Author: r2kba.patriot

Categories
Canik Century Arms CZ Glock nationalists patriotism Turkey

Canik Firearms

For those of you that don’t mind Turkish guns (the non-Nationalists out there, maybe), Caniks are very nice guns.  They’ve a good polymer gun presence in the US gun market.  A few of their polymer guns are the TP9 SF, The TP9 SF Elite, and the TP9 SFX.  They no longer sell the TP9 SA, but have reworked their TP9 v2:  it is now called the TP9 DA.

Canik also sells all-metal guns.  Canik Sharks and their variants are available on the market, but I do believe they’re no longer imported by Century Arms.  Tristar is an importer of Caniks.  Any handguns they have are actually Caniks.  Tristar handguns are just rebranded Caniks.  A few of those guns are:  the C120, C100, T120, T100, and P100.  Most people refer to these guns as CZ clones, mainly due to the slide rails being inverted compared to traditional gun slides.  They are not actual clones…they may share similar parts but you actually won’t be able to swap most parts internal to a CZ75, for example, into a Tristar C120.  I don’t call them clones.  I call them CZ-inspired.

Now, about my Nationalist comment.  Many people tend to get their panties in a bind when they discover that Caniks are gaining popularity.  These people usually can’t hold back the “I don’t support terrorism” comment.  The general population of Turkey should not be held accountable for the few radicals they have.  The US has radicals as well.  If people held the US accountable like the US citizens always want accountability with other countries (such as Turkey), there probably wouldn’t be an uproar.  The things we do to our own citizens here is actually appalling, yet we’ll make generalist comments about a damned Turkish gun maker.  Caniks are imported by US businesses.  The money spent on these guns are staying in the US…it’s going to those that work in those US businesses, to people like you and I.  I wish I could buy a Canik every time I heard these comments, just so I could tell those folks, “every time one of you open your mouth, I buy a Canik.”  I’m a military veteran and I’m about as red-blooded as one can be and I own three of these guns.  It doesn’t bother me one bit.  You can love your country and buy imported goods without issue, IMO.  Every person is different.  I feel I can do whatever the hell I want with my money, for one.  Secondly, for every Nationalist that tells me that I’m unpatriotic because I bought a Turkish gun, I ask them, “have you served your country?  Have you fought on foreign soil?”  It usually shuts them up because most of those folk have never seen the world beyond the town they live in.

As well, those of you that feel that “it isn’t a Glock”…no shit.  You can own both.  Some people say, “well, aftermarket support isn’t on the level of Glock”.  Well, there aren’t many gun makes that have the level of aftermarket support of Glocks.  Still, all you have to do is Google Search on “Canik TP9 holsters” or “Canik TP9 sights” and you’ll see a ton of hits…it won’t be like there’s a scarcity of such info…trust me, I did several such searches the other day when someone commented that Caniks weren’t wanted.  I also posted the results.  I also said, “there’s a whole world beyond just Glocks.  I own several Glocks and several Caniks and I like both.  There’s room for both.”  The guy never responded back.  It was probably because such details are difficult to refute.

If you’re new to Caniks or want to know more about them, check out the Canik Fanatik web forum..

Categories
1911 Lyman trigger trigger gauge trigger pull

Trigger Measurements – Part II

Yesterday I posted some trigger pull measurements of some of my handguns.  After seeing those results, I was curious as to how the rest of my handguns compared.

For each handguns, I measured trigger pull by averaging out 5 pull results.  I also posted low measurements for the majority of them.

Here are the results:

Bersa Thunder 380 Plus –DA – 7lb even, with a low of 6lb 4oz
SA – 3lb 10oz, with a low of 3lb 9oz

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact –DA – 9lb 4oz, with a low of 8lb 15oz
SA – 3lb 12oz, with a low of 3lb 3oz

Springfield Armory XD9 Mod.2 Subcompact – 4lb 9oz average, with a low of 4lb 6oz

Ruger SR9C –5lb 7oz, with a low of 5lb 1oz

Glock 19 –5lb 5oz average with a low of 5lb even

SIG Sauer P320 Compact –5lb 7oz average with a low of 5lb 3oz

Metro Arms American Classic Commander (1911) – 2lb 15oz average with a low of 2lb 8oz (!!)

I had no idea that 1911 would measure that low.  It’s one of three 1911s that I own, but it’s also one of the best that I own.  I knew it was good but didn’t know the trigger would generate such a low measurement.  I’ll update this page later tonight with the results of the triggers of the other two 1911s, just to compare all three of them.

UPDATE:

I measured my 1911s:

Rock Island Armory MS 1911 (22tcm) – 2lb 12oz average with a low of 2lb 10oz

Rock Island Armory MS 1911 (9mm) – 3lb 13oz average with a low of 3lb 8 oz

UPDATE 2:

I measured my Glock 22 Gen 3 police trade-in (has a 5 lb trigger):

Glock 22 Gen 3 (40 S&W) – 4lb 10.8oz average of 5 with a low of 4lb 4.9oz

Springfield Armory XD45 Mod.2 Subcompact – 5lb 0.1oz average with a low of 4lb 10oz

Categories
Canik TP9SA Lyman trigger trigger gauge

Trigger Measurements – Part I

About a week ago, I was cleaning my two TP9SA handguns.  They’re both identical but when actuating their triggers, both seemed to have different weights, to a significant degree, which kind of bugs me.

I decided to buy a Lyman trigger gauge.  I picked it up this morning and decided to check the triggers before I went to work.

Here’s what I found:

Canik TP9SA (black) – 3lb 11oz, average of 5; got as low as 3lb 9oz

TP9SA (tan) – 4lb 11oz, average of 5; got as low as 4lb 5oz

That’s a pretty drastic difference (1 lb).  Tan gun’s trigger is noticeably stiffer, which is why I decided to buy a trigger gauge in the first place.  I looked at the trigger bar and it appears it may be rubbing against the frame.  I’m not going to mess with it, though.

I then decided to check some of my other handguns:

Tristar T-100 – DA is 11lb 10oz, average of 5; got as low as 11lb 9oz (was difficult to measure the trigger evenly, since the pull is so strong and the trigger is curved upward).  SA is 4lb 12oz, with the lowest of 5 at 4lb 4oz.

Grand Power P-11 – DA is at 8lb 3oz, average of 5; got as low as 8lb even!  SA – 3lb 10oz, with a lowest of 5 at 3lb 1oz!  DA is super smooth and was easy to get a reading.  In half-cock, the DA got an average of 7lb 13oz.

Sig Sauer P220 Equinox – DA is average of 10lb 2oz; SA is average of 5lb 7 oz.

Sig Sauer SP2022 – DA is average of 7lb 12oz with lowest of 5 at 6lb 6oz (pulled fast and smooth).  SA is average of 4lb 4oz with low of 3lb 9oz.

Note that most of these guns have low round counts, especially the P220 and Caniks.  The Grand Power has over 1200 rounds through it, which is probably one reason why it’s so smooth (but it was a stand-out even when brand new).

Stay tuned for Part II, where I measure the triggers of my other handguns.

Categories
hearing protection act Katie Couric national reciprocacy VCDL Virginia Virginia Citizen Defense League WAMU

VA-ALERT: VCDL Mini-Update 7/23/17

VA-ALERT: VCDL Mini-Update 7/23/17

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Not yet a Virginia Citizens Defense League member? Join VCDL at: http://vcdl.org/join
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VCDL’s calendar: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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VA-ALERT archives:  http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/727/=now
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1. Update on White House petition for National Concealed Carry Reciprocity
2. Congressional Representative Don Beyer on reciprocity and hearing protection
3. ROFLMAO!  Now Katie Couric is actually lecturing the media on the dangers of “fake news!”
4. WAMU to have “neighborhood conversation”  on guns in Arlington on Tuesday, July 25


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1. Update on White House petition for National Concealed Carry Reciprocity
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At 4 PM on Sunday, there are now 7,887 signatures.  We need over 92,000 more by August 17 for a formal White House response.  I am reaching out to national organizations, such as the NRA, GOA, CCRKBA, SAF, etc.  and am reaching out to our sister groups, such as Maryland Shall Issue, West Virginia Citizens Defense League, and to other media, such as GunTalk.  But we need all hands on deck!

Here is a simple link you can share with people for the petition:

vcdl.org/Sign-The-White-House-Petition

–

Long time gun-rights journalist Dave Workman is getting the word out in some of his latest articles:

Concealed Carry Skyrockets to More than 16.3 Million, Report Says
http://libertyparkpress.com/concealed-carry-skyrockets-16-3-million-report-says/

Soaring CCW: Eleven states top 10% carry; more women carry
http://conservativefiringline.com/soaring-ccw-eleven-states-top-10-carry-women-carry/


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2. Congressional Representative Don Beyer on reciprocity and hearing protection
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Congressman Don Beyer, from Northern Virginia, has been responding to his constituents on their requests for his support of National Concealed Carry Reciprocity and also the Hearing Protection Act (makes silencers/suppressors much easier to purchase).

The one thing I can say to his credit is at least he says how he will vote, unlike so many who give the meaningless, “I will keep your comments in mind when I vote on this issue.”

Beyer says he will not vote for either bill.  That’s not a good thing, but not a surprise.  That said, if he is going to oppose a bill, his facts should be correct and his reasoning should at least make some sense.  He fails both tests.

He actually calls both bills, and I’m not kidding, “dangerous.”  Dangerous?  A bill to protect a person’s hearing is “dangerous?”  A bill to allow the most law-abiding group of people the ability to carry in a few more states is “dangerous?”  Dangerous for who, exactly?

–

Let’s look at Don Beyer’s claims about HR 38 (National Reciprocity) and analyze them.

*  Claim: “Gun owners with concealed-carry licenses in one state would be automatically extended those same rights in every other state, no matter the laws of the state they are in.”  Facts: Rights are not granted by government (I guess Beyer skipped Government 101).  A permit holder would be able to carry in the same locations and have the same restrictions as the permit holders for the host state.  Beyer makes it sound like all state gun laws are thrown out and that is completely false.

* Claim: “The bill would abolish gun free school zones, allowing for potentially dangerous or untrained individuals to carry loaded firearms in K-12 schools.”  Facts:  Not true.  It does not abolish the Gun Free School Zone Act (GFSZA).  Currently, if a person is in their home state and has a permit, they are ALREADY exempt from the GFSZA!  H.R. 38 merely extends that exemption to cover the permit holder when traveling outside their home state.

* Claim: “H.R. 38 would force every state to accept the permits of the other 49, regardless of how minimal those requirements may be.”  Facts:  That is true, but it’s not actually a problem in reality.  More than 20 states are ALREADY accepting ALL permits, including Virginia, and without any problems.

* Claim: “H.R. 38 would jeopardize police safety by placing law enforcement in the compromising position of determining concealed-carry certifications from other states.”  Facts: How could a police officer’s safety possibly be jeopardized by merely determining the “certifications” of a permit?  I think “police safety” is just being thrown in as a buzzword to scare people.  The officer doesn’t have to worry about “certifications.”  As long as the officer is presented with a permit from another state, that is all the officer has to see.  If the person is from a Constitutional Carry state, where a concealed carry permit is not available or is not required, then a simple roadside warrant check is all that is needed:  if the person is not prohibited from owning a gun due to a warrant, previous felony, or other prohibition, then he is legally carrying.

–

Now H.R. 367, the Hearing Protection Act:

* Claim: “Buyers are required to pay a $200 transfer tax and comply with a federal background check, as well as submit fingerprints and a photograph.”  Facts: Paying a tax doesn’t make a person law-abiding, but it does keep poor people from purchasing a silencer.  The background check is basically the same check as when purchasing a firearm.  Criminals submit fingerprints and photographs when they are booked.  That doesn’t stop them from being criminals.

* Claim: “The bill would allow silencers to be sold on the private market, allowing buyers to completely bypass a background check.”  Facts: That is no different than a firearm.  But a silencer is merely a firearm accessory!

* Claim: “The noise guns produce is an essential safety feature. In the event of an active shooter situation, hearing and identifying gunshots is often the only way the public can respond quickly to the threat of gun violence.” Fact: Using this logic, removing mufflers from cars and trucks would be a safety feature!  The silencer is the safety feature, protecting the hearing of the shooter and others nearby.  Silencers are rarely used by criminals because they make the gun pretty much unable to be concealed.   Also, silencers merely lower the sound to a safe level for the shooter and others nearby (< 140 dB).  The shot can still be as loud as a chainsaw or a jack hammer!  A quick trip to the range to hear the sound of a suppressed gunshot and Representative Beyer could have his fear allayed.

—

Here is an article by the NRA that takes Beyer to task for his anti-self-defense positions and lack of facts or manipulation of facts to suit his purposes:

https://medium.com/national-rifle-association/wrong-congressman-beyer-self-defense-is-a-right-shared-by-all-law-abiding-americans-10646b10c67

or

http://tinyurl.com/yb6r7v49


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3. ROFLMAO!  Now Katie Couric is actually lecturing the media on the dangers of “fake news!”
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You simply cannot make this stuff up.

The New York Daily News, which ran a story on Katie’s fake-news warning, is itself guilty of being fake news because they never mentioned or hinted at Katie’s hypocrisy.  But Fox News nailed her on what she did to VCDL and Townhall.com ate her alive:

Townhall.com:

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2017/07/21/katie-couric-are-you-kidding-with-that-remark-about-fake-news-n2357882

or

http://tinyurl.com/ycolchub

–

Fox:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/07/20/katie-couric-fake-news-is-ripping-america-apart-at-seams.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/ybstbj9k

Katie Couric: Fake news is ripping America ‘apart at the seams’

“I remember I got sent a lot of stories from friends who were quite educated and were like, ‘Did you see this?'” she told the New York Daily News. “And I would say, ‘Come on, you’re kidding, right? This is BS.'”

She added, “We’re not doing enough of a good job of breaking down complicated issues and helping people really understand them.”

While Couric blasted what she called fake news sites, she avoided placing blame on the mainstream media.

However, she did say the lines between straight news and opinion “have been blurred considerably.”

“[Americans] are so divided that it’s hard for us to come up with solutions and find commonalities,” she said. “And there’s vitriol spewed by both sides at people who disagree with them.”

Couric herself has been accused of reporting fake news. She was hit with a $12 million lawsuit over her documentary “Under the Gun.” Pro-gun activists accused Couric of deceptive editing but the case was dismissed in May.

–

And fake news from the New York Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/katie-couric-fake-news-tearing-america-seams-article-1.3339909

or

http://tinyurl.com/yd3kxjw8


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4. WAMU to have “neighborhood conversation”  on guns in Arlington on Tuesday, July 25
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I tried contacting Kojo Nnamdi to see if I could be on the panel, but never heard back from him.  The panel consists of two professional gun-control lobbyists, one gun owner, and a George Mason law professor whose bonafides show her to be strongly pro-rights.  (I have added some information on the gun owner and the professor at the end of this item.)

The event is open to the public, so it would be good if we had some VCDL members there to ask questions and to wear GSL stickers.

Details:

http://wamu.org/event/kojo-community-neighborhood-conversation-guns-july-25/

Kojo In Your Community: A Neighborhood Conversation About Guns On July 25
Patrick Madden / WAMU

It’s been just weeks since a U.S. Congressman was shot during practice at a Northern Virginia baseball field, and 10 years since the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, one of the worst in our country’s history. The Commonwealth’s gun laws, meanwhile, are considerably less restrictive than they were a decade ago. In communities like Arlington, neighbors have engaged deeply in debates on the issue, ranging from the economics of local gun shops to the legislative moves in Richmond.

As Virginia voters prepare for a statewide election this fall, join Kojo for a community conversation about where the Commonwealth fits into debates about gun rights and gun violence — and how views about these issues shape broader attitudes about politics in our region.

The conversation will be held at Founders Hall on the George Mason University Arlington Campus. The hall is accessible via public transit.

Doors to the event space will open at 6 p.m. and the event will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. The conversation will conclude at 8 p.m.

Please note: seating is available on a first come, first served basis. We will do our best to accommodate all interested parties, but cannot guarantee a seat for all. A recording of the conversation will air at a later date on WAMU 88.5 and will be posted at the Kojo Nnamdi Show website.

GMU’s campus POLICY prohibits carrying weapons of any kind, firearms included.

–

More info:

The 90-minute event will kick off at 6:30 p.m. with four ‘conversation facilitators’ but everyone present will be given an opportunity to share their perspective if they wish. The conversation facilitators will be both pro and anti gun control. The conversation would be recorded and aired on WAMU 88.5 FM on Thursday, July 27.

Here are the four ‘conversation facilitators’:
Joyce Lee Malcolm (George Mason University law professor)
Adith Subramanian (Local gun owner)
Colin Goddard (Virginia Tech survivor, activist)
Josh Horwitz (Coalition to Stop Gun Violence)

–

Here is information on the the gun owner, Adith Subramanian.  I am hopeful that he will do well:

http://wamu.org/story/15/10/30/in_purple_state_virginia_gun_owners_dont_always_fit_the_stereotypes/

And information on professor Malcolm:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Lee_Malcolm

Gun controllers Goddard and Horwitz should be familiar to everyone on this list.


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***************************************************************************
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]
***************************************************************************

Categories
2A 2nd Amendment California high capacity judge magazine ban Roger Benitez

Judge Blocks ‘High Capacity’ Controversial and Upcoming California Mag Ban

Judge Blocks ‘High Capacity’ Mag Ban to Prevent Criminalization of Law-Abiding Californians

On June 29 — two days before California’s “high capacity” magazine ban was set to take effect — U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez blocked the ban to prevent “otherwise law-abiding” citizens from being criminalized.

Benitez ruled that the ban takes away Second Amendment rights “and amounts to the government taking people’s private property without compensation.”

Freilich did not address the fact that the high-profile shooting in Santa Barbara — May 23, 2014 — was carried out with “standard” magazines of 10 rounds.

I’m glad there’s at least one non-corrupt judge in CA doing his appointed duty.  I’m still trying to determine why it’s bad to have more than 10 rounds in a magazine.  Even if criminals obeyed this law (they won’t), it’s trivial to remove an empty 10-round magazine from a handgun and replace it with another 10-round magazine.  It can be done very quickly.  But that’s IF a criminal decided to use 10-round mags.  It’s stupid…if a guy is willing to rob a bank, what makes you think that he’s going to follow a magazine limit law?  “Oh, I have to go out and buy 10 round mags before I rob this bank…can’t use 15-round mags…that’s against the law…derp.”

I’ll be watching how this one plays out.

Categories
children doctors homicide politics study suicide

Study: Sharp Rise in Suicides by Gun Among American Children Is Found

Sharp Rise in Suicides by Gun Among American Children Is Found

I read this while I was at work.  I’ve only one question:  Why can’t doctors just do what they’re paid to do?  They’re not paid to give risk assessment on gun control.  Not really.  Doctors are paid to heal.  Nothing else.  Now, I’ll give a bit.  They should advise on preventative steps when it comes to health (preventing sickness).  They should NOT advise on a lifestyle.

My daughter might practice unsafe sex but I don’t hear doctors trying to tell parents how to raise their kids.  I don’t see them being so rancorous about teens and vaping — there are virtually NO studies on this, which is very sad since teens are thinking that this is safer since there’s next to no carcinogens (I highly doubt this).  I can think of many things doctors should be more worried about than gun control.  In fact, in this article (and the articles linked below), it stated that there’s one thing that kills more kids than guns…its motor vehicles.  Now, why aren’t they focusing on THAT??  They’ve a listing of what they deem harmful to kids, but they don’t focus on the #1 item on that list.  They don’t focus on the #3 item on that list.  They focus on #2.  Why?  Because of the same reason why they may ask you if you’ve a gun in the house (they tend to do that, as well)…they’re wanting to generate statistics that will try to sway gun advocacy or alter it to where they feel they’ve some control.  This has nothing to do with doctoring and everything to do with Liberalism.

I lock up my guns when they’re not being carried, but I also educate my kids to NOT touch the guns.  I share with them news articles about kids being hurt and killed because the kids handle guns when their parents aren’t around.  I teach them that firearms are not toys.  Not everyone does this, sadly.  And I religiously check my guns before I handle them.  I always assume they’re loaded but I always safety check the guns if I’m going to break them down or do dry fires.  Not everyone does this, sadly.

Now, I will never not have one in the chamber while I’m carrying or if I have a particular gun ready for home protection.  There are quick safes that can read your fingerprints quickly to gain access to the firearm inside the safe.  Never lock a gun up if you think you’re going to need it.  People don’t lock up fire extinguishers or fire escapes…they shouldn’t do it for firearms either, unless there are young and/or unteachable children around (yes, some children may be so young as to not understand that they shouldn’t touch a gun; yes some children may have mental disabilities that will hinder learning such things as not touching firearms).  If children exist in your family, there are safeguards…determine what’s best for you and yours.  Don’t let liberal doctors try to decide how to live your life, unless you’re one of the folks who has lost a loved one because you didn’t take proactive steps to keep the firearm away from children.

For decades, gunshot wounds have ranked second behind car crashes as the leading cause of death from injuries for U.S. children. But while car travel has become safer, gun fatalities have remained high in that age group, pediatric experts say.

Here’s one that that had me fuming:

Children are rarely hurt or killed by guns in other developed countries, the researchers pointed out.

The thing is, not many other developed countries have similar rights to us regarding firearms.  Almost all of the other developed countries have heavy restrictions of firearms ownership…firearms rights are almost non-existent in those countries.  Of course their statistics aren’t going to be the same.  You can’t judge two countries by such stats if you’re not taking into account their laws.

Teach your kids, folks, otherwise you’re just giving gun grabbers another reason to negate 2A.

Similar articles are here:

http://www.news4jax.com/news/guns-kill-nearly-1300-us-children-each-year-study-says_

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/nearly-1-300-kids-killed-guns-each-year-study-finds-n774086

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gun-deaths-injuries-suicide-up-among-us-kids-staggering-report-reveals/

Categories
barrel Grand Power Q100 rotating

The Striker-fired Grand Power Q100

[I used an app to try to post an article but it didn’t work out well, so I’ve resubmitted this posting]

Grand Power Q100 Pistol Goes Hammerless – In-depth VIDEO Review – Sourced from Ammoland.com & reviewed by Graham Baates.

Categories
battery CLP failure Grand Power lubrication MAC Military Arms Channel P1

Grand Power P1 & Military Arms Channel

Military Arms Channel (MAC) has reviewed the Grand Power P1. 

The review is here:

I find it interesting that he’s experiencing the same issues that I have with my P11 — failures to return to battery.  He was pretty put-off by that, which is understandable.  What’s weird is that some people experience the issue while others do not.  I know the gun does not like being extremely dirty (it doesn’t take a lot of rounds before it’s deemed dirty, either).  The gun also likes to be wet with lube, which probably isn’t going to help with carbon…it makes for a pasty mix.

He’s also the first major reviewer I’ve ever seen that has experienced such issues.  Or maybe he’s the first that’s bold enough to report about it.  In the past, I’ve stated that I find it weird that no reviewers have ever had negative comments about this gun.  That’s the main reason I did so many videos of the gun…because I felt people were possibly hiding negative experiences of the Grand Power handgun platforms.

One thing that MAC should do is not use CLP.  That’s what I was initially using and it is not enough, as it moves around and will eventually evaporate.  Apparently grease is a no-go as well, as Dave Copping joined in offering guidance to MAC in that video’s comments section (Dave Copping works for Eagle Imports).  He needs a heavy oil — heavy oil will migrate less. I used oil (synthetic motor oil) the last time I took the P11 to the range…I still had FRTBs, although I shot 150 rounds of Wolf, which probably counteracted the motor oil.  As a reminder, Wolf generates a LOT of carbon.

It seems that the only way around the FRTBs would be to do a field strip of the weapon at the range to wipe it down enough to lessen the FRTBs so that the range session could continue.  Or use a clean-burning ammo (depending on the ammo, that could be expensive).

MAC also wants to apply the MAC reliability test to his P1 (it consists of dunking the gun in water, sand, and mud, firing a mag in between each medium).  That gun is going to fail that test.  It’s not that type of gun.  It’s a very tight gun, tolerance-wise…such guns are not typically reliable when it comes to being subjected to such tests.  I left a comment stating that the gun will probably fail the test.  I’m not sure if he’s going to submit it to the test anyways, but I seriously doubt it’ll pass.

Categories
Colion Nior LCI loaded chamber indicator press check TFB The Firearms Blog

Press Checks

So, what are press checks?

You press check by pulling a handgun’s slide back just enough to see if a round is chambered.  You check so that you know your handgun is prepared.  The last thing you want to occur is to be attacked but find that your gun doesn’t have a round chambered.

Some handguns have a device called a loaded chamber indicator.  It’s a small tab that rises when there’s a round in the chamber.  This can be used in lieu of a press check, but not all handguns have LCIs.  Some handguns have external extractors that pop out when a round is chambered, but not all handguns have external extractors.  As well, not all extractors pop out enough for the wielder of the gun to know that a round is chambered.  And lastly, not everyone is willing to trust an LCI when a visual verification works better.  I’m one of those people.

Here’s what happens if you don’t press check (watch the video):

The video is captioned:

People like give me shit because I press check my guns (I.e. Partially pull the slide back to see if there is actually a round in the chamber. Well, This is why I press check. I get that it’s all the rage now the make fun of things that look high speed low drag but sometimes there is purpose. #IPressCheckedButDidYouDie

The above is a training exercise but highlights the fact that if someone is defending themselves but don’t know the condition of their gun, they can die.  No one wants to hear “click” when pulling the trigger in a dire situation.

Another reason to press check is that sometimes magazines might not be properly seated, so that when a slide is racked, a round is not stripped from the magazine and pushed into the chamber.  In that case, you’d think that a round was chambered, only it never did.  An LCI would indicate that the chamber is empty, but a press check would do the same and not rely on another gun part (that could possibly fail).

Another good source of information is The Firearms Blog.  They published an article about their thoughts on it today, and they pretty much mimic Colion.

There’s nothing really wrong with press checking.  If you’re doing it every 60 seconds on a firing line at the local range, you’re doing it wrong, though.  The practical applications outweigh the tacticool-ness of press checking.

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Beretta Bersa Grand Power P11 PX4 Storm range visit Thunder Plus

Range Visit

I went to the range today and brought the Grand Power P11, the RIA 22TCM, and of course I bought my current carry gun, the Bersa Thunder Plus (I’m carrying the PX4 less now, since it is so thick…it’s lumpier and I don’t like that it feels so large on my hip).  I couldn’t use my RIA, though, because I forgot to bring it’s magazine.

I brought 200 rounds of Wolf 115-grain FMJ for the P11.  I fired 150 rounds of it.  I bought 50 rounds of Speer Lawman 95-grain FMJ at the range for the Bersa.  I fired all of that.

I started out with the P11.  I ensured it was lubed properly (using synthetic motor oil – 5w20 Motul) beforehand.  It failed to return to battery once in that first magazine.  It did it again on the 6th magazine (12-round mags).  Then I did twice more through the last two mags.  It probably was pretty dirty with firing Wolf ammo after 138 rounds, so that’s probably why it was failing.  Wolf is REALLY dirty and covered in some type of semi-sticky coating…not exactly conducive to the inner workings of a gun with tight tolerances.

12 yards out with the P11 – not used to shooting that far out…I shot 12 rounds but 3 rounds missed the paper, and the group was not tight.
12 yards out, next 12 round mag with the P11.  The first shots were landing at the top of the target.  I had to 6 o’clock hold the sights to get the rounds to hit around the red.
Went back to 7 yards out.  Notice how the rounds are very vertically oriented.  Need to ensure the front site is lined with the rear dots, but for self defense purposes, this is superb, IMO.
7 yards with the P11…two mags worth.  Still hitting a bit up high but they’re again pretty vertical.
7 yards with the P11 – two mags…this is tight as hell, but I’d still like to work on the 1-2″ left drift of the grouping.  That’s trigger slap or me not using my support hand enough (for stabilization).  Was also shooting a bit fast.
54 rounds @ 7 yards with the P11.  Worked a bit on DA trigger pull (also did quite a bit of dry fire to try to get a feel for the DA on this gun…it’s different than the DA on the PX4, with the PX4 having the better DA trigger, IMO).  So, two mags to the head and two mags to the torso with this target, with several doube-taps using the last 10 or so rounds.
50 rounds of Speer Lawman FMJ 95-grain ammo.  I hated this ammo…it caused the Bersa’s beavertail to sting the webbing of my hand.  After one round of sting, I immediately grabbed my gloves, but shooting with gloves is difficult for me.  The rounds have a vertical pattern, though.

That Speer Lawman ammo for the .380…it was stinging my hand.  I’ll have to avoid that ammo in the future.  It seems I’m going to need to develop a listing of “to avoid” ammo for this particular handgun.

So, I’m now at a round count of 1269 for the P11 and 373 for the Bersa.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever get rid of the fails to return to battery with the P11.  I wanted to give the gun a fair shake by trying a thicker lube, but maybe using Wolf negated the usage of thicker oil (oil that’ll stay put instead of migrating).  There’s always something with the P11…too many excuses being used to explain these issues.  :/  The Bersa is still cool to shoot.  The trigger is smoothing out.  I’m still not as accurate with it as with the P11 or PX4, though…and it’s trigger isn’t all that spectacular when compared to those aforementioned handguns, too.  But it’s definitely utilitarian.  The only thing about this gun that I really hate is it’s recoil sting with certain ammo.

I’ll continue to shoot both guns, although I probably need to put more rounds through the PX4.