The Firearm Blog

[ I am pleased to present this guest post written by Matt Green ]

This Ruger .45 my Dad left me is one of the first weapons I ever fired.

My grandparents had a farm in central Minnesota, near St. Cloud, and we would drive the two hours to visit every month or six weeks or so. Nearby was an old iron bridge, crosshatched with braces, bedded with wood that beginning to rot as the bridge neared the end of its first century of usefulness. The newer highway bridge went over the slow moving creek a couple of hundred yards upstream, so the metal bridge on the dirt road was relegated to cars and small trucks. It was too small for any modern farm machinery to pass across it.

But it was a great place to learn how to shoot. Dad would bring out his Ruger Mk1 .22 and this Blackhawk, and my three brothers and I would take turns shooting pop cans and empty ammo boxes floating in the river, tossed in on the upstream side of the bridge. Dad would occasionally take a turn with the .22, but he mainly used his .45, usually stoked with ACP ammo, since it was less expensive than Long Colt. It was also a way for him to see if we’d been fooling with his pistols in his absence, as he caught my younger brother once when he hadn’t put the ACP cylinder back in. Dad loaded a .45 ACP round, and it dropped deep into the LC cylinder. One look at the bunch of us, and he knew which brother was guilty.

When we exhausted the .22 ammo, we’d each get a cylinder full of .45 to shoot, or most of one, since five rounds each made the box come out even. It was harder to shoot well than the .22, and much louder (I don’t remember that we bothered with ear protection back then), but it was very satisfying to shoot it well and have Dad comment as much.

I miss him, and think of him whenever I shoot the old Ruger, or really, whenever I handle firearms in general. The interest I have in firearms now was sparked long ago by shooting with him.

[ I am pleased to present this guest post written by Wayne Watson. Wayne blogs at Oswald Bastable's Ranting and New Zealand Back Country ]

Uberti's 1847 Walker Colt

A volunteer in the U.S. Army at the begining of the War in Mexico, another tall hero emerges from the Legendary Texas Rangers, Captain Samuel Walker. Experienced with the advantages of a repeating arm in combat, Walker teamed up with Samuel Colt in 1846 to develop what was to become the most sought after of the Hartford Model Colt percusion revolvers. As a Texas Ranger and Dragoon officer, Walker knew first hand that the early designs that Colt had produced were the key to an even more awesome light cavalry sidearm. The combined knowledge and experience of Walker and Colt brought out the first six-shot .44 caliber revolver, successfully arming a growing nation with a firearm it desprately needed and sealing the Army contracts that would pull Colt out of bankruptcy and secure his future. Captain Walker died in October of 1847 at the Battle of Juamantha, Mexico, but his legacy lives on in all Single Action revolvers and is honored with the Uberti Walker revolver, an exact and faithful reproduction of the original. ~from the Uberti Website

I fell for this hog-leg, when I first picked one up from a display at the Wairarapa Pistol & Sports Shooting Club- Trail's End 2004. The New Zealand Uberti agent, Neil Hayes, promises that every customer will go away smiling after firing one of these!

Certainly that has been my personal experience and that of every one I have loaned my Walker for a try.

There is always the appeal of the biggest, loudest and most powerful hand-howitzer that makes the red-blooded shooter just HAVE to fire that piece. The beauty of the Walker is that it won't leave you with torn thumb webbing, sprains or strains and medical bills! It WILL get folks peering into your bay to see what on earth you are shooting!

True to the original, The Walker has its faults- fortunatly the metallurgy is not one of them. The loading leaver does sometimes drop when firing, a problem corrected in the Dragons. I found that this can be fixed by dropping the charge back from 60 to 55 grains, but a simple fix for those who have to fire full house loads (and why would you buy a Walker if you weren't going to) is to tie it up with a short piece of leather thonging- no doubt as the Texas Rangers did.

The sights are basic,but that doesn't stop this shooting iron from delivering some grat groups- I have shot 2' groups at 25 yards, which is about as good as I can do with any non-target pistol. I evem manage to hit out 1/2 sized buffalo sillouette at 200 yards three times out of five- on a good day!

Wayne's Walker Colt

The Colt degign is a breeze to strip and clean. My method is to tap out the wedge, remove the nipples and place cylinder and nipples in a tin can with a little household detergent.

I then pour boiling water through the barrel and IMMEDIATELY spray liberally with WD-40- though the barrel and everywher else. Helps to have a rag to hold the hot steel!

The cylinders are scrubbed with a small bottle brush, then the water is drained and cylinder and nipples get the WD-40 treatment. Speed is the trick- rust sets in FAST.

From there it is wipe well and lubricate with a good quality oil, with a good quality grease on the arbor pin. Don't spare the cleaning cloth- it's cheap enough!

Four years later, My Walker still looks like new and it gets PLENTY of use.

This piece of history is available here in New Zealand for $595 NZ.

It is just too depressing for me to look up a US list price, so I will leave that to you!

Wayne Watson New Zealand

[ I am pleased to present the first post in the series of guest posts that will run for the next couple of weeks. This post was written by Aaron Spuler. ]

I’d been looking at the local gun shops over the past few months, but they only have so much selection. The Saxet gun show is in Austin, Texas every third weekend of the month. Hadn’t been to a gun show in a while, and knew that it would be a good opportunity to not only see but get some hands-on time with a variety of different pistols. Specifically, I was looking for a reliable, compact every day carry pistol. I’d been planning on carrying my Bersa Thunder 380, but it is just a little heavy and large for daily carry. There is a variant of the Bersa Thunder 380 intended for concealed carry, but I just own the standard version. So I put together a list of different pistols to take a look at and did some online research before going to the show.

Kel-Tec PF-9

I was a little disappointed as the selection was not as varied as I’d hoped – predominantly Glocks and Sigs, with small amounts of others thrown in the mix. I did, however manage to get to handle a Kel-Tec PF-9. That was at the top of my list of pistols to check out at the show. The three vendors selling new Kel-Tec PF-9’s were selling them for anywhere from $15 - $65 over MSRP. In other words: not good. I’m glad I did a second look at one table, because there was a PF-9 on the table that I missed the first time around for under MSRP. Purchased the brand new Kel-Tec PF-9 for $302.85, including tax.

After the show I purchased an extra magazine, a Hogue Handall Jr. grip sleeve, and some Hornady Critical Defense 115 grain JHP ammunition to go along with the pistol. I already had a Desantis Nemesis holster, originally purchased for the Bersa Thunder 380, that the PF-9 fits into nicely.

I took the PF-9 out to the range on Saturday and put 130 rounds through it at a target posted 30 feet away. I tested a combination of 115 grain PMC FMJ and Winchester JHP. Both the FMJ and JHP ammunition cycled and fired flawlessly – I experienced zero errors (failure to feed, failure to fire, failure to eject).

The PF-9 does not possess an external safety, and relies instead on a double-action only (DAO) trigger. The trigger pull distance is slightly long, but the pressure is spaced evenly throughout, rather than a heavy jump right before the hammer is released. The trigger pull weighs in at a reasonable 6 pounds of pressure, similar to that of a double action revolver.

Surprisingly, for such a lightweight gun, I did not notice any issues with the recoil, and neither did another shooter that put 8 rounds through the PF-9. Perceived recoil may be slightly more than a full size pistol, but at 15.5 oz (fully loaded), that is to be expected with this size of pistol. Recoil is considerably less than that of a Ruger LCP, which weighs in at 9.4 ounces and fires the smaller .380 ACP cartridges.

The sight picture is a traditional 3 dot system, and point of aim is very natural. I could close my eyes, bring the PF-9 up to aim, and open my eyes to find the sights very near their intended location.

I tended to take up the slack in the trigger to about 80% and then jerk the remaining 20% during the first magazine. Although I was able to maintain a good sight picture, jerking the trigger caused groupings to be in the 8 – 10 inch range. After correcting that issue by maintaining a steady pull on the trigger all the way through, I found that the PF-9 is capable of more accuracy than I am. I was able to consistently get 8 round groupings that could be covered by the palm and fingers of one hand. The final 8 rounds fired for the day were in a grouping approximately 3 inches in diameter.

Once I have my license to carry (waiting on the state to finish processing my application) I'll be carrying this pistol with me everywhere I'm legally able to.

[ Errr ... that was a quick break! ]

Gun Holsters and Gear has info on the Fourth Generation Glock.

We all thought that the RTF2 Glock that come out this year was the 4th gen glock.

UPDATE: Gun Holsters and Gear takes a look at probable features of the next gen glock.

The Automag was a revolutionary pistol when it was invented. It is recoil operated and uses rotating bolt similar to the AR-15. Despite the gun being a commercial failure (it cost far more to make than the sale price), it was the inspiration for the Desert Eagle and the Wildey autoloader pistols.

The original Automag which chambered the .44 AMP. From Gunbroker.

Jeff Cooper attributed the design to gunsmith Max Gera, although his name did not appear on the final patent. After a falling out with the boss he sold his share of the company and, after a brief stint at Charter Arms, fell off the face of the Earth. Even his daughter had no idea where he was until earlier this year, after three decades in obscurity, when he contacted the author of a book about the AutoMag. Max was interview in April and it is a fascinating read ...

First, who is Max Gera ? In the March 1970 issue of Guns & Ammo magazine, Jeff Cooper twice credits Max Gera as the designer of the Auto Mag and refers to him as Auto Mag Corp.'s Design and Engineering Manager. Max was also named as co-inventor of the Auto Mag on the first patent application which was later abandoned. Max's name didn't appear on the final patent.

In October of 1970, Max sold off his interests in the Auto Mag and left Harry Sanford.

After Auto Mag Corp. declared bankruptcy in May of 1972, Max was blamed by some for causing Auto Mag to fail. These were mostly just rumors. However in a letter to Deputy Ed Lippert in July of 1972, Jeff Cooper of Guns & Ammo explained why Auto Mag Corp. went bankrupt. The letter blamed Max and typified the type of rumors that were flying around at the time. Max has asked me to remove this letter from this work as it is inflammatory, libelous and damaging to my reputation.

The above photo is of an AutoMag that was auctioned off earlier this year by the son of Harry Sanford, who owned the company that made the pistol. He claimed to be the brains behind the operation and that Max was just the machinist. His son obviously also thinks so. From the auction ...

You guys that have been watching these AutoMag auctions and have probably been wondering when will it end. Well, it does with this one...with the exception of one gun which we are trying to get from a family member that may never show up. This is the last AutoMag from the Harry W. Sanford estate.

The guy that read Col. Coopers article in 1958 about a .44 magnum rimless cartridge. In the 60's, as I was a kid, I hung out with Max Gera. He had some thoughts on my Dad's idea of an M-16 rotating bolt magazine pistol in .44 Mag. He started some machining on a crude milling machine and I was there when he shot his first shot in a hole in the back of my Dad's gun shop. They were on there way.

Max had different ideas. He was bought out and my Dad brought some partners in. It was some wild times. Every gun guru in the world was flying in to see this new pistol. The first AutoMag rolled off the production line about two years behind schedule. They were beautiful -- all hand-machined and fitted. They were the best AutoMags ever to be made.

So who really designed it? I think we will never really know. There seems to be much evidence that Max was the designer, but in business rarely does the brains really get the credit, usually it is the guy who paid the bills ... or at least that is my experience.

By the way, that pistol was auctioned off for over $6000! Some more photos of it ...

Many thanks to Ken for the link.

Steve has created a video about practicing point shooting with a dryfire laser system.

John Broekhuizen wrote a blog post to accompany the video.

This comes straight from the I-never-thought-I-would-ever-blog-this department. Press TV reports:

> Saudis will be able to buy handguns and other personal firearms openly for the first time, the country's interior ministry has anounced.

> ...

> The move is aimed at reining in the widespread illegal ownership of handguns and assault weapons, a Saudi official said.

Hat Tip damien @ The High Road.us

Taking 1911 and Glock rivalry to new heights

After a nearly 6 months hiatus I was very pleased see a new post at Tam's The Arms Room. Her latest blog post in the Sunday Smith series covers the S&W Number 1 revolver.

S&W Number 1

Defense Aerospace reports that many of the Walther P1 pistols, which Germany donated to the Afghan police force, have found their way onto the black market. Defense Aerospace reports:

German military pistols are being sold on the black market in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The weapons were sent in 2006 and were intended for local police and army personnel.

Arms dealers in the region told German public radio that hundreds of German weapons were for sale carrying a price tag of over 680 euros a piece ($1,000).

In 2006, the German Defense Ministry shipped 10,000 old Walther-P1 pistols to the Afghan Interior Ministry to equip Afghan police and army. However, both the German government and the responsible US-led security team in Afghanistan reportedly failed to properly monitor the guns' whereabouts.

The US unit said that it only had detailed records of 4,563 pistols out of a total 10,000.

Current and former Afghan soldiers and police officers are said to be among those illegally selling and trafficking the pistols, some of which have ended up in Pakistan's north-west border provinces and neighboring tribal areas.

...

The team of NDR radio reporters who discovered the black market guns said it's not clear exactly how they ended up there.

"Apparently, most of these pistols haven't been stolen, but were simply taken home and sold by former police officers and soldiers after they'd left the service," said Christoph Heinzle, who headed the NDR team. "But corruption and theft cannot be ruled out because neither the Afghan authorities nor the US and German armed forces carry out effective controls to prevent [theft]."

The United States has also come under criticism in the past for losing track of weapons donated to local forces. Short of retina scanning, which is being used to keep track of Iraqi M16 rifles, there is very little that can be done to prevent the end-users stealing the weapons they are issued.

Walther P38 (designated the P1 by the Bundeswehr)

Many thanks to Daniel for the link.

RobArm has started shipping XCR pistols to dealers. I have discussed the pistol previously on the blog. It is essentially a semi-auto XCR PDW without the butt stock. This allows civilians to own it without having to pay BATFE tax.

A very mean looking pistol. Note the nifty sling attachment that replaces the butt stock.

Many thanks to Armando for the info and photos.

The Sig P238 has been given the "Rainbow Titanium" treatment. This model will retail for $751, about $200 more than the standard "Nitron" model.

Sig Sauer is now producing an "R" model of their .45 ACP chambered SIG P220 Compact pistol. The P220R Compact does away with the beaver tail, reducing the frame length by 0.5", and adds an accessory rail.

SIG P220R Compact (Two Tone model).

SIG lists two models, a blued model and two-tone model, although no price is given for the two-tone which I suspect means it is not yet able to be purchased.

This year the Dutch Police have been trailing new pistols which will replace their current service pistol, the Walther P5.

A new cartridge, called the 9x19mm NP (Netherlands Police), has been developed for their future service weapon. The 9mm NP features a 94 grain (6.1 gram) solid copper hollow point bullet with a plastic cap inserted into the hollow.

The "AA" stamp indicates that this is trial/prototype ammunition. Photo by Marco.

Ballistically it is the same as 9mm Luger / Parabellum. It is given a separate designation because some firearms, such as the MP5, will need to be modified to function correctly with the lighter bullet.

Many thanks to my source for this information.