Gun Loving John

Flugz Review

Avoidable Hearing loss is unacceptable, I know.  I have experienced it to the point that a while back I had to visit Aaron Gingrich and be fitted for hearing Aids. He did a great job.  Fast forward to SHOT Show 2015.

Flugz were introduced as a new form and fit earplug. I was and still am impressed by the FLUGZ idea and quality. The idea is great, the Flugz  come in their own container that the end user fills with water and places in the microwave for 30-40 seconds pulls out and them custom fits the item into their ear.  

Because I am wearing hearing aids that are designed and tuned by Aaron I do not wear plugs.  So I purchased a pair of Flugz and when a friend of mine needed hearing protection I gave him a pair for field testing.  He is the perfect tester for these products.  He is honest, a shooter an Instructor and, he has really large capable ears.  He agreed to test them.   His assessment has been going on for about three months.  They work great for hearing protection. Until the temperature on the range is over 100 degrees.  Then the ability to heat them and form them to your ears becomes a weakness.  The Flugz turn gummy and mushy in temperatures above a hundred.  

Kevin (the tester) said they are good effective plugs for 3 seasons in the midwest, But in the summer leave them at home where they will be safe from extreme heat.  

Again I cannot stress how great I was treated at Absolute Audiology.

 

Father's tattoo tribute to daughter who has two hearing implants goes viral

Add One Magazine, Recipe for Disappointment and Failure.

I've been teaching CCW and Firearms safety in some capacity for over 10 years. One issue I often run across is the person that has an absolute great gun, but only one magazine.  That is a recipe for failure.  I have seen a ton of Colt Woodsman Pistols. Beautiful gun, Owner has One magazine.  Old Ruger Standards, One Magazine. Browning Buckmarks, One Magazine.  Browning High Power, One Magazine.... I could go on and on.  News Flash, MAGAZINES CAN FAIL.  Period.  Whether it is dirt, Or rust, or metal fatigue.  Magazines Fail, and when they do, a Semi Auto becomes a crappy single shot, If the firearm has a Magazine disconnect, it becomes a really crappy Single shot.  

Sometimes these owners have an acceptable excuse, "I cannot find any for this gun that I inherited." Ok that is the only acceptable excuse.  

If you have a SEMI AUTO MAGAZINE FED FIREARM, GET more Magazines.  Try Brownells, Try Numrich, But get magazines for that gun.  Most Failures to Feed in my experience as an Instructor can be cured by a different Magazine. If you only have one magazine, that is not an option.

When I carry Concealed, which is ALWAYS, I always have another magazine on me.  FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE REASONS.  I carry it in its own carrier to protect it from losing rounds and pocket crap.

 

 

FJ Fedderson 10/22 Barrels

 Fred Fedderson of FJ Fedderson likes to talk about his fine product.  He loves to tell how awesome the barrels he makes for 10/22 rifles are.  Fred will quickly tell you of how his barrels are extremely accurate while showing you a target that was shot from a distance.  If you are lucky enough to meet Fred Fedderson he will teach you how to quickly and efficiently shoot the target with the sights he mounts on his barrels.  He doesn't however tell you some of the proprietary secrets that make his barrels the best, Nor should he. I have bought several of FJ Fedderson Barrels, and you notice, I said Fred TALKS about his barrels, he doesn't brag about his products..... It isn't bragging if you can do it. FRED DOES IT AND DOES IT WELL.   FJ Fedderson 10/22 are TACK DRIVERS with every brand of ammunition I have pushed thru them.  Attached is a photo of a Marine shooting the Appleseed Project with a Fedderson 10/22 bull barrel threaded with an SWR Spectre 2 Suppressor attached. 248 out of 250 possible. 

Good job Fred

See you at SHOT 2016

The Preparation Factor

Be Prepared. It is a good motto, and a great way to live.  I understand the need/want to purchase Ammunition that can be stored away for some rainy day.  I applaud those that think ahead.  This applies to handloaders that keep primers on hand and were not scrambling to come up with primers to shoot IDPA or IPSC when the 2009 Tsunami of unavailability hit the shores following the Storm of November.  I get it.   There is one place that I notice few if any shooters think about.  The one of, "If i have 5000 rounds for the firearm,  do i need any extra parts to make sure that the firearm will function enough to use them all?" 

Great question.  If you have not asked it of yourself, now is a great time.  Another great question to research before buying a firearm is, "Are replacement springs and other expendable parts like extractors, ejectors etc. available so I may "Be Prepared?"  If so buy some extra parts. I have at least 3 of every expendable part for my Glock.  Will they go bad? probably not.  But if they do, I know how to replace them and where to get them without wading through paperwork and waiting for them to come in the mail. 

If a firearms company offers a lifetime warranty, that is good. What is even better is a great warranty and the ability to purchase what is needed in case the firearm manufacturer goes out of business or is forced to not sell parts.  (After all we know why we buy the ammo, Same reason we should buy the parts) A firearms company that does not trust the end user enough to sell them spare parts should not be trusted to sell me a firearm.  So we are not all gunsmiths, that should not preclude us from having the parts on hand to take to someone with more skills in the fine art of fixing the broken lifesaver.

I prefer to spend my money on firearms that have parts availability.  I do not like expensive firearm shaped paperweights.   

Till next time, Keep those muzzles pointed in a safe direction.

John Abbott

Ask the Gunsmith 9MM VS 38 Special

A graduate of gunlovingjohn.com's Florida CCW Class asked a great question last night.

What is the difference in power between a Snub-nose .38 Special and a Glock 26 9mm?

Answer: Power Factor referred to henceforth as PF is a number that is the Velocity times the weight of the projectile.  So a 115 grain 9mm with a velocity of  1175 fps = PF of 135,125. The .38 Special has a power factor of 105,000 out of a 4" barrel.  It loses some velocity out of the shorter barrel of a Snub-nose .38. 

So lets break it down numerically.

These numbers are for Winchester White box

Snub-nose 5 Shot .38 Special.  5 shots  x 105,000 =Total PF 525,000 

Glock 26  10 Shot  9mm      10 shots x135.125 = Total PF 1,351250

9mm has  over 25% more power per round of Winchester white box over 38 special white box  

Hornady TAP Ammo has the following differences

.38 Special 158 Grain TAP  has 199 ft-lbs x 5 = combined 995 ft-lbs

147 grain has 310 Ft-lbs x 10  = combined   3100 ft-lbs    

Per round the 9mm TAP has 55% more power than the 38 special TAP ammunition. 

Looking at power factor combined with capacity the Glock 26 has 200% more power than the 5 Shot Snub-nose .38 with both firearms loaded with premium ammunition.

            

Ask the Gunsmith: Dry Fire Question is a Winner

Seth from Massachusetts submitted this week's selected question for "Ask the Gunsmith." 

Seth, send me an email with your address and I will pull a small gun accessory out of my "bag of stuff" and send it on its merry way.

Question: I've always been told it is a bad practice to drop the firing pin on an empty chamber, which counts double for rim-fires. But is it better to snap the hammer just once when the days shooting is over and it's time to put the gun in storage, or to leave the hammer or striker cocked for extended periods, perhaps even years?

Well Seth, I will break your question down a little more, and answer it in that manner....  I've always been told it is a bad practice to drop the firing pin on an empty chamber, which counts double for rim-fires.

Answer: It is not always bad to drop the firing pin "dry fire" on an empty chamber.  As for Glocks and 1911's it is perfectly acceptable to "dry fire" these firearms.  THIS ACCEPTABILITY DOES NOT EXTEND TO RIM-FIRE adapter kits on a 1911 or Glock.  For other firearms read the instruction manual.  DO NOT DRY-FIRE ANY RIM-FIRE!  If you need to dry-fire a firearm go to Cabelas and purchase snap caps for each caliber.

But, is it better to snap the hammer just once when the days shooting is over and it's time to put the gun in storage, or to leave the hammer or striker cocked for extended periods, perhaps even years?

Answer: Never leave a firearm "cocked"  even a rim-fire. Insert a snap cap and leave it in the chamber, point the firearm in a safe direction and press the trigger. 

Want to win? If you send a question that is chosen as the "question of the week" you will receive a small token from GLJ.

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.