E-Book on Reloading

I recently made contact with George Phillips who has written an e-book for beginning reloaders.  For those not familiar with an e-book, they are downloaded for your enjoyment at considerable savings.  George’s book is $.99, so it is a great value, and will offer you some insights into starting the process of reloading.

It is by no means exhaustive, and the preview copy that we read did not have any pictures, so you should understand that is by no means an complete book for the beginner, but at less than a buck it is hard to beat.  You can get it from Amazon or from his sight www.thephillipsgeneralstore.com

Reloading 101 will help you get started towards a lot of fun working up your own loads and saving money in the process.  As I have said before, reloading is a great way to enjoy your hobby at home when you can’t get to the range.

 

Revolver Trigger Jobs

I have had a  lot of revolvers come in the shop over the last few day for trigger work.  I am going to limit this to the Double Action portion of the firing cycle.  If you have a revolver that allows you to shoot Single Action, that portion probably doesn’t need to adjusted, but often the DA portion needs to be addressed.

If you are looking at this mod, here are a few parameters;

1. Springs by themselves are not the answer.  Just slapping a few springs in will not make up for the shortcomings of a factory revolver job.
2. In DA mode, you must be careful to not have too much adjustment, because you run the risk for light primer strikes.  If you are thinking that it will be lessened to 1911 weights, you won’t be happy.
3. The idea is to smooth the trigger pull process without affecting geometry or design.

Your DA revolver pull can be made a lot better, but knowing these parameters will help you have a realistic idea of what your gunsmith can do.  A good DA trigger job will smooth the action making a MUCH easier to pull because you won’t feel the trigger ratcheting.  It will make it a lot of fun, and you will be more accurate because you are not fighting the mechanics of the gun.

 

Ammo Shortages

I have been traveling over the last week as we look to expand a few new things that you will be hearing about very soon.  I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised with a few of these projects.  As I have traveled to across Tennessee and Virginia, I have noticed that ammo problems seem to be localized.  In Nashville we have limited amounts of ammo available.  In Knoxville, there is none.  It is so dry in Knoxville that the local paper ran an article on the front page called “Gimmie Back My Bullets.” 

Virginia seems to be the exception to this problem.  Two stores that I went in have plenty.  One was even running a sale on .223 as if it were overstocked. 

I think what this means is that there will be varying degrees of drought on ammo for a while.  However, it is getting better.  As people get into the summer their priorities are changing.  This means that the market may finally have a chance to catch up. 

By the way, watch for the gun bubble to burst this fall.  If you have a used gun you want to sell, you better do it now.  I predict that the market is going to be inundated with used guns very soon.  Prices will readjust to normal levels.  If you are looking for a used gun, it may benefit  you to wait a little while.

 

Practice Like You Plan to Play

If you carry a gun on a daily basis, outside of a uniformed position, I have a question for you:  Do you carry the gun you shoot the most?  Being a competitive shooter myself I find that I am often lacking in practice time for my real gun.

For many years I have shot a Glock 17 in IDPA.  This gun has had untold thousands of rounds put through it, but my S&W J-frame has not had even 1,000 rounds sent out of it.  Obviously this presents a problem with proficiency.  I am much better with the Glock 17 than any other gun that own, but I don’t want to carry a full size gun all the time.

This leads me to a thought that isn’t perfect, but it makes sense especially if you find yourself shooting one system a lot.  If you are a twice a year shooter, you can’t hit anything anyway (want to find out how good you are?  go to a local IDPA, IPSC, GSSF match.  very humbling for me).  I propose that you take a smaller gun in the same family.  If you like the 1911, try the officers model.  If you like the Glock 17 try the 26.

The reason that this could save your life is repittion.  You will default to habits from the range whenever you find yourself in a stresfful situation.  By having the a gun that has the same controls in a familiar place, you will give yourself a much greater chance of a successful outcome.  You will also be a better shot.

If you think about it, it would be like Kobe practicing with a Nerf ball all week and playing with a regulation ball on Sunday.  Doesn’t translate to success.  The Nerf ball might be more fun, more forgiving and generally easier to manipulate, but it won’t make you a better player.  Practice like you plan to play.

 

Situational Awareness

We had an officer shot this week in Nashville who remains in the hospital.  By all accounts he was a good guy trying his best to do a good job.  While on a routine traffic stop, he was shot in the worst place; the side of his vest.  I am sure there will be many reports filed and lessons learned, but I want to remind all of our LEO’s to work extra hard this week on situational awareness.

Many of you are familiar with the color code concept.  Walk around in condition yellow they tell us.  We all here it, but it is good to be reminded that whatever you call it, you must never take your guard down.  Make sure that you do thorough pat downs.  Make sure you have had enough rest for that midnight shift.  Make sure you aren’t talking to a loved on the cell phone.

Situational awareness is more than traffic stops, uniforms and tactics.  It is a decision to live your life that way.  Once you have made that choice your odds of going home at the end of the shift just increased.  Stay alert.  You only get one chance!

By the way, they found the two men responsible.  Luckily for the them, they were not apprehended in the same manner as they chose to employ.  Best wishes to our LEO’s, and a heartfelt thanks.

 

XS Sights for Ruger SP101

An item not getting a lot of attention is the  XS sights  line of Big Dots for the Ruger SP101.  We would have been unaware of this sight, but a customer brought it to our attention.  In fact, when we called a distributor about it, they said XS didn’t make a sight for the SP101.  However, after talking to XS, we were told that it was the same sight that is made for the S&W J-frame models.

When our package arrived from the distributor it was clearly marked for the S&W J-frame and the Ruger SP101.  We will putting pictures up in a few weeks of the SP101 customization, but in the meantime if you are interested in adding a tritium big dot to your J-frame or SP101, contact us.  The sight runs about $70.

 

Finger Off The Trigger

This video reminds us all why you need to keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.  Can you imagine the conversation that took place later?  Luckily no one was killed, but it could have had a terrible outcome.  When you are at home, at the range, or on the job, mind your trigger finger.

 

MCC Glock Extended Mag Release

From time to time we are asked to supply an extended mag release for a Glock.  In this video we are going to show you two options which we think will really help.  One is a custom modification we do in the shop.  The other is from Ghost.  Both of these will cost you $20 installed, so you won’t be out a lot, but they will make a big difference in your reloads.

Check out the pictures below the video when it finishes.

MCC Glock Extended Mag Release

MCC Glock Extended Mag Release

Ghost G.I. Magazine Release

 

Woolrich Elite Lightweight Pant Review

We recently had the opportunity to test the Woolrich Elite Lighweight Pants.  These pants have all the features that you need in tactical pant, but they are made from a lighter material to make them comfortable for those in hotter climates.

No doubt Woolrich had operators in mind who have to play in the sand box on a regular basis, and these pants fit this mission well.  They are made from 1.5 ounces less thick material than the regular version, but other than that they are identical.

We tested these pants for several weeks including shooting several IDPA matches in them when temperatures rose above 90 degrees.  We found them to be very comfortable and free moving when performing any task associated with action shooting.

One feature we particularly like is the back pocket which has a smaller pocket inside it for a wallet.  Many pants in this category have a back pocket that feels as big as a rucksack.  Having a smaller pocket was nice for wallets and other items that you don’t want floating around.

Even those these pants are considerably lighter, they appear to be durable and hold up well for their intended purpose.  If you are going to shoot outside this summer, but don’t want to wear shorts, these pants should be considered.

 

Glock 45 ACP: Part 2

When Glock introduced small guns, they thought the Glock 36 would be a great addition, and for certain segments, it really is the right answer.  We have already profiled the Glock 30 SF in Part 1, but it will be helpful to understand all of the differences in these guns, because this is the only caliber where Glock offers two different versions of a compact frame.

The Glock 36 has slim profile which makes for easy CCW.  It holds 6 rounds plus one.  It is still a stretch to get to the trigger correctly if you have small hands, and the slim profile feels like you dont’ have that much to hold onto when you are getting familiar with the gun.

The one caveat to remember with this gun, is that almost everything on it is different.  Extended mag releases are hard to find without modifying the frame, and it in general accessories are easy to come by because it seems like this gun doesn’t enjoy the popularity of its larger cousin the 30 and 30 SF.

The only down side I experienced when I shot this gun is that it felt like my pinky finger on my shooting hand was getting pinched between the magazine and the frame during recoil.  Please remember that I have small hands, and this might not affect those of you with average to larger sized hands.   The pain wasn’t enough to make me stop shooting, but it might prevent me from taking the gun out for a 200 round session at the range.

The obvious plus side to this gun is that it is easy to conceal, a pleasure to shoot in terms of recoil management, and it is lighter than a Colt Commander or defender.

If I had my preference, it would be for the 30 SF.  I like the full feeling grip that has been shortened, and 4 extra rounds is an added bonus since it really doesn’t change how the gun will be carried.  The only time it would nice to have the 36 over the 30 SF would be if you like IWB (Inside the Waist Band) carry.