This is a continuation from Pistol Upgrade Suggestions Part 1. In this article we will go over handheld and weapon mounted lights.
In review, before you spend money on upgrades, I know you were wise and took training, purchased a range bag with the needed shooting and medical accessories, bought plenty of spare magazines and have shot hundreds of rounds in practice with what you learned in training. You are now very familiar with your pistol and comfortable with it.
So, you bought a new handgun and have the range bag and accessories you need. Now you are considering upgrading your pistol. Good for you.
For this article and purposes, we are talking about defensive handguns that will be used at home or in the gas station parking lot. I am not talking about a hunting handgun or a “duty” pistol like law enforcement carries. I am referring to what you bought either to conceal carry or put in a night stand where you can get to it to protect yourself and others. Continue reading Pistol Upgrade suggestions part 1
With the gun buying frenzy of 2020 and 2021 cooling off, many first-time gun owners and those who are not “gun” people have to be asking themselves, “what now?”
In this blog, I want to address what else you need after your handgun purchase. If you have not bought a pistol yet, hold back! I am working on getting an article out on how the buy the best pistol for you and your needs. Continue reading You bought your first pistol, now what?
Magazines seem to be the #1 failure of a firearm.
Normally they cause a failure to feed the next round (not enough spring pressure to put the next round up before the slide closes, or the follower sticking), a stove pipe or a double-feed (new round tipping up and catching on the empty just fired brass, pushing it back into the chamber). There can be other reasons for these issues and this is not necessarily everything a bad magazine can cause.
How to diagnose: First you need to be sure it is a specific magazine and not another factor (dirty weapon, bad ammo, limp wristing et al). Continue reading Firearm Magazine Issues and Diagnostics
If you own a firearm that has detachable magazines, you should own many magazines. They are replaceable parts and by nature wear out. Keeping only two on hand is not a smart idea, an my readers are smarter than the average bear. This has nothing to do with being a prepper or fear, it has to do with intelligence.
Wise people buy while prices are low, right now, prices have come back down to where they were pre COVID during the Trump years when prices of all things firearms related were at their lowest since President Bush Jr. was in office.
How many you purchase is up to you. My rules are fairly simple. If you read my previous article “Start your Physical Security on a Budget” you have a rough idea. Continue reading Firearms Magazines – You need a lot of them
Updated: for the updated, head to the end of the article.
“Focus on the front sight.” If you have ever been to training or had a decent shooter help you, I bet you have heard that before.
According to every instructor for the last 60 years, the front sight is where you must focus in order to hit your target. It seems “reasonable” to focus there. You keep your rear sight and target in alignment and with the front sight you can more accurately hit your target, where you are aiming. The problem I have is how are you aiming at a point on the target when you are focusing on the front sight? Continue reading (Updated 11/15/2020) Red dot / reflex sight vs traditional sights on a pistol
The CZ-52 was an imported semi-automatic pistol. Here is a brief overview https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CZ_52 and here http://makarov.com/cz52/index.html
Back in the 90’s this, and many “commie” guns, were a readily available on the free market. I bought one after a friend showed me his, it seemed like a fun gun for under $125. The original CZ-52 came in 7.62×25. I love this round.
“Training is under the tutelage of an experienced and qualified instructor. Practice is what you do with what you learned while training.” Paul G Markel.
Continue reading Training vs. Practice, there is a difference.
I have been asked and seen on various forums a question that basically asks, if a pistol caliber or a .223 / 5.56 is enough to kill pigs. Ignoring the haters and the “more deer are killed with a .22 than anything else” crowed, the question is legitimate. Boiled down it is “what caliber can I reliably hunt and kill pigs with while maintaining recoil and allowing follow-up shots?”
We need to start with a little background.
Back in the 90’s I carried a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 magnum to hunt pigs. My friends used dogs and spears and I was supposed to be the backup guy. I am glad I never had to use that pistol to protect or save anyone, I was not that good of a shot and now I know how fast a hog can turn on you, and how entangled the hog and human bodies become. Continue reading Pigs and Pistols
Reflex and red dot sights have been mounted various way on pistols for years. None were inexpensive. When Glock introduced the MOS (Miniature Optic System) idea, I instantly saw several advantages. By building a system into the gun no bulky add-on mounts or expensive slide cuts that voided the warranty and only fit one brand of optic. I wear bifocals and with a reflex sight, you focus on the target and the “red dot” is in focus too. I was hoping this would speed up my target acquisition significantly. Continue reading Glock 19 MOS another life adventure
