Anti-gun statists and the gun owners that aid them

"The whole CC (concealed carry) vs. OC (open carry) debate was started by legitimate training companies to drive up sales, nothing more. Every advocate of CC versus OC is a training company, or a supporter of such companies." - AZ boots n saddles

I have to agree, our friend AZ may have a point, a point followed by something possibly darker and harder to nail down - the unconscious acceptance of government authority over a right that has become regulated.

Would there be any arguments in the gun community if concealed carry did not involve begging our oppressive government for approval to do something guaranteed by our constitution? How many recognize that our personal arms are the only personal property specifically protected by the Constitution and the anti-Federalist Bill of Rights?

Emotional and irrational statements, statistically untenable propositions, derogatory attacks and decent into juvenile verbiage - the signs of the typical statist anti-gunner, yes but sadly it has become the standard signs of the new anti-OC/only CC is viable proponents, a bunch similar to the haughty hunting-only elitists like the disgraced (black rifle hoplophobe) Zumbo.

Here is a typical anti-gun person confronted with the facts disbelief  and cognitive dissonance when their irrational fanciful FAITH is shattered with EVIDENCE.

 "Carrying a gun is very dangerous. No doubt this data will be corrected soon to show that there have been dozens (or hundreds) of deaths due to road rage, arguments over parking spaces, lover's quarrels and the like. And likely thousands of deaths due to negligent discharges. The manslaughter cases for the NDs are probably still working their way through the courts, along with the murder cases. There's no way almost 403,000 people with concealed carry licenses could only produce one murder and no manslaughters. That would mean everything I've been taught about the extreme dangers of concealed carry is wrong. And that's just ... unpossible(sic)."

No, mr. cognitive-dissonance-educationally-indoctrinated-statist it is a FACT as uncomfortable as you may think it is - it IS a fact.

The above was in response to:

"In 2009 there were 402,914 people in Texas who had Concealed Handgun Licenses. During that same year there was exactly ONE CHL holder convicted of murder, ZERO Capital Murder, ZERO Manslaughter. On that one conviction, we don’t even know if the CHL was relevant. He/she may have done murder by knife for all we know. There were 577 convictions for these crimes of citizens who did not have CHLs. Out of the 402K people who had CHLs it is reasonable to assume that there were cases in which the CHL holder used their gun in self-defense, even if no shots were fired."

 Texas state statistics may be viewed here

How about more facts: Buckeye Firearms Association

Myth 3: Concealed carry will result in increases in gun related deaths, accidents, road rage and crime in general. Letting (simple, untrained and unwashed) civilians (dirty rednecks) carry concealed will result in gun fights in the streets and the "wild west" in our neighborhoods.
Fact 3: Exactly the opposite happens. Fact 3a: As of 2002 RTC states had 24% lower total violent crime, 22% lower murder, 37% lower robbery, and 20% lower aggravated assault when compared with non-RTC states (FBI crime statistics). "Concerns that permit holders would lose their tempers in traffic accidents have been unfounded. Worries about risks to police officers have also proved unfounded...
National surveys of police show they support concealed handgun laws by a 3-1 margin... There is also not a single academic study that claims RTC laws have increased state crime rates. The debate among academics has been over how large the benefits have been" ("Should Michigan keep new concealed weapon law? Don't believe gun foe scare tactics," Detroit News, 1/14/01).

 Concealed carry statistics

 99.9% of self-defense firearms uses do not result in fatal shootings of criminals, an important factor ignored in certain "studies" that are used to claim that guns are more often misused than used for self-protection. Of incarcerated felons surveyed by the Department of Justice, 34% have been driven away, wounded, or captured by armed citizens; 40% have decided against committing crimes for fear their would-be victims were armed.

Then we deal with what you typically see from the gun-ignorant feminized statists in "journalism"

"...people shooting other people for small-time offenses, like stealing the hub caps off cars."

No factual statistics, no evidence, this statement is of course completely wrong!

"...people hitting bystanders while firing at criminals."

Wrong again.

"...people shooting at criminals then being shot by police who mistake them for criminals during gunfights."


Wrong again.

"...people simply blowing their top and waving around handguns to express their anger."

Wrong again.

"The list of things that can and will go wrong is far longer and more likely than the effective use of a handgun."

Statistical evidence has proven this not just wrong but completely opposed to the statement.

That's because 98 percent of these gun enthusiasts won't have a clue.

Nice little condescending derogatory non-fact pulled from some hack's nether parts. Not only do I have a clue, but all of the range users I meet are all far more competent and practiced than any police officer I have ever known.

They will have no idea of the laws surrounding self-protection and deadly force.

I have yet to meet a shooter that is not so well versed in the laws that police typically ignorant of (and that should be their job). How many of you are aware that many police departments have a policy of not hiring people with IQs that are "too high"?

They will receive no formal training either in using their weapon or when to use it. They will not regularly practice with that weapon to make sure they can actually hit what they are pointing at. And they most likely won't know how to maintain that weapon or take the time to do so.

Didn't we go over this stupid pathetic myth before?

Oh yea... here. (So mr. Journalist hack - please go intercourse yourself with a computer mouse)

"In short, they will have the same fire power as police officers, but without any of the training, preparation and practice to handle an actual deadly force event"

He is right on one point, most shooters I know could actually outfit several police with better firearms, equipment. Counter to what our lickspittle "journalist"so offensively has written most shooters could teach them more about the law, shooting, and politeness.

So again we see such a mass of ignorance that I would cry if I actually cared about the typically leftist statist college-puke man-vagina. (link to the above stupidity)

In conclusion, please if you are a gun owner and an advocate of gun rights understand that CC or OC both prevent crime, stop thinking that somehow the propaganda by advertisers, NRA RHINO whores, instructors who make a living helping you beg for your rights and the anti-gun statists who love to see us trash each other - remember.

Gentlemen we must all hang together or we shall surely all hang (by the neck) separately - Benjamin Franklin

 Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide?

 "Our conclusion from the available data is that suicide, murder and violent crime rates are determined by basic social, economic and/or cultural factors with the availability of any particular one of the world’s myriad deadly instrument being irrelevant."

Personal critical perspective, The Kel-Tec PF-9 subcompact 9mm pistol

Personal critical perspective, The Kel-Tec PF-9 subcompact 9mm pistol.

 

Our additions to the collection, a pair of consecutively numbered Kel-tec PF9 pistols.

The Kel-Tec PF-9

Kel-Tec CNC Industries, an interesting little power-house of a manufacturer, the third largest handgun producer in the U.S. George Kellgren as Chief Engineer will likely continue to make a huge impact in the firearms industry for many more years.

This example of a subcompact pistol, taking the features and design work from the P-3AT and his earlier P11, is outselling the competition by a large margin.

Personal - This is a small lightweight cary pistol that has many points that make it well suited for concealed carry.

Small and thin
Can fit in a pocket
Quick reliable operation
Simple take-down
Double Action
Reasonable trigger and reasonable accuracy
Capable of shooting hand-loaded ammunition

The PF9 fits this list well and I was shocked at how accurate this little pip-squeak actually is on the range.

I do not “enjoy" shooting this pistol, more on this as I progress, I don’t have to love this pistol its reason for existing in the collection has nothing to do with recreation or even open carry, but a down and dirty backup or concealed carry.

Function - Using reloads, white box, bulk Remington and federal and my premium ammunition all worked with excellent results and without incident. I found a distressing problem with feeding with lead bullets as they would simply not function reliably, ever, this is not a huge loss because the pistol will not be used all that often and saving money on ammunition is not the priority.

The PF9 is a miniature 9mm with a high-power inspired tilting lock barrel that keeps the size very very small for a full powered handgun round.

I guess you could call the pistol ambidextrous but there are just not any features to speak of, at least not many that need any ambidextrous access for the use this pistol will fill.

The magazine release could be an issue, as it is with any small pistol there is simply just not much room and the magazine release button is at thumb level. Thinking clearly about the issue this pistol is just not designed nor would it be used for fast magazine changes - it is a “holy shit” self defense handgun for concealment - a concealed option with a full-power punch.

Take-down for cleaning is simple but not as fast as you would get with a more feature packed full-sized pistol. There is an unusual pull-pin that requires the rim of a case or a thin pry tool to remove the subsequent take-down is simple.

This pistol actually has a small mini-hammer in a protected rear slop that is double action only and non-recprocating - that is, it will not reset until the firearm is operated or the slide is actuated again.

Design flaws - The double action trigger on this pistol is smooth enough but is long as would be expected but exists inside a small trigger guard and is “pinch-prone” for larger fingers. The trigger has an exaggerated forward and lower angle with a relatively thin and pointed end. In examining the trigger it looks very similar to the profile of the trigger from the Russian Makarov pistol, but for whatever reason, unlike the Mak this tends to catch the trigger finger inside of the trigger guard and of course leaves little room in the guard for large fingers.

The non-recprocating hammer in double action is simply annoying - if it has to be double action with no single action feature at least make it capable of snapping twice if needed on a primer that is not cooperating as needed.

Small and lightweight, great for carry, painful and at best excessively “snappy” with this full sized round.

Magazine release at thumb-level can be a problem for some, in this case I would think that a rear frame mounted bottom of the magazine release would actually make changing the magazines quicker, a release similar to the Makarov pistol.

While not exactly a design flaw the heavy part of the pistol, the slide, is of course on top, the lightweight handle is very lightweight so the force of the 9mm is increased in its leverage making the pistol have a very unpleasant hard “snap” when firing, I found that after as little as 50 rounds I want to put it back in the box and go to another handgun, for most normal people that would be about a magazine of rounds down range.

Quality - Quality, safe-to-use "state of the art” manufacturing but the fit and finish tends to be, well, kel-tec ish, functional but not all that finished rough and ugly would be descriptive.

Caliber / Ammunition - 9x19 in a subcompact - damn thats both useful and painful. The PF-9 will accept +P ammunition with the recommendation of using it only “from time to time” +P - double damn!

Ergonomics - Ergonomic design to this pistol would be like talking about ergonomics for a smart-phone, it is just not the primary aim. This handgun’s design revolves around the ability to be small and lightweight in that it is tops in the market.

Current production - Production of the PF9 is priority out of the factory in Cocoa, Florida, while you cannot get some of the more interesting firearms due to backlogs this pistol seems to never have much of a lag in availability. The US factory produces a wide range of colors and finishes including camouflage base colors like dark brown, tan, gray, olive green, navy, and of course black with slides of colors, hard chrome plated and blued.

 

 Nice little plastic boxes come with the pistols as a retail package.

FNX 9 pistol holster modification

Months into open carry of my FNX 9 pistol I was unsuccessful in finding a “made for” holster for this handgun.

A simple modification has produced what is likely the best option for a push button retention holster available for this pistol.

After some research I found users happy with using the Springfield XD holsters, I took the chance and ordered the "Tactical Retention Paddle Holster” by Target Sports I also ordered the belt adaptor to replace the belt/pant paddle to keep this on my duty belt. Of course this is a copy of the BlackHawk SERPA holster but the price is 17 bucks at CDNN the least expensive source and you can’t beat that price.



It did fit unmodified, but it was loose and wiggled in the holster. It was close but not exact, I started to look over the holster and first noted that the barrel cover at the end was 1.5 inches longer than needed (this would give me material for modifications later see first photo).



The first photo is the complete holster unmodified and the areas that will be cut off with a saw (I used my chop saw but a Miter Box and hand saw would keep it straight). If you do use a power saw, be sure to hold the product firmly with an extension (pliers) and bring the saw to full speed and go slow, the polymer can melt and grab the blade slinging the polymer holster into the next county.

The right side photo shows the main section that will be cut and four sections (both sides of the scrap piece) that will be trimmed from that discarded piece for space fillers. Make a straight cut across the holster as near or on top of the lower indentation as shown. The material that will be used to fill in extra space can be trimmed with a dremel disk, with a heavy set of Industrial scissors, or a set of tin snips.

The cut section has two rectangles drawn, the left hand smaller rectangle is the thinner material, this will be the section for the trigger guard, the right hand will be the sections (I used both sides glued next to each other inside the holster track).

The arrows are showing the entry and exit points of the pin for the push button release. This will be explained later.



Here is the holster with paddle over the pistol, the holster’s extra nose has been removed.



This photo shows the locations for the rectangle scrap parts cut from the nose will go, trim up the pieces so they fit and you will glue them into position with super glue (hold them in place for 250 seconds, super glue will work but takes time to set with this polymer (use disposable gloves to keep from glueing yourself to the holster). In the nose section shown on the right (this is where the two thicker sections are glued) one rectangle will need to be cut to fit.



Here is a front/nose/business end, photo of the pistol in the holster showing the close fit, the arrow shows the scrap of polymer from the cut section glued into position, this photo also shows the duty belt and optional belt loop. Note that you can clearly see the extractor and firing pin hole in the empty chamber.



Now refer to the photo, the arrows show about where the pin that holds the button in is located, get a long thin punch or an ice pick and push out the pin while holding the button. There is a spring under the button that will cause it to jump across the room if you are not holding it. Once you remove the pin you will take a dremel tool abrasive disk or a file and modify the internal block/hook for the trigger so that the pistol will be locked into position.



Here is a photo series showing the inside block/hook and how it will be modified.



The top photo shows the block/hook as it would extend into the trigger guard. The middle photograph shows the block/hook highlighted. The bottom photo shows the aproximate material that will have to be removed to let the new trigger guard snap into place.

You may have to repeat your trigger block modifications and re-assemble to fit, try and take off only as much material as is needed to lock the gun into the holster.

That is all there is to this modification and it works great, and you cannot beat the price.

Personal Critical Review of Firearms - The FN FNX Pistol

The FN FNX Pistol (and FNP-45)

When no other company would serve the needs of J. M. Browning Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal stepped up into position in 1897. The Browning FN relationship lasted until his death, when Dieudonné Saive took JMB's position and finished many of his projects and added many of his own, including the first staggered extended capacity pistol magazine we all use in most full sized pistols to this day.

Many years ago my first introduction to an auto-loading pistol was the JM Browning 1911a1 pistol, later I would start to favor the Dieudonné Saive P35 - the Browning HiPower pistol. Not until this newest FN pistol, the subject of this article, have I come across a real replacement for the HiPower, something with the features that would satisfy my particular requirements.

I now think that FN has actually produced the best combination of the best features of the HiPower, the Walther P38, the modern polymer pistols, and dare I say it... the 1911 (insert the correct genuflection to JM Browning as needed). The FNX is truly the lighter, faster, tougher, grandson of the HiPower. The FNX was originally the .45 acp caliber evolution of the FNP pistol containing all of the new military demands including surviving the +P 25,000 round torture test. the FNX is the further expansion of this evolution into .40 and 9mm caliber versions.

The FNX has an external serrated burr eyelet ring hammer, is double action/single action, wears a positive safety, contains a blocked hammer drop, a "half cocked" notch, and a tactile loaded chamber indicator, all wrapped with a polymer exterior over it's skeleton like internal replaceable frame.

I did a mountain of research before I purchased my M Series pistol, I did as much or more before I dropped the cash on this new FNX pistol. I have been searching for a replacement worthy of the HiPower and more suitable and desirable than a striker-fired pistol for daily open carry. I don't think I am exaggerating when I say that this pistol is everything - and then some - that any 1911 or HiPower fan could ever ask for.

Note: the pictured Magazines are the new blackened stainless 17 round version, three come included with the pistol, I had a hard time finding the fourth, as supplies are low.

Personal - For my main open cary pistol I have a few simple demands:

1. Long service life against abuse
2. Staggered magazine of 10 or more rounds
3. Thicker grip for a larger hand
4. Simple operation and take-down
5. Manual Safety
6. Double Action/Single Action
7. External hammer
8. Reasonable trigger and reasonable accuracy
9. Capable of shooting hand-loaded ammunition and lead bullets

The FNX has all of the above and more.

The three dot sights have a lower cut-out and a larger front sight dot to make the three dots a similar size in use (distance/perspective).

Function - Using reloads, surplus, and white box, the FNX so far has had top-notch reliable function with not a single problem of any type in the short time and only 500 rounds I have sent out of the barrel. (ed. note this is now over 2000 rounds)

This pistol is in 9mm with a fully supported chamber that should prevent a glock style KB (kaboom, not all that common with 9mm to begin with) the pistol also has an integrated out of battery prevention feature. The trigger is a true DA/SA similar to a P38. All of the controls are similar to 1911, HiPower, and PPKS pistols but are better placed, larger and easy to manipulate, more comfortable, and completely ambidextrous. Take-down for cleaning is simple and fast with just a simple release lever.

The manual safety is larger and easier to use than even extended 1911 or HiPower options and in addition the gun can be loaded and unloaded and cocked while in the "safe" position and the magazine does not have to be inserted or removed to function or for take-down. The hammer drop feature (de-cocker) drops the hammer into it's "half cock" position. When the manual safety is in position the trigger literally goes "dead" becoming just a moveable appendage with no connection to the sear disconnect.

Safety on - all functions continue to work even with the safety activated.

Fire

De-cocker/hammer-drop down, hammer down.

Because of the external hammer and the manual safety/de-cocker this pistol can be carried "cocked and locked", half-cock safety down in a retention holster, or half-cock safety up according to the users desires.

Lock the slide to the rear.

Move the take-down lever to the lower position, release the slide.

FNX Pistol take-down for maintenance is quick and easy with just a few major parts groups.

Design flaws - The double action trigger is long and requires some force similar to a P1 or P38 but the release at the end is crisp. I think that the single action trigger is more than a bit "mushy" there is a lot of slack to be taken up and the release, while crisp, has three distinct pressures and travel distances to break while not stiff or hard it requires a lot of finger travel. On an additional note I will be writing later about a carry holster for this pistol, currently there are only two manufactures making holsters for this pistol finding a fit seems almost impossible, I found a retaining positive-lock holster, but had to make some significant modifications to make it fit correctly. The original shiny magazines of stainless steel are now blackened to a strange midnight purple/black and now have a quick secure positive lock into the well - both are features that FN changed regarding customer requests. I have seen some complaints about the polymer safety/de-cocker but it seems that the polymer is actually hiding an imbedded stainless steel support.

Quality - Fabrique Nationale Herstal of Belgium (and now South Carolina) is an old established weapons maker that cut it's teeth manufacturing products for Browning, has supplied militaries in both world wars (even under occupation), and is known for the most widespread military pistol in the world along with the "rifle of the west" the FNFAL. This pistol is an example of quality first world "state of the art" manufacturing.

Caliber/Ammunition - Available in 9x19, .40 S&W, and .45 acp (as the FNP-45) the glaring missing caliber is .357 Sig but because FN is positioning this gun for military contracts we may not ever see other offerings, all you big-bore shooters will love the .45 version. (Ed. note, several die-hard 1911 fans I know have now switched to the FNP45USG it is a true contender for the .45 lovers.)

Use - The FNX is a full size pistol it is large and subsequently heavy and bulky for concealed carry. I believe with some excessive effort it could work as a concealed pistol, but I would never recommend it for this use. Open-carry was my intended purpose for this gun, as a daily carry on a duty belt the weight and bulk is more than reasonable. The FNX unloaded is 21.5 oz, a relative lightweight for a full size pistol. The FNX and FNP-45 are positioned as the new military pistol, rumor is circulating that FNH is gearing up to enter possible contests to unseat the 92 as a standard issue pistol. (Ed. note this is now old news and while the military continues to love the mediocre we as civilians now have a few additional choices on the market.)

The polymer wrapping is actually not the "frame" as you can see here the skeleton frame inside of the polymer. Note: the cock, half-cock, and out-of-battery prevention lever.

Ergonomics - Ergonomic design is likely the most excellent for large hands like mine that I have ever tried in the 9mm caliber, only the FNP-45 is slightly better. The FNX has a set of four slide-in rear palm inserts with thick and thin profile and two textures. This handgun points naturally and is intended as combat-ready for quick target leveling and fulfilling military requirements.

Current production - Production of the FNX is centered at the FNH factory in South Carolina. The US factory produces all of the models from US made parts, current production is in full swing but because of the relative newness of the design used examples are not common. Accessories like holsters are few an far except the standard mount attachments that are universal.

Personal Critical Review of Firearms - The Steyr M Series Pistol

The Steyr M Series Pistol

Almost as rare as a blue moon and thankfully not as rare as hen's teeth, the Steyr M pistol is the brain-child of an obsessed gun designer and an excellent manufacturer of guns from Austria. While an Austrian engineer named Gaston Glock is often credited with the polymer pistol craze the safe-action was not the first to have a plastic frame. Heckler & Koch used a polymer for their VP70 pistol back in 1970 and polygonal rifling was already in full production in several companies. What I find most interesting is that Remington introduced their polymer-framed Nylon 66 Rifle in 1959. The Nylon66 rifle was produced with licensed DuPont Zytel a family of polymers including nylon 6-6 where the rifle got it's name. More interesting could be the fact that the Glock is made from Nylon 6 or Perlon a developed product from IG Farben (yes THAT IG Farben) to copy the Zytel/nylon 6-6 without having to pay licensing fees for use of the Zytel patent.

Back to pistols, of course Steyr wanted to gather some of that US market, unlike the civilian hating trolls at H&K, Steyr long understood that the US civilian market is an almost endless customer base that has expanded rather than contracted. In the race to try and compete with Glock, Steyr worked on developing this pistol for two years, with extensive research and a huge development budget they introduced the M series. Based on the .40 and sized down for 9x19 this beefy pistol series had the manufacturer expecting to slam dunk the competition. Steyr presented a well priced, advanced designed product with additional features. Steyr had underestimated the depth of the American market's mediocrity, lack of technical understanding, rejection of facts and evidence and simple desire for standardization. The product was not a complete flop but it was not as big of a success as would have been expected from the quality of the offering. From a marketing standpoint the problem is clear, the product while an improvement was up against a list of already established competitors (one in particular of monstrous proportions) with the addition of mountains of excellent quality used examples, the improvements became incremental in the eyes of a market blinded by movie and Rap star promotion.

I have seen postulations by the helplessly ignorant that the M Series is a "knock-off" of the Glock, I can only point out to a shooter that is so ignorant of gun design and history that they only need to pick up a 1911, a Browning Hi-power, PPK and a P-38 look them over and understand that their "utterly original Glock” - like most other pistols in production now, share features from one or more of the originals listed. Please don't be so daft as to say something so ignorant that every other shooter listening or reading is forced to face-palm themselves hard enough to cause a blackout. Many will say that because everything is compared to a Glock that makes Glock the best - BS, it makes Glock the least common denominator the bucket-grade mediocre standard by overwhelming numbers, popularity is never an indicator of quality (ask any Breitling owner about how Rolex keeps time).

I did a mountain of research before I purchased my M Series, I was a convinced "metal only" gun guy, I had a long history of “heavy metal” Browning P-35/Hi-Power pistols and 1911 .45s and just had no reason to change. Then after deciding that the M Series was going to be my big jump, the second big batch into the US was modified to fix a problem with the original triggers and that batch was up for sale! I paid 335 bucks for a 600 buck pistol and I just happened to have the cash. The pistol pictured here is my original I have had from 2001. In effect I am writing this review because this open carry pistol is about to be retired for a new pistol that is on order as I write. It is simply the striker fired design that is the kicker, I want an exposed hammer - they hid harder and can be actuated without having to rack the slide, or like the Walther pull the full weight of the striker, but if you just must have striker fired this and the Walther P99 are the models to start your reviews.

Note: the pictured take-down lever in lower position (bottom) is locked into the up position (top) by a lockable button that can render the gun inert with a special key.

Personal - At the time my demands for a replacement of my beloved Hi-Powers were simple, long service life against abuse, staggered magazine of 10 or more rounds, thicker grip, simple operation, manual safety, reasonable trigger (I was never a big fan of DAO), and it had to be capable of eating reloads. The first time I picked one up I liked the 111º grip angle and the fuller thicker grip. It was funky and ugly but it sat low in the hand and had that "lower bore axis" that is almost a demand from all shooters. It fits great, points naturally and is light enough to make a good open cary pistol. The Steyr is my main weapon nowadays, as I have taken to open carry on a regular basis. (Note: at the bottom you will see a link and a quote about the term DA or DAO in connection with striker fired pistols - it is worth reading and I agree with the author.)

The unusual triangle sights are unique, some shooters hate them, I found that I liked the pointed front sight. The small circle in the back is actually a chamber loaded indicator that pushes out when a round is inside the pipe.

Function - Using reloads, surplus, A-merc, Wolf, white box, UMC, Golden Saber, Gold Dot, Silver tip and others over the years I have come to expect top-notch reliable function. I have had a few Fail To Eject (bad loads, and the screw up we call limp-wristing) I don't even remember if I have ever had a Fail To Feed but at this point the pistol has had at least several cases of bottom of the barrel surplus blasted out of the business end. I have to be honest I have never had a Hi-power that was even close to this reliable. Because this pistol is in 9mm and it has a fully supported chamber the famous "kaboom" issue - is not an issue. The trigger is likely the shortest in travel and shortest in return of any of the striker fired pistols. Looking at all the striker fired pistols on the market this pistol is likely the most similar in weight of pull and crispness to what a SA or DA/SA shooter would think of as normal. The accuracy of this pistol design is excellent equal to my old Gold cup 70. Take-down for cleaning is almost shockingly simple and fast.

Simple take-down is quick and easy with just a few major parts groups.

Design flaws - The magazine release I think is small and I have to adjust my hand to depress the release (yet not near as bad as a stock hi-power or 1911), I'm right handed so I don't have problems with the controls that are obviously made with right handed shooters in mind. The safety is inside the trigger guard and to the top, I am unsure I would call that a design flaw or just unexpected, but it works great. Take-down requires that the trigger is depressed, yes snap the firing pin to disassemble I find this distressing.

The M Series is striker fired only, I have come to the position that I am going to replace this pistol for this reason alone. I have found that I heartily dislike striker fired pistols, after all the years liking most of the features of this pistol in particular I just cannot stand it any longer. The lack of an exposed hammer and true DA/SA capabilities has forced me to decide to give this pistol to one of the family members. It is a shame actually that such a good pistol, a pistol that has been a belt attached companion for so long is about to be replaced. Of all of the striker fired pistols available I consider this to be most likely the most advanced design and highest quality offering, but it remains a striker fired DAO pistol and sadly that is not actually a double action, the slide needs to be moved again to drop the firing pin on the primer (see the rant below).

Quality - Steyr is an old established weapons maker in Austria with manufacturing in several countries this pistol is an example of quality first world "state of the art" manufacturing.

Caliber/Ammunition - Available in 9x19, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, and outside of the US the 9x21.

Use - The full size model I have would work but it is large heavy and would work concealed with effort, as an open-carry gun that problem is eliminated. To be honest why (when they would expect to re-contract their arms) a police department wouldn't switch to this series - I don't know. This gun works like it should be more common in pistol competitions and in the hands of experienced shooters, the designer obviously is a shooter with specific demands.

Ergonomics - Ergonomic design is excellent and with the cut in on the grip it works for small and large hands well. This handgun in the full size series points naturally and is designed for quick target leveling.

Current production - Steyr is an on again - off again production into the US there are new in box, used and current production available.

From the Internet. Why Glocks are NOT Double Action.

...(I)n fact striker-fire, (is) SINGLE action, no matter what Glock and the box says. This misunderstanding has annoying operational implications, and possibly dangerous defensive implications.

Definitions:

Single Action: Pulling the trigger does ONE thing : if the hammer has been cocked, it will release the hammer. Trigger pull is light, short, and consistant between first and subsequent shots. Example: Star Firestar Plus.

Double Action: Pulling the trigger does TWO things : it will first cock the hammer if it hasn't been cocked, and then it will release the hammer. DA Trigger pull is longer and heavier than SA, but the user can cock the hammer first if they want to fire in "Single Action Mode." If the gun is semi-automatic, the first shot is DA, subsequent shots are SA due to the slide cocking the hammer for you, resulting in differing trigger feel as described above. Example : Beretta 8045, Hoekler and Koch USP series, etc.

Double Action ONLY: Any DA gun which does not allow pre-cocking the hammer because the hammer won't stay cocked, and is often bobbed or hidden. No decock is ever needed, and trigger pull is consistent between first and subsequent shots. Example: AMT Backup

Striker Fire: Rather than a hammer, an internal striker is cocked and released to fire. The striker is cocked by the first motion of the slide, and there is no way to decock other than squeezing the trigger.

Any "true" double action gun will cock the hammer by squeezing the trigger, which means you don't HAVE to cock the hammer manually before the first shot as with a single action. In contrast, a Single Action gun you have to cock the hammer before you squeeze the trigger.

Glock claims to be "double action only" because :

1) You can't cock the hammer from a "hammer spur" externally, normally a sign that the gun is DAO.
2) In normal practice, pulling the trigger makes it go off, suggesting (falsely) that the trigger is cocking the hammer like a DA.
3) Trigger pull feels consistant between shots, suggesting DAO.

All three are wrong because :

1) Glock can be (and is) cocked externally for the first shot, but its done by the slide motion involved with loading the first round into the chamber rather than an overt hammer. This is true of any other semi-auto gun -- unless it really IS a DAO gun, any semi-auto can be cocked by racking the slide if you wanted).

2) The gun IS in fact cocked for the first shot before the trigger is pulled, and stays that way once cocked until fired, just like any other SINGLE ACTION. The second shot is cocked by the first, etc.

3) Just as with any other NON-DAO semi-auto, Glock counts on the process of chambering a round to cock the gun for you between shots. Since you always fire in single action mode, the trigger always feels the same.

After some research I found that striker fired true double action pistols do exist. The Walther P99 has several options that are examples of a true DA pistol that uses a striker-firing pin system with a second (plus) hit-the-primer capability. The trigger will continue to cock and release the firing pin. As I understand there are several other true double action striker fired pistols.

Personal Critical Review of Firearms - The CZ, Vz-82 9x18 Pistol

CZ, Vz-82 9x18 Pistol

Likely the most inexpensive almost-small concealed carry pistol available, left and right hand friendly and more ergonomic in operation than than the PPK or Makarov.

Česká Zbrojovka is the Czech firearms manufacturers, known collectively as CZ to the gun buyer in the United states. CZ was the real gun company behind the iron curtain the collective was known before the war as a quality center for firearms and later under Soviet domination were known for quality products even under oppression of the hammer and sickle. CZ, Brno and the older ZB - Zbrojovka Brno along with other labels are representative of seven design centers and factories located near the Carpathian Mountains of former Czechoslovakia now the Czech Republic. It is unclear to me now how the CZ logo is used amongst the seven factories, or even what factories are in current operation.

Moravia became the center for the highest quality firearms not only for Bohemia but the entirety of Europe. Moravia also became known for exporting individual gun craftsmen for hundreds of years through migration, many American revolutionary war rifles and later the famous long Kentucky rifle were produced by Moravian craftsmen that had immigrated into Pennsylvania surrounding states.

The Vz 82 pistol is a surprisingly modern design based on the fixed barrel surround spring pocket and small pistol forerunners. The 82 has a reasonable ambidextrous safety lever, and an excellently designed slight beaver tail spur hammer that is easy on the thumb for bypassing the double action trigger when desired. The 82 is a double action/single action pistol with a typical heavy DA but the comfortable longer trigger gives plenty of surface area for reasonable trigger finger operation. Outside of the DA operation the single action trigger pull is also reasonable and relatively light and crisp, again surprising for a military pistol. The 82 has a double stack funneling type magazine that of course makes the grip wider, a big comfort for larger hands like mine, the magazine release is also ambidextrous.

Inexpensive surplus the 82 makes a more than reasonable choice for a small shooter or for concealed carry. The 82 uses the 9x18 Soviet round, the round while often derided is more powerful than the .380 and is without a doubt a small but potent round.

Personal - The double stack magazine makes the grip wider, immediately I liked it better than the Makarov, the safety design is easy to manipulate and the lower top slide seems more like larger pistols. Get a good grip on this thing, the recoil spring that comes with the pistol is just a bit too weak for the round and it can bite into the web of your hand if you are loosy-goosie with the grip. I bought the pistol to replace my wife's Mak and it's double stack magazine and the fact that it uses the 9x18, all requirements she had for a new pistol. The pistol points well, almost as naturally as more modern designs, but it does require a slight downward turn of the wrist.



Note the round capacity holes on the back of the magazine, how many rounds? Quick and easy, a common feature now, but thankfully included on this model's magazine.

Function - The 82 requires a good grip, a loose grip will cause a misfeed as the slide will start a return over the top of the round without striping it from the magazine and lodging over the back of the rim. My wife, who has loved her Mak for years was holding the pistol too low and without a firm enough grip, once she put the web of her hand into the curve, the feed issue stopped. With a reasonable grip on the pistol I and my wife were able to use a mixed bag of surplus (corrosive) and commercial FMJ and HP without any functional problems. The DA is useable and fairly smooth, but significant, it takes some real effort to actuate.

Design flaws - Poor grips, the plastic grips on this example were warped and loose with more than a few cracks. A good wrap-arround rubber grip would make this a dream to shoot. The magazine release is small and difficult to use, completely un-accessable with the thumb from the shooting grip, it is imbedded deep on the side and covered slightly by the grip, the empty double stack magazine does drop free when released.

Quality - I want to say quality first world manufacturing, and I think the metal and design are top shelf, but the "fit and finish" leave a lot to be desired.



I think I know where they (at one time) employed all of their retarded cousins from the Czech-Moravian areas - they put them behind an old whire-wheel and had them blunder over "finishing" the metal. It must have been terrible - the howling from the monkeys, that is - the monkeys they used to sputter the poor quality house paint over the poorly finished (almost butchered) metal. It had to be monkeys because the poor finish was flung onto the metal like only monkeys can fling poo.

I don't know what the satin black paint on the pistol is but I think cheap big-box latex house paint would be a good comparison. After the first magazine the paint on the grip started rubbing off and at the end of the day clear chips were showing on the slide.

If you love "project guns" this is perfect for you. The monkey poo finish the mob of retarded Moravian cousins flung on that pistol model needs to be replaced with something other than the walmart-like latex caked onto the metal. I wish I had known about how bad this finish issue actually was before I sprung the extra for a "less abused" pistol that would need a refinish regardless of how little some cold war era politizi fingered the poor thing.

Now one more thing about the photo above, I used a little bore scrubber on the gun and got some on the finish, thinking I could just dab it off - hell, every spot completely removed the monkey poo - I put a little on a rag and it wiped off no scrubbing just a light rub! Now I need to order something to fix this, I guess I will polish this with some flitz and cold blue the poor thing.

The fixed barrel lends to excellent accuracy from the polygonal barrel, it is clearly on par with my wife's old Ishy Mak and that is excellent. The inclosed firing pin is quite beefy and has a stiff return spring, both excellent features.

I have new grips and a new stiffer recoil spring ordered and on the way.

Note: I ordered the Wolf three spring kit and ended up having to move to the heavy “extra power” spring to try and eliminate all the “bite” that little pistol had.


The new grips from a small company called “Designer Grips” were excellent, and much higher quality than the originals.

Caliber/Ammunition - 9x18 Makarov, I don't know if any kits to convert it over to .380 are available like the Mak but who knows, if there is one, be sure and forward that contact.

Use - With a refinish and new grips it would make a stylish holster rider for open carry and it's size lends itself to concealed with a belt or shoulder holster, it is light and small enough to be comfortable for a double stack higher capacity, but at about 35 oz (2 1/8 lbs) loaded it is a bit hefty for an ankle holster.

Ergonomics - An older but reasonable ergonomic design good for the "average" to large hand, it points well with a slight down point, and the low slide to barrel relation makes accurate aiming quite natural and quick.

Current production - The 82 is surplus no longer in production, but it's commercial brother the 83 (available in .32 and .380) is in current production and from rumor I understand some of the parts are interchangeable the .380 magazine for sure is interchangeable.

Personal Critical Review of Firearms - The GLOCK "Safe Action" pistol

GLOCK "Safe Action” pistol

What can you say, Glock has become a household name, for good or ill it is associated with alphabet named statist thugs, bling incrusted gang-bangers, insane gunman shootings, and foot shooting law enforcement retards.

Reliability, dependability, and simplicity have become the calling card for the Glock, the simple pull the trigger trigger within a trigger safety has both fans and detractors, what you will not see are many questions about its usability and reliability. In many cases new gun owners will end up with a Glock of one of the various models as their first pistol, they are prolific in manufacture and in second hand sales.

The original ugly plastic gun, introduced with the same screaming incoherent babble from the statist left about undetectable terrorist/criminal weapon as you would expect from the ignorant gun-hating bed-wetters. As luck would have it Glock weathered all the first introduction negativity to become a powerhouse in the handgun market. Following the Henry Ford model of product choice the Glock handguns come in every color you want - as long as it is black, simple in operation and durable the ugly plastic handgun design from Gaston has led even hardened 1911 fans away from their cult fan club.

Personal - Glock and it's success was enough to make me consider my "metal only" frame of mind, while I ultimately did choose to keep a competitive product rather than a Glock what was clear was that the old thinking was, well, old... Right out of the box the standard sized and long versions of the Glock are very accurate, while not as accurate as a few newer handguns (and custom racing guns), the polygonal twists in the barrels make them far above just acceptable. The grip on most of the models seems to be designed for hands much smaller than my inflated mitts, but is reasonably comfortable for most but the smallest hands.

Why don't I have a Glock? Four reasons: no manual secondary safety, not designed for reloading, the religious-like fan club (particularly the thug wannabees) and finally the trigger, I find I dislike the hammerless disconnect handguns. I don't care that it is ugly, if given one, unlike an AR15 I would likely think seriously in keeping the Glock.

Function - Using quality (and often crappy also) ammunition any user should expect top-notch reliable function, I don't need to say much in this regard, I have never had a Glock owner tell me they quit the Glock because they have functional problems (this does not count the famous "kaboom" issue).

Design flaws - The main concerns about the Glock are well documented and almost endlessly hashed over, I am not going to fault the Glock within it's design limitations, but as usual point out the "outside design limitations". Reloading, without a doubt this for me is always a deal breaker, I must have the ability to design and handload for my guns, for the Glock with a stock barrel this is not an option I would recommend or attempt.

I am going to point out the unsupported lower position and the contribution this has to the "kaboom" issue, clearly reloaded ammunition is generraly at fault yet there are some documented cases of factory ammo Kbs. (note the site is run by a notorious former gun-rag jerk, and as much as I dislike this statist whorish ass-hat, his research on this issue is solid). I have seen some indication that there could be an issue with out of battery firing contributing to the Kb issue.

Most manufacturers of .40 ammo have redesigned their .40 cases just to compensate for the wide chamber and unsupported lower position of the Glocks. Such is the power of the market presence of the Glock that most ammunition makers have made this adjustment.

The trigger, what can I say, pull the trigger - gun go boom!, both elegant in simplistic function, and so capable of catching the unaware. Few internet youtube watchers have missed the films of "highly trained" cops and rent-a-cops shoot themselves because they could not understand the nature of the Glock trigger. Many people consider a well designed retention holster part of the necessary safety equipment for a Glock. If you cannot keep crap or your booger hook out of and off the trigger guard and trigger - this handgun is a dangerous bomb about to go off, I don't care if you shoot yourself, but a bystander is another story.

Here is a youtube link to the DEA dork who shot himself with a Glock fo-tay...



Quote -
"I'm the only one in this room professional enough that I know of to carry this glock-fo-tay"... Boom!

Quality - Glock is an example of what we would expect from quality first world "state of the art" manufacturing.

Caliber/Ammunition - Available in .380, 9mm, .357 Sig, .40, 10mm, .45 GAP, and .45 ACP outside of the 7.62x25 and 9 Mak there are not many holes in the Glock line.

Use - Glock has a large line of various size products to cover most meeds, from an open in a holster for utility and patrol handgun to concealed backup, you want it they make it.

Ergonomics - Ergonomic design is reasonable for the "average" hand and the handgun full size series points well, designed for quick target leveling.

Current production - Currently many models are in production, the term "cannot swing a dead cat" comes to mind, the Glock is everywhere in the US.