Gun cleaning and field stripping

I’m by no means a gunsmith, but I have found that I know my firearms better than many and that’s because I took the time to learn how to deal with gun wear and gun maintenance.   All firearms will eventually have something break on them, or the springs in the trigger or recoil spring will wear out.   I have a few 1911 45acp guns that will get really picky about ammunition once they hit about 4000rds through them because the slides will get weak and some of my handloads that are not as clean as factory ammo fail to go into battery.

I think it’s a good idea to know and have replacement parts for your firearm at least in your home.  There have been plenty of range trips that have been spoiled when somebody has a malfunctioning firearm or breaks an extractor.   There are a few gun parts kits you can keep with your AR15 that will only take a few minutes to replace if you ever have a breakage.  Glock parts are easy to replace, probable more so than other firearms because all you need is a Glock tool to punch out a few pins and you can easily replace the firing pin, springs, trigger ect.

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The cost of firearm instruction

I have several DVDs in my collection that are from various firearms instructors, Gabe Suarez, Clint Smith and Rob Pincus to name a few.   I would have to say that some of their DVDs have good points and some are kinda weak in others.   I think Clint Smith’s DVD’s are introductory and very good for breaking someone in to shooting, but most of the DVDs that I have watched from his collection are not as advanced as the stuff coming from Magpul.   I have never been to Thunder Ranch so I’m not going to downplay or say that place isn’t a good place to go, I’ve never been there, but have heard good things although I know there are various levels of training going on.

The Magpul Art of the Tactical Carbine volumes I and volume II are outstanding firearms instruction for those looking to up their skills.   It wasn’t the same old shooting positions and malfunction clearings that you tend to see from others.  There are some really advanced gun handling skills as well as very well done communication skills.   It always takes me 2 or 3 runs at watching the DVD to soak it in, but I have been very impressed with the Magpul DVD series.   Soon I’ll get a chance to watch the Shotgun one and give you my thoughts.

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Messing with John Moses Browing’s designs

I recently got a crash course on disassembling 1911 handguns that were not GI guns.   I have several Colt and Springfield guns that only give me problems if I am shooting something other than ball ammo.   I really don’t feel the need to carry hollow points for such a slow and large caliber already.  All of the 1911 guns I own cost me less than $500 and I have seen so  many malfunctions with guys with higher end guns.   I know Kimber messed around with John Moses Browning’s design and went back to the original extractor design after a failed attempt to use an external extractor.

Many of the shorter barreled 1911s have a short reliability life when it comes to recoil springs because they wear out faster from the amount of stress the 230gr chunk of lead causes.  I guess because the 1911 has such a slower cycling rate, many people that bobble the gun will cause malfunctions.  Wilson combat magazines have improved the reliability of many 1911 guns I have shot, but there is something to be said for GI Milspec reliability.  The original design worked very well and deviating from that doesn’t really mean an improvement.

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Don Hume H715 holsters, are they reliable?

Concealed carry is a market that has dramatically expanded in the last 10yrs.   I can hardly believe it has been almost 10yrs since September 11th, but that event changed a lot of peoples opinions about being safe in your own Country.   With an economy that is sluggish, there have been more types of crimes in neighborhoods  that were safe where home invasion  are not that uncommon anymore.   Recently there were several home invasions against elderly people because they were easy targets.  There are things you can do to prevent yourself from being a target, but being able to retreat into your home and be able to stop a threat is important.

Inside the waistband or IWB is the most common method of concealment, but it is not the only one.  There are too many variables for me to get into right now, but Don Hume holsters are very reliable and the disclaimer for anyone that I would suggest carry IWB should be that they get a good reliable belt.  Gun belts are the key to keeping your clip on gunholster in it’s place and not coming off.   I have noticed that a lot gun holster makers have modified the designs of their clips to make them stronger.  There will always be some restriction on comfort and movement with a holster like this, but it will take some time and tolerance to get use to.

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Buying used firearms and starting over

There is nothing wrong with buying used firearms.  Some of the best deals you will ever get on handguns are used police trade ins.   In recent years, buying a used Glock can save  you $100-$200 dollars and if you factor in how much magazines cost, you can get a very good condition firearm and 5-8 gun magazines for the cost of just a new firearm which might only come with 1 or 2 mags.   There are now 4 generations of Glocks out there, but I really don’t have a preference.  If you like Glocks and the unique grip angle and  your looking to enter into gun ownership of one, buy a used one.

If you happen to have one that you either A. wear it out B. got one with a shot out barrel you can start over by replacing the Glock gun parts.   I suggest looking up Glock disassemble on youtube or get a Glock Armorers video  to replace the smaller parts, but replacing barrels is as easy as clicking your fingers. Glock barrels will run you $100-$200 in general and if you are fortunate enough to have worn one out.  I think wearing out a gun is an honorable as wearing out the frets on your Fender Bass, it’s a badge of honor.

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Wolff gun magazines and Wilson Combat

I finally got to pick up a few of the Wolff gun magazines that some of my friends have raved about and I’m still trying to find out how I didn’t know about these for so long.  I guess getting stuff made in the  gun accessories and firearms industries is getting easier now and many companies can go out there and just find somebody with the tooling.   These did feel more like Chip McCormick magazines and they were fairly close in design.   The one thing I know to monitor on 1911 metal magazines are the followers which is something I’ve had problems with in the past.  Usually it was the less expensive and practically considered to be thrown GI 1911 magazines.

Something I’ve seen happen on less durable 1911 magazines it that they will not hold up very well at all if you one up the guns.  If you have an 8rd magazine and put one in the chamber and then load it back up to capacity, you are putting slightly more tension on the magazines and the cheaper mags, and the magazine springs will fail you.  Wilson Combat magazines, Wolff 1911 magazines and Chip McCormick magazines will hold up.  I had problems with Colt magazines, GI magazines and some MecGar magazines when I did this and always had 2nd round malfunctions.   I’ve learned to not on up the guns, but single stack magazines seem to handle this better than double stack.

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2011 SHOT show is here

This year there will be several new Eotac products coming out.   The new Direct action smock and the Recce pant along with the new A-tacs cam pattern that will be made for the Style 201 lightweight pants and the Style 407 long sleeve tactical shirt.   We got a glimpse of the A-tacs pattern last June at the Police and Security Expo in New Jersey and got a lot of good feed back on the pattern.   Digital patterns have come a long way in recent years and it really has good darn good.   I remember as a kid thinking that most of the woodland cammo made you stand out just as boldly as if you were wearing regular clothing and it all didn’t make sense to me.

You can ask many of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan what they thought about the camo they had back in Desert Storm vs. the stuff that is now.   The Style 201 tactical pants are lightweight combat pants that are very much meant for a Carbine operator.   These 100% cotton ripstop pants have a unique fitting that gives you more maneuverability over similar designs.  There are some really cheap knock of pants that look like this and go for under $30, but they will not feel the same.   If you have a chance to stop by the Eotac booth this year.  Check out the new A-tacs pattern camo.  If you aren’t in the military, you may want these for hunting.    Very good for the American bow hunter.

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So you want to get your daughter to like shooting guns

I don’t know what happens to girls these days, but I remember plenty of girls that liked to play with toy guns and pretend they were Bonnie from Bonnie and Clyde, but when they get older, if they aren’t shown the proper way of handling firearms at a young age, they tend to be afraid of firearms.   If you can turn the head of an anti-gun female, you’re gaining some major ground.   I’ve done it a few times when introducing female friends that I talked into at least going out once, and 100% of the time they had fun and it did have a change of opinion about what people should be allowed to own.

If you have a young niece or girlfriend, there are plenty of things you can do to alter a firearm and girlafy it.   I think I may be inventing a word there, but AR15, Bolt actions ect can all be modified to take pink or pink camo stocks, even Allen gun cases come in a pink camoflauge for a Ruger 10/22.   I strongly suggest people that are serious about  winning over hearts and minds to responsible firearm safety should consider making a gun out that is for Youth or womanized.   Not all women need a 22LR because I know plenty of women that can handle anything you put in their hands, but put together a newbie gun if you  have the time.

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Is your wifes jewelry locked up?

I have suggestion for all of my friends with firearms that are looking to get another gun safe or want to upgrade to something better than what they have.   I have an older model gunvault gun safe that I have to admit, is pretty out dated and there are some design flaws that have been addressed by the newer models.   When the batteries get weak on the older model, the door does not always kick open and after having a failure, I did some research and got a newer one.   A gun safe should be as reliable as a firearm and if you have one that is  not, get rid of it.

All of us have different financial backgrounds, but for those of you that have an investment in jewelry, talk to your wife about locking up all of here diamonds and gold and put it in a gunvault gun safe.   The benefits of putting it in something like this is that it will be somewhat fire proof out of sight, but be easy to access when she’s getting all dolled up for a night out on the town.   If it’s easy to get out, it’s easy to put back in.   For only about $100 you can both lock up a firearm or diamond necklace in the same place.  The deluxe models can easily handle 2 or 3 firearms and your wifes stuff.

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The importance of practicing with your CCW

There are many times in our life when we just won’t have time to get out and go shooting, married life and children can always shorten your free time, but lack of gun maintenance and shooting rehearsal will affect your performance.   I recently read an interview with the Philadelphia Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel and he mentioned that he won’t let anyone walk up to the plate during the regular season unless they have had atleast 75-100 pitches in batting practice.   The hand eye co-ordination is something that get’s lost and even the best guys are terrible at bats if they haven’t had practice, shooting skills are no different.

Regular cleaning atleast once a month in the summer or hot weather depending on the type of gun and holster you are  using and I strongly suggest you put 50rds through your firearm atleast once every 3 months.   Fobus holsters will work for you for CCW, but you will need a vest or long jacket to use such a paddle holster. Considering how inexpensive these holsters are, I would suggest getting one even for something like a J-frame which tends to be a pocket gun.   Practicing from concealment is good practice as long as your gun range allows it.

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