When you look around today in police holsters, we see a lot of plastic. Polymer pistols are the new norm. They offer a lot. Durability, weight reduction, increased mag capacities in some cases. This always has not been the case. The metal pistol ruled the scene for a while, before Gaston set the world afire. Continue reading
The Glock 34/35 series of pistols are ideal for just about any role an end user may require. They work well out of the box, with only a few minor changes needed to make them a little better. Shown is one of my G34’s with one of the early Apex FRE prototypes, and a most excellent set of 10-8 tritium sights. A man (or lady) can about rule the world with that setup. It is no wonder why this series of pistols have became favorites of police officers and competitors alike.
S&W M&P .45c 36 Rounds Corbon DPX
After the recent purchase of 2 S&W M&P Shields in 9mm for back up and as student loaner guns, my descent into the world of the M&P began. Being a long time fan of the .45 ACP cartridge, there was only one choice, an M&P in .45. I decided on the M&P 45c SKU 109108. This is a 4in. barrel, 8 shot magazine M&P with ambidextrous thumb safety. The pistol is supplied with 2 eight round magazines, one flush fit and one with an extension. The pistol has the standard 3 dot sights and interchangeable backstraps of the M&P line. I’m currently using the small backstrap insert as that gives me the best fit to my hands. As Hilton Yam has noted before, the M&P with the thumb safety is very natural for a 1911 shooter who uses a high thumb grip to shoot. The pistol is available with or without the safety. Continue reading
The 2013 NRA Show in Houston debuted the new prototype 10-8 Performance/Apex Tactical polymer base pad for the M&P series of pistols. The production run should be out by fourth quarter 2013.
As I have mentioned before in previous articles, I believe competition is an excellent way to push my training to the next level. While it certainly has limitations as to how “realistic” it can be, I can’t think of a better way to add to your training the anxiety of shooting under time pressure and being accountable for your accuracy. (As an aside, our friends at Gun Nuts Media have an excellent article on competition vs tactical training recently posted to their site.) Continue reading
Cleaning handguns after heavy training can be tedious. Cleaning a weapon mounted light can be even worse. The above pistol had nearly 3,000 rounds through it in a foolish stunt to see if we could make it break. The gun got so hot at times that I had to rack the slide on my holster during reloads because I could not touch it with Oakley gloves on. I do not advocate abusing a modern service weapon in the way we did above at any time. But, sometimes during product development it is necessary. Continue reading
We recently acquired two 9mm M&P Shields for carry/backup and as student loaner guns. (For when a student shows up at class with what a Gunshop Commando told them they needed, rather than what is the best gun for them.)
These were my first foray into the world of the M&P and so far I’m impressed. While I’ve seen M&P’s in class and competition and shot a few rounds through them, I had not owned/carried one until now.
The pistols come with flush fit 7 round and extended 8 round magazines. The extended magazine actually extends the grip in a useable manner, rather than the pinky hook found on the front of many magazines.
While larger that some other pocket pistols, I have found they work very well in a pocket holster or an ankle holster. I’ve also carried AIWB with the holster in the photo.
So far each pistol has shot 100 rounds in testing and proved completely reliable. While certainly not a complete break in, it is encouraging. The group in the photo was 15 rounds at 7 yards.
More testing and student evaluations to follow.
Sure Fire X300 Ultra mounted on author’s duty Glock 35
I am a flashlight nerd. I admit it. I’d almost go to meetings like any other addiction if it was offered. I am constantly on the hunt for the next biggest and brightest thing. I’ve often stated that I am waiting around for the light to come out that has the same performance on the human body as to when the Germans looked into the Ark of the Covenant on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Real old Testament stuff.
So when James Otto of Otto Firearms contacted me and stated he had the new Sure Fire X300 Ultra in stock finally, I broke out the plastic and one was on its way. Continue reading
A 2nd Generation Glock 19 with the original Novak replacement rear sights that were meant to be used with the stock front. Thankfully, we have come a long way.
A week ago, I asked my good friend and dyed-in-the-wool 1911 guy, Dean Caputo, if he would be interested in shooting a Glock Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) match with me over the weekend. I try to make it a habit of inviting my buddies to shooting events as it is another excuse to turn it into a social endeavor as well as a training opportunity. Much to my surprise, Dean said, “Yes!” I was even more shocked to discover the guy who owns countless 1911s and turns his nose up to the plastic guns actually owns a Glock 19 or two. So I gave him the details of the match and planned to meet on Saturday.
Much ado has been made of the Smith and Wesson’s M&P having a less distinct reset than what many 1911 and Glock shooters are used to. This particularly bothers those who have been trained to “shoot to reset” between shots. This has never particularly bothered me and here is why:
For those who are not familiar (or may need a quick refresher), most basic pistol courses teach shooters to “reset” the trigger between shots as part of the follow through process. I look back to my Basic Academy training way back in the day, which taught shooters to hold the trigger to the rear, realign the sights, and then slowly release the trigger until they feel a distinct click. Then they can begin preparing for the next shot. Continue reading
The design of this safety from Wilson Combat just might make having a working and reliable ambi-safety a real possibility.
I am sort of a sucker for the 1911 and whenever a new part or an attempt at a new design comes out I find myself having to try it. It was no different when I aw that the engineers at Wilson Combat had come up with a new ambidextrous thumb safety. I quickly ordered one and 8 long days later the box arrived. Now, I know you’re saying to yourself what is so different and what in the world would make this particular part worth $142.95. Well I asked myself that same question and the answer was if it is a ambidextrous 1911 thumb safety that actually works, then I am on board. Continue reading
It had been a long time since we had been to the SIG Sauer Academy. Going on five or six years it seems. Too long I guess. Bruce and I rolled into the Academy on Thursday to check things out prior to the class we were teaching on Friday. The first thing that struck us was the fact so much had changed in that time. The Pro Shop was the big addition we noticed immediately. In this day and age of going into gun shops and seeing bare shelves, it was really nice to go in and see the walls lined with Evil Black Rifles. Did my heart good, actually. We checked in and found out that we were going to be teaching on range three, and drove back to check it out. We chatted to some familiar faces from a SIG centric Federal agency to find out that the SIG Academy was basically their home range. Interesting, I thought. Continue reading
Recently, I traveled down to Smyrna, Georgia this week to the home of all things Glock for their eight hour armorers course. I had originally taken the course in 1996. It was an eight hour course then, and best I remember it cost $75. It was eight hours of assembly and disassembly. The course wasn’t much. As simple as the guns are, I never re-certified.
Fast forward to last November. I told my boss I wanted to go down to the factory and take the Instructor Workshop class, and he green lit me for it. A very nice lady from Glock Training called me back and informed me that I had to be a current armorer to be eligible for the class. So, I said what the heck, and added a day onto my trip. I drove down with a head full of questions, ranging from recoil spring weights to extraction issue questions to a whole lot of questions about the 17T (Simunitions pistol). Continue reading
Started off with a basic Caracal F 9mm. The end result, was impressive with a total of 10,000 rounds. I was actually a bit surprised at how well the finish held up on this gun. Although I did not run the gun from a holster.
I finally got the Caracal F to my goal of 10K rounds. It took a bit of time, but the gun held up. With the original recoil spring assembly still in place I was a bit surprised to see it run that far. The gun itself began to run a bit sluggish right around the 8800 round mark, but I attribute that to a well worn recoil spring assembly. There is no evidence of battering yet, but I suspect I did not do the gun any favors. I should mention that I was using some surplus 9mm NATO ammunition so the pressures on the gun were pretty high. Continue reading
The “Administrative Load” refers to a common sight on the police range. It is loading the pistol while the pistol is still in the holster. It involves reaching back behind your holster and inserting/removing/swapping out magazines while your pistol is still holstered. This takes place while the shooter is still on the line, facing down range. This nonsense got started when semi-automatics hit police ranges, and some bean counter figured that the more time that the gun remains in the holster, the less time there is for cops to shoot themselves, or each other. Fact of the matter is that it is a dangerous practice.
Dangerous, you say?