Category: Springfield Armory

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ACT frangible Garrison mag release Mecgar PMC SDS Imports Springfield Armory Wilson Combat

One 1911 to Rule Them All – 5″ 45ACP!

UPDATE: I posted to Reddit about the new gun here.

I went to the range today to have my new 1911 transferred to me – the SDS Imports 1911 Duty B45R.

I got there at 9 AM. I turned in the paperwork by 9:15 AM. I was given the gun at 9:20 AM.

The gun was immaculate. It also appears that someone cleaned the gun. It wasn’t pristine-clean, but it had no cosmoline on it (I’m not sure how these guns are normally shipped/stored – many are covered in preservative, which is what cosmoline is). It did have lube on the the frame and slide rails. I cleaned it anyways.

Surprisingly, the gun came with two Mecgar mags! I was expecting one mag, so that’s a big plus. I’ve spoken with other folks and they state that theirs came with one mag. My gun also came in a case. Those other folks stated theirs came in a cardboard box.

The gun is cerakoted but almost looks like it’s parkerized. It is black with a silver trigger and barrel. It has backstrap serrations but has a bare frontstrap. The ambi safeties are not bulky and have extended levers…they look nice!

I’d two other mags – branded Wilson Combat. I planned to use them with this gun at the range this evening. I also planned to use my ACT mag that came with my Metro Arms ACC 1911.

I had a small stash of 45ACP – two boxes of International 155-gr frangible ammo, which doesn’t perform all that well. I also bought two 50-round boxes of PMC Bronze 230-gr FMJ from the range when I arrived. Before I’d left for the range, I’d had the time to swap out the black plastic OEM grips with brown/tan/black grippy G10s that complement the gun.

I ended up shooting the two boxes of International and shot one of the two boxes of PMC. The PMC felt as if it were hot ammo (it always does). The International ammo surprisingly had no misfeeds.

One of the mags caused a failure at the very first round within it’s mag – It was the ACT mag. I ejected the mag, stripped it of ammo and put it to the side. I would not use it the rest of the range session.

The Wilson Combat mags were not flawless, but I’ve found it wasn’t a fault of the mags. The gun has a mag release that will work for the Mecgar (and ACT) mags but will not work well with the WC mags because it needs to be beveled. The mags would sometimes not want to be inserted. To fix this, I need to order a mag release from Wilson Combat. It will swap into the SDS 1911 without issue and will work with non-WC mags.

Pics of the gun:

A photo of the SDS 1911DB45R after the transfer.
These grips are NICE but a bit too slick for range use.
I shot the gun for the first time tonight (17 Feb). I used these G10 grips. I’ve no complaints…they work well, and I had no issues controlling/gripping the gun.

Pics of the range targets:

SDS 1911B45R first shots.
This is 32 rounds of PMC Bronze 230-gr FMJ at 7 yards. I was getting familiar with the trigger, sight picture, and the ammo.
I wanted to directly compare the PMC Bronze 230-gr FMJ and the International frangible 155-gr ammo. I bought maybe 250 rounds of the International maybe 2 years ago and it’s inconsistent ammo but it’s better than not having ammo. Upper left and lower right is PMC. Upper right and lower left is International. All targets have 8 rounds. All were shot at 7 yards.
These were shot at 10 yards, using International frangible 155-gr ammo. First, I shot center, then I shot upper left, then upper right, and lastly I shot lower left. I’m getting tired and it’s showing…the rounds aren’t hitting where I’m aiming. The groups are still decent, though, especially the first group.
These were at 10 yards, and all are shot with International 155-gr frangible ammo. 8 rounds were shot at each target. I’m getting tired. The groups aren’t bad, though.
This is 4 mags of 8 rounds each. The distance is 7 yards and I used International 155-gr frangible ammo. These were fast (not exactly rapid) fired, maybe 2 shots a second, starting from low ready for each mag. Not bad for me.

Before I left the range, I looked at their store items. They carry WC mags and had one full size 1911 mag left. I bought it (since it’s price was $34, which is rather inexpensive from what I remember of WC mag prices).

The gun is solid. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, aside from the mag release. It’s accurate. It’s smooth. The trigger is awesome. The finish and fitment is on par with $700-800 guns (Springfield Armory Garrison), in my opinion, yet I bought this gun for under $500. My only misgiving was that I didn’t get it in stainless steel (that version is $100 more).

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1911A1 AK-47 Sig Sauer Springfield Armory

Potential Near-Future Purchase

So, it’s about that time of year where I skim a bit of my annual bonus money to buy myself a gift.

The year before last (with my current employer), I bought a gaming laptop.

Last year (last year), I bought a 10mm 5″ doublestacked 1911.

This year, I’m not sure what I’ll do.

I can take $1000-2000 of it and use it to service and get my motorcycle back on the road (it’s been sitting in the garage the past 3-4 years).

I also have a list of guns that I can purchase:

I’ve been looking at the WBP MiniJack Milled AK pistol – $1,199.00. The price will rise just a tad, as I’d want a brace.

I’ve also been considering a non-budget .45ACP 1911:

I’m limiting myself to one choice.

Right now, I think I’m leaning toward the WBP MiniJack, as a primary choice since it’s a beautiful gun. I’d like another milled AK. It’s also currently in stock.

Most of the other guns I listed (what I supplied above is a narrowed-down list of quite a few 1911s) are not currently in stock due to Covid times.

Second choice, for now, is going to be the SA 1911 Vickers Tactical. This 1911 is exceptional and is more than the WBP MiniJack.

The thing that keeps bugging me is that I already have 1911s (lower end non-US makes), so I don’t really need one, but a really nice high end 1911 would be something different.

Another thing that keeps bugging me is that I already have several AKs, even a milled AK and even several AK pistols. I don’t really need another AK, even a beautiful one such as the MiniJack…

Wow, I appears that I just made a very strong case for the Vickers Tactical 1911 as my primary choice. (WATCH ME CHANGE MY MIND AT THE LAST MINUTE).

I can always get the MiniJack Milled next year.

I should find out when the bonus is coming sometime late February or early March. If it’s a lot, I might be able to justify buying two (or getting a lift and wheels/tires for the Jeep).

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G19 Glock Springfield Armory XD45

I Decided to Switch My Carry Gun

I’ve switched from carrying the Glock 19 gen 4 to the Springfield Armory XD45 subcompact in Mod 2 format.

Why the change?

I’d always been interested in the XD45.  I bought this used (see my last post).  It appears to have a very low round count…there’s slight barrel wear (just the black finish has worn) and there’s one place on the slide that has finish wear.  I took it to the range and shot a bit over 100 rounds from it.  It has VERY manageable recoil (remember, it shoots .45ACP) for a firearm it’s size.  I had no issues firing it…there were no hiccups or malfunctions.  I shoot this better than I do my 1911 of the same caliber.  The grip safety doesn’t bother me and I’ve carried the 9mm counterpart in the past so I’m familiar with the platform.

There was nothing to not like about the gun.  It is a good bit smaller than my G19 and I’d been thinking of going back to my XD9 anyways.  The XD45’s raw price was $320 but after all the fees, it was $420, which is still a great price for a basically new firearm.  I can basically switch carrying the XD45 to the XD9 (and back) without any issue.  I did that during my last range visit and because the two guns share the same platform, I had no issues being accurate or getting used to triggers when switching between both handguns.  Recoil happens after the round has been fired, so it doesn’t affect my accuracy (unless I’m anticipating it).

I’d been using the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0 holster with the XD9 subcompact shell when I first started carrying.  The XD45 will fit in that holster without issue.

Magazine capacity is 9 rounds with the normal magazine, although it comes with a 13-round extended magazine as well (which I use as a backup mag).  I’ll be getting a few other 9-round mags soon, so that when I go to the range, I don’t spend most of my time loading up mags.

The sights are great, but are not good in low-light situations, so I may have to get new sights.  I’ll probably not go with XS Big Dots this time.  If I can find a set that have the same profile as the current ones but are night sights, I’ll be fine.  Or, I can keep them as-is and not mess up a good thing.  I’ll figure out which direction I want to go soon.

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45ACP Mod.2 Springfield Armory sub-compact XD45 XD9

I Bought a Subcompact Chambered in 45ACP!

So, I’d been thinking about larger caliber handguns lately, and love my XD 9 subcompact.  I’d heard great reviews on the XD 45 variant.  I found a used XD 45 that was being sold for $329.  After shipping and taxes, it was priced at $389…still a steal!  I bought it this past Sunday.  It should arrive at my FFL on Saturday.  Due to that, I might have to wait until Sunday or Monday to pick it up.

The handgun will come with a 9-round and 13-round magazine and nothing else.

While I’m excited about the handgun, I’m a bit miffed about the shipping.  The damned gun is in-state.  The store that sold it to me is in Virginia Beach.  I’m in the Manassas area.  I could’ve driven to pick it up and saved the $50 in shipping (at least).  I bought it on Sunday night via Gunbroker.com.  They wanted an over-the-phone transaction so I called them Monday morning when they opened.  I’d already contacted my local FFL (my range) so they were aware of the purchase and incoming firearm.  I asked them to send their FFL info to the store where I bought the handgun.  I think they sent their FFL info to the store either late Monday or Tuesday morning.  I got an email from USPS stating that the gun was due to be shipped but hadn’t been picked up yet…that was Tuesday morning around 10AM.  The firearm sat a the store all day…wasn’t picked up until late that evening.  It’s due to arrive 12/15.  That’s 3 days for transport when I could drive to that store and be there within 3 hours (max).  WTF.  Most people would blame the shipping (USPS) but I’ve bought firearms from out of state that didn’t take 3 days to arrive at the local post office.  I know shipping can be expensive for a business but shit, didn’t I pay $30 for shipping?  That shipping fee results in the slowest mailing method?  That’s B.S. IMO.  I won’t be buying from them again.  And, this is a mom/pop, brick-mortar store.  People always harp on supporting local and/or brick-mortar stores but when crap like this happens, I hear nothing but crickets.

Anyways, I’m going to be using my XD 9 subcompact Alien Gear holster for the XD 45 since I hear they’re compatible with the holster.  I’ll probably end up buying 2-3 extra 9-round mags as well.

The plan is to carry this handgun.  I’ll keep you all updated as I become familiar with it.

UPDATE (12/15/2018):
She has arrived, and two days early (picked her up at 8:30AM yesterday before heading to work).  Was not able to shoot from her since I had to go straight to work.  Will try to take her out today — getting dressed now, in fact!

UPDATE (1/1/2019) –

I’ve done a quick review here:

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1776tv.com Big Dot Bitchute.com dailymotion.com Glock 19 Gunstreamer.com Mod.2 P320SC sights Springfield Armory XD9 XS

Latest Range Visit – 4/2/2018

Today, I went to the range.  For those of you that do this weekly, you’re probably like, “Yeah, so what?”  Well, I was supposed to be going at least twice a month but for some reason, I’ve been putting it off.  This is a hobby but I sometimes go to extremes to the point where it is no longer fun.  I’ve to be careful because when I push myself, I sometimes end up ruining things.  I believe this is why I always change my mind when I’ve planned to go to the range.  The thing is, I need to push myself so that I learn and become better…I need to find the balance where I can push but not push too hard.

Today’s visit had many variables.  I’ll list them below:

  • I have new sights on the Glock 19.
  • I’m carrying my Glock 19 (concealed).
  • I’m now using 15-round mags – ETS brand.
  • I brought my P320 after installing the subcompact grip module, and I used the 12-round mags for this range visit.
  • I brought the Springfield Armory XD9 Mod 2 subcompact and used the short mag for this range visit (both the small and big mags are limited to 10 rounds).

I brought 250 rounds:  150 of Wolf 115-grain FMJ and 100 of Winchester white box 115-grain FMJ.

The first handgun I shot was the Glock 19.  I ensured that I loaded the ETS mags before I left the house (to save on range time…there’s nothing worse than burning range time loading mags that could’ve been loaded before you arrived).

I’ve not shot this handgun since installing the XS Big Dot sights.  I’d like to emphatically mention that I love these sights.  They are super easy to align and are super easy to get quickly onto the target.  They are defensive in nature, though, so they won’t do well shooting 50 yards out, but most handguns aren’t designed for that type of shooting.

Anyways, the Big Dot sights worked VERY well.  The ETS mags worked without a hiccup.  I shot 105 rounds of Wolf out of the Glock 19.  I had one round not chamber (last round of one mag).  Total round count is now 515 rounds (with no jams or malfunctions other than that one round not chambering – I’m not counting that as a malfunction, though).

I then shot the P320SC.  I hadn’t shot that since 11/2015 and the last time I shot it, I had the small subcompact grip module installed.  That grip module is too thin for me, so I bought the medium subcompact grip module which shoots a LOT better.  The bigger module helps my trigger finger placement…it basically fills my hand so that my finger placement falls naturally onto the trigger.  The smaller module is so thin that there’s too much room in my hand and most of my finger ends up folding around the trigger.

The P320SC shoots well, even with the contrast sights.  The dots are big so they’re easy to see.  The trigger has always been spectacular and the reset is also short, so the gun shoots very well.  The grip is short, though, so I can only get two fingers on the grip when using the 12-round mags.  I’ve mags for the compact model as well (I bought the gun as a compact) but using the compact mags is cheating.

I shot 95 rounds of WWB from the 320 today and the gun now has 176 rounds through it.  I may carry this gun after I give the Glock 19 a year of carry duty.

Lastly, I shot the Springfield Armory XD9 Mod 2 subcompact.  When I first started carrying, this was the gun I carried.  I shot 50 rounds of WWB from it today and have shot a total of 360 rounds from it.  As with the 320, this gun will only allow you to use two fingers on the grip with the short magazine, so it is a bit of a challenge to shoot, but I really think that I’m just used to guns with bigger grips.  I’m sure that I’ll shoot it better if I spend time with it.  In fact, when I used to carry it, it shot very well.  My thought was that I could carry it again, but I think it may require significant range time for me to get used to that handgun again.

Let’s go on a bit of a tangent.

With the recent anti-gun sentiment with Youtube, I’ve felt the need to seek out Youtube alternatives, so I’m giving the following websites a try – I’ve listed the site, linked it, and also linked my channel for each site:

Gunstreamer.com – https://gunstreamer.com/@Busta_Cap
Bitchute.com – https://www.bitchute.com/channel/busta_cap/
dailymotion.com – http://www.dailymotion.com/Busta_Cap
1776tv.com – https://1776tv.com/channel/227/

When I post to Youtube, I’ll now be also posting to the above sites.  I will probably not leave Youtube anytime soon unless they shut me down.  I want to stay on Youtube because that’s where the young folk are.  Those folk that may be considering owning a firearm and giving gun advocacy a try will be looking for videos such as mine (and other people that own guns and use Youtube as a means to shared information).  If every gun advocate left Youtube to spite Youtube, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot, especially since sites like the above and Full30.com are not yet at the level of Youtube.

And without further ado, here’s shooting footage with my trusty new camera (that can only hold 40 or so minutes of battery life):