Uncategorized

Find team Gun Nuts

Posted on by Caleb

Looking to get out in the local community and meet the members of Gun Nuts?  No problem, because today I’ll be at Norpoint Range in Smokey Point starting around 2:30 for their Ladies’ Day.  Women shoot free all day long, and I’ll be on hand to provide basic firearms instruction to new and seasoned shooters alike.

Shelley will be at West Coast Armory in Bellevue as usual, running their range and also running their fun and exciting Manic Monday match, an indoor outlaw match where anything goes!  Stop by and say hi, we’re always happy to chat with readers and fans of Gun Nuts!

Crimson Trace

Diamondback Firearms DB380 review

Posted on by Caleb

While reviewing several guns equipped with Crimson Trace lasers this weekend, I had the opportunity to shoot the Diamondback DB380 for the first time.  I vaguely remember when the gun came out that I thought “oh look, another smallish .380”.  The gun then proceeded to completely fall off my radar until I shot it this weekend.

As far as compact .380s go, the Diamondback is probably the second best looking, with the Sig P238 being the clear winner in the looks department.  The DB380 actually looks like the offspring of a Glock, a S&W Bodyguard, and a LCP and it borrows some of its functions from each of these guns.  The particular specimen I shot was equipped with a Crimson Trace LG-491 LaserGuard, which worked flawlessly as I’ve come to expect from Crimson Trace products.  The laser module integrates with the trigger guard and front of the pistol, and in my opinion actually enhances the lines of the pistol.  At 7 and 10 yards, rapid hits with the laser were ridiculously easy.  Honestly, if you already have a solid foundation of sight picture, body index, and trigger control using a laser is so easy it’s like cheating.  I backed the Diamondback .380 out to 25 yards and was still ringing the still quite handily with it.

Probably the best feature of the Diamondback is the trigger.  I was quite surprised, considering the gun’s pedigree that the trigger was actually pretty decent.  It felt similar to an untuned revolver trigger with a much lighter pull, not the gritty/crunchy triggers we’ve seen on other compact .380 pistols.  That made shooting pretty easy,

and my Bill Drills (six shots at 7 yards) from the pocket were hovering around 2.7-3.00 seconds with the Diamondback .380.  If you get this gun, the LaserGuard is an absolute must buy.  The sights aren’t anything spectacular, and while they are a step up from the sights on the Kel-Tec compact pistols, they are still very small and difficult to acquire at speed.  If you’re carrying one of these, it needs to have a LaserGuard on it.

That being said, I cannot recommend the DB380 as a defensive firearm in any circumstances.  In the course of running the gun (which had already been fired prior to my evaluation) I experienced numerous failures to feed, failures to extract, and most disconcertingly several random failures where the striker wouldn’t reset.  You would let the trigger out all the way and then pull it again and nothing would happen.  A chamber check would show that the gun had cycled and chambered a fresh round, but for whatever reason the striker would not reset.

I really wanted to like this gun.  The form factor on it is great, it’s comfortable to hold, and when it works it’s easy to shoot.  The picture at the left shows one of the double feed malfunctions we had; the round failed to extract and the second round is actually trapped under the partially exposed firing pin as the slide attempts to return to battery.  This malf was so bad that the magazine had to be pried out of the gun using tools before the gun could return to function.  The persistent malfunctions really were disappointing – I think that there is a huge market for easy to shoot and easy to carry pocket guns, and the Diamondback .380 could have filled in nicely in that niche along the other guns out there.  However, a simple google search will show that the issues I had with this gun are not unique to me, several other users have experienced the same problems with the striker not resetting, numerous failures to feed and extract, and even the dreaded double feed.

Bottom line is that I liked the DB380 a lot when it ran.  It was comfortable to shoot, easy to manage, and accurate for self defense – but it didn’t run often enough or consistently enough to be a gun that I’d bet my life on, or that I’d recommend my readers bet their lives on.  The Crimson Trace LaserGuard on the other hand worked just fine – it was pouring rain on the gun and the laser unit, and never once did the laser falter in the foul weather.

Crimson Trace

Crimson Trace announces laser for Sig P238

Posted on by Caleb

From the Crimson Trace press release:

Consultation with our customers lead directly to the latest offering from Crimson Trace® – the LG-492 Laserguard for SIG’s compact 238.

The Laserguard platform is particularly effective on compact pistols such as the SIG .380. As the gun’s sight radius is reduced, it becomes much more difficult to align conventional sights effectively, particularly under high stress or low light. With a Laserguard, sight radius becomes irrelevant.

The LG-492 provides a sleek, integrated sighting system, using our patented instinctive activation system.  As with all other Crimson Trace products, the LG-492 is proudly designed, engineered and made in the USA.

This seems like something that will sell.  We’ll have a review of the LG-492 coming up here at Gun Nuts, I’m going to run a few rounds this weekend through a gun equipped with them, and we’ll be getting a unit for T&E once they hit production.  This should be pretty cool!

Also, for my SR9c comrades out there – Blade-Tech through Crimson Trace is now offering their excellent belt holster for SR9c pistols equipped with the LaserGuard module.  I’m putting my order in today for one of those.

Team Gun Nuts/Things that are rad

The Purse Project

Posted on by Caleb
It has recently become a sport at dinners after Tuesday Night Pistol League to speculate and wonder at the contents of my purse.  It seems that in the world of man what a woman holds in her purse is a subject of curiosity.  The first time I emptied my purse for the crowd they pulled out their phones and took pictures.  Yes, photos of the stuff I carry with me on a daily basis.  Who knew?

Since it appears what I carry is not only acceptable, but a laudable collection of items, let’s take a look at what it is I believe necessary for day to day life:

First off, let me inform you all that I have really cut back in the past few months.  My purse has shrunk in size and significantly in weight.  This means that I can break this down item by item (or at least groups of items) into an explanation of why exactly this is in my handbag.

Wallet, Keys and Sunglasses
All of these items are pretty self explanatory: I don’t leave the house without access to my money, drivers license and Guess List card.  I don’t leave the house without my keys, bottle opener and SCAR keychain.  And I’m certainly not going to be caught somewhere without a pair of aviators, you never know when the evil sun will strike pain and suffering upon your eyes.

Business Card & ATF-Avoidance Tag
Business cards are important to have.  Since no one else I work for has given me a business card I carry around my modeling comp cards and on occasion West Coast Armory business cards and brochures. (I’m known for pulling a West Coast Armory brochure out of my purse at the bar mid-conversation: “You want to try and shoot a gun?!  I know a place!”)  Also pictured is my “ATF-Avoidance” Tag.  At my place of business we have to label all privately owned firearms or else the ATF could get mad at us, and as frustrating as they may be, it’s pertinent to keep them happy.  As a result a coworker of mine put together these handy little laminated tags that are easy to attach to gun cases so we have an easy way to keep the ATF off our backs.  This one lives in my purse, the other one lives attached to my rifle case.

Double Duty: Tactical Pen & Corkscrew
The first thing to note about this photo is that I tend to associate with a certain wine fanatic who seems to end up trapped in random hotel rooms with bottles of Irelandés, plastic cups and NO CORKSCREW.  On a late night adventure we discovered this marvelous little corkscrew that fits nicely in my purse.  It could also double as a pretty violent weapon if necessary.  It has a nice stabbing handle on it.  The pen does the same double duty; anodized aluminum with a pointy tip.  It really is just a pen, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to bring it on an airplane.

Flashlight
Don’t leave home without one.  Having a reliable flashlight is really important.  As someone who has worked in the back country, an insurance company and a gun range (among other things) I have never found myself in a profession that didn’t require use of a flashlight at least once a month.  It’s just one of those things.  Not to mention when I lose my earring or bracelet it’s very nice to have a dark floor covered with Surefire lumens until my piece of shiny is safely returned.

Girly Stuff
I take pride in my appearance, so keeping things like chapstick, lipgloss and a hairbrush is important.  I’m sure no one is complaining.

A Knife
Sharp objects are useful for opening things and cutting strings and cleaning finger nails and stuff.  This particular one is my beloved Jeep brand knife.  It has a seatbelt cutter and a window-breaker-knob-thing.  It’s perfect for the day when I’m finally stupid enough to figure two wheels is plenty enough to get to the pretty lake at the top of the hill and flip my Jeep on its side.

Lotion
I have contact dermatitis.  My hands don’t like steel.  In my line of work that really sucks.  I SWEAR by O’Keeffe’s.  A large container will last me about 3 months.
Even if you don’t have skin problems, having a bit of lotion around never hurt anybody.  I know it’s a really girly thing to say, but let’s face it, guys want touchably soft skin too.

Random Crap
So, there are always random items in my purse.  Like a cap gun, a hex screw that was pulled out of my tire and 3 rounds of ammo.  Two have a story and the others are just random bits of ammo that have snuck away on league nights or, you know, any other day of the week.  Those damned bullet gremlins.

The iPhone: You can live without one?
My iPhone is my lifeline.  Best.  Purchase.  Ever.
The earbuds are part of the package.  Gun cleaning becomes a much less mundane task when significant amounts of Frank Sinatra are applied.
The microfiber cloth is something I’d like to point out.  This is a handy little tool that is good for a LOT of things: from dusting dashboards to cleaning sunglasses and iPhones.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been handed a pair of sunglasses to clean just because everyone knows I’m the only one smart enough to carry one of these around. (Or does that make me the stupid one for putting myself in a position to clean others’ sunglasses?)

Wilson Combat 1911 Multitool
You can’t buy these anymore, which sucks because these things are amazing.  Allen wrenches, screw drivers, bushing wrenches…  How I survived 22 years without one is a mystery.  It comes everywhere with me, though tends to be most used on the range.  Usually hand in hand with a Gerber Suspension that was sadly unavailable for photographing today.

The point of all the junk we carry isn’t to weigh us down, but rather everything in here has a specific purpose and use.  Sure, I can be a bit of a pack-rat with the things that end up in my purse, but just like my carry I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

revolvers/Uncategorized

Revolver revelations

Posted on by Caleb

Caleb has me shooting revolvers.  That’s what I get for convincing him to run a classifier with my Kimber

When I was first assigned the task of carrying the Model 60 I was not overly pleased.  I had it in my head that I was not going to enjoy this little venture, and was out to prove there were reasons I didn‘t carry a j-frame.

Well, that’s out the window.

Saturday I put 6 rounds through the gun; I went home that night fairly unimpressed.  After expressing my frustration and receiving some instruction from Caleb I saw some potential and decided to give the little j-frame another  chance.

Model 60

I spent as much time as I could Monday and Tuesday morning dry firing and doing reload drills. (Not as much time as I would have liked, given that work thing where they expect me to help customers and, you know, do stuff.)  By Tuesday afternoon I was feeling a lot better, and that day I made a brash decision and decided to shoot the Model 60 in our Tuesday Night Pistol League.  I shocked myself.  I won’t pretend that I went fast, but forcing myself to slow down, focus on my trigger pull and get out of my own head presented two of  my most accurate runs ever.  I didn‘t do it quickly, but I hit what I was aiming at.

The next day I ran a classifier with Caleb’s Smith & Wesson 686.  Again, I went slow, but, again, I hit what I was aiming at.  This was huge for me, as I’ve spent the past few months fighting a nasty trigger slap and a high level of recoil anticipation, admittedly developed from spending too much inexperienced time behind my beloved alloy frame 1911.

That evening, we headed to West Coast Armory and met a couple friends for an impromptu evening training session in the open movement bay.  We set up a few IPSC targets and ran through some drills, designed to help each of us improve our IDPA skills.  About halfway through this session I realized what I need to work on: my press out.  Go figure.  Now that the bullet is going where I am pointing the gun I need to work on getting it there faster.  It’s nice to have something to work on besides “Why do I keep flinching and putting the bullet there?!”

All I’m really trying to say is that this double action revolver thing is pretty cool.  I never thought that using a revolver would help my shooting like it has.  The double action trigger has forced me to slow down, and eliminating my own expectations of myself has really helped me improve my mental game.

Uncategorized

Things I've never done

Posted on by Caleb

I’m a gun nut.  If you put it in my hands, I’ll shoot it and I’ll probably enjoy doing that.  That being said, there are more than a few “gun experiences” that I’ve quite simply never had.  For example I have never:

  • Fired a round of sporting clays
  • Fired an over-under shotgun, period
  • Shot a bolt action rifle in any of the “traditional” hunting calibers such as .308, .30’06, .243 Win, etc.
  • Shot a .41 Magnum
  • Shot a .500 Magnum
  • Fired two guns whilst jumping through the air

There are a whole lot of other items on that list, most of which are hunting or “brown gun” related.  I got started in the shooting sports in the Coast Guard, and that experience directed me more towards the tactical and action competition side of things, which means I’ve shot a ton of ARs, polymer pistols, Berettas and 1911s, but I honestly don’t have a lot of experience with clay shooting, or any kind of hunting gear.

We all have blind spots in our shooting experience.  The important thing in my opinion is to acknowledge those blind spots for what they are, and not put down the other sports that we’re less than familiar with simply because they’re not what we shoot.   This goes for the skeet shooters that pooh-pooh pistol games, the 3-Gun guys that think that skeet is lame, the hunters who don’t get concealed carry, and the CCW people that think everyone who doesn’t carry is a fool.

Like Uncle says, can’t we all just get a long gun? In 2011, I’m actually going to try and get more familiar with some of the other shooting sports, especially skeet/trap shooting.  Now if I can just remember that you can’t take follow up shots when you miss, I’ll be fine.

Comp-Tac

Buy this, not that

Posted on by Caleb

At the link in the post right below this one about yuppie gifts for shooters, one of the links runs to the Ares Belt.  The Ares Belt is a CCW/range work belt made out of awesome scuba webbing and apparently the belt preferred by the Magpul guys.  That makes it very high speed low drag, and at 80 bucks it’s worth every penny.

It also takes two months for it to get to you.  Instead of spending your 80 bucks and waiting two months for your gear to arrive, you could just buy a Comp-Tac Kydex reinforced belt.  Same price point, but it gets to you within a week or so.  I really like my Comp-Tac belt, which I’ve been wearing every day with one or two exceptions since June of this year.  Daily wear, with and without guns for seven months, and the belt is still going strong.  And you don’t wait 8 weeks for the belt…plus Comp-Tac might throw some candy in your shipping package.

What can I say, I like Comp-Tac.