The day you win the Bianchi cup is the day I will find a random hobo and kiss him on the mouth.
– pdb
Indiana USPSA SS/Prod/Revo match!
I’m off to shoot the match – hopefully I’ll have cell phone service out in BFE so I’ll be able to update the Gun Nuts Twitter with some live match updates! Should be a fun match, and I’ll just need to remember the revolver shooter’s motto: “Always be loading”.
Pistol caliber carbine shoot-out
Show of hands, how many people would like to see an article about the pro-cons of the various pistol caliber carbines on the market today? There seems to be a ton of interest in something like this, and if enough people would like to see it, I’ll see what I can do about making it happen.
Here’s the rough idea: vote for a carbine in the poll below, and after I decide I’ve had enough votes, I’ll pick the top three and try to see if I can lay hands on sample items and shoot them all together. A couple of ground rules though: the calibers will be the same across the board, so if a 9mm/.40 SW carbine wins, then I’ll pick a sample based on what ammo I’ll easily be able to procure a boatload of rounds for.
Voting is “Chicago style” – so vote as much as you want!
Links updated
I don’t update my blogroll that often, but I realized I was missing a cool dude from my “Pro Shooters” section – so I added a link to Ben Stoeger’s website on the sidebar. I also updated it to include a link to the Brian Enos Forums, which as I’ve mentioned is probably the best place to get info on the shooting sports.
Pimp my Sig
With the 25th Anniversary edition of the Sig P226, now you can own a gold plated Sig!
As pretty as the gun is, I don’t understand the appeal of guns that are gold plated and arguably “too nice to shoot”. If I bought a P226, it’d be to shoot and carry, not sit back and admire. But hey, I suppose that there’s a market for everything!
"Thwart" doesn't get used enough
Y’all see the man hanging out of the spaceship with the really big gun? I’m not saying you weren’t easy to find. It was kinda out of our way, and he didn’t want to come in the first place. Man’s lookin’ to kill some folk. So really, it’s his will y’all should worry about thwarting.
– Malcolm Reynolds
Masterpiece Arms Tactical Rifle in .45 ACP
Michael Bane got to play with the new toy from MasterPiece Arms and had some generally positive thoughts.
The MasterPiece Arms Mac-10 based Tactical Rifle in .45 ACP…no recoil…no malfunctions…and heck , you can’t get the darn thing to miss!
I wanted to add a couple of notes when I got back to the hotel…yes, the little beastie is heavy, but I’m not planning on schlepping it across Afghanistan. I’m thinking of more of a home defense gun…it’s short, handles easily, and I think the .45 ACP is a superior home defense round to a 7.62 (and yes, I have a FAL) unless you really really don’t like your neighbors!
Here’s the page at MasterPiece Arms on the Tactical Rifle, which they call their MPA1-SST-XX. 
It’s chambered in .45 ACP (also available in 9mm) with a 16 inch threaded barrel, AR style quad handguard, a muzzle break (seriously? – ed), 30 round magazine, vertical foregrip, and an AR style stock. Honestly though, the coolest thing is that it comes with the Holosight you see mounted on the top of the gun. MSRP for the whole package is $859.
While it’s running right on the border of “too much junk on your gun”, in general I’m a fan of .45 ACP carbines for home defense. .45 ACP carbines and SMGs have put a lot of bodies in the dirt, they’re generally easy to manage in recoil, fun to shoot, and definitely make a good ballistic compromise weapon. Sure, it’s not a “real” rifle, but it’s going to be easier to hit your target with a pistol caliber carbine than a true pistol.
Simplicity
The alternate title of this post being “stop putting crap all over your gun“. We all point and laugh at Rooney Guns and the people that dress their ARs up with rails stacked on rails on lights and other shenanigans, and it’s good to do that. The problem is that it’s also easy to obviously tell what a Rooney gun is, but it’s much harder to tell when you have “too much stuff” on your gun.
A wise woman (not a wise Latina) once said to me that “you take stuff off a gun to make it more reliable”, meaning that it’s generally foolishness to clutter up your pistol, rifle, or shotgun with all manner of unnecessary gadgetry. Unless your guns are set up for specific tasks that require specific gear, such as an Open Division 3-gun shotgun, the simpler your can keep your set-up the better off you’ll be. My personal set up is a pistol for every day carry, and a long gun for home defense. Your mileage may vary, but here’s what the guns I use every day have on them.
- Pistol: night sights and Crimson Trace Laser. No “reliability package” work from the gunsmith, no light triggers, no silly gimmick sights.
- Shotgun: A flashlight. That’s it. Still has the wood furniture.
- Carbine: a Magpul sling and a Crimson Trace Light/Laser foregrip.
This set up may or may not work for you. Some people may want an optic on their rifle or shotgun, and that’s fine; keep in mind that optics break and some require batteries. If I put less stuff on my gun, I get a lot of benefits. The primary benefit is that there is less stuff to break, and let’s face it – stuff breaks. The second benefit is that my guns are lighter, which means they’re easier to manuever around, and also means I’m more likely to shoot them in practice. The third benefit is that because I’m not spending money on all kinds of accessories, I get to spend more money on actually shooting my guns and increasing proficiency.
Remember though – the gear listed above is my set-up that works for my needs. I’m not engaging targets at 300 yards with my carbine; in the worst case scenario I’m hunkered down behind my bed with it yelling at the 911 operator to “get the cops here so I don’t have to plug this guy” while the alarm howls in the background. Although, there is one other reason I tend to eschew optics on fighting guns – anything I can do with iron sights I can do with an optic, but not vice versa. If I can shoot fast and accurate with an iron sighted rifle, carbine, or shotgun, I know that if I need to shoot fast and accurately with an optically sighted gun I’ll be able to do it.
Keep your guns simple, and spend that money on ammo and quality training – you will not regret the decision.
Diversity
Mal: Jayne, how many weapons you plan on taking? You only got the two arms.
Jayne: Well, I just get excitable as to choice. Like to have my options open.
From Serenity, film.
Indiana Single Stack/Production/Revolver Sectional
There are still some slots left for the 2010 Indiana Single Stack/Production/Revolver match in Warsaw, IN. It’s this weekend and there’s still time to get your entry in! We have a very active USPSA group here in Indiana, and by all reports last year’s Production/Single Stack match was a huge success, as was the 2009 USPSA State Championship.
For more info on the SS/Prod/Revo match, email [email protected] for the details and to see if there are slots available. I’d love to shoot the match, as the price is right – but it conflicts with my 4 year wedding anniversary. I’m pretty sure ditching my anniversary for a Level II match is a ticket to divorce!
If you’re in the Indiana/Kentucky/Illinois/Ohio area and looking for a major match this weekend, check out the SS/Prod/Revo match. You never know, you might bump shoulders with a top tier shooter – last year’s Production winner at the match was USPSA Grandmaster Bob Vogel in one of his many wins on his way to repeating as Production division National Champion. Email Jake Martens at [email protected] to get more information!