Author: r2kba.patriot

Categories
anti-gun news smart gun suicide

Here’s Another Failed Attempt at Creating a Smart Gun

I just saw the following article.

Company’s personalized ‘smart gun’ aims to make firearms safer – ABC News (go.com)

I’ll say the same things I said when I last posted about smart guns:

This solves nothing. If a person wants to kill themselves, they’ll find a way. Folks are so focused on making smart technology that doesn’t allow folks to commit suicide by gun. What of the various other quick suicide methods? A person can quickly jump off a bridge or out of a window or balcony or anything that is several stories upward. A person can cut themselves. A person can jump in front of a train, car, or bus. I’m saying that folks can do this but folks HAVE done those things and no one bats an eye, yet if they commit suicide by gun, people go apeshit.

Additionally, the last time I posted about this subject, the mentioned smart gun was approximately $2,500 in price. WTF!?

What happens when the tech somehow glitches? If it has electronics, there will always be the chance of glitches and other electrical issues. If it malfunctions when needed (ie, emergencies such as self defense), the gun is useless.

All guns eventually need to be cleaned and oiled. How does the electrics within the smart guns withstand repeated cleaning and oiling over the life of the firearm? If it malfunctions because of cleaning and oiling, the gun is useless.

The gun can be activated via smartphone app…WTH?? There could be a crack/hack that could circumvent the “smart” aspect of the gun. Any app can be hacked. This would probably be one of the first things the hacker community does. Also, if an app is communicating with any module that’s installed within the gun, the gun could be susceptible to outside malicious attacks (the gun would probably be listening for any commands that the phone might send and it would probably do it over NFC, WiFi, or Bluetooth…all such things have been hacked in the past).

Smart guns with all that tech can probably also be traced. What’s to say that such a gun isn’t beaconing somewhere and sharing information (like location)? Most gun owners I know don’t want such information piped to Big Brother. Even if the government weren’t involved, an app means that the selling company is aware of who is using their app, which means they can track every user of the smart gun. Yeah, F that.

There are many aspects of smart guns that folks think solve a particular problem but, IMO, it causes more problems.

Let’s say I buy this particular handgun. What’s to stop me, the owner, from committing suicide with it? Nothing! Folks commit suicide with their own firearms all the time…they don’t typically use someone else’s.

This could solve the issue of folks leaving their guns where non-owners can find them, yes, but if folks locked up their non-smart handguns, that could lessen kids shooting themselves or prevent adult folks using the discovered gun to commit suicide, but again, such things could be lessened by locking up unused guns.

As well, when has a cook not been burned? I find it highly unreasonable to expect there to be no firearms mishaps ever, especially in a country where 2A and (millions of) firearms are prevalent. Shit will happen. That’s not an excuse for negligence but there are an awful lot of humans in the U.S. To think that folks will always follow laws and common sense is a very bad expectation.

There’s another problem. Guns in gun safes aren’t readily available. If someone breaks into your home and attacks you before you can get to the safe to obtain the gun, owning the gun is useless. At some point, you’ve to have a gun on standby (at the ready) to properly be prepared. A violent felon won’t stop to give you the time you need to get to your gun that you put in your safe for safety’s sake. Imagine if cops kept their guns in safes until ready to use…but wait, they don’t do that…they always have one readily available. I carry a gun 90% of the time, even in the house. If I’m asleep, the gun is in the nightstand drawer that is next to my bed. When I shower, it’s in the bathroom with me, on the counter next to the sink. While driving, it is either on me or in the console. I don’t typically go places that don’t allow guns, so I don’t normally leave it in my car unattended (for someone to steal). Any unused guns are locked in my large safe. All of this works for me. I’m not sure why it’s not working for other folks, but I won’t be forced into a smart gun just because some folks can’t get it right.

The only folks that are going to buy such a gun are cucks or Liberal-minded folks that think that inanimate objects kill. You can own a gun and also teach your children to not play or touch the guns. We teach kids about how to avoid pedophiles and how to not play with fire (or how to avoid or not do anything else that can hurt/maim/kill), yet there are kids that still don’t pay heed. That’s not the fault of the kid, but that isn’t the fault of said inanimate object or the object’s owners, either. Sometimes kids will do stupid things…we ALL have done stupid things as kids. Kids aren’t infallible, but neither are parents (yes, some parents do some dumb shit, even smart ones, because most parents aren’t taught to be parents…they learn on the fly). At some point, we should stop blaming inanimate objects or even the parents of kids, since many kids WILL find ways to do things they’re not supposed to do.

Our society is always attempting to find solutions to problems that could be better solved by doing things that most folks think is the difficult way. When you see someone that’s having mental difficulty, speak with them and alert folks that can help. We also need to provide better mental health services. We always pretend that there’s an issue but never put the money aside that could assist in making mental health services better. It seems folks always want to avoid or ignore that aspect of things, but gravitate toward the seemingly easier and seemingly quicker solution to things: banning or restricting gun usage or creating “smart” weapons.

If we applied the same efforts and fortitude that we’ve been throwing at gun control to things such as finding cures for mental health issues, cancers, or dementias (examples of illnesses that tend to be ravaging us), I truly think we’d have found a cure or at least found several illness blockers. Look at how folks with HIV are now surviving for decades (and there’s recently been someone that received a stem cell treatment that apparently cured their HIV).

Until our society as a whole grows the backbone to face the issue of mental health and it’s related issues that currently affect this country, this problem will NOT go away. Don’t expect me to give up a right or buy a smart gun to “remedy” mental health issues when no one has tried to bolster our mental health system. There are enough laws and so-called solutions (in fact, there are too many). Biden and his cadaver supporters like Pelosi keep chanting that the 2A isn’t absolute. No shit…there’s been no other amendment that has so many conditions or qualifiers. This country would’ve burned to the ground if we’d ever done such things to any of the other rights within the Bill of Rights.

Categories
active shooter mass shooter mass shooting

Reason.com Article – Media Inflates Counts of Mass School Shootings

There have been 13 mass school shootings since 1966, not 27 this year, per a very recently posted Reason.com article. The difference is determined by defining the meaning of school shooting. This is a good read because it offers good reference material and offers objective discussion material. This article highlights (unintentionally or intentionally) the issues with the media inflating data to further their argument.

The meat of the article:

Obviously, 13 incidents in the last 56 years is a very different statistic than 27 incidents in the last few months. The two figures are so far apart because they measure separate things. One-off gun incidents are a serious problem in the U.S., and those taking place at schools are no exception. Mass casualty events, on the other hand, constitute less than 1 percent of all gun deaths. Suicides and non–mass-casualty murders—usually carried out with handguns rather than assault rifles—constitute the overwhelming majority of gun crimes.

There Have Been 13 Mass School Shootings Since 1966, Not 27 This Year (reason.com)

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technical issues

Had a bit of a system issue

Well, I thought I’d have to reinstall the blog.

I did some system maintenance and broke the website. I thought I’d be smart and change a setting while doing the maintenance, but it broke things badly. I thought it was due to something other than the change I’d made, but I changed it back today, just to see if that was the issue. Well…that was the issue.

So, we’re back. Apologies if the website looked odd for a few days.

Categories
shooting spring break Texas Texas Ranger Museum

I Visited Texas During the Spring Break of 2022

My wife, son, and I visited Texas during Spring Break. We have friends of the family that live out there and wanted to visit. As well as visit, we wanted to sight-see and maybe check out homes/land out there.

I took off a week (5 business days but a total of 9 days including two weekends). We drove from VA. We left on early on a Saturday and couldn’t arrive until Monday, so we took our time. We could’ve arrived that Sunday but the Airbnb we were staying at wasn’t available until Monday.

We stopped in Paris, TX, which was cool…we visited their veterans’ memorial there. We also visited the Texas Ranger museum, which I highly recommend if you’re interested in history or guns. We also visited Magnolia (Two Silos), which is Chip and Joanna Gaines’ place – that was very nice.

Much of our visit was driving and socializing. My son loved both the drive and the visit, as we did some fishing and he was introduced to farm life. He was also able to shoot his first guns (Note: I have not taught him about firearms due to personal reasons, but he has now had a taste and I will begin his firearms education now).

Of the shooting, we shot on my friends’ farm. That’s the first time I’ve ever shot steel. I LOVED it. It was also the first time I shot suppressed. I got the chance to shoot a Ruger Take-down, which was suppressed, and a CZ bolt-action 22 (not sure of it’s name), as well as another Ruger 22 bolt-action.

Before I left, I had a difficult time deciding what to bring with me. I ended up bringing a lot of 9mm and 22TCM9R ammo, and my RIA MS 1911 with both 9mm and 22TCM barrels, as well as my Grand Power P11 and Canik TP9SC. Sadly, I didn’t get to shoot much, since I spent a majority of my time with my son. My friends absolutely loved my 22TCM 1911. They kept referring to it as the hand cannon! Even my wife and son thought it was loud. It shot steel (didn’t damage the plates, though, as it was AR500 steel). One thing of note, the front fiber optic filament was super-bright in the sunlight.

I think I might have to find an outdoor range. There’s only one near me and it’s maybe 50 min away and requires you shoot their reloads, but the lanes are free with unlimited time – they don’t have steel, either. There’s another range further out that has steel, but I’ve never shot there. They also allow you to bring your own steel.

About Texas – I’ve lived there in the past, once as a child while my dad was stationed at Fort Hood, and once when my wife was stationed at Fort Hood. I’ve spent the largest portion of that time as a child, but I was old enough to where I remember everything. We’ve been looking to move somewhere nearer to my wife’s folks (who are in CA). We’ve considered Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. We’d never considered Texas because I never asked my wife about it (I assumed she hated it). Well, we’re now seriously considering Texas as our next home. The home would have to be at least 10 acres so that I can have a shooting range. Our move timeframe is 5 years out, so we will begin prepping our current home to sell. I’ll look again at properties at maybe the 6-12 month mark to see if we can find land/home in Central Texas (between Austin and Dallas, preferably, there’s so much area, that we’ll look well beyond that area too).

I think Texas will gel well with my family’s mindset. I’m glad I visited my friends, as they shared a wealth of information to help us look for our next home. I’m very excited and hope we’re able to visit again in a few years.

Categories
1911 45ACP American Classic ammo B45R JHP Metro Arms Rock Island Armory SDS Imports

My Thoughts Regarding 1911s and Jacketed Hollow Point Ammunition

One thing I’ve never done is attempt to carry a 1911. Carrying means I’ve to test JHP before committing to carrying. Everyone knows (or should know) that most 1911s don’t always readily shoot JHP.

I currently have shot 429 rounds from my SDS Imports DB45R 1911. Most of that ammo has been FMJ. Since I’ve been curious about it’s carry capabilities, I’ve been trying to shoot JHP from it, initially with mixed results.

I initially shot Remington HTP 185-gr JHP, which generated several failures to feed (FTFs).

I also shot Federal LE 185-gr JHP as well (maybe 25 rounds), which also generated some FTFs.

I documented in a previous post that I’d shot International Cartridge Corporation’s (ICC) 45ACP 155-gr frangible hollow points. For the most part, these shot without issue. That ammo can be used as defense ammo.

This past week, I shot 20 rounds of Underwood ($$$) 45ACP +P 230-gr JHP. 8 of the 20 rounds generated FTFs. I was using Wilson Combat mags with this ammo. Since this ammo is expensive and since it generated so many FTFs, I will stop shooting that ammo through the DB45R. Once I suspect that the gun will shoot it without FTFs, I’ll test the ammo again.

I shot Inceptor ARX 118-gr defense ammo (non-JHP), using the WC mag. There were no FTFs.

I shot PMC Bronze 185-gr JHP (non-SD ammo), using the WC mag.. There were no FTFs.

I shot Hornady Critical Defense 185-gr JHP, using the WC mag.. There were no FTFs.

So, I now know that I can use the following ammo as viable ammo for self defense:

  • ICC 155-gr FHP
  • Inceptor ARX 118-gr
  • PMC Bronze 185-gr JHP
  • Hornady Critical Defense 185-gr JHP

I plan to continue to shoot the PMC Bronze JHP ammo as range ammo, to continue the break-in process of the DB45R 1911.

During this round of testing, I also shot the same ammo listed above from the Metro Arms American Classic Commander (ACC) 1911 chambered in 45ACP. Note that I didn’t shoot the Critical Defense nor the Inceptor ARX from this gun, since the projectiles will almost certainly feed without issue (I tested them by chambering a round of each make, as well).

I shot most of the ICC 155-gr FHP ammo from the ACC 1911. There were initially a few FTFs, but I believe the issue was a worn recoil spring. I replaced the recoil spring and the FTFs disappeared.

I shot Underwood (again, $$$) 185-gr +P JHP from this gun, using the WC mag. This ammo was almost TOO hot, but in the gun’s defense, it isn’t as heavy as the DB45R 1911, so there’s less weight to mitigate the recoil of this hot ammo. The ammo was so hot that I had to pause in shooting the 8-round mag, since my hand was in pain. Even so, there was only one FTF, but I’m sure this may have been because the ammo was so hot that I was beginning to limp wrist.

The Remington HTP 185-gr JHP was tested the visit prior to this visit. There were some FTFs.

I also shot some of the Federal LE 185-gr JHP…there were two FTFs with that.

The rest of the listed ammo shot without issue. I’m at 520 rounds shot through this 1911, so it may be close to being broken in, which is why there’s less issues with JHP with this gun.

I also shot my RIA Rock Ultra 9mm MS 1911. I also have a RIA Tac Ultra MS 1911 which has a 22TCM barrel and spring, as well as a 9mm barrel and spring. I installed the 9mm barrel and spring for this range visit.

Both 9mm MS 1911s ran without no feed issues whatsoever. I shot several types of SD ammo, some of it JHP and some of it frangible ammo. I did have one failure to extract (FTE) with the frangible ammo when shooting the Tac Ultra, but that’s to be expected with 100-gr ammo (this ammo make was Hevi-Shot).

I was extremely impressed with the 9mm MS 1911s. I’m thinking of just carrying the 9mms instead of the 45ACP 1911s.

I’ll continue to document the testing of shooting the defense ammo.

Categories
45ACP American Classic B45R Commander Metro Arms SDS Imports

45ACP Self Defense Ammo On The Way!

I plan on carrying one of my 45ACP 1911s, although I haven’t decided which to carry yet.

I bought another Alien Gear holster and it arrived last week. This holster fits the new 5″ 1911 that I bought, the SDS 1911 Duty. I’ve never tried to carry (inside the waistband) a full-sized 1911. I tried carrying the 1911 Duty two days last week. While it is thinner than my Canik TP9 Elite SC, and carries better, but it is LONG! It is long to the point that I can’t store anything in my left right-hand rear pocket.

The Alien Gear holster is very nice and isn’t the issue. It’s just that the 5″ 1911 is longer than that I’m used to and I don’t think I’m going to be able to get used to it’s length. I’ll keep the holster anyways, just in case I decide I ever need to carry the 5″ 1911.

I’m 90% sure I think I’m going to attempt to carry my Metro Arms 1911 Commander instead. I’ve a holster shell that will fit unrailed 1911 Commanders. It is currently mounted to another Alien Gear backer and will fit the gun, but the backer is meant for smaller handguns. I’ll use it for the Commander regardless.

Before carrying either gun, I need to test SD ammo from both 1911s.

I ordered the following ammo:

  • 3 x 50-round PMC 45B Bronze 45 ACP 185 gr JHP from White Birch Armory (the same place I bought the SDS 1911)
  • 3 x 20-round boxes of Underwood 45 ACP +P 185 Grain JHP from MidwayUSA
  • 3 x 20-round boxes of Underwood 45 ACP +P 230 Grain JHP from MidwayUSA

I should be able to find acceptable ammo from the above batch, and after testing, I’ll order more for carry purposes.

I’ll keep you all updated on if there are issues with using the JHP with either 1911.

Categories
.45 ACP 1911 B45R magazine SDS Imports Wilson Combat

I Upgraded To A Wilson Combat Magazine Release On My Tisas Duty B45R 1911!

Regarding the SDS Imports 1911D B45R I recently purchased, I mentioned here that it had problems with some non-OEM mags. Specifically, Wilson Combat mags were hanging upon insertion attempts. The Metalform GI mags were exhibiting the same symptoms, too.

I stated that I’d ordered a Wilson Combat magazine release. Well, it arrived Friday. I’d never removed and installed one, so that was something new to me, and it took awhile to understand how I needed to remove it, as well as how I needed to install the new one. It was simple, once I understood what I needed to do.

Once it was installed, I checked to see if the mags would snag/hang on the mag release catch. For the WC mags, they don’t. The GIs are weird, as they begin to stag and end up not snagging – there’s some slight resistance. The feed lips on the GI mags are not rounded, so I believe they’re more susceptible to resistance. I think they’ll wear-in over time, though.

So, I recommend the WC magazine release button, spring, and screw (they’re not a set…you’ve to buy each). As of now, the cost for the three parts is approx. $25.

Categories
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).

Categories
.45 .45 ACP 1911 45ACP B45R Cool Hand Gear Metalform SDS Imports

The SDS Imports 1911B45R Has Shipped!

I thought that White Birch Armory was asleep.

I’d been wondering why the order was sitting. My first thought was that they didn’t have the gun in stock. I’ve seen gun stores sit on orders, awaiting for a new shipment of guns. I was going to give them another day before contacting them to cancel the order. I also did research and other folks that bought firearms from them stated they were very prompt with processing orders.

I waited maybe 24 hours to see if the order would progress, because I needed to contact my FFL to inform them of the shipment. Well, I checked today at noon and the order was fully processed and had shipped! It caught me off-guard and I had to complete a web form notifying my FFL that a gun was inbound to them for me.

As well, they no longer have them in stock. I must’ve got the last available B45R.

The gun arrives at my FFL on 2/14 (it is currently 2/11). So, they use quick shipping too, which is unusual during Covid times, as most gun stores are using the cheapest shipping possible and it’s usually USPS, which is slow 90% of the time.

Even when the gun arrives on Monday, I still have to await the FFL to contact me so that I can make an appointment for pickup. When I pick it up, I will try to shoot it before I leave (my FFL is a range/store).

I also bought some things for it, but those will probably arrive later in the week.

I bought 3 sets of full-size 1911 grips (I couldn’t decide on one type and I’ve other 1911s that I can install those grips on). One is a set of dark red wood grips with gold screws that may look nice on the black 1911 – they might be slick, though, so I bought an extra set that I can use for range duty. The site I bought from was Cool Hand Gear.

I also bought a 3-pack of full-sized 45ACP Metalform mags with flat base plates. They are GI mags. I need more mags anyways and I think flat base plated 1911 mags look good in certain guns. I bought these from eBay.

I also thought to buy a new recoil spring, just in case I need it, but I think that can wait a bit.

I’m also thinking I will eventually want a silver barrel bushing (the one on the gun is black)…the silver will match the silver of the trigger blade.

Categories
.45 ACP 1911 45ACP

My Annual Purchase For 2022

I usually try to buy a gun a year, specifically around this time. Last year, I bought a RIA 10mm 5″ double-stacked 1911 and Canik TP9 Elite SC. The year before that, I bought nothing. The year prior to that, which was the year I started making this an annual experience, I bought the PSA AK-V and AK-P.

I’d planned on getting another AK and had my eye on a 5.56/.223 variant but had a number of problems committing to another AK.

For one, higher end AKs are difficult to find in stock and when they are in stock, they quickly become out-of-stock.

Secondly, I’ve one pistol caliber AK pistol, as well as an AK pistol chambered in 7.62×39. I also have two AK rifles (both in 7.62×39). I’d wanted a 5.56 AK but couldn’t decide on if I wanted yet another long gun or pistol chambered in that caliber – I have both types already. I wouldn’t have cared but when I asked on the AK subreddit, the absolutely stupid replies back soured me to any AK, so I ended up not no longer wanting an AK.

I then decided to focus on a higher end 1911, either a mid-grade Sig or Springfield Armory. In fact, I wasn’t really caring on a particular 1911 maker. I just wanted the product to have a forged frame, slide, and barrel that was 5″ max with a traditional barrel (ie, no bull barrel). Price was $1000 max with a focus on lower price. I couldn’t find much that was in stock. I saw a LOT of Springfield Armory Garrisons but I wasn’t liking the sights on those (I wanted fully adjustable front and rear sights).

I’d been looking for weeks and couldn’t find much. I even looked outside of 1911s (looked at Sig’s P320 AXG Classic and Equinox – they were all expensive as hell). I’d also looked for the Springfield Armory SA-35 but they’re definitely out of stock everywhere.

I then decided to look at any 1911 that had forged slides and frames. I became focused on the IWI Desert Eagle 1911s until I saw that their frames are cast (precision cast but still cast).

Then I remembered that some of the Turkish 1911s had forged frames and slides. I focused on SDS and Tisas (SDS imports Tisas, I believe).

I found one that was discounted to $439 and tried to buy it but changed my mind right before I committed to the purchase because the website seemed fishy (it was http://www.2agunshow.com). The website seemed “sketchAF” and the price was super cheap, undercutting the next lowest 1911 of the same make/model by close to $40. Also when I tried to select an FFL at my location 5-10 miles round me, none of the usual FFLs showed in the results…it was very odd (maybe affiliated with dealers if it wasn’t actually sketch).

This gun was also listed at $432 here but went out of stock maybe 10 min after I saw it..

I ended up going to that next lowest priced gun of the same type and paying a bit extra for it (after researching the website/store first to ensure it was a legit site for regular buyers). I bought it.

What did I buy?

I bought the SDS Imports 1911DB45R – Duty w/ Rail 45ACP 5″ Black Cerakote. It’s a nice gun. I saw a better looking version but opted out of it because it was 4.25″ – I wanted a 5″ 45ACP 1911. The gun was $470.

A question that someone is going to ask, either at my Youtube channel or here, or even in the back of his mind when reading this: How in the hell did you go from Springfield Armory to a cheap Turkish gun?

That’s an easy question to answer. A true gun enthusiast will be acutely aware of Turkey’s history of gun-making and this particular brand, which is Tisas. Most uneducated folks think “cheaply made with non-quality materials and bad fitment/finish” when anyone mentions guns made outside of the US and 1st World countries in the EU. It’s a generally ignorant mentality. I’m not even sure Turkey can be considered a 3rd Word country. It’s like folks are thinking Afghanistan when thinking of Turkey! Folks familiar with Tisas-made 1911s know that they are quality. There are many models of US-made 1911s that are still using cast frames and many $1000+ 1911s are still using MIM parts. This particular 1911 has a forged slide, barrel (which even extremely cheap and shoddily built 1911s will have), and a forged frame. I don’t think ANY 1911s currently under production and under $500 have all three of those forged parts, with the exception of Tisas 1911s. Not only that, the fitment and finish of this gun equates more to $900-1000 1911s. If someone handled and even fired this firearm (but was withheld the make and country of origin), I bet they’d heap praises on it. And if they were made aware of the material makeup of the firearm, they’d further pile on the praises. When people know it’s from Turkey, they are immediately blinded and will actively refuse to further consider the gun. When I see this, I immediately have a general idea of their thought processes. “Buy only American products.” “Why would you buy something cheaply made when, for a few dollars more, you can have a Springfield or Sig?” And, it sometimes gets uglier: “Why would you support terrorism by buying a Turkish gun?”

Turkey is a NATO partner and the company named Tisas isn’t operated by the Turkish government. Yeah, no one likes Ergodan, but that doesn’t mean all companies in Turkey have Ergodan’s mentality.

While the price of the gun may be budget-minded, the makeup of the gun itself is pretty nice. I’m getting forged parts and the gun has little MIM parts (while all Springfield Armory 1911s are full of MIM). The Tisas 1911 was the better gun.

Also, going cheaper leaves me with some money for more ammo and options to upgrade the sights (I’m pretty sure the gun will come with contrast non-adjustable sights).

I will also probably buy another gun too, since I originally wanted to spend up to $1K. It will more than likely be an AR pistol chambered in 9mm – that’s something I don’t have. I will almost certainly buy a blemished one from PSA. I’ll post more about that later.

UPDATE (12/13/2023): The only MIM part in all Tisas 1911s currently produced is the recoil spring plug, and that can easily be replaced with a non-MIM part, without the need for fitting that part. They started doing that late 2022, I believe. Pricing has crept up, but Tisas are still the only guns under $1000 that have no MIM.