Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog A blog for and by Guns and Ammo Enthusiast's

Bersa Pistol Review

I bought it about three weeks ago and didn’t get a chance to fire it until today. Prior to firing it during the first few weeks I sat around and cycled the slide, mag release and safety because they were all very stiff. However, after awhile the gun loosened up quit a bit.

At the range today I fired 100 rounds without a single problem. I was very impressed with the reliability for such an inexpensive firearm. I own and have fired many different pistols before of various quality and the Bersa was as good as the best.

I used the following ammo: magtech 95gr fmc, PowerBall 70gr, Speer gold dot 90gr jhp, and PMC Starfire 95gr jhp. The only difference in the ammo was that the Speer was noticeably hotter than anything else. Accuracy of the pistol was better than my ability. I was using simple 12″ x 12″ targets and was able to keep every shot in the black at 15 yards. The only thing I could complain so far about this pistol are the grips. Some rubber type grips would be nice.

Arkady02

Smith and Wesson model 637 Revolver Review

Smith and Wesson model 637 Revolver Review
Already owning a 9 and a 45 I wanted something small but still able to do the job that I could carry concealed when I’m wearing sweets. Honestly I also wanted a firearm I could carry on my ankle. With those requirement’s I knew a semi-auto probably wouldn’t work. So I went down to my local gun shop to look at some revolvers. When I saw, felt, and held the Smith and Wesson model 637 I knew it was fit.

Smith and Wesson model 637 Snub

The specs on this firearm are as follow 38 special is the caliber, barrel length is 1 7/8” (Yes that is actually 1 inch and 7/8 of an inch, and yes that is small. This particular model comes with the Crimson Trace Laser Grips standard. (that is a nice feature to have). It weighs 15 ounces empty, hence the ankle part of it. The overall length is 6 3/8”. With a maximum total of 5 round capacity, there is not a lot of chances to miss the bull’s-eye.

Ok now on to the actual shooting of it. I’m a dead shoot with my M9 and my 45 at 25 yards, but with the Smith and Wesson model 637 I couldn’t hit the side of a brick house at 10 yards. (Not really) however with the short barrel length and the way the 38 round handles it is very hard to get accurate with this firearm, even with the laser trace grip pre installed. It also gets kind of hard on the palm of your hand after putting 200 rounds downrange to get the sighting down. As a self defense weapon I keep it as my last resort, sort of a drop weapon. It also seems to scare people more then a 45 acp for some reason. Maybe it’s seeing the hammer cocked, or maybe because the 38 is most signified with the police. I don’t really know, and don’t really care. If you are looking to carry a pistol absolutely canceled, and don’t care about shooting something accriatly more then 5 yards away then the Smith and Wesson model 637 is for you. If not please try to find something else that can actually hit what your aiming at.

By now you are probably thinking I hate this pistol. Fact is I love it. It works great in an ankle hoster, and even better, it sits perfectly right next to my keyboard here. But I still keep my 45 right in arm’s reach as well. If you want to go out and soot can’s at a close range this with do the trick as well. Your thought’s on this or any other subject is always welcome.

M9 or the Beretta 92 Review

M9 or the Beretta 92 Review

Beretta M9

What can I say about the ubiquitous iconic M9 or the Beretta 92? For some reason when I went to purchase a 9mm I had to have an actual M9. The same pistol our army solders are issued. Maybe because my brother is in the Army, or maybe from watching Lethal Weapon movies, I don’t know, but I had to have an M9.

The M9 is a very solid pistol, hold 15 in the magazine and 1 in the pipe, for a total holding capacity of 16 rounds. Made of solid steel, and is a bit heavy. However there is virtually no kick to it either. Very easy to disassemble and clean. Beyond that it doesn’t really need cleaning that often, because of the solid construction of the pistol. However I would recommend cleaning all your firearms after each use. One of the only problems I can find with the M9/ Beretta 92 is that it is a 9mm. yes you a fast mussel velocity and 16 rounds, however compared to other calibers the 9mm round has virtually no stopping power. If you want to put someone or something down in 1 or 2 shots a 9mm is not for you. If you want to have a lot of fun plinking or a backup/drop pistil then this is a great pistol. I do carry it as a secondary pistol myself. Please don’t think I am bad mouthing the M9 or 9mm round, I love it. However, to stop something the .45 acp is for me.

Springfield XD 45 ACP 5” Tactical Review

Springfield XD 45 ACP 5” Tactical Review
   After putting 15,000+ rounds down range over the past 6+ years I have a lot to say about this pistol. First off with proper cleaning yes you too can put 15,000+ rounds through the XD without any problems.

   I’ll start with the true specs of the 5” tactical. The frame is made up of a polymer hard plastic type material. With the frame being made of this material, it is very lightweight, anti corrosive, and waterproof. Unfortunately that is where the lightweight ness ends. The slide is forged steel; the barrel is steel as well. It also has a peony rail to attach different items. Personally I have a laser light attached. (LaserMax Uni-Max Laser Sight)This pistol comes with 2 magazines with 13 round capacity. Making it 14 round total, 13 in the mag 1 in the chamber. In the literature Springfield claims “Dual Spring with Full Length Glide Rod”. I have shot other 45’s with a little less kick, but, not worth switching to for just a little less kick.

Breaking down for cleaning is very simple. Fist off the obvious, eject the magazine, then push the slide backward and lock it open with the thumb lock. There is a lever about an inch or less in front of the chamber lock. Push it clockwise (left to right upward). Push the chamber lock switch down. (Before doing this make damn sure there is no round in the chamber). Pull the trigger and the slide comes loose. After that the rest is simple. To reassemble do everything in reverse.

   The entire XD line by Springfield comes with 2 safety mechanisms pre installed. Both must be deployed before the gun will fire. However, they will not stop a child from firing the pistols. Unless their hands are to small to hold the pistols. The first safety is in the grip right where you would it the pistol at the palm of your hand. One that is deployed the other one built into the trigger that is naturally depressed when you squeeze or pull the trigger. Again both are simply put just naturally taken care of when you hold the pistol to shoot it.

   Some of the other interesting features are. This pistol has an internal firing pin, so one loaded you can not disengage it at all. Once calked there is a pin like thing stick out the end of the slide. If you look very closely you can see it, but it definitely be felt by the thumb. Again wit or without a round loaded this will happen. Unfortunately the only way to get ride of it is to pull the trigger. The other nice feature is a lip that lifts up on the slide when there is a round in the chamber.
If you are looking for a pistol with stopping power the Springfield XD 45 ACP is the pistol for you. Lets face it, if you are looking for a pistol with stopping power any .45 ACP will do the trick. However if you want ease of use, accuracy, easy cleaning, then you definitely need to get the Springfield XD 5” 45 ACP.