21 Jun 10
1 Com.
Ruger LCP 380 Pistol Review & Field Strip
This video is a review of the Ruger LCP 380 pistol. Hope you enjoy.
7 May 10
11 Sep 09
On this the Eighth anniversary off the attacks on the world trade centers and pentagon (9/11) just some thoughts
No matter how you feel about the government, current and past president’s, or the war in total, there are a few things you MUST do. Always respect and show reference for the USA troops who are overseas in the war zone. We have an ALL volunteer military. Those men and women are doing what they are ordered to do. (Trust me my brother is in the Army. For I know where I speak.)
We should also remember those who lost their lives in New York, Washington DC, Pennsylvania. Including the pilots, crew, and all of those poor people in the plains. This is a day of remembrance. Please keep all those mentioned above and everyone who has lost their lives fighting on OUR behalf in the middle east, in your thoughts and prayers on this day.
28 Aug 09
Bersa Thunder 380 pistol review
This is a review of The Bersa Thunder 380 pistol.
14 Aug 09
Desert Eagle micro 380 ACP Review
Let’s face it: the firearms market has been absolutely saturated with concealed carry guns chambered in the feisty little .380acp. The most popular thus far has been the inexpensive Ruger LCP. Unfortunately, the LCP has been affected by a safety recall. Some early units were not drop-safe– not exactly a good proposition for a gun that is supposed to hurt the bad guy and not you or a friendly in the process. My personal experience with the LCP is that it does not reliably feed the 6th round from the magazine. Lightly coating my rounds with CLP was an easy stopgap solution, but I want bulletproof reliability in a concealed carry weapon. So, I passed on the LCP.
And Ruger is not the only resident of 380 Recall Land. Sig Sauer’s new P238 hasn’t been on the market for long and is already on recall– and the situation is even more dire. Deactivating the safety lever may cause the gun to fire! Thousands of P238s recently arrived at one of our suppliers and every unit had to go back to Sig as a precaution. Also, the aluminum grip panels that were shown on the gun at Shot Show are now made of plastic– causing an uproar among buyers. Frankly, once a gun has been involved in a safety recall, especially of this magnitude, I can no longer trust it for defensive carry. So, the Sig Sauer P238 is off my list too.
Kahr’s new PM380 is ultra compact and easily has the best trigger of the bunch. Kahrs have always been known for their buttery smooth double action trigger pulls. Reliability will probably be ahead of the curve too. Once we get one of these in, we’ll certainly take it out for a range test.
Walther debuted its new PK380, but it’s rather large for a .380acp. In this form factor, you’re probably better off with the excellent and super slim Walther PPS in the more potent 9mm cartridge. This leads us to what is, in my opinion, the best new .380acp on the market: the Micro Desert Eagle by Magnum Research.
The Micro Eagle is the only steel gun in the group and a stunning piece of engineering artistry. The proprietary nickel Teflon finish that Magnum Research uses is very attractive, slick, and resistant to corrosion– not unlike hard chrome. Of course, this is an important attribute for a concealed carry firearm considering the amount of sweat the gun will be exposed to during its service life.
I took the Micro Desert Eagle to the range this morning with 50rds of ancient ammunition that I found at the shop. Recoil is refreshingly light thanks to its robust steel construction. However, the trigger is 14 days long and over 8 pounds– something you’ll have to learn to live with it. My accuracy at 25ft is on par with other micro .380acps that I’ve fired (see target) and nothing to brag about. I’ve found it best to shoot the Micro Eagle single-handed because the large trigger guard makes your weak hand placement incredibly important– lest you want to lose a digit during fire. In fact, the slide had a big orange sticker from the factory reminding you of this potential danger!
The Micro Eagle’s sights are miniscule, but useable. Although the price point seems high ($431), you’re getting a steel-framed handgun and you get what you pay for. Take down is fascinatingly elegant. Simply drop the magazine, clear the weapon, move the slide to the rear so its takedown line synchs up with the takedown line on the frame, rotate the barrel clockwise, and the slide comes forward off the frame. It’s actually pretty fun to field strip the little bugger! And its most important feature of all: the Micro Eagle is not on a safety recall– which seems like a rarity when you consider the woes Sig Sauer and Ruger have shared lately.
16 Jul 09
Walther P38 9mm Semi Automatic Pistol Review
The Walther P38 was the first true double-action pistol in 9mm, and was the only one for a good while. It’s a fine piece of engineering, and its staying power has proven that. At press time, the P38 continues to be available in the USA via imported West German police “trade-in” guns.
The P38 was originally a German military pistol, chambered for 9mm Luger (9mm Parabellum; 9×19mm), which at that time had been in German military use for more than three decades. The P38 saw much wartime use during World War II, and was subsequently produced commercially in West Germany for export and police use.
Many, if not most, commercially-made P38s have alloy frames. WWII military P38s had steel frames. The subject of this article is a commercial model with an alloy frame.
The photo shows the left side of the P38. This a “police trade-in” gun of recent import (though not of recent manufacture).
Stamped on the left side of the slide: Walther banner logo; “Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Ulm/Do;” “P38 Cal.9mm;” and a poor stamping of three numbers.
Also: A simple dot inside a circle; a stylized four-pointed star above it; “165″ inside a three-sided box. Research shows the “box” to be an eagle whose downswept wings form the box’s sides.
12 Jul 09
Springfield Armory 1911 Operator Pistol Review
We found this review of the Springfield 1911 Operator and felt we should share it with you. While we do not agree with all of this gentleman’s talking points we still felt you should see it.
16 Jun 09
Smith and Wesson Model SW40VE Pistol Review
The Smith and Wesson Model SW40VE was first brought out into the market in 1994. For a couple years after release, some owners of this pistol had jamming and clipping issues. The late models, though, no longer have these problems. This review is staying away from the earlier model years.
and concentrating on the most recent years’ production of this pistol.
Of course, most items sold get better with newer releases because problems and flaws are fixed as they arise. This pistol is a prime example of this. Buying a used sw40ve may not be a wise idea for this very reason. But as a consumer, if you were looking to buy a used model of this pistol, make sure you purchase a model with the accessory rails molded into the frame. This will limit some of the problems you could run into. The rails began appearing in 1999 and are primarily made for attaching accessories such as a laser sight or a lightweight tactical light. Of course, to avoid worrying about these annoyances, you can purchase a new pistol. The price on a brand new Smith and Wesson model SW40VE is still extremely reasonable.
Smith and Wesson Sigma sw40ve Pistol Review – The accuracy: Most gun owners that have had a chance to shoot this pistol agree that the accuracy is point on, for a short barreled gun. A long barreled gun will almost always have better accuracy, but that isn’t something that can be changed. Physics and ballistics come into play when you take barrel length into consideration, so to speak. As far as a short barreled gun goes, this pistol does what it is supposed to do, and does it well. The sigma sw40ve features a sleek 4″ barrel that looks excellent and is accurate. In the hands of a competent shooter, this pistol has top notch accuracy.
7 Apr 09
Springfield 1911 45ACP Pistol Review
Basics
The Springfield 1911 45 ACP is a short recoil operated semiautomatic (autoloading) pistol. The full name of this pistol is the Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1. The 1911 was developed during the first decade of the 1900’s, and officially adopted by the United States military as an official side arm in the year 1911, hence the name. It was originally chambered for .45 ACP only, however it is now available in a variety of other calibers as well (though .45 ACP remains the most popular by a wide margin). The Springfield 1911 combines a metal frame, a proven effective caliber, and a dependable design with safety features such as an innovative grip safety.
Build Quality & Features
The Springfield 1911 45 ACP is a finely constructed pistol. It is available in a variety of models, whose prices can range from just over $500, to well over $2,000. Regardless of the model selected, the buyer will have a high quality pistol whose parts fit together well and look great. It is no wonder that this design has endured for nearly 100 years, and been copied by many manufacturers.
The 1911 also features an innovative safety, located on the back of the pistol grip. When the gun is held normally, the grip safety is automatically disengaged, and the gun can be fired. When the gun is not being gripped by the shooter, they safety is automatically engaged, and the 1911 cannot be fired. This unobtrusive safety can go a long way to prevent unintentional discharges of the gun.
Reliability
The 1911 45 ACP is a durable handgun, with a strong metal frame. It will fire round after round after round for years to come. A well cared for Springfield 1911 that was produced in the year 1911 can still be used today, and most people wouldn’t even notice age of the gun. I have yet to experience a failure to feed or failure to fire, nor do I know of anyone who has experienced one that was the fault of a 1911, rather than bad ammunition.
Effectiveness of the .45ACP
The .45 Automatic Colt Pistol (.45ACP) cartridge, which was developed right around the time the Springfield 1911 was introduced, has been proven effective for self defense. Although I personally prefer .40 S&W, I have plenty of respect for the .45ACP. Since the 1911 has a relatively heavy metal frame, the recoil from firing a .45 ACP round from the 1911 feels softer than firing a (much smaller) 9MM round from a lightweight polymer framed handgun, such as a Glock or subcompact Springfield XD. Indeed, a co-worker of mine was able to handle a 1911 within a few minutes of firing a gun for the first time.
