Be careful who you vote for

I'd rather not get into politics here in my blog much, however I feel that whos going to be in office soon may have an impact on your right to keep and bear arms. I seriously hope there aren't any firearms enthusiasts who are voting for Obama. I don't think people know the half of what they are voting for if they have Obama in mind. He has consistently voted time and time again for gun bans and ammunition bans, while giving you the campaign talk that he wont do anything with firearms rights, or lately talks about what is "reasonable." His version of "reasonable" restrictions are that you only have single shot guns. If thats so, whats the point? Be careful who you vote for. The second amendment is the foundation of most of what everything in our country is laid upon, and without it, all the other promisses one may make are just securities without liberties.

Springfield XDm (1)

The New Springfield XDm is available(The M Factor), which is a new edition and advancement over the previous Xd, which was already innovative. I had an XD 40, and as a lot of people know, they had a chamber indicator, a striker indicator, and a trigger safety detent like a Glock. And they have a grip that was built to be comfortable, and in my opinion, even more comfortable than Glock. The XD was built from scratch to be tough, reliable, robust and exceptionally accurate. And they are. (read Part 2)

Springfield XDm (2)

I like both the Glock line and the XD line pretty equally, but at the time I got the 40, I shot a 9mm version and it was unusually snappy compared to the Glock, so I tried the 40 and it had a smooth recoil. But honestly, I don't have any sort of problems with any of the XDs. And the XD45 came out with an unheard of 13+1 capacity in the behemoth .45 ACP cartridge. Glock, do you have a response? Now, I don't have a picture of it to post, I just could not find one, but one will be posted at some point. But I will point out that the new M factor has a smoother slide look than the old XD, which was a stepped fashion, kind of like a Sig with broad shoulders. For me, that looks better, plus they come with a match grade barrel (as if the old XD wasn't good enough *sarcasm*). More details as they come.

(Comment Poll) Which brand 1911 do you prefer?

1911s are great all around guns. Its been around for almost 100 years, designed by the Albert Eignstein of firearms development, John M. Browning. Originally assigned to Colt for mass production, today there are countless brands who say they are the best. I at this moment don't exactly have a favorite. When I get one, I know it will be a mid-length or a commander length, and it will be more of an elegance piece, since the Glock is my reliable no frills pistol. So I'm going to leave this up to you. Please tell me what brand 1911 is your favorite, and why that is. You have Kimber, Colt, Para Ordnance, Springfield, Wilson Combat, Smith & Wesson, and many more. And please be serious.

Calling all new generation gun owners

I am getting bored of the usual guns for sale. I have an AR15, I love them, but I know there are new cutting edge designs. The issues with the AR/M16/M4 are the gas system which are sensitive to fine particles such as the Mesopotamian sand. The charging handle is on the rear which is rather uncomfortable. The industry seems to be blindly fixated on the M16 class, when I know many people who are hungry for something new. The AR boasts some great features, but they are all technically 40 years old, and lets face it, the flat top reciever is not new. There is a reason it was called MIL-STD 1913, since its design was created in 1913. The difference is much of firearms took 8 decades to implement it. I'm not a rich person, but I'd say if its under $2000, I could feasably foam at the mouth and ready myself to afford one. I would like to see the Magpul Masada offered semi-auto and at your local dealer. I would like to see the HK G36 in a semi-auto configuration and offered at your local dealer. I would like to see space age, but reasonably affordable designs competing for my dollar. For now, all I can do is dream and wait.

The L85 - The biggest piece of crap

Many people know that the M16 got off to a bad start, it was deemed a piece of junk out of the box, (some called it the Mattel 16, because of its plastic design) but some bad decisions on implementing the rifle and its cartridge were mostly to blame, and nowadays, the M16/M4 are weapons soldiers can work with and it is accurate and deadly. But it has had that stigma ever since. But I have heard of another with a far, far worse track record. (read Part 2)

The L85 - The biggest piece of crap (2)

As an example, back in World War I, when the Americans joined the fight, many had to use the French Chauchat machine gun. If you sneezed on it, it would jam. It's biggest problem was jammed spent shells. Interesting in idea since it would allow you to walk out there with machine gun power without being stationary, but you would be fumbling with it to get it to fire before you would go one step. It had a half moon magazine with a slot in the middle to see the capacity, but it would pick up dirt. And using the 8mm Lebel cartridge, it was a massively necked down cartridge and so the magazine spring could not distribute the tension. Monster piece of junk it was.

The L85 - The biggest piece of crap (3)

Well, maybe it's not that bad, but the British L85 bullpup assault rifle requires babying it, otherwise you'll dent the reciever and it will not function well. The plastic parts get brittle and break. It works well enough, but there seems to be plenty of fuss time. It does have the benefit of a built in holo-sight, and soldiers seem to make very accurate shots with it. But it has gone through many modifications to get it better, and the British turned down an offer to go to the H&K G36. So remember, and you can look this up, but overall, the L85 is probably the biggest piece of crap, though the newer A2 version seems to be holding its own.

Gun Shop Blues

America is great! Freedom in capitalism, freedom of choices, freedom of guns. So when I have some spare money from paychecks working a job, I can buy a gun of my choice, because it's my hobby. Where do I go? A locally owned gun shop. Now, new gun owners often will go to a gun shop and look at their choices, ask the clerk/owner about them based on their experience, and it's good information. Then there's people like me who are experienced in firearms, and often this is where the trouble begins.

Gun Shop Blues (2)

Because there are so many companies and so many guns, there are so many opinions. The most recent time I went to one, I was looking for a scope base rail for my AR15 rifle, I didn't want to wait for delivery from online. I asked them if they had them, and they said no, because "they were getting away from the 'black rifle.' GIVE ME A BREAK!!! The AR15 is the most accessorizable rifle in the world, and places can make tons of money selling them for that particular gun alone. I don't know what they were going with that statement. I've been to another place that when I mentioned the company that made my AR, he alluded to it being a piece of crap, then tried to promote a Colt AR15. "Well, if you want a real AR, you go with a Colt, the best AR with the best value."

Gun Shop Blues (3)

Well, for some reason it is true, Colt has the best value, they are much more expensive than other ARs, and they tend to resell a lot higher, but in terms of quality, Colts are mediocre and average. Many companies strive to make better quality and fit and finish than Colts. It just amazes me that many people twice our age make up claims that are not true, and have not been tested, when I have seen for myself that they are not true, and it is just an opinion that they mix up the facts in a blender. It makes me wonder what misleading information gun shop proprietors give to new gun owners.

Nearly Endless choice of Handguns

I've taught my cousins and some friend how to shoot, and they all love it. I chose the Glock 9mm because its utterly reliable, sexy looking (yes, you hang around me long enough, and guns can be sexy!), easy to maintain, and magazines are everywhere. But I've always been well rounded on handguns, I've owned Rugers, and if I were to go to something not a Glock, Ruger would be my choice. They can be a little big, but they are utterly reliable and well built. I feel that some people hold .45 to a pedastal that wasn't there to begin with. Pistol cartridges are mediocre at best. 9mm is an all around excellent cartridge. It's suited to any service size design, and compared to it, calibers smaller than it don't even compare. So in the family of common pistol cartridges, there's lots of choices, and there are so many companies competing for your money and praise. The way I look at it, you have to choose a caliber your going to like, and chose a pistol that works well for you. If it isn't comfortable for you, you wont like it. Some may have characteristics that don't work well for you. So its all choice, and so there isn't room to judge one from another, unless you've had physical mechanical problems and/or finish problems and premature wear. So when I teach people, I imbue them with that part of the fun is researching and trying each one out, even shooting them before making a choice. Then, ones you've shot, you can tell others based on your experience that it may be good for them.