Just having some fun shooting some 9mms at a plate rack and some other steel targets. Featuring the Beretta 92FS, Springfield Armory XD-M 9mm, and the SIG P226.
Friday, October 8, 2010
M11/9 submachine gun with AWC Agenda Six suppressor (quick demo)
A quick demonstration of the Cobray/SWD M11/9mm with an AWC Agenda Six suppressor. Ammo is standard supersonic 115 grain FMJ. Mags are from Recon Ordnance. Bonus footage of SIG P226 at the end.
The Ultimate Cliploader Demo and review
The coolest thing ever. Best money you can spend if you have a semi-auto .22 handgun.
Springfield 1903A3 Intro and Quick Shoot
Introduction to the Smith-Corona 1903-A3. Lots of fun! Kicks like it means it. :D
CMMG .22 LR AR-15 conversion first shoot and mini-review
First shoot and mini-review of the CMMG stainless .22 LR AR-15 conversion. It works perfectly (unless you have a dud).
Ruger MKIII LCI loaded chamber indicator removal
Here's how to remove the LCI on your MKIII for cleaning, or if it's causing malfunctions. Not that I would recommend such a thing. *cough*
Browning Challenger Intro and Quick Shoot (bonus footage of S&W 617 .22LR)
I brought along my old Browning Challenger to a match, and afterward had a bit of fun. A shooting pal let me try his 617 also... nice little wheelgun.
.22 caliber handgun/rifle match, hosted by UDPL
This was a LOT of fun. Surprisingly it was the most sparsely-attended match I've attended, but so much fun. .22s are a kick to shoot (albeit a little one) and at 2 cents a round compared to 30 or more for "real" guns, you can't complain about the cost. I hope they do more of these... next time I hope to try a .22 pistol of some type.
Mossberg 500 590 Sidesaddle installation Tac-Star
Here's a video of the installation process of the Tac-Star sidesaddle for the Mossberg 500 and 590. Surprisingly it's one of my more popular videos. The sidesaddle has worked flawlessly and is only about 30 bucks. Gotta love that.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
My first 3-gun match! M1-A, Mossberg 590, 1911
So I've been considering trying a 3-gun match for a while but the planets never aligned quite right. Last Saturday the opportunity presented itself and I went. By myself. My usual shooting buddies wussed out, family obligations blah blah blah... whatever. I packed my M1A, my Mossberg 590, and my wife's (yes, my wife's) Colt Combat Commander 1911, along with backgup guns and ammo, and off I went.
It was fun. And long. And hot. And fun.
For those who may be curious, the guy following me around with the blut thing is the (acting) SO; the Safety Officer, and the blue thing is the timer. He makes sure the range is clear and everything's hunky-dory before he:
1. Asks you if you understand the course of fire, and explains the stage if you don't
2. Has you load and make ready (all firearms are always proven empty and carried empty until the shooter is at the start position)
3. Asks you if you are ready
4. Says "standby" and pushes the start button on the timer, which beeps to signal the start of the stage.
5. Runs the stage with you and makes sure you don't put your finger on the trigger until on target, sweep anyone with the muzzle, put down a loaded gun, etc.
He also makes sure the targets are all reset and/or taped and ready for the next guy, makes sure scores are counted properly and recorded, etc.
The timer has an acoustic sensor on it that counts shots and registers the time of each, and thus records the final time of the stage (when you're done shooting). Some stages have a "par" time and you can set the timer to beep again at the end of that period, and the stage is over whether you're done or not.
They actually asked me to be the S.O. for my squad. I told them I'd never been formally trained but had only done it during some stages of previous handgun matches, and they said that's good enough. It was pretty stressful and I messed up a couple of things related to scoring a couple of stages (fixed them) but it was okay. The guys in my squad weren't gamers but rather there to have fun and be safe. It was a good time. I don't think I've been that exhausted for a long time though... the sun and wind and stress and running around and no breakfast or lunch or (DUH!) water really wore me out. I begged a bottle of water from one guy about mid-day and dang did it taste good.
That evening I drank 64 oz of gatorade and some water and some juice and I still felt thirsty that night. It really shows how much we depend on water to survive.
RESULTS:
Results are out... I got first in my division!@#!@!!!!
(there were only 2 people in my division). *cough*
I got 25th out of 71 overall. My time would have put me:
9th out of 14 in the Open division
14th out of 38 in the Tactical Rifle Optic division
3rd out of 11 in the Tactical division
First (out of two) in the Limited division
I'm pleased with that... top third or thereabouts. It was a lot of fun.
Info on divisions for those interested
http://www.udpl.net/3gun/3-GunDivSpecs-R4.pdf
It was fun. And long. And hot. And fun.
For those who may be curious, the guy following me around with the blut thing is the (acting) SO; the Safety Officer, and the blue thing is the timer. He makes sure the range is clear and everything's hunky-dory before he:
1. Asks you if you understand the course of fire, and explains the stage if you don't
2. Has you load and make ready (all firearms are always proven empty and carried empty until the shooter is at the start position)
3. Asks you if you are ready
4. Says "standby" and pushes the start button on the timer, which beeps to signal the start of the stage.
5. Runs the stage with you and makes sure you don't put your finger on the trigger until on target, sweep anyone with the muzzle, put down a loaded gun, etc.
He also makes sure the targets are all reset and/or taped and ready for the next guy, makes sure scores are counted properly and recorded, etc.
The timer has an acoustic sensor on it that counts shots and registers the time of each, and thus records the final time of the stage (when you're done shooting). Some stages have a "par" time and you can set the timer to beep again at the end of that period, and the stage is over whether you're done or not.
They actually asked me to be the S.O. for my squad. I told them I'd never been formally trained but had only done it during some stages of previous handgun matches, and they said that's good enough. It was pretty stressful and I messed up a couple of things related to scoring a couple of stages (fixed them) but it was okay. The guys in my squad weren't gamers but rather there to have fun and be safe. It was a good time. I don't think I've been that exhausted for a long time though... the sun and wind and stress and running around and no breakfast or lunch or (DUH!) water really wore me out. I begged a bottle of water from one guy about mid-day and dang did it taste good.
That evening I drank 64 oz of gatorade and some water and some juice and I still felt thirsty that night. It really shows how much we depend on water to survive.
RESULTS:
Results are out... I got first in my division!@#!@!!!!
(there were only 2 people in my division). *cough*
I got 25th out of 71 overall. My time would have put me:
9th out of 14 in the Open division
14th out of 38 in the Tactical Rifle Optic division
3rd out of 11 in the Tactical division
First (out of two) in the Limited division
I'm pleased with that... top third or thereabouts. It was a lot of fun.
Info on divisions for those interested
http://www.udpl.net/3gun/3-GunDivSpecs-R4.pdf
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
How I bought a $269 Pietta 1860 Army Colt Reproduction for 15 bucks
Cabela's was having a sale on their cap/ball replicas. I was originally intending to purchase a Remington, based on the recommendations of others, but truth be known I've always been a Colt fan. I have an original 1860 and wanted a twin that I could shoot and use and ding up without feeling guilty.
I first checked out the 1851 steel frame Navy (Pietta) but it was out of time and they didn't have any others in the store. So I asked if they had any 1860s and the clerk said he thought there were some in the display. I informed him that there weren't, and he looked up the stock number and discovered there were 2 of them in the back. I asked him to bring both out. I unwrapped them with his permission and compared them. Both were well-finished and well-timed; the second I examined had a possible, very slight timing issue with one chamber but certainly nothing dangerous. The grip on that one was better finished but I selected the first for purchase as the color case hardening (fake but pretty) on that was nicer, and it was perfectly timed.
He looked up the price and it showed as $269.99, but I informed him that they were on sale on the Cabela's website for $199.99, which he confirmed (the regular web price showed as $239.99 I think). They said they'd match the web price at the register.
I also had a "club card" coupon of $30 off a purchase of $199.99 or above, so I grabbed a box of .454 balls and headed to the register.
I had saved up $165 in Cabela's points on my Club Visa card, so the out of pocket cost of the pistol was about $15... most of which was tax. Can't beat that with a stick, says I. :D
I'm quite impressed with the finish and fit on this piece, particularly considering that Pietta is considered the "budget" line of the Italian replicas to my knowledge. The bluing is deep and even, the frame to grip fit is excellent, the clockwork seems quite perfect, and the grip is almost perfectly finished, the only exception being a bit of sandpaper marks on the left side which will likely polish out. The rollmarks on the cylinder are crisp and fine. Overall a beautiful replica, and one that I won't feel bad about using.
pics below, click for larger:
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
My second handgun match ever
A month ago I attended my first ever handgun match, sponsored by the Utah Defensive Pistol League. Had a blast and couldn't wait to go again. Well yesterday was their ICORE/handgun match (set up for revolvers but anyone could shoot in the general UDPL handgun divisions).
I toyed with the idea of shooting my old Colt Officers Model Target, but I don't have any speedloader holsters for it yet, and I'm still pretty much a noob so I took my SIG P226 9mm again, but this time I got a mag holster which helped a lot with reloads. They really put on a GREAT event for the revolver meet; lots of moving, lots of steel targets (which I love to shoot), great people. A gentleman and lady in my squad had revolvers; he with a S&W .45 ACP using half- and full-moon clips, and she with a Ruger GP100 .357 shooting .38 specials out of 2 types of speedloaders. He in particular did really well... shot nearly everything clean, very accurate shooter. She was quite accurate also; she thumb-cocked for each shot.
I wouldn't have felt out of place shooting my old wheelgun with twist-and-release speedloaders in that group; maybe next time I'll shoot it and see how I do. I really want one of the 8-shot performance center revolvers the fast guys shoot out there, but I'm too cheap. :D
And I REALLY need to get started reloading; this is an expensive hobby. I shot about 300 rounds yesterday, plus paid for a year membership (a very reasonable $13 or so) and match fee.
My SIG performed well again; no malfunctions but the slide doesn't always lock back on the mec-gar 18 round mags I was using (and Remington UMC ammo which some have reported problems with). But the mag holster helped a lot. I might try my Glock 30 next time, or a 1911.
Came home, cleaned my guns, then my wife and I took our daughter out for her birthday dinner: excellent Indian food. Days like this make you want... more days like this.
Results are out: I placed 7th out of 20 in the high-cap division, and 16th out of 64 overall.
It felt like I did better than my first match, but I ran the percentages and they were almost exactly the same as my first match a month ago. At least I'm not getting worse. :D
Sad/funny thing is, at least 3 revolver guys were faster overall than me, and I was using 17-rd mags. *thud*
I toyed with the idea of shooting my old Colt Officers Model Target, but I don't have any speedloader holsters for it yet, and I'm still pretty much a noob so I took my SIG P226 9mm again, but this time I got a mag holster which helped a lot with reloads. They really put on a GREAT event for the revolver meet; lots of moving, lots of steel targets (which I love to shoot), great people. A gentleman and lady in my squad had revolvers; he with a S&W .45 ACP using half- and full-moon clips, and she with a Ruger GP100 .357 shooting .38 specials out of 2 types of speedloaders. He in particular did really well... shot nearly everything clean, very accurate shooter. She was quite accurate also; she thumb-cocked for each shot.
I wouldn't have felt out of place shooting my old wheelgun with twist-and-release speedloaders in that group; maybe next time I'll shoot it and see how I do. I really want one of the 8-shot performance center revolvers the fast guys shoot out there, but I'm too cheap. :D
And I REALLY need to get started reloading; this is an expensive hobby. I shot about 300 rounds yesterday, plus paid for a year membership (a very reasonable $13 or so) and match fee.
My SIG performed well again; no malfunctions but the slide doesn't always lock back on the mec-gar 18 round mags I was using (and Remington UMC ammo which some have reported problems with). But the mag holster helped a lot. I might try my Glock 30 next time, or a 1911.
Came home, cleaned my guns, then my wife and I took our daughter out for her birthday dinner: excellent Indian food. Days like this make you want... more days like this.
Results are out: I placed 7th out of 20 in the high-cap division, and 16th out of 64 overall.
It felt like I did better than my first match, but I ran the percentages and they were almost exactly the same as my first match a month ago. At least I'm not getting worse. :D
Sad/funny thing is, at least 3 revolver guys were faster overall than me, and I was using 17-rd mags. *thud*
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Kim Ahrends Cocobolo grips for the Smith & Wesson Model 28
I got a good price on these "Retro Target" grips/stocks for my .357 Highway Patrolman. Mr. Ahrends does nice work. They fit better than any other aftermarket grips I've tried on my various revolvers. Usually they require some fitting/sanding/whatever but these were fine. And they're pretty.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
My first handgun match
A couple of friends of mine asked me to go with them to the UDPL match last Saturday. I was a little nervous having never attended anything like this before, but it was sooooo much fun and the old timers were extremely cool and helpful. I did okay for my first time I guess. I need some mag holsters, as I was losing 3 seconds per reload fishing them out of my pocket.
Definitely can't wait to go again. Now I REALLY need to get started reloading. Factory ammo is expensive!
They only have about 4 or 5 wheelgunners in the club, all shooting pretty much the same gun (performance center .357 8-shot with moon clips). The fastest guy was shooting handloaded .38 short colt rounds with 180-grain cast lead pills over about 3.5 gr of clays IIRC. Said it was a very clean load and he liked them a lot.
Really nice guy. Another wheelgunner in our group let me shoot his PC with some custom trigger work... man what a smooooooth trigger.
Another guy I talked to was shooting 240 grain HCLSWC pills in his .38 spec. loads at about 800 fps IIRC. Those old timers were all pretty quick and smooth. Made me want to get a big wheelie.
Results are out: I got 10th out of 28 in the High-Cap division, 13th out of 54 overall. Right mid-pack where I hoped to be. Next time I'll work on being faster moving and reloading. Hopefully top 10. Either way, it'll be a lot of fun!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Steyr AUG A3 initial function test/firing and mini-review
The first firing/function test of the Steyr AUG A3 built by Sabre Defence. A very nice rifle if you like bullpups. I've never been a huge fan (although, just like everyone else in the 80s, I wanted an AUG because of Die Hard) but I could very easily be talked into this rifle (if I had a left-handed bolt handy).
The compactness and quality of the design is readily apparent, the handing is butt-heavy as expected but not overly so, and the rifle is easily balanced and controlled with the shooting hand. The forward grip is necessary, and I wouldn't recommend firing with it in the forward/upward position, as some gas from the flash suppressor is directed downward. Even with the forward grip in the down position, some residue was noted on the forward hand after firing.
I dig the new bolt release, and the AUG mags are top quality and load like buttah. Pity they're pricey.
Ergonomically the only major issue (apart from the obvious problem of me being left-eye-dominant and habitually shooting long guns left-handed) is the proximity of the charging handle to the scope mount, which has sharp, square edges. But that's really the fault of the scope mount, not the rifle. A holographic sight with integral picatinny mounts would be ideal here. Or if one didn't want to adhere to the space-age aesthetic, some flip up iron sights.
I look forward to additional time with this rifle in the future. Maybe I can track down a lefty bolt. Hmmmm....
The compactness and quality of the design is readily apparent, the handing is butt-heavy as expected but not overly so, and the rifle is easily balanced and controlled with the shooting hand. The forward grip is necessary, and I wouldn't recommend firing with it in the forward/upward position, as some gas from the flash suppressor is directed downward. Even with the forward grip in the down position, some residue was noted on the forward hand after firing.
I dig the new bolt release, and the AUG mags are top quality and load like buttah. Pity they're pricey.
Ergonomically the only major issue (apart from the obvious problem of me being left-eye-dominant and habitually shooting long guns left-handed) is the proximity of the charging handle to the scope mount, which has sharp, square edges. But that's really the fault of the scope mount, not the rifle. A holographic sight with integral picatinny mounts would be ideal here. Or if one didn't want to adhere to the space-age aesthetic, some flip up iron sights.
I look forward to additional time with this rifle in the future. Maybe I can track down a lefty bolt. Hmmmm....
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Benelli M3 function tests with various ammo
The Benelli M3 is undeniably cool. However, in the past I haven't been able to get it to cycle properly in semi-auto with the lower-powered (cheap crappy Wal-Mart birdshot) loads. I thought it might be a good idea to take it out again and run some different loads through it and see what happened. The results were pretty predictable, with some surprises. The Estate "Heavy Game Loads" are low-brass but cycled it just fine. The Estate "Super Sport Competition loads" are a 3 dram equivalent load (rather than 3 1/4 like the heavy game loads) and didn't cycle it reliably unless I used my strong shoulder and really bore down on it. All high-brass, buckshot, and slugs cycled flawlessly. Great gun... kicks like a mule. :D
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Ruger now disclaims the use of +P ammunition in LCP
Posted by a buddy at thehighroad.org forums:
Regarding the use of .380 +P ammo in the LCP for which there are no SAAMI standards, members are advised that Ruger says "no" to the use of .380 ammo in the LCP that exceeds the 21,500 psi limit established for the .380 by SAAMI .
Ruger's position is that you fire .380 +P ammo in your LCP at your own risk (to yourself, to the gun and to your warranty). This warning is explicitly mentioned in the latest LCP owner's manual and at Ruger's website (FAQs under Pistols):
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/service/FAQs.html
First FTF in my Ruger LCP: Buffalo Bore "+P"
Ran another few mags through my LCP the other day...
ALL factory ammo has run flawlessly through this gun to this point. 6 or 7 different brands of FMJs, 6 or 7 different HPs.
The only misfeeds were with very hot loads (max-loaded handloaded HPs, one mag only, won't use again),
And now the Buffalo Bore "+P" HP load. Same type of failure; the slide fails to return to battery/FTF.
Also the recoil is QUITE NOTICEABLY more with the BB load than with Hornady/Remington/Federal defense loads, which feel like pussycats by comparison. I'm sticking with those from now on, at least in this tiny gun.
ALL factory ammo has run flawlessly through this gun to this point. 6 or 7 different brands of FMJs, 6 or 7 different HPs.
The only misfeeds were with very hot loads (max-loaded handloaded HPs, one mag only, won't use again),
And now the Buffalo Bore "+P" HP load. Same type of failure; the slide fails to return to battery/FTF.
Also the recoil is QUITE NOTICEABLY more with the BB load than with Hornady/Remington/Federal defense loads, which feel like pussycats by comparison. I'm sticking with those from now on, at least in this tiny gun.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
I fixed it! Mossberg/New Haven 20 gauge misfeeds
A buddy of mine has an old New Haven 600 (store-branded Mossberg 500) that has jammed and double-fed ever since he got it. He sent it back to Mossberg twice; they insisted it was fine.
After much tinkering and gnashing of teeth, I fixed it!
I adjusted the slide stop and interrupter (and eventually just replaced with the new, ramped type interrupter). That fixed the double feeding problem, but the gun still jammed on chambering about 20% of the time. Replaced the elevator, no dice. So I noticed it might be the extractors, of all things. I compared the amount of force it took to get the rim past the extractors on an uninstalled 12 ga bolt (with 12 ga shells obviously) and the 20; the 20 was at least double the force and quite rough. The sharp edge of the right side extractor was actually shaving brass off of the side of the shell. So I carefully used a fine file and paper to radius/polish the extractors (removed the left one entirely and replaced after polishing), and polished the bolt face and THE GUN FEEDS PERFECTLY!
I can't tell you how proud I am of myself. LOL
After much tinkering and gnashing of teeth, I fixed it!
I adjusted the slide stop and interrupter (and eventually just replaced with the new, ramped type interrupter). That fixed the double feeding problem, but the gun still jammed on chambering about 20% of the time. Replaced the elevator, no dice. So I noticed it might be the extractors, of all things. I compared the amount of force it took to get the rim past the extractors on an uninstalled 12 ga bolt (with 12 ga shells obviously) and the 20; the 20 was at least double the force and quite rough. The sharp edge of the right side extractor was actually shaving brass off of the side of the shell. So I carefully used a fine file and paper to radius/polish the extractors (removed the left one entirely and replaced after polishing), and polished the bolt face and THE GUN FEEDS PERFECTLY!
I can't tell you how proud I am of myself. LOL
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Winchester Model 1200/1300 shotgun disassembly
I shot a quick vid of the disassembly procedure for these shotguns... I didn't disassemble the bolt but I may do another video in the future. Pay no attention to the total chaos in the background. That's just my kids washing the dishes and listening to Louis Prima.
Like stepping in freshly fallen snow...
Ah, how refreshing it is to type on a virgin blog. It's like... the first bite of that summer Sno-Cone, or the first nose-blow into a nice clean tissue. It'll never be the same again... sigh...
Hi, I'm Jeff, and I shoot stuff.
Hi, I'm Jeff, and I shoot stuff.
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