All posts tagged 45acp

Some guns were not designed to be cleaned very well

My first semi-auto was a Russian SKS which was when they were going for under $100.   The Russian SKS is a very well thought out semi-auto because in my opinion, I like the operation and disassemble more than the M1 Garand.   I think the Garand is  a fine rifle and far more accurate than an SKS, but the stripper clips and lighter ammuntion is better suited for WWII combat although it was not introduced that early.   The AK ended the short adventure of the SKS much in the same way the M16 shortened the life of the M14.   They were all very well designed and reliable firearms, but they were not modern enough for combat.   One gun I have found that I still enjoy shooting and operating with is the FAL.   The triggers on these guns are a little hard to drop in weight, and the mounts on them really need to be locked in place with something other than just a screwdriver.   The .308 caliber will do a number on scope mounts especially exposing any operator failures to properly “lock it down”.

One thing that made me a fan of the DSA FAL I own is that it was designed to be easy to operate and maintain.   I’ve heard many firearm instructors that I respect say that the M16 does not need to be cleaned as much as people think and lubrication is more important than scrubbing every spec of carbon off the firearm.  I still enjoy cleaning some of my firearms just because I like inspecting the geniousness of the designs.   I literally can clean and FAL with gun cleaning supplies like the Hoppes bores snakes.  The Otis gun cleaning kits aren’t necessary on one of these guns and more appropriate for more complicated designs.  The FAL is hands down the simplest battle rifle to clean.

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Boresnake life span, are they worth it?

Are they worth it?  Do they hold up to heavy use?   I have the same 22 caliber bore snake and it has been used in 22LR rifles, AR15 rifles, M4 Carbines, AK74 and Mini 14s.   The same bore snake is approximately 6yrs old and probable gets used about  50 times a year.   I usually run the snake through the gun about 2 times.   I may only need to do it once, but i’m use to using cleaning rods and just get in the habit.   I almost only use Break Free CLP on my firearms, and the occasional grease application, and gun cleaning is now simple.

Cleaning revolvers is probable easier than some semi-autos because there is nothing you really need to disassemble.   I have been using the Hoppes boresnakes for rifle the majority of the time because handguns just don’t seem to be that much of a hassle and I’m really not that worried about how clean the barrels are for any particular accuracy reason.    When it comes to cleaning out a bolt action rifle like a Winchester M70,  It sure does make a difference in cleaning time when you do a one, two, and then just wipe the gun down and put it away.   If you clean the guns often, from my experience there is very little worry about hard to clean areas.

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IWB carry for a 1911

I have always thought that carrying a full size auto meant carrying the gun in a paddle holster or a shoulder holster, but that like many other conclusions has changed.   I have never been afraid to just carrying one firearm and not have to worry about carrying backup magazines although I’m not going to tell you that  you need to do the same.  With the prevalence of people carrying cell phones on their belts, you do have to be careful about where you are placing  your spare gun magazines.   There have been times where I have noticed that certain types of shirts and sweatshirts and even some jackets will ride up too high on my waist when I am trying to retrieve my cell phone.

If I am going to an environment where deep concealed carry methods need to be employed,  sometimes we may have to stick to just one gun and avoid carrying spare magazines on the waist.   I have thrown spare magazines for my Colt 1911 in a pocket, usually my Wilson Combat magazines but I have found all too many times that my 5.11, Woolrich Elite or Eotac pants will eventually work a bullet out of the gun magazine and that’s not a good thing.   I think the only other deep cover option I would consider would be a ankle holster that could carry spare magazines for an auto.   The good thing about the 1911 design is it’s slick thin design.

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Some say that a shoulder rig isn’t good CCW

Some say that a shoulder rig isn’t a good way of concealing a firearm, but I’d have to say that I think it’s the most comfortable way to carry a medium size auto.   There are considerable differences in the fit of each should rig, but I have actually found that Bulldog and Uncle Mike’s have made some really nice holsters that are very inexpensive.   If you are wearing a good gun belt you won’t have any bunching up where the straps latch on and if you are carrying a firearm in the winter, this can help free up the room around your belt line and give you some other jacket options that aren’t full length.

Galco gun holsters are still making the popular Miami should rig, but I’m not a big fan of the horizontal holsters.   These are banned at most of my CCW courses because it’s hard to actually use the holster and not sweep someone behind you if you are on the firing line.   I prefer to carry large size Sig Sauer pistols when I know I will be wearing a jacket full time and I like to carry them in something other than inside the pants gun holsters. I have recently picked up a Sig 229 in .357 Sig that I hope to get some good practice time in.  I don’t think it’ll be much of a big change from going from a Sig 228 9mm to a Sig 229.   There is a noticeable amount of weight but a whole bunch more punch.

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New tools new tactics

Whenever we run a novice student through a carbine course, one of the first things we teach them after the basic saftey and shooting techniques is barrel sight offset.   Since so many people are using AR15 type rifles, there is a considerable distance between the place where a scope points its crosshairs and where the bullet is going to impact at close ranges.   Something like a Trijicon ACOG gives you a good idea of what people mostly use and we show crosshairs pointing at a dot and where the bullet hits approx 2 inches below that.   This really only has a purpose in showing a shooter what could be applied is using a firearm in self defense in a hostage type situation.

Since lasers have been improving and prices are coming down, we see them showing up more and more on handguns.   While I suggest people take a look at the price they are paying for them and do a lot of research on the durability of the product, a whole new can of worms emerges when sighting in your crimson trace or lasermax laser sights.   Depending on how your laser is mounted, there will be a windage offset that needs to be known.  Crimson Trace laser grips on revolvers can project from right above the grip area or there is a newer style that projects next to where the barrel line is.   Each have their pros and cons, but there is still an offset.   With new tools, there are always slight changes that need to be made to insure an operator knows that with distance, bullet impacts change.

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Belt holsters and pocket guns

gun holstersI highly suggest that when people are carrying  a firearm, even if they are not carying  a backup firearm, should at the very least have atleast one other item on them that they could consider using in a defensive application.   Some may sound funny, but if you were a bad guy, getting a set of car keys jammed in their face or having a belt buckle being used as a pair of brass knuckles or a whip is not something they would want to be hit with.   If you are carrying a pocket gun, and don’t have the ability to comfortable carry mace or another less lethal weapon, try using a belt that has a slightly heavier than normal belt buckle and remember that you can always use it as a whip if need be.

The best CCW methods are hinderance in other situations.    Something like an ankle holster would be a good backup method or white collar environement where someone in an office environement or seated postion may find it practical.    Driving in a car while dressed up and heading to a wedding may make you look like a nice juicy target for a theif who spots your wifes diamon earings and may target you for a car jacking ect.    Ankle carry can be good in these types of situations.   Pocket carry is probable the most pratical and easiest to access, but you are most likely shooting one of the smallest capacity or caliber firearms.   Ankle gun holsters are completley impractical if you are going to be doing a lot of street walking and trying to pull a firearm from your ankle in the middle of a hostile situation is something I don’t even want to think about.

 

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Police trade in getting fixed up

glock barrelsI think more than half the guns I have picked up for my collection were police trade ins.    CDNN investments is always one of the best places to find used handguns.   If you are a Glock, Sig or Beretta gun lover.  Check out their yearly catalog for used but hardly shot guns.    I picked up a Glock 17 a few month ago and like many of the guns that are trade ins, this gun had mostly holster wear on the outside.    One of my friends got one that was much more worn especially around the barrel.   While something like barrel wear has to be analyzed closely, it rarely is much of a concern to me.   Many of the used firearms you find in gun shops probable have less than 500rds  through them and the reason they look beat up is because of the holsters that they were used with and the fact the owner didn’t clean them very well.

I have a few rifles that were not maintained as well as others and you can see the difference in firearm wear after a few thousand rounds.   My friends Glock 17 did show signs of not being as accurate as mine so I did suggest he look into getting a new barrel.    For another $150 or so, you will get your accuracy back and from my experience, most glock barrels can just be dropped in.    Even though there is much to back that Glocks do not need as much lubrication, it’s still a good idea to maintain your firearms, mostly to reduce the amount of wear and tear.    I’ve seen huge variations in Beretta 92FS barrel wear just because I could tell the operator was not lubing their pistol correctly.   I’m also a big fan of using small amounts of grease in specific areas of handguns just because it grease doesn’t dry up or slide off as easily.

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The Secret to running a 1911

Chip McCormick MagazinesThe 1911 Pistol is one of the most popular competition pistols in the shooting industry and on the firing range.   Not only is it about nostalgia, but the 1911 is one of the most tweakable and customizable handguns you can own.   Shooting a 45acp is not always the easiers, but you will have more fun reloading 45acp than any other caliber if you are a target shooter.

One of the biggest reasons people love shooting 1911s is the consistant trigger pull, I realize that the same can be said for Glock enthusiasts and they would also be correct.   We won’t argue about thumb or grip safeties vs trigger safeties here, but there is a big advantage over anyone that tries to target shoot with a DA/SA pistol vs a 1911 or Glock.  Consistant trigger pulls means zero adjustment and better accuracy.   The secret to getting your 1911 to feed ammo correct is using Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick Magazines.

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Training with primary and secondary mags

Gun MagazinesPromag and Mec-Gar make decent magazines, I wouldn’t suggest them as primary magazines, but factory new magazines can be pricey.  I would suggest regardless of which number of magazines you are normally carrying, keep 3 or 4 range mags for each handgun you own.

Whenever you get to the point where you are putting hundreds of round down range to train for work of for your concealed carry firearm, you may want to consider getting some secondary gun magazines for training and blasting and save your primary magazines for carrying.   I would strongly suggest that you put enough rounds through your primary mags but there’s no need to burn those out too fast.

 

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