Concealed Carry Pistol

 

     In 2007 my two handguns were a Glock 22 and a Glock 27, both chambered in .40 S&W.  One a full sized pistol, the other a sub-compact for concealed carry.  the G22 had served me well for 12 years and I had brought on the G27 to fit my binary 'one large/one small mentality when it comes to rounding out my gun collection.  It was not long after buying the G27 that I realized I needed to rethink both Glocks.
     The G27 was a pistol that should have never been made.  Putting a high pressure round into a lightweight sub compact pistol that did not allow a full grip was a horrible combination.  Even with magazine extensions, and sledge hammer grip, the gun would find a way to work itself out of ones support hand during rapid fire causing the shooter to constantly readjust.  I love hard recoiling, big bore revolvers of every caliber.  These pistols have grips and weight that are made for that type of shooting.  Shooting the .40 in a subcompact was just annoying.  In addition to this width and squared off shape of the pistol made it harder to conceal and uncomfortable to carry. 
     I sold both and went with a Glock 34 to be my full sized pistol that I previously reviewed and began my search for a single stack 9mm.  Back in the mid 2000's, the field of single stack pistols was much smaller than it is today and Glock had not released a single stack pistol despite practically the entire gun world asking for one to be added to their lineup.  Just a few years prior Kahr was selling their PM9 for $700+ when Ruger brought the LC9 to the market at around $350.  I am guessing Kahr took notice.  Before Kahr had nicely cornered the single stack 9mm market.  They had well machined, quality double action only pistols that were great for concealed carry.  Seeing the competition Kahr made a few very minor changes to the PM9, called it the CM9, and offered it for half the price. 
     The priorities for concealed carry handguns are reliability, shootability, and concealability in that order.  This means that it has to work, it can not be so small that one cannot deploy and work the controls, and it cant be so large that it "prints" or broadcasts to the world that you are carrying. 
     Granted my CM9 does not get used as much as it should, but it has never failed in the time I have had it.  It is not fun to shoot since it is so small and light, but it does have a very smooth trigger that breaks near the back of the trigger guard.  It has quality sights that are fast to pick up.  They consist of a vertical line on the rear sight that matches up with the dot on the front sight so aiming is a matter of dotting the "I."  It is only one inch wide making it very easy to hide and its rounded smooth edges make it comfortable to carry. 
     As I have mentioned before, when purchasing a firearm, consider its viability as something you can compete with in the future should you decide to pick up a match one weekend.  This pistol qualifies for the BUG (back up gun) classification in IDPA.  Trying this type of competition would be a fun and challenging way to practice defensive shooting under stress against a variety of targets. 
     I see many people switching between endless varieties of carry pistols as the market for them keeps expanding at a rapid pace.  With every new pistol released, I have to ask myself if it is truly an upgrade from what I have.  Not once in the past 12 years I have I regretted this purchase.
   
     
   

Pistol drill #4

     The next step in pistol shooting after establishing point shooting verses making and intended shot is adding sideways movement to the draw stroke and practicing a mag change. 
     For this drill place two silouette targets 10 feet appart at a distance of 15 feet from the shooter.  Two magazines each should be loaded with three rounds.  This drill starts with both hands at chest level and a loaded consealed handgun in the holster.  One the call to fight the shooter takes one large step to the left while drawing ones pistol.  Two rounds are fired to the chest of the first target then one shot to the head.  The pistol will go to slide lock.  The shooter then steps to the left while reloading and performing the same mozembique drill on target 2. 
     Several skills sets go into this drill.  The draw stroke with movement, the transition from a large center mass shot to the precise head shot, and the slide lock reload.
     The side step while drawing is important.  Roughly 85% of the population is right handed.  Right handed shooters tend to miss to the left when jerking the trigger so the side step could make an attacker miss.  Movement also gets one off the line of attack and makes a more difficult target.  The rationale behind this has its roots in OODA loop theory.  Basically when a person is attacking you, the first observe their target, orient to it, make a decision, then act.  Moving to the left causes the attacker to start this process over and forces them to react to you.     

Blue Loctite

     Before I started my shooting school a coworker came to me saying he needed a place to shoot.  I had access to land, and he convinced me to take him shooting.  He had lead a pretty amazing life.  As Sargent in Vietnam, he had been through brutal battles and seen horrible things.  One day a RPG hit the Sheridan tank he was driving killing everyone but him.  Over the years he had bought several guns but never shot any of them.
     Being from that era, where jungle warfare and poor weapon maintenance had gotten many soldiers killed, gun cleaning was something he took very seriously.  So much so that touching one of his guns was like holding a grease coated axle bearing.  I am not sure what he used to prevent rust and maintain excessive lubrication, but firing one of them lead to a cloud of smoking petroleum products that burned ones eyes like pepper spray.  The lube did not stop at the action, and found its way into every screw holding the gun together.
     One of his rifles was a scoped Springfield M1A.  Most gun guys love the M1A.  The shape of the inviting walnut stock, the bombproof action, and the weight all inspire confidence in this proven battle rifle.  One of the drawbacks to the design is that it does not lend itself to convenient scope mounting.   The mount he was using involved a dozen screws and was a very poor design.  Every time we went shooting things would start out OK, then slowly shots would drift off target.  Eventually I would shake his scope and feel that it had come loose.  After this happened three times, I finally insisted that every screw had to come out, be cleaned of all lubricant, and coat the threads with threadlocker. 
     That experience taught me a lesson that would prove useful when I started teaching new students at my shooting school, and also working on customers guns.  Every screw of whatever optic or sighing system added to any firearm needs to have blue loctite on the threads.  Easily 80% of the shooters that came to me had their optic come loose at some point from firing.  Customers often came to me in the fall asking me to sight in their deer rifle.  I would tell them that I would do it, but I was going to do it my way.  That meant removing every screw and starting from the base up with threadlocker. 

     Guns lend themselves to be easily upgraded at the user level.  They are made to be taken apart to clean and it is all to easy to want a new grip, a better trigger, or an optic to make shooting easier.  As I have moved through the stages of gun ownership, the urge to modify and upgrade every aspect of them is a strong one.  I will go into the contents of my gun toolbox in a later post, but one of the most important items is blue loctite. 
     I was once told by a boat mechanic that "It is one thing when your car breaks down on the way to work.  It is another level of pissed when your boat breaks down on the lake."  The same goes for a fun day at the range.  It goes beyond that when the firearm is one that could be called on to save you or your family.  That gun must perform, and watching parts loosen or fall off while training causes a loss of confidence that is not easy to replace. 
     The rate at which aftermarket parts fail this way in training is very high; to the point I came to expect it.  Most people do not shoot enough to bring make these problems apparent.  As a general rule, small screws that have very short threads are the worst offenders.  Larger screws like the ones used to join the stock to the action typically have enough grip to stay in place given enough torque. 
     In conclusion, loctite is a simple and inexpensive solution to a commonly overlooked problem in the gun world. 

DMR Rifle

     In past articles I have covered the scoped .22 rifle, the full sized pistol, and the shotgun.  The weak link that all of these share is the ability to reach past 100 yards with effective fire.  Owning a semi-auto, center fire rifle equipped with a low power variable optic gives the user many options.  A rifle set up in the is configuration can be pressed into rolls such as survival, life and liberty, hunting, SHTF, home defense, a fun plinking rifle, or ringing steel at intermediate ranges.
     The DMR (designated marksman's rifle) idea started with the German Karabiner 43 and Russian SVD during WWII to fill in the gap between front line troops and dedicated sniper fire (200-500 yards).

German K43

Russian SVD

     In the mid 90's, the spec ops community came out with a special purpose rifle (SPR) Mk12 mod 0.  This gave the AR pattern service rifle the ability to work as an effective semi auto sniper rifle.  This concept spread to other services with their own versions of a DMR.  

     The versatility of this combination of semi auto fire and low power optics make it the perfect rifle for 3 gun competition as well.  There is not another platform that can go from 3 yards to 300 yards within the same breath and do both very well.  

     When one is shopping for their first AR the possibilities are endless and making an analogy to opening Pandora's Box is not far from the reality of it.  Much like the previous firearms in this series, the temptation to buy and bolt on endless crap is strong.  Among the most frequently asked questions I receive, "Which AR do I buy?" is a common theme.  Thirty years ago just a handful of companies made AR's such as Armalite, Bushmaster, and Colt.  Now seemingly hundreds of companies make them and each has so many options, finding exactly what suits ones needs in a factory rifle is not too difficult if one knows what to shop for.  

     For this article, I want to limit the search criteria to help someone new to the AR world narrow down the crowded field. The best way to tackle this is to start at the front of the rifle and work back.  Every component I recommend comes from years of mistakes, endless changes to accessories, and seeing students fail or succeed depending on their choices.  As with all things there will be compromises in every step of the process.

     For this type of rifle, I recommend a 20 inch barrel with a 1-7 or 1-8 twist chambered in .223.  The gas block should be of the low profile variety with no A-2 front sight/gas block assembly.  Choose the standard direct gas impingement system over piston varieties.  Surround this with a simple and lightweight 15" M-lok hand guard.  There is not much need for a muzzle device as the only thing I would add to a rifle like this is a suppressor.  Muzzle devices control flash, project blast, reduce recoil, or boost gas pressure for guns that wont function.  None of these are an issue with this caliber and barrel length.  

 Other guns in ones collection at this point can handle problems inside 100 yards.  The purpose of this this rifle is to dominate the area between 100 and 500 yards with aimed precise shots.  

    

     The next priority is a flattop upper with a 1 inch forward cantilever optic mount.  Luckily with the popularity of this type of rifle, options in the 1-4x optic world are plentiful.  Primary Arms or Vortex both make very high value scopes to fill this need.  With a BDC reticle or MIL/MOA lines even new shooters can make quick shots out to surprising distances with quality ammo.  

     Taking care of the lower receiver starts with tapping out both pins holding the fire control group and placing that GI milspec trigger in the trash.  Pulling one is similar to dragging a dead hooker down a railroad track.  Again one will go mad with all the options but a quality 3.5 lb two stage trigger with no over travel and a short positive reset works best for this type of rifle.

     Adjustable stocks are great, but the standard A2 stock has benefits as well.  It is inexpensive, very strong, lightweight, and it has a place to store spare tools or survival gear.  A crude cheek piece can be fashioned to get a proper cheek weld.  

     The standard A2 grip works perfect if you happen to be a 7 year old girl.  An upgrade that both fills the hand, and allows the trigger finger to land closer to the center of the first digit is needed.  

     To increase the versatility of this rifle, buying a scope with an illuminated reticle, and adding a flashlight that projects a focused bean of light makes this a potent fighting rifle regardless of conditions. 

     I feed this rifle Hornady 75 grain BTHP match bullets, and it will shoot .5 MOA with this load.  Below is a video describing some of the build components.  Choosing whether to build or buy an AR will be another post, as well as how to get the most out of shooting it.  

A video describing my take on the perfect DMR/SPR build.

        

Pistol drill # 3

     The previous drills have hopefully worked out common pistol marksmanship issues.  the mantra to achieve shooting zen should be to think "front sight ...press."  If one is able to keep shots in a fist sized 10 shot group on a target at 7 yards, it is time to establish the important difference between point shooting and making an intended shot. 
     The only differences between these two ways of shooting are focal plane and how the trigger is manipulated.  This drill requires a pistol with 4 rounds, a target at 3 yards, a target at 9 yards.  The shooter starts with arms above shoulder height.  On the fight call, the shooter draws and puts three rounds into the chest of the target at 3 yards as fast as possible.  These three shots are done with all the same fundamentals of grip, stance, and trigger control, but the focus is on the target, not on the front sight post.  The idea being that this target is so close, speed and simply sighting along the top of the pistol take priority over marksmanship.
     The difficult part comes when one must transition immediately to the far target, move focus to the front sight, and pull the trigger slow enough for a surprise breaking making a controlled, intended head shot on the 9 yard target. 

     It is important to establish this early on, as all subsequent targets will fall into one of these two modes of pistol shooting.  Point shooting is meant to save ones life in the event force is needed directly from the draw due to time and distance constraints.  The transition between point and intended distance will be different for each shooter based on skill and experience. 
     The main qualifier is the distance at which someone can not miss a human sized target.  A way to determine this is to have the shooter orient to a target while the instructor covers their face with a piece of paper and tells them to draw and point.  If after the paper blocking their vision is removed, the pistol is pointed in the center chest area, that would be an effective range for that shooter to utilize point shooting.
     This is a difficult drill for newer shooters as the normally have a great deal of confidence shooting the closer target, but are unable to slow down for the head shot and miss.  The reason for making the nine yard shot a head small is to simulate a targets that is mostly obscured by cover or concealment. 
     When planning a list of drills for a range day or training class, I want a good variety of challenges that push the shooters abilities.  This is a contrast of speed and fundamentals.  Other drills show the effect of shooting while moving verses moving then shooting.  Drills build a skill set that is later applied to sennarios one might encounter in daily life.  Most of the time people did not know what they are getting into when I took them shooting.  By the end of day they were moving while shooting at multiple targets that were also moving.  It is at that point where the pistol becomes and extension of ones arm, and all focus is on solving the problem. 

You must be a cop or in the military?

   

     One of the most common things I hear when I have a conversation about guns with someone I don't know personally is, "You must be a cop or in the military?"  This response does not normally bother me, as for the most part, it is someone who is carrying the conversation with a logical question.  The only time I take offence is when people wonder how I should be able to speak with any authority on guns when one:  I was not trained by a government agency, and two: I have never had one pointed at me in anger. 
     I should preface this with the fact that I count many people from every branch and form of law enforcement as some of my closest friends.  My career and hobbies attract both police and soldiers to the point that I interact with many on a daily basis.  I have nothing but respect for what they do and the sacrifices they have made ensuring rule of law at home and our way of life as a country.  I could not do what these heroes do.  I am also not referring to specialized units within these groups such as swat and SF units who train to a much higher standard.

     A normal conversation I have with someone from the military involves them reciting to me the few passages they were forced to memorize from the M-16A2 field manual (FM3-22.9) by a drill instructor who was walking on their back at the time.  "The M-16A2 effective range 500 meters, rate of fire 700 rounds per minute..." and "I qualified as marksman so that means I can hit anything."  The truth is that they shoot 40 rounds a year at an eight MOA target at sometimes very limited distances and have all of that scored by their buddy sitting behind them.  Hitting 23 out of 40 is a passing score. 

     Police live in a similar world but it revolves around their sidearm.  Being a police officers does not equal shooting prowess.  For some their pistol collects lint in the barrel until it is time for their bi-annual qualification, and for them, the test is nothing more than a means to an end.  The sidearm is chosen for them by someone who requested a long spongy, 13 lb trigger to prevent accidental discharges or for legal reasons.  The holster has level three retention making retrieving it a multi step process.  They are also not allowed to pick the caliber or make any modifications to the gun without permission.  The pistol for police is, first and foremost, a required piece of gear that makes their back hurt, and is only to be used in the absolute worst case to save their life or another.   
     For police and military, using ones weapon is associated with the most intense stress and mental trauma humans can experience.  The repercussions of this act are lifelong and carry huge legal and administrative penalties. 

     All this being said, shooters are different people.  When shooting is ones passion, bringing your personal skills and equipment to the most effective level possible comes from a completely intrinsic motivation.  When a piece of gear does not work or a shot goes off target, shooters will stop at nothing to remedy that.  For shooters, trigger pulling is not a means to an end, it is a way of life.  Shooters don't think in terms of a programmed eight step sequence to draw ones pistol.  Shooting is a fun challenge. 

     The Navy SEALS's are considered to be among the best shooters in the world.  One would think that the only people capable of training them would be other SEALS's.  While they do have their own training cadre, when they want to take their shooting skills to the next level, they learn from civilian competition shooters.  For long range shooting skills, special operators the world over take courses from a civilian named Todd Hodnett (AKA Sniping Jesus) of Accuracy 1st.  For CQB, 'tier one' SF units go to John Shaw's Mid South Institute.  John Shaw was a self taught shooter who went on to win or place in virtually every major pistol shooting competition. 
     The same narrative played out on the show "Top Shot" where normal people who enjoyed shooting in their backyard were pitted against a variety of military and police trained marksman.  More often than not, the champion would be a normal guy with a passion for shooting.
     When I owned my shooting school, I was often asked how I could train others to shoot effectively if I was never a cop or soldier.  I never claim to be the best or fastest shooter, but I do measure my success by being able to make bullets go where I want them to quickly, and I can teach others how to do that as well. 

     Within the shooting community there are members of the police and military that are shooters.  These people will be the first to admit that they are not at all impressed with the shooting skills of their peers.  Some even go on to say that they thought they knew how to shoot until they attempted a civilian competition, and were humbled by badly they were beaten. 

     I feel the best approach is to tap into the strengths each.  Contractors, military, and police instructors have skills like small unit tactics, communication, patrolling, using lights and night vision, legal issues, dealing with 'after the fight' psychological issues, medical skills, and a combat mindset.  In the civilian world, shooters are free to experiment with highly modified guns, gear, and shooting styles that go on to improve the gun world as well. 

   

Remington 870 tactical

     No gun collection is complete without a scattergun.  In the world of tactical shooting, the shotgun has taken a backseat to AR's as the long gun of choice.  Normally when I leave for a day of shooting I have a policy of "No guns left behind," but admittedly I have have a habit of leaving the shotgun at home.  I think the problem is that shooting a shotgun at static targets does not pose that much of a challenge.  Everyone enjoys the satisfaction of breaking a fast moving clay target on the skeet range, but for me it does not translate well to the tactical range.  It is not that watching nine holes appear in the target at once is not fun, or seeing a slug lay down a steel target like it was hit with the fist of an angry god doesn't make my inner gun geek happy.  It is almost too easy to the point I never feel like it is a perishable skill. 

Running drills with clay targets on steel posts

     Over the years Remington has made at least 10 million of these, and with that many out there, the number of aftermarket accessories to chose from is huge.  Because of this one can modify an 870 to fit any need one might have. 

Both pictures show short barrel 870's used by the FBI.  

     Mine is a 2001 model that started with a 26 inch barrel with interchangeable choke tubes.  Since I needed it to fill more of a home defense role, I bought a 18 inch smooth barrel with a fixed 'improved cylinder' bore and rifle sights.  I prefer these sights to most of the 'off the shelf' tactical barrels for the 870 that just use a gray bead sight.

An 870 tactical as it comes from most big box stores.

     Notch and post rifle sights are as fast as a bead, with the added benefit of being able to accurately place slugs on target out to 100 yards.  Since this is a smooth bore, rifled slugs are needed to achieve that accuracy, but there are many varieties available in 12 gauge.  In this video, I demonstrate both the ability to make four aimed shots in one second as well as the accuracy of this shotgun at ranges out to 100 yards.   

Remington 870 tactical video

     Some would say ghost ring sights are the best option for tactical shotgun work, and claim nothing is faster.  With a ghost ring the eye will naturally center the front sight post, which is great, but why block more of the sight picture and light coming to ones eye than necessary?  There are other options such as a red dot optic, but at home defense ranges, normal rifle sights are the best in my opinion. 
     Like most shooters I have a box of gun parts that did not work.  I do what I can to avoid this, but modifications for the 870 take up much of that land of misfit parts.  To save the reader time and money, the modifications that have proven to work are a Magpul MOE forend, an oversized dome safety, hook and loop attached side shell carriers, and a Duracoat finish to give it all weather durability. 

     In the past I had a plus 3 magazine extension but removed it for two reasons.  Between the extension and the added shells, it made the gun front heavy.  Removing that makes the gun lighter and faster to handle.  Secondly, the FBI keeps stats on gunfights and found that in any encounter where a shotgun is involved, the average number of rounds fired is one.  A shotguns effectiveness comes not only from making holes in flesh one could toss a softball through,  but also the sound has become coded in human DNA to induce the kind of fear that causes actual pain in ones groin.  I do not advocate racking a shotgun to scare an intruder away from a tactical standpoint, but few people I know keep a shotgun with a round in the chamber. 

Slugs are deliver over 3000 ft lbs of energy with a .73 caliber, 437 grain projectile moving at 1800 fps.

     In the 20 years I have owned this shotgun, only twice have I experienced a malfunction, and both were with low brass field loads.  These cheaper rounds sometimes use steel instead of brass on the case head that can stick in the chamber after being fired.  The good thing about a pump action is that it can be 'made to work' by hitting the butt into the ground while holding the forend.  This is not recommended as this can do serious damage to the action bars, but in the case of a threat situation it would be an option if time allowed.

     While a new Beretta A400 xtreme plus is high on my list of guns to own, this shotgun with the ability to swap between 18 and 26 inch barrels in seconds, is just at home securing the homeland as it is busting clays.
     In future posts I will go into tactical shotgun drills, women and shotguns, the best loads for home defense, and my take on the current pistol grip short barrel shotgun craze. 

Pistol drill #2

     The last drill focused on identifying several problems at once concerning flinch, trigger control grip and stance with and empty pistol.  This drill builds on that concept by alternating a live round and dry fire.  The first time I saw this was from an instructor at the Sig Academy, and I Incorporated it soon after in my own teaching. 
     This drill starts with an empty gun, ten rounds in a magazine, and a paper target placed at 7 yards with a defined point of aim marked in the high chest area.  Load the magazine, rack a round into the chamber, remove the magazine, and place it in a pocket or mag carrier.  The first shot is made and without a magazine to activate the slide lock, the slide closes on an empty chamber.  The second shot is a dry fire.  Again most students see the second shot as pointless and rarely take it seriously, but the front sight and any movement speaks volumes.  While doing this drill if shots fall low, it is likely that anticipation of recoil is to blame.  Shots to the left or right can usually be corrected with better finger placement on the trigger and attempting to pull the trigger directly back to the dominant eye.   
     Over years of me showing students how to do this, I have found that usually I need to talk through the steps as they already have a lot they are trying to remember at this point, and the sensory overload from the shots tend to distract them.  Occasionally one will notice type 2 malfunctions, or "stovepipe" jams.  I believe this comes from the spent case not having the next bullet or the magazine follower to help keep it aligned on its way out of the chamber.  This can be distressing for a new shooter, but like the saying goes, "It is not a glitch, it is a feature", and gives one the opportunity to solve the problem. 
     The benefits of this pistol drill go beyond watching the front sight in dry fire right after feeling the snap of recoil.  It allows new shooters to get several repetitions of loading the gun, and beginning to feel and hear the different sound the gun makes when actually stripping a round from the magazine as opposed to an empty chamber.  For experienced shooters, this drill works well as a warm-up or as a way to check ones pistol fundamentals.   

The full sized pistol

 
     Previously we discussed the merits of a rimfire rifle.  Moving on in the gun world, a full sized semi auto pistol should be a priority.  It is important because a pistol is both the hardest to master and the most likely to be in arms reach should you need a firearm for defense.
     About 10 years ago I sold all my pistols and wanted to start over.  My idea was to buy two pistols that shared the same ammo.  I decided on 9mm, which will invariably be another post, for several reasons.
     My idea behind just buying two guns is a theme that will play out for the rest of this series on building a gun collection that makes sense.  For each category of firearm, buy one large and one small.  In the world of semi automatic handguns, I wanted one pistol for concealed carry and one that covered everything else that one would need a pistol for.
     The subject of this article deals with the latter.  I attempted to remove all bias and research what would be the one pistol I would want for home defense, competition, fun at the range, and to survive an all out zombie armageddon.
     I wanted reliability, accuracy, a threaded barrel, ability to take high capacity magazines, availability of aftermarket upgrades, and a pistol suitable for IPSC, IDPA, and 3 gun would be a plus.  After much debate I settled on the Glock 34 gen 4.
     Starting at the front, I changed the barrel to a threaded Lone Wolf for suppressor use.  The front and rear sights were swapped for the Warren tactical Sevigny series with the front being a red fiber optic rod.  The rear notch is matte black with a wide notch to allow the shooter faster acquisition of the front post.  I wrapped the grip in skateboard tape from talon grips.  Using a dremel I created a larger undercut where the trigger guard meets the grip.  This gives me a slightly higher grip improving recoil control.
     As I mentioned before, I am a bit of a trigger snob and this lead to a lot of problems.  I thought I could change every spring and the entire trigger mechanism and everything would be ok.  $300 something dollars later I had a full compliment of Zev trigger parts and a gun that would not eject cases, had light primer strikes, and the trigger would randomly not reset.  Solving each of those problems to the point that I trusted the gun to work flawlessly with its short 3.5 lb trigger pull took years.  The trigger does feel nice compared to stock, but is it by no means worth what I went through to get there.  Any future Glock I own will get a $13 connector and nothing else will be touched internally.
     With the rail under the barrel I can attach a Streamlight 800 lumen flashlight, and I purchased a 33 round "fun stick" magazine just because I could.
     This model is great for everything I would need a pistol for short of concealed carry.  It has roughly the same demensions as a 1911 while weighing a pound less.  With its low bore axis, a relatively long 5.3 inch barrel, and the sandpapered grip which is smaller grip compared to its gen 3 brethren, this pistol is extremely easy to keep on target even when pouring lead into your target.
     Another benefit is that it accepts inexpensive and readily available Glock 17 magazines.  This compatibility extends to most open ended Glock 17 holsters as well. 
     My only regret, aside from the trigger, is that the MOS version was not available when I bought mine.  The debate on the viability of dot optics on a pistol will be for another post, but just having the option is worth the small difference in price.
     In conclusion, some gun enthusiasts enjoy acquiring dozens of pistols in every caliber, but there is something to be said for buying one gun that covers all bases.  I feel that one is better served spending money on ammo, training, and repetition on one trigger, than chasing the next best handgun.
     

The case against reloading ammo

     When I was 18 I asked my rifle coach if I should get into reloading.  His response was, "You have to."  The shooting discipline was high power service rifle.  At the time everyone was transitioning from the long trusted M1-A to the "little black gun" (AR).  Heavy bullets were coming out for the .223 making the tiny pills able to buck the wind at 600 yards.  Most people shot the 69 grain bullets at 200 and 300 yards and 80's at 600.  The reason my coach said it was not optional was because no ammo manufacturer loaded heavy match bullets.  I built the ultimate  service rifle using the best components then set out gathering all the gear one needs to reload.  I bought a nice Dillon RL550B, a scale, calipers, a case tumbler, case trimmers, a bullet puller, case lube, caliber change kits, dies, a powder funnel, powder tricklers, the best cases, powder, primers, match bullets, a bench, and spare parts.
     Lets set aside the cost of all this and mention the good parts of reloading.  One can make unusual ammo such as subsonics or super deadly ballistic tip rounds.  Making match ammo that is perfectly tuned to your chamber and hits right at the sweet spot of your match grade barrels harmonics is very rewarding.  People in the gun world have respect for someone who knows how to "Roll their own."  When one puts hours into making perfect ammo that shoots tight groups it feels good.  There is also the subject of saving money.  If one uses all the bullets, powder, and primers bought, and do not make any mistakes loading, buy in bulk, get all your brass free by picking it up one by one at the range, and have endless time to kill, yes there is a slight savings over factory loads.
     Now for the bad.  Shooting is already an expensive hobby and the start up costs to get into reloading is substantial, and just when one thinks they have all that is needed, a company will invent another upgrade that must be bought in order to save you time or make one of the many steps easier.  All of this gear takes up a lot of room and it tends to spread across whatever surface one previously used to call a workshop, desk, garage, office, or shed that is now a dedicated reloading space.
     Next one will find that setting up and adjusting each part of your new bullet assembly line will result in only being able to speak and think in four letter words.  During this process one will realize that it is easy to get cases stuck in sizing dies without completely coating them in layers of lubricant.  Getting them unstuck requires the purchase of yet more gear.  It is also easy to spill powder all over this new press necessitating it being taken apart and cleaned off lest all that powder find its way into the moving parts.  No step in this long frustrating process of getting everything where it will function smoothly is fun.  Even when it is all adjusted problems come up such as a spent primer that will not come out or another new one that will not seat in an out of spec case.
     This is all after one has spent untold hours crawling around on the ground looking for brass, sorting it, cleaning, measuring, trimming, and deburring it.
     Most people live where it is a fairly long drive to get to an outdoor range.  For me this looks like I am moving out of the house.  Being an Eagle Scout, preparedness and contingency planning are a way of life.  And leaving guns behind is like choosing between children.  Now it is time to test out these new reloads.  This is where one finds out that the handy bullet recipe found online did not have enough powder to cycle an AR-15, or that your pistol bullets have too much and you wonder if your Glock may detonate in your hand.  Cases get stuck in chambers from being out of spec just slightly so you have to keep a hammer and cleaning rod with you to knock them out.  You forgot one of those?  Your day of testing this ammo is now done.  You may find that the neck tension on your brass is not right, and your bullet is seated too far.  This will fill your chamber and action with powder and leave a bullet stuck in the barrel.  One may find that a primer was forgotten and powder slowly leaked out all over every other bullet (they are covered in that grease from sizing remember) in ones ammo can.  Or it is easy to forget the powder in one especially if you are loading on a progressive and cant check every case, and the primer bumps the bullet into the barrel.  Again, hope that you catch that before the next round goes in.
     It does not matter how good of a reloader one thinks they are or will be, mistakes are going to happen, and they go from being annoying and causing malfunctions, to completely ruining ones day.       Some people say that reloading is good for when there are shortages of ammo or in the case of SHTF.  Know this; during good times it is hard to find the exact primer, powder, and bullet combination one wants.  At worst ones favorite powder will go from $60 per 8 pound keg at the local gun store to only being able to find it on an auction site for $480 with another $60 for haz-mat and handling fees.  Also, in the event of SHTF, I want a stockpile of factory loaded ammo, not a mismatched box of brass that may or may not function in a gun I am depending on to save my life.
     Ask any shooting school their opinion on reloads and they will tell you not to bring it because malfunctions cause endless distractions to the class.
     Shooting a bolt gun or revolver from a bench is one thing, but shooting and moving with a semi auto sends bullets flying over a huge area.  Again, crawling around on the ground for brass is not fun at any age, and if it is grass, this job just got four times harder.
     Even with all of these reasons not to reload, the cost savings are sometimes breaking even with components alone verses the cost of factory ammo.  And how much exactly is ones time worth? 
     The solution to all of this headache is to go on ammoseek.com, purchase a bulk quantity of one kind of quality ammo, and enjoy shooting.  I guarantee you will be a happier human being.

Pistol Drill # 1

   
     In my time as a firearms instructor I found that, far and away, the most common problem I dealt with teaching handgun shooting was anticipating the recoil.  I could sympathize with them as I too struggled with this problem.  In fact, I remember being 15 and knowing nothing about pistol marksmanship.  I was shooting a .40 cal Glock, and could not hit an ample sized target at close range.  At the time I had never shot a pistol larger than a .22 mag in a heavy revolver.  My flinch was so pronounced that I was kicking up dirt three feet below the target.  Having no access to any training my solution was to aim high and hope for the best.  Even with that poor solution to my problem my groups were hideous. 
     When deciding what to teach my shooting students first, I knew that helping them overcome their flinch was crucial. 
     This drill is best done with a partner, and it starts with an empty gun.  The student aims at the target as normal, and pulls the trigger.  As soon as the trigger is pulled, the partner racks the slide quickly.  Doing this reveals several problems at once.  Usually one finds that their grip is too weak to manage the recoil, their stance is too upright or at worst leaning back, and that they slap the hell out of the trigger causing the barrel to dip down.  Many people do not like this drill because they are ready to start slinging bullets down range, and see dry firing as tedious.  Being able to sort out the first several fundamental problems with ones pistol shooting without wasting ammo is a smart way to begin with new shooters.  They will go into that first shot knowing what it will feel like, and help to lessen the sensory overload that comes from shooting. 
     The flinch is something that comes from ones brain stem, and I know of no one that is completely immune to it.  Teaching students to take up the first four pounds of their trigger, (assuming a five pound pull) then slowly add pressure an ounce at a time resulting in a 'surprise break' is a way to bypass the bodies natural reaction to anticipate the snap of recoil. 
     At times students would swear to me that the sights on their pistol were off and that their gun is shooting low.  While this is possible, 99% of the time flinch is to blame.  Demonstrating its accuracy is one way to eliminate this variable, but the author preferred another method.  Have the shooter point at the target with a round in the chamber with their finger placed along the frame away from the ejection port.  Pull the trigger for them in such a way that they have no idea when the round will be fired, and slowly enough that the sights are not pulled off target.  It is important to note that wearing eye protection and looking away is essential as brass will be flying.  Having them aim at a small steel target that they previously could not hit is the best way to drive home the point as they usually hear the satisfying 'ding'. 
     The other fun way to demonstrate this is to tell the student that you are loading it with a very powerful defense round and have them shoot it while you video from the side.  The gun is actually empty and being able to show them just how far the barrel dips from flinching will make the shooter more aware of what is going on.  Another way to do this that may be the most effective is to use snap caps mixed in with live rounds randomly in a magazine.  This is something one can do alone, and again teaches the shooter to concentrate on the fundamentals of trigger control. 
       

The .22 LR

     Starting off a gun collection with a .22LR is a smart idea for many reasons.  I bought my first firearm, a Marlin model 60 with the help of my parents from walmart for $89 30 years ago.  The main selling point for me was the 15 shot tube fed magazine, as even at 10 years old I was interested in delivering the most firepower on target as possible.  I used the next birthday and Christmas to get a speed loader and a scope.  My father seemed to think the speed loader was a little much, and even commented, "So you will need this if you are ever in a fire fight with a few dozen attackers?"
     It took this gun out after not shooting it in a very long time.  The benchmark for rimfire accuracy is 50 yards.  Using this very cheap rifle with the most budget ammo available (Remington Thunderbolts) I was only able to manage at 1.7 inch group at that distance.  In the time since I last shot it, I went on to enjoy competing in Olympic style shooting with finely tuned Anschutz and Feinwerkbau rifles for several years.  As fun as it was to play with again, the lack of accuracy and the nine pound trigger was more than I could bear, and I set out to find a suitable replacement.
     I wanted to find a semi auto .22 LR that could stack bullets.  I found myself searching rimfirecentral.com, the internet home of rimfire experts and a wealth of knowledge on the topic.  One name that kept coming up was KIDD.  Tony Kidd builds a high end copy of the ruger 10/22, improving on every single aspect of the rifle.  To my knowledge, the only parts shared with a standard 10/22 are the safety and magazine.  Tony will custom build one to your exact specifications.  I chose and Ansuchutz style stock, a threaded 18 inch match grade Lothar/Walther barrel, and a two stage trigger set to 6 oz.  The detail and tight tolerances he puts into his rifle builds make it among the most accurate semi auto .22's money can buy.  I added a 6.5-20x Vortex scope and fed it Lapua Midas + ammo.

     The results were stunning.  Not only could I now shoot .3 inch groups at 50 yards, I could make consistent hits out to 250 yards.  With the light trigger, I was able to fire five bullets at 175 yards before the first one hit the steel target.  All of this is made even more fun with the addition of a suppressor making hearing protection unnecessary.
     The cost of this rifle is substantial, but shooting an extremely accurate .22 is something you do not grow out of or get tired of doing.  Everyone I have let shoot it will go straight through the 25 round magazine and start looking for another one like a heroin addict the moment it goes click instead of bang.
     The .22 has a wide variety of ammo available from CCI Quiets at 710 fps to CCI Velocitors going 1435 fps.  Below is a test I did of each showing differences in sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4tyUy2tlWM

     Personally I have settled on CCI SV as my go to ammo as it offers the best balance of cost and accuracy.  It also runs just subsonic at 1080 fps for suppressor use.
     Starting a firearms collection with a .22 rifle gives you a tool that works as a low cost trainer, a lightweight rifle to hike with, a gun that could be pressed into a defensive roll, a survival rifle capable of quietly dispatching small to medium game, and a fun plinking rifle.
     The .22's fatal flaw is that they shoot very dirty.  I have found with most semi autos, cleaning every 200 rounds is needed for reliable function.  A ring of carbon develops just forward of the chamber and a simple bore snake will only get one part of the way to keeping it clean.  Lubrication is another paradox of the rimfire world.  No lube results in poor function, while over lubing causes powder fouling to pile up everywhere in the action.  I have the best luck spraying the internals with RemOil, then wiping away any excess.
     In the future I plan on doing a video comparison between the Marlin and KIDD, as well as a showdown between a Ruger Single Six, and a Volquartsen Scorpion.  Testing each with cheap as well as top of the line ammo should make for a fun experiment.