Gun Schtuff – Page 20

An update on the Tisas .45 ACP ‘Commander’.

We – finally – have a reliable pistol!
AK & I journeyed to the farm of a friend north of town who has enough acreage to have made up a sizeable range, and using .gov issue flat follower, Metalform™ round follower and Wilson-Rogers™ magazines, it cycled all factory FMJ and JHP ammo offered.

Yippee!

Accuracy at 50 feet, standing on my own two feet firing offhand, wasn’t spectacular (although to be honest, I’ve seen worse groups out of many of the standard issue M1911A1s I used when I was in the Army ) but all rounds were hitting in the middle of the target with some vertical stringing. I’m still trying out different manufacturer’s products to see if I can find one it likes to shoot into nice round, reasonably small groups and will report further findings as they become available.

Let’s talk to our Chinese friend, Ho Lee Cow.
Something to consider when you’re shooting at an indoor range!

Yes. Next question.

Are Hunting Shotguns Good For Home Defense?

If you’re like me—which I suspect you are or else you wouldn’t be reading Shooting Illustrated—you own a dedicated home-defense shotgun (or two) tailor-made for the job. But, we are the minority. Many more Americans don’t have an IWI US Tavor TS12 or a Mossberg 590A1 Tactical in a biometric rack above the headboard.

Rather, they keep a wood-stocked Winchester Model 12, an old Ithaca double, a Browning A5, a Mossberg 500 All Purpose, a Remington 1100 or the like stashed behind the clothes in the closet or in a safe. While these fowling pieces may not have been specifically made for defending castles, they can do it. Here are a half-dozen of the most popular hunting shotguns that can serve double-duty as home defenders, along with some tips for employing them as such.

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The Truth About Handgun Stopping Power (Hint: It’s Complicated)
Which handgun caliber has the most stopping power, the 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 Auto? Answer: No one knows

When it comes to handgun stopping power, there’s no shortage of experts, studies, theories, and anecdotes offering “definitive proof” that one cartridge is better than another.

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Latest Update, Tisas Commander shooting review. 07/03/2021

Can you say AAUGGHH! like Charley Brown?

See the source image

I thought you could.

So, early this morning, AK and I proceed to one of the local ranges provided by the state conservation department. There’s a lot of people already there shooting, but that’s par for the course.

Among other guns we’re shooting, I have the Tisas commander to wring out for reliability and further grouping tests of some more different brands of ammo.

Did I solve the feeding problem?
Almost.
Did I have a new problem?
Oh yes I did.

Now, I have once or twice per magazine a failure to extract. Okay, this one is easy to figure out why. There’s a reason the factory extractor is thicker at the end than a standard mil-spec one. The smaller, more flexible, extractor can slide over from the cartridge rim, leaving it in the chamber and thoroughly jamming things up.

Fixit?

Very likely. We shall see.

It’s another reason I can go shooting again, so it’s not a bad thing….yet.

June Gun Sales Second Best on Record

We have just had one of the few months where there was not just a decline of checks from the previous month but a decline for the month by itself.

PRODUCT WARNING AND RECALL NOTICE
HERTER’S™ 9mm Luger 115 grain FMJ (manufactured by WINCHESTER®)

Herter’s is recalling the following lots of 9mm Luger 115 grain Full Metal Jacket pistol ammunition.

Symbol: HRT9A
Lot Numbers: SC13LD44, SC13LD45, SD10LD44, SD10LD45

Note: If ammunition was purchased before March 25, 2021, it is NOT subject to the recall.

Herter’s has determined the above lots of 9mm Luger 115 FMJ ammunition may contain propellant that does not properly ignite and burn when the cartridge is fired. Ammunition containing propellant that does not properly ignite and burn may result in a bullet remaining in the barrel (i.e., a bullet-in-bore obstruction). Firing a subsequent bullet into the bore obstruction could cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable and subjecting the shooter and bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury.

DO NOT USE HERTER’S™ 9mm Luger 115 FMJ SYMBOL HRT9A THAT HAS LOT NUMBER SC13LD44, SC13LD45, SD10LD44 or SD10LD45. The ammunition Lot Number is stamped on the 50-round carton as indicated here:

HRT9A

To determine if your ammunition is subject to this notice, review the Symbol and Lot Number. If it is Symbol HRT9A and Lot Number SC13LD44, SC13LD45, SD10LD44 or SD10LD45, immediately discontinue use and contact Winchester toll-free at 844-653-8358 for free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition. Upon receipt of your recalled ammunition, Winchester will ship replacement ammunition directly to you or issue you a reimbursement check.

This notice applies only to Symbol HRT9A with Lot Number SC13LD44, SC13LD45, SD10LD44 or SD10LD45. Other Symbols or Lot Numbers are not subject to this recall.

If you have any questions concerning this 9mm Luger 115 FMJ pistol ammunition recall please call toll-free 844-653-8358, write to Winchester (600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 Attn: 9mm Luger Recall), or visit our website at www.winchester.com.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

HERTER’S

WOMEN’S HANDGUNS TODAY

Robyn Sandoval of A Girl And A Gun recently took my MAG-40 class in South Dakota, and while there, she gave me permission to share this list she put together. Though it probably understates how many LCP-size .380s and snub .38 revolvers are being carried by women today, the guns folks take to pistol class are largely indicative of what they keep for home defense, in my experience.

Massad Ayoob and Robyn Sandoval at a recent MAG40 class in South Dakota.

Courtesy of Robyn:

To know the handguns and gear that are trending for women in 2021, look at what women are choosing to train with and carry. Recently A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) hosted its 9th Annual National Conference. All 450 participants were required to go through a “gear check” process where their handguns, belts, holsters, and mag pouches were all reviewed and function checked. The following lists the most popular brands and models that the women brought to training.

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2nd Preliminary Report on the Tisas .45 Commander.

Having some spare time available, I decided to drill down on the pistol’s feeding problem.

I think I’ve got it fixed.

I first tried relieving the notch that engages the cartridge rim, but even after that, the pistol still didn’t want to reliably feed, so I dived into my spare parts and compared the factory extractor to a mil issue one.

As you can see in the picture:

The end of the factory extractor on the right is noticeably thicker in diameter, so I swapped in the issue one and voilà, the feeding problem is no more.

AK and I are going to burn some gunpowder this weekend, so we’ll confirm that the reliability problem has been solved, and go from there for possible sight adjustment for the ammo the pistol likes best.

Paul crankin the 9mm Tippmann Gatling Gun at at the Whittington Center,

Winchester 9mm 115 gr Ammunition Recall

Olin Winchester, LLC is recalling the following lots of 9mm Luger 115 grain Full Metal Jacket and 115 grain Jacketed Hollow Point pistol ammunition.

Symbols: Q4172, RED9, USA9JHP, USA9MMVP, USA9W, WW9B

Lot Numbers:
SC03LD44, SC03LD45, SC03LD46, SC03LD47
SC13LD1, SC13LD6, SC13LD18, SC13LD44, SC13LD45, SC13LD46, SC13LD47
SC52LD44, SC52LD45, SC52LD46, SC52LD47
SC62LD44, SC62LD45, SC62LD46, SC62LD47
SC72LD44, SC72LD45, SC72LD46, SC72LD47
SC92LD44, SC92LD45, SC92LD46, SC92LD47
SD10LD1, SD10LD3, SD10LD6, SC10LD12, SD10LD18, SD10LD46, SD10LD47
SD50LD1, SD50LD3, SD50LD6, SD50LD11, SD50LD12, SD50LD18, SD50LD46, SD50LD47
SD60LD1, SD60LD3, SD60LD6, SD60LD11, SD60LD12, SD60LD18
SD70LD1, SD70LD3, SD70LD6, SD70LD11, SD70LD12, SD70LD18
SD80LD1, SD80LD3, SD80LD6, SD80LD11, SD80LD12, SD80LD18

Winchester has determined the above lots of 9mm Luger 115 FMJ and JHP ammunition may contain propellant that does not properly ignite and burn when the cartridge is fired. Ammunition containing propellant that does not properly ignite and burn may result in a bullet remaining in the barrel (i.e., a bullet-in-bore obstruction). Firing a subsequent bullet into the bore obstruction could cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable and subjecting the shooter and bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury.

DO NOT USE WINCHESTER® 9MM LUGER 115 FMJ / JHP OF THE ABOVE SYMBOLS THAT HAS ANY OF THE ABOVE LOT NUMBERS.

To determine if your ammunition is subject to this notice, review the Symbol and Lot Number. If it is any of the above Symbols and Lot Numbers, immediately discontinue use and contact Winchester toll-free at 844-653-8358 for free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition. Upon receipt of your recalled ammunition, Winchester will ship replacement ammunition directly to you or issue you a reimbursement check.

This notice applies only to the above 9mm Luger 115 FMJ and JHP Symbols with the above Lot Numbers. Other Symbols or Lot Numbers are not subject to this recall.

If you have any questions concerning this 9mm Luger 115 FMJ / JHP pistol ammunition recall please call toll-free 844-653-8358, write to Winchester (600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 Attn: 9mm Luger Recall), or visit our website at www.winchester.com.

1st preliminary report on the Tisas, .45 ACP

It’s been heard that the best reason to buy a new handgun is because you’ve found a holster in the chest of drawers that you don’t currently have a gun for.

That being close to the case, and being in the market for a Commander sized 1911, I was at the one of the gun stores in the local flying area and espied one of the current versions with the full steel frame by the Trabzon Silah (TİSAŞ) c0mpany, imported from Turkey.

Well, the gun looked good. The fit and finish were excellent, but of course, the proof is in the shooting, which I managed to do last week, during the Shootist’s Holiday at the NRA Whittington Center just south of Raton, New Mexico.

I am currently underwhelmed, but final judgement will be held in abeyance until I determine what may be necessary to fix the problems I had with the gun,

First, it wouldn’t reliably feed Black Hills Ammunition’s standard 230 gr hardball fmj ammo in any of the several different magazines, which included twin sets of; Check-Mate military issue, Metalform stainless round follower, Triple K round follower and even Wilson-Rogers.
Each time, the round would feed halfway into the chamber, then hang up and tie up the gun, necessitating pulling the magazine out and cycling the slide to clear the jam. I didn’t attempt to fire a group for record.

Trying CCI’s Lawman brand of same load however did work and at 50 feet on the Sight-In Range, holding 6 O’clock with elbows rested on heavy concrete benchrest table, I could keep the shots in the black of the target, but the group size was rather disappointing.

(click on all pictures for a larger version.)

I think I’ll do some comparison measurements of the cases of the different brands and see if the rim thickness might be the cause but in any case, it looks like I’ve got a bit of extractor tuning and maybe feed ramp polishing ahead of me.

Remington factory was similarly underwhelming but this was older ammo back when nickeled brass was being used.

However, I did find one bright spot when I tried one of Dad’s reloads of the same Remington 185 grain jhp loaded with 7.5 grains of 700X.

This group came in under 3 inches and with a little sight adjustment would be perfectly satisfactory.

Pvt. Martin Teahan’s M1 Found 72 Years after D-Day

East Brunswick, NJ USA – -(Ammoland.com)- If I were to report the facts, I would tell you Private Martin Teahan of HQ Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), died on June 6, 1944, near a church in Picauville, Normandy.

While scouting a position, he was shot in the leg, captured, and then killed by a German soldier who thought he was reaching for a weapon.

A few weeks after D-Day, a French farmer in the area found a rifle with the name M. Teahan engraved on the butt of the rifle. No one knew what the farmer did with the rifle for 72 years, until it was discovered this February by a French Army Paratrooper Commander named Colonel Patrick Collet.

Those are the facts, but the story associated with the rifle tugs on something much deeper for me.

You see, Private Martin was my Uncle “Matty.” A poor Irish Immigrant, who’s stories of his bravery resonated with me as I grew up in the same rough Irish neighborhood in the South Bronx. Five days prior to the discovery of the rifle, I visited my roots for the first time since childhood. I stood in grand St Jerome’s Church, and thought of my Uncle Matty as I looked at his name, engraved in the cool stone of the somber building.

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I’m taking my copy of the one on the left to Raton. We’ll see what we’ve got.

How a $500 1911 Stacks Up Against a $5000 1911
Does all that money just buy bells and whistles, or is there really something to dropping a few bills on a 1911?

Two model 1911 handguns on a concrete slab.

The 1911 is often considered a real man’s gun or the pistol of a professional. Prices range from less than $500 to beyond $5000, and that’s before gold inlays, engraving, or genuine ivory grips are added in. Nighthawk’s Turnbull VIP 1911 retails for $7999. Wilson Combat’s more practical X-Tac Supergrade Professional starts at $4795. And Springfield Armory’s Ultimate Carry Handgun will cost you $3395.

But there’s another end of the spectrum. Springfield also offers more than 50 other 1911 models with prices as low as $640. And SDS Imports offers Turkish-made 1911s starting at only $409. How can one type of firearm go from being that cheap to having prices equivalent to the cost of a good used pickup truck? It’s all about what’s going on under the hood.

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Self Defense Essentials and the Combat Triad
When it comes to personal protection your mindset is more important than the gun and ammo you carry

Imagine you’re new to firearms and want to be armed for self-defense. You’re probably wondering which gun to buy, what type of holster you need, and what kind of ammunition would be best. Some will argue the gun is the most important element because it must work every time. Others will insist the holster matters most because if you’re uncomfortable carrying, you won’t carry. And then there are those who maintain that ammunition is paramount because ultimately, it’s the bullet that does all the work. Without question, all these items are important and can contribute to your survival, but what is most important?

The Combat Triad

Former Marine Jeff Cooper founded what is now known as Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona, in 1976. It is the oldest and largest civilian firearms training school in the world. In an effort to codify the basics of using a firearm to survive a lethal confrontation, Cooper established what he called the Combat Triad. This triangle of guidance consists of mindset, gun handling, and marksmanship. Though the three sides of the triangle are considered equilateral, the base or foundation of the Triad is mindset, for without the combat mindset, your skills and abilities with weaponry and tactics are of little value.

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Now is the Time to Make the Case: Remove SBRs from the NFA

As the Biden administration gears up to pass fresh guidance on pistol stabilizing braces, I humbly suggest that this is precisely the time to get working on legislation to remove SBRs — short barreled rifles — from the purview of the 1934 National Firearms Act.

Arguments and assertions from the DOJ / ATF / Biden administration related to pistol braces only strengthen the case that SBRs shouldn’t be subject to special scrutiny as compared to rifles with 16-inch or longer barrels.

In my comprehensive “How Does ATF’s Vague Pistol Brace Guidance Contradict Itself?” article, I went section-by-section through the draft guidance document (which, to be sure, is going to be the model for whatever comes out of the Biden White House if it isn’t simply used verbatim) and played angel’s advocate, arguing why each and every section was and is wrong, vague, inconsistent, misleading, anti-factual, self-contradictory, and/or just plain dishonest.

The Biden administration is in the final stages of drafting a regulation on firearm accessories that can be used to make pistols more like rifles . . .

. . . The firearm accessory can make pistols more accurate and deadlier. It effectively transforms a pistol into a short-barreled rifle . . .

Does your head also spin when you see the exact same people who have always banned or attempted to ban “assault weapon” features on the basis that they allow for “spraying fire” and “firing from the hip,” and have banned “Saturday Night Specials” in part due to their inherent inaccuracy now railing against pistol stabilizing braces for having exactly the opposite effect?

I’m sorry, but can y’all please decide if accuracy is a good thing or a bad thing? I’ll give you a hint: it’s good.

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Analysis: Dogs Can’t Smell Serial Numbers and the Dangers of Mindlessly Repeating Police Narratives

Dogs, no matter how well trained, can not tell if a gun has a serial number engraved into it or not.

That is not the impression you would get if you listened to KSBY’s report on Santa Barbara, California’s new police dogs, though. The NBC affiliate chose to frame their story on the dogs through the lens of their ability to detect so-called ghost guns.

“The [ghost] gun might look similar to any regular weapon; however, it’s missing one major piece: registration to make it legally owned,” KSBY reporter Melissa Newman said. “Today, I got a first-hand look at the only K9 in the county trained to detect them.”

The K9 is actually trained to sniff plastic, steel, and gun powder. That’s it. He can’t smell whether a gun has a serial number engraved in it. He doesn’t know if the owner has a registration paper from the state government for it. That is exactly what Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy Shane Moore tells the station eventually.

“Zeke is trained to alert on what we call polymer 80’s, and it’s like the grip part of the handgun. He’s also trained to alert on the steel, the slides, and the ammunition we use for firearms,” Deputy Moore told the news station.

Moore is oddly trying to conflate a company that sells unfinished gun parts, Polymer 80, with the gun parts themselves. So, let’s be clear. The grip on a gun made with Polymer 80 parts is made out of, you guessed it, polymer, just like a Glock or Smith & Wesson pistol sold at the store. There’s no real difference in materials for parts used in homemade guns or retail firearms.

KSBY eventually acknowledges this obvious fact, but they commit to this bizarre framing anyway.

The whole piece reads like a police department wanted to brag about how they’re doing something to combat the specter of “ghost guns,” and nobody at KSBY thought twice about how ridiculous the narrative was. Police departments often want to show people they are actively fighting criminals, and local news often wants to play up threats to juice ratings. Those incentives align in all sorts of bad ways, but occasionally they combine to make everyone involved with the story look utterly ridiculous.

I believe most police are trying to do the right thing most of the time. But that doesn’t mean you have to take everything they say or do at face value. You absolutely shouldn’t do that with police spokesmen or any other kind of government official if you’re a journalist.

There’s a major difference between respecting law enforcement and mindlessly repeating anything they have to tell you. This principle extends well beyond firearms, but it’s certainly true here. Some police, especially those in public relations, like to frame rights primarily as impediments to easier police work. And while life would be easier on law enforcement if we allowed them to search anyone for any reason they saw fit, or let them arrest anyone for merely owning a gun, it would make life quite a lot worse for everyone else.

So, the next time a police officer tries to tell you a story about how their new K9s are trained to smell the difference between a serialized gun and an unserialized one, maybe take that with a grain of salt.