All posts in Magazines

Rotating gun magazines and paying attention to useage

This year we are again attending the Contagion 2012 in Pennsylvania.  This is a yearly event and one of the best things about it is getting first hand experience at and a look at various guns and gear.  One of the things we can tell you that we see every year, is a lack of proper firearm training.  We haven’t seen any major safety issues, but we see guys walking up the range and firing guns at stages that go “Click” because they never properly loaded their firearm.   The Contagion event has been going on for about 4yrs now.   You get a good look at the footwear, eyewear, firearms, rifle scopes and some very high end looking AR15 rifles.  Even the guys that show up with the good stuff have problems.  Just because you spent $4000 on an AR15 and gear doesn’t mean you are going to survive the zombie attack.

This year we are a vendor and we are bringing lots of gun accessories and maintenance tools.   This is one of those events were having extra handguns magazines like Kahr magazines will be at hand.   Kahr pistols are very popular in the concealed carry community and they have a very good reputation of holding up.   We stock the Kahr factory magazines and highly suggest that if you are using them for a competition event that you bring atlease 6  magazines with you.  Avoiding excessive wear and tear on magazines that you may also be using for CCW is a good idea.

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Gun cleaning supplies, gun lube and Sigs and Glocks

My favorite handguns are the ones that I like to shoot the most and it’s not always what I consider to be the toughest or most reliable.  One thing people need to have a grip on with handguns is the statistics don’t lie.  Handguns really do suck at stopping threats and shot placement can’t be underrated.  Although I love shooting my 1911’s and reloading 45acp.  I do find that the weight of a 45acp does add up and I’d much rather have more physical comfort carrying than worrying about accuracy and whether my 45acp FMJ has more stopping power than a 9mm FMJ.   The Glock 21 is a great gun but to darn heavy for me to carry even if it was a duty gun.

Many, many firearm instructors will tell people that you’re better off practicing with a 9mm because it’s softer to shoot and costs less money.   I remember the days of the assault weapons ban when glock factory magazines cost close to $100 a pop but now they are mostly under $25 if you get them online.   For longer deployments or the times of year when I really don’t feel like cleaning my guns, I’m always carrying a Glock 26 or a Glock 19.   The less gun cleaning, the less lubrication you have to worry about draining off of you, really makes you think it’s time to carry a Glock.

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The 1911 is a better gun

I started out with a Colt 1991A1 over 20yrs ago and at the time I thought I was getting a second rate 1911 but it was a good price so I got it.  I fell in love with the gun immediately and It just fit my hand that the first time I shot it I thought I was missing paper and it turned out I was shooting out the center of the target.   After shooting the gun for 3 range sessions I started having problems.   I had a good relationship with my gun  shop and when I went back in I talked to him.  He told me I should be using more than 1 magazine with the gun and talked about magazine rotation.  Then I picked up a few more Colt 1911 magazines and after a few range sessions the gun started closing on an empty chamber.

This whole issue was apparently very common with 1911s and many of the GI magazines were actually meant to be thrown away on a battlefield and not re-used.  I tried the quick fixes but they didn’t hold up, I later found out about Wilson Combat Magazines and now the Wilson Combat ETM magazines are my primary 1911 magazines.  Barrel designs and more durable parts have made the 1911 a superior firearm than it’s original GI version.   Although the guns are still pretty heavy compared to composite materials, many people still find the 1911 guns to be the most comfortable 45acp to shoot.

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Competition shooting and

That seems to be one of the biggest gag lines I hear coming from people in the industry.  We had a Navy Seal come in here talking about Glocks and how he had to modify his slightly because he started out as a 1911 guy and had issues with the grip angle.  Recently I purchased a Glock 17 because it’s still widely used in our local Law Enforcement community.   I have a Glock 19 because I got tired of my Sig Sauer guns rusting out on my in the Summer but it did take me awhile to find the correct grip.  Luckily I had an instructor in here that gave me some pointers.   Handguns need to modified for the shooter if the shoot wants to be proficient with it.   I watched a Bob Vogel DVD about Mastering the IDPA and he mentioned several things he did that helped make him a more accurate shot.

Bob Vogel  uses a Glock 34 in his competition shooting and he is also a Police Officer.   One of the great things about Glock firearms is many of the Glock magazines work in various Glocks of the same Caliber.   I personally don’t like Glocks but I have a lot of respect for the design and I do agree that they are tough guns that have a proven track record.   If I was deployed and had to be issued a Sidearm it would defanitely be a Glock.   I’m a big fan of the LWRC gas gun designs but having to deal with a standard AR15 or an M16 and all of that gun maintenance and then another firearm.  I don’t want another gun to clean, just give me a Glock.

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Glock 17 still running strong

There have  been many firearms that took a big chunk of the Glock sales away from Law enforcement but not everyone that tried to replace glocks were happy.  We watch the number of guns that end up being recalled about a year after getting into service.  First it was the XD models then it was a few others.  The reality of firearms is even though they are tested out and may work, things happen out in the field that are hard to predict and when something fails too much, it’s time to fix the problem or else someone else will pick up on it.  Glock seems to have shot themselves in the foot with the Glock Perfection and then coming out with a Gen 4 that made them look like jackasses.

We know that not everyone likes the grip angle of Glocks, but if you want something that is going to run in adverse environments, needs lower maintenance than many others, you aren’t going to beat a Glock.   The other thing to think about is the availability of parts and magazines and Glock magazines are not going to be hard to find.  You can find them  used at gunshows or online auctions and it takes very little effort to replace magazine followers or magazine springs.  The caliber interchangeability of Glock firearms also makes it worth owning more than one.

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Bushmaster response to magpul pmags

I have a bushmaster XM15E2 that was my first AR15 that I purchased almost 10yrs ago.  I got it just to fit in with the crowd of people that were harping on me for owning a Mini 14.  I still love my Mini 14s and I’ve gotten far more out of them than most people get.   I’ve done plenty of reloading tests with the gun and gotten MOA with several of them.  The 62SCBT round seems to be the best all around bullet for  my Mini 14s and I usually get close to 2 MOA with a cool barrel.   The 1-9 twist is probable the most common twist rate for .223 guns.

The thing that made me move on from the Mini 14 were the amount of stories coming from serious trainers and shooters that said they “never saw one make it through a class”.   That meant something and I picked up the Bushmaster XM15E2 and some magpul pmags along with several USGI 30rd magazines.   I have seen a lot of malfunctions on firing ranges with the GI magazines.  I guess because they were so cheap but going from Mini 14 PMI magazines to USGI magazines just didn’t make sense.   The Magpul Pmags pretty much resolved the flimsy USGI magazines durability issues.

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What’s the deal with the Elite Tactical Magazines vs Wilson Combat 47D mags?

I first found out about the Wilson Combat Magazines after having not so good experiences with the Colt magazine that my  1911 came with.  At the time I knew nothing about the  throating on the barrel or the way 1911 firearms fed bullets and the limitations of ammo selections.  The 1911’s of today are not the 1911 of the 1940’s.  Those guns got the job done, but the effectiveness of the firearm’s caliber was more important than whether or not it took hollow point ammunition will run in the gun.   What is available today in not the round nosed 45acp lead rounds that were issued in World War II.

Sometimes we shop because we want the best and others we are frugal and just want the product that gets the job done and doesn’t kill our pocket book.   We’ve had extensive periods of range use with Wilson Combat Magazines and that’s why we’re going to say they are our best magazine, but you can get the well used and proven Chip McCormick magazines for about 10 dollars less.   I have personally not used those but there seems to be a  lot of complaints about some magazines not being flush fitting or not dropping free for various firearms.  There are so many variations in 1911 productions now that sometimes you might have to do some research about parts and accessories operator in the way that you want them to.

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Colt 1991A1 and Chip McCormick magazines range day

I have worn out more 1911  magazines than any other gun magazine and I guess it’s no surprise that I put a lot of 45acp down range.   My 45acp magazines get put to use and I have learned from experience to rotate through all of my 1911 magazines and replace the springs about the same time I replace my recoil springs.  All of this can depend on how many magazines you use for the most part.    I would always recommend that you have atleast 3 gun magazines for every handgun you own because not only does this spread out the gun magazine wear, it’s about what  you will most likely need if you are doing any type of competition shooting.

I have a Colt 1991A1 that has seen more action than any other sidearm and I refuse to do any major changes to it as long as the gun runs.  The gun fits my hand very well and I have had good luck with the proven Chip McCormick magazines that I have used for IDPA competition and for CCW.   I love my 1911s for competition shooting but I’m still searching for a 45acp gun that I can carry all the time.  Some of the shorter 1911 guns seem to be to much too much maintenance and I really don’t like the idea of carrying a firearm where I have to do a countdown to when it it needs to have its guts cleaned out.

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Original Magpul Assists get the job done

I have a bunch of these on my Mini 14 magazines and they work really well.  I did a zombie competition a few years ago and ran a Standard Mini 14 with a folding stock and did quite well.   No malfunctions and the light and handy carbine got the job done.   It really does make a difference having a carbine that weights about 3 pounds lighter than your average AR15 but I’m well aware that the Mini 14 is not a combat worthy firearm.   I had a few friends run AK style guns in this competition and shockingly they did not do well.   The AK variants are known to be robust by the lack of ergonomics with the gun does make it slower to run.

I have the Woolrich Elite 44903 tactical vests and I’ve used them for years, the real appeal of this type of tactical vest is that it is lower profile and more comfortable to wear than a molle vest.   My PMI magazines that I use for my Ruger Mini 14 are the magpul magazine accessories known as the magpul original assists.  They rubber like attachments protrude from the base of the magazine can make the difference in speeding up magazine changes and avoiding any fumbling.   Some tactical vests are so deep that it is difficult to retrieve magazines and for $12 you can resolve that issue.

The best thing about these Magpul products is they work for the Mini 14 guys that can’t afford a Mini 14 or if they just want to be different.   Even though Magpul Pmags for the AR15 have a thicker base and may be easier to grab, you can replace the floor plates with the Magpul Ranger Plates.  We have a large selection of the the Magpul 30rd pmags for sale and the black, OD green, Foliage Green and Flat Dark earth 20rd pmags are the strongest and most reliable AR15 gun magazines.

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Magpul Pmags and Magpul furniture

I have not had the time to mess around with every single firearms manufacturers products so I’m not going to go out on a limb and say everyone should buy Mapgul Products. I can tell you that I do not have problems with Magpul accessories and once I upgraded my AR15 rifles to Magpul PRS, and Magpul CTR stocks, and haven’t looked back.  Whenever I look into buying new firearms I usually check them out for their furniture or think about which grips I want attach.   I’m real big on keeping things uniform unless I gotta pick up something exotic.  And that’s most likely going to be a LWRC REPR in the near future.

Magpul vertical grips have changed and now that the M.O.E.  evolution is upon us there have been changes in the way we think about attachments.  Our most durable and reliable AR15 magazines are still the Magpul Pmags, but some other things have changed.  No longer to we attach a light to a rail, we attach the rail to whichever area we want, attach the accessory and end up with a lighter firearm.   At first I didn’t want to deal with changing any of my firearms around, but it’s a very good excuse to buy another Carbine.

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