My wife already complains that I spend to much time on my iPhone and gunbroker.com is not helping things. They have just released the mobile version of their website m.gunbroker.com which makes it much easier to navigate on a mobile device.
Speaking of mobile websites, I just installed a new wordpress plugin to make thisismygun.com iPhone friendly. Let me know what you think.
-Thomas
I spent a couple of hours sunday at the Spokane gun show in hopes of finding a good deal. Honestly, I do not know why I bother. What few good deals that may be there are usually gone in the first few hours of the first day of the show. This show was no exception.
Once you get past the beef jerky, beanie baby, and knock off optics booths, you’d only find deals like $32.99 for a 550 rnd brick of .22lr that I could buy for $14.99 just a couple of miles down the road at wally-world. Or $22.95 for 9mm Blazer Brass (which I can still buy elsewhere for 8.95) range ammo. Or a plain-jane DPMS M4′gery “marked down to $1799″.
There were a few dealers there who were selling handguns at competitive prices. But most of the private sellers were bound and determined to get their price even if it meant no sale. Despite the fact someone at the table next to them would have the exact same item for 20%-30% less.
But none of that really matters since I was only looking for one thing. A dedicated .22lr upper for my AR. None were to be found. But I did find a dealer that had the new colt .22lr AR’s. The prices for the complete rifle started at about $560 for a standard M4 configuration, $580 for standard M16 configuration and about $620 for the M4 with quad rail foregrip.
The rifles seemed solid but very lightweight. They looked like they would accept standard at grips and stocks. But it uses a proprietary magazine (no black dog mags), a proprietary fire control group, a cast lower and upper, and it did not appear that the upper could be mounted to a standard AR lower.
The safety selector switch was also non-standard. To switch from safe to fire, you had to rotate the selector switch a full 180 degrees, where a standard AR (non-military semi-auto only) only requires a 90 degree turn.
So in the end, I decided to pass up on the colt .22lr AR’s. I’ll be holding out for a dedicated .22lr upper that will drop right on to my lower. The whole point of me getting a new upper in .22lr is so that I can train using the exact same configuration as my standard AR. The colt just wasn’t what I was looking for. But I was tempted to get one for my kids.
With the recent press coverage of the New Haven firefighter case I’ve heard just about every legacy and new media outlet use the term “reverse racism”.
Who ever came up with that term is a complete moron.
Racism is racism. It’s ugly and should not be tolerated. It does not matter what color the person is on the receiving end, it’s racism. In fact, the term “reverse racism” is a racist statement in and of itself. It implies that only one race is normally capable of being racist, and that somehow reverse racism is a lesser offense.
Here’s a little reality check for you. Until you are willing recognize something for what it is, you will NEVER be able to be rid of it.
-Thomas
Driving down highway 95 south of Coeur d’Alene I came upon the largest herd of elk I’ve ever seen in my life. There was easily 60 bulls just hanging out just off the side of the highway in a green pasture. Then I noticed another group of cows, 50 or so, another 50 yards down the road. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. And something just didn’t seem right.
Then I noticed the 8ft wire fences between the groups, and I remembered a friend telling me about a wild game ranch. Finally I put two and two together. Talk about a buzz kill.
Of course, the only camera I had was my iPhone, and it doesn’t work so well at 65mph.
-Thomas
Alan Gura (the lead attorney for Dick Heller in the District of Columbia v. Heller case) wrote a response to Judge Wilkinson’s anti-Heller article.
Go here to find the response. And while your there, make sure you check out Dave Hardy’s blog. It’s a great resource on 2nd Amendment cases across the country.
H/T to David Hardy at Of Arms & the Law
So I can do some more hording myself.
You’ve probably been wondering what’s going on with ammo and reloading components availability. There are a few factors that are having a impact on ammo and reloading components availability.
The first and most obvious one is the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The wars have put a pretty good dent in the military’s stockpile of ammunition, and they are working hard to keep it replenished.
Next, and the most important factor is you and me. Back in the good old days, (like this time last year), the average shooter usually stopped on the way to the range and purchased the ammo that he/she was planning on shooting that day. This usually amounted to a couple of boxes of ammo per month. When it became apparent that the Dems were going to take the White House, that all changed. Instead of buying what ammo we needed when we needed it, we all (well, most of us) started buying it by the case. Because of this sudden shift in the balance of supply and demand,just about all calibers have become extremely scarce, and when you do find it, very expensive (with a few exceptions). Right now, I have a buy on sight policy where if the price is below a certain threshold, I buy it, even if I don’t need it. My wife has 9mm as a permanent item on her grocery list. In fact (and I know I’m not alone here), I’ve been buying ammo in calibers that I don’t even have a gun for.
My local indoor range went from offering cases of range ammo (blazer brass) to members at a discount price, to only selling boxes of ammo for range use. All for the fear that the distributor would not be able to fulfill their next ammo order.
Most of the ammo manufacturers are running 24 hour shifts, and are producing more ammo than ever, but the demand is still outstripping supply. Lead times on manufacturer orders are running anywhere from 3 months to 1.5 years depending on the caliber.
.380 ACP is especially hard to find right now. In this case it’s because the manufacturers only do a short run of .380 each year to meet the projected demands of the following year. With the sudden renewal of interest in .380, caused primarily by the Ruger LCP and KelTec P3AT, .380 simply cannot be found. It’s doesn’t matter if your looking for range or carry ammo, it’s just not available. It’s so bad, that I have yet to be able to find a box of carry ammo for my LCP that I bought back in March. I hate to say it, but I’ve been carrying ball ammo in my LCP (it’s my backup anyway), I figure it’s better than leaving it in the safe at home. So why doesn’t the ammo manufacturers just make more? They can’t. They use the same machines to reload .380 as they do 9mm. The 9mm machines are already running 24hrs a day, and cannot keep up with demand. It would be foolish of them to take one off line just to produce .380 cartridges.
As far as reloading components go, especially primers, most of the manufacturers are using them all to load new cartridges. Then what’s left is being bought up before the distributor can blink.
Some people are upset with the ammo manufacturers that they have not expanded production to meet demands. But you can hardly blame them. The current ammo buying trend is simply not sustainable by consumers in the long run. At some point everyone will say, ok, I’ve got enough now, or I can’t afford any more, and ammo sales will hit rock bottom. Then the manufacturers will be stuck with the extra equipment that they have no need for. They are playing it safe, which is smart in the current political climate.
Basically, the only way this will end is if you all stop buying all the damn ammo. I say “you” because I’ve learned my lesson. When ammo prices drop back down, I’m going to keep on buying by the case. Yeah I know I’m not helping…
-Thomas
Unfortunately, since I picked up the LCP two weeks ago, I was forbidden by the wife to participate this year. Besides, she says it’s her turn for a new gun. On her list right now is a S&W M&P9 JG (Julie Goloski edition), a walther P22 (preferably with the pink camo grips), and of course her own AR-15 (the build is in the works already).
So for NBAGD, I went shooting instead. I went through 200 rounds of .380 with the LCP. I absolutely love this little gun. With my big meat-hooks, it’s a bit of a challenge to get a good grip on with the old style mags. But with the new style mags, it’s very doable. Even still, the short trigger reach gives me some problems with my trigger pull. It is a little difficult to get a consistent trigger pull with big hands. But it’s nothing a little practice can’t overcome. This is one of the area’s that the CTC laser really makes a big difference. It is a fantastic trigger control diagnostic tool. When the trigger breaks, just watch where the little red dot jumps to.
The little pistol shoots great. The CTC Laser makes all the difference in the world. The sights on the LCP are just sufficient in good light, in dim/low light conditions, they are almost useless. In those situations, the CTC laser gets you confidently on target quickly, and back on target for a follow-up shot just as quick. It is such a nice system, that IMO, ruger should just package them in with the pistol in the first place.
I have not been able to find any carry loads to test with as of yet, but the Remington 95 gr ball and Blazer Brass 95 gr ball range ammo I’ve put through it have all run flawlessly.
Found a good deal at the local gun show (good deals at this show are very rare).
I’ll get a review written up when I get a chance. -Thomas
As it turns out, not so much. It’s about time that a major media outlet pay attention to the facts.
The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S.
For months now, I’ve been drooling over the new Springfield XDm. I resisted as long as possible, but finally gave in. What drove me over the edge you ask? In this case, it was the promotion that Springfield was running where you get 2 extra magazines and a magazine carrier for free (that makes a total of 4 magazines, and two double mag carriers).
Here’s the basics.
Caliber: 9mm
Action: Single Action, semi-auto
Magazine capacity: 19
BBL: 4.5″ traditional land and groove rifled match grade.
The XDm line of pistols come in a very sturdy high quality pelican case.
Inside the neatly organized case, you’ll find along with the pistol, 2 magazines, a double mag carrier, paddle holster, cleaning brush, safety lock, and two extra grip back straps.
19 +1 capacity. What’s not to like?
The interchangable backstraps make the pistol suitable for just about any size hands. Even though I have very large hands, I ended up going with the medium size backstrap. The large backstrap started to effect the natural point of aim in my hands.
Very nice friction retention paddle holster. Unfortunately, I can’t use it as I shoot southpaw.
Magazine carriers are very solid, and are adjustable for tension on the magazines.
The bore brush is big enough to double as a magazine brush. The lock, well, it’s another one to add to my collection in the box on my shelf. All my firearms stay locked tight in the safe if they are not on my person.
I’m not a big fan of 3 dot sights, but these work well.
One of the big improvements of the XDm over the standard XD line is the take down procedure. They have eliminated the need to pull the trigger to take the weapon apart, reducing the chances of a negligent discharge. The procedure is as follows
While pointing in a safe direction:
1- Unload the weapon
2- Verify chamber is clear
3- Lock the slide back
4- Flip the take down lever up
5- while holding the slide back, release the slide and ride it forward all the way off the frame.
Takedown lever flipped up
Slide removed from frame
The XDm usesa full length guide rod, with a non-captive spring.
Here you can see the extractor mechanism and the internal firing pin safety
Here is a shot of the fire control group.
Trigger safety
Cocked indicator protruding from back of slide
Loaded chamber indicator
How does it shoot?
I absolutely love this pistol. The recoil is very soft with very little muzzle rise, allowing you to get back on target very fast. The trigger is not the best out there, but it’s still pretty good. I would call it a rolling break. Very similar to my P7M8 although a little heavier.
The target below is 3 magazines worth of rapid fire at 10 yards.
I’m alrIeady wishing that I had bought this pistol in .40 S&W instead of the 9mm. The .40 S&W version has 9mm bbl’s available, but you cannot get a .40 S&W bbl for the 9mm version. At least I have an excuse to go buy another one!
Overall, I can highly recommend this pistol to anyone looking.