ennis and I really got around last weekend. On Saturday we went up to Stillwell, OK to the grand opening of Prusik USA’s sister company, Parabellum Combat Systems. Justin and Jeff put on a free gun build and a fund raiser for Kat Fleming. High Caliber Radio furnished the ribs and did the cooking with all proceeds going to Parabellum’s fund for Kat’s cancer treatment. We had the opportunity to watch Jeff install barrels in G3 type rifle receivers and we got a peek at the new multi caliber suppressor, soon to be released by PCS.
Jeff Walters explains a G3 rifle build at the grand opening and build party at Parabellum Combat Systems in Stillwell, OK.
Bill Fleming and his sons made it to the event. Bill is a joy to talk with. If you have seen the Terminator movies, Rambo movies and Steven Segal movies, then you have seen some of Bill’s machine guns. Bill also did the guns for True Lies and several other of Aronld’s movies.
Sunday, I went up to the Diener Gun Show in Tulsa. I interviewed R.D. Diener and you can listen to the interview on our show. There was a lot of cool stuff at the show. I finally got to handle the new HK45 Compact. The Compact didn’t impress me nearly as much as the full size HK45. The HK45 feels like it is an extension of my body but the grip is very different on the compact and not near as comfortable.
Jeff using a hydraulic press to install the barrel into the trunnion and set the bolt gap which controls the headspace of HK type weapons.
My search for a .45 caliber pocket gun took me to the Taurus Millenium single stack. I believe this could be made into a fine pocket gun by cutting about a half an inch off the bottom and shortening the magazine accordingly. I visited with Della from Rafter S Gunleather. She is finally getting caught up, so your orders should ship faster now. I picked up some of the new Russian Silver Bear 7.62X39mm ammo. The Silver Bear has silver, zinc plated cases that make it feed slick. The cost is the same of steel cased laquered rounds. Ammo and reloading components were high priced. A good time was had by all as usual at the Tulsa Gun show.
Jeff checks to make sure the front sight is properly aligned after pressing in the barrel of a G3.
Defensive Pistol 1 Class
For those with concealed carry permits or awaiting issuance of their permits we will start teaching a new class. Defensive Pistol 1 is designed to empower you with the skills you need to survive a gunfight. This class will be taught entirely at the range and require at least 250 rounds of ammo, a quality auto pistol of at least 9mm caliber, 2 spare mags, a stiff leather or kydex strongside holster and mag pouch, and hearing and eye protection. We will teach the weaver stance, flash sight picture, compressed trigger break, malfunction clearance, presentation from the holster with and without a cover garment, engaging multiple targets, use of cover, barricade shooting, speed loading and tactical loading, double taps, failure to stop drills and much more. The class will run from 9am until around 5 or so. We will furnish lunch and cold drinks. E-mail me for more details at timg953@yahoo.com
Our winter projects are starting up. I have a receiver coming from Caspian Arms soon and we will be building a basic 5” Gov’t model 1911 out of it. As soon as the parts come in, we will start posting pictures and explaining the process. We will also have some Glock projects. With the help for our friends at Lonewolf Distributors we are going to build up a couple of custom Glocks, a G21SF .45 carry gun and a G20 10mm long slide. Caspian is also fixing Dennis up with a long slide 10mm that we will be putting together. Hopefully, Dennis and I can take the 10mms on a hog hunt and see how they work in the field.
Your Vote Counts
We have an important election coming up this year. This is probably the most important gun rights election we have ever had. Barack Hussein Obama has never met a gun ban he didn’t vote for as a congressman. He is deep in bed with Biden, Shummer, Pelosi, Boxer, Fienstien and the rest of the tyrants who want to take your guns. This is the same crowd that brought us the Clinton Gun Ban and the Brady Bill. I want you to think about this for a minute. We now have a Supreme Court ruling in our favor. The next president will seat judges on the Supreme Court. If Obama wins, they pick the judges, they can open the Heller Case for review and reverse it, setting our cause back decades. We cannot let this happen.
While McCain isn’t the perfect candidate, he does have a solid NRA "A" rating when it comes to our gun rights. I’ll take the guy who supports my right to keep and bear arms and endured years of torture in service to his country rather than vote for a guy who changed his Christian name to a Muslim name and has long been a member of a church that hates our country. But that’s just my opinion. Go to the NRA-ILA website and decide for yourself. Just remember, if don’t all hang together, we will surely hang separately. Don’t sell out the freedom bought for you in blood, just to put a few pieces of silver in your pocket.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
kay, I guess we had to eventually open Pandora’s Box of Holsters. I will state upfront that one person’s idea of a comfortable holster may not work for everyone else. With that said, I will discuss, what has worked well for me and for those that I know personally. Let’s get a few out of the way early. Shoulder Holsters? When I first started carrying concealed, I had a Don Hume Vertical shoulder holster. This rig had a leather harness on the gun side and a break front leather holster that held the pistol (.45 Colt Commander) vertically under the left armpit. The right side of the harness was elastic with a belt tie down. I added a double mag pouch to the off side soon after I bought the rig. I never found this rig comfortable. Having both sides tied down to my belt felt restrictive and the pistol butt seemed to bulge out the front too much. I soon traded this holster in on another shoulder rig.
At right, Galco NSA IWB with Colt Series 70 Gov't model .45, Wilson/Rafter S IWB with Colt .38 Super Series 70 Gov't model.
With out a doubt, the best shoulder holster in my experience is the Galco/Jack Ass SS2 or Miami Classic. Before Don Johnson wore it on Miami Vice, it was the SS2 and manufactured by Jack Ass Leather Company. Jack Ass became a big company and changed it’s name to Galco. Now, the difference in the holsters is that the SS2 has wider straps. These holsters are made of leather and hold the pistol horizontally under the arm with a double magazine pouch under the right arm. They distribute the weight well and since they don’t attach to your belt they don’t restrict your movement much.
I tried some nylon shoulder rigs but they were not as comfortable as the Galco rig.
The nylon stuff did not fit the gun well and it had wide straps that should help with weight distribution but actually just served to make them print through cloths due to the big, cheap, slide buckles on them. You need a jacket to wear a shoulder rig and they are hot in the summer. If you are driving or sitting a lot, you might like a shoulder rig. When I was younger and lighter, I used one extensively but I just don’t find them as comfortable 20 years later. I also read repeatedly that women like shoulder holsters due to their build and their being used to the harness of a bra. I’m not sure where the GUY who wrote that BS got his info but I have never met a woman that liked a shoulder holster.
Acker paddle holder for surefire flashlight and 1911 mag, Rafter S single mag carrier (9mm single stack) sharkskin with ostrich trim, Milt Sparks IWB double mag pouch for 1911 mags, Rogers/Safariland double mag pouch 1911, single 1911 mag pouch-pancake type.
Ok, let's kill another one: The ankle holster, I bought one…once. I think an ankle holster is an excellent way to carry a gun while not being armed. You wear the ankle rig on the inside of your left leg if you are right handed. You have to lift the pants leg with your left hand while you either bend over or squat to reach your pistol. I think that an ankle rig would be okay for a second or third gun but not your primary. I will say that I tried one 22 years ago. It was made by Bianchi and I attempted to carry a Sterling .380 in it. Back in the day, lightweight carry guns were few and expensive and any kind of quality concealment leather usually had to be mail ordered. I didn’t feel comfortable with my carry gun so far out of reach. I still don’t. I am thinking of trying another ankle rig with a light weight small .45 auto to back up my pocket gun (currently a Keltec PF-9, looking for a Kahr PM45) during hot weather. If you use an ankle rig, be sure to get pants with a cuff loose enough to let you draw effectively. Want to see an ankle holster at work? Check out reruns of Miami Vice, Sonny Crocket carried a Detonics (the first small .45) Combat Master .45 in an ankle rig and used it realistically.
Rafter S brown sharkskin with ostrich trim double mag pouch for 1911 and matching Rafter S OWB
holster for 5" railed, Caspian Titanium .45 Gov't
model
Now we can get down to the basics of concealed carry holsters. We’ll start at the foundation of carry system, the belt. You need a GUN BELT!!!!! Not a belt from Wal-mart or JCPenney’s or Dillards but a real double thickness gun belt. Why a gun belt? Not only does your belt have to hold up your pants but it also has to support the weight of your pistol and spare ammo. If you have a cell phone, it’s probably on your belt too and if you are real tacticoool you will also have a surefire type light on it.
OK guys, here is the best way to do this: What kind of pants do you wear? If you only wear jeans then you need a 1 ¾” belt to fill the loops on your pants and your holster/mag pouch will need 1 ¾” belt slots. Few of us only wear jeans, so here is what you need if you wear a variety of pants from jeans to khakis to suit pants. My work puts me in anything from a suit and tie to jeans and everything in between. I use a 1.5 inch belt as it will fit everything reasonably well. There are contoured belts available and I like those but they are usually double the price of a straight cut gun belt. I don’t find them worth the difference.
Milt Sparks BN55 with Colt Delta Elite Carry Comp, Rafter S black sharkskin single 1911 mag pouch and IWB holster with stag handled, Hell on the Border Custom 1911 .45.
I have used Bianchi, Don Hume, Desantis, Safariland and Rafter S belts. All worked very well. The least serviceable was the Safariland as it limbered up way too soon for effective use but the best for the money was the Rafter S Gunleather belts. Della Scahffer, the owner, cuts the belts to your specific length and dyes them to match her holsters per your instructions. Cowhide is $48 and sharkskin in about twice that. I like sharkskin because it wears like iron and has an exotic look. I would rate Rafter S leather as equal to Galco at half the price.
Galco Concealable pancake holster with Nowlin Ultra light .38 Super Bobtail, Ted Blcoker single 1911 mag pouch, Gould and Goodrich Yaqui Slide with Colt 1911 .45 circa 1916.
The next step is an outside the waistband holster. In order for an outside the waistband holster to be comfortable, it needs to have widely spaced belt slots or a tunnel loop and a trailing slot. The pancake type holster as introduced by Roy’s Pancake Leather of Magnolia, Arkansas in the ‘70s is a good example. Generally the piece is a high ride with a slight forward cant and relatively comfortable with the gun pulled in tight against your body. The widely spaced belt slots allow you to thread the belt thru a holster slot then thru a belt loop and the thru a holster slot. This process aids in supporting your pistol’s weight. Rafter S makes a double magazine pouch that can be threaded on the same way thus aiding its support.
The other type of outside the waistband holster is my favorite: the Askins Avenger type holster. This rig was introduced by Bianchi in the ‘70s and named after Col. Charles Askins. The basic design was improved on by Bruce Nelson and manufactured as the BN-55 by Milt Sparks leather. This holster has a tunnel loop on the back with a belt slot attached to the trailing edge. The proper way to put this holster on is to run the belt through the tunnel loop, then through a belt loop and then through the trailing belt slot.
The belt loop on the pants helps support the holster and the tailing loop pulls the gun butt in against your side.
The original Bianchi holster had an FBI cant with the butt tilting forward. I prefer a zero cant as offered by Milt Sparks on the BN55 or Rafter S on their OWB holster. I like this type of holster. I prefer them molded tight to the piece and with no retaining strap. I am not a cop and I don’t intend to get into a hand to hand scuffle with anyone. My pistol is carried concealed and I don’t need any further impediments to my draw stroke. If you feel the need for a retention device, I would recommend the simple thumb break snap and suggest you practice like hell to ensure that you always hit it and always disengage it. I use open top holsters and would not trust myself to hit a thumb break, as that is not what I have practiced on the last 10 or so years.
Rafter S single mag pouch and OWB in cowhide with sharkskin trim for HK P7M8 9mm single stack auto, Rafter S OWB with Sig P225/P6 9mm.
You can conceal a good high ride outside the waistband holster under a jacket, vest, or untucked shirt as long as the design pulls the gun in tight to your body. I find that paddle holsters can be handy if you need to take them on and off a lot. They are not as stable as a regular belt holster but the good ones work ok. It’s a trade off and the tend to bulge a little more than a regular belt rig. I have seen and used little in the way of plastic holsters that impresses me. I know there are some good kydex rigs out there, I just haven’t got a pistol I care to put in one or a belt I want to slide the plastic onto. I really hate floppy nylon holsters with numbers for sizes. They just suck and are marginally better than carrying with no holster (Mexican style). Floppy nylon holsters don’t fit the gun well usually preventing a full firing grip before drawing, they don’t fit well on the belt and they usually have shitty Velcro retaining straps or velcroed on thumb breaks. Floppy nylon holsters will get you killed.
Brown Sharkskin Rafter S gun belt 1.5" and Black Rafter S 1.5" Sharkskin gun belt both worn over 2
years.
Inside the waistband holsters are the next most useful in my opinion. An inside the waistband holster allows the slide/barrel to ride inside of the pants while the grip sticks up above the beltline. The best of these holsters use a pair of snap loops that fit over the belt with a pants loop in between. Bruce Nelson pioneered this type of holster and Milt Sparks introduced them. This was once a hard-to-get mail order item, but now they are made by virtually all quality holster makers. In addition to the belt loops a good IWB holster also has a reinforcement around the holster mouth to allow for one handed reholstering.
Most IWBs have a slight forward cant. There are a couple of IWB variations that are worth noting. Galco once manufactured a horsehide holster called the NSA. The NSA had on tunnel loop attached to the trailing edge of the holster and was very comfortable.
I used one to carry a fullsize (38 oz ,5”barrel) Gov’t model .45 and 10mm. The other design is one which uses a wide pancake shaped piece of leather with loops widely spaced and large flanges of leather around the gun pouch. This rig supports the guns weight very well and is very comfortable.
When Bruce Nelson was a federal drug agent back in the late 60’s –early ‘70s he had occasion to draw his Colt Commander from an IWB holster and point it at a bad guy. When Bruce looked for his front sight he found that he had inadvertently drawn the holster too!!!! This event caused Bruce to revolutionize IWB holster design. The holster Bruce Nelson was using is, unfortunately, still widely available. DO NOT use a cheap suede/pigskin/nylon holster with a spring steel/plastic belt clip. The holster usually doesn’t fit the gun to provide a proper grip, the holster mouth will clamp shut the moment the gun comes out and the belt clip is known for coming off when drawn. That’ll get you killed in a gunfight.
Desantis pancake holster with Smith 2nd model Hand Ejector in .45 Colt, Desantis 2x2x2 .45 Colt
ammo pouch, Desantis dump pouch (use only with .38/.357 bianchi speed strips), Rafter S OWB sharkskin with ostrich trim with 5" Smith and Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum.
I like the IWBs made by Rafter S Gunleather, Milt Sparks and Desantis. I prefer the open top rigs to version with thumb breaks. I should point out at this time that some manufacurers like Bianchi and Horseshoe Leather choose to ignore the fact that all intelligent 1911 carriers use condition one (cocked and locked). They cut their thumb breaks to block the hammer in the down position. I won’t use them as this is a dangerous way to carry a 1911.
Now that you have a holster, you also need a magazine pouch. Twenty years ago you could not find an open topped mag pouch anywhere around here. Now every shop carries them. Choose a single or a double pouch according to what you think you might need, based on your skill and threat analysis. There are inside-the-waistband carriers but they seem a little much with an IWB holster but I have used them comfortably with an OWB holster.
Rafter S cowhide w/sharksking trim mag pouch and holster for Springfield 5" Tactical XD.
Some mags like Glocks are thick and bulky and might require a single pouch. Others are thin and easily carried in pairs like 1911 or single stack 9mm mags. I have two favorite single mag pouches. One I bought from a custom leather guy in Tulsa and he didn’t mark his name on it. This pouch is pancake style with widely spaced belt slots and a flap of leather on the back to protect your skin from sharp magazine edges. The other single pouch is by Rafter S and has a steel belt clip mounted on it upside down. The upside down clip does two things: (1) attaches the pouch securely to the belt, and (2) allows the pouch to move with your body rather than to gouge you if you move your torso from side to side. I have used many double pouches, but my favorite types have widely spaced belt slots for the same reasons stated above on holsters. Rafter S makes a nice double mag pouch that is reasonably priced and very comfortably, fast and secure. The belt slots on your mag pouch should be the same width as your belt and the slots in your holsters. Bianchi makes most of their holsters with 1.75” loops but most other makers have realized that the 1.5” belt is most popular and thus make their belts and holsters to match.
Specialized carry rigs are sometimes required due to the clothing, event or attire. Pocket holsters are good. They keep lint and gunk from getting inside of your piece as well as breaking up the outline of the gun and reducing wear on your pants pocket. The thing with a pocket holster is to make sure it stays in the pocket when the gun is drawn.
Fanny packs? Well, I don’t wear one but some people do. Just get one that has a secure compartment or better yet a built in holster. If I was going to use a fanny pack holster, it would be the one made by Eagle Industries. I provided one of these to a girlfriend many years ago and it was a well thought out piece of gear. Desantis makes something called a Discrete Hip Pouch. The DHP is a vertical pouch similar to a fanny pack but much smaller and available with a paddle which is much more useful than the one large tunnel loop that’s standard. The DHP has a surgical elastic strap to hold in the gun and once the ripcord is pulled allows the gun to be drawn as if it were in a normal low riding hip holster. The DHP can easily be mistaken for a camera/PDA/GPS/diabetic kit etc. to the average observer. Day Planners and brief cases with gun compartments are also available. Ladies can get purses with gun compartments. Be sure that the gun is carried separate from the other gear and the bag is always within reach.
Desantis Discreet Hip pouch with Smith and Wesson model 36 satin nickle with stag grips and bobbed
hammer.
There are other designs and other manufactures that make quality products but these are the ones in my experience that work the best and provide the best in design, comfort and price. When you look for a holster system or “rig” as we sometimes refer to them, always get a holster that covers the trigger guard and allows a full firing grip (except the trigger finger) before drawing. Make sure that the holster stays open for one handed reholstering and rides close to your body. Be sure your belt fits the loops of your pants and the slots of your holster and mag pouch tightly. Be sure your mag pouch is secure and leaves enough magazine exposed for you to get a firm hold on it when drawing.
The last thing to think about here is the fashion factory. I wear a belt that matches my shoes because I wear leather shoes and not tennis shoes everyday. You might want to consider what color(s) you need and if you want the “bling” factor of exotic skins for the holster body or trim. Some hides wear better than cowhide and are priced higher. Horsehide is stiffer than cowhide but thinner allowing lighter holsters that are just as strong or stronger than cowhide. Shark is attractive and shows virtually no wear even after months of use. Elephant is the ultimate holster material and wears like iron while still looking good. For the exotics there is only one maker as far as I am concerned. Rafter S Gunleather
sells exotic skin holsters or cowhide with exotic trim for prices much less than the competition. I am partial to Shark with Ostrich trim while Dennis Snow prefers full quill Ostrich with Alligator trim.
Holsters are very subjective. Most people end up with a drawer full of them, but only uses a few in their day to day carry. This evening when I ventured out into the heat for dinner with some friends, I slipped my 5” Caspian Titanium .45 into my waistband Mexican style and placed my spare mag in the special magazine pocket sewn into the left side front pocket of the pants I was wearing. I figured with the heavily armed crowd I would be with that I was well armed enough and I did not anticipate physical activity beyond walking to and from the car and the restaurant. Thus the Mexican carry was sufficiently secure and comfortable, but not for everyday. Good luck, I hope you find something that gives you the speed, security and comfort level that you need for your day to day concealed carry needs.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
K, the last few articles have been kind of heavy so here’s a light, fun article. I have become what one of my lady friends called “crystallized”. I eat my steaks cooked the same way, drink the same brand of whiskey, the same way (straight) and I carry the same type of handguns in the same calibers as I have for years. It’s not that I don’t enjoy trying new things, but somethings are just damned hard to improve on. I have several handguns in my battery that I use on a regular basis and several in my collection that I shoot rarely. Here’s a rundown on what I like and why.
Right: Colt 10mm Delta Elite Carry Comp with Milt Sparks BN55 Professional Holster. (All photos Courtesy of Tim Garrett)
We’ll start with the smallest caliber first. The Super .38 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) was a hot loaded version of the .38 ACP which John Moses Browning chamber his early, “parallel ruler principle” auto pistols. During the early 1930’s Colt chambered the government model for a hot loaded version of the .38 ACP. The new caliber was designated Super .38 and not safe to shoot in the older .38 ACP pistols. The Super was never popular among the precision shooting crowd because the barrels were made to headspace on the Semi-rim of the cartridge rather than the case mouth (like the .45 ACP). The results in variations in the rim size caused large groups. The guys who used handguns back during the Depression liked the Super for its penetration.
The Colt Gov’t is a relatively flat and easy to carry piece especially when compared to the N-frame Smith and Wesson .38-44 or the N-frame .357 magnum of the 1930s. The Super .38 Gov’t model provided the same high velocity, deep penetration needed to punch through a V8 Ford Body or penetrate the body armor of the era. I have always liked the Super because it is kind of like a semi-automatic .357 Magnum. The Super throws a 130gr bullet at 1300 feet per second, outclassing the 9mm parabellum and the .38 special. Bar-Sto Barrels started chambering their excellent custom barrels to headspace the Super on the case mouth like most other auto pistol rounds. The Bar-Sto barrels showed that the Super was capable of excellent accuracy. Colt switched to the headspace on the case mouth with the Series’80 pistols and still produces the Super as does Springfield Armory and even Rock Island Armory.
Left: Custom Ultra Light .38 Super with lightened
slide by Nowlin and Ed Brown round butt frame
modification.Shown with Rafter S Gunleather black
Sharkskin Inside the waistband holster and matching
mag pouch
An added benefit of the 1911 in .38 Super is that with the addition of a new barrel and magazine, it will also fire 9mm parabellum. I have an ultra light 1911 that was originally a 9mm but I reamed the chamber out to .38 Super, then round butted the alloy frame. Because this piece was a Super and not a .45, it was possible for the slide to be narrowed considerably, thus lightening up the gun tremendously while still maintaining a fight stopping round. When I carry this caliber for self-defense I use a Cor-Bon 115 grain jacketed hollow point at 1350 feet per second. That’s .357 magnum level performance from a light, flat, easy to carry piece.
My next favorite is also the second from the smallest diameter bullet that I like. The 10mm Norma, was a long time in coming. Since the Thompson-Lagarde’ tests, shooters were looking for a .40 caliber cartridge with power that would fit into a slim, easily carried auto pistol. Back in the 1960s, a wild cat called the .40 G&A (From Guns & Ammo Magazine) was developed and chambered in a modified Browning Hi Power. Now, the only drawback the Browning has is its chambering of 9mm Para. This was seen as a way to give the shooter more stopping power and a slightly higher mag capacity in a piece that was easier to pack than a Colt .45 Auto. But, the .40 G&A did not catch on.
Right: Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum with a
Safariland and an HKS speedloader both full of Speer
200 gr JHP .44 Special loads
Fast forward to the 1980s. Jeff Cooper had discovered the Czech 75 9mm auto.Cooper hailed the CZ75 as the first advancement in fighting pistol design since 1911 (which was virtually unheard of, due to the Iron Curtain). I had to agree. The CZ is very Slim, allows cocked and locked carry and has the slide running on long rails inside of the frame. The CZ 75 grip has to be experienced to be appreciated. The CZ feels good; its ergonomics are superb but like the Hi Power of the past, it lacked a fight stopping caliber. Cooper got together with a couple of snake oil salesmen and designed a .40 caliber/10mm Version of the CZ75, it was called the BREN 10 and was indorsed by Jeff Cooper and Carried by the ultra cool Miami Vice cop, Sonny Crocket. The BREN 10 introduced a new cartridge, the 10mm Norma, as loaded by Norma of Sweden. This round was HOT!!! Norma was hitting .41 magnum power levels out of a normal sized auto pistol.
This awesome new round created some problems. The first was it violated the Thompson-Lagarde’ requirements of a 200 gr, .40 cal. Bullet at 1000 FPS. The 100 threw a 180/200 gr slug at somewhere around 1300 fps. Lots of stopping power? Yes, at the expense of recoil and controllability. Instead of a slimmer gun than a .45 auto with similar controllability and stopping power we had a piece with much more power and recoil and about the same size and weight. The BREN 10s were of inferior quality, Cooper withdrew his endorsement as the guns failed and became relegated to collector status. Sonny Crocket even switched back to a .45 auto. The 10mm Norma became a Cartridge without a gun.
Colt brought out the Delta Elite in 10mm and I fell in love with its power and long range punch. I have no use for the 10mm Lite, as the FBI/subsonic loads are called. If you want low power 10, shoot a .40 or better yet a .45. If you will practice with a full loaded 10mm like the Cor-Bon, Winchester Silvertips or the excellent ammo from Doubletap, you can control it, but it is lower to recover from than a .45 ACP.
Left: 2nd Model Hand Ejector Smith and Wesson,
orginally chambered in .455 Eley with a 6.5" barrel.
Many of these were imported in the '60s and had the
barrels shortened and the chambers reamed out for .45
Colt like this one. Shown with a Desantis pancake
holster and 2x2x2 dump pouch along with an HKS
speedloader full of 255 gr. lead flatpoints.
I have a 10mm Colt Delta Elite that Danny Williams built as a Carry Comp. He cut the slide down and installed a single port compensator. Unlike the .45 ACP, the 10mm produces enough gas for a compensator to be very effective. The overall length of this piece is the same as a 5” Gov’t model making it easy to carry and find holsters to fit.
The muzzle rise is no more than a .45 Gov’t model shooting hardball. I carried this pistol all over the Republic of South Africa because I didn’t know if I might need to stop a dangerous animal at close range or a terr armed with an AK at 100m. I knew I would not have access to a rifle so I took my 10mm and felt very well armed with my Colt and 4 spare mags of Silvertips. For raw power in a packable auto pistol, I’ll take the 10mm every time.
(At Right) Clockwise from top: Colt 1911 .45acp, Hell On The Border Custom Titanium Frame .45acp (Caspian
Parts), Caspian Titanium Framed 1911 .45acp, Colt
Series 70 Bullseye Precision Custom .45acp.
I’ll lump the next two together as they have many similarities and I like them for the same reasons. The .44 Special and .45 Colt (or .45 Long Colt as some call it) are both
Big bore sixgun rounds that harken back to the days of black powder cartridges. I like the big slow bullets. They make big holes in whatever they hit and they do a good job of transferring their energy to the target. The .45 Colt is the older of the two, introduced in 1873 with the Colt 1873 Peacemaker. The original load slung a 255 gr lead bullet downrange at 950 fps. This was a true powerhouse for its day. Current loads are watered down a little to compensate for all of the old guns they might find their way into. If you can’t stop it with a 255 gr. Kieth type Semiwadcutter moving at 800-1000 FPS, you probably need to use your nuclear hand grenade. The .45 Colt is easy to shoot and a joy to reload with cast lead bullets. Recoil is low, bullets are big and you can get cool old guns or new replicas in this chambering.
The .44 Special was an outgrowth of the .44 S&W American, the .44 Russian and is the Daddy of the .44 Magnum. I like the .44 Special a lot. See above…big, slow bullets, etc. I like the .44 Special for much the same reasons as the .45 Colt. There are a few advantages for the .44 Special. If I was going to hot rod it, it’s safer than the .45 Colt, but with the advent of the .454 Casul and the .44 Magnum there’s no need to hot rod this cartridge with atomic reloads.
Right: Original Colt 1911 built in 1916 and refurbished for reissue during World War 2 along with a box of U.S. GI M1911 .45 ACP 230 gr. Ball Ammunition.
There is a little 5 shot snubby revolver called the Bulldog, built by Charter Arms that chambers the .44 Special. Quality on the Charter guns is hit or miss but they make great pocket pistols when in good working order. The soft lead, lightly loaded cowboy loads don’t kick too badly out of the Bulldog and the bullet starts out the same size as a 9mm hollow point hopes it will grow up to. Speer now loads a 200 grain hollow point for short barreled .44 Specials and it’s a fantastic self defense load. In the movie, Magnum Force, even Dirty Harry Callahan admits that he uses, “light special loads,” that give him better control than magnums in the big Model 29 Smith. Harry was right, I love to shoot 240-250gr SWCs at about 1000FPS in .44 special our of my Model 29 .44 Magnum. The .44 Special and .45 Colt and fun calibers and enjoying a resurgence due to cowboy action shooting and the introduction of Smith and Wesson’s slick Retro-Styled revolvers like the model 21 and 22.
I saved the best for last…the venerable .45 ACP. It works. John Moses Browning developed this cartridge to feed his model of 1905 Colt Auto pistol. The .45 ACP is inherently accurate having dominated bullseye matches for the better part of a century. The .45 ACP knows no peer when it comes to verifiable results in actual combat. From the barrels of Black Jack Pershing’s Cavalry in the dusty border country of Norte Mexico to the mud and grime of the Château Thierry in France, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, North Africa, Normandy, The Bulge, Pusan, Frozen Chosin, Tunnels at Cu Chi, Hue City, The Ashau Valley, Beirut, Grenada, El Salvador, Panama, The Gulf, Tora Bora, Baghdad…wherever American Soldiers and Marines have fought the .45ACP as put enemies of freedom in the dust. Whether fired from a Colt Automatic, a
Smith revolver, a Thompson submachine gun or a Grease Gun, the .45 ACP has the accuracy, controllability and stopping power to get the job done.
Left: Not my favorite caliber but a lot of nice guns are chambered for the 9mm parabellum cartridge: Clockwise from top: Browning Hi Power with surefire light and 21 round magazine, Sig P225, HK P9S (most accurate 9mm I have ever shot), CZ75, Kel-Tec PF-9 (ultra thin and light), HK P7M8 squeeze cocker.
I like the .45 ACP; it’s a low recoil, low pressure cartridge. Its recoil is easy on the shooter and easy on the gun. I use a lot of cast lead bullets because they are cheaper to shoot and allow me to practice more often, and the .45 ACP is very cast bullet friendly. Because the .45 ACP is a low pressure round the brass holds up to several loadings thus lowering the cost of shooting for me. The .45ACP is also the premier chambering of my favorite pistol, the 1911. The .45 ACP bullet starts out almost a half an inch in diameter with no expansion. If a good hollow point is used and it works, the result can be a bullet with a frontal mass of one inch. The larger the frontal mass of the bullet, the more tissue it contacts and the more energy it transfers to the target. I like the big slow bullet, it works.
Right: The best vehicle for effective 9mm use, HK MP5K SMG.
There you have it. Those are my favorites. Do I have others? Sure I do. I like my 1896 Mauser broomhandle and it’s 7.63mm round. My Enfield .455 was good medicine for trench raids in 1916 with its big slow bullets. I love my HK P7M8 but I wish it was chambered for something bigger than 9mm. The same holds true with my HK P9S and my Browning Hi Power. I have a beautiful Smith and Wesson Model 27 with a 5 inch barrel, but I’m not a big .357 magnum fan. Sometimes you have to compromise on the caliber to get the delivery package you want.
What would I grab if I needed a pistol to repel boarders? I’ll give you a hint John Moses Browning designed the piece and the caliber to go with it. Cpl. Alvin York used it to stop a German squad bayonet charge And earn a Medal of Honor. If I can only have one it will be a .45 ACP in either a Colt or a custom built piece using Caspian Arms parts exclusively.
Call in and tell us your favorite handgun cartridges and why.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
recently read an article by a guy who was building what he called a “Katrina Rifle.
This prompted me to think about what one should include in a serious social rifle because I didn’t really agree with the author’s ideas. I think there are several ways to go with this type of arm and we will explore them shortly. First, we must define the use for such a rifle before we can delve into how best to set one up.
As I sit here at Pig-N-Pepper BBQ in rural Crawford County, there are thousands of local city dwellers without electricity. We are having the worst storm season in decades and power outages, along with severe property damage, have been the norm. Let’s add the stress of storm damage to the price of gas and the rising summer heat and we could conceivably be in for a nasty event.
Where I am sitting as I write this is along a major fault line. The last time there was a major earthquake here, it rang the bells in Philadelphia and made the Mississippi River run backwards. The New Madrid Earthquake was in 1836. We are long overdue for another. What would happen if an area the size of Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas etc. was devastated in Katrina-like terms? The building codes in this part of the country are not earthquake friendly and massive damage is expected. It is against this type of scenario we will discuss the serious social rifle. The serious social rifle is the weapon you grab to repel boarders and protect hearth and home.
Fitted for functionality: the practical rifle
I may offend the “Tacticoool” crowd with some of my suggestions, but I am more concerned with function than image. This is a rifle to protect one’s self and family, not for clearing houses in Bagdahd or sniping hajis in Afghanistan. Let’s think about this in practical terms. This weapon should be in a fight stopping caliber that is either easy to find or cheap to buy in quantity. The rifle should be short and handy, a carbine or short rifle length. The rifle should have decent magazine capacity/rapidity/continuity of fire.
The rifle should be usable by other members of your family. The rifle should fit you in various types of clothing. The rifle should be accurate and fast handling. Maintenance should be easy and spare parts should be readily available.
Right: The Serious Social Rifle.
Notice that I didn’t mention rail systems or even semi automatic function? Let’s start out with the rifle you have. How about the trusty Winchester model 94/Marlin 336 in the venerable .30-30 Winchester round. These guns are reasonably powerful, accurate enough and hold 7 rounds. The lever action is quick to operate for follow-up shots.
A good friend of mine witnessed a shootout in which a man armed with a lever action .30-30 shot 3 policemen at an intersection. He fired three shots, killing one and retiring two all while they emptied their 15 shot wonder-nines at him. The man surrendered unharmed.
I would add a simple, quick adjustable, strap type sling that can be used for carrying or as a shooting aid. In addition to the sling, I would also install a lace-on shell holder on the buttstock. The shellholder allows you to pick up a loaded rifle with spare ammo attached so you can keep the magazine topped off as you fire it. I prefer aperture sights to the old-fashioned “buckhorn” style open sights. I can do much faster, more accurate work with a ghost ring (very large aperture) peep sight. These can be added at a relative low cost, but nothing is really wrong with the standard sights. I’m not a fan of commercial optics on a rifle like this; Usually they ruin the handling characteristics. High quality optics are all I would trust when using a glass sight on a serious rifle. .30-30 ammo isn’t very cheap, but is no higher than .308 and the appearance is not as intimidating as a “black rifle” to the uneducated person.
The important thing is that if this is the rifle you have and you are experienced with it, all you have to do is pick up some ammo, an extractor and a spare firing pin and maybe some of the mentioned accessories and you are good to go. You can control your environment out to 150-200 yards against 2 legged and 4 legged threats.
If your rifle does not fit you when wearing heavy winter clothes, have the stock cut off and a decelerator recoil pad added. It is much easier to compensate for a short stock in hot weather than to deal with an overly-long stock. Make sure the recoil pad is properly rounded so that it will not snag during a high speed mounting.
The best bolt action: the .303 British Lee-Enfield
Bolt actions are pretty common. The best bolt gun for serious social use is also the best bolt action combat rifle ever designed. No, not the ’98 Mauser; The .303 British Lee-Enfield. The Lee-Enfield is generally chambered for the powerful .303 British (Indian No.2a Enfields are chambered for .308/7.62x51) that has a maximum effective range 500 yards+ . Enfields have a 10 round detachable box magazine and because the striker is cocked on the closing stroke of the bolt they can be manipulated with great speed.
I prefer the No.4 or No.5 models using peep sights. The No.4 series is a short rifle and the No.5 is a carbine generally known as the Jungle Carbine. I have found that the Jungle Carbine’s recoil has been exaggerated but the zeroing problem is real. A forward mounted “scout” scope can aid in target identification and shot placement without getting in the way of the charger guide on the receiver.
Although it has a detachable magazine, the Lee-Enfield, like most rifles of its era, is designed to be reloaded with stripper clips, feeding ammo down though the action to refill the magazine. Being a military rifle, the Lee-Enfield is already set up for a sling, and spare parts are readily available. A couple of stripper clips can be clipped onto the sling and you then have 20 rounds available when you grab the rifle. Most military rifles have stocks that are a little short in order fit a higher number of personnel (live with it -it’s a good thing.
Most of what is said about the utility of the .303 Enfield can be said about the ’98 Mauser: Ammo capacity is lower (5 round fixed mag) and calibers can sometimes be a problem. I would feel well armed with a quality made ’98 Mauser in 8X57mm or .308 Winchester. While 8X57 Mauser isn’t common in big box stores, it is available in quantity at much lower prices than the popular .308 and .30’06. I would buy good quality surplus ammo, packed in stripper clips and stored in bandoleers. Ideally, you should buy a small quantity and shoot it. Then, if all is well buy a sealed case for hard times.
Mausers have rugged open sights (you can mount a peep sight or a scout scope if you prefer), and sling swivel mounts. Generally, commercial bolt guns have weak extractor systems, exposed, vulnerable long barrels and no method for keeping up a constant stream of fire.So, I would use a cheaper but more robust military bolt gun if it were available. I should mention here that the Russian Mosin-Nagant is an accurate, rugged, reliable rifle using cheap, powerful ammo. The Mosin-Nagant also has a clumsy bolt and a safety that is not quick or handy to manipulate.
We now have arrived where many thought we would start out, semi-automatic rifles.
Let me say from the outset that the Remington 74/742/7400 etc. Series are not suitable for anything but occasional hunting and very little shooting. It is a beautiful rifle that is designed to sell at a low price point and provide the hunter with an adequate light duty firearm.
The new Remington R15 series, however, is another story. They are very suitable for serious social use. Most commercial semi-auto rifle designs do not utilize large, quickly changeable magazines nor robust, parts and stiff heavy barrels. But there are many military type semi-auto rifles in various price ranges. The little M1 Carbine was probably the first semi-auto rifle used for this problem. Police used the M1 Carbine during the riots and unrest in the 1960s and early ‘70s. The carbine is light, handy and a joy to carry. There are reliable, reasonably priced 15 and 30 round magazines (must use M2 mag catch on 30s) available.
The downside is the lack of power and the price of the weapon. If you already have a carbine, price isn’t an issue. Stopping power however is an issue. The Carbine was originally designed to replace the 1911 pistol for support troops. The Carbine failed and was put into use as kind of a light/early assault rifle. The .30 M1 Carbine round just lacks decisive stopping power past about 50-75 yards. Cor-bon DPX ammo is an expensive fix for the problem; Soft point hunting ammo is cheaper and more effective than GI ball ammo. If you choose a carbine, practice a lot and be able to place you shots out to 100 yards. You can hit targets farther away, but not with much stopping power.
The Eastern Bloc SKS is a very prolific gun around here. The SKS chambers the 7.62x39mm M43 round. This intermediate cartridge provides plenty of stopping power and a decent range. Optimal at 100 yards or less but useful out to 200+ yards, this round is available anywhere with a decent ammo selection and bulk ammo is available at reasonable prices. I like the 16” carbine version of the SKS. Throw all the Bubba junk away and just use it like it was issued. All that aftermarket crap will not make an SKS into an AK. Keep your spare ammo on stripper clips for recharging the 10 round fixed magazine. Samco currently has sealed cases of high quality Yugoslavian brass cased ammo packed on stripper clips. Put one of these up and save it for hardtimes.
AKs? Hell Yes! That’s what the rest of the world uses. They are reliable, accurate enough for social work, relatively inexpensive and use the best magazines ever manufactured. AKs work, all the time. Downsides? The sights could be better, the safety is a big lever on the left side that goes “Clack” when disengaged (unless wrapped in paracord). There are AKs in 7.62X39mm, .223, .308 and 5.45x39mm. I think the two best are the 7.62 and 5.45mm. These were designed to work in the Kalashnikov action. The 7.62x39mm is more popular and easy to find, it also offers more penetration.
The 5.45X39mm is the cheapest centerfire rifle round available. It is only available at very well stocked shops or gun shows, but 5.45X39mm ammo can be ordered from places like AIM Surplus or purchased at gun shows for around $130/1060 rounds in sealed military spam cans. Get two cans, open one for practice and keep the other sealed for emergency use.
There are many other military semis that are around, the CETME/G3/HK91 series weapons (quality depends on maker), the M1 Garand/M14 family and the FN-FAL series. The quality of the manufacture of these weapons greatly impacts the reliability of these weapons. I’ve never seen a bad HK91, but the Century Arms CETME and G3 seem to be a crap shoot for reliability (If you get one that “don’t run,” call Jeff at Prusik USA). The M1/M14 series are a little long (except in the tanker/SOCOM versions) and very expensive.
Right: FN-FAL.
FN-FALs are .308/7.62nato and available in carbine length versions. I prefer the FAL because the gas system is adjustable to function with a wide range of .308 ammo, even when very dirty. The FAL is easy to maintain and generally has low recoil for a .308 when the gas system is properly adjusted. FALs feed from 20 rd mags that are usually $10 or less in quantity and are very reliable. FALs aren’t what I would call “scope friendly,” but neither are AKs or M14s. All can be scoped but require a little thought. The good thing about the .308 round in the FAL is that any ammo you run across can be dialed into work with the gas system and it has excellent power and penetration out to 1000 yards.
The ultimate add-on rifle and useful accessories
We now come to the ultimate add-on rifle of all time: Eugene Stoner’s baby, the AR15.
The AR platform is the ultimate for purpose built rifles. Available several calibers .223 (AR15) and .308 (AR10) are the easiest to find. The .223 versions are the most prevalent.
The .223 Remington round will get the job done within 150 yards from the currently popular 16” M4 configuration using GI ball ammo and good marksmanship. I would use a 1/9” twist barrel and a frangible round that feeds good in my first 2 or 3 mags.
Magazines for ARs are cheap and plentiful. I really prefer the old Colt 20rd mags as they are compact and do not deter from the rifles slick handling. If I’m using GI mags, I download them: 18 in a 20 and 28 in a 30. My Dad taught me that when he came back from Vietnam and it seems like a good idea with the Stoner .223 system. If you are using the excellent new PMAGs or HK’s high reliability M16 mag load them all the way up.
I have two favorite AR configurations for serious work: A very basic M4 and the old style M16A1/SP1 type 20” rifle. I like these weapons because they are short, light and accurate. If you keep them clean they are reliable. With expanding ammo, I would feel confident out to 300 yards with either configuration. I like to have enough expanding ammo to fill the first mag, then alternate the next two with expanding and full metal jacket, then the rest of the spares have FMJs or green tip armor piercing (too light to pierce much). Of course you need enough ammo on hand to reload those mags a few times.
Two examples of the AR15. The bottom model is rifle that was "decked out" by Tim Garrett for Dennis Snow's birthday with a sling and magazine holder among other features.
I’m not real impressed by all the commando stuff people hang on ARs now. I think Stoner had it right the first time. I realize that laser designators, vertical foregrips and all of that stuff are needed on the modern battlefield, but we are not talking about going to war here. We are just talking about controlling one’s environment in a time when outside help might not be available for quite some time.
Worthwhile accessories? I believe in the KISS principle: Keep it Simple, Stupid.
I like a bright, white light of at least 60 lumens. I like Surefire, but there are many others that are good. You can install a small piece of rail to you forend or use a barrel band type of mount but the light is priceless if you need it to identify a target. Spare batteries would be a must. I like a red dot sight that co-witnesses with my iron sights. I like the trijicon reflex because it uses no batteries, just tritium and fiberoptics. I also like the Aim Point and Eotech sights with their extreme battery life (Murphy says keep spare batteries handy).
There is absolutely nothing wrong with plain old iron sights and practice.
For Scopes, Leupold and Burris both make rugged scout scopes. IOR of Romania makes some good dual purpose 1x-4x scopes with CQB reticles. You also need a way to carry spare ammo so that it is handy. A sling is mandatory, but it need not be a super duper “tacticool” model. Sometimes a simple GI Web sling will do the job.
What is my main Serious Social Rifle? Right now it’s a DPMS M4 carbine with a 14.5” 1x9” twist barrel with a permanently attached Vortex flash hider. I have an A2 rear sight, made by cutting off the front of a detachable carry handle (before anyone knew what a back up iron sight was), mounted to the flat top receiver. A fixed A2 front sight rounds out the irons. I use standard CAR handguards with heatshields and I have a Trijicon Reflex red dot sight mounted forward on the receiver. I have a surefire 6P with a pressure switch mounted to the barrel and a GI side sling adapter on the front sight tower for attaching the simplest tactical sling I have ever used (designed and installed by my good friend Gunny Sgt. Jon White USMC ret.).
On the back end, I have a standard CAR retractable stock. I don’t use this because it’s cool or retracts, I use it because I like being able to adjust the length of pull depending on who is using it and what kind of clothing is getting in the way of shouldering the weapon. I use a First Samco dual magazine clamp to carry 2 30rd mags on the weapon. I’m working on an HK type G32 in 7.62x39 with an Aimpoint and a white light as I prefer the power of the 7.62 and the reliability of the HK system to replace the M4. I am also building up a 16” barreled FAL carbine with a white light and a dot sight. I have a Russian Siaga AK in 7.62 that I am mounting a white light on. These will be my emergency rifles and in a later article we will compare them to each other for reliability, accuracy and ease of handling.).
I think everyone has their own preferences when it comes to a Serious Social Rifle and you need to make an informed decision on how to best arm yourself in the event of a disasterous breakdown of law and order. Katrina proved just how fragile our balance of society is.
I leave you with two thoughts:
1. The Boy Scouts recently in the news did not survive the killer tornado that hit their camp because they hoped a tornado would hit. They survived because they were prepared in case a disaster did strike and they knew what to do when it happened.
2. A man without a rifle is a subject; A man with a rifle is a citizen.
Get a rifle. Learn how to use it.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
Ok, if you shoot much at all you have noticed that ammunition prices are the only thing going up faster than the price of gasoline. Surplus ammo has just about dried up, between the UN paying countries to scrap their surplus instead of selling it on the U.S. market and the vast amounts of small arms ammunition being burned up by the military in training and combat. Even rounds such as 7.62 x 39mm have been depleted due to the large contracts to provide ammo to our Allies in the Global War on Terror.
So what to do? Shooting is a deteriorating skill. One must practice on a regular basis to remain proficient. A .22 or airgun will do for the fundamentals of trigger control and sight alignment but not for recoil control in rapid fire or long range shooting with your preference of rifle.
So what to do? Suck it up and buy ammo? .308 surplus is running $.50 per round and gas is pushing $4 per gallon, I know which one has priority in my budget. Suddenly, reloading becomes very attractive. If you shop wisely for components you should be able to cut that down to $.25-.35 per round. That may not sound like much, but my .308s have 20 rd magazines and lots of them. Let’s look at what you need to get started.
First, you need to decide what calibers you intend to load. I would recommend that you start with a single stage press for several reasons. Single stage presses are built tough and give you plenty of leverage to work even the largest cases. Because you use only one die at a time for each process, it is easy to make sure everything is exact. RCBS, Lyman and Lee all make good quality products. You will need a press, a powder scale, a powder measure and a bullet puller (because you will make mistakes). If you are loading rifle cartridges or bottle neck pistol rounds (.357 sig) you will immediately need a case trimmer. Eventually, you will need a case tumbler to polish your brass and maybe some sort of priming tool. It’s very important to get at least one good reloading manual and read it. I feel that the Lyman manual is the best on the market. Lyman’s manual lists loads for both cast and jacket bullets and has a very good tutorial section for the beginner.
Most other manuals do a good job of providing loads for the bullets manufactured by the company printing the manual.
Dies: If you are loading straight walled pistol cases (.38/.357, 9mm, .45acp, .44spl/mage ect.) you will want carbide dies. Carbide dies make things a lot simpler and easier because you won’t have to lube the cases before you resize them. When loading for an auto pistol you will want a taper crimp die; Revolver cartridges use a roll crimp. For rifle cartridges, if you are shooting a semi auto you will want small base dies to ensure that the cases are fully resized for best feeding. The first die will deprime the case and resize it back to original specs. At this point, a case length gauge is used for rifle cases to see if they need trimming. Most straight walled handgun cartridges can be loaded without trimming. We are talking about cheap practice ammo, not precision match loads. Next, a primer is seated. If you are using military brass, you MUST remove crimp from the primer pocket. This is easily done with an inexpensive chamfering type tool. If you don’t do this, you can set off a primer while trying to force it into the primer pocket.
Primer pocket cleaning tools are available and needed eventually. For the purposes of this article we are assuming the use of clean, once fired brass. Primers are seated via the priming arm on the press of a hand priming tool. (Remember, always wear eye protection and no smoking while loading.) With the single stage press you should perform one task on all of your brass at once. Now, run all of your brass through your expanding die to open the case mouth slightly to accept the bullet.
Next you need to set your powder measure to throw the desired charge. Use your powder scale to make sure that your powder measure is throwing the correct weight of powder. I like the Lyman manual because it lists factory equivalent loads. For practice ammo, I pick a median load that duplicates factory ballistics. If you must load a super hot load that is near the maximum you should work your way up to it watching for excessive pressure signs like sticky extraction and flattened primers. I like to use a powder measure on a stand and dispense the powder directly into the cases. Every fifth round, I dump into the powder scale and verify that my charge is still correct.
When all of your brass is primed and placed in you loading blocks (I prefer wooden loading blocks), you can visually check to see that the powder level in the cases is uniform. You are now ready to seat your bullets. You must choose the type of bullet you intend to shoot. For handguns, I prefer hard cast bullets for practice. The best cast bullets I have ever seen are available from A&B Pawn in Van Buren. Cast bullets should be hard enough that they don’t leave a tremendous amount of lead residue in your barrel. DO NOT SHOOT CAST BULLETS IN GLOCKS!!!!!THEY WILL BLOW UP!!!!!!!!*
Cast bullets are the cheaper so you get to shoot for less. There are several shops with large reloading sections such as Coopers, Mossy Point, The Tackle Box and Poteau Pawn and Gun. Some die sets have combination bullet seater/crimp dies, but I like crimping as a separate operation. You must seat the bullet to the correct depth. A bullet seated too deep can create an increase in pressure. A bullet seated too far out can prevent the round from seating in the chamber. A good, consistent, strong crimp must be applied. Revolver rounds can have the bullets creep forward in the cases under recoil thus binding up the cylinder. Auto pistol and rifle rounds can have their bullets shoved deeper in the cases as they are cycled into the chamber from the magazine. This can increase the pressures dangerously. Use a case length or take the barrel out of your auto pistol and check the fit of the cartridges from time to time just to make sure they will chamber.
Now go shoot and enjoy the savings.
This article is designed to give you an overview of the steps you take in loading metallic cartridges. I have written this to give a novice a vague understanding of the process not as a how-to article. I cannot stress enough that one must purchase a good manual and READ it and then RE-READ it and then find a friend that is experienced at loading and have him or her help you the first couple of times around. I’ll be happy to answer any questions I can, just e-mail me.
Reloading is safe, if you pay attention.
Progressive Presses:If you want to load in volume and you only want to load one caliber of handgun, buy a Dillon Square Deal. They will do everything you need. If you are an experienced reloader and want to step up to a progressive press, buy a Dillon. I still have my eyesight today because I use a Dillon press. I had a massive primer detonation in a Dillon 1050. It was my fault but the point is, if I had been using a Lee Loadmaster with the primer storage facing me like a claymore mine, it would have killed or blinded me even with the glasses I had on. Dillons are sturdy, well-designed and have a lifetime No Bullsh** Warranty. If it breaks, they replace it, no questions asked. I’ve used it and it’s real.
For this article lets just say that boxer primed brass is reloadable and berdan primed brass is not readily reloadable. Yes, I know you can reprime berdan stuff but it’s a bi*** and hardly anyone does it. Steel cases will wear out your dies, so don’t use them either.
*Glocks have special rifling that gives a tight seal to the bullet and generates higher velocities. Glocks also have over-throated chambers making them A. Super reliable feeding and B. have unsupported case heads. When you couple the unsupported casehead with a chamber that is caked with lead shavings and bullet lube residue it is a recipe for disaster. For Some reason Glocks can fire when slightly out of battery. The caked up gunk in the barrel throat keeps the slide from going all the way forward and locking shut. This leaves the unsupported case hanging out and the slide unlocked. When the round fires it will explode with the pressure rupturing the unsupported case thus creating the infamous Glock Ka-Boom.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
Top to bottom: G3 7.62 NATO/.308, middle: G32 7.62/39mm, bottom: SW45X (MP5 .45 ACP).
It’s interesting how two countries can come to different solutions to the same problem. Near the end of World War II, the Germans and the Soviets were both looking for a replacement for their main battle rifles and their submachine guns.
The Germans were actually fielding a series of assault rifles, firing the intermediate caliber 7.92X33mm round. The Soviets had the 7.62 x 39mm round in 1943 but no rifle to fire it from. In 1945, the Soviets fielded the SKS Carbine and the Germans were working with roller-locked assault rifles. The Soviets adopted the rotating bolt, gas-operated Kalashnikov design chambered for the M43 7.62 x 39mm as the AK47 in 1947.
It took the Germans a little while to get a new rifle for the post-war military. The Germans eventually adopted the G3; an outgrowth of the CETME rifle project from Spain. Former Mauserwerke engineers who had worked on the delayed roller locked action during the war carried out this project. The G3 was adopted in the NATO standard caliber 7.62 x 51mm (.308), a full power cartridge that was completely uncontrollable in full auto fire, but accurate at long range. The German firms of Rienmetal and Heckler & Koch were given the contracts to produce the G3. Reinmetal was involved in producing the 7.62 x 51mm variant of the MG42 (MG3) but they were incapable of delivering rifles. So, H & K ended up with the entire contract.
An outgrowth of the G3 project was the production of a weapons system based entirely on the same roller locked action. These weapons include the G3 battle rifle, the G33 assault rifle in 5.56mm, the MP5 9mm SMG, the HK21 LMG and more. All of these weapons use the same controls and the same method of operation. This made training troops easy: learn one weapon and you can use them all. H&K was in competition with FN of Belgium for the free world's military small arms market. FN was #1 with HK in a solid second place. To garner a wider share of the world market, HK designed a platform to fire the Soviet 7.62 x 39mm round. The G32 was born.
Very few examples of the G32/HK52 platform exist today. The rifles, while well built were far more expensive than the Soviet AK47s, which the Soviets would literally give to any group that would further their attempt at world domination. The G32 also had much sharper recoil than the AK or the small caliber 5.56mm HK33 or the M16 series of weapons. Recoil of the G32 was more in line with that of the larger G3 than the competing assault rifles. The G32 faded away, just a footnote in firearms history.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, we experienced a flood of cheap Chinese and Russian ammo in caliber 7.62 x 39mm. Class 3 dealer and experimenter extraordinaire, Bill Fleming resurrected the G32 as a custom weapon built from the larger G3/HK91 receiver to allow those with legally registered auto sears to fire the cheap, imported ammo and utilize AK47 magazines and drums. These were reliable custom creations and they command a premium price today. The Fleming guns, while reliable, were still built on the larger receiver of the 7.62 x 51mm battle rifle. In the late 1990s, early 2000s, Todd Bailey’s Special Weapons, Inc. produced commercial semi-auto versions of the G3 battle rifle and the MP5 submachine gun. Bailey attempted to produce the G32 series. As I understand it, some of these weapons ran fine and some were abysmal failures, and the project ended there.
Front left to right are examples of 7.62 NATO/.308, .62/39mm, .56/.223.
At the Fall Tulsa Arms Show, I met Jeff Walters of Prusik, USA. I had talked to Jeff online before but never met him or viewed any of his projects. My M4 Carbine had developed some reliability problems and I was looking for a replacement. I didn’t find any 5.56mm “social rifles” that turned me on, but I did find an HK33 parts kit. Jeff told he could build one for me and that a new receiver was coming out. He said this receiver allows the use of AR15/M16 magazines (thus alleviating the need for expensive HK mags).
I bought the HK33 kit and arranged to have Jeff put it together for me. After six months of delays from the manufacturer of the new receiver, Jeff had an idea. He recently bought two semi trailer loads of parts from the old Special Weapons inventory. Included in these parts were about 70 SW32 receivers and barrels. Jeff offered to build me a rifle in either .223 (taking HK93/33 mags) or in 7.62 x 39mm (taking AK mags). Because the price of .223/5.56mm ammo doubled since the beginning of the project, I went with the 7.62 option. Jeff had it done in a week and posted a video of the test firing online. I couldn’t wait to get up to Stillwell, OK, and lay my hands on the new rifle.
Main battle rifles...USM14, FN-FAL G3, All chambered for the full power 7.62/51 NATO (.308 Winchester) round.
At first I was surprised by the recoil, which was pretty sharp compared to a .223. After
about 100 rounds, I became acclimated to the weapon and I can say that I much prefer the larger
7.62X39mm round to the 5.56 at Zero-200 Meter ranges. Past 200 Meters, I want a 7.62 Nato round. Jeff put a fake flash hider on the G32 to keep the barrel at a legal length. I ordered a four-prong vortex type flash hider from Investment Grade Firearms to replace the current barrel extension. Jeff’s orders are to shoot the hell out of this rifle so that we can work out all of the kinks prior to building the other 70 rifles for public sale. Jeff has already redesigned the buffer system to reduce recoil further. I intend to mount a white light and an Aimpoint red dot sight along with a tactical sling and then call it a day.
My new G32 is lighter than an AK and handy in length with the versatility of the HK weapons system. I am impressed by its close range power and accuracy. Once all the reliability issues are worked out, I think I may load up a 20 round mag full of Wolf 154 gr soft points and go hog hunting with the G32. My Prusik, USA G32 is a welcome addition to my battery of defensive rifles.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
Have you ever wanted a custom built pistol? I own a few and this article is on the why and how of custom handguns. If you haven’t noticed quality pistols are getting expensive. I see production 1911s with various and sundry features that were once only available from custom shops. There was even a time when a certain amount of custom gunsmithing was needed to get a 1911 running good with a variety of ammo. Luckily those times passed along with the age of disco.
If you are going to build a custom piece you first need to find out who the best, preferably local, guy is for the job. Where I live, I like Danny Williams and Buddy Hogan but Larry Fugett does top notch work also. Now you have to figure out what you want. My last custom 1911 was a full size gun with a light rail on it. Now, I could have bought this gun from Springfield Armory or Kimber but I actually carry my guns and I wanted something a little different.
If you carry a gun all day, you come to appreciate a light weight weapon. Titanium is lighter than steel and tougher than aluminum. I had previously had Danny Williams build me a titanium framed small .45 and I liked it so I went with the Caspian titanium frame on my rail gun.
I’m not impressed with the current fad of using MIM (mold injected metal) parts in firearms. Colt uses the least, Springfield is second lowest in MIM parts and Kimber seems proud of theirs. MIM is a manufacturing process that makes it cheaper to build guns. Metal and epoxy are shot into a mold. The part is then subjected to high heat that shrinks it by removing the epoxy. The result is a part that is near drop in dimensions requiring very little or no fitting. The problem is that these parts fail and give no outward indications there is a problem. I have personally witnessed these failures and do not intend to pay for substandard parts.
I like parts machined from solid milled steel or quality investment cast parts for non-stressed parts like the grip safety etc. I called Gary Smith at Caspian Arms and ordered a frame and slide. Caspian will pre-fit the slide to the frame for a nominal fee. This service saves you time and money with your local ‘smith.
Gary recommended I have the slide rails “carburized” which makes them harder and smoother. It sounded good and proved an excellent idea. The slide felt like it was moving on glass. I ordered my internals from Caspian also. Gary also shipped me a Titanium mainspring housing with a lanyard loop built in. Caspian offers many features on their frames which saves money and time.
I had the front strap machine checkered 20 lines per inch, the tang was cut for a Caspian beavertail grip safety (made of titanium) and a mag chute was built integral to the frame with a cutout on the front to allow withdrawl of stuck magazines. I also had the slide cut for Novak sights at Caspian.
The rest of the parts I acquired from Brownell’s catalog. The extractor is very important and I used an Ed Brown Bullet Proof extractor. The extractor on a 1911 controls the round from the time it exits the magazine until the time it is ejected. A good extractor is made of quality-milled steel and must be bent to the proper angle for providing the correct tension on the cartridge case. Tensioning an extractor is more art than science and is best left to your gunsmith.
There has been much written of late about 1911s with “new improved exterior extractors”. The real purpose behind a pinned on exterior extractor is because the manufacturer can’t figure out how to make an internal extractor out of pot metal. You cannot cut corners on the extractor. I bought what I consider the best on the market. I used an Ed Brown tactical single side extended thumb safety. I shoot with my thumb on top of the safety and I like the angle of the Ed Brown. I’m not a fan of ambidextrous safeties unless you are left-handed. They are inherently weaker and more prone to breakage.
It is a simple matter to swipe off the strong side safety with your left trigger finger when firing weak hand. I used a Dlask trigger with a titanium bow for faster trigger reset. This allows me to shoot faster. I picked up a cosmetically flawed barrel manufactured for a major customhouse. I showed this to my Woody and he said it looked fine in all the important places. I intend to replace it someday with a Stormlake barrel purpose built and threaded for a suppressor.I used a stainless match barrel bushing, polished to make the bore look larger when viewed from the muzzle end.
I am not a fan of guide rods so you will not find one in my pistol. I put in a standard GI issue recoil spring guide and plug along with a Wolf 18.5 pound recoil spring. I am not running a buffer in this gun. I’ve found that a shok buff type device will reduce the rearward slide travel and sometimes adversely effect reliability. I used Novak fixed sights with tritium inserts. I prefer fixed sights on my carry guns, fewer things to go wrong. For grips, I chose the Simonichi Gunner Grips in the USMC Coyote color.
These grips are made of a space age material called G10 and have a dimpled golf ball type surface. As these grips came from the factory they were too abrasive for my taste. Included with the grips was a piece of sandpaper with which to sand them your liking.
Gunner grips are used on the Meusoc .45s and most operator use gloves when helping Jihadists meet Allah. The grips are held on by stainless Allen head screws. I find the combination of the Gunner grips and the checkered front strap/checkered mainspring housing to give me a secure grip no matter how wet my hands are. To finish my piece I had Woody put on a glass beaded black moly resin finish. This finish is corrosion resistant, self lubricating and damned nice to look at. Many big name custom shops use the same stuff but call it by their own name.
John Norrel in Little Rock developed and distributes Moly Resin and you can see all it’s specs on his website. With the parts all gathered and the preliminary work done for me by Caspian it just remained for Woody to do the final fitting and finishing on my custom lwt full size railed 1911. Of course the caliber is .45 ACP and the magazine is a Wilson. I was very pleased with the finished product. The slide to frame fit is excellent and the slide movement is smooth as glass.
At seven yards all the shots go into one hole and at 100 yards I can easily keep a whole magazine in a 12 inch circle. The light weight frame makes it a little muzzle heavy which makes it hang well in the hand and aids in recoil recovery. I found out quickly that the light rail doesn’t fit in regular 1911 holsters. This was remedied by a quick call to Rafter S Gun leather in Peace Valley, Mo. Della Schaffer, the owner, made me up a nice rig that consisted of her excellent outside the waistband holster and dual magazine pouch.
Both were made of brown sharkskin with ostrich trim to match my 1.5” brown sharkskin belt. This rig fits like a glove and is very fast. Della makes my holsters with zero cant which I prefer to the FBI cant on this type of holster. I now have a custom pistol with all the features that are important to “ME” and not whatever the factory focus group thinks is right.
The cost? Well, you will be surprised how close the price of a custom gun is to a high end factory gun and you get exactly what you want. If you’ve always wanted one, spec it out and talk to the gunsmith. Once the project gets started be patient and you will end up with a true personal sidearm.
I’ve been carrying and shooting this pistol for over 2 years. Not long ago on a stormy night I was attacked by two feral dogs in my own front yard. These animals refused to leave after repeated attempts to run them off. They continued to bare their teeth and growl at me and when they attacked I was forced to shoot quickly and accurately.
The Novak Night sights let me see the sights in the dark, rainy night and the Surefire Aviator flashlight I carry allowed me to illuminate the dogs. Remington’s 230 gr JHPs did the job. Like I don’t hunt anymore (just no time) and I don’t really killing dogs but these left me no choice. In that one instant all the work on the pistol, the holster rig and the range practice came together and saved me from grave bodily harm or death. My custom pistol built to my specs worked as an extension of my body when I needed it the most.
That’s the true value of a custom pistol.
Soon, we’ll talk about custom rifles as Jeff Walters at PRUSIK USA is building me a pair. One is an HK32 clone the other will ultimately be a G3 SG1 clone, both semi-auto of course.
Interesting Times...
By Tim Garrett
There’s an old Chinese curse that says, "May you live in Interesting Times." We are certainly in those times now. We have a presidential election that could be disastrous for our 2nd Amendment Rights. We are awaiting a ruling from the Supreme Court that could go either way and could solve nothing at all. We are in the middle of a war that threatens the very existence of Judeo/Christians and our adversaries are very capable of using weapons of mass destruction on our soil. Oil prices and inflation are threatening our economic stability and our immigration policies have us overrun with everything from fine family folks to deadly gangsters.
What to do? Buy what you need now. If you want it and can afford it, buy one and, if possible, buy two. We have seen in the recent past what can happen to prices and availability if another assault weapons ban is passed. Get what you want/need as soon as possible. Do you have enough magazines for the guns you currently own? Are you buying something that takes a mag already in your inventory? There is no such thing as too many magazines. Figure out what the basic load of magazines you would carry in whatever gear you use. Buy at least twice as many. This allows two things: spares in case one of your primary mags quits working and half of you mags can be loaded at any given time. You need ammo to fill your magazines and to practice with. If you haven’t already laid in a decent supply of ammo you are screwed. Ammunition prices are climbing at least as fast as gasoline, and maybe faster. We are in the midst of an old fashioned shooting war and our guys are expending vast amounts of small arms ammo in combat and training. We only have one government facility making small arms ammo right now, Lake City; the rest is coming from commercial manufacturers. The UN is discouraging third world countries from selling their surplus on the U.S. market. China and India are undergoing industrial revolutions and using vast amounts of raw materials like copper, lead, steel, nickel, etc. Ammo is scarce and expensive much as it was during World War II.
Do you carry? You should, get your permit now. If you wait until Al Quadia shoots up a mall or school in your neighborhood you may be either A: too dead to get a license or B: stuck waiting forever to get your application processed. We are the good guys, it behooves us to be legally armed and ready for that day which we pray never comes but train to take care of. Ok, here’s a plan. It may not be a great plan but I like it and I think it will allow you to control your environment in times of social/economic upheaval.
Get a rifle. A rifle gives you distance and distance is your friend. It’s easier to hit your target with a rifle, they are powerful enough to shoot through barriers, stop vehicles etc. I like semi-auto military rifles for their durability, spare parts availability and reliability. If you are on a budget, get an SKS. You don’t need a super mall ninja tactical rifle. Remember the KISS principle? Keep It Simple, Stupid? Iron sights work and don’t have a battery to run down. A white light is however very handy for illuminating targets so that only the right ones get shot. If you don’t have much ammo there is one caliber and rifle that is a great bargain. The Romanian SAR2 AK in 5.45X39mm. This rifle can be had for $400 or less, and ammo is CHEAP!!!!! I bought 1260 rounds at Tulsa for $134!!!!! 30 round mags are $10, slap a surefire G2 light on it ($35) and you are good to go. ARs, FALs, M1As, Sig556s etc. are all good weapons get what your budget allows and be sure to figure in ammo and mag costs so you can practice.
Get a handgun. We use handguns because they are small and portable. Pick something that is powerful enough to get the job done. 9mm is a good minimum caliber, .40 is better and .45 is my preference. A service size handgun is best if you only have one. Get at least six magazines and a good quality belt, holster and mag pouch set. GET YOUR CARRY PERMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who knows what nonsense a liberal government will do when we have a terrorist attack on our soil using small arms and rpgs to create massive casualties? Get your permit now so that you will be legal when the time comes that you feel you need to be armed. Get enough ammo to practice and carry. One of the reasons I like a .45 is the size of the bullet. While I prefer hollow points for carry use, full metal jacket .45 acp works. Ball ammo is more prone to ricochet and over-penetrate. But at least in .45 in is almost a half-inch in diameter and a reputable man stopper. This is important if you can’t get hollow points. 9mm sucks as a man stopper unless you use high velocity hollow points. A 5” Gov’t model, XD, Glock 21, 4” Commander, Taurus 24/7 etc. would make a fine carry gun in .45 or .40. If you can afford more than one handgun, a compact of subcompact using the same ammo and mags as your primary is a good idea.
Get a shotgun. Nothing makes being close better than a good 12 gauge full of buckshot. Inexpensive used Remington 870s and Mossberg 500s are easy to pick up. There are some really inexpensive Chinese riot guns coming in with lots of desirable features at rack bottom prices. Most of these are copies of Ithacas or Remingtons. I like pump shotguns; the sound of you chambering a round is often deterrent enough to send the bad guys running. A barrel length of 18-20 inches is ideal. I prefer the 870 with an extended magazine, sidesaddle ammo carrier and a white light of some sort. Mossbergs are also very serviceable.
Slugs and buckshot are readily available and birdshot is an excellent man stopper inside of a house. Your shotgun is like the artillery at your firebase/home that repels boarders and holds down the family fort if you have to leave others at home alone. Shotguns kick, so learn to use one effectively. Practice your fundamentals with cheap birdshot and shoot enough of the buckshot to know where it patterns at various distances. I’m not a big slug fan. I figure, I’ll use my rifle or .45 if I want accurate single hits on target. I want a shotgun for raw close range stopping power.
Get a cell phone, and emergency supplies. Radio Shack has a cool shortwave radio receiver that has a built in outlet to charge your cell phone. Communications in an emergency are critical and radio is the only one that is guaranteed to be up. Stock up on some water, it will be critical in an emergency. You can start buy reusing 2 liter soft drink bottles. Get some canned foods when they are on sale. Make sure it’s stuff that you and your family will (and preferably like) to eat. Stock up on some comfort foods that have a long shelf life. Get a generator and stock up on some gasoline. Get a power converter so you can use your car as a generator. Buy some durable clothes in earth tones. You don’t want to look like a super ninja but you also don’t want to stand out. Keep emergency supplies in your vehicles and pay attention to current events and your surroundings. Have a plan for your family in case something goes awry. Get some surefire type of flashlights. The new LED type seems best and has a long battery life. Buy lots of batteries. They are cheap in bulk online or at gun shows. These lights are lifesavers when you need illumination. Keep a 3-month supply of your prescription meds on hand.
Ammo: buy all you can afford. In times of social/economic upheaval (LA riots, Katrina, etc) sometimes liberals use these circumstances to justify things like bans on gun or ammunition sales. If you have no ammo on hand your guns are worthless. Buy what you can, when you can.
This article isn’t meant to frighten or upset anyone. The evening news is enough to do that. My friends and family are very dear to me and I intend to be able to control my environment and provide as much safety and security for me and mine as possible. If you read your Federalist Papers, you will find that the militia is defined as very man capable of bearing arms between the ages of 15 and 65. Women’s lib forces us to include the fairer sex in this business now. For those that think the unorganized militia is not needed, let me remind them of the last time that they were called up. Our nation was at war with our National Guard, Reserve and Regular Forces spread thin fighting for our country’s survival (sound familiar?). The Governor of Oregon called out the unorganized militia because of massive forest fires thought to be started by fifth columnists and air attacks from explosive balloons. The Army was to issue small arms to the militia but didn’t have sufficient quantities. In the end it was the Militia with their privately owned firearms that got the job done. This was during World War II. On the East Coast, local militias were formed and organized for the purpose of guarding the coast from U-boats sinking ships and landing agents. That was in our parents’ or grandparents’ lifetime. Take a cue from the boy scouts and be prepared for whatever nature or man has to throw at you.
Watch Jericho and think, “What if?”
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
Q: How do I choose a pistol for concealed carry?
A: Well, that's the article I started to write. But I decided there was too much information to squeeze into one article. I would have to be too general and might leave out something one of you guys would really need to know. Here's what I've decided: I'm going to give you the run down on a different Carry gun each week. This will be more detailed and you will be able to better make an informed decision. The first pistol we will cover is the 1911.
There is no more combat tested semi-auto pistol in history than the 1911. In 1904 the Thompson-Lagarde' tests recommended that the U.S. Army adopt a pistol ”of not less than .45 caliber, preferably an automatic”. This recommendation culminated in the 1906 pistol trials to replace the .38 Colt double action revolvers that performed so poorly against the fanatic Moslem Moro tribesmen in the Phillipines. Of all the pistols entered only the Colt was left standing after the 6000 round torture test. The Savage entry, Colt’s closest competition, had 37 failures in 6000 rounds. John Browning’s baby, the Colt Model 1905, had none. A number of improvements were recommenced by the Army and in 1910 the pistol design was almost done. In 1911 the big Colt auto was officially adopted along with its .45 Automatic Colt Pistol round.
The full size 1911 Gov’t model is a hefty pistol at 38 ounces. The 1911 has a 5” barrel and generally a 7 or 8 shot magazine in .45 caliber. The Gov’t model operates on a short recoil principle that has been copied by most every designer in the world. The barrel is cammed upward by a swinging link to engage its lugs in the locking recesses in the slide until recoil forces them apart by swinging the link down. This happens after the chamber pressure has dropped to a safe level. This system allows for a very thin and trim profile making the 1911 easy to carry and conceal even for a pistol of its size and weight. The magazine is generally a single stack. The original capacity was 7 rounds. 8 round magazines are now available. I feel for optimum reliability you should only keep 7 rounds under spring pressure in a 1911 .45. I know many people who differ in my opinion but it’s their skin on the line not mine so they can do what they feel is best. The specs for the United States Marine Corp. Expeditionary Force Special Operations Capable 1911 pistols call for 7 round Wilson magazines. It’s been my experience that Marines are No-BS guys when it comes to close quarters battle and I respect their opinion. I like to use 8 round magazines because after I load the chamber out of the magazine I can then replace the round in the mag when I unload it.
I truly believe that John Moses Browning had divine inspiration on most of his designs but especially the 1911. The 1911 has what I consider the best ergonomics of any handgun ever designed. The fact that this pistol in only slightly modified form dominates most forms of pistol competition and is still the sidearm of choice (when they are given a choice) for those who go in harm’s way on a regular basis. The 1911 is a single action automatic. This means that the trigger performs only one function, it fires the piece.
When the slide recoils and moves to the rear it recocks the hammer and then reloads the chamber as it slams forward. The trigger pull is short and relatively light and more important than anything it is consistent shot after shot. A clean, crisp trigger of not less than 3.5 lbs with just a hint of take-up is about perfect for fast and accurate shooting.
The thumb safety on the 1911 is in the perfect location at the right rear of the frame.
The safety blocks the sear and is operated be swiping it down with the right thumb.
This is a natural movement that should be performed as the pistol is brought to eye level during the presentation. Ambidextrous safeties are available for those who require them. Due to the design of the ambi safeties they are inherently weaker than the standard single side safety. I feel that ambidextrous safeties are to be avoided unless you are left handed. Extended safeties are favored by many people, myself included. I like to shoot with a high hold on the gun. I feel that this allows me to keep the muzzle jump to a minimum. As a result of this grip I like to rest my right thumb on the safety when I fire.
This grip also keeps me from accidentally engaging the safety during recoil. I prefer the sang free narrow tactical designs rather than the large gas pedal competition types. The magazine release is handily located at the rear of the trigger guard on the lower left side. Depending on your hand size you may have to shift your grip slightly to activate it but it’s still the best place for a magazine release. I don’t believe in the oversized mag catch buttons. They are easy to accidentally bump allowing the magazine to become unlocked at the most inopportune times. There are some mag catches that have a slightly extended button while retaining the original diameter of the factory part. These parts can make it easier to reach the button without quite the threat of the oversized part.
The slide stop is in a good spot out of the way of the thumb safety and in a perfect location o be released by the left thumb after inserting a magazine. Extended slide releases are to be avoided like the plague. At worst the inertia from recoil will cause them to lock open the slide when there are still rounds in the magazine, at best they are an eyesore that makes finding a holster difficult. The 1911 has a grip safety to prevent firing unless it is full depressed.
I have never had a problem with this feature.
There are many aftermarket grip safeties that provide both a higher grip and a “bump” at the bottom to make sure the safety is depressed every time. I like these high rise grip safeties with the “beavertail” extension.
The beavertail keeps the hammer from biting the fleshy part of the hand and allows for a higher grip thus reduced muzzle climb. The mainspring housing and trigger can both be changed out to to fit the hand of the operator. The grips can also be changed to make them wider or thinner depending on the operator. If you haven’t noticed the positive ergonomics of the 1911 are many and account for a great deal of its popularity.
The 1911 is manufactured by more different companies in more versions than any other
design in the world. The have been versions in a great many calibers but we are only going to concentrate on the calibers useful for concealed carry. The king of all these calibers is the tried and true .45 ACP. I will not dwell on this caliber as its reputation speaks for itself. The .45 throws a 230 grain bullet out at 850 feet per second. The bullet starts out almost a half inch in diameter before it expands. This is the same round that Cpl. Alvin York used to stop a German 8 man bayonet charge in World War One. My students assure me that it is still doing the job in the sand box. My second favorite 1911 round for concealed carry is the good old .38 Super. I use the Cor-bon 115 grain hollow point load at about 1400 feet per second. It hits like a .357 magnum with half the recoil.
The .38 Super round was popular back in the 20s and 30s because it would shoot through the body armor of the day and penetrate the body of the V8 Fords favored by the likes of Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson and our local boy from Sallisaw, Charles Arthur (Pretty Boy) Floyd. The 10mm auto round is not as popular now as it once was but both Dan Wesson and Kimber are making 1911s that chamber it and you can still find a Colt Delta Elite every once in a while. I like the 10mm in its full power load. I see no advantage over a .45 in the watered down loadings. The full power 10mm load is good for use when you need more range and power than a .45. It shoots flat and penetrates deep. The down side is that it has quite a bit of recoil giving it longer recovery time between shots than a .45 or .38 Super. There are a few 1911s out there chambered for the .40 S&W round. I really don’t see any point in using the .40 in the 1911 envelope. The .40 was designed to put a major caliber round in a 9mm size frame and it does a fair job of accomplishing this mission. You gain an extra round or two over the .45 and get snappier, sharper recoil. There are better platforms for the .40 in my opinion. Possibly the softest shooting easiest to hit with 1911 is one chambered for the venerable 9mm Parabellem round(9mm luger, 9x19mm,9mmNATO etc.). This round was designed to up gun George Luger’s .30 auto back in 1908. In its fullmetal jacket military loading the 9mm has a poor reputation as a manstopper. That reputation is still being upheld in the sand box as students have reported failures to stop after solid torso hits from their Beretta M9s. These same students reported that after “procuring” +P hollow points the stopping power of their Berettas was upgraded considerably. If you want an extremely soft shooting gun due to arthritis or some other medical condition or you need a good weapon for a small statured person the 9mm Gov’t model is a good choice. I like to use my .38 Super with a 9mm barrel and magazine installed as a training gun because it is so easy for students to shoot well.
Now we come to the variations of 1911 pistols. There are many and I’ll try to at least touch on them all by barrel length. Let me first remind you that the hard part of a pistol to conceal is not the barrel. The butt is much harder to hide. The butt of your pistol is the part that will “print” through your cover garment as you move. I am constantly amazed at people who absolutely must have a full size grip but get one with a short barrel attached. We’ll start off with the 5” guns and work our way down to the sub-compact 3”
Stuff. The 5” is the most reliable and the easiest to hit with because for the longer sight radius. Most 5” guns are steel framed and weigh in around 38 ounces. Recently, Springfield Armory has introduced a 5” full size light weight model with an aluminum alloy frame. This gets the weight down to around 26-27 ounces and makes it much more comfortable for daily carry.
There are a lot of custom gunsmiths who can build you a gun with a titanium frame from Caspian Arms. I have a full size 5” gun with a titanium frame from Caspian and I really like it. Next up would be the classic Colt Commander size guns. The Colt Commander was introduced in 1948 and consisted of a 4.25” slide with a full size alloy frame. The total weight is 26 ounces and it is still in production.
The 4.25” slide retains the reliability of the 5” gun while being slightly smaller and considerably lighter in the alloy frame versions. Colt soon introduced the Combat Commander which was the same gun but with a steel frame. The 4.25” slide also allows for the use of the standard barrel bushing set-up of the 5” Gov’t model. This system is much easier to disassemble than the bull barreled version that most manufactures now use. For some reason 4” 1911s using a bull barrel that locks directly into the slide dispensing with the barrel bushing completely. This system works ok, but is more complicated to take apart. Colt and Springfield Armory made two of the best concealed carry pistols ever designed. The Colt Concealed Carry Officer’s Model and the Springfield Compact model.
The Colt CCO had an lwt. Officer’s Model frame which is shorter and holds one less round in the magazine mated to a 4.25” Commander length slide. The Springfield has an alloy officer model frame and a 4” slide. Both of these pistols give the best of both worlds, a short concealable butt and a longer barrel for reliability and shootability. Sadly, both models were discontinued due to slow sales.
The guns that killed them was the Officer Model size and the sub compacts. Detonics brought out the first small .45 autos. These guns had a short grip frame and a 3.5” barrel. Detonics went out of business but Colt came out with the Officer’s Model in the mid 80’s. The Officer’s model had a 3.5” and a grip slightly longer than a Detonics. The OM uses a shorter magazine that holds one round less than standard. The weak point of the Colt 3.5” system is the recoil spring plug. It should be immediately replaced with a reverse plug lest your original plug fail and send your spring assembly flying down range. The 3.5” is about as short as you can get and still have consistent reliability.
The Sub-compact 3” guns are in my opinion too short for utter reliability. The barrel is required to tilt much more radically in the 3” and every thing is more critical with the short barrel and shorter recoil stroke/slide travel. The 3” guns also have a slightly longer butt than slide. This makes them top heavy and less comfortable to carry. These guns are available in both steel and alloy frames.
If I were to go out and purchase a new 1911 for carrying which would it be? If I could afford it, a Colt Commander in .45 auto chambering. Second choice, the Springfield lwt. 1911 .45. I’ve found over the years that the lwt guns tend to get carried more than others.
Out of all the 1911 .45s that I have seen come through my classes I’ll rate them Colt, Springfield, Dan Wesson, Norinco, Rock Island-Charles Daly-SAM, Argentine Systema 1927s, Taurus, Para-Ordnance, Smith and Wesson and Kimber. Original GI 1911s are too valuable to carry with average collector prices at around $1000 for a plain military issue .45.
What do you need to do to a 1911 to make it a good carry gun? There has been thousands of articles and millions of dollars spent on this subject but Col. Jeff Cooper, father of modern pistol craft said it all many years ago. You need sights you can see and a manageable trigger. Beyond good sights and a decent trigger I like to have the sharp edges broken, the front strap checkered, beavertail grip safety, extended safety and most of all complete reliability. The magazine of choice is the Wilson Combat magazine.
They work period. I have replaced the factory magazine in guns that wouldn’t run with a Wilson mag and it has cured their reliability problem.
What can be said negatively about the 1911? It’s inaccurate? Unreliable? Kicks too much?
It’s old? Even in its most abysmal versions there is sufficient accuracy to win a fight.
I don’t recall seeing any Glocks in the mud of Flanders, the jungles of Guadalcanal, the surf of Tarawa or the snow of Chosin Reservoir. The 1911 was there and a thousand other places and it worked and worked and is still working in the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan. Stories of abusive recoil came home from boot camp as soldiers tried to impress their girls with tales of the hard kicking pistol they had mastered. I have personally taught small-statured women and children to shoot the .45 1911 with speed and accuracy. Old? Well you’ve got me there. It is an old design. 96 years old to be exact. Age does not make it obsolete any more than age makes things like honor, duty and responsibility obsolete. Perhaps I might be old fashioned because these are things that along with the 1911 that are an integral part of my life.
In this second article about carry guns we will discuss what is probably the second most popular self-defense pistol in the country: The Glock.
Glocks burst onto the firearms scene in the early 1980s and were initially met with a big yawn. I remember the first Glock 17s ran for around $289 wholesale, back then. They were made of plastic and were ugly, compared to conventional pistols. The trigger was foreign and took some getting used to. It was often compared to that of a kid's water gun.
Then two things happened: 1) the Liberals tried to ban them with a campaign of lies so ridiculous that it made you wonder how they can use a fork without poking their own eyes out. I personally liked the lie about how the Glock could be used by hijackers because it wouldn't show up on an x-ray/metal detector. Yeah, sure, did they miss that the whole tope of the gun is made of STEEL and that the frame has STEEL parts imbedded in it? Well, if the democrats want to ban it, then it must be good so everyone had to have a Glock while they still could. 2.) The gun press figured out that Glocks are RELIABLE!!!!!!!!!! Glocks just run! All the time, clean or dirty with just about any jacketed factory ammo in any environment. The Glock 17 was the first model introduced but not the first plastic framed handgun to invade the U.S. market. HK imported the 18 shot 9mm VP70Z semi auto version of their VP70 machine pistol. The VP70Z had a plastic frame and held 18 rounds in the magazine. The VP70Z was a fairly large handgun but very lightweight for it's size and the trigger sucked so much it is hard to comprehend. It seemed that HK had copied the trigger from those Sci-Fi looking toy pistols that shot little plastic disks.
The VP70Z did not catch on with the American market. The Glock 17, on the other hand, had a squishy 5.5-lb. trigger pull. Unlike conventional Double Action Autos, the Glock's Safe Action Trigger gave it a consistent pull from first shot to last, making it very easy to shoot well. The Glock 17 had no sharp edges, was lightweight and carried 17 rounds of 9mm. At the time Glock came on the market, American law enforcement was looking to replace their 6 shot wheel guns with high capacity semi autos. The Glock has no external manual safety, thus the transition from revolver to auto was very simple with the Glock, kind of like a 17-shot revolver. The new fangled Glock also had a new kind of finish called Tenifer. The flat black finish is so tough that I have seen Glocks dropped on concrete sidewalks and not damaged. The finishing process is purported to be done in Austria because of EPA regulations, but I can't verify that.
What would be better than a lightweight 17 shot service size handgun with a good, consistent trigger and utter reliability? A smaller gun made for plain clothes/concealed carry!!!! The Glock 19 was born. Basically it was the same gun with a slightly shorter barrel and a shorter 15 shot grip. Same characteristics, smaller gun.
Better than that? The same guns chambered for the then new .40 S&W cartridge!!!! The full size Glock model 22 in .40 S&W is the most popular law enforcement sidearm in the U.S. today.
Large frame Glocks in .45 acp and 10mm followed. These pistols had a longer trigger reach but were still usable, even for those with small hands. Due to the lack of grip panels on the polymer frame, the reach was less than some smaller caliber, more conventional pistols. Compact versions of these pistols along with the long slide target models 17L and 22L with long barrels and 3.5 lbs triggers. Glock continued to introduce new models over the years, some with ported slides and barrels to reduce muzzle rise and recoil some in new calibers like .357 Sig. One of the most innovative Glocks is the Glock model 30 which is a .45 ACP 10 shot pistol the same size as the G19 9mm.
The grip is a little fatter but other than it carries like a G19. The Baby Glocks came out offering a subcompact in 9mm, .40 or .357 sig. They are very small, very reliable and very Glock. With the demise of the G17L and the G22L target pistols and the continued popularity of the 1911 type pistols, Glock came out with the G34, G35 and whatever number the 5" .357 sig version is called. These were designed specifically for use by IDPA competitors but I like them as a carry gun. The extra sight radius along with the 3.5 lb trigger makes them easy to shoot well and you still have the legendary Glock reliability. Glocks are very simple and they just work. Every time I see a gun magazine with a Glock on the cover I wonder just how many ways you can find to say, “they work and work and work and work.” Glocks work so well that they have single-handedly brought about he acceptance of polymer as a gun making material. Competitors have even forced Glock to introduce new slim/short framed .45s that reduce the trigger reach on the big model 21 .45.
Ok, now for the down side to the country's most popular cop gun: They blow up when you shoot them out of battery. The .40s, .45s and 10mms are the worst. Apparently, one of the reasons for the extreme feed reliability is the over-throated chamber. The chamber has been opened up considerably to make it easy for the round to get up the feed ramp and into the chamber. This leaves a substantial amount of the case web unsupported. If the slide is not fully closed, all of the pressure from the cartridge is focused on the unsupported section of the case, causing a catastrophic failure. These "Ka-Booms" are usually associated with the use of cast lead bullets with residue caking up in the barrel throat and keeping the slide from fully closing on the chambered round. Glock does not warranty their guns for use with non-jacketed bullets or reloaded ammunition. But not all of the “Ka-Booms” have been with these rounds. Glocks rely on Rule #3 to keep you from shooting when you don't intend to (Rule #3: finger off trigger until sights are on the target.).
My thoughts on the Glock? Well, I have owned and carried a G17, G19, G22, G23, G27, G21 and G30 so I think I'm qualified to pass a little judgment here. They are generally good serviceable pistols when used with jacketed factory ammo. The Glock series is very easy to shoot well, because of the short, relatively light, consistent trigger pull. The polymer frame absorbs some of the recoil, but this feature means you must use a firm grip on the pistol or it will malfunction. You must (you should anyway) always abide by Rule #3 due to the lack of a manual safety. I wouldn't feel bad about carrying a Glock, but I'll stick with my 1911s. I think overall they are good pistols and are very reliable, but not quite as great as some would have you believe. One must remember that most police departments buy the best gear they can get from the lowest bidder. Most law enforcement officers are not gun people so they know what they are issued. So, when they give advice it is skewed to what they know: their service pistol. I think Glocks shine as a sidearm for the non-committed gun person. They have a simple manual of arms and they work and work and work. Glocks have everything you need to get through the night: Lightweight for ease of carry, available in fight stopping calibers, simple, accurate, reliable and easy to maintain.
Just a note on the Glock Safe action trigger: The trigger action of the Austrian made Glocks can be traced to the Roth-Steyr 1910 semi-auto pistol designed for use by the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Horse Cavalry at the turn of the century. The internal striker is partially cocked by the slide (bolt on the Roth-Steyr 1910). When the trigger is pulled the striker is drawn back to the fully cocked position and then released to fire the pistol. This partial or pre-cocking of the striker by the slide movement allows for the shorter, lighter pull from shot to shot making the system, in my opinion superior to the traditional Double Action system that cocks and fires the piece on the first shot and then reverts back to single action for every shot there after. It is much easier to mast one trigger pull than two. Very little in the gun world is new. Most can be traced back like the Roth-Steyr trigger action and the Browning short recoil locked breech design used by Gaston Glock on his polymer framed wonders.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
Right: Original Colt 1911 built in 1916 and refurbished for reissue during World War 2 along with a box of U.S. GI M1911 .45 ACP 230 gr. Ball Ammunition.
If you are going to build a custom piece you first need to find out who the best, preferably local, guy is for the job. Where I live, I like Danny Williams and Buddy Hogan but Larry Fugett does top notch work also. Now you have to figure out what you want. My last custom 1911 was a full size gun with a light rail on it. Now, I could have bought this gun from Springfield Armory or Kimber but I actually carry my guns and I wanted something a little different.