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1911 2011 9mm AF1911-S15 Alpha Foxtrot Bul Armory double-stack double-stacked safety

SAS II Was Returned To Bul Armory

I’ve started my Christmas 2023 vacation this week. Several things are on my agenda as far as firearms are concerned.

  1. I’ve to send my SAS II UL back to Bul Armory for them to fix an issue that I couldn’t resolve. The problem is that I can fire the gun without disengaging the grip safety. I did replace the trigger shoe with a flat shoe. That replacement required me to remove the over-travel screw, but I adjusted it properly. At least, I think I did. I’ve done the same to my other 1911s and none of the other guns are experiencing the issue. I don’t typically test to see if my 1911s will fire with the grip safety disengaged, so I don’t know why I tried it this time. BA sent me a shipping label so that I can send it back to them. I’ve boxed up the gun and will ship it out tomorrow. I’ve removed the optic and reinstalled the rear irons. I also included an empty mag (they asked for it to be sent with the gun). I’ve no idea how long they’ll have the gun and customer support is hit/miss as far as being good is concerned.
  2. I haven’t shot my Tisas Duty in a while. Someone asked in r/1911 about extended reviews of the gun. I stated that no one has been posting about the gun, other than after one range visit of shooting. So, tomorrow, I plan to visit the range with the Tisas. I went to Cabelas and found some somewhat cheap ammo. I bought three boxes of 50 rounds each. The whole reason I stopped shooting it was because 45ACP was expensive at the time. I’ll bring an extra box from home (I’ve a box of Herters JHP too). I’ve some Underwood +P too, but that’s expensive, and after a while, it actually hurts to shoot it. The jarring is pretty ruthless, at 1200 FPS. The plan is to try to shoot all 200 rounds. I’ve to remember to bring all the different mags I have.

While the SAS II UL is out for repair, I’m carrying the Alpha Foxtrot S15. I’d checked to see if the S15 would fit in my Tenicor holster (when I’d first bough the gun), but I’d never actually worn the holster with that gun. It EASILY carries. While I knew the grip was thin, it’s easy to hide – much easier than the SAS II UL’s grip. What I’m not used to is it’s heft. It’s heavier – not by a lot, but it’s noticeable.

As soon as the SAS II UL gets returned to me, I probably should ask Alpha Foxtrot to look at that gun, as the ramp frame insert sometimes moves. Once that has been fixed, I’m probably going to find a reputable place that’ll make the gun optics-ready.

I’ll update you all on the status of the Bul Armory once it is returned to me.

Categories
1911 2011 Bul Armory feed issues limp-wrist SAS II Ultralight youtube

My Last YouTube Video…

…hit a nerve with at least one guy.

He tells me, “don’t tell me it’s not the gun,” and to “stop that nonsense,” whatever that means.

I’d basically said that most folks having feed issues with the gun haven’t checked (nor care to check) to see if it’s them (the shooter) and not the gun itself. The very first thing folks should always do is to ensure that they’re not causing the issues that their guns are exhibiting.

Suggesting that folks may be limp-wristing their guns almost always offends them, which is kinda wild. Folks act as if they are infallible? Why? The typical reasons folks get offended is because they think that they’re masters of shooting after shooting X amount of years.

This particular commenter said that he doesn’t have issues shooting his micro-compacts. He mentioned that he has a P365 Macro, Hellcat and Shield Plus and none of them have feed issues. I told him that you can shoot one gun (or even several small guns) well and still have an issue with recoil management with another small gun, because they all have different grip textures and grip lengths, and each person’s hands on this Earth are going to differ. It’s not a problem with the gun – it’s a problem with the person wielding the gun. I also said that some guns are more sensitive to limp-wristing than others, too. Some guns will flat-out not tolerate limp-wristing.

This guy also didn’t say how many rounds he’d shot through his SAS II UL, nor how many mags he had. He didn’t say what ammo he was shooting through it, either. There are MANY variables that can contribute to feeding issues, but limp-wristing is the big one.

Factoring out limp-wristing, the next thing to troubleshoot would be the magazines. I’ve four magazines. I’ve NO feed issues whatsoever. I’ve shot a shitload of different types of ammo through the gun, but I’ve not had any misfeed trends.

The commenter could actually be experiencing an issue with both mags (I’m assuming he has two since he stated he’d just bought the gun two weeks prior), but, as I already stated, he didn’t supply any other data – he mostly gave me salt. I also asked him to supply a video so that everyone could see it. That was ignored. He also left a second separate comment saying that Bul Armory is paying me to say what I did, which is stupid. I used straight-up logic to explain it all (and I explained the logic below)…it’s not something that Bul Armory needs to tell anyone. He sent the gun to Bul Armory and they sent him a video showing that they shot a mag of ammo from the gun without misfeeds. If someone shoots the gun that you’re complaining won’t feed properly and they can’t generate those same misfeeds, logic dictates that you may be the issue.

There have been numerous Reddit posts showing videos of Bul Armory gunsmiths shooting guns that were returned to them and the guns not having issues. I’ve seen some videos where guns go through a full magazine without feed issues. I’ve seen videos where guns go through two mags without feed issues. The gunsmiths use the customer’s mags when shooting, as well. The gunsmiths send the guns back to the owners and the owners shoot the guns, generating feed issues. In all cases, the gunsmiths send the ammo they were using back to the customer, so when the customer tests, they’re using the same ammo as the gunsmiths were. This tells me that there could be an issue with limp-wristing, especially if the gunsmith can’t replicate the misfeeds.

The gun is small – it is closer to 3″ than 3.25″. It is light. It’s a known fact that Officer-sized 1911s tend to have more issues than larger-sized 1911s. The gun could be faulty, yes, BUT I believe shooters should always try to ensure that they are not generating the issues.

I explained in my video that I’d run into a similar problem with a particular 1911 and was about to sell the gun. I kept thinking that the issue could be me – there was like a very small percentage of doubt that I was causing the issue, so I started forcing myself to troubleshoot both the gun and myself. I shot a lot of ammo through the gun, even when it was failing to feed. The gun didn’t have a ton of ammo shot through it, so I didn’t think it needed another recoil spring, but I ordered a new one anyways. I bought new grip panels, too. The misfeeds lessened but didn’t stop. I then decided to wear a helmet camera and record one hour of range shooting. When I got home and checked the footage, I was shocked and humbled. I was very loosely controlling the gun and it was plainly viewable. The next time I visited, I focused on my grip discipline and I didn’t have a single misfeed.

In my opinion, if you’re not checking yourself, you’re setting yourself up for problems. I don’t have an issue letting folks know that when they have feeding issues, the shooter could be the issue.

The video is here:

Categories
concealed concealed carry license

Don’t Forget To Renew Your CHP!

No, I haven’t forgotten to renew my concealed handgun permit. I see folks all the time on Reddit saying they’ve inadvertently let their permit lapse.

Here’s what I do to ensure I don’t forget:

I ensure that I’ve my cards in hand, and I then use Google, searching for “90 days before (put expiration date here)”.

I’ve created a calender reminder on my phone for the date that Google generated. I was granted two licenses. I’ve two calender reminders that will remind me 90 days before the licenses expire.

This works for me. I renewed both license during the Covid pandemic, and both were submitted using online forms.

I’d rather do this than be carrying concealed with an expired permit.

Categories
Bul Armory fail to feed FMJ FTF range report SAS II Ultralight

SAS II UL Range and Progress Report for 10/2023

I’m currently very near to crossing over the 1,000 round threshold with the Bul Armory SAS II Ultralight.

I visited the range a few days ago, bringing 200 rounds of ammo. I ran out of range time before I was able to shoot it all. I visited after work since I’ve to be at work every Wednesday now. I may make this my range day every Wednesday since my work isn’t far from XCal.

While I was waiting in line for a lane assignment, I happened to see some of the range’s rental selection. They’ve Staccatos, as well as several really nice 1911s. What I really want is to try the G43X and G48 (I may be purchasing one of those next year). I didn’t see those guns in their rental section but their rental section is very large and I’m sure they’ve a good selection of Glock rentals. I’ll check next time I go. I also wanted to try their P365, since I’ve seen more than one person asking, “Why buy a SAS II UL when a P365 is better?” In my opinion, that’s a rather lame comment since most folks aren’t cross-shopping those two guns (due to price as well as platform — both of those being quite different frome one another). Yeah, a P365 will conceal better, but P365s are also more difficult to shoot quickly and accurately. The SAS II UL has a bigger grip than the P365, but that doesn’t mean that an owner will have issues concealing a UL. The UL will almost certainly be less snappy and quicker to shoot. It’ll probably outshoot the G43X, too.

I shot 187 rounds of the 200 that I broght with me. Most of it was Fiocchi 115-gr FMJ, although some of it was Blazer 124-gr FMJ and Remington 124-gr FMJ. That puts me at 986 rounds through the SAS II UL, thus far.

I had 6 fails to feed (FTF) prior to the pistol course I attended a few weeks ago. I had one FTF during that class and one at the range visit this week. The total FTF count is now 8. 8 of 986 is 0.81 — that is the current failure rate in percentage.

The prior percenage was 0.96, with 6 fails at 623 rounds (back in May 9, 2023). I had several range visits where I didn’t have any failures. This could be due to me learning how to better grip this handgun, as well as me not shooting as much JHP (which tends to be high pressured, which may induce limp-wristing).

Why do I report this as a percentage? So many folks look at failure counts as hard numbers. They want it to be zero. In my opinion, to expect no failures is an impossible ask. Sooner or later, a gun will fail, especially since failures can be induced by the shooter, as well as out-of-spec ammo. Some ammo will be in-spec but will have large hollowpoint projectiles (which do not meet a specification). I don’t think it is logical to expect a handgun to meet every single variation of ammo specification, as well as account for owner-induced failures. So, I post the round count and count of failures and then convert both to a percentage. Percentages have better meaning, IMO. It tells a better story than a raw number of failures.

I still need to purchase the targets that were used in the pistol course I attended (as well as the target stickers).

I’ll post some range footage as soon as I’ve cropped a few sections for viewing. I mainly shot at 7 and 10 yards, some at somewhat fast paces. I also tried to practice accuracy. I shot several times at 15 yards, too. I’m still struggling with grip. I keep readjusting my weak hand after a shot — I need to find a better way to stop doing this. I’m subconsciously doing that.

Categories
BATFE Firearms Advocacy Groups Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) Guns of America (GoA) pistol brace

Fifth Circuit Once Again Rules Against the ATF’s Pistol Brace Ban, As a Final Rule

I just got a Youtube notification from the MrGunsNGear channel regarding the current state of the suit between plaintiffs and the ATF regarding the current pistol brace ban.

I’ll link the Youtube video below.

In the video’s description:

The Fifth Circuit has once again ruled against the ATF’s pistol brace ban / Final Rule for FPC and it’s members but the fight isn’t over.

Mrgunsngear – Guns ‘N Gear Reviews

If you’re a member of the FPC, a family member of the defendents that filed the suit, or a customer of Maxim Defense, you’re covered.

If you’re outside of those groups, then you currently are not covered, but expect those organizations to submit for coverage in the next few days.

Categories
1911 2011 AF1911-S15 Alpha Foxtrot ammo Bul Armory defensive ammo SAS II Ultralight training

Another 1911 Range Visit / Upcoming Training

Once again, I took the Alpha Foxtrot S15 to the range, as it exhibited some failures during my last range visit, which I believe I documented on this blog.

I also forced myself to shoot the SAS II UL this go-around, since I’ve been neglecting the gun (and I’m also carrying it).

I brought some of my open boxed SD ammo to test the S15, as I initially thought it was having issues due to bad ammo. Another culprit could have been the mag (there was one magazine in particular that was having issues). Another culprit could have been me – I’d shot the gun toward the end of the visit and I was probably getting tired (hand/wrist/arm fatigue).

Right off the bat, I got two fails to feed, with the suspect mag (I’ve marked it). I ended up stopping everything, emptying the mag of ammo, and putting the ammo in a different magazine. The failures stopped.

I’m thinking I might ask Shield Arms to replace this mag. The mag is new and should be covered by manufacturer’s warranty. It’s odd that the failures don’t always occur, though. The ammo it was choking on was Sig Sauer V-Crown 147-gr JHP.

It also failed once when shooting Remington Golden Saber 147-gr JHP. It ate 21 other Golden Sabers without issue, though.

Those were the only failures, so it wasn’t really all that bad this time around.

I’m at 623 rounds through the S15 now. The gun is uncannily accurate. It doesn’t seen to be as snappy as the SAS II UL, but it has better grip surfaces (by far). Now that I know that it’ll eat JHP without issue, and now that I’ve tested the mags, I can actually consider carrying this gun now, although I’ll keep testing it (I’m still wanting to carry the SAS II UL, too).

I’m at 661 rounds through the SAS II now. I shot 38 rounds tonight, all Herters Target 115-gr FMJ. There were no hiccups or failures. I shot all the ammo at 10 yards, quickly (since I’ve the optic installed).

I’ll be working on posting range video footage this weekend, of both guns. I have footage from the last visit but the settings were out of whack and the field of view wasn’t the best (the framing was off-center, as well).

Next week, I’ll be attending my first handgun course. The plan is to use my current carry gun (SAS II UL). I’ll be bringing my Glock 19 as a backup gun, in case they state my SAS II is too small and in case the SAS II has a breakage. I’ve other guns I can consider as backup guns but most of my guns are DA/SA and I’m more used to SAO nowadays. I’ve several striker fired duty- and compact-sized guns but I’ve no holsters for them (nor extra mags). At this point in time, the Glock 19 is my best option (I’ve extra mags and several holsters for it).

I plan to shoot Blazer 124-gr FMJ for the course (was told that I’d need 200 rounds, so I’ll buy 4 boxes of 50). Blazer is reliable for me, but so is the Herters Target, so I may buy that brand instead, although the Blazer is just a few dollars more.

I was planning on a rifle course too, but I need the time to purchase mags and magazine pouches that’ll fit my carry belt. I may have to wait until next year for that, although I can also take a rifle course by XCal. We’ll see.

Categories
Alpha Foxtrot ammo defensive ammo SAS II Ultralight

This is how $90 of SD ammo appears…

I went to Cabela’s to get some SD ammo and was actually looking to buy Sig 365 SD ammo to test with my Bul Armory SAS II. They only had the Sig 365 in FMJ, though. I’ll keep looking for it or order it online.

Since I was there, I bought what they had, and focused on types that I haven’t shot before. I bought (from top to bottom, left to right) all 9mm, Sierra Outdoor Master in 124-gr, Hornady Custom 124-gr XTP, Federal Punch 124-gr, and Barnes Vor-TX 115-gr. Those are boxes of 25 rounds each.

I also have an unspent box of Koenig Defense 110-gr JHP (from the last time I visited Cabela’s).

I’ll be shooting these 125 rounds of ammo from the Alpha Foxtrot S15, since I’ve not tried shooting good ammo from that handgun yet. Maybe I can shoot half from the AF-S15 and half from the SAS II, since I’d prefer to be practicing shooting my current carry gun.

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9mm AF1911-S15 Alpha Foxtrot Grand Power limp-wrist P11

Summary of Range Session – 9/8/2023

I went to the range tonight because I wanted to work off some steam (been busy with work and have been stressing).

I’d been thinking about my Grand Power and recently had someone reach out to me on YouTube. She said that she has the P11 and that she’d been having the exact same issue (fails to return to battery, or FRTB), but that her husband didn’t have the issues when shooting it. She hinted that it may’ve been limp wristing that caused it.

I did a bit of research and it seems that limp wristing can cause FRTBs.

I never realized that I could’ve been limp wristing the gun. It is rather slick, with no significant texturing on the grip.

I decided to begin taking it to the range to see if I can shoot it without experiencing the FRTBs. I shot 50 (well, 48) rounds of Koenig 110-gr JHP Match through it tonight and I didn’t have any failures. Note that the gun is configured a bit differently since I last shot it — I’m using a small Hogue rubber grooved slip-on grip, which helped with getting control of the handgun. I was ensuring I had a strong grip on the gun. I’ll continue to bring it to the range, shooting 50-100 rounds from it when I can, and trying to practice good grip technique so that I’m accurate as well as not limp-wristing.

I also shot 155 rounds from the Alpha Foxtrot S15 1911. The ammo of the night for that gun was Herters Target 115-gr FMJ with a splash of Fiocchi 115-gr FMJ. Whereas I didn’t have any issues last range visit, I had 8 FTEs this range visit. I shot the same ammo last visit, as well.

The issues could be (possible solutions are below, in italics):

Bad magazine – I shot with all six mags and only one mag generated failures, so I kept shooting with it to see if I was limp-wristing and causing the failures. I shot many rounds through that mag tonight and there was only one time where I got thorugh a mag without failures. I marked the mag and will put it aside. The plan is to use the other mags next range visit – if the failures stop, then I’ll know that the mag is the problem.

Bad box of ammo – I bought 200 rounds of Herters (2 x 100-round boxes). I got through one box with only two fails to extract. The other box had five FTEs. The Fiocchi had one failure – not only did it the spent case not extract, but it was still fully in the chamber, and the slide did not lock back (it was the last round of the mag). Also, I noticed that the slide would sometimes seem to be moving a bit slower than normal after a round is fired, which is usually indicative of inconsistent amounts of powder within the case. As well, some of the ammo looked funky where the case crimps onto the projectile, as if the ammo had possible QC issues. I’ll bring some good JHP with me next range visit, to see if the issues still occur with good ammo.

Limp-wristing – I won’t count this out, since the FTEs started occurring mid session of my range visit. I tend to fatigue myself as I practice (this is normal). Next range visit, I’ll test the S15 (and the other 5 mags that didn’t have issues) before shooting any other guns.

I did have fun shooting the Grand Power again. I was accurate with it. I shot it once at 10 yards but the spread was wider than when I shoot the S15 at that range, which I initially thought was odd until I realized that the S15 has far better grip texturing. I ended up sticking with shooting at 7 yards.

The S15 is accurate AF! I spent a large amount of time shooting at 10 yards and was accurate. Not only that, there were times where I was shooting pretty fast and my groups were tight as I shot further out. And that was with irons. This gun is uncanny, but it’s really because of the front checkering on the grip. It’s going to seriously spoil me. I’m already thinking about selling all my other 1911s so that I can focus on 1911s and 2011s that have front checkering. Yes, I can get checkering added to my existing 1911s, but some gunsmiths won’t touch non-US guns and all guns that get checkering will need to be repainted/refinished.

I also now have just under 500 rounds through the S15. I’m slowly accumulating the round count on this gun. I’ve just under 1600 rounds through the GP P11.

Categories
ammo defensive ammo pistol training

I Enrolled in Handgun Training!

So, I’ve enrolled in handgun training. I enrolled in a Pistol II course at my range. (Pistol I was too basic and Pistol III was too advanced — we all have to start somewhere, right?) It’s a 2-day course that is held in the evening. I thinking on using my Bul Armory SAS II UL. They recommend either a duty gun or a compact. The SAS II UL isn’t a little gun. It’s not big by any means, but it’s far from small, so may use it during the course.

I’ll be brining a back-up gun, but I’m not sure which to bring. I can either bring my Glock 19 (it’s similarly sized) or my Alpha Foxtrot S15. The Glock 19 seems to be the better option. I’ve several DA/SA guns, too, but I don’t want to have to deal with DA.

I also need to buy ammo for the course, but I think I’ll just buy ammo at that range, right before the start of the course. I don’t need anything special – it just has to be dependable. I’ve been using their Blazer 124-gr brass FMJ and it’s been good, so I think I’ll jsut buy more of that.

I mentioned SD and training ammo in the title. I’ve always wanted to be able to shoot training ammo that was very similar to the SD ammo that I’d be carrying (I’ve no favorite SD ammo at this moment in time). I did quite a bit of research and found that Federal’s AD9SJ4 (124-gr 9mm) matches the Federal Practice and Defend P9HST1TM100 (124-gr 9mm SD ammo), ballistics-wise. The only thing is, I can’t find any place that has the P9HST1TM100 in stock.

They’ve 147-gr pairing as well: AD9SJ3 (Practice ammo) and P9HST2TM100 (147-gr 9mm SD ammo). The P9HST2TM100 is more easily found, by far, than it’s 124-gr counterpart.

Here’s an example of the cost of the AD9SJ3: Just under $17 for a box of 50.

Here’s an example of the cost of the P9HST2TM100: Just under $48 for a box of 100 – this is legit HST JHP Syntech SD ammo.

Bul Armory doesn’t recommend shooting 147-gr from the SAS II UL, but I’ve had no issues shooting various SD ammo in that grainage, so I think I’ll spend some money on a decent sum of this pair of ammo. I’ll probably buy 500 rounds of the AD9SJ3 and maybe 1 to 2 boxes (100-200 rounds) of the P9HST2TM100.

Categories
Glock magazines PSA

Can the Alpha Foxtrot S15 Be Used With PSA’s Dagger Micro 15-Round Mags?

Can the Alpha Foxtrot S15 use the PSA Dagger Micro 15-Round Mag?

I’ve asked that question on at least one 1911 forum and was told that it wouldn’t work, but no one has tried.

I’m not interested in hearing assumptions.

It either will latch or it won’t

It will either release and drop free from the mag well effortlessly or not.

It should feed properly.

The Alpha Foxtrot S15 is built around Shield Arms S15 15-round mags, which are 3rd-Party mags made for the Glock 43X and the Glock 48. Because of that, the AF-S15 can also use the OEM G43X and G48 mags, although those particular mags have a 10-round capacity.

In the quest to check for yet another source of mags for the AF-S15, I’ve ordered one PSA Dagger Micro magazine, which has a 15-round capacity and can be used with G43Xs and G48s.

I saw that PSA had the mags in stock. I ordered a blem mag with the Micro Slick finish, for $29. Shipping was $9.99 and the total was $40.72 (shipping is always a lot and I didn’t need anything else from PSA).

Note that the Dagger Micro mags are polymer-coated, even around the mag latch area, which means that this will be a wear point, as the AF-S15 uses a metal mag catch within it’s mag well. I’m also curious if the mag will slide easily into and out of the mag well, and also unlatch without hangup issues.

I ordered one mag to test, initially, as I didn’t want to order 2-3 only to find that they won’t work.

The test results will determine if I order more (specifically for range use).

I’ll share my findings with the rest of the world, as I keep seeing folks asking this question or outright verbally assuming that the Dagger Micro mags will work with this gun.