Revolver cleaning and tools

I finally got around to hitting my Dillon 550B and loaded up a ton of my favorite 38 Special hand loads.   I’m amazed at how well I shoot with some of these bullets because I’m usually doing most of my training with semi-auto guns and the ammo is rarely very accurate.   Hits are usually what I am looking for in defensive shooting, but when I am shooting a Smith & Wesson Model 19, I can actually go for a bulls eye.  A few months ago I dug up a bunch of SWC lead bullets and used  up a  full pound of Unique gun powder.

The one bad thing about getting in a good range day was that I had to clean all of gun gun out of my gun  before I put it away.   I don’t mind shooting lead in revolvers, but I won’t do it in semi-autos anymore.   I used my Otis gun cleaning kit because not only did it have the brushes to get the job done, it had a nice scraper to get in to the areas that needed to be cleaned.   When I used a 1911 and shot lead bullets, I found compacted lead in so many areas that I didn’t think the gun would be reliable if I didn’t get it all out.  The extractor areas can be a tipping point if  you gunk them up.

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Handgun flashlights should you mount it?

Should you put a flashlight on your handgun or should you keep it separate?   Go to an IDPA competition and check out the low light flashlight competitions and get back to me.   We see them dropped or competitors fumble them all the time.   We sell the Section 8 tactical Ultimate Retention Device which is a great an easy thing to add on to your finger when you are shooting but a less trained shooter is going to have some trouble getting use to using them.   Many handguns are now being made with rails under them and it’s becoming almost mandatory to have a white light on an M4 Carbine.

When you think about putting a light on a handgun, I would always suggest you think about what the gun is going to  be used for.   I believe that a home defense firearm should be configured to be used inside your home and sometimes that may mean not using a handgun, but an M4 Carbine or a shotgun with fragmenting bullets.   Streamlight flashlights can be mounted on handguns or rifles especially the TLR-1 light.   I’m a big fan of lights that are 110 lumens or more for home use because they will seem far brighter and easier to light up a room.

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Update on Eotac

It’s now been several weeks since Eotac closed it’s doors in South Carolina and we acquired the last of the tactical pants inventory that they had left.    We still have thousands of pairs of lightweight tactical pants, but it’s kind of depressing to see it all going out the door knowing that we may never see these again.   We recently read a few responses from those that have worked with Remington and the state of the tactical clothing market, but we still don’t know what caused the demise.   Tactical clothing is a preference, but quality has to be there and it is often not.

All of our employees where tactical apparel made  by 5.11, Blackhawk, Proper and Woolrich, but we have a 100% response from our own Staff that the Eotac pants had the best pocket designs.   I’m still amazed that some can call their clothing tactical and you can’t even fit a j-frame revolver in the tactical pants.   I can carry a Sig 239 in my Eotac style 202 pants.   We were told that Eotac was shutting it’s doors and that there is a re-evaluation on the product SKU’s which we hope means some remnant of Eotac will emerge.   Since Marlin has closed down and been moved, Bushmaster closed down and moved, we hope that Eotac is doing the same.   The pants and vests and the Lizard pattern Field Jacket are going to be long missed.

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One up for Otis gun cleaning systems

I have been a long time user of the Hoppes boresnakes and I an not going to bash them in any way.   My first bad experience with gun cleaning was when I bent a 3 piece cleaning rod trying to clean a 22 magnum rifle.  I learned that the one piece cleaning rods were worth the money, but it was always annoying trying to find a place in my tool room to put the thing.   I found out about boresnakes when one of my gun shops started stocking them and I really loved how fast it was to clean a rifle.  When i started shooting AR15s it was really, really nice to have them laying around.   One time I took 6 of my .223 guns to the range and when I got back, I just lined them all up and cleaning the barrels in about 10 minutes.   Boresnakes really do save you time, but there was one drawback.

I have a 30 caliber bore snake that I used on several of my rifles, but i have a  lot of problems with cleaning my FAL.   For some reason the DSA FAL I have does not like to swallow a boresnake and I have a lot of trouble trying to get the little brass end to drop down the barrel and pull it through.   I have ended up having to use an Otis gun cleaning kit for the .308 rifle because it feeds and fits properly.   My FAL is hands down the easiest semi-auto gun to break down and clean and I can honestly clean most of it with a rag, but getting inside the chamber or muzzle needs a traditional cleaning.   Not all of the Otis gun cleaning systems are caliber specific, but it’s nice to have a cleaning kit that gets everything done on my DSA Arms SA58.

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The ever changing tastes of gun owners

It may be just me, but I have noticed another change in the handgun industry of going back to the 1911 or 45acp firearms.   Back in the 1990’s during the assault weapons ban, some guns got priced out because the magazines were too expensive and many people just settled for what was the least expensive to own.   The 1911 got a lot of people back from the higher capacity 9mm thrill ride that Glock gave them and nobody complained.  Once the AWB was over everyone went back to whatever floated their boat.   The sale of AR15’s went through the roof and we saw lots of after market magazine manufacturers fall off the wagon and disappear.   I have noticed that after just about everyone and their dog picked up an AR15 or an M4 Cabine, worrying about  higher capacity handguns seemed to diminish.

If you have ever taken a serious Carbine class, the capacity of rounds your backup gun held really wasn’t something that came up.  If your primary weapons went down, any secondary firearm was your backup.  If you couldn’t get your primary back up and running you’re probable screwed.   I usually only carry a 1911 with 2 spare Wilson Combat Magazines. I never liked the idea of packing too many pistol rounds and was more inclined to pack extra gun parts like a spare bolt or firing pins rather than more than 2 pistol magazines.  My secondary weapon is meant to fight my way back to getting my primary back up and running.

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What’s the difference between Woolrich and Eotac?

It seems that Eotac is no longer in existence, but Woolrich Elite is still out there.  Its no secret that Fernando Coelho was involved with designing and marketting both product lines at some point the products like very similar.   The answer we always tell customers is the designs are different.   We did notice there has been some production changes to the original Woolrich Elite Series product line and the pants and shorts do have a much wanted change in the ID or wallet pocket.   The Woolrich Elite pants pocket designs were a little tighter and the fit was baggier but some people wanted that.

Woolrich has been around forever and it looks like they have survived bad economies and the tactical clothing shake down.  A few weeks ago we got word that another major clothing manufacturer just pulled out of China and is now making clothing in the Western Hemisphere.   Woolrich Elite pants are still made in China, and we have gotten price increase on all of their stuff, but according to the number of disgruntled 5.11 customers that we have, Woolrich Elite pants are the next best thing.

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Looking for feedback on shoulder holsters

I’ve always liked carrying a full size auto in a shoulder holster and sometimes it’s the most comfortable way to carry one.  I’ve done enough carrying on a leg holster to know that this is not a car friendly way of carrying.  There are times that I got seat belts snagged and the gun slammed against steering wheels and doors and it’s just not that friendly.   Out in the open on the field a leg holster is great, but people forget that you need extra clearance when moving through hallways and around things when you are carrying in this manor.  I had a fellow Cop friend that told me that he had a buddy tear a Blackhawk holster right off the mount by running after a bad guy and doesn’t use that style of holster anymore.   For driving in a car, ankle holsters can be very practical, but walking or running with them is not.

I have been trying to find vertical horizontal holsters, but they seem to not be available as much.  I ordered a Bulldog shoulder holster and even though the picture said it was a vertical the box said Horizontal and then I found out that Bulldog doesn’t make the vertical kind anymore.  I spoke to someone at Elite Survival systems and they told there was a lawsuit against several other companies about this type of shoulder holster.  Blackhawk holsters are one of my favorite even though I do not use them exclusively.   There is a Blackhawk Serpa holster that has a find locking system, but still don’t like this way of carrying.   If anyone can tell me where I can find a good vertical shoulder rig, I’m all ears.

 

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Thin guns for CCW might cut it

I’ve been trying to carry Glocks for the last year and had to buy a ton of new holsters because my thin build didn’t really hide them very well.   Glocks are thicker than most of my Sigs and carrying them in any other manor than IWB has been almost impossible if I want concealment.   I still love carrying them in Blackhawk Serpa holsters but these holsters are not CCW friendly in my humble opinion.  There are so many variables in trying to conceal a firearm and some modes are just not practical.   I’ve seen ankle holsters for Sig 229 and large Glock guns and I just find it unreasonable to carry that much weight on your ankle, not to mention how secure the thing is.

One favorite way to carry on an outside the waist holsters is with a 1911.  The 1911 is a much thinner frame and  even though the Government model is long, it is easy to tuck in and conceal.  You may have some issues with the cocked hammer snagging but that is something that can be dealt with.  Galco holsters made the Combat master which is a belt attached holster.  This holster is going to fit right up against you and not protrude.  If you add that with the thin framed 1911, you will have another OWB holster that can be concealed.  It does work with summer carry if you wear a large cut and dark t-shirt.

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Intended purpose of a Min 14

I remember that dark era of gun ownership where the Clinton Administration imposed the so called Assault Weapons Ban on law abiding citizens.   This ridiculous law basically made us cosmetically alter firearms and put a grandfather law on buying new standard capacity magazines.   There were some firearms that got hit really hard by this law and something like a 15rd Glock magazine went from being worth $20 to over $100.   There were some firearms that really weren’t worth buying because a handful of magazines meant the gun cost twice as much as it use to.

One gun that got hit really hard by the ban was the Sturm Ruger Mini 14.  This gun was issued to Law Enforcement at some points with 20rd and 30rd magazines, but since the magazines were not manufactured in large quantities, the AWB dried it up quickly.  Many manufacturers such as Promag magazines didn’t make even 10rd Mini 14 magazines.   The Min 14 is not a combat carbine and according to some conversations I had with Pat Rogers on gun forums the gun hasn’t made it through a single Carbine Class.   One way to keep the gun in it’s place is to use the appropriate magazine, probable 10rd and 20rd magazines are the most appropriate.

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The importance of drop free magazines

You need to test your gear and accessories out to know for sure that they work on your firearms because there are so many variables in manufacturing that even the same company can slightly alter a mag well or magazine.   There use to be enormous problems with some AK magazines because not all Communist block countries made them the same.  I had a friend that picked up about 20 AK mags at a gun show and thought he’d stock up on them, only to find out that he had to take a file to most of them because they wouldn’t lock up in the rifles.

When it comes to handguns, the biggest problem that can occur once you get away from Factory magazines for a 1911 are that they don’t drop free.   1911 guns are not know for being very tight when it comes to tolerances and they are for the most part drop in guns.   Wilson Combat magazines are very sleek and are the number one magazine I see at IDPA competitions.   I have 5 1911 handguns all from different companies and Wilsons 7rd and  8 rd are all I ever use.  I think  the guns look better with flush fitting magazines, but reliability is the most important.

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