Author: r2kba.patriot

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Beretta grip Hogue PX4 rubber

I’ve Installed Hogue Handall Slip-on Rubber Grip Onto Beretta PX4

Back in April, I bought and installed Hogue rubber slip-on grips for my Beretta PX4.  That handgun is rather slick from the factory and no, I don’t have the Concealed Carry version of the PX4 and don’t really care for grip tape or Talon Grips.

The PX4 Compact is thick!  I sometimes have problems ignoring the handgun when I’m carrying it (concealed).  I didn’t really want to use a slip-on grip that would make it thicker, but I do like finger grooves, so I picked the grooved one.  If I didn’t like it, I’d try to exchange it for a non-grooved one.

Installing it was a bit of a pain, as the grip doesn’t stretch well (which is good once it is installed).  The grip makes the handgun feel EXCELLENT.  The con is that it does make the gun feel thicker, but the grip is still not going to be in the waistband, so there’s that.

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380 Beretta Bersa Grand Power grip tape Handall Handall Jr. Hogue P11 PX4 PX4 Storm Ruger SR9C Talon Grips

Hogue Rubber Slip-on Grips for Grand Power P11

I was checking my handguns (I do this monthly to ensure there’s no rust and that they’ve a coating of oil) and came across my P11.  The Grand Power P11 is a beautiful handgun, but one of the things I hate about it is that the grip is soooo damned slippery.

I’ve often thought of buying Talon Grips or grip tape that is rubberized, just so I could use it on this handgun’s grip.  I’m not sure if Talon Grips would properly seal onto the grip, though, and grip tape can sometimes be a pain in the ass to get right.  Grip tape was my last resort.

I’ve a Hogue slip-on grip on my Beretta PX4 Compact that I installed maybe 8 months ago (I talk about it here).  It was also a pain in the ass to mount on that handgun but it’s solid and feels great in the hand.  The rubberized texture feels natural and grippy.

I decided to try a set for the P11, but I searched to see if anyone else had documented online that they’d tried Hogue slip-ons on this handgun.  I couldn’t find any data via Google that showed anyone trying this, so I didn’t know which set of slip-ons to try.

I went to Hogue’s website and looked at what they had.  Each slip-on had documentation showing which gun they’d fit.  I perused the Handall Jr. product’s documentation and saw that it would fit such guns as the Bersa Thunder .380 and the Ruger SR9C.  Both of those have rather thin/slim girthed grips, so I thought that this one would best fit my P11.  The plan was to order one and if it didn’t fit, to reorder the next size up.

The slip-on arrived today.  At first I thought that it was too small.  I had to fight to get it onto the grip, but, as with my PX4’s slip-on, I warmed it up a bit (with a hair dryer), which made the rubber a bit more pliable.  I suppose I could’ve used water to “lube” the grip to the point that the slip-on would slide onto the grip.  Regardless, it eventually fit onto the grip!

The grip feels MUCH better now.  I feel much more confident with it in my hand now.  Prior to that, it always felt like the handgun might slip from my hands.  It also looks rather nice on the handgun…looks different and not so much out of place.

I plan to take it to the range to see if it enhances shooting.

I should’ve done this a LONG time ago.

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ammo ammunition COVID-19 pandemic range reloading SHTF year 2020

Problems of the Gun Owner During The Covid-19 Pandemic

There’s one thing that really sucks about this pandemic isn’t just the fact that folks are dying.  It’s that folks can’t practice self defense (unless they’ve their own land, of course…most folks don’t).

What’s hindering folks from visiting ranges or even practicing on their own land?  The availability and costliness of ammunition, for one.  When you can find ammo, it is sometimes double the price of pre-pandemic ammo.  I’ve found some decently priced ammo, but it is become rare now.  When I find decently priced ammo, I usually buy what I can.

The type of ammo also dictates how much you’re going to spend if you need it.  An example is, I bought 250 rounds of 9mm practice ammo a month or two ago, for maybe $135 (yes, that’s a deal nowadays).  This week, I wanted to try to find some .45ACP ammo (because I conceal carry an XD45 and needed practice) and the lowest price I could find was $1/round!  So, I may switch to carrying my XD9 instead to save costs in practicing (I’ve a large stash of 9mm ammo, too).

I also find myself always worrying about over-consuming my ammo for the sake of practicing.  At first, I tried to delay practicing and went through most of 2020 without visiting the range.  When I finally started practicing, I was so worried about shooting too much ammo that I was counting every round I shot.

Can you buy ammo at the range?  I don’t know.  I suppose it would depend on how stocked your range would be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that ammo was marked up (because range owners and employees have to eat too).  When I was last at the range (maybe 3 weeks ago), I didn’t ask and didn’t look.

Aside from that, I found that practicing with a mask (a requirement of the range that I’m a member of, which I have no problem with) is a bit bothersome but doable.

Another question would be, in times like these, should a person reload?  The answer should be yes, but some folks don’t have the time and can’t spend the money to buy the equipment.  Also, some folks do not have the aptitude for such things.  There’s also the current problem of shortages of reload materials (primers or projectiles or even powder).

I won’t mention prepping because most folks with guns nowadays don’t deeply prep.  Most people don’t associate gun owners with hardcore prepping, but what about prepping ammo?  There’s no hard fact regarding how much ammo a person should stash away for SHTF situations, but we’re not even talking SHTF.  We’re talking Covid-19.  Unless things take a drastic turn for the worse, this pandemic will not spawn any SHTF situation.  So, how much ammo should a person have on-hand at all times in pandemic situations?  My answer:  enough to use for self defense and practice.  I’ve at least 1K of 9mm right now, which should last me a while for practicing, if I practice every other month and limit my practice round count to 150 rounds or so, and while also consuming ammo when training; I’d be buying 9mm when I see it on sale at decent prices in an effort to replace what I used during practice.

Also, note that in the past year, many folks bought firearms when they’d never owned one.  Those folks want/need ammo too.  I’ve seen many disgruntled “veteran” gun owners grumbling that folks are buying ammo and raising the cost of it now, when they should’ve prepared (prepped) before now.  Well, how can you prep ammo if you weren’t interested in firearms?  It’s a very stupid reason to be disgruntled, in my opinion.  Be glad that we’ve new gun owners to bolster our numbers.  Those same grumbling gun owners used to not own guns.  We ALL started with no (or small amounts of) ammo.

What problems have you experienced or noticed regarding owning a gun or practicing at ranges during this pandemic?

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Apex Gun Parts Atlantic Firearms BHO bolt hold open Bulgarian Croatian Gun Mag Warehouse KCI polymer Tapco

Do You Need AK mags?

I bought my AK mags from the following places.  I mention this because I see folks with new AKs always asking where to buy mags.

Atlantic Firearms

Apex Gun Parts

Gun Mag Warehouse

Each of those sites have reasonably priced magazines.  They also offer a variety of types (polymer, steel, new, or surplus) from different countries.

Check those sites often, as much of their stock tends to be sold out due to the pandemic.

Keep in mind that cheap doesn’t always mean good.  KCI mags tend to have reliability issues and are flimsy in build quality.  Croatian mags tend to be hit or miss when it comes to latching in place (see here for my experience with the Croatian mags).  The reason I wanted Croatian mags was for their bolt-hold-open (BHO) capability.  Croatian mags are also not surplus…they are new.

Good mags that are usually cheap are Bulgarian surplus mags.  I have not reviewed the Bulgarian mags I have but they just work and do not feel flimsy.

I also have 6 x Tapco polymer mags.  Folks LOVE to hate on those.  I didn’t buy them.  They came with the first AK I bought (the AMD-63).  They work, which is something the Croatian mags wouldn’t initially do.  They will also fit in every AK I have, which is, again, something the Croatian mags wouldn’t do.  They’re perfectly fine for range use and have yet to fail on me.

UPDATE (1/10/21):  PSA has a sale on Croatian mags right now, marked down from $19.99 to $12.99.  Also, if you order 10+, shipping is free (per the product page).  As well, Mrgunsngear stated that they’ve changed the mag tab (probably narrowed it slightly) so that there’s less of an issue with latching.

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1911 American Classic Commander Metro Arms plunger spring Rock Island Armory safety lever

My 1911s Have Loose Thumb Safeties

Today, I was handling my three 1911s and noticed that two of them had safeties that were rather loose.  What do I mean by loose?  Well, a good 1911 will have a safety that will have a positive click when being manipulated.  It will also take a conscious effort to actuate.  It should not actuate (on or off) by being bumped or pushed by an object that is not a finger.  The last time I took my Metro Arms American Classic Commander (that’s a mouthful) to the range, both my wife and I noticed that after loading a mag into the firearm and trying to shoot, the safety was unintentionally enabled.

Since it was Friday evening, I got a few old rags and broke them both down on my sofa while listening to the news.  I fixed both safeties.  Once I field stripped the 1911s, I removed the safeties.  The Metro Arms had a single-handled safety lever while the Rock Island Armory had an ambi safety.  Once those were removed, I remove the plunger springs from each and stretched them out a bit, which I thought would add more tension to the safety lever on each firearm.  I put together both and then tested the safeties.  The RIA 1911 safety stiffened up drastically.  The Metro Arms 1911 had to be taken down again and stretched out a bit more, but in the end, I got the safety on that firearm pretty stiff.

I’m happy that I was able to sort this out on my own.

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23901 4-pc AK-P CNC Warrior muzzle brake PSA

CNC Warrior 4-pc Brake for PSA AK-P!

Hello!  Yes, it has been a while since I’ve posted.

What have I been doing?  Ordering ammo when I can.  Yes, ammo purchases during Covid times can be expensive, but I’ve been buying when I see good buys, even if the purchase is limited in ammo count.

I also occasionally purchase gun parts.  Two weeks ago, I ordered the CNC Warrior 4-pc muzzle brake for my AK-P.  Specifically, I bought part number 23901, since it will fit on the muzzle threads of the AK-P (although they also sell adapters).  I ordered it but didn’t expect it to ship for a long while since these are typically on backorder.  I received it earlier this week.

One thing I’ve noticed is that, while the OEM krink booster fits without issue, the 4-pc brake is shallow-throated…it will NOT screw all the way down. It gets maybe 3/4ths down then stops.  Pics and a quick video are below.

I took the 4-pc brake apart then screwed it down again, then looked down the inside of the brake (for the safety nazis, the bolt was removed beforehand)…I could see the muzzle end of the barrel hitting the backstop of the threads on the brake. You will not be able to screw down this brake to the point that the retaining pin latches into place…far from it.

I’m not sure how to secure the brake. I’m not going to use red threadlocker, as I don’t want a near-permanently fixed brake (I will probably be trying other brakes or going back/forth between the krink and 4-pc brakes).

UPDATE – 1/1/2021:  I sent the below pictures to CNC and asked them what could be the issue.  They’ve provided me with an RMA.  They want me to send it back.  I’ll send it back tomorrow.  Someone on the PSA FB group told me that they had a similar issue and that they had to be provided another brake.  I should receive a new brake soon.

UPDATE – 1/17/2022: I resolved the issue and have mounted a slightly smaller CNC Warrior 4-pc brake.

This is the OEM krink booster.  Notice how it sits flush with the front sight block (FSB).
Krink booster is removed.  Note the distant between the bottom of the threads and the end of the muzzle…that’s a pretty significant distance.
This is the CNC 4-pc brake, screwed down until it bottoms out.  I did this with the brake taken apart so that I could see inside the brake to see what is obstructing it’s installation.  It can’t screw down enough for the retaining pin to latch into place.
This view is looking inside the CNC Warrior brake, from the muzzle end. This shows that the brake is very shallow-throated when used with the PSA AK-P. There is beveling (not sure if that’s the correct word) that is preventing further tightening.
This shows how shallow the thread backstop is for the AK-P.
A video showing the issue.
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2A 9th Ciruit California high capacity magazine ban RKBA

9th Circuit Court ends California’s ban on high capacity magazines!

 I logged onto Facebook today and saw a post on one of the citizen defense groups that the 9th Circuit Court has ended the ban on high capacity magazines in CA.  I thought it was relating to older articles or that it was a troll post, but when I searched on it via Google, the below showed:

The article I’m reading was published by the San Diego Union Tribune.  

An excerpt:

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday threw out California’s ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s protection of the right to bear firearms.

“Even well-intentioned laws must pass constitutional muster,” Appellate Judge Kenneth Lee wrote for the panel’s majority. California’s ban on magazines holding more than 10 bullets “strikes at the core of the Second Amendment — the right to armed self-defense.”

 Some other posts regarding high-capacity magazine (I hate that term) bans:

https://itsallaboutthatgun.blogspot.com/2017/06/judge-blocks-high-capacity.html

https://itsallaboutthatgun.blogspot.com/2015/03/ca-and-off-roster-guns.html

https://itsallaboutthatgun.blogspot.com/2020/06/freedom-week-used-as-defense-for-ca-man.html

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AK-P AK-V AKM charging handle Michigam AKM Owners SAM7UF

I’ve Installed Charging Handles Onto the AKs

I bought two AKM charging handles from Michigan AKM Owners.

I’d planned on mounting them on my PSA AK pistols.  I mounted one on the AK-V and the other on the AK-P. 

I had to remove it from the AK-P, though, because I have an enhanced safety on it and I can’t use the charging handle and the enhanced safety at the same time (the charging handle interferes with the usage of the safety.

I put it on my SAM7UF instead.  They look great and the handles offer good traction.  They are easy to mount, too, although I need to go back and add thread locker so that they don’t come off.

Mounted on the AK-V
The safety on the AK-P won't work well with the charging handle.
Mounted on the Arsenal.
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discharge lawsuit non-negligent Sig Sauer voluntary upgrade

It Appears that the P320 is still Experiencing Non-negligent discharges

I encourage everyone to watch the above YouTube video.  Apparently, the P320s are still having issues with non-negligent discharges.

Some takeaways from the video:

Many users have not sent their P320 to Sig Sauer for the voluntary recall (it replaces the trigger and adds an additional safety mechanism). There was at least one user that has the voluntary upgrades on their P320 that had a non-negligent discharge. That’s bad (and probably an understatement).  I was considering carrying my P320, but I will wait to see how Sig Sauer handles this.

I will say this, though:  I hope that this issue wasn’t overlooked or was brushed aside due to the recent multi-million dollar contract with the US Army (the contract for the new modular handgun system that Sig Sauer won).

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accidental backpack discharge firearm flagging holster

Is a Holsered Gun Pointing at You Considered Flagging?

You would not believe the amount of comments I saw in the above Facebook group where folks were complaining about being “flagged” by a holstered gun.

You can’t flag if you’re not touching the firearm.  That firearm is holstered.  Even if it has a round chambered (it probably does), guns do not go off on their own.  Well, factoring out Sig Sauer P320s, they typically do not.

The four general firearm safety rules apply to firearms that are being used/handled by human beings.  Guns sitting in holsters (or strapped onto vehicle interiors, or sitting in safes, or sitting in a desk drawer, or sitting on top of a nightstand) will not just randomly kick off a round without some type of human interaction.

Next time you’re at the range or at home handling your firearm, pay acute attention to where the muzzle is being pointed during your handling of it.  Unless you’re in a basement and/or are living by yourself, there’s the potential to flag other folks, especially if you’re at a gun range.  Half the time when I remove my handgun from the range bag, it’s pointing in the wrong direction even before I touch it.  Do I worry about it?  No.  Why?  Because it’s not loaded and if it were, I’d just reverse the bag so that the weapon is pointed downrange even when still in the bag.  As well, if you’re holstering or unholstering a firearm, you’re almost certainly flagging yourself at some point of the process, especially if you’re carrying appendix position.  You’d think folks would be mindful of the fact that when they holster or unholster, they’re muzzling some part of their body.  Within the above FB comments, there are folks swearing that they don’t, yet it’s impossible not to.

The firearms safety rules do not apply to holstered firearms, nor do they apply to firearms that aren’t being handled/manipulated by a human being.

When was the last time you saw a report or article showing that a person was shot by a holstered firearm?  Or, a firearm that went off while sitting on a desk.  Or, a firearm that went off in a safe, on it’s own?  The chance of it happening are so low that it’s more probable that you’ll be struck by lightning.