texasgunpros

Old Favorites

As a result of being “in the business” I have access to what some would say is a fairly large collection of handguns. Some are plinkers, some have historical significance, some are used in the classes we teach, but a few have one purpose:  personal protection. Personal protection includes guns I wear every day, plus a couple of ”house” guns and my “truck” gun.

Let’s talk about my carry guns. I have two favorites, both 45s. One is a full-size Springfield XDm with 4.5-inch barrel, 13 round magazine and night sights. I wear it in an inside the waistband (IWB) Crossbreed Super Tuck holster. The other is a Smith & Wesson M&P (Military & Police) with a 4-inch barrel and night sights and a 10 round magazine. I use the same Crossbreed Super Tuck holster for both guns. I also carry a spare magazine for either using a Crossbreed IWB magazine holder.

I shoot these guns often enough to have absolute confidence in them. They’re both extremely accurate and 100% reliable. I have never had any type of failure with either gun, regardless of the ammunition being used. This makes me sometimes smile when I read an article written by an obvious 1911 aficionado talking about how the 1911 is the most reliable, durable, accurate, sweet-shooting, etc., etc. handgun ever built. Give me a break! I have two 1911s. Neither will outdo the Springfield XDm or the S&W M&P.

Although I’m somewhat partial to the 45 ACP round for personal defense, the 40 S&W cartridge has proven just as effective and it does allow you to carry more rounds. My S&W M&P has a Streamlight light and laser combo on it and has become my primary house gun. Sometimes the mood just hits me to carry a 40 caliber handgun. When it does, I have two choices. The first is a SIG Sauer P226 Elite. You can always count on a SIG. They are known for their ruggedness, reliability and accuracy.  With 13 rounds in the gun and another 12 in my belt, I always feel well-equipped to handle any threat.

My second choice for a 40 caliber gun is the FNX-40. This gun is built like a Sig, but has more features than any other gun I own. Everything on it is ambidextrous including the slide lock, frame-mounted safety-decocker and magazine release. The FNX-40 endears itself to anyone who picks it up, holds it, sights with it and shoots it. Mine is so doggone pretty, I sometimes just like to look at it. It has a 14-round capacity and came with 3 magazines.

What about 9mm, you may ask. Well, I love shooting 9mm pistols and have several. My truck gun is a 9mm Sig SP2022. I have a Beretta M9 and a Beretta PX-4 Storm, both excellent shooters. Other than my wife’s Glock 19, that’s all the 9s in my arsenal right now. But I’ve recently owned a SAR B6 and SAR K2, along with a Witness P 9mm. Because of the shortage of inventory since the last election and the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT, I’ve sold all of those guns to people who needed a good reasonably priced handgun and couldn’t find one. I figure 3 (or actually 4) 9mm handguns is enough for now. But when I do replenish, I’m likely to include the Turkish and Italian guns just mentioned, along with perhaps a Springfield XD in 9mm. And I had a 9mm S&W M&P but let that one get away from me, too. Maybe when they become available again I’ll get a Compact 9mm M&P.

Fun With 22s

There are a number of reasons why having one or more 22 pistols makes sense. One is the price of ammo in the larger calibers. I’m regularly buying a box of 50 .22 cartridges at Walmart for $1.47. Lots of places are selling bulk price boxes at anywhere from 2 to 3 cents a round. In addition to the cost of ammo, there is the cost of the guns themselves. A lot of very nice 22s can be found for under $300. Then there’s the recoil. You can shoot a 22 all day without experiencing any consequences from recoil.

I’ve written before about my 22 revolver history. I’ve recently discovered a couple more very nice revolvers and I have some favorite semi-automatics to tell you about. Let’s start with the revolvers.  The first I want to mention is a cowboy gun, Uberti’s 10-shot Stallion 22. This is a beautiful gun with blued barrel and cylinder and case-hardened frame. It didn’t work right when I first got it, which seems to be unusual based on other reports I’ve read about this gun. Mine didn’t lock up properly. The problem was solved by ordering a new spring kit from VTI Gun Parts and replacing the block spring. The one that was in the gun was made from rounded wire. The one in the kit was flat spring steel. I don’t know why Uberti made the switch on the 22, but the generic spring for the .38 special and .22 versions solved the problem. This gun is dead on accurate up to 15 feet or so, which is as far out as I tried it, and fun to shoot. It’s also a very attractive gun.

Next I want to tell you about the EAA Bounty Hunter 8-shot 22. This gun is made on the full-size frame of a SAA 45 Colt. It has a nickel finish and walnut grips. It also comes with a 22 Magnum cylinder, also 8-shot. I’ve only shot the 22 so far, but found that a pleasure. This revolver, too, is very accurate even with fixed iron sights. This is a gun that you could enjoy just holding and looking at. It’s also very reasonably priced with a retail around $250 or less.

As far as semi-automatics go, I’ve had a Ruger Mark III for several years that is a joy to shoot for beginners and seasoned shooters alike. This particular gun has a bull barrel. It has a propensity for putting bullet holes one on top of the other wherever you point it. If that’s at the center of the bullseye, the gun will make you look like a really good shooter. It frequenlty makes first-time shooters in our NRA Basic Pistol Classes look good. Mine is pretty plain. I’ve seen some beautiful stainless steel examples with walnut grips, adjustable high-visibility sights,  and a 6 & 7/8 inch barrel.

My other Ruger semi-automatic is an SR-22. This is a recent introduction by Ruger that has been selling very well. We got on the allocation list from our wholesaler and were fortunate to get one a few months ago. We have since used it at some of our NRA classes and it’s a hit. What I like about it is that it will shoot almost any kind of ammo we feed it. Some semi-automatic 22s are not very forgiving in that area. The SR-22 comes with a small zip up pouch. You can literally stick the gun in the pouch, stick the pouch in your pocket and have a wonderful concealed handgun. Yes, it’s only a 22 and no you can’t draw it very fast from a zipped up pouch in your pocket, but it will allow you to carry a gun a lot of places you might not otherwise be able to carry one. It only weighs 17 ounces, holds 10 rounds and is accurate.

My newest acquisition is a 22 caliber version of the Smith & Wesson M&P. The 22 is the same size as the 40 caliber M&P I carry every day. What a great and inexpensive way to practice! Smith & Wesson has done very well with their M&P line and this gun is no exception. It is made in Germany by Walther and operates differently than the larger caliber M&Ps, but from an appearance perspective, it’s hard to tell the difference. It has a 12-round magazine whereas most of the other 22 semi-automatics come with a 10-round magazine. This one came with a threaded barrel, so it’s just a matter of time before it will have a silencer attached. Look out squirrels!

If you’ve been thinking about a cheap way to shoot a lot that’s also fun, there are a lot of options with 22 pistols. I grew up shooting one and for me they have never lost their charm. No, we don’t recommend them for self-defense, but we sure recommend them for practice and fun!

I I Thought I Could Decide, But . . .

I’m a very fortunate guy. Because of the generosity of family and friends and the good fortune to be a firearms instructor and dealer, I’ve acquired some very nice firearms. I have three I consider my “carry guns.” Unlike many, who carry different sizes of guns based on the season, how they are dressed or what they think they might need, all of my guns are full-size, big caiber guns. My thoughts are “how can you know?” I’d rather have more gun and ammo than I need than to come up short while fighting for my life or protecting a loved one.

My carry preference on any given day is totally subjective. I walk in the gun closet, look on the shelf and say to one of them, “You haven’t been out for a while” and into the holster it goes. There is no one gun among the three I have found to be more reliable, more accurate or easier to shoot.

Yesterday I decided to revisit all three and see if I could come away with a favorite–the one gun I’d like to have with me in a crisis. So it was off to the range the three guns and an assortment of ammo:  defensive rounds, FMJ target rounds, and reloads. The three guns are a Smith & Wesson M&P, a Sig Sauer P226 Elite and a Springfield XDm:

The M&P and Sig both 40 S&W caliber guns with 15 round magazines. The XDm is a 45 ACP with a 13 round magazine. Plenty of firepower, either way.

I started out shooting the M&P. Nice feel, very manageable recoil and accuracy that was as good as I was. The target was 15 feet away. I shot a couple of magazines and was very pleased with the results. Then I switched targets and picked up the Sig P226. If my eyes had been closed when the gun was switched, I don’t know that I could tell the difference. Again, the accuracy was as good as I am, the recoil was quite manageable and as with the S&W there were no malfunctions of any kind.

When I put out the third target and got ready to shoot the Springfield XDM I had to admit it felt noticeably different. The grip has a totally different feel. When I pulled the trigger, felt recoil was a little lighter. It always seems to me that the 40s have a little more “kick” than the 45 when it comes to felt recoil. A few rounds with the Springfield and the center of the target was mangled, just as with the other two.

Here are the targets. As you can see, I’m well-protected with any one of these three guns:

Since all three guns have proven to be reliable and accurate, let’s look some other comparisons to see if I can come up with a favorite.

Weight is a possibility. Here the M&P as an advantage because it only weighs 24 ounces. The XD weighs 31 ounces and the Sig, which has more metal, weighs 34 ounces. I do have to admit the M&P is slightly more comfortable to carry, though all three wear well in my Crossbreed SuperTuck holster. Even though Crossbreed customizes each holster for a particular gun, I use the same holster for all three and have no issue with how they fit or how well the holster retains them.

When it comes to wearing the guns the Springfield sometimes gives me a problem in that it has ambidextrous magazine release buttons and the button on the right side is sometimes pushed by my belt, causing the magazine to unseat. I check for this often out of habit so hopefully won’t ever draw the gun only to have the magazine hit the ground, but this is never an issue with the Sig or M&P.

How about trigger pull?  It’s heavier on the Sig at around 10 pounds for the first double-action trigger pull. The double-action trigger pull on the M&P is 6.5 ounces and on the Springfield it’s somewhere between 5.5 & 7 ounces according to the factory specs. I don’t have a trigger-pull scale, so I’ll take their word for it. My only observation here is I’m okay with the trigger on all three guns. No issues with trigger pull, whatsoever.

Sights? I have the same tritium night sights on all three guns, something I consider a necessity with my aging eyes. All three shoot where they’re pointed as evidenced by the targets.

Grip comfort? With my eyes closed I can’t tell the difference between the Sig and the M&P. The XD feels different. I don’t like or dislike it’s grip more than the others, it’s just different.

This exercise has done three things for me:  1) given me renewed confidence in all three guns as far as accuracy and reliability go, 2) caused me to “get to know” my guns a little better, and 3) made me decide not to decide. I like all three and will continue to switch them out on a whim, or when I hear one of the calling out to me from the gun closet, “Take me! Take me!”

Hi-Standard Double 9 vs. Beretta Single 10 Revisited

In my previous post “Fifty Years of Plinkin’ I mentioned that I had recently purchased a .22 caliber Beretta Single 10 revolver in memory of the Hi-Standard Double 9 revolver I had in my youth. My friend and business partner, Jerry Colliver, knowing I would love to have a Double 9 again, found one for me. And boy was it a find. The gun is in practically new condition and still in its original box with a price sticker on it from 1968 from Bud and Jim’s Sporting Goods. The price was $64.98.

I paid a little more than that for this excellent Double 9, but have no regrets.  It came with three sets of grips:  staghorn, pearl and black. Although my previous Double 9 had the staghorn grips on it, I like the black ones better, so put them on this gun. One day last week during my lunch hour I took the two guns shooting — the Double 9 and the Single 10.

I had some .22 Long Rifle cartridges and some sub-sonic .22 shorts.  I shot a box of the Long Rifles in each gun and about 30 of the .22 shorts in each gun. Accuracy was about the same for either gun. Shooting the shorts was a hoot because the sort of make a “psst” sound rather than a bang.

The Double 9 has cool feature that I didn’t remember from my previous gun. When shooting it in the double-action mode, you can just pull the trigger all the way back, but if you’re squeezing it like we’ve all been taught to do, you’ll feel a definite stopping point just as the hammer reaches it’s full-back position. You can actually pause there and realign your sights before continuing the trigger pull through until the gun fires. With a little practice, you can stop at this point every time. It’s sort of like having the inherent accuracy of a cocked single-action built into a double-action gun.

There is no question the Beretta is built better. The Double 9 has an aluminum frame while the Beretta is all steel. But with reasonable care, I believe this Double 9 will provide me a lot of plinkin’ fun during the rest of my life and will still be around for the grandkids to enjoy.  Thank you, Jerry!

Fifty (50) Years of Plinkin’

Somewhere around 14 years of age — 50 years ago — I acquired a 22 revolver, a High Standard Double Nine. If I remember right, I bought it at a Western Auto store and the price had to have been less than $50 or I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Even though there were some differences between it and a sho ’nuff cowboy gun, i.e. double-action instead of single action and swing-out cylinder rather than a loading gate, it was close enough for me to be satisfied. And nine shots without reloading lead to some serious plinkin’.

For you city folks, plinkin’ is shooting at tin cans or bottles or other items found in a junk pile, just for fun. I think the name comes from the sound of a bullet hitting a tin can, which is always a favorite plinkn’ target. It’s a fascinating pastime, even more fun than shooting at bullseye targets. Tin cans tumble. Bottles chatter. Jugs full of water go “thunk.” Cans shot at as they pass under a bridge sink. I know, many of us don’t live where we can do that kind of shooting anymore, but we can always hope for someone to invite us to the farm every now and then.

When I had my double-nine it was always with me, at least in my truck. But somewhere along the way, I traded it off for something. I think it was a stereo. Dumb move. I’ve missed that pistol for years. Trying to buy one like it now is not easy. You can find listings for Double Nines at some of the online auctions, but the good ones are gone before I even discover them. The ones that remain always leave something to be desired.

It’s not that I have a lot of plinkin’ opportunities. I get to the shooting range fairly often, but roaming the countryside looking for plinkin’ targets just isn’t something I’m readily able to do. Still, I can dream.

That dreaming, plus a number of upcoming NRA Basic Pistol classes to teach, lead me to acquire a modern-day counterpart to the old Double 9. My new gun is a Ruger’s Single 10. It’s the classic Single Six, but with a 10-round cylinder instead of 6. It’s a very pretty gun, reflective of Ruger’s quality workmanship.

That the Single 10 is a single-action makes absolutely no difference to me. The best I remember I always cocked the High Standard before pulling the trigger. I’m a much better shot that way. A couple of added features really make the Single 10 a better gun. Walnut gunfighter grips fit the hand easily and the Hi-Viz target sights really suit my 64 year-old eyes.

One of the joys of using this revolver to introduce new shooters to the art of pistolcraft is that it’s very accurate. If we properly teach them sight alignment and sight picture plus how to stand, grip, breath and pull the trigger, they will be rewarded with holes in the target where they want them. And they’ll have the added benefit of experiencing a finely-crafted firearm for their initial shooting experience.

I don’t know that I’ll ever throw this gun in the truck and haul it around the country, but you can bet I’ll be on the lookout for plinkin’ opportunities!

Going Retro

I grew up playing Cowboys and Indians, watching Roy Rogers and Gene Autrey movies on TV and viewing westerns at the theater with stars like John Wayne, Randolph Scott and later Clint Eastwood. It’s natural for me to be attracted to old cowboy guns like the Colt 45 Single Action Army and it’s variants. Colt knows people like their guns and they’re priced accordingly. A genuine Colt SAA is way out of range of my gun budget.

That doesn’t meant I have to do without, however. In a previous article I’ve described my Ruger Blackhawk 357 Maximum. This is a gun I honestly purchased because of the way it looked and the price. It was $300. I didn’t know at the time that Ruger had recalled and discontinued it’s line of 357 Maximums, supposedly because of top-strap burning due to the heavy loads of the 357 Maximum cartridge. Evidence later emerged that the only incidents of the top-strap buring were the result of reloaders loading excessive charges. My gun  has absolutely no evidence of any damage whatsoever. In fact, it’s nearly pristine.

Even with the Ruger, I’ve had a hankering for a true SAA clone for sometime and last year decided on a beautiful stainless steel Beretta Stampede. I was debating between a Ruger Vaquero and the Stampede and settled on the Stampede for two reasons:  I’ve already got a Ruger revolver and the Stampede was available for less money than the particular Vaquero I would have wanted. It turns out the Stampede is made by the Italian Company Uberti, known for its authentic clones of Old West guns. The action was smoothed at the factory and this is one pistol I’m proud to own.

You’d think I’d have been satisfied, and I guess I was until cruising by the gun counter at Outdoor World and seeing an under $300 price tag on a new Uberti Hombre in 45 Colt. In fact, with a little inquiry I learned that I could apply a discount and get this particualar 45 Colt Cowboy pistol for $270. So I did. Then I went shooting.

It was a fun day at the range with a box of 45 Colt cartridges from Black Hills ammo and some Winchester 38 Specials for the Ruger Blackhawk. First I shot the Uberti. I’m going to show you the targets below, but I’ll be honest, this gun really surprised me. I had the targets out about 15 feet. I took a steady aim and the first shot went almost dead center of the target. I fired another one that touched the first one, and honestly the third shot went into one of the first two holes so that I was three shots in with only two holes in the target. I was impressed. The action was smooth, the gun well balanced. Nothing wrong with the workmanship. Wow. I fired a couple of cylinders full, then put up another target for the Beretta.

The Beretta Stampede grouped well, but slighlty left of point of aim. Recoil on either of these two guns was minimal. I found myself curling my right pinky under the grip for support. I didn’t think much about it, until later at another gun range I heard an old Cowboy Action Shooter tell his buddy that was his secret for shooting Cowboy guns accurately. Interesting. I’d just stumbled across something that worked for me and later found out it’s a secret of the experts.

I had recently adjusted the sights on the Blackhawk and boresighted it at the office. This was its first trip to the range after that adjustment. I fired part of a box of 38 specials and was pleased with the results. Experience has proven the Blackhawk is just as accurate with 357 or 357 Maximums as with the 38 Specials, just a lot louder.

Here are the targets for all three guns. You can see for yourself, the old Six Shooters are pretty darn accurate, even with their minimal iron sights.

Time constraints and bum knees may prevent me from it, but I’m getting a hankering for some Cowboy Action Shooting as sponsored by the Single Action Shooters Society (SSAS.org). Even if I don’t do the SASS thing, I’ll enjoy plinking with these guns and someday they’ll get passed along to the kids and/or grandkids. I’ll probably add a couple of .22 caliber models to the collection within the next year. Both Ruger and Uberti are making 10 shot 22′s. Ubertis can be converted to 22 Magnum. Now that’s really cool!