s and 1911s before I could ride a bike. I ended up finishing 4th. However, that same old man invited me back the next week to shoot his BAR and that was admittedly, fucking awesome. 

The following year the old man’s wife asked me to use his BAR and I won the event. The winners plaque I received still hangs proudly in his honor. Eventually, I was able to purchase BAR and it’s one of the few guns that I’ll never sell. 

R.I.P Russ

RLTW

Helping a Comrade…

Before the particular illness which now has me reduced to the level of usefulness of a young Kardashian a friend asked me for some help. 

“I want to start carrying a gun everyday. Any suggestions?”

He asked me a bunch of questions about various belts, holsters, and guns. I answered them dutifully, trying to keep out my personal opinions as there isn’t a one size fits all answer to any of those inquiries. I have half a closet full of various gear that I’ve either found to be subpar or just stopped using because I sold the gun associated with it. We spent the better part of two days discussing gear and guns.

 He wanted a revolver, I said cool, get a revolver. 

We discussed Glocks, he wanted a Glock, I said cool, get a Glock. 

We discussed 1911s, he wanted a 1911, I said cool, get a 1911. 

Then he drops this bombshell. “I need to keep the whole thing (gun included) under $1,000.” I said “Cool. Buy a German Shepherd”

The point of this whole post is to beg of you, new concealed carriers, please do some research before you ask a self appointed gun expert (like myself) for advice. Have some idea of what you want, it makes things much easier on everyone involved. But he did finally decide.

Glock 23 and an Adams Holsters starter pack. 

I’m not a .40 cal guy but it’s not my gun. Too many gun store salesmen try to sell you THEIR gun instead of YOUR gun, so be wary. Only you will know what you’ll like to carry everyday. Hopefully it’ll work out for him on the first try but I get the feeling he’s well on his way to starting his own “Commando Closet”

KA-BAR TDI Knife and NSR Tactical Sheath: First Impressions

The first time I heard about the KA-BAR TDI knife I was intrigued. I viewed it as a law enforcement version of the famous Karambit style blade. What I mean about the “law enforcement version” part is that basically it’s a karambit that doesn’t look so fucking wicked. Back in those days I was more of a folding knife guy, in fact I don’t think I even owned a fixed blade. Fast forward to about two months ago. I noticed on a site the KA-BAR was on sale, looked up some reviews, and basically said what the hell and bought it. Upon receiving the knife I noticed three things right off the bat. First, the sheath that comes with the knife isn’t the best. Second, it’s a very very well made knife for the price. Third, it’s a sturdy knife. Believe me, just because something is well made doesn’t mean it’s sturdy. I carried the knife in the provided sheath for about two days before I decided an upgrade was in order. Enter NSR Tactical. 

I have no clue about how or when I heard about NSR Tactical. Might’ve been YouTube, but I’m not sure. I decided to take a chance, a fairly cheap one, the sheath cost $28 plus S&H. Quite reasonable for anything Kydex, custom made, or from a smaller operation. Now I’m a leather guy, not 50 Shades Of Gray leather more like The Ramones leather, so I was a bit skeptical towards Kydex. So far I think I’ll be proven wrong. The sheath is clearly well made. The retention is great and it doesn’t have any of the sharp edges cheaper Kydex tends to have. I ordered my sheath the second week of January and received it on March 2nd. Not a bad wait time for custom work and SHOT show was during that time. You have a choice of two attachment methods when ordering. Either a clip, which is strong as hell from what I can tell or belt loops, which I may regret not paying the extra $3 for. 

The knife seems so far to work best when carried in tandem with a folding knife. The main problem with all folding knives, including Emerson’s, is getting them into action while grappling or against a wall. A KA-BAR TDI carried in a NSR Tactical sheath eliminates that concern completely. The combo works best when carried to the immediate left or right of the belt buckle so it can be drawn with either hand. 

So far I think I’ll love it. I’ll definitely be carrying the combo until it either breaks or I find something better, both of which seem unlikely. 

NSR Tactical’s website:  http://nsrtactical.com

Shoot Fu

Every trainer thinks they’re the best. The fact is there are tons of great trainers out there. But who really is the best? Let’s discuss it. 

First off most trainers I’ve encountered can be relied on for two things. First, they will teach you something you didn’t know. Which is great. Second, they will have a favorite gun. Which isn’t great and here’s why. If your trainer loves the Glock 17 he/she will probably be most proficient with the Glock 17. But what if you shoot a S&W Model 19? Well you won’t be receiving the best training for YOUR weapon. You’ll be receiving the best training for THEIR weapon. Obviously some trainers are experts with multiple guns but there isn’t a trainer that’s an expert with EVERY gun. Shooting a Glock 17 is like shooting a Glock 17. No two guns are alike. Some are close, Glock 17s and S&W M&Ps are similar but not the same. Even guns made by the same company aren’t alike. For example, a Glock 17 and a Glock 21 are hugely different in every way except look. Revolvers are even more difficult to find suitable training. Many trainers today grew up shooting semi auto pistols, not revolvers like the old days. It’s also important to train with the gun and load you’ll be carrying or protecting yourself with. If you plan on carrying a Model 19 packed with .357mag don’t train with .38 special. I know the arguments. It’s cheaper, has less recoil, is easier to shoot accurately. Well the point of training isn’t to pinch pennies, shoot 5,000 rounds, or cut the X ring every time. The point is to learn to shoot exceptionally well with your weapon and the word “weapon” means the firearm and the projectiles. 

Another thing to take into consideration is your trainers background. Cops will learn the most training with cops. Military with military and contractors with contractors. If you’re the only cop in a class with all contractors you’ll be missing out on things pertinent to your job. There are tons of opportunities for civilian shooters to train with their own as well. Most ranges offer training and that training is almost always tailored to civilian shooters, despite the background of the instructor. 

Some training is better than no training.