Time to test a new gun, while the Dan Wesson is off at NRA getting its photo taken for Rifleman. We’re starting with the Kimber Pro Carry II in 9mm, and like all of test guns it starts with the 10-8 Performance test.
I don’t care that you’ve already seen this 1,000 times on your Facebook feed. It’s Friday, it makes me laugh. FREEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
710 rounds in and no failures of any type. The most recent range session was a simple, 200 round USPSA warm-up session using the excellent Birchwood Casey reduced USPSA targets. I’ve been using these targets to train with because they’re almost exactly half the size of a regular USPSA target; plus when I’m training on a single lane indoor range I can hang two of them on the carrier and work on transitions. Like my friend Annette says, “splits are for show, transitions are for go.”
You bet I am. I know it seems silly, but I haven’t shot a match of any level in nearly 2 years. In fact, the last match I shot was the 2014 IDPA Nationals in September of that year, and then I put my guns down for a while. I had other things I needed to do and priorities on where to spend my money.
But this year, as I’ve previous mentioned, I’m back! And I’m excited, because I actually really do enjoy shooting matches. I’m hoping that having taken 18 months off will help remember the fun I had when shooting, because to be honest by the end of 2014 I was pretty burned out on travel and matches and all of that. But now I’ve had some considerable downtime, and I’m legitimately excited about shooting a club match. Which if I’m honest, feels pretty good.
Firearms are relatively simple machines to understand. You load them, you point them at something you want to put a hole in, and then you pull the trigger. Easy, right?
So why in the name of Zeus is it so bloody hard to get people to avoid pointing guns at things they don’t want to blow a hole in?
“Excuse me, sir, but would you like to put a bullet through your hand? No? THEN DON’T POINT THE GUN AT YOUR HAND!”
I see this kind of stuff far too often when I’m at the range. On more than one occasion I have actually laid hands on another person to redirect the muzzle of their weapon away from either an innocent person who did not deserve to get shot, or in a couple of cases their own anatomy.
On a trip to the NRA range when I was shooting a drill, out of the corner of my eye I saw Todd Green dive into the next lane. I immediately ceased fire, brought my gun to a ready position and moved. I looked over to see Todd shoving an 8mm Mauser rifle away from my direction. The woman handling the rifle had it pointed directly at me.
Todd got a few inches away from the woman’s face and very sternly said “Do not point guns at my friends.”
Was he being rude? Hell no. He was doing exactly what everybody should do when someone POINTS A LETHAL WEAPON AT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. Endangering the life of another person REQUIRES an immediate and stern rebuke.
You know what is rude? POINTING A LETHAL WEAPON AT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.
In this video we have a clear example of where an immediate and unmistakable correction could have prevented gunshot wound. The victim here appears to be the person who is less familiar with firearms of the pair in the video. I’m all for taking people to the range, but when we do it is incumbent upon us to emphasize safe handling and correct any mistakes instantly and unmistakably.
When the shooter here put his hand in front of the muzzle the proper response would have been to IMMEDIATELY direct the gun away from his anatomy and very simply say “Don’t point guns at anything you don’t want to kill!”
If someone is unable to take that sort of correction, they don’t need to be handling a gun.
Of course, the shooter here did not mean to do any harm to himself or anyone else. He was simply being careless with a very dangerous object.
But tell me…did his lack of malice matter? Did he get any less shot because he didn’t mean to do it?
Bullets are stupid. They do the same amount of damage whether you intended to launch one or not. So it is not a trivial matter when someone puts the muzzle on human anatomy…be it yours or theirs.
Rule 1 is rule 1 for a reason. You can screw up every other rule of handling a firearm, but if you observe rule 1 then there is some embarrassment and perhaps some drywall to repair but that’s it. If you screw up Rule 1 then somebody bleeds. Someone is permanently injured. Someone dies.
One of the items brought up during the test of the Rock Island Armory was how well the gun would hold up under a round count that, quite frankly, is unusually for owners of this brand to put their guns through. To find out, I field stripped the RIA and checked several critical areas for signs of frame battering, barrel rollover, or any other critical issues.
Grinnell, Iowa (April 12, 2016) – The 77-year-old, Iowa-based firearm industry giant Brownells, Inc. has opened its first ever retail store location in Grinnell, Iowa. Known worldwide for its all-things-firearms website – Brownells.com – and their enormous catalogs, the Grinnell retail store marks the company’s first brick and mortar location.
The 7,000 sq. ft. retail store, attached to Brownells’ new 245,000 sq. ft. distribution center, is located at 3006 Brownells Parkway in Grinnell, Iowa, just a few yards off Interstate 80 at the 182 mile marker.
Visitors to the new retail location will experience one of the nicest and most unique gun stores they’ve ever visited. They’ll be greeted by nearly 1,200 new and used firearms, plus a large selection of ammunition, optics, parts and accessories, all set against an outdoorsy backdrop with rich wood accents and a world-class taxidermy collection. If customers don’t find what they’re looking for on the shelves, they’re invited to order from the warehouse where any of the nearly 100,000 firearms-related items will be delivered to the store in minutes.
“Our company has been family-owned and Iowa-based for 77 years,” said third-generation owner and CEO, Pete Brownell. “We’ve done business nationally and internationally for decades, but we’re excited to have an Iowa focus now with our retail store. What’s most unique about this store is that it’s located in the same walls as our distribution center. This equates to a fantastic customer experience and the best of both worlds; a beautiful retail store to transact and access to a huge selection of products unrivaled anywhere in the world.”
Brownells retail store hours are as follows:
Monday: 9AM – 6PM
Tuesday: 9AM – 6 PM
Wednesday: 9AM – 6PM
Thursday: 9AM – 8PM
Friday: 9AM – 8PM
Saturday: 9AM – 6PM
Sunday: Closed
A grand opening for the retail store is being planned for Saturday, June 11, 2016.
For more information about Brownells’ new retail store, or to get in touch with Brownells retail, call 641-236-0001 or visit www.brownells.com/retail.
About Brownells
Serious About Firearms Since 1939™, Brownells is the world’s leading source for gun parts and accessories, ammunition, gunsmithing tools and survival gear. With a large selection of both common and hard-to-find items, and an extensive collection of videos, articles, and gun schematics, Brownells is the expert for everything shooting-related. Committed to maintaining our great traditions, Brownells has more, does more and knows more – and guarantees it all, Forever. For more information or to place an order, call 800-741-0015 or visit Brownells.com. Stay up-to-date with Brownells on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Here is the fourth and final installment of Project Lumen. I reviewed two lights this time and was able to draw some conclusions. I am 100% glad I did this test and I highly encourage each reader to perform similar testing in your home. It only takes 3-4 minutes each morning and you be rewarded with honest data, for your situation, which you can use to make better choices. As I have said twice before, don’t fall into the trap of presumption.
Maglite 3D Cell Incandescent:
This is the only flashlight tested that doubles as an assault weapon. It could literally be used to bludgeon a person to death. Once upon a time they were considered bright; that time has long passed. A quick check of the Maglite website shows that they now make better LED versions – good for them.
Let’s be frank; nothing I am about to say about the Maglite will surprise you or be a revelation. I chose this flashlight based both on its universal familiarity and universal obsolescence. How am I sure it is obsolete? Here is a true story proving the point.
The head the inspection department where I work owns a really, really old 2 D Cell Maglite. He was having issues with it so he called up Maglite. They actually told him it was obsolete and he should really consider an upgrade.
With the Maglite, I didn’t expect greatness, and my expectations were met. When I first turned it on the night before the test, it was so dim I suspected the batteries were bad. I broke out some brand new Energizer D cell batteries and was less than impressed when the light was still dim. I swapped out the bulb with the spare in the tail cap – no joy. These are the flashlights that time has forgotten.
At around 45 lumens the light output is similar to the Streamlight Microstream. But unlike the other incandescent lights, the Maglite cast a nice pattern of light. And with a Maglite you can adjust the focus, so there’s that. The Maglite didn’t affect my night sight at all, it was serviceable and in use everything I wrote about the Microstream applied. With one exception – you can always use the Maglite as a striking weapon, or a baseball bat.
I shudder thinking about the early nineties when those on the cutting edge of military and police had to tape a heavy and dim Maglite to their weapon. Hooray for technology!
Nitecore SRT3 (CREE XM-L2 T6 LED, 550 lumens)
The brightest of the flashlights I tested, this is also the one I poo-pooed in the review I wrote.
CREE XM-L2 LED, 550 lumens, and a properly designed reflector meant this light provided the best illumination of the test. When regarding the light quality and effect, during this test…bravo. Nevertheless, I continue to find the actual light itself to be underwhelming in design.
Similarly to the Streamlight PolyTac, which was the second brightest light I tested, at initial activation the brightness of the flashlight did affect my night sight briefly, although it was shorter period of time than I experienced with the PolyTac. This test not being performed in a controlled lab, this difference could have been due to a multitude of reasons: how deep I was sleeping, ambient light, where the light was pointing at initial activation. As I noted before; when you are trying to identify someone inside of your house any delay is a negative. But in this case I believe the good outweighs the bad.
As with the PolyTac, there were no weird shadows; just even light across the area of coverage. It just worked. If the flashlight itself was more reliable it would be my only choice. I will start saving for a brighter Streamlight or SureFire. Until the, the PolyTac is my light of choice.
Streamlight Stinger:
I couldn’t get it. Therefore it wasn’t tested. Sorry.
After Thoughts:
Here is what this test has shown me, opened my eyes too and even shed some light on. Man, that is a lot of light puns in one sentence.
In the end I had some fun doing this testing. I learned quite a bit, both about my personal requirements and my environment. While the expert stranger on the internet might disagree with me, I will sleep soundly knowing that I have actually tested my options and selected the best choice for me based on fact. I recommend you do the same.
I wonder how the marketing conversation that produced this photo went…
“Guys, I’ve got a great idea for our feature image! Let’s have it be a photo of someone demonstrating our holster and how to use it, you end up pointed a loaded gun at your hand!”
That’s the number of rounds I’ve shot through 1911 pattern pistols according to my logs since 2009. That averages out to 640 rounds per month over 52 months, or 7,682 rounds per year. Obviously some years have been heavier than that in 1911s and some have been lighter.