Springfield Armory XDm

The XDm with case and included accessories

   I recently traded for this Springfield XDm in 9mm. This is a real value considering the quality of the pistol as well as the nice case with the included accessories of a holster, mag pouch, loading tool, extra magazine and extra backstraps. One interesting thing about this setup is that many of the items have a Picatinny rail built in so that accessories can be attached to other accessories. For instance the loader can be attached to the mag pouch to reduce the space taken up on your belt. You just push a button and the loader releases for use. The side of the main case has a rail also so that any other accessory can be carried on the outside of the case.

   The pistol itself is a definate upgrade to the standard XD. It’s not only about the “M” or Match build but the change in the grip ergonomics as well as the ability to change backstraps to fit your hand. The M also has a 4.5 inch barrel which I look at as a perfect size for this pistol. The 4 inch just seemed to give the pistol a look I wasn’t that fond of. The changes made as well as the two tone finish make for a handsome pistol. The longer sight radius is also a plus. The frame cuts allow for good indexing as well for your trigger finger whether shooting left or right handed. Of course it also has what has become standard on most pistols and that’s the light/laser rail. The mag release is also ambidextrious. The one problem I saw with the magazine release is that when you have a full 19 rounds in the mag it’s almost impossible to release the mag. It’s just to tight to push the button and release the mag. You have to load 18 rounds for the mag release to work properly. I don’t really look at this as a big problem but it should be noted. I doubt this is an isolated case rather a problem with all of these. I can certainly live with 18 plus one rounds:-) The loader is also a handy item since getting to about round 15 it gets pretty hard to add rounds to the mag. As mentioned the barrel and fitting of the barrel to the slide is match grade. The barrel is marked match and can be seen in the photo above. Believe me it shoots match quality groups! Another issue to mention is with the grip recontoured it’s much easier to conceal even though the size accomodates the large magazine. I’ve not had a chance to measure this grip width againest a standard XD but I believe it’s a bit narrower. The slide has also been recountoured so that the base of the slide is the wider portion with the top of the slide narrower.

  
   On to shooting:-) I set a target up and shot from 10, 15 and 25 yards. I used a combination of Remington flat point as well as Winchester white box and PMC “Brass” 9mm. The grip feel is better than the older standard XD. I changed the grip backstrap and found the medium strap to be the best for me. The trigger pul is also refined from the standard XD. Trigger pull is 5.4 pounds with a travel length of what I would compare with a 1911 and is crisp compared to the mushy trigger of many polymer pistols. Groups at 10 yards using a 5 inch Birchwood Casey target made one hole of 1 1/4 inch with all brands of ammo firing one magazine of 18 rounds. Moving back to 15 yards the groups opened up a bit with the Remington ammo achieving the best group at 2 1/8th inches standing unsupported. At 25 yards the Remington ammo again gave the best results with groups of just a hair under 3 inches kneeling resting with my elbow on my leg and taking my time. This pistol certainly shoots better than most and better than any other polymer pistol. I’m sure the match setup contributes to the level of accuracy I experienced. Is it a tuned match 1911 well no but this is a combat pistol not a true match pistol. In this role it excels.
  The pistol is a good natural pointer and comes on target fast. The sights are good with enough light on both sides of the front sight to help accuracy and speed. To be honest I’ve never been a big fan of polymer pistols especially Glocks. Ok don’t beat me up that’s just my take on them not a universal condemnation. This polymer I like very much because it feels and shoots more like a standard all steel pistol. Another feature I like is the ambi mag release. I prefer to release the mag with my index finger of my shooting hand because I don’t have to adjust my grip as much or at all. When all is said and done this is a good buy and a worthy contender for a daily carry pistol as well as local competition.
  Any comments or questions? Feel free and I’ll get back to you pretty fast usually. Be safe and enjoy our sport!

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CMMG M4 Carbine From Black Rifle LLC

Black Rifle LLC     Columbia,Missouri   

   This is a new AR15/M4 carbine from the retail outlet of CMMG out of Fayette, Mo. I can tell you if you love AR15’s when you walk into the Black Rifle store you will have a very hard time leaving:-) They carry in stock every configuration of AR15 you can imagine at reasonable prices. You’ll also find many tactical type shotguns as well as various brands and configurations of AK47’s. Optics of every major brand, ammo, Magpul PMags as well as many other brands of mags. They also have accessories for any tactical rifle or shotgun. They also take trade ins and have used rifles for sale. The place is just a wall to wall AR lovers dream:-) Also CMMG rifles have a lifetime warranty.

CMMG AR15 14.5 inch barrel as bought at Black Rifle

    This is the second CMMG I’ve had and I couldn’t be more pleased with both of them. This one was purchased as you see it above for $870. When you consider it came with a 14.5 inch barrel, Yankee Hill rail, Tango Down grip. Clubfoot stock, Magpul magazine,Phantom flash suppressor, Troy front and rear BUIS, match trigger well you just can’t beat the price especially these days. The barrel also has a 1 in 7 twist which is a good all around twist rate for an M4 style to obtain the best accuracy from standard 55 grain bullets all the way up to the 70 plus grain hunting bullets. It also does very well with 22LR bullets in 38 grain with the conversion kit but more on that later.

As it looks now completed with Aimpoint M2 red dot, Surefire light and mount and Spikes Tactical VFG

   This by far is the best setup I’ve ever had in an AR15/M4 configuration. It has all I need and no extra bling I don’t need. No I’m not going to paint it with a spray can to mimic a real desert warrior because I’m not my son is! Enough on that subject:-) One addition I didn’t mention in detail is a best buy and that’s the Spike Tactical forward vertical grip. It was listed on the website at $35 so I thought it has to be plastic. When it arrived I was plesently surpised to find it is CNC machined aluminum with an anodized finish with rubber rings that fit in the ecternal slots to provide a better grip. This a real deal considering many of the plastic models are $80 plus. This VLTOR stock gives a great cheek weld and provides waterproof space for battery storage as well as other parts. The new Magpul magazines are very reliable and cost is no concern at all. They have a window in the side of the mag with a red line that travels as you deplete ammo and tells you right away how many rounds are left without guessing or taking the mag out to look. A very handy mag at $18.

 This view gives a better look at the Viking Tactics light mount

   The last addition I just purchased allows me to practice a lot more without spending a ton of money of 5.56 for practice all the time. That addition is a CMMG 22LR conversion kit. Most of these kits I found were at the $200 mark but I found mine at Dynamic Armament for the regular price of $139 which included a 22LR magazine. I’ve shot about 500 rounds in the last week of American Eagle 38 grain 22LR without one malfunction and there was no cleaning during the 500 rounds fired. I strongly recommend this conversion so you can practice all you like without breaking the bank.
    Changing out the standard unit for the conversion is very simple. You remove the charging bolt 3/4 of the way out and remove the 223 bolt then slide in the 22LR conversion bolt, close the rifle up and insert a 22LR mag. That’s it your ready to go. These mags also hold 26 rounds of 22LR.
   Shooting this rifle with the conversion is a blast! Accuracy is extremely good. Standing unsupported at 25 yards you can shoot 1/2 inch groups all day long. This is not something I expected since this rifle was in no way constructed to fire 22LR as the new batch of 22LR only rifles made by Sig and Colt. I’m not griping believe me. Even at 100 yards groups of two inches or a little less are common. CMMG makes a fine product regardless of some who look down on them because they don’t have one of those high profile names even though they supply to the military just on a lower profile.

CMMG 22LR Conversion Unit with one extra mag

   On to shooting with the 5.56. I tend to use brass cased ammo but I’m in no way appossed to using Wolf or Bear brand steel cased ammo. I have never repeat never had a rifle adversly affected by using them. After putting on the red dot sight I set the BUIS sights up as well so they co-witness. I began at 50 meters since that is the advised distance to sight in so that all shots out to 300 meters are accurate. After sighting in I started at 25 yards standing unsupported. My groups were less than 1/2 inch and closer to 1/4 inch. This is a much more accurate AR15 than I have ever owned before. I moved out to 100 yards and setup a rest and fired several groups at a 5 inch Birchwood Casey target which is much easier to see at that distance. I was shooting groups that made one hole right on the red bullseye of the target. As I said this is a very accurate rifle! These groups were shot with PMC brass cased ammo. I changed over to Wolf and the groups opened up a bit but still came in at less than one and a half inchs at 100 yards using the red dot.
  This is one nice rifle that performs very well and sells at a very reasonable price. Black Rifle LLC is also a very good dealer who has excellent customer service and would be worth anyone checking into if they don’t mind having a rifle shipped to the local FFL they frequently use. Black Rifle will also build one to your specs if they don’t have one in stock already:-) As always if you have any questions please comment and I’ll answer any question you may have. If I don’t know the answer I’ll find it.

Happy Shooting!

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Captain Nathan White US Army—An Interview With His Church Pastor From Iraq

My sons second tour and second Christmas away from family and friends. I’m very proud to have a wonderful son willing to serve his country for so many years! If you have any positive comments you would like to have passed along to Nathan and other soldiers feel free and I will pass them along.

History Channels New Show “Top Shot” Want to be on this show?

  
   I was contacted by Pilgrim Films about a new show that will be casting in late winter early spring. The new show is called “Top Shot” and has a prize of $100,000 for the winner. They asked me to spread the word for those who may be interested. Pilgrim films also make many shows we are all familiar with such as Ghost Hunters, Dirty Jobs, Destroyed in seconds as well as many more shows aired on the History channel.
   The application for the casting process can be found on the following link http://pilgrimfilms.tv/casting/TSApp.pdf. You make a tape of yourself and your skills along with the application and send it in. That’s all there is to it:-) Applications have to be submitted by January 18 2010. If you are chosen for the show there is no cost to you. You don’t have to bring a thing with you all weapons, ammo etc as well as lodging and travel are supplied. The show will be shot in Los Angeles, Ca. The airing date is yet to be determined but will most likely be late summer early fall.
   This show not only gives shooters a chance at big bucks but can also provide our sport with a widely viewed audience to help our cause in preserving shooters rights but will also expose non shooters to what out hobby is all about.
   The main webpage link is http://pilgrimfilms.tv/casting/index.html. I’ll be posting the History channel press release as soon as it’s sent to me. Good luck and happy shooting!

Phil

PS If you have a gun blog feel free to link to this so we can spread the word:-)

Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HISTORY™ GREENLIGHTS FIRST COMPETITION SERIES

Skilled marksmen get a shot at making history in…
TOP SHOT
Series to Debut in 2010

New York, December 08, 2009 – In Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, Annie Oakley used a
mirror to shoot a rifle over her shoulder. William Tell shot an apple off his son’s head
with a crossbow. Whether it’s the Romans shooting flaming arrows or Barbarians slinging
stones, history is filled with legendary tales of amazing marksmanship. Now, HISTORY
is tapping into these inspiring feats of sharp-shooting for it’s first-ever reality competition
series – and one contestant will emerge with a $100,000 prize package and the title of
“Top Shot.”

The new 10 episode series, TOP SHOT, is slated to premiere in 2010. The announcement
was made today by Nancy Dubuc, President and General Manager, HISTORY.

In each episode, contenders will face team and elimination challenges inspired by real
events in history, from Wild West shootouts to modern-day sniper missions. Every
challenge will reveal the weapons, technologies and tactics of a different era, while hi-
speed HD cameras capture the skillful execution of each test with breathtaking precision
in extreme slow-motion.

“TOP SHOT will be HISTORY’s first venture into the television competition genre,”
said Dubuc. “Not only will contestants have a chance to experience history in the making,
but they might make history themselves by breaking a world record.”

A nationwide search for contestants is underway. 16 finalists will be selected from among
thousands of applicants, and only one will be declared “Top Shot.”

TOP SHOT is produced for HISTORY by Pilgrim Films & Television. Executive
Producers for HISTORY are Dirk Hoogstra and Paul Cabana. Craig Piligian is
Executive Producer for Pilgrim Films & Television.
PRESS CONTACT:
Heather DiRubba/212.210.9760
heather.dirubba@aetn.com

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Basic Reloading Needs

In these days of skyrocketing ammo prices many people are considering reloading with good reason. Not only is reloading fun it will save you a good deal of money as well as time searching for ammo. I was contacted by a gentleman (George Phillips) who has written a short ebook detailing the basic equipment needed to start reloading. I’ve read the book and he covers the needs of the new reloader well. The text covers not only the equipment but why you need it. The ebook can be purchased for 99 cents through Amazon.com as well as from his website. The links are listed below.

Amazon.com

Phillips General Store

Smith & Wesson Military & Police

M&P 9MM

My son is leaving for Iraq again and left his S&W M&P 9mm for safekeeping and to let me enjoy it. This polymer pistol is full of useful features uncommon to most pistols of this type. The obligatory lawyer proofing feature on this one is a lever inside the mag well that is pushed down to disconnect the sear when disassembly is done.

Note the small lever lowered into place in this photo.

The color doesn’t show in the photo but the lever is yellow in color and is very easy to spot and can be lowered by using a pen, handcuff key or any small object. Once the lever is lowered into place with the slide locked back the lever at the front of the frame is rotated clockwise pointing down much like a Sig. The ambi slide release can be depressed and the slide comes off the frame rails very easily. Take down is standard from this point on by removing the recoil spring and barrel. Cleaning is then done as normal. Once the barrel is cleaned inside and out and the slide is lubed it can be reassembled at this time. The frame is cleaned very easily because of the polymer construction. A small drop of MiliTec is placed on the four point slide guides built into the modular frame. A small drop is also used on the trigger spring as well as the area around the striker at the rear of the frame. At this point push the lever previously discussed(sear lock lever-yellow) upwards then move the slide on the four frame guides. When the slide is held all the way back lock it in place with the slide lock then rotate the take down lever counter clockwise. The slide release can then be activated allowing the slide to move all the way forward. The pistol is now cocked so before pulling the trigger make sure the chamber is empty before placing a fresh mag in the pistol. Since it is striker fired you won’t damage the pistol by dry firing.

This photo shows the sear lock lever in the up position.

The pistol also has a feature becoming more common in pistol designs and that is the interchangeable grip inserts. The S&W comes with three inserts. The medium is the one that comes installed from the factory and the small and large are in the box. This is a very handy feature especially for police departments that have smaller female and male officers officers. They can customize the pistol to fit their smaller grip size. Changing the grip inserts is very simple. At the base of the grip behind the magazine is a small half moon piece that rotates in either direction. Turn it halfway in either direction and pull it straight down removing it from the grip frame. At this point it’s very easy to simply pull the insert out and replace it with the desired one. There are two notches that fit into the frame with very little force. Once in place simply push the long pin you just removed all the way back into the grip frame and turn it back to the original position even with the grip. It’s now locked into place and ready for use.

The three grip sizes

A very handsome pistol!

Compared to most very blocky unattractive pistols S&W placed some thought into making this one a nice looking 9mm. It has the slide cuts that are very aggressive but not uncomfortable in the least. It also has a blended rail for attaching various lights, lasers etc. The rail doesn’t add bulk to the pistol or hang down below the frame. In fact some standard holsters work with this pistol. The sights are the low mount Novak type which are my preferred sight pattern. They are easy to align and don’t catch on clothing when drawing. They have three dots as standard but night sights are available as an option.

Rear Novak Sight

Another feature is the loaded chamber indicator. At the top of the slide there is a small circle which allows a clear view of the loaded round in the chamber. This small circle is beveled to make it much easier to see if the chamber is loaded. The slide release as mentioned before is ambidextrous. The mag release is also reverseable. I prefer to have my mag release on the right side and release it with my index finger of my right hand. That way I don’t have to change grip to drop the mag. Changing it to the opposite side is simple and take a couple of minutes. Again you look into the magwell and you’ll see a spring vertically mounted holding the mag release in place by being on the right side of a small block. To change simply use a small screwdriver and pull the spring back to free the mag release. Once released remove it by slight rotation and pulling it free to the left side. The mag release button is then placed into the frame from the right side. As it contacts the previously mentioned spring use the screwdriver to pull it back so the release block will clear then drop the spring to the left side of the release block. That’s all there is to it your ready to go.
Shooting the M&P is straightforward and has a nice trigger that breaks at just below 6 pounds. That sounds like a lot but with the trigger design it feels less. The trigger is hinged at the halfway point and also uses a center piece that must also be depressed to fire the weapon. The magazine holds 17 rounds of 9mm. At the time my son bought this one S&W had the rebate program on the M&P. He chose to get two extra magazines for a total of “5″!!! He purchased the police package that had three mags. That is a very good deal considering the magazine prices these days. That’s also a heck of a lot of ammo on hand before having to reload! Also the magazines are made by MecGar which are becoming the standard magazine for many gun makers. They are very reliable and long lasting even when kept loaded over a long period of time.

This group was fired from 10 yards

The group above was for sighting the pistol in for my old eyes:-) It was already very close and only needed a light tape to get it right on the money. This is a group of 9 shots. One at the top and the two on either side was before adjusting the sights. After that the remaining 6 rounds went almost into the same hole. Plenty accurate to say the least. I fired ammo from Winchester (white box) as well as various duty loads. All total 6 brands of 9mm. The pistol seemed to prefer the Hornady TAP ammo as far as accuracy is concerned. I shot from ten yards, 15 yards and 25 yards. Instinctive shooting (no sights used) was very good. I used the large grip insert and found it pointed very naturally and all rounds fired at 7 and 10 yards at single and dual targets went right where I wanted them again without using sights just bringing the pistol up to about chin level and firing from one target to the next. Head shots were easy as were center mass shots. The grip angle is always a great help with this type of shooting. The grip angle is much less than the Glock especially with the large grip insert. I have never been fond of the extreme grip angle of the Glock and instinctive shooting for me is not easy with any Glock.
To sum it up this is a well thought out and designed pistol which would serve a police officer well as a duty arm as well as an off duty or civilian CCW pistol. Many holsters are available for it from IWB’s to duty gear as well as belt holsters of many kinds. My choice of holsters is and will always be Erik Littles beautiful holsters and gear. You can find his holsters, mag pouches, belts and many other items at http://www.combatgunleather.com You’ll find an extensive review of his gear on the blog in a couple of places. One is listed with a hi power and the other is a seperate review concerning his gear only. He has been featured in Handgunner magazine as well as others and has a perfect reputation.
If your looking for a reliable well designed defensive pistol in 9mm you really would be hard pressed to beat this S&W. S&W took on a tall order when they gave the Military and Police moniker from the old wheel gun we’ve all used for so many years and bestowed it on this new line.
I hope you found this review interesting and informative and as always feel free to write whenever you have any comments or questions:-)

Savage Model 93 .17HMR

Savage Model 93

The Hornady 17 stands for the Hornady Rimfire Magnum and for a small bullet it’s a magnum alright. It’s been out for some time but I finally decided to get on the bandwagon and give it a try. The standard 17 grn bullet travels at 2550 FPS at the muzzle and maintains a velocity of over 1900 FPS at 100 yards. The construction of the bullet is ingenious in that it uses a hard nylon nose that is very sharp. When the round hits the nose is pushed back into the bullet expanding it violently. A varmit doesn’t stand a chance and one round is more than enough to put any animal in that category down and it stays down. The other round available is the 22grn hollowpoint. The only downside is with a strong crosswind past 100 yards and you get a good amount of drift because of the bullet weight.

When firing this little speedster on a calm day it’s accurate in the extreme and out to 200 yards has very little bullet drop. I zeroed it at 100 yards and fired at a Muskrat at close to 200 yards. I left the crosshairs right on it and one shot did it. Maybe an inch of drop from point of aim to the actual hit after examining the animal. Normally I’m not a hunter but our city has had a big expensive problem with these and other burrowing animals at the city lagoon. The city asked me to go out and get rid of as many pest as possible. They bought the ammo so ok I can do that:-)

This target and the orange one were fired at 100 yards. Both are 2 inch targets. The first and second rounds went right and left on the orange one but the last one went dead center. The mag holds five rounds or six with one chambered and a full mag. After a little adjustment on the Tasco World Class scope and the remainder of the rounds went right into the bullseye. The recoil is very minimal and is on a par with a 22 mag. The report isn’t bad at all and doesn’t require hearing protection. The barrel is free floated which I’m sure helps accuracy as well. With the heavy target barrel the rifle balances very well. Something I really like about this rifle is it has the same accu-trigger as the Savage 10FP and most Savage rifles have now. It can be adjusted with the supplied tool from 2 1/2 pounds of pull to 6 pounds of pull. I set mine at 2 1/2 pounds. The trigger is also very crisp with a nice release. The bolt is also very smooth and reloads without any catching of the round as it feeds. The safety is on the right of the bolt and pushes forward to take it off safe.

With the ammo shortage and increasing prices the 17HMR is a good rifle to own. Fifty rounds runs about $11.00 which isn’t to bad considering the cost of centerfire ammo these days. That is provided you can even find any handgun or rifle ammo. 22 caliber and 17HMR isn’t hard to find thank heavens!
To sum it up this is an affordable rifle with ammo that won’t break the bank. It’s also super accurate and very enjoyable to shoot. I can certainly recommend this Savage for a variety of uses.

Kimber Raptor II

Kimber Raptor II

Ten Yard Victim–LOL!

   I’ve had my issues with one Kimber I’ve owned as you can read about in the blog. With that said if you do get a “good” Kimber they are fantastic pistols. The chance of getting a problem pistol is much less with a pistol from the Kimber Custom Shop. The Kimber Raptor II is such a pistol. In fact I’ve kept track of Kimbers QC issues over the last year and a half and I’m happy to report they seem to have resolved whatever issues they had at one time. That’s certainly good for them but more importantly for those of us who actually were hoping Kimber would come back to the fine product that was.
   A good friend of mine traded this slightly used Raptor to me last week and I couldn’t be more pleased with any 1911. I owned a generation I Raptor with the external extractor which I traded years ago. Ever since then I’ve wanted to get another Raptor with the traditional extractor and eventually hand it down to my son. The blue that Kimber puts on these custom shop pistols is very reminiscent of the deep shiny blue that S&W used way back when. This is a very attractive pistol. In fact it’s in the top two in my view. With the deep blue, scaled slide cuts and the same treatment on the grip frame it not only provides a wonderful grip but looks very classy. Yea I know a blued gun does wear but that just gives it character in my view and if it bothers you that much then you can always have it reblued down the road. The way I look at it is that the only truly beautiful finish is a deep shining blue!

Novak Type Low Profile Night Sights/Top Slide “Raptor”Cuts

   This custom pistol is also equipped with a new style low profile night sights. I’m not sure if Kimber requested the change in the rear sight profile but I do like it better than the older Meprolight design. The pistol is also equipped with ambidextrous thumb safeties. They are not terribly wide to the point of being disingaged by accident. The “Raptor” cuts also cut down on light reflection. The top of the slide and the front grip strap as well as the rear of the slide have a slightly muted finish. With most 1911’s I normally will exchange some parts to suite my taste and the way I shoot. With the Kimber it’s basically take it home, clean it and go shoot—no changes needed. Also, the beavertail has a raised pad on the bottom for positive disengagement of the grip safety.This is the first feature I check on a 1911. So many of them I have difficulty depressing the grip safety reliably to ensure I can fire that shot first time every time. This one works very well. The trigger pull is 3 pounds 12 ounces and breaks clean and crisp. Trigger takeup is also short with very little slack. The Raptor is fitted with a full lenght guide rod which I live with or without. They really don’t contribute to accuracy in my view but some shooters swear by them and that’s fine.
   Since all of the custom shop guns have the critical parts hand fitted it’s very much above average in the accuracy department. The target below was fired from 15 yards slow fire and is shown next to a loaded Wilson Combat 47D magazine for group size reference. This is 9 rounds fired.

I think this would make the suspect drop the gun:-)

   The target seen below was fired from ten yards fairly fast at approx. one round per second. The target is a Birchwood Casey 5 inch.

   The second target seen is the same target with two additional mags fired also at faster than one round per second.

Most of the rounds went into the area already shot

   This is a standard qualification target. The circle on the face is 3 inches. Two magazines fired relatively fast.

    A few pictures of this beautiful pistol even if it
s a little dirty at the time.

Even after 200 rounds the finish still shines through:-)

   These grips are the Mil-Tac G-10 grips sold by Craig Sword. They are very durable and provide a positive grip. The factory wood grips are still the most attractive with the blue finish. I hate to do ant damage to the Kimber wood grips but they can always be replaced. Outside of the grip change if your so inclined I can’t think of a thing that needs to be changed on this pistol. It comes perfectly outfitted to my taste and preferences. There is one thing that I should mention for those who like light rails on a 1911. Novak makes an add on rail that can be fitted and has a very low profile unlike many that add a considerable amount of weight and bulk. They do require that two holes be drilled into the lower frame which is something I would never do to this pistol. As far as magazines are concerned this pistol is not magazine sensative. Some 1911’s are and will only work with a few types. I used the factory mag which I think is a McCormick. I also used Wilson 47D’s, Metalform, Novak, McCormick match and plain old GI mags that have had many a round run through them. It works with any mag which is a big plus.
   Even though the price of all guns are skyrocketing, particularly 1911’s this is one that does give you value for your money. During all my shooting during this range trip I had no problems whatsoever. A total of 200 rounds of assorted types and brands were fired. That brings the total round count to 400 with many more to come! If I could only have three handguns it would be this 1911, my Sig P6 and S&W model 19. That provides a solid lineup of reliable defensive handguns.
   With the current political climate one should buy all they can afford to and hang onto them. It may be a very bumpy road ahead for the 2nd amendment and our rights in general. One last word–if you don’t belong to the NRA join now! Your support and active support is needed now more than any other time in our history.

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Springfield Armory Compact 1911

Springfield Armory Compact 45 ACP

   As to often happens I run into a pistol I hadn’t really planned on buying. I was shopping for a pistol but not another 1911. Well if you read this blog much you know how much I love 1911’s! This Springfield is a bit rare. They were made in the early 90’s for a few years. This one was made in September 1993 according to Springfield. Why they discontinued such a handy pistol is beyond me. It has a Commander slide and an Officers size frame. With the new magazines out these days you don’t suffer any lose of ammo capacity since they now make seven rounders. This one came with only one magazine which from the follower indicates it’s a Metalform (rounded metal follower). I purchased a used like new Mc Cormick which was all the gunshop had and ordered a Kim-Pro mag with baseplate buffers of two sizes. One nice addition this pistol came with was a set of Trijicon night sights. Something I like about the Trijicons is the front sight has a larger white ring around the Tritium vial. This is helpful in low light to make sure you don’t line the dots up wrong.

Trijicon Novak Type Night Sights

   When I bought it it had the thick rubber grips which some shooters like but I just don’t care for. Nothing wrong with them at all but we all have our preferences and I found these grips to be a bit to “tacky” and hang on clothing when you draw. I ordered a set of McCormick Cocobolo thin grips which are sent with the shorter grip bushings and short grip screws. A nice touch that saves you some money by not having to buy the bushings and grip screws as extras. Mc Cormick makes high quality parts as well as grips and other accessories. The thumb safety was a type I hadn’t seen before. Narrow but very short surface area which makes it hard to use. I also ordered an STI extended thumb safety which I did have to do a small amount of fitting to operate smoothly. The pistol also had an early GI type short trigger. I prefer a longer trigger because of my hand size. I already had a longer trigger in my parts bin which required no fitting. Now I have this fine carry pistol just how I wanted it.

With the rubber grips and original safety—Kim Pro Tac Mag with buffer pad

   The frame is marked as being made by Imbel as are almost all Springfield Armory 1911’s. While some look on this decision with disdain I don’t. Imbel has made very high quality weapons and parts for gun makers all over the world and continue to do so. In fact they make one of the best Fn-Fal’s made. The finish is a taougher one to figure out. It’s not a blued finish nor is it parkerized. It appears to be an early hi tech finish. Very pleasing to look at and after all these years has held up very well since this pistol had no wear whatsoever. It hasn’t been used much anyway but as years go by any gun picks up little dings here and there.

On to the range:
  
   It was very cold so my range trip was fairly short. In fact I haven’t posted a lot lately because our weather in Missouri this winter has been pretty harsh:-)
   I set my targets and placed a Brirchwood Casey 5 inch stick on target in the center mass of the target. The results can be seen below. I fired one magazine of 8 rounds slow fire at 10 yards. All but one round made one hole about an 1 1/2 across. As you can see I did throw one round:-) It happens no excuses and my fault completly. Obviously the pistol is very accurate.

Five Inch Target At Ten Yards

   This second round was to the head of the target which has a 3 inch circle which can be seen in the outline. I fired two full magazines with the results shown in the picture. I did pickup the pace and fired a round about every second. The results turned out very good with all rounds within the 3 inch circle.

Three Inch Circle  Target

   That was the extent of the shooting for that day. It was about 14 deg and enough is enough! I shot to get an idea of how this pistol will perform and it did very well!
    This Springield Compact will make a very nice carry pistol. With the Officer frame the edge of the grip doesn’t show nearly as much under clothing as the full size frame and coupled with the Commander slide your sight radius is perfect for the distances a 1911 or any defensive pistol is used. This is the first one of these Springfields in this configuration I have seen since the early 1990’s and because production was fairly limited if you find one of these give it a second look. It will fill your defensive needs very well.

  

  

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Northern Tribal Area Gun Market Pakistan

You won’t believe this video of a gun market in the northern tribal area of Pakistan. It’s an eye opener! Click on the link below to watch the video.

Full Screen Video