Gun Owning Smokers

[Kenyth]

Two of my favorite passions, firearms and cigars. I always take a good cigar with me to the range.

I have a couple of lever action .308's for hunting. A 12ga, a .410, several .22 single shot rifles, my trusty Ruger 10/22 and my Para-Ordinance 1911 .45 acp. (the GI Expert model)

I totally love that handgun! For an inexpensive .45 it works like a dream and is very accurate with a very nice trigger pull.

I've shot Glock's and wasn't all that impressed. I know they're a sturdy, reliable handgun that can be abused to no end and still work....but I've found I can shoot my .45 a whole lot more accurately. My little brother is a cop and they get issued Glock 22's in .40 cal. He brought his, and 1000 rounds up one Saturday last summer and we headed to the range. I found after about 200 rounds his Glock made my trigger finger sore. That has never happened with any handgun I've ever owned and over the years, I've had quite a few.

Also, when shooting at 25 and 50 yards, I'm a whole lot more accurate with my .45 than his Glock. Even he said (without prompting) that my trigger was a lot nicer and smoother than his. It goes without saying that if a trigger is stiffer and harder to pull, it will make you less accurate over longer distances.

I don't know that I'd buy a Glock unless it was a really, really, good deal. I'm looking at getting a Ruger bullbarrel .22 semi-auto and a Ruger single action .22/.22 magnum for my next handgun purchases.

I'm glad the larger Para-Ordinance models work well. I suspected they would since the 1911 is otherwise a tried and true design. The PO sub-compact I owned did nothing but jam (a re-engineered design). The stovepipe jams were certainly due to the recoil snapping the pistol up. Holding it tightly would reduce this problem, but it's hard to hold tight on a short grip. The feed problems were all due to the steep angle of the ramp and that's engineering.

It doesn't surprise me that your single action is more accurrate and reduced fatigue. Single action is optimal under those circumstances. The Glock trigger is a compromise. It stays in the holster safely, and comes out of the holster ready to fire. Many consider a single action to be dangerous if stored in the holster cocked and with the safety off. The Glock style trigger also helps prevent accidental discharge in a tense situation. It's also a more "idiot proof" design. Less fumbling with hammers and safeties. IMHO, it's more useful for fast response situations, such as law enforcement, where ease of use, speed of deployment, and safe handling are primary concerns.

There is a trade off of course, which is a longer trigger pull and unusual trigger design. The longer pull reduces accuracy, although training can help compensate for that. The "double" trigger safety design puts extra stress on the crease of the fingertip, which can cause chafing and irritation in long practice shoots.

[CptnBlues63]

I'm glad the larger Para-Ordinance models work well. I suspected they would since the 1911 is otherwise a tried and true design. The PO sub-compact I owned did nothing but jam (a re-engineered design). The stovepipe jams were certainly due to the recoil snapping the pistol up. Holding it tightly would reduce this problem, but it's hard to hold tight on a short grip. The feed problems were all due to the steep angle of the ramp and that's engineering.

It doesn't surprise me that your single action is more accurrate and reduced fatigue. Single action is optimal under those circumstances. The Glock trigger is a compromise. It stays in the holster safely, and comes out of the holster ready to fire. Many consider a single action to be dangerous if stored in the holster cocked and with the safety off. The Glock style trigger also helps prevent accidental discharge in a tense situation. It's also a more "idiot proof" design. Less fumbling with hammers and safeties. IMHO, it's more useful for fast response situations, such as law enforcement, where ease of use, speed of deployment, and safe handling are primary concerns.

There is a trade off of course, which is a longer trigger pull and unusual trigger design. The longer pull reduces accuracy, although training can help compensate for that. The "double" trigger safety design puts extra stress on the crease of the fingertip, which can cause chafing and irritation in long practice shoots.

I had a few jams with it at first while feeding. A quick polish of the feed ramp cured that issue. Other than that, it is an exact replica of the Colt 1911 and works as well as one. I have big hands so I love how it fits in them. I used to own a Walther PPK which I could hide behind my hand and always found it a little clumsy to hold. Oh, and for you 007 fans.......the PPK has about a 2 1/2 inch long barrel, so those long shots 007 used to make with his, complete and total BS. At 15 yards you couldn't count on placing all 6 shots in a 1 foot circle. At 25 to 50 yards, you'd be lucky to even hit paper.......LOL. They're more of a "close up and personal" firearm.

I watched my brother practice some of his "quick draw" technique. He would stand about 10 to 15 yards away and draw/shoot. I would have to say one can easily get the Glock out and into action faster than mine since there is no hammer to cock.

I did like the features of the hammer/safety system on the Glock. I felt very secure with it and wasn't worried about an accidental fire. My only complaint with the Glock was that it made my trigger finger sore........LOL The way the trigger on the Glock 22 worked was, once you fired it the first time, you hardly had to release the trigger at all to be ready to fire again. This was a nice feature too but took some getting used to. To be honest, I don't really think about what my trigger finger is doing. But I paid attention and after doing so for a magazine or two, got used to only having to release the trigger a 1/8 of an inch or so. But the amount of pressure required seemed high to me. Also, due to the design, the trigger is perhaps a little wider than I'm used to.

What you said about holstering a SA with the safety off and hammer cocked is VERY true. Even with the extra safety on the back of the grip, I would still never consider doing that. As soon as you grasped it, that last safety goes off and you're in danger of shooting yourself in the leg or foot. I always leave mine uncocked. In that aspect, the Glock definitely beats a SA. It's always ready to shoot but still safe in the holster.

I was down in Vegas in early April and took the opportunity to rent, and shoot, a fully auto........something you can't do here in Canada. I went to The Gun Store and did the WW II package. Got to fire the Thompson, the MP40 and a Sig 1911. I had a total blast (no pun intended)!

I envy you guys in the US. There's no chance of ever getting a permit to carry a concealed handgun here in Canada and due to the hideous gun laws.

[Kenyth]

The US Thompson and the German MP40 huh? That sounds like fun! How was it? I was in the military, so I got to fire a few assault rifles, grenades, and machine guns. I got to fire the M16A1, the M16A2, M249, the M60, and good old Ma Deuce (M2 Browning). I regret that I wasn't around for the implementation of the M16A4. It sounds like they finally got it right with that weapon. The M249 (5.56 Nato) had an extremely high rate of fire. You have to be careful when firing because it burns through ammo very quickly and gets quite hot. The M60 (7.62 Nato) seemed to have a much slower, albeit much more powerful rate of fire. The M2 has the slowest rate of fire, but man oh man what a cannon! I also got a chance to throw M33 grenades and fire an M203 grenade launcher with live ammo. A rare treat. My only gripe with the M203 was that I had to fire it right handed and I'm a leftie. I still qualified expert.

[CptnBlues63]

The US Thompson and the German M-40 huh? That sounds like fun! How was it? I was in the military, so I got to fire a few assault rifles, grenades, and machine guns. I got to fire the M16A1, the M16A2, M249, the M60, and good old Ma Deuce (M2 Browning). I regret that I wasn't around for the implementation of the M16A4. It sounds like they finally got it right with that weapon. The M249 (5.56 Nato) had an extremely high rate of fire. You have to be careful when firing because it burns through ammo very quickly and gets quite hot. The M60 (7.62 Nato) seemed to have a much slower, albeit much more powerful rate of fire. The M2 has the slowest rate of fire, but man oh man what a cannon! I also got a chance to throw M33 grenades and fire an M203 grenade launcher with live ammo. A rare treat. My only gripe with the M203 was that I had to fire it right handed and I'm a leftie. I still qualified expert.

Now I'm envious!

Excuse me while I go wipe the drool off my chin........LOL

It was fun for sure. The Thompson didn't have the muzzle break on it so I stuck to 3 - 5 round burst since I like actually hitting the paper. I did one short burst with the MP40 and that beauty has almost no kick so I just pulled and held and (accurately) ran off the 30 round magazine in one long burst. It was so much fun, I did the "WW II package" a second time!

I know there are a lot newer, and better, full auto's out there. The Gun Store had quite an inventory...but I wanted to shoot the old tried and true "Tommy Gun" I've been in love with that one as long as I can remember. The MP40 was everything I'd read it was too so no loss in shooting that one either.

My stepson is a US Marine stationed in Camp Pendleton. He and his new wife drove up and spent a couple days with us over Easter weekend and I took him with me to shoot. Needless to say he discussed at length all the different "toys" he gets to play with too and it had the same effect on me as your list. After shooting we went to Casa Fuente for the Mojito and Cigar combo. What a nice way to start your day!

[Kenyth]

I almost forgot. I got to send rounds downrange with a M110 8 inch howitzer and the 155mm M198. For those that have never seen real life grenades, rockets, artillery, etc. They look totally different than in the movies. There is no fireball. One second all is still, the next fraction of a second later the vicinity of the blast is filled with smoke and dust. A split second later you feel the concussion and hear a very low thunderous "boom". Also, the 40mm grenades fired by the M203 and similar weapons are relatively weak.

[Eville]

Walked into Gander Mtn. tonight on a whim. Walked out 30min later with a "used*" Citadel 1911, 3.5" for $414.

*I can't find any evidence that it has been fired other than a tiny mark on the beaver-tail from the hammer.

[BigMacFU]

Nice pick up. If anybody needs a rifle, Cabelas just got a huge supply of Russian nagants (sp?) from ww2 for like 150.