I wanted a place to discuss my handguns and firearms in general. Everyone seemingly has lots to say about guns, so I promise you this won't be a rant blog.
As of 12/20/2024, I’ve shot over 2000 rounds through the Bul Armory SAS II Ultralight!
There were no malfunctions this past range trip, but there’s not been a failure in a long while. The last I remember a malfunction occurring was October 25 of 2023. It was a few days after the pistol course I took. It was a failure to feed. That day, the round tally was 986 rounds through the gun. The total failures up to that point was 8 rounds. The failure rate was 0.81% (8 is 0.81% of 986).
As of now, the total round count through the gun is 2028. There’s been no failures since 10/25/2023, so the total failures is still 8 rounds. 8 is 0.394477% of 2028 – the current failure rate is 0.39%.
The gun has been having an issue with retaining the optic. The optic screws keep loosening and I don’t know why. I removed the screws a few weeks ago and cleaned them of old thread locker. I’ve been using blue. What I couldn’t do was clean the female threads, as I’ve no way to clean them. I think I might remove the optic again to clean the screw threads (I may also try to order more screws) – I’ll use the screws from the iron sights to attempt to push out any gunk that are on the threads of the screw holes on the slide.
It’s disappointing to see that my optic is moving when I’m trying to train. The optic isn’t loose to the point that I can feel it moving if I wiggle it with my fingers, but when I use a torx bit to test tightness, I can immediately tell that a screw (one screw specifically) is loose, as the screw isn’t snug when I check.
I’m still planning to buy another grip module for this gun – Bul Armory has them on their site for $149 and it has better texture. I’ll order that within the next month or two.
My journey with this gun will continue – I’ll have owned it 2 years in March. It’s been a good gun, thus far. Here’s to another upcoming good year with it!
I recently started using a weapon-mounted light (WML), carrying it on my Bul Armory SAS II Ultralight. I lost it when I took the gun to the range for practice – it fell off while I was shooting. I did not become aware that the light was missing until almost 2 weeks later!
There are some things to remember and prepare for when usually WMLs.
WMLs usually require a holster that keys off the light. If you lose the light, you’ll be unable to properly carry the gun if you only have a holster that requires a WML. I didn’t notice that the light was gone – it still fit into the holster but the fit wasn’t proper. I’ve no idea why I didn’t notice it intially. The only reason I noticed that the light was gone was because I removed the gun from the holster to check the light and it wasn’t on the gun.
If you lose a light, you should be prepared by either having a backup light or a holster that will allow you use without a WML. In my case, I just pivoted back to using the Tenicor Certum 3, but I was irritated that I’d lost a $100 light and irritated that I had to go back to the Certum, as I’d just started using the QVO Tactical holster.
Also, a good thing to do would be to check your lane/booth before leaving, to ensure that you’re not leaving equipment. I always check and I did check that night but didn’t see the light in the booth (it fell forward of the firing line and was lying on the ground), so a good check would be to ensure that your light is still mounted to your gun before you leave the range.
I contacted my range and shared with them that I’d lost the light at the range and provided them the lane I was using, the make and model of the light, and the date/time I was at the range. I also posted about losing the light on Reddit. Someone replied to the Reddit post stating that they saw the light immediately after I’d left the range (it fell forward of the firing line and was lying on the ground). He said he reported it to the range officer and asked the range officer to retrieve it. He told me to contact the range and ask for Andy.
I contacted the range via their web page and they looked at the camera footage and stated that they couldn’t see the light on my gun and didn’t even know if they were looking at the correct lane. I told them what I was wearing and what I was shooting and told them that the light may’ve come off the gun very soon after shooting it and to not rely on the footage. I told them that I’d checked the lane before leaving and that the light almost certainly fell past the firing line. I also told him that another person on Reddit said that he’d seen the light and had reported it to the RSO and that he’d watched the RSO retrieve it. It was actually a bit surprising that I had to tell them that to get them to become more engaged – it was almost as if they weren’t convinced I’d lost the light at their facility.
The next day, I got a call (I was away from the phone, so a voicemail was left). A supervisor said they’ve my light but that the RSO (Andy) had forgotten it in his range pouch and taken it home. Andy is a college student and was working minimal hours, so he wouldn’t be available to work until 3 days later. He told me to come on on Friday after 3 PM and the light would be available for me to pick up.
I went and picked it up yesterday. They said they’d a few lights (this most be a common issue) and asked for the make/model. They gave me what looked like my light but they must’ve had several TLR-7X lights and I think I received the wrong one. Why do I think that? Because, when I got home and was trying to install the light and it wouldn’t fit. With mine, I didn’t have to change the key – the light fit on the gun with the key that was already on the light. When I got this particular light home, it would not fit on the gun at all. The key was the same (the Universal 1 key) but I think the TLR-7s are packaged with different keys and are built for particular gun types/models. Since I had other keys, I tried those and was able to use a 1913 key that fit the gun (I forgot which one I used).
How do you keep your Streamlight TLR-7 from coming off the gun? They come with e-clips. After selecting a key and installing it, you install the e-clip to the retention screw, which keeps the screw from loosening. I’ve heard many guys on Reddit stating that they don’t use the e-clip. That’s a bad decision, as you’re only supposed to hand-tighten the retention screw. The light comes with two e-clips and you’ve to install it once you’ve chosen the correct key to use. I didn’t install the e-clip because I was unaware that it was 100% necessary. The e-clip is on now, though.
I’m not sure if I should’ve just went back to the range and told them that even though they gave me a TLR-7X, they gave me someone else’s. It may’ve taken weeks and I may not have ever gotten the correct light, so I settled for this.
UPDATE:
I’ve pieced together what happened with my light.
When it was returned to me, it wouldn’t fit on my gun. It fit on my gun before I lost it. I had to change out the key before the light would fit on my gun again. This means someone changed it.
As well, I’d never enabled strobing on the light – this is something that you can’t do by accident, as it requires pressing the “on” button consecutively, ten times…that enables strobing. Someone else had to have done that.
Initially, I’d thought that I had the wrong light, which accounted for while the light wouldn’t fit my gun and why strobing was enabled. I found a picture that had captured the light’s serial number. I compared that with the serial number on the light after it was returned to me. The serial numbers match, meaning the light is the one I had before I lost it. This means that whoever had my light while it was lost was actively using it (ie, it didn’t stay lost, but was taken/used after it was found by someone else).
The RSO that retrieved the light may’ve been using it, and that is sad.
By nature, I always am overly trusting. I mean, I learned it this time, and didn’t do anything wrong and didn’t do anything that suggested I was naive. I still feel wronged, though. I grew up less-than-rich, meaning, while I wasn’t poor, I wasn’t far from it. I know the value of money. I make great money now but no matter how much I make, it’s hard-earned. Gun lights aren’t exactly cheap – mine wasn’t top-of-the-line, but it wasn’t cheap either. I’m not a person to just blow off losing a $100 bill and that light was more than $100. I got it back, yes, but not before someone attempted to use and alter it. That’s fucking sad.
I had the choice to continue to carry my Alpha Foxtrot S15 after my SAS II Ultralight was returned to me from Bul Armory after they repaired it.
Although the S15 is thinner (which helps in concealment), I actually missed carrying my Ultralight, so I decided to switch back to carrying the Ultralight. I just need to take it to the range tomorrow and re-zero the RDS.
There’s something about the Ultralight that keeps attracting me to it. It’s only a few ounces lighter than the S15 but it feels much lighter than it is. Maybe it’s the trigger (it’s GOOD). I love the looks of the gun…the lightening cuts and barrel fluting, as well as the black color with the silver accents.
Right now, the RDS is mounted onto the Ultralight. I mounted the Streamlight (TLR-7 X) to the Ultralight, too. It fits in the QVOT holster without issue. I did have to tighten the holster’s retaining screw quite a bit, as the S15’s rail is wide. I also reinstalled grip tape to the gun.
I’ll look for some SD ammo tomorrow at Cabelas or Trojan Tactical. I may settle for Federal or Hornady. I need to buy several boxes of the good stuff, shoot one box to test the ammo, and then use the other box for carry.
I saw that Bul Armory is now offering the original grip module for purchase. That module has far better grip texturing. It’s $149 on their website. I may order it, but I may add it to my Christmas list so that my wife or kids can buy it for me – if I opt to add it to my Christmas list, I’ll have to wait until after Christmas before I can install it.
I need range ammo as well…I’m almost out and I’ve been buying 500 round blocks of Winchester White Box from Cabelas. When shipping is factored into online prices, the prices are roughly equivalent to what I can buy locally from Cabelas (and I don’t do reman ammo). There are no local LGSs that sell bulk 9mm, so it’s either Cabelas or buying online. I can’t stand the $20-30 shipping of ammo, though. I know ammo is heavy, but damn…
I’m late in reporting but my SAS II Ultralight is back from Bul Armory.
It was delivered yesterday, on a Sunday – was unexpected, as the shipping info stated it would be delivered on Monday, 9/30.
I tested the gun. It is no longer dropping the hammer without actuating the grip safety.
I’m not sure if I’m going to carry it again or wait, but I did check to see how well the gun fits the Streamlight TLR-7 X – it fits extremely well, without having to change keys (it’s still using the same key it came with out of the box).
I tried fitting the TLR-7 X on my AF1911-S15 – it fits but not fully back to the trigger guard. I’d probably need to change the key to get it further back and I’m not sure if that will adversely change the fitment with the Ultralight, so I’m going to leave the light alone and not change the key.
As well, the new holster was delivered today. As I reported earlier, I bought a 2011 holster from QVO Tactical. I tested fitment today. With the Ultralight and TLR-7 X, it fits perfectly. I did drop the holster down to it’s lowest hole settings (it’s using Double Tacware 5-hole clips) so that it sits low in my waistband.
I also test fitted the S15 to the QVO Tactical holster and TLR-7 X. The S15 is a bit taller at the muzzle than the Ultralight, so there is a bit of rubbing inside the holster. I’m able to account for most of it by loosening the retention (I’ve to do this with all the holsters I use with the S15 – it’s rail is extra beefy).
I also attached velcro to the holster so that I could use my pre-cut foam wedge from Mastermind Tactics. With the wedge, the holster being Commander-sized, and the fact that he has an aggressive wing, the S15 is very concealable. This is why I’m probably going to keep carrying the S15 for a while. No, it is not RDS capable (yet) but I shoot the gun just as well as a gun with an RDS.
Oh, and yeah, the empty space around the trigger guard is not an issue – ALL holsters that accommodate WML (weapon-mounted lights) have extra space around the trigger. That’s unavoidable.
I think I should’ve looked at custom holsters a long time ago. Tenicor is great, but being able to tune a holster to your specific needs is a powerful thing.
I posted here that the Ultralight had to be sent back to Bul Armory for repair (again).
It is September 27th and I just got an email that the UL is on it’s way back to me. They received it September 11th.
The notes they provided:
The pistol underwent a full inspection where we made sure all the different components are within spec.
We then adjusted the main spring and test fired the pistol and the pistol works well as it should.
I’m kinda wary, as the pistol itself was working well when I sent it to them…the issue was that the grip safety wasn’t working properly.
It should be back to me on October 1st.
If it’s not fixed (as I suspect), I’ll stop carrying it. I may sell it to finance a different 2011. I may research to see if I can fix it on my own. Or, I may find a gunsmith that can fix it.
I may be overly worried about this, but I don’t think that the issue was a mainspring adjustment issue, especially since since Bul Armory has had the chance to fix this (twice now). I do not have any other 1911 or 2011 that has ever had this issue and I don’t believe mainsprings just loose adjustability out of the blue to the point that the grip safety stops working.
The grip safety was not stopping the hammer from falling.
This occurred back in January 2024 and I sent it back to Bul Armory then.
When I received it back, I tested it and the grip safety was functional.
Eight months later, I checked again, and the hammer is dropping again, although I’ve to hulk up on the trigger to get it to drop.
I went to Reddit and asked why this would be occurring and I got several answers. The first two were basically the same answer – that whoever built the gun removed too much material on the grip safety when fitting the part.
The last answer wasn’t really an answer…it was more of an accusation that I wasn’t engaging the grip safety fully, which excessively wore the part over time. I told the guy that that wasn’t the issue, and thanked him for his time. I highly doubt that was the issue, as I’ve to tightly grip the gun to control it and when I grip, the grip safety is disengaged.
Another guy chimed in stating that he’d had the exact same issue. He said he’d bought his gun from GP Arms, who was a Bul Armory importer up until a month or so before I bought my Ultralight. Gabe said that he’d seen the issue before with BA guns, and he fixed it. The guy said the issue never recurred.
So, this leads me to believe that this is indeed a manufacturing issue.
Keep in mind that the one-year warranty expired back in March 2024.
My options were to:
Get the safety pinned – not an option on a $1500 gun.
Find a gunsmith that could fix the safety – not an option on a $1500 gun.
Reach out to Bul Armory and explain to them that they “fixed” this back in January, only for the issue to recur eight months later. Ask them to fix it under warranty and if they won’t, ask them to diagnose the issue and if the cost was reasonable, I’d pay to have it fixed.
Fix it on my own – last resort option (would find a gunsmith before I did this).
I ended up reaching out to Bul Armory and explaining that whatever fix they applied did not work, that the gun was out of warranty but wasn’t when the “fix” was applied. I asked them to fix it under warranty since their fix didn’t remedy the issue. I explained to them that reliability was important to me, as the gun was a carry gun. I also asked that they ensure the gun stayed fixed this go-around and asked them if they needed to replace parts, to please do so.
Bul Armory honored my request. I sent the gun to them last week – they’ve had it a week, so far.
I’m carrying the Alpha Foxtrot while the SAS II UL is being repaired.
I will post an update once the gun has been returned to me.
Today, I was looking at a holster that I bought that does not carry well. The specific holster is the Priority 1 PCHS for the Bul Armory SAS II UL. The PCHS holster is designed for a short-barrelled handgun for appendix carry (inside the waistband) and has a habit of pushing out the gun’s grip. I want the grip to be tucked in.
Now, this issue is lessened if you buy a holster that is longer than the gun. For example, I bought the Tenicor Certum for 4.25″ 1911s and I use it with my short-barrelled 1911s. Since the holster is longer, it helps to stabilize and better position the holster – it pertains to the keel method and also applies to wedges and other contraptions that help with positioning the holster and gun.
With the Certum holster, I use a custom wedge that I made from a yoga bar and velcro’d the wedge to the holster. The wedge gives me some extra positioning and pushes the gun’s grip into my body. It’s not perfect but works well enough.
With the PCHS holster, I didn’t use a custom wedge, but received a PHLster holster wedge kit for Christmas present from my sister. I’ve been trying to use those wedges with the PCHS holster but it’s not working well.
Since I’ve been having issues with wedges, I decided to just buy several wedges from Mastermind Tactics.
I ordered the packs because I’ve several holsters and I can benefit from having several types of wedges and pillows to customize the fit/ride of my holsters. Plus, I can get rid of the custom wedge if I find that one of the above solutions works.
I’ll post updates once I’ve begun to experiment with the delivered products.
I’ve been thinking on what my next handgun should be.
A listing:
Dan Wesson (CZ) DWX (full sized)
Cosaint COS21
Bul Armory Tac 5″ or Tac Pro 5″
Alpha Foxtrot Romulus 5″ or Spatha 5″
Stealth Arms Platypus
Springfield Armory 1911 DS (Prodigy) 5″
GP Arms Patriot 4.8″ or Forza 3.10″
My budget is between $1000 and $2000.
What I really want is something I don’t already have, configuration-wise. I do not have a 5″ 1911 that is chambered in 9mm. I’d prefer it to be double-stacked. I’d prefer it to not be over $2000. I do not want another cheap 2011, either – that includes any Tisas, MAC, LFA, or Witness…basically, nothing under $1000.
The Dan Wesson DWX is something that I’m curious about Dan Wesson makes great 1911s and this is apparently a blend of CZ and 1911. They’ve an MSRP of $1999 and can be found as low as $1700, so they’re within the budget. DWXs are a bit different and I love the unique guns. The con of this gun is that they are not optics-ready, which is a bit crazy considering that it costs that much and modern guns are usually cut for an optic.
I was thinking Cosaint COS21 (it’s their 5″ duty gun) but that’s rather expensive, starting at $2600! The smaller variants are $100 and $200 less (starting at $2500 for the Commander and $2400 for the Officer variants). If I’m going to spend that much money, it’ll be on a Stacatto, so scratch Cosaint off the list, simply because they assault my sensibilities. They’re probably great guns but I’ve a budget to consider.
I was also considering the new 5″ Bul Armory TAC or Tac Pro, in 5″ length. The Tac Pro is only a bit lessexpensive than the the Cosaint COS21. The Tac is $2250. Both are out of budget, sadly. As well, Bul Armory only have 1-year limited warranties on their guns, so no more Bul Armory guns for me.
I may do another Alpha Foxtrot – they’ve two new double-stacked 1911s that are in the pipeline: the Spatha and the Romulus. The Spatha appears to be a double-stacked 1911 that is solid-framed, and the Romulus appears to be a legit 2011. The con for Alpha Foxtrot is that, like Bul Armory, they only have limited 1-year warranties, but I love their guns, so I may be willing to overlook the warranty. Of the two (pictured below), the Romulus has more of my interest. Prices aren’t listed yet but I’m thinking they’ll be in the mid $1000s.
There’s the Stealth Arms Platypus. The Platypus’ pro is that it’s highly configurable. It’s cons are that it’s not really a 2011 and that most folks have them.
The Springfield Armory Prodigy is something I’ve always desired, and it has a full warranty, will take standard 2011 mags, has a very robust optics mounting system, has a great grip module, and is very flat-shooting. Yes, they initially had problems. I haven’t heard of any recent complaints, though.
The GP Arms Patriot is not new (they also have the 3.1″ Forza, which is very like the Bul Armory SAS II UL and is priced at $1590) but is very configurable. They are a tad bit pricey, though…they start at $1950.
Outside of 1911s/2011s, I’ve been curious about the Glock 43X and Glock 48. Hell, I can get both of them, in MOS configuration.
Of them all, the 5″ Prodigy is the stand-out option. I can even get the variant that has 3 mags and the HEX optic,which will certainly already have the optic mounting plate, and it will still be reasonably priced (at around $1400). Plus, I already have two Checkmate mags and a 17 round Duramag.
I’ll also keep watch on what else is released this year, as I’ve until next spring to decide.
I received an email from Bul Armory yesterday evening. They stated that the gun has been repaired!
While it was there, they also did a performance tune-up of the gun.
An explanation of the cause of the issue was not provided, but they did give me a listing of the things they did.
The pistol underwent a full inspection where we made sure all the different components are within spec.
has been polished chamber also the ramp was moved forward and polished as a extra adjusted mags specs checked extractor tension fitting slide/barrel/ejector grip has been adjusted/thumb safety
All the safety components work properly and the pistol was then test fired and works well as it should.
I’m happy the grip safety issue was fixed, but I didn’t want anything other than that to be fixed. With their tinkering, they may have introduced faults with the gun.
We’ll see how it is when it’s returned. I will have to take it to be shot Monday or Tuesday evening.
I sent it to them on 12/22. I planned to give them approximately 30 days to fix the issue before contacting them. They finished it a few days before I would’ve called them. That worked out better than I’d planned.
They also stated that they’d “adjusted mag specs”. I sent them one mag (of the four that I had) because I didn’t want to send them all and not get them all back.
I’ll probably also record a 10 min video on Monday, as well.
