P224-9 SAS Comparisons and a Nit – Update #5

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A problem is a problem, regardless of how easy it is to fix. This mag base was just too tight.

While it is a very minor problem and was easily fixed, I did run into a snag with the 12 round P224 magazines seating correctly while running the gun.  It was a problem particularly if I was doing a reload with retention where the slide was in complete lock up.  It turns out that the base pads on both magazines were slightly oversized.  If you look at the picture above, you can see a very tight fit, especially in the area where the base pad steps up to meet the grip shell.  I found myself periodically having to smack the bottom of the magazine to get it seated correctly.

Problem solved. But should it have happened in the first place?

I did not have to take much off of the base pads to get them to work better.  A few passes with a smooth cut file and I was done.  They insert properly in a single motion now and have only  slight bit of movement in lock up.

The rest of this update is a comparison in pictures.  According to each company’s web site, the P224-9 SAS weights 29 ounces dry; the Glock 19 weighs 21.6 ounces empty: the Glock 26 weighs 19.75 ounces empty and the M&P9C weighs 21.7 ounces dry.

P224 next to the M&P9C

P224 next to the Glock Model 26. (it is actually a G27 because one was handy, but they are the same size.)

P224 next to a Glock 19.

I have one more range session planned for the P224-9 and I will post those results once I am done.  I plan to go only to 5000 rounds with this gun.  I do not find anything smaller than a G19 or a  P228/9 comfortable to shoot for extended periods of time and I have no real desire to push it.

Photo of the Day: Robar Guns Glock Slide

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Back in August, Hilton and I had the pleasure of touring Robar Guns‘ facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Our friend Freddie Blish gave us the full tour and an education on the NP3 process along with its advantages and applications. He turned us on to a few slides they still had in stock for builds, so Hilton and I both ordered complete top ends for our Glock 17s. These slides come complete with all small parts, a match barrel and we supplied the 10-8 sights. All the metal parts on the top end are coated with Robar’s excellent NP3 finish, and the custom slides come with the corners tastefully contoured and useful front slide serrations.

I’ll be doing a full range report when the schedule lightens up a bit.

 

SIG P224 SAS

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The SIG SAUER P224-9-SAS-DAK is one of several variants of the new P224 branch of sub-compact SIG SAUER Classic Line Pistols.

The new SIG SAUER P224 pistols are now making it to the market on a regular basis and this one is mine.  Holding true to all the quality, accuracy and ergonomic features of the SIG SAUER Classic Line pistol family, the P224 is the first of the sub-compacts for this line.

About the size of a G26, the 9mm P224 holds 12+1 in 9mm and 10+1 for the .40 and .357 SIg variants.  This particular model came with 2, 12 round magazines.  An added feature of the P224 is that it will accept and run the larger magazines from the P226 and P229 pistols.  A sleeve is in development to fill the gap between the mag base and the end of the grip for the P229 magazines.

The SAS, or SIG Anti-Snag, model has had all the sharp edges blended and since it is a DAK it lacks the de-cocking lever assembly. The DAK or, Double Action Kellerman, is a DA trigger system that runs at about 5.5# and does not stack.  It makes for a very smooth and consistent DA only trigger action. Combine that with the rounded butt, E2 Grip System, smooth edges and minimized slide catch lever and you have a very slick and concealable package.  Knowing that I can carry 30+1 rounds of 9mm between the gun and a single spare P226 magazine gives me added confidence in the gun overall.

There are several variations of the P224.  They, along with all the pertinent specs, can be found here on the SIG SAUER web site.

I’ll be shooting and hopefully carrying this gun over the next few months and will post updates as I progress.

Picture of the Day – “Caution – Wet Paint”

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A little painting going on in the Jones household this week.  The top rifle is new and was in need of a coat of paint.  The bottom rifle was painted seven or eight years ago and I grew tired of the pattern.  The old pattern had a Field Drab base with Marine Corps Green and Black.

Both rifles were properly degreased and base coated with Aervoe 977- Sand.  The bottom rifle was then painted with Aervoe 992- Marine Corps Green to see if I liked the color.  It was a bit dark for what I wanted, so I painted the top rifle with Aervoe 979- Forest Green.  Both rifles were then finished with Aervoe 999 Earth Brown.  The optic on the top rifle is a temporary Aimpoint on it.  When the new Aimpoint comes in, I’ll get it painted as well.

Enjoy!

Photo of the Day: PSA/Centurion Arms CMR Build

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Pictured above is a recent build using an upper purchased from Palmetto State Armory, who frequently offers insane deals on high quality upper receivers. Their private labelled house brand uppers include button rifled and cold hammer forged barrels, milspec uppers, and optional mil spec M16 bolt groups. The prices are extremely aggressive and their daily deals are always difficult to resist. After I disassembled the upper, I sent off the barrel to ar15barrels.com, who cut the barrel down to 14.7-inches and pinned/welded an A2 flash hider to make the minimum 16-inch non-NFA length. Note that I sent the barrel with the barrel nut I intended to use, as once the muzzle device is pinned and welded on, the gas block and barrel nut cannot be installed after the fact. Randall at ar15barrels.com turned the barrel around in days and within about a week I had my barrel back. He offers barrel contouring, cutting, gas port adjusting, and other machining services at very reasonable prices.

The bolt used in the above build was coated with NP3 by Robar Guns. As seen in my previous post, NP3 offers abrasion resistance, built in lubricity, and excellent corrosion resistance that is far and above the standard phosphate finish. To top it off, I finished the build with the excellent CMR rail from Centurion Arms, which offers light weight, and an extremely ergonomic and narrow diameter rail. I have several builds with this rail and I have to say it’s my favorite rail system so far. Other accessories include TangoDown’s vertical fore grip and BattleGrip, SureFire X300, Aimpoint PRO in a LaRue mount, Troy Industries flip up sights, and Viking Tactics sling.

 

MADE IN THE USA: CLASSIC AND STILL FORMIDABLE

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Let’s see what we have (embedded hot links for the curious): 

·        Smith & Wesson stainless “no-lock” L frame revolver, Model 686-4 (Distinguished Combat Magnum Plus, 7-shot round butt) in the 2.5 inch variation, circa 1996, one of the last with a hammer mounted firing pin

·         Ammunition by Buffalo Bore, “Tactical Short Barrel Lower Recoil Low Flash” 158 gr. .357 Magnum JHP (other loadings available), brass by Starline, velocity > 1,000 fps

·         Craig Spegel checkered extended boot grips

·      ·  Lobo Gun Leather “Enhanced Pancake” holster, nice design, appearance, and fit, maker delivers reasonable price and turnaround time

      Quality made in the U.S.A. products, making a highly concealable, versatile, capable, and reliable carry package.  A carry package not commonly seen, but quite a serious contender and still formidable in 2013.

      [Also pictured, not made in the U.S.A.:   Quickstrip™ reload strip (8-shot, loaded to 6) by Tuff Products  (maker/vendor of nifty, well thought-out specialty items)]

The 72 Drill

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After upgrading my Springfield Black Stainless 1911, I decided to conduct the 10-8 Extractor Test while turning the test session into a drill. With the ammo situation being what it is, making every shot count is important. To get more out of the test as a drill I shot 2 – 8 round magazines 1 handed and 2 – 8 round magazines 2 handed. This totaled 32 rounds rather than the 16 of the standard test procedure. Each round was loaded and the magazine removed and the pistol holstered. The pistol was drawn and fired in the required manner to test extractor function, which it passed.

Springfield Black Stainless 1911- Alessi DOJ Open Port Holster- Mitch Rosen 5DM

Continue reading →

SNEAK PEEK: M&P SIRT Slide

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Here is a sneak peek of Next Level Training’s M&P SIRT pistol slide, which is machined from a block of billet. The new training pistol will incorporate a host of new manufacturing technologies that are a true leap forward in design over the first generation SIRT. Mike Hughes and company were kind enough to share some of the details with us, and suffice it to say, the wait will be worth it!

Photo of the Day: AR15 Bolt with Robar NP3

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At the suggestion of my good friend Freddie Blish, I recently sent out a mil spec AR15/M16 bolt to Robar Guns for their NP3 Finish. Though I have known of Robar and their NP3 for decades, I really didn’t know much about the finish other than it was based on electroless nickel. A quick phone call to Freddie got me up to speed. The Cliff Notes version is that the Robar Companies spend most of their resources fulfilling industrial contracts, including plating of critical aircraft components for the military with many of the same finishes seen on their firearms. And Robbie Barrkman is no stranger to custom guns, as he was the original gunsmith for Jeff Cooper at the American Pistol Institute a.k.a. Gunsite.

Freddie highlighted the benefits of the latest iteration of NP3, including extreme corrosion resistance (1000+ hours of salt spray resistance), embedded PTFE in the coating makes it self-lubricating, exceptional abrasion resistance without being excessively hard so as to cause abnormal wear on softer parts that mate up to the coated surface. The coating is also easy to clean, and in most cases fouling will wipe right off the surface. What does this mean? Freddie expects that my bolt will have an enhanced service life and asked me to shoot the gun completely dry to see how long it will run before failure. This is a completely foreign concept to me as I keep my AR/M4 platforms wet with lube as a matter of practice, but I will grit my teeth and do as instructed. Results will be posted here.

 

Five Fundamentals of Self Defense with a Firearm

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Once I had a student ask me what he needed to work on to be a good shooter.  Naturally, I gave him the standard, front sight focus and trigger finger discipline answer.  Drilling down on things there are only two things a shooter must do to hit the target.  Remain focused on the front sight and move the trigger to the rear without moving the muzzle.  I then asked him what type of shooting he wanted to do.  After some hesitation, he said, target shooting and some plinking.  He then added, “oh yeah, I want to be able to defend my family if necessary.”  Wow!  Way to bury the lead there guy. Continue reading →

ROBAR/10-8/MSW GLOCK17-PART 4

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Robar/10-8/MSW Glock 17 After 2000 + Rounds

This 4th and final installment of the Robar Glock review will focus on the overall modifications and how they effect the performance of the pistol. For those who are looking for a “I ran it over with my 4×4 and then tossed it out of a helicopter review” you will be disappointed. However the pistol is a working gun and is not a “Safe Queen”.

Since receiving my Robar modified Glock almost three months ago, I have carried it everyday, taught 6 classes with it, which included demonstration drills, shot 2 IDPA matches and shot it during several training sessions and allowed several students to fire it as well. During that time the pistol has fired over 2000 rounds, of which over 1500 have been reloaded ammunition.

Continue reading →

MARSOC M45A1 Contract Holsters from Safariland

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I’ve gotten a few inquiries as to available holsters for the M45A1 CQBP produced by Colt’s Manufacturing. Some have tried to use the same holsters for the Colt Rail Gun, not realizing the rail dimensions on the M45A1 are different. Anyway, the holsters provided by Safariland to the Marine Corps are a great place to start if you’re looking for a functional, durable duty holster. The Safariland Part Numbers for the holsters are as follows:

6004SS-56-761-SP10-MS30-NH (No Light Attached)

6004SS-530-761-MS30-NH (X200/300 Attached)

These holsters come standard with the excellent Quick Locking System (QLS) which allows the holster to be quickly mounted anywhere you have the QLS locking plate. The SS designation indicates the holster has the compact leg shroud with one strap, a system I find to be more comfortable than the traditional dual leg straps. The compact shroud also allows the holster to sit higher on the leg resulting in less flop and a quicker, more consistent draw.

I did discover that the plastic grommet that surrounds the tensioning screw needs to be removed in order for the M45A1 to fit. This only applies to the model for the M45A1 pistol without the light attached. Both holsters utilize the SLS retention system, which works better for me than the ALS system when used in conjunction with a pistol with a manual thumb safety.

Both of these holsters are available through London Bridge Trading or can be special ordered through any Safariland dealer.

Photo of the Day: Centurion Arms C4 Bolt Group

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Over the past few years, Centurion Arms has earned the reputation of producing premium quality parts and accessories for the M4 platform. My first introduction to their product line was through their excellent C4 HK-style diopter sights. These sights resemble those found on HK rifles and sub-machine guns, but incorporated features for the sophisticated shooter, such as same plane diopter sights, lightening cuts, and slotted screw heads instead of silly Philips heads.

Since then, Centurion has added premium DMR uppers as well as the innovative C4 and CMR free float hand guards. Recently, there has been a shortage of bolt groups in the market. Centurion has responded by offering magnetic particle inspected, bolts. The carriers are full M16 profile, chrome lined, with well staked gas keys.

They are available now through select dealers.

Looking to Attend a Training Course: Things you should consider

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A vehicle being used for the VTAC Street Fighter course

So you’re a new shooter who just bought your first gun and want to attend a training class to learn the basics. Or you’re a seasoned law enforcement officer, competitive shooter, military trained sniper, special operations, etc and you want to attend a training class to get a different perspective then what is offered within your unit or department. Where do you start? The endless flood of information online and varying opinions within the pool of possible venues of instruction is unbelievable. With over ten years of active combat overseas there is a large number of US and foreign veterans looking for life after military service. Many of these people are attempting to find a life after service running firearms instruction. With current political climate the gun industry is exploding with people buying weapons preparing for the zombie apocalypse, civil unrest, or just personal protection in response to recent natural disasters. So where do you turn, what do you need, what things should you consider before hand, what is important? Continue reading →