All posts tagged Beretta Factory Magazines

The AWB is over, so buy Factory Mags

When I stopped and thought about writing this, I couldn’t believe how many years it has been since the AWB has expired.  It feels like it was just yesterday that I could get Glock or Sig Sauer magazines without having to spend $60-$90 for them.   Factory magazines are still more expensive than some of the other magazines out there, but they are always the best option for handguns.   There are plenty of decent manufacturers for AK or AR15 rifles, and most problems I have seen with AK mags can be fixed with a simple file to the tab on the mag wells.    I recently picked up a couple Glocks and XD handguns because I wanted to bring something to the next class I teach that wasn’t a Beretta, Sig Sauer or 1911.   Some people just have issues shooting 45acp and I didn’t own anything other than a Sig 220 and a 1911.

I have found the Springfield Armory XD 45acp to be the most comfortable 45acp gun to shoot that was not a steel gun.  I find the Glock 21 to be too bulky especially for my female students.   The factory gun magazines for my Glocks are less expensive than  Sig Factory magazines, but I have never had to replace anything on my Sigs other the springs.   Wolff Gun springs work very well in all of my rifle and pistols and I have stockpiles of them so that if I notice any slowness in cycling, I can just swap them out.   Rotating your gun magazines is a good way of making sure you don’t wear out the same magazine, because it’s a pain in the neck when you are trying to determine if the magazine is bad or if a shooter is limp wristing a firearm during a training session.

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The Sig 220 vs the 1911 enthusiast

There has been much debate about the 45acp use in handguns.   With the number of shootings I have seen where 9mm bullets were used, I’d have to say that the 9mm is definitely not a powerful round, but I have heard of bad guys taking multiple hits from an M4 that kept on coming, so there are many things that can come into play.   The 1911 has remained a popular gun and not because it is the most reliable weapon in 45acp.   I have come to the conclusion that the modern polymer guns are superior to metal guns as far as durability and reliability, but many of them do have crappy triggers.

When the Springfield XD first came out, it was a big deal for 1911 guys to find something that wasn’t a DA/SA handgun and didn’t have a sponge trigger like Glocks do.  You can get a lot of improvement in reliability with a 1911 with good gun magazines like Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick.  I have respect for Glocks, but they do have an odd feel to them and are not traditional.  The XD 45acp felt more natural to a 1911 enthusiast and brought them into the modern world.   The 1911 still has one of the best triggers, but it is not in the same category as some of the guns being made in 45acp these days.   I have several Sig 220 that have been extremely reliable, but Glock has an edge over them as far as endurace.

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.380 guns be realistic about what you are carrying

I think this past year may have been the year of the .380 pistol.   I don’t know exactly why everyone went with the .380 this year, but it was popular and considering the run on the ammunition and it’s lack of availability,  I think I should have purchased some stock in .380 and not just gold.   I recently attended a Taurus firearm event where the TCP .380 was being shown.   When I think of .380 guns I believe that up until this year, I could only think of the Sig Sauer 230 and the Sig 232 and the Walther PPK.  I have enough friends that like the look of the PPK but were not a fan of the gun due to the hammer bite.   If you have big hands that gun is most likely not for you.

The TCP was a little finicky about the ammo it ate, but I have shot several of the Rohrbaugh R9 pistols and they were also very picky about the ammo they ate.   When  you get down to those small semi-auto guns, you better put the range time in to know the limitations of the guns.   You won’t get a pocket pistol that will run for hundreds of rounds without needing to change springs or be lubricated.   Rotating your gun magazines is a must for smaller semi-autos. The .380 is also a very mild round and I witnessed first hand the lack of energy it had when shooting steel plates.  I watched a recent video where I heard 4 shots fired, one miss, 3 hits and the metal plate only fell one time.  Be realistic about the guns you are carrying and and why.

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NAA Guardian, pocket gun options

Many of my shooting buddies have been CCW for 1-2 decades longer than I have.    I have watched the evolution of weapons they have carried over the years and they have all ended up carrying guns and calibers that I would never have wanted to carry before.   In my opinion it was always about how much damage the bullet could do, followed by reliability, and finally durability.   I was always turned off by some of the pocket semi-autos that I cam across because the recoil tended to be pretty nasty.   I am not afraid of shooting 50 BMG rifles, but I don’t like shooting too much recoil in a handgun.   I know an individual that actually has developed nerve damage from shooting too many heavy handguns and if it hurts after I shoot it, I don’t want to carry it as a CCW gun.

My first adventure into CCW was with a friend that had 20yrs more experience than I did.   He showed me he had evolved to the NAA guardian .380 pistol and that in his opinion, it was the only gun he could carry at work with any level of comfort.  My only issue with some pocket guns is that they are so small that I can’t feel them, and I like to know I can feel the gun on me at all times.   The real issue I have noticed with NAA Guardians is that you have to really pay attention to the round counts you have put through your gun and how many you put through your NAA Guardian gun magazines and rotate out the springs before you have any issues.   The NAA Guardian is strictly a CCW gun and will handle some of the hotter loads for the .380 compared to some of the Kel-Tec counterparts.   I was fortunate enough to test out some of the Rohrbaugh R9 pistols next to the NAA Guardian and the only thing the R9 had over the NAA Guardian was the trigger pull.

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Replacements or advancements

Gun magazinesGun magazines are designed for the caliber or manufacturer that they are meant to.   Some rifle or pistol magazines can work in different firearms, for instance, the Beretta Storm 9mm can take Beretta 92 magazines and you may be able to find capacities for your guns that pistol magazines aren’t usually for.   Putting anything more than a 10rd or 15rd magazine in a 9mm Pistol can be awkward, but put a 20rd mag that works in your Beretta 92 into a Beretta CX4 storm is an advancemnet.

Any AR15 or M16 Operator will know that what the military uses for these firearms is lightweight and funded by Uncle Sam, so nobody really cares about fixing springs or followers once they get old, they usually get tossed.   MagPul Pmags are hands down the most durable Carbine magazine on the market and have greatly increased the reliability of many direct impingement firearms.    There are several gun magazines manufacturers that are 2nd rate, but sometimes a good deal on magazines for training or range use can save you money.   If you’ve got good magazines like Chip McCormick or Wilsons Combat mags for your 1911, you may want to use those for your carry guns, but not want to wear them out when  you’re testing your handloads or just sending lead downrange at your local gun club.

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