Gun Loving John

Diamondback 9

Great news. I have just laid eyes on a new and exciting ccw pistol. Diamondback Arms DB9 11oz .80 wide. I have carried a DB 380 for about 8 months. I must say the 9 mm will be replacing the 380. Good news also is the laser that I bought from Crimson Trace for my Diamondback 380 will fit right on the Diamondback DB9 the Pocket Protector in 9mm will make a Police officer or legal CCW carrier of 9mm an exccellent option that will utilize the same ammunition. I have ordered a pistol for testing, but if this firearm works as good as my Diamondback DB380 has I will be recommending an even more concealable 9mm than I have previously encountered. The ergonomics of the DB380 are the best of class in that the small pistols that shoot 380. I am making an educated guess that the size of the DB9 will be making its presence known with a little more umph, but I will be able to judge better after a trip to the range. Looking forward to the most concealable 9mm i have ever encountered. And I forgot.... The one I saw has night sights.

Firearm Attachments Part 1

I worked a gun show this weekend.   I met a lot of good Americans, and I noticed a few things.  Like Firearm Attachments.   There were Lights and Lasers, Grips and Slings, And all manner of Tactical Things.  But those are not the Firearm attachments I am here to talk about.  I am here to talk about the kind of attachments that are often free,  they require a little Do It Yourself elbow grease and time. 

That is the Attachment a person has toward his or her firearm.

Here are the best type of Attachments.  This will be a recurring theme over the next few months.  

Father Attachment.   My Dad/Grandfather had this gun it was passed to me.  That type of attachment works better and lasts longest if the father and son spent time together with the firearm being the glue or reason for the outing.  If the father had the foresight to spend time shooting or refinishing the firearm with the child all the while telling how his father  and he spent time together doing the same the son will want to pass that on for generations.   The firearm does not have to be expensive.  The time together can be priceless.  The firearm passed from generation to generation with that type of emotional investment will not be sold in a yard sale. It will be cherished. 

Next:  The Fun Attachment

Until Then keep your muzzles pointed in a safe direction.

Gun Range Dues

It is that time of year again,  when we have to begin thinking about the payout for a year of dues. Gun Clubs want to be paid for what they provide.   Dues can run the gamut between $50.00 and $250.00 per year.  

What do we get in return?   A place to shoot,  A place to meet friends,  A place to be alone and enjoy the only sport endorsed by our founding fathers.  

Let’s say the dues are $250. That breaks down to $20.84 per month or $4.80 per week or 68.4 cents per day.  A snickers candy bar at Walmart  costs 69 Cents plus whatever ungodly anti sweet tooth tax the do-gooders want to put on the candy.   For less than 1 measly ucandy bar per day you can belong to a gun range. 

Don’t get me going on the cost per month compared to what most of us pay for that Cable/Satellite TV Bill, or how much a round of Golf costs, or some other half-assed entertainment.   This is a Lifelong sport and something that can save your life.

I have absolutely no use for free loaders, None, Zero, Zip, Nadda.  So if you don’t want to join a Gun Club and want to cry on my shoulders get to stepping.  I’ve got no time for you and you will get an earful. 

Another thing I’ve noticed in 2009 is the number of Gun Clubs going to Closed Membership or limiting the number of members.  So if you don’t want to join one or stay a member then don’t,  but don’t try and tag along with me to a range when you find that the places to shoot are disappearing as they surely are. 

Think about the investment in Gun Range Membership.  It  insures our freedom has a place to be exercised.

 

Keep your Muzzles pointed in a Safe Direction.

Sorry it's been a while.

It has been a while since I blogged. A lot has happenedsince I last blogged in, some good, some not so good. So I can get this out of the way I made a list of what has happened in cchronological order. 

1. Planned to go to Michigan State IDPA Championship September 14th with 4 friends and my wife AKA PRETTY PISTOLERA. 

2. Was teaching a Class on September 10th near Percy Illinois. At the beginning of the class my cell phone rang. My father in law's 3 plus year fight with cancer was taking a turn for the worse. Finished the class somewhat distracted, took off to the hospital after the class was dismissed.

3. My lovely and STRONG bride insisted that I attend the aforementioned Match.  Bob was in bad shape so I checked availability of flights returning from Michigan just in case. I attended the match knowing that Bob was going to be around for at least a few more days.

4. I shot what had to be my best match to date.  I finished first place Stock Service Pistol Sharpshooter Class and was "bumped" up to Expert Stock Service Pistol. I also was the most accurate shooter in the match with only 24 points down the entire match. More on that later.

5. I returned home on Sunday night.  Bob fought hard but he mercifully escaped the suffering of cancer on the following Thursday evening. He went to be with Jesus and for that we are thankful. Tuesday the 23rd was the day of the funeral.  

6. I have been getting ready to go to the IDPA National Championship. I am shooting ESP Marksman.  My Special double triple quadruple checked ammunition arrived in Allentown PA on Friday Thanks to some good friends delivering it. Thad and Duck took it to Larry, Larry took it to Dan, Steve and Dan shipped it to Allentown with the proper ORMD specs on the box.    I am shooting the local practice night Tuesday and will fly out early Wednesday morning to Philly.

Stay tuned for more blogs.

I intend to blog from Philadelphia as I am going to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, And Benjamin Franklin's final resting place.

As much as I love American and our Founding Fathers, I wish I had more time to spend in New England.  But that will have to come later.   

Kel-Tec PLR 22 Review

Sometimes you see a new gun and it is a must have.  I saw such a firearm at the Kel-Tec booth at 2008 SHOT Show.  It was the PLR 22. A politically incorrect plinker with a 27 round magazine.  I wasted no time and as I work for an licensed dealer I called our distributor from the floor of SHOT Show and Informed him of what as coming down the pike and asked to be placed on the waiting list. 

Well, last week it came in. I filled out a 4473, which if you accidentally type it in with the shift key depressed  is a $$&#.  Monday I picked the plinker up.  I shot it a little on Monday evening  and found that it did not function at all with Remington Golden Bullets Bulk Pack From Wally World.  It seemed to function pretty well with Federal Bulk pack.  The firearm is accurate, fun and as it comes threaded 1/2 by 28. I am sure that some of those Gun-lovers in states that allow the polite shooting of firearms will take advantage of this bargain and pair it off with a nice sound suppressor.

While the PLR 22 does not automatically stay locked back on the last round, it has a very usable button located on the bottom just behind the magazine.  

The Kel-Tec PLR 22 disassembles rather easily  using any small diameter tool that can push out a single pin.  The rest of disassembly and reassembly require no tools at all. I cannot wait for the rifle version to arrive.   As for videos of the gun in action, I let my lovely bride, Tracy, aka Pretty Pistolera, shoot the Kel-Tec PLR 22. 

  

Until next time keep your muzzles pointed in a safe direction.

Ask The Gunsmith

In the interest of saving firearms (not from anti gunners), but from shooters that have not been taught the nuances of caring for their firearm, I have decided to add a new category to the blog... Ask the Gunsmith.  I will sit down with my gunsmith, ask him a question, he answers, I enter it here.

Question:  When my Glock or other semi-auto pistol is empty with the magazine removed, is there any harm in letting the slide slam forward by simply pushing down on the slide stop lever?

Short answer: Yes.

Long Answer: Absolutely do not do it. When you let the slide slam home with a cartridge in the magazine, that cartridge acts like a shock absorber.  No harm is done. In fact, that is one of the better ways to load a semi-auto.  However, when you let the slide slam on an empty chamber, the slide moves at three times the speed it travels when loading a cartridge.  This action damages your firearm in several ways

1. It is hard on the head-space. 
2. It peens the back of the barrel.
3. It slams lugs.
4. On hammered actions it hits so hard on the hammer that the sear bounces.  This wears the sear over a short time so the hammer will start to fall resulting in an unsafe manner. 
5. It can move forward so hard it can (and has) sheared the slide top on 1911's.

Do not do this to your firearms, they don't deserve it.

Home, Home on the Range.

Tonight we gathered for an impromptu IDPA practice session. It was four close friends and Mrs. Gunlovingjohn (aka the Pretty Pistolera). It was simple practice. Five targets engaged in eight different ways. 

The Pretty Pistolera shot her first clean stage.  She is coming along nicely.  It was just 6 months ago when she started shooting.  She refuses to give up no matter how frustrating some stages are.  The progress she is making is not always visible to her as she is shooting with and against lifelong shooters.  This is something that I, and you, if you are bringing along a new shooter need to emphasize.  "Don't expect to be able to beat the person who has been shooting for 26 years after you have been shooting for 26 weeks.  Do, however, have the goal of beating them in the long run."   

My wife's experience on the gun-range with encouraging shooters reminds me of a song. Make new shooters at "home, home on the range, where seldom is heard a discouraging word."    

Til next time keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction. 

Expanding the Shooting Universe

It seems at least as daunting a task to get certain groups of other humans to grow a spark of shooting interest.  I have been whittling away at the "little woman" to go shooting for a good while. 

She went deer hunting with me once when we were dating, but that is another story when we get closer to deer season.  She was pro-gun all along, even joining in a pro-gun rally during the dark nineties.  If she were not pro-gun she would not have met the qualifications to be Mrs. Gunlovingjohn.  Being pro-gun did not mean she needed to shoot, just that she recognized their intrinsic worth.

After 12 years of solo trips to the gun range, I cajoled her into going to a match last year.  She met some good people (called shooters) and has since became one of the newest, and might I add the prettiest, members of the gun culture. 

I could go on, but she can tell the transition from a passive to active member of the gun culture a lot better than I.  The other evening I took her out for a nice dinner and pitched the idea of a firearm blog from a "girly girl's" point of view.  She got that spark in her eyes!  I gave her a name, the Pretty Pistolera.   Well, she has expanded the shooting universe. 

www.prettypistolera.com   

Read it if you are female to learn shooting tips.  Read it if you are male to get "how to get your girl to shoot" tips.

Till next time, keep your muzzles pointed in a safe direction.  

Hearing Protection/Enhancement

Hearing is very important, all the CCW preparation in the world will not save you if you do not hear the predator approach.  Once a person loses their ability to hear no amount of money can bring it back.   I have experienced some hearing loss due to loud machinery, loud music, and of course, shooting.  Not wanting to lose any more, I decided to seek out hearing protection that enhances sounds yet blocks the sounds of shots being fired.  I wore Peltor and Pro Ear electronic ear muffs for several years.  They did a great job of protecting what hearing remains. 

This year at SHOT Show I visited the SPORT EAR booth and when I left I had a set of RF412s on the way. They arrived last week.  I have to say that after firing over 1200 rounds from 22lr to 44 Magnum and 5.56 with an extremely loud Bennie Coolie Compensator, my ears are in the best post week of heavy shooting I can remember.  While the price of these ears is more than the casual shooter might be willing to part with, those of us that shoot and already need hearing aids would do well to consider these fine products.   

IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association)

IDPA is a shooting sport.  It is a game that requires attention to detail. 

Shooting competitively gives shooters an opportunity to learn new skills that have life saving ability.  The forgiving nature of competition gives gun owners an opportunity to see if their skills and firearm are up to the task and dependable enough for unforgiving situations.  IDPA is not "tactical training" but those who would partake of IDPA would be better prepared mentally and equipment wise than those who simply go to the range alone.

For a shining story on IDPA visit  WMC-TV