All posts tagged Wilson Combat

Tactical vests and firearm retention

Gun vests are as diverse in application and gun holsters are.   There are various types of vests for specific missions and some of the best ones to get are the ones that you can configure yourself.   Not everyone needs to carry 12 gun magazines for their M4 Carbine and most of that would even be considered extreme for a combat soldier.   I am a big fan of leg holsters because my primary fighting weapon is an M4 rifle and I don’t like the idea of putting a handgun up on my vest because it’s one more thing for my rifle sling to snag on.   Eotac and Woolrich Elite vests suit me better because they are softer and don’t have a holster for retaining a firearm, it’s all magazine and gear and the pistol magazine holder is inside the pockets, not outer pouches.

I am also not a fan of vests that carry tons of rifle and pistol ammunition, it’s good to be able to carry a backup handgun incase your primary goes down, but I’m more inclined to bring a spare bolt and firing pin so I can replace most broken parts on my M4 in only a minute.   Having 2 or 3 Wilson combat magazines for my 1911 is all I need for most practical purposes.  If I need more handgun ammunition than that, I might as well pack a few grenades and be able to call in an airstrike, too.  If you are wearing a tactical vests, in my opinion, it’s cross draw, or it’s a leg holster for your handgun.

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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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Knock down power some range results

Sometimes ballistics testing can get too complicated and there are so many variables when it comes to testing a bullets performance that people really have to look at the results under realistic conditions and and realize that getting a hit is more important than which caliber, but when you compare hit to hit, there are differences in performances.    I’ve seen ballistic results where 9mm ball ammo was said to have hit with the same energy that a 45acp had, but I have seen multiple times that steel plates would not go down as frequently with 9mm ball ammo.   There were times when we heard  hits and nothing would drop.

Now that so many criminals are getting a hold of body armor, bullet penetration is coming more of an issue.   Even for those that are service over seas, 9mm ball ammo doesn’t penetrate a suicide bomber vest.  M855 is not very good for soft targets but against body armor it is.   We’ve been selling more Wilson Combat magazines to troops doing security detail because in their opinion 45acp worked better on soft targets and M855 was still necessary for penetration against suicide bombers and taking on cars.

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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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IWB carry for a 1911

I have always thought that carrying a full size auto meant carrying the gun in a paddle holster or a shoulder holster, but that like many other conclusions has changed.   I have never been afraid to just carrying one firearm and not have to worry about carrying backup magazines although I’m not going to tell you that  you need to do the same.  With the prevalence of people carrying cell phones on their belts, you do have to be careful about where you are placing  your spare gun magazines.   There have been times where I have noticed that certain types of shirts and sweatshirts and even some jackets will ride up too high on my waist when I am trying to retrieve my cell phone.

If I am going to an environment where deep concealed carry methods need to be employed,  sometimes we may have to stick to just one gun and avoid carrying spare magazines on the waist.   I have thrown spare magazines for my Colt 1911 in a pocket, usually my Wilson Combat magazines but I have found all too many times that my 5.11, Woolrich Elite or Eotac pants will eventually work a bullet out of the gun magazine and that’s not a good thing.   I think the only other deep cover option I would consider would be a ankle holster that could carry spare magazines for an auto.   The good thing about the 1911 design is it’s slick thin design.

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Reliability of the 1911 GI or MilSpec guns

My first 1911 was a Colt 1991A1 that I picked up for $375 for a gun shop.   The gun was hardly used and I don’t believe it was ever shot.  Every 1911 that I own has been had for under $400.   I have had maintenance issues with my Colt 1991A1, but I believe the gun has well over 10,000 rounds through it and I’ve made a few customizations to improve it.   I miss my gunsmith, but he did mess up something on the gun when I took it to him to have the feed ramp polished.  When he was polishing the feed ramp he hit the slide stop and put a niche in it that I noticed immediately after test firing that the gun would not lock back.   He found the mistake was his and fixed it, but I thought that it was a good time to replace the slide stop with an extended one.   When I put Hogue gun grips on Colt, it made the grips a little fatter and it was a little difficult to hit the slide release with my thumb.

I messed around with polishing the feed ramp and using Wilson Combat magazines and noticed a good improvement in feeding SWC and HP ammo, but I was still not happy with it not running flawlessly.   At this point, I don’t care, I’ve seen enough junks of wood fly out of the back of backstops to notice the difference between a 45acp and 9mm ball ammo to know that one type of ball ammo is better than the other.   I would never use 9mm ball in a defensive situation, but a 45acp is fine by my book.   I have also noticed absolutely no difference between Wilson Combat magazines that are 7rd vs 8rd.   I have done the 8 +1 in the chamber on several occasions and never noticed any reliability issues as long as the gun wasn’t stored like this for very long.   Even though I believe manual safeties aren’t the best type of device to have on a CCW gun, I think 8rds of 45acp ball ammo in a GI 1911 is not a negative.

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Wilson Combat range tests

This past weekend I got to take my 1911 collection to the range along with a friend and family member that all brought their 1911 handguns.    The real test I wanted to conduct is to see which magazines would all fall free from the guns when the magazine release was pressed and how reliable the guns were.    It still amazes me that the number of people with AR15 rifle or 1911 handguns that are not using the best on the market with their guns, even though they carry them or use them for self defense.   I have strongly felt that Magpul P-mags should replace every GI magazine in your inventory and I’m waiting to see if anyone comes out with handgun magazines as durable.   I believe it is coming.

Wilson Combat magazines have been my favorite every since my first and only bad reliability range day with my Colt 1991A1.    The second range trip with my Colt wasn’t very good because I had the same issue with the gun closing on an empty chamber.  In a defensive situation, this is as bad as the gun stove piping.  You will still have to manually cycle the gun to load it and you will even have to change the magazine out.   Get Wilson Combat magazines and avoid the problem and toss your USGI magazines or move them to plinking malfunction drill range trips.    Chip McCormick magazines are a close second place for me, but Wilson Combat has a good selection of gun accessories for your 1911 if you want to take a look.

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Buying used guns that have hardly been used

I recently jumped into the world of Glock ownership.   It is a used Glock 19 which is a Generation 2.   I got it fora about $400 out the door and even though it has a little bit of holster wear.   The barrel looks like it has less than 500rds through it.   It’s funny how many times I’ve picked up a new firearm from a gun shop that had a few dents or dings on it but the internal parts were hardly worn.   I’m sure 90% of the lever action and bolt action firearms you see in the used section have the same history, but you should always inspect the internal workings before purchasing.   I’ve seen excessive wear on firearms due to lack of cleaning and lubrication and although the guns haven’t jammed, they had less than 1000rds through them and look really beat up.

There are great deals on used Sig Sauer pistols, Glock firearms and Beretta 92FS types.   These guns were standard issue for most of our LEOs in the last two decades and many are switching over to other types of autos.   Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory have put out there own handguns that have taken a bite out of the Glock stronghold, but I won’t pick a winner  yet.   I prefer to have atleast a paddle holster for each handgun I own and gun holsters for concealed carry if I am expecting to carry it at some point.   The only handguns I don’t have holsters for are a Ruger Single Six and a Ruger MKII pistol.   These are primarily plinking guns and not going to be carried.

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Comfort is the primary goal

I am beginning to grow tired of carrying IWB anymore.   I guess it’s my present work load and the amount of physical work I’ve  been doing the last year, but I’m really starting to feel it when it gets to day 6 of the week and I’m carrying IWB.   I am growing more comfortable with smaller semi-auto guns and my Ruger LCP is a fun gun to shoot and carry.   I had some reservations about carrying a small semi-auto because I’ve shot some NAA 32acp guns and I though the bite was a little much.   Any gun is better than no gun, but I really don’t like having guns that I don’t enjoy shooting.   I have sent a good bit of lead downrange with the Rohrbaugh R9 guns, but they are more of a novelty backup gun and I’m honestly afraid of breaking the gun or wearing it out too soon.

Pocket carry is the most comfortable for me, but I am having a little bit of trouble with some of my wardrobe and the types of pocket holsters I have.   I am noticing an awful lot of lint building up in my gun holsters and I’m tracing it to the sweatshirts that I own.  Now that FAll is almost over and Winter is a few weeks away, I’m wearing things that cause lint build up to increase.    I prefer to carry guns that are combat proven, but CCW is another thing.   If I notice too much build up on my pocket guns I’m going to have to do some serious overhauls in my wardrobe.   The thought of having to clean my guns more than once a week is a little impractical and.

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Gunsmithing and 1911 reliability

My first 1911 was a Seriea 80 which has a firing pin plunger, but in my opinion that was a good thing to add to the design and IMHO does not take away from the novelty of the firearm.   I have heard from so many of my friends that Kimber makes the best 1911s, but I still have yet to understand why I should bother spending over $1000 on  a firearm when I already own two 1911 handguns that cost me less than $400 each.   Springfield Armory GI models are very well made and I have had zero reliablilty issues with my guns.   I have to admit that I am not one to push the limits on the types of ammo that my guns eat and I think that may be the real reason I don’t have issues with them.

When I first carried for work, I carried a Colt 1991A1 and used hollow points, but I  had an awful lot of malfunctions with the 2nd round.   Not that often, but maybe about 1 out of 75 rounds might not seat all the way and I would have a stoppage.   I was told to polish the feed ramp and I did, and the gun did run more reliabile, but then I did have maybe 1 out of 300rds jam  on me.   I took a good look at ballistics charts and realized that a 45acp FMJ does enough damage and worrying about bullet expansion with such a large caliber was kinda pointless.   I wouldn’t get too caught up in doing too many tricks to get your 1911 to run reliable.   Find the ammo that really does work, in my case, FMJ and try sticking with Wilson combat magazines or Chip McCormick.  I mostly use 8rd mags and although there are some that claim that these are not as reliable as 7rd magazines, I have had zero issues.   One thing I do not do any longer is one up the magazines.  There seems to be some magazines seating issues if I force an 8rd magazine in the guns with 1 round in the chamber.

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