I Don't Like Working on CZ-75s

I took my CZ-75B SA apart yesterday afternoon.  Today, I polished the trigger bow and sides of the hammer.  I reduced the hammer hooks some, and changed the sear angle a bit.  Good news is that I got the pull weight down a few ounces.  Bad news is that there's still pretty much the same amount of creep, and the hammer still cams back when I pull the trigger.  I'm going to have to take it apart, cut the hammer some more, and get it all back together again.  I will probably hold off on the sear angle until after I check to see if the hammer/sear engagment is even on both sides.

I'm not looking forward to this.  There are a lot of little parts and springs and pins in these Czech pistols.

I've worked on 10/22s, AR-15s, and AKs.  I even managed to take an M1 Garand apart, and get it back together properly a couple times.  I've done trigger jobs on a good half a dozen Glocks and a couple 1911s, and replaced the leaf hammer springs in Colt and S&W revolvers.  The CZ-75 wins for being the most fiddly and frustrating auto to work on, and my single-action doesn't even have a decocker, which I'm told are even more fiddly and frustrating than the thumb safety pistols.

My Korean Glock Mags Are Going Bad

A couple or few weeks ago, I was at the indoor range, and I noticed as I was loading a couple of my 17-round Korean Glock magazines that something was odd.  The feed lips weren't holding the cases very well at the front.  Wasn't long before a bullet jammed against the barrel hood instead of going into the chamber.  The feed lips had spread out.

I went to the outdoor range after work to do some chronograph testing, and noticed that one of my 15-round KCI Glock magazines was not dropping free.  I don't know when or how it happened, but the top-front of the magazine had peeled away.

I guess I'm not really surprised that the mags failed, just a little disappointed.  My first post about the Korean magazines was back in 2010, so I would bet that each of these magazines has well over a thousand rounds through them.  They have been my primary range mags for years.

Glock Triggers - OEM, Vickers, Apex

I noticed that the Apex trigger seemed to offer a longer length-of-pull.  Having a few different ones on hand, I tried to line up a few on a sight in target to show how they compare.  Connector is the same for all photos.  Frame is a Polymer80, but in comparing the triggers to each other, and nothing else, this shouldn't matter.

OEM plastic Glock trigger:

Vickers/TangoDown plastic trigger:

Apex trigger:

I have large hands, and I like the additional length-of-pull that the Apex offers at least for the 9mm/.40 frames, and it reduces the trigger pull by a few ounces.  The trigger safety dingus will go flush or below flush with the face of the trigger when depressed, and is quite comfortable.

The Vickers safety dingus sticks out when depressed, and the toe is a bit sharp, which can be irritating, and could possibly cause a blister during a pistol class or a high-round-count shooting session.  The Vickers trigger is about half the price of the Apex ($35 vs. $75), but I still prefer the Apex.

Last Photo of Rock Island G.I. Before Cutting On It

Posting one last picture of the Rock Island FS GI 9mm before I start to cut on it.  I haven't changed much since I posted the review, with the exception of the stainless EGW National Match barrel bushing, which you can kinda see in the photo here. 

I don't really need to change the trigger, but I want the black trigger for a stainless frame pistol, to be completed later, maybe 2019.  I'm going to need to change the pre-travel adjustment for the new hammer and sear anyway.

It will be getting a new grip safety also, but I'm not going to show that just yet.  The G.I. grip safety isn't so bad, after you "melt" it a little bit, but the web of my hand gets hooked on the frame tangs sometimes, which keeps me from getting a consistent grip.

I now have a milling machine in the basement, so will be doing most of the work myself.  I think I may hand off the slide to a local gunsmith for staking the front sight.  I don't want a dovetailed front sight for this particular pistol.  I want to use the Bo-Mar front sight and I don't particularly want to buy or make a staking tool just for this one job.  I also want the job done well the first time, since I can't just order another Bo-Mar front sight from Brownell's, Midway, or from the manufacturer.

CMP Have Lost Their Damn Minds!

Okay, so the CMP has been telling us that they'll be selling off 1911 pistols for years now, right?  Well, the Chief Operating Officer of the CMP has announced the terms of the sales.

The price per pistol is to be somewhere around $1000.  Buyers must apply with all the usual qualifications for CMP sales, plus must supply proof of passing a NICS background check, and a copy of the FFL of the licensed dealer that will be transferring the pistol.  "The CMP customer will be required to complete a form 4473 in person and successfully complete another NICS check by the recipient FFL holder before the pistol can be transferred."  Mail order sales of one pistol per year, ONLY.  No sales at CMP stores.  C&R FFL holders are not eligible, for some reason.

I'm not sure where they get off charging $1000 for rattly old pistols that our parents, grandparents, or maybe great grandparents already paid for.  I'm not just disappointed, I'm angry.

Depending on the time period, and manufacturer, the government price for a 1911 pistol would range from about $15 to $492.  You can read a little about that here.

1985, Jeff Cooper Comments on the Beretta M9 Pistol

Kind of follow up to the 80's review of the Glock 17, we have Jeff Cooper's commentary on the then-new M9 pistol, the Beretta 92F in civilian nomenclature in the November/December 1985 issue of American Handgunner, starting on page 61.

Cooper and friends fired a few thousands rounds thought the new service pistol, attempting to wrap their brains around the new design.

The pistol mounts a curious two-sided hammer-dropper on the top rear of the slide.  When this switch is depressed it drops the cocked hammer safely on a live round.  Why it is desirable to be able to do this on both sides of the weapon is not clear.  Dropping the hammer on a live round is not the sort of act one needs to perform in a hurry, and might just as well be handled by a skate key.

The trigger pull in the cocked mode is best described as fair-to-poor, and in the unlocked mode as unsatisfactory.

A curious feature is the placement of the slide-stop so far to the rear that it is normally depressed by the firing thumb when shooting.  This, of course, prevents the slide from locking open on the last shot.  The slide-stop should properly be placed on the right side of the weapon, since her again is a device which is never needed in a hurry.

I often don't agree with Col. Cooper.  This is one of those occasions.  Clearing a double-feed pretty much requires locking the slide open, which would be pretty difficult if the slide-stop were on the right side, and the users hands were wet and/or bloody.  Even besides that, I'm one who charges and empty pistol by thumbing down the slide-stop.  I don't have any problem with the Beretta slide-stop.

There is also a paragraph or two about how the Berettas can be fired by pushing back the exposed trigger bar, which runs along the right side of the frame, but this is so much more difficult than pulling the trigger, that I believe that it's mostly an attempt at fear-mongering.

The unanimous and independently reached impression of those who shot the piece here at the ranch is that it was not designed by, or for, shooters.

Mmm.  Well, the Beretta 92 was an evolution of several older models of similar pistols.  I think it's fair to say that the 92/M9 pistols were designed by shooters who used pistols differently than Cooper, and therefor had different ideas on how pistols were used.

There is, of course discussion of how the 9mm is inferior to .45ACP for the purposes of the pistol's intended goal of self-defense, which is true, when we consider ball ammo, and 1980 defense ammo.  And. . . this also will come as no great surprise.

. . . the old 1911 Colt is the best thing in common use at this time.

And then Cooper closes with some very damning words.

In 1860 the Union Army was sent into combat with a 44-caliber cap-and-ball single-action revolver, a defensive sidearm far superior to that which we have adopted in 1985. . .  When we went to war in 1941 the United States headed its young men the best personal fighting tool the world has ever seen.  Times, however, have changed.

Glock 17 Review from 1985

Another find from the digital copies of vintage American Handgunner.  On page 40 of the September/October 1985 issue is a review of the Glock 17 by Anthony Carlyle.  Although the writer states a preference for blued steel and walnut, he was pretty open-minded about it, and praised most of the same aspects of the design that many have throughout the decades.

Thoughts on Powder Coated Bullets

I'll give my nutshell opinion on pistol bullets. Jacketed bullets are great, but are about the most expensive bullets you can buy, and my range no longer allows them when shooting steel targets after one range officer took a trip to the ER after getting hit with a bullet jacket. Plated bullets, in my experience are tempermental - you will get huge groups if you don't flare the case mouth enough or the crimp cuts into the plating. Lubed cast lead bullets are fine and cheap, but if you rapid fire, you'll end up standing in a cloud of nasty acrid smoke, especially if you use a hot-burning powder like TiteGroup. Powder coating adds a little cost over cast bullets, but you don't get as much smoke, and I get 50 extra feet per second, plus you can use them in polygonal barrels without lead buildup in most cases. Coated bullets are kind of the best compromise, provided that you are not going for ultimate bullseye accuracy.

I will throw in a quick note, that I will not buy Black Bullets again. I measured diameters with a micrometer, and checked the variation in bullet weight, and they were horrible. I don't know if Roger's Better Bullets are cost effective if you need to mail order, but they were three times more consistent in weight in diameter compared to Black Bullets.

Lost Secret to Setting Up Seating Dies

The following is a tip published in the May/June 1985 issue of American Handgunner.  It could apply to adjusting seating dies when loading bullets with cannelures or revolver bullets with crimp grooves.  The bolt will work as-is for pistol bullets, but you would have to cut some kind of indentation into the tip of the bolt if you were loading pointed rifle bullets.

Texas reader Lannie Dietle suggests dialing a 7/8thsx14x3-inch hexhead bolt into your reloading press to facilitate determining desired seating depth.

"Ordinarily," says Dietle, "this adjustment is a trial-and-error process, performed with the use of the seating die. The disadvantage of using the seating die is inherent in the fact that the operation can't be observed. One must proceed in small increments, checking constantly, until the proper seating depth is discovered. 

"Using the 7/8ths bolt, instead of the die, one can see both the case and the bullet during the entire operation. All you have to do is press the bullet up against the tip of the bolt until the case mouth is properly aligned with the cannelure.  It is then an easy matter to adjust the seating die by lowering the seating plug until it contacts the correctly-seated bullet.  Subsequent seating is performed using the die." 

Matt Damon Praises Australian Gun Laws

In a recent interview, celebretard Matt Damon praised Australia's "sensible" gun laws.

“You guys did it here in one fell swoop and I wish that could happen in my country, but it’s such a personal issue for people that we cannot talk about it sensibly.” Damon says during a chat Down Under. “People get so emotional that even when you make a suggestion about not selling AK-47s to people on terror watch lists, that’s a non-starter. I don’t know what needs to happen.”

Well, I think I know what needs to happen.  We need to stop watching Matt Damon movies.

Hat tip to RURdy4it

MSNBC Carry Poll

Click here to vote on the MSNBC carry poll.

Do you think people should be able to carry guns in public?

Palmetto State Armory AR-15 Premium Bolt Carrier Group - $79.99

Click screen-cap to go to PSA product page.

This is one I have to share.  I'm not too sure about the quality of the extractor spring, but everything else sounds good, and it's going to be really hard to beat this, comparing apples to apples.  Just be forewarned that PSA is not the fastest to ship, so it might take more than a week before you get your order.

Hat Tip - Mrgunsngear

sarah brady Passed April 3, 2015

I'm just going to leave this here, as I can't think of anything particularly respectful to say about it.

mattv2099 Public Service Announcement: Check Your AK Safety

Make sure that your AK won't fire if you flip the safety up too high.  If the safety isn't notched properly, it will trip the disconnector and release the hammer.

Glock 19 and 26 Magazines $15 Each

Lucas Tactical is selling some new Factory Glock magazines for $15 each, which I haven't seen. . . ever, I guess.  The 17-round 9mm magazines are sold out, but they have 15-round G19 magazines and 10-round G26 magazines left.

Shipping was $6 for 5 magazines.

It will be interesting to see how many hits I get on this post, given that I haven't posted anything in 6 months.

Worst. Gun Review. Ever.

Beretta's New Super Rifle, by Douglas MacIntyre, was posted to Yahoo! Finance.

Gun company Beretta is tone deaf when it comes to calls for restrictions on powerful guns sold in the United States. It must be the chance to make money.

Now, this is a short article on the Beretta ARX100, which isn't terribly powerful, no matter how you configure it.  And yes, they make money selling guns.  Duh.

And maybe most important of all, the ARX100 is reasonably priced at $1,950, which does not include bullets.

Oh, my!  Only $1950!  I think I have that stuck between the seat cushions in my car.

Most of the rest of the article is regurgitated from Beretta's press release.

Tiger McKee - Dry Fire May Induce Bad Habits

Skill Set: Bad Habits by Tiger McKee

Almost everyone recommends dry fire practice, but there may be dangerous bad habits ingrained from the practice, particularly when you cock a pistol or rifle with your finger on the trigger to practice resetting the trigger.  Have you just trained yourself to leave your finger on the trigger when your gun goes "click" instead of "BANG"?

Reflections on SBR Laws and AR Pron

A little over a month ago, the BATFEABCNSAFYIXYZ Tech Branch sent a letter to police sergeant explainting that there is no law against shouldering a pistol, which got me to thinking.

This is a rifle with a 16" barrel.  No problem in most states.

This is a pistol.  No problem in most states, as long as you're 21 and don't attach a vertical foregrip.

This is still a pistol, even if you shoulder it, according to ATF Tech branch.  No worries.

Whoa there!!  This is an SBR.  Purchase or manufacture hindered by red tape.

The pistol with the SigTac arm brace is essentially the same size, with the same upper, as the Short Barreled Rifle, but the SBR requires a permission slip just because it has a proper rifle stock.

You can buy a rifle at 18 years old, but you have to be 21 to buy a handgun. Why? Because handguns are more deadly? In most cases, no, handguns aren't more deadly. It must be because pistols are more concealable.

So why is it that an SBR, which is larger than a pistol, but smaller than a "normal rifle," require fingerprinting, a chief law enforcement officer sign-off, a $200 tax, registration, and a 10 to 12 month wait to get the approval to take possession or build it?

In most states, you can go into a gun shop, or maybe a sporting goods store, and walk out the same day with either a tiny palm-sized pistol, or a long rifle, but something in between the two is taboo and quite heavily restricted?  It doesn't even matter if it's a single-shot or semi-automatic.  A H&R Handi-Rifle with a 15" barrel would be restricted basically the same as a machinegun, which is ridiculous.

The restriction on putting a vertical foregrip on a pistol seems to be just entirely arbitrary.  "They" don't want you to spray fire, and don't seem to want you to carefully aim either.  If you can own a pistol, then you can own a rifle, so what friggin' difference does it make if you hold a pistol with both hands?

Law, law, everywhere a law.  Do this, don't do that.  Can't you read the law?

It doesn't really make much sense, does it?

How about if we change the laws to require that you need to be 21 to buy a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16", or a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18", and just repeal all of the other nonsensical garbage?

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BOHICA! New Import Ban?

feinstein is at it again.  This time, she's not trying to pass legislation.  No, that hasn't been working.  She is trying to get support to get BATFE to halt the importation of more "non-sporting" guns.  I guess the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the semi-auto import ban of 1989 weren't enough for her.

This is her "wish list" with my comments in red:

• Prohibit importation of all semi-automatic rifles that can accept, or be readily converted to accept, a large capacity ammunition magazine of more than 10 rounds, regardless of the military pedigree of the firearm or the configuration of the firearm’s magazine well. - To ban military-style firearms that aren't military firearms, which seems very contradictory.  This would stop the importation of the Century WASR-10 rifles and Draco pistols.
• Prohibit semi-automatic rifles with fixed magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. - I guess seeking to preemptively ban work-around guns with welded-in magazines and 20-round Mauser Broomhandle replicas?
• Prohibit the importation of the frame or receiver of any prohibited rifle, regardless of whether it is incorporated into a fully manufactured firearm.
• Prohibit the practice of importing assault rifles in parts and then constructing the rifles once they are in the United States by adding the requisite number of American-made parts. - No more AK parts-guns, wiping out 922(r) compliance, although I don't see how this is enforceable without a new law.  How can anyone tell whether the AK I built in my basement was built last night, or 10 years ago.  Without registration, you can't tell.
• Prohibit the use of a “thumbhole” stock as a means to avoid classification of a rifle as an assault rifle. - Closing a "loophole" in the 1989 ban.  Naturally, they wouldn't have written in the "loophole" if they could get it to pass without it.  At any rate, classification of an assault rifle depends on the firing mechanism and selector switch, and really has nothing to do with the stock.
• Prohibit the importation of "assault pistols," in addition to "assault rifles." - I have no idea what this is about.  The importation of assault rifles was part of the 1968 ban, and I don't think there is a definition of "assault pistol," at least in federal law.

Basically this would affect all AKs except for the Century Arms Centurion 39, which is entirely made in America.  Once the supply of parts kits and sporterized AKs already in the country dry up, Krebs Custom, Red Jacket and other builders would have nothing left to build with.  It would also affect the building of semi-only STEN guns, and PPSH pistols, and a whole lot of others.

Of course, this attempt hinges on the 2nd Amendment not protecting non-sporting firearms, and the Supreme Court has already stated with their U.S. v. Miller and D.C. v. Heller decisions that the 2nd doesn't only protect firearms for sporting-uses.

You can read some more at The Bang Switch.  If you haven't written to your senators in a while, this would be the time.

Daily Caller article with Feinstein's letter to Obama about restricting imports.

Or have RURDY4ITNEWS read it to you.