Remington 1100

How could I forget to blog about one of my favorite semi-auto shotguns! The Remington 1100 12ga is my shotgun of choice for shooting trap and it does one hell of a job at that. I picked up my 1100 used but in good condition and haven't switched back to any other shotgun since when shooting trap. Being a semi-auto the recoil is much lighter then using an O/U or a pump. My 1100 is actually in a magnum configuration, it accepts 3" magnum shells. After doing some research I found out my gun was made in the late 1980's and has been known to not cycle low powered shells. Luckily my club uses high velocity bird shot for trap so it cycles just fine. The barrel has a built in full choke which isn't ideal for steel shot but I haven't seen any issues yet. The build quality on this gun is great very firm and the attention to detail on the engraved receiver is supreme. I was a little worried at first getting a gas operated semi-auto but I have since realized that it is just as easy to clean as my Remington 870. If you have a chance definitely try this gun out.

The .45 Longslide with Laser Sighting

This handgun should look very familiar to anyone who is a fan of action movies. The .45 longslide pictured here with laser sighting is from the movie the Terminator. The actual gun is an AMT Hardballer with a longslide. The laser mounted on this gun had a wire to a pack of batteries because the technology just wasn't around at the time to have it all in one. AMT is no longer around but you should be able to find a few of these floating around online or at a gun show. If you decide to put a laser on it you should be able to find a smaller one.    

Springfield XD

I recently got the pleasure of going shooting with a buddy of mine this past weekend who owns a Springfield XD .45 compact. This gun has a very tall slide which makes it look a little funny. I don't get around to shooting much .45 ACP so it was a bit of a step up from my usual 9mm handguns. The magazines for this gun have a nice stainless steel shell which I enjoyed and also looks nice. The slide release is very stiff and will clearly need some time to break in. A feature that I have never seen before was the safety on the back of the grip. Aesthetically I am not a big fan of these guns but they do shoot great!

Sig Sauer Mosquito

It's been quite some time since my last post so I figured I'd do a quick one on this little guy. The Sig Sauer Mosquito a little .22 caliber pistol I picked up used. This gun is fun to shoot when it actually shoots, I am not blaming the gun on this the ammo I used wasn't very good. I feel as if most small .22 ammo isn't going to be super reliable. The nice things about this gun is you get the feel of a Sig Sauer handgun but only have to feed it cheap ammo. Worth grabbing if you want a cheap Sig.

Glock 34 Gen 3

Shot this gun today for the first time at the range and I am impressed. The trigger pull on the Glock 34 Gen 3 is set to 4.5 pounds which is just about right for some fun target shooting. The recoil is very light compared to the Glock 17. With the ported slide you have the option of getting a custom ported barrel and help reduce recoil even more. I didn't have time to mess around with the adjustable rear sights so I can't really comment on how much that plays into being on target. My only qualm with shooting this gun was that a few casing hit me right in the forehead as if they were being ejected straight back. Next step will be taking this to a steel target match to really see its true colors.

Butler Creek Universal Pistol Loader

Big into semi auto pistols? Why yes I am but I hate loading the magazines because they are so damn tight! Enter the Butler Creek pistol loader, it works with 9mm to .45 acp. This little device makes loading pistol magazines nice and easy while still a tedious task it will cut down on time and pain. The build quality on these are great, nice hard plastic and metal parts that should last forever. You can find these at most gun shops or Amazon.com for around $25 to $30. I know my thumbs appreciated this purchase.

Cerakote M&P 9mm

Just wanted to put up some pictures of a recent custom job I had done on my Smith&Wesson M&P 9mm. The slide was done in satin Cerakote. The work was done by Business End Customs.

Buisneshttp://www.businessendcustoms.com/Business_End_Customs_Glock.php

SSAK-47 XRS

I know most gun owners out there have heard about this product already, I have used it and figured I might as well do a quick review. The Slide Fire Solutions SSAK-47 XRS stock is a great buy if you are looking to have some bump firing fun. Some people will say that $299 for a gun stock is outrageous just remember that it will essentially give you a fully automatic rifle. The stock is one whole piece with the grip and has a knob on it which you can use to lock it in position or have it slide. I have installed one of these on a WASR-10 and you can tell that it is a little loose because no stamped gun is perfect. The main thing to remember about this product is that you shouldn't go about shooting hundreds of rounds all at once on your now "full auto" gun. The heat alone will ruin the barrel and most likely burn your hand. It is ATF approved just in case anyone was wondering!

http://www.slidefire.com/products/gun-stocks/ssak-47-xrs  

AR-15 Polymer Lower

Back in the day guns were all made of steel and that is just the way it was! Until of course Glock pistols came along and the age of polymer firearms exploded. At first people didn't take to kindly to "plastic" guns but once the word got out of how tough and reliable they were things changed. The AR-15 rifle was a pioneer firearm for using plastic parts mixed with steel and aluminum. The main part of an AR-15 which is the only part considered a "firearm" is the lower receiver. The image above is a stripped lower receiver but unlike all other AR-15 lowers this one is made of a polymer. American Tactical Imports offers a stripped polymer lower receiver for only $39.95. Not a bad deal for a lower, there are sure to be some speculators who don't fully approve of a "plastic" lower receiver, for probably the same reasons polymer pistols were accepted slowly in the gun community. I haven't tried one of these out yet but I feel that enough testing has gone into them that they will be common in the future.

Desert Ordnance M60

If you have ever seen an action movie involving a large amount of firearms there is a pretty high chance you have seen the M60 machine gun being used. Sylvester Stallone made it famous in Rambo First Blood while going insane in a police station. I personally find this gun to be incredibly fun to use in any video game that simulates it properly. SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals on the playstation 2 did a terrific job on it. For gun owners in America a real M60 machine gun will cost upwards of $100,000 plus all the licensing and Federal requirements of owning a machine gun. That is a ton of money just for a gun and don't forget it will be hungry for ammo which isn't cheap these days. Luckily there is an alternative out there. Desert Ordnance makes a semi-auto M60 in a couple different configurations. They also make a semi-auto SAW M249. Being semi auto you can buy it just like any other rifle except it will cost you $13,000. That may seem like way to much money for just one gun but in reality it isn't that bad and you are getting an M60. Just try and imagine going to your club with this thing, you would instantly become everyone's best friend.

http://store.desertord.com/SAM60E4M1.html

    

Lone Wolf Conversion Barrel

I'll start of by saying I am a 9mm guy, I try to keep all my semi auto pistol purchases to 9mm. I came across a great deal for a Glock 27 pistol and couldn't resist garbing it. I wasn't super pumped that it was a .40 S&w pistol but I was willing to give it a try, this would be my first .40 pistol. I enjoyed shooting the .40 but I didn't want to have different ammo to carry and 9mm is much cheaper. I found out that Lone Wolf makes a 40-9 conversion barrel for a select Glock pistols. I got one for $99 at MidwayUSA and it has been one of the best handgun accessories I have ever purchased. I have yet to have a jam with it and the 9mm Glock 26 magazines fit just fine. Buying this barrel is like having a Glock 27 and Glock 26. I would actually suggest anyone thinking of buying a Glock 26 to just get a 27 and then buy this barrel. Because the .40 is a larger caliber you can't convert up from 9mm.

Smith&Wesson 686

Ah the Smith&Wesson 686 .357 Magnum my most recent purchase. This is my first revolver and I am already in love. I have shot revolvers before but never really got into them. I have been looking at magnum revolvers for awhile but couldn't decide which one to get. The .44 magnums only shoot that caliber so you don't have a cheap alternative to load it with, the same with the 500 magnum. The 686 however allows you to shoot both the .357 and .38 special and the difference in price and recoil is huge. This gun isn't a large frame revolver yet it seems massive compared to any semi auto pistol. The ability to shoot double action and single action is a really nice treat. I feel that with revolvers you appreciate you rounds more, you tend to not shoot them so fast and try harder to get on target. With the ability to only hold 6 rounds at once I would describe shooting this as short and sweat. Nothing beats the sound of pulling back the trigger and hearing the click of the hammer when set in place to fire. I will be spending plenty of time on the range with this new gun and suggest the same for anyone looking for their first revolver. Prices are around $690-$730.