Rants and Raves

Rants And Raves: A New Section

Been wanting to put in a section for quite some time that discusses and disses where needed: flat-out stupid guns, gear, and the like - all of which becomes non-conducive to anyone's personal goals in building skill with gunnery.

Praises will also be highlighted. For now, let's take a look at some comparisons between the 'big three poly guns'.

For many years there have been questions, conjecture, and too many jaded opinions being tossed around about

'which is the best choice quality yet economical polymer-framed defensive gun?' - so this my "fact analysis" chart.

Glock	Springfield Armory XD	Smith & Wesson M&P
releasing empty mag location and size of slide stop: above mag release	releasing empty mag location and size of slide stop: slightly rearward of mag release	releasing empty mag location and size of slide stop: slightly forward of mag release
releasing slide via slide stop for a right -	handed shooter is more positive if using	the left hand thumb for most pistols. *
tactile loaded chamber indicator: extractor - can be seen and felt	tactile loaded chamber indicator: piece of metal - can be seen and felt	visible loaded chamber indicator: small port to reveal rim of case
* loading sequence: even if strong hand	has a percieved reach to the slide stop,	positive release is done by support hand

If slide stop is too small or out of reach, a simple insert of mag and tug of the slide will send the slide forward successfully -

better than trying to swipe the slide stop repeatedly or trying to maintain a firing grip AND hit the slide stop with right thumb.

'Positive insert and rack' movements are the same as what is needed to clear 'failure to feed' or 'failure to extract' malfunctions.

The "truth be told" comparison chart:

	Glock	Springfield Armory XD	Smith & Wesson M&P
Year introduced:	1984	2002	2006

Factory issue sights	outline and dot, plastic	three dot, steel	three dot, alloyed
Trigger reach	good; better than most	great; one of the easiest	variable 3 backstraps incl.
Trigger reset distance / feel	short / very positive reset	long / somewhat positive	short / reset not easily felt
Loaded chamber indicator	yes, the extractor	yes, piece on top of slide	viewable from slide top
Slide release size/location	small / centered	medium / centered	medium / centered + ambi
Mag release type/resistance	standard / medium	ambi / medium	reversible / easy
Ease of loading w/ slide fwd (insert mag, rack slide)	med. resistance rec.spring slide somewhat slippery	med. resistance rec.spring grip safety must be held	light recoil spring slide serrations very good
Ease of using slide release	small slide release	big slide release yet tough	perfect size and easiest
Depressing mag release - when using firing hand	technique req'd, then easy :shift grip slightly, press rel	easy; also is ambi release :least shifting required	easy; can be switched :sometimes too easy to rel
Ease of locking slide to rear - while being muzzle aware	medium resistance slide rel. easy to push up	heavy resistance and grip safety must be held	light recoil spring pushing up slide rel. easy
Ease of disassembly	med-easy; least # of parts	medium, don't detail strip	easy, do not detail strip
Rust resistance	virtually rust proof	rusts like crazy even SS	medium rust resistance
Price (U.S. retail) (for standard models 9/.40)	$ 599.00 KGS price: $ 549.00	$ 571.00 KGS price: $ 549.00	$ 656.00 KGS price: $ 565.00
Worst of it	releasing mag technique somewhat tough at first	difficult to lock the slide to rear, rusts like crazy * '08: finish seems better*	can lose takedown tool, their Melonite finish over stainless slide still can rust
Best of it	best track record, longest history, does not rust	easy to release mags, shortest reach to trigger	easy to grip & rack slide, 3 backstraps included

Mag out, lock slide to rear: the grip safety in the XD design must be depressed in order to have the slide run fully rearward,

while a strong push upward on slide stop with thumb will lock slide to the rear. (AND being conscious of muzzle direction)

Recoil spring tension in XD is heavy; this requires individuals to get used to the resistance in locking XD slides to the rear.

Glock handguns have the longest running success, and I believe their short and positive trigger reset along with

simplicity makes them the best still to this day (they have been in sucessful production for more than 20 years!).

The XD handguns provide an easiest, shortest reach to the trigger yet many consumers are not taught or

shown tips on locking slide to the rear while still pressing the grip safety and being muzzle conscious.

M&P handguns by S&W proves that they took considerable effort and thought in design and made a

great handgun for those who have concerns with trigger reach and lesser upper body strength. Well done.

** A common question especially in the tropics is "in the worst conditions; which finish holds up the best?"

Even though Springfield started to employ a Melonite finish like Smith & Wesson's M&P, it still does rust.

From what has been seen with store inventory, if not kept oiled, just one handling session still causes rust.With consumer's guns - if circumstances led to not being able to oil and maintain the firearms, it will be apparent.

Many claim "XDs or M&Ps don't rust" - try a mild 'natural disaster' test and they will. So will Sig's Nitron.

The tennifer treatment of Glock hanguns is undeniably the best in tropic / marine climates or in adverse

conditions. Contrary to what many articles claim, matte stainless of various handguns is the worst,

as the brown of rust is more visible and freckling is bound to happen - those who train hard will see it.

Since I utilize a large number of handguns for teaching and personal use; if it can rust, I get it refinished with

special rust-resistant coatings. Operating a shop & teaching each week with many (20+) class guns requires it.

A Big Thumbs Up

Great advancements in LED light technology

Awesome support from Streamlight for their new TLR1 LED handgun light

Here is the TLR1 mounted on a S&W M&P pistol, and it contacted the concrete at an angle similar to pic above . . .

Gotta agree - way cool huh . . . Bam! Dent the aluminum housing, crack the glass lens, and it still lit up via switch.

Here it sits on a Shooting Industry magazine 'bragging ad' - sent it to Streamlight to see if they would honor their ad.

This is actual text in their manual that is packed with the TLR1 LED. How's that? Pleasantly unbelievable.

". . . any Streamlight product that does not work or that you manage to break for as long as you own it."

A look inside the front housing reveals how simple and utterly rugged today's LED offerings are. These TLR1 Streamlights are solid!! One bad part of their design however, is the right-hand biasing of switch operation for

the activation momentary/constant for this TLR1. Same design was seen for the earlier model M-3s to M-6s.

The TLR1 body design has an interesting clamp for affixing to frame rails. Battery changes are a bit tough to do

due to a very resistant spring steel clip for battery compartment door. LED diode truly is a winner over bulbs!

These lights are giving Surefire's LED series a tough run in the market . . . and Surefire does kick butt too!!

Thumbs Down

The worst 1911 copy made - & foolish claims in advertising by manufacturers

Taurus' PT 1911

A full-page Taurus 1911 ad in a typical gun magazine; "We didn't rewrite history. We just updated it by 95 years."

My retort on their bold words: Baloney and blasphemy. They made a poor showing of it.

Now on to the BS list from Taurus. As seen from the picture above, below is the enlarged text showing what this manufacturer claims are the 'custom features' that a customer is saving on versus having a gunsmith work on a 1911.

I almost cannot begin to list how screwed up this list is. Anyone who has had the opportunity to handle and then fire a well-made 1911 from any reputable manufacturer with most or all of the above as listing ought to inspect a Taurus 1911 and compare the worksmanship as well as what is the 'given norm' on today's 1911 competitive manufacturing.

They will quickly pick out poor worksmanship and poor quality the moment one looks over a Taurus PT 1911.

Read the list. Most of the itemized 'features' are "gimmes" on today's offerings from various 1911 manufacturers.

To make a total of $2,100 also is a psychological ad-winner; it even made me take notice. (of how BS it all is)

Here is the zinger: Taurus puts their PT 1911 at a retail price of $600. How the holy heck can it be $600 vs $2,100?

IT CAN'T. Something (most everything) has to be lacking. And there is a tremendous inflation of itemized values.

< Checking as of June 2007, now the retail on their blued 'custom' 1911 is $703!! >

Rear sight and front sight is way off the slide - and the front sight looks like it is ready to leave the slide's dovetail!

This proves slide's milling cuts of dovetails are off - many PT 1911s at a distributor are reported to ALL be this way.

These are otherwise well-known and reputable Heinie sights ($150 value on the list above!) What an embarrasment!

These two pictures show how it should be done (foreground: Charles Daly, background: Kimber).

For front and rear sights dovetailed into 1911 slides; there should be perfect installation and even a $525 Daly has it.

Above are comparisons in hammers. Foreground: Taurus, background: Charles Daly. I would not 'pay' or consider Taurus' wild figure of $60 (!!!) for their standard ring hammer - what they call a 'target hammer'. More than the oval appearance; a well-prepped trigger works in conjunction with a certain lighter mass of a hammer; and by the way:

this Taurus specimen had a horrible trigger, and by its characteristices, will not improve over time of break-in firing.

Taurus' ad list itemized: Skeleton Serrated Trigger: $100(!) Trigger Job: $100(!!)

I always point out the merits, to be fair, and the grip safety and mainspring was alright. HOWEVER, back to the list.

I would not account $60 for the 'checkered mainspring housing' - that is a given in competitive manufacturer's 1911s,

and I would never pay anyone ($50 according to Taurus' list above) to have a sloppily checkered area under trigger!

Look at that! Fore and aft border of trigger guard underside checkering is uneven and not positive. Shows again that the frame dimensions were sloppy and uneven. The most careful hand checkering cannot ever compensate for this.

Perhaps the most sad is the frontstrap checkering when it comes to 'custom features' that comes with this pieceocrap.

$150 is what Taurus lists for their buggered frontstrap (on the left propped up on their 2nd crap magazine $30 value)

The left reveals mashed appearance of checkering lines toward the frame's opening for magwell - notice how the flash reflecting off wide un-pointed serrations reveal how sloppy the frame finishing is. Once again, all checkering, whether done by hand or by a machine, cannot compensate for an uneven frame surface. On the right is a Kimber 1911.

Kimber's 30 line-per-inch checkering is neat and complete, giving true value to 'extra features' when done right.

And I need to address the 2nd magazine that Taurus lists. I would never trust that 8-rd blued Brazil-stamped junk

for a listed value of $30 when Wilson Combat's excellent #47D 8-rd stainless mag can be had for the same price!

On the left is Taurus' less-than-desirable checkering run short of meeting grip panels, right is Kimber's fine product.

Taurus: This is what you call a custom gun?? It does shame to any beginning 'smith with the substandard parts, poor frame and slide machining, and a joke of a value in frame checkering services. This example from Taurus prevents many consumers from appreciating and respecting what a true semi-custom/production or full custom 1911 is worth.

Some clients of mine try to help me with my frustrations on this sad example of a 1911 with comforting words as:

"well what can you expect for $600", and "people get what they pay for" - thank you for the thoughts, 'preciate it.

But I will not stay quiet on guns like this when literally millions of gunowners and more important - soon to be gun owners - are looking, eager to buy a "custom 1911" and then settling for a $600 pieceocrap that will have no resale value, no quality built in, and no pride of ownership. $600 could have gone toward an achievable $900 or even a

little higher like $1,000 or $1,200 where the consumer would have pride of ownership and buy quality once.

< As of June 2007, retail on their blued 'custom' 1911 is now $703!! >

If a 'beater gun/leave-it-alone' 1911 (we know how short that really lasts) is what one claims to want, then just get

a Springfield basic GI ($545) or Charles Daly ($525) and avoid paying a single dollar more for buggered up crap.

When companies brag about their product this much in a nationwide ad, it better measure up or it should be avoided!