Training Course Tuition- $600
Airfare- $550
Ammunition- $450
Customized SIG Sauer Pistol- $1800
Spending the entire class clearing malfunctions because you refused to buy new magazines springs- Priceless
We have had some most excellent thoughts recently about preparing for a training class. The above magazine is a common thing we see in classes, particularly in older P-Series pistols. The magazine spring weakens, and causes problems for the student. The student then generally becomes really frustrated and doesn’t absorb the most he can from the class. It becomes a handicap to him.
Most of my “training magazines” are older magazines that have some age on them. However, factory replacement springs, or aftermarket springs from excellent companies such as Wolff are a cheap insurance for a worry free training day. I prefer the Wolff Extra Power line of replacement springs.
While we’re on the topic of worry-free, the training class environment is not the place to see how long your pistol or carbine will run without cleaning or lubrication. It is pretty common to find guns that are not lubricated, or way under lubricated. I’m an advocate of clean, but the longer I do this, the more I’m finding that lubed is just as important in the training environment.
Spend the money to PM your weapons and equipment prior to a training class. Keep them sorta clean, and lubed. It’ll go a long way to maximizing what you can get out a training class.
Ouch. That sucks!
Copy Jerry!
There still seems to be a severe shortage of Glock mags (19 mags are available).
Likewise, M&P 9mm mags in all capacities are very scarce.
It is rather amazing, after many decades of articles on field cleaning and lubing a modern sporting rifle, students still show up for classes without a cleaning kit and/or lube. At a minimum, show up with a bottle of lube to douche the BCG in your rifle.
At a recent Mac class in NC, the weather was cold, wet and foggy. Most of the class was conducted during hours of darkness. I did not witness a single participant without lube and/or kit to keep their weapons running. Further, I didn’t see a single participant take up Mac’s offer to use his spray can of Rem oil. That told me everyone came prepared!
Ching ching!
I used to work with a guy who just would not buy new mags for his Sig. The pistol kept malfunctioning, and he was convinced it was anything but mags. His mags were the originals and came with the gun. Didn’t help that Sig mags were $15-20 more than anyone else’s. His pistol was refurbished by a local armorer, and then the factory. It still didn’t work. I finally got him to at least buy some Wolffs, which were installed in his badly batter bodies. Suddenly the gun worked better. He finally broke down and bought some new mags and used the old ones for training. This saga played out for close to a couple of years. Fresh mags and Wolff springs are cheap insurance, and Wolffs ought to be standard factory offerings.
Agreed, should be, but will not be due to increased cost and reduced profit margin. A manufacturer must minimize costs in order to maximize the spread between their price point. All music wire IS NOT created equal. Your blaster and mags can only be enhanced with springs by Wolff or ISMI IMO.
Years ago, on the old blog site, a poster used the phrase (and I paraphrase) “magazines are a commodity, a disposable item” discussing 1911 mags (may have been HY). That was an illuminating statement. Mags (regardless of platform) are indeed a commodity with a useable life. When no longer serviceable, they should be destroyed and replaced with fresh, reliable mags.
Got a ’96 P229 I keep in the ol’ “go bag” because it works. Not sure why anyone would take one made after about ’06 to training class let alone a situatiom fraught with peril.
i am a hidebound conservative however…
situation
I am still amazed at the macho-esque phenomenon of guys who insist their gun has to run zillions of rounds without cleaning/lubing. I clean/lube before a class, during a class when I get the chance, and after a class. The extent of the cleaning/lubing is dictated by the situation. And, most importantly, I inspect everything as I do the clean/lube, fixing what needs to be fixed, including changing out weak mag springs. Can’t understand why all this isn’t accepted as simple common sense.
Yeah, I don’t quite get that either. If I paid all that money and took my time to travel to a class to train, I’ll damn well spend the 15 minutes to do some weapon maintenance prior to the class.