Valley Forge Gun Show in PA, finding gun parts

It has been  year since I got out to the Valley Forge Gun Show here in Pennsylvania.  It is probable the 3rd largest gun show after the Pittsburgh NRA Convention, and the Harrisburg Farm Complex.   There are some pretty big fluctuations from year to year.   Two Years ago there was a run on ammunition and firearms because Obama was elected.   Then move forward 2 years and there are a lot of good deals on used firearms because all of the people that lost their jobs are looking to get there money back.   I predicted that and I also predicted that there would be a reset on ammunition prices.

This weekend I went to the show to price gun magazines, ammunition, rifle accessories and reloading supplies.   I picked up large primers, small primers, pistol primers and rifle primers just because I could.   That was another thing that just flat out disappeared.   Primers seem to be under $30 now and that’s not too bad.  I next went to the pistol and rifle magazine section and picked up Glock 19 magazines.  I saw piles of Wilson Combat magazines, but I never noticed any shortages on those magazines, EVER. I noticed the Korean Glock 19 magazines looked well made, and they were only $10 each, but I didn’t want to take the chance since I knew nothing about their reputations.

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Does a small semi-auto CCW gun mean more fragile?

It sure use to mean that, but pocket guns have come a long way.   Defensive ammo has gone a long way in recent years and the 38 special ammo your grandfather used in Law Enforcement is not the 38 Special you have today.    I did some chrono tests with a Smith & Wesson Model 19 and the  feet per second velocity between that and j-frame Model 637 was dramatic.   I was breaking 1000ft per second with the j-frame and it really literally blew me away.   I always thought that having a 4 inch barrel on a gun meant that it was shooting a load faster, but not the case with these two guns.

A friend of mine told me that everything he thought he knew about ballistics was thrown out the door when he got his first Chronograph and I agree.   I also though that because a gun fit in my pocket that it had to be weaker.  I am still trying to unlearn what I had learned with pocket guns, but another buddy of mine did some ballistic tests where he proved that his 32acp penetrated ballistic gelatin as well as a 38 special.   While there is definitely some variations in results from firearms, the ammo you put in your Kahr PM9 and the 6rd or 7rd Kahr magazines that you are using, may be far more potent than you realize.   The Kahr firearms are probable one of the most durable small guns out there and they have had several improvements over the years that put them above their competitors.

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Old School vs. New school cleaning

otis gun cleaning kitsotis gun cleaning kitsI have the original bottle of Hoppes gun cleaner that my first 22lr cleaning kit, I’ve kept it as a time capsule as to how long ago it was that I first got into shooting.   I remember the first time I got a cleaning patch stuck in the barrel and when I bent the 3 piece rod and ended up going out and picking up a larger and stronger cleaning rod.    We learn most of our wisdom from trial and error and putting large cleaning patches down the barrel of a 22 caliber rifle is a learning experience.   I’ve only ruined one cleaning rod to date, but I really don’t use them very much anymore.

Bore snakes were really the thing that did in the  use of me using cleaning rods.  Ever since I picked up an my first AR15, which was a Bushmaster XM15E2 with a heavy barrel, I was happy to eliminate a considerable amount of time in gun cleaning.  I was well aware that the direct impingement guns were dirty, but considering how many cleaning patches I went through on just the chamber, I was glad to have a boresnake.  Another step to my collection of gun cleaning supplies were the Otis gun cleaning kits were another step forward for  me because I got the same compactness that the Hoppes bore snake gave me with even more cleaning tools in a tiny case.   I have a cleaning rod for rifles and one that is specific for handguns, but I’m using them less and less in comparison to Otis and boresnakes.

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Why bother with paintball clothing

I just got done watching  a few videos on Youtube that were all about tactical vests and tactical clothing.   I was laughing in the first 5 seconds because all that I noticed that was different than the stuff we sell was we didn’t have the words “splat” written across the vests.   I think the old round ball paintballs are going to be obsolete in another decade and airsoft is going to get really good that kids will be playing with guns that look and function like the real ones and use the same holsters and tactical vests.   I got a Sig 228 airsoft gun last year and I didn’t have to buy a single holster to practice with it.

The Eotac style 101 vests and some of the 5.11 tactical vests are all you need if you are playing paintball or airsoft with an AK or M16 type of gun, magazines pouches are there and will work very well.   The real thing to think about when you are playing paintball or airsoft is the same that you would think about if you actually going to think about real world gun fight training, tactical pants, tactical shirts, tactical gear.  Durability and weight are issues as well as worrying about snagging on things.   The crap you put on yourself the more you gotta think about what you want to wear when you’re laying flat on your stomach.  Try wearing everything that you would wear with your CCW or tactical clothing and just show up at a paintball game.

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Bringing an old gun to the range

I have some funny experiences to share when it comes to choosing guns and calibers for long range shooting.  I use to be a member of a gun club that went out to 600yds, but it has long been closed down.   When I was working on zeroing a DSA STG58 rifle at a 500yd target, I wasn’t getting any better than 10 inch groups at 500yds, but that wasn’t too bad considering I was shooting military ammo.   That is just roughly 2 MOA at that range and for a gun that was a standar barrel and not match grade, I was pretty happy with it.   I have had some issues with the DSA FAL mount I have, but since I have loctited the mount, it hasn’t come loose on me.

While I was shooting there,  an old guy showed up with a 45/70 and a 12 inch box that he was going to shoot.   He fired at 200yds to check his iron sight zero and it was dead on, he moved the box out to 500yds and asked me to spot his bullets for him.   He took one shot and hit just in front of the box and then made an adjustment.  I had one of several Leupold 3-9×40 tactical rifle scopes A few seconds later he fired a second round and nailed the box.   He said I could shot at the box if I wanted to so I did.   My gun could hit it, but I had about a 50% hit rate when shooting off of the bench while this 70yr old guy hit the box every time with iron sights.   I’d like to know where that guy is these days because it made me realize that just because you have a modern firearm, doesn’t mean you are going to be a better shot them some old guy with his 45/70.

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Tactical gear and taking to a paint ball game

I’ll admit this up front, some of the best combat training I have ever had was the number of years I played paintball with friends.  Not only did I learn communication skills and human behavior, but I learned about what kind of clothing I prefer to wear if I am going to be running around.  Things like car keys and cell phones can get in the way when you are laying down or swing you hands around.   Certain types of jackets can really restrict the amount of movement  you are needing and simple things like raising a gun up and trying to hold it in mid air can be stressful if you have lots of heavy clothing on.

The Eotac style 101 vests are very good tactical vests, but I realize the type of gear that swat teams and military may be putting on a vest may not be suitable for anything like this.   These vests are on the soft side and may be a little too long for those getting in and out of vehicles that may want handguns or gear to sit up higher on the chest line, but for playing paintball, these tactical vests is probable the best configuration for you.  The large rifle magazine pockets will hold paintball tubes and they are very deep that this will give you added security.   The soft flexibility is also useful and this vest will easily sit on top of whatever type of clothing you are wearing.  It makes a very good outerwear piece of clothing.   It is also easily washable although I do suggest you make sure you take everything that shouldn’t be washed out of the pockets, there are so many of them that it’s easy to get lost in them.

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In praise of the Sig 239

I have to force myself to buy various technical gear and sometimes even firearms just to stay on top of what is out there.   I still haven’t jumped into the .380 market, but at some point I’ll settle on some kind of pistol.   I was never big on j-frame revolvers until I went to 5 weddings in one summer and got tired of putting a Sig 239 in a pocket.   The pants I was wearing could fit a Sig 239 very easily, but the gun was so darn heavy that the constant off balance pull it had was as bad as jock itch.   I started out with a 38 Special snub nose T-85 for CCW and got tired of it real fast.   I then tried a Colt 1911 for  a little, but didn’t like the idea of having to disengage a safety.

After several months of not knowing what to carry, I carried my Beretta 92FS and one spare magazine.   It was ok, for a little while, but if I need to carry it for more than 5 days, I got sore spots on my hips.   A friend of mine has his own gun holsters company and offered to make me a holster, but I knew that I was on the verge of changing my concealed carry gun so I held off.  Like a freakish bought of karma, I walked into a gun shop and saw a used Sig 239 for sale, called up my buddy and told him to make a holster for me and here we are 8yrs later.  The Sig 239 is by no means a light handgun, it is small, but this is a combat worthy and durable firearm.

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Some words about Promag

I’m old enough to remember how much of a nightmare it was to find “standard’ capacity magazines for handguns in the late 1900s when the impact of the AWB was in full affect.   I use to buy semi-auto handguns based on how much the magazines cost and ended up sticking with 1911 handguns and Berettta 92FS firearms.   The Beretta 92FS is still a favorite 9mm of mine, but I have other guns that I prefer for myself.   While I was using my Beretta as a standard CCW gun, I only had 3 standard capacity magazines for it and one of my friends who was moving and getting married was selling his, I only ended up buying his gun magazines off of him.

I have had several Promag magazines from AR15 to 1911s and Beretta 92.   I would say that they are all manufactured from different times and quality varies, but the reliability has been fairly good.  I would not consider them for primary carry, but they are good range magazines.  I have a few friends that use them as primaries, but I would do thorough testing with them and consider having to use a pair of pliers if you have any issues.  I have had very good results from the Promag gun magazines that are made for the Mini 14 and Mini 30.   The 5rd magazines that Ruger ships their guns with are flush fitting and in many States the 20rd and 30rd are illegal, but the 10rd magazines make the Mini 14 a better defensive weapon in these States.  There aren’t very many other options for anything other than 5rd Ruger magazines.

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CCW for the skinny guys

I’m talking about guys here because I don’t k now very many females that carry guns IWB or pocket carry.   I’m not sure why, but most females I am friends with carry in a purse or carry in a paddle or strong side holster.   There are many ways of carrying a gun on just a belt line.   You can carry with a belt loop, double belt loop, clip on or paddle holster.   I have a few backup holsters that are the Don Hume jit holsters that work very well for me because they keep the gun up and don’t take up very much room like a paddle holster.  I also can’t feel it push against my body at all when I am sitting down, unlike the IWB holsters.   I am still looking to pick up a crossbreed holster for a Sig 239 in 40 S&W because I’ve heard they are the most comfortable holsters.   I’ll find out and tell you my thoughts later.

I have never been a big fan of putting on a holster that need to through with a belt because I really don’t feel like having to do that every morning when I get up and go off to work.  That extra 20 minutes of wiggling things around and trying to line up the holster to the belt loops ect. is rather annoying and a clip on the belt gun holsters takes 2 seconds.   I do believe that I may have found a replacement for my paddle holsters which I tend to only carry when I am wearing a vest.   The Don Hume Jit holster may work for you if you have a large cut shirt, but us skinny guys don’t have the shape to hide very much unless it’s flat up against us.

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The Sig 220 vs the 1911 enthusiast

There has been much debate about the 45acp use in handguns.   With the number of shootings I have seen where 9mm bullets were used, I’d have to say that the 9mm is definitely not a powerful round, but I have heard of bad guys taking multiple hits from an M4 that kept on coming, so there are many things that can come into play.   The 1911 has remained a popular gun and not because it is the most reliable weapon in 45acp.   I have come to the conclusion that the modern polymer guns are superior to metal guns as far as durability and reliability, but many of them do have crappy triggers.

When the Springfield XD first came out, it was a big deal for 1911 guys to find something that wasn’t a DA/SA handgun and didn’t have a sponge trigger like Glocks do.  You can get a lot of improvement in reliability with a 1911 with good gun magazines like Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick.  I have respect for Glocks, but they do have an odd feel to them and are not traditional.  The XD 45acp felt more natural to a 1911 enthusiast and brought them into the modern world.   The 1911 still has one of the best triggers, but it is not in the same category as some of the guns being made in 45acp these days.   I have several Sig 220 that have been extremely reliable, but Glock has an edge over them as far as endurace.

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