More Firearm Thoughts, Post Range Day

If you think a 127 year old design has no place in modern defensive firearm use, watch the following video from "Firearms Thoughts and Perspectives" with H.R. Funk. He demonstrates the ability of anyone, with some practice, to pass the Ohio LEO Tactical Carbine qualification test designed for the modern AR platform while using a Marlin 1894C lever gun in .357 Magnum.

 

Here are the main reasons (in no particular order) that I wanted a Marlin 1894CB (Cowboy with 20" octagon barrel) in .357 Magnum/.38 Special. It is the combination of all these points that made me wait over three years for a brand new one to become available before I bought it. Also why I passed on versions from Henry, Rossi,Winchester (Model 1873), and Uberti (Model 1873).

1). 20" heavy barrel for greater accuracy and higher muzzle velocity (as opposed to the carbine) and no need to port the barrel to control recoil. Porting for shot follow up is unnecessary since you have to work the lever anyway.

2). Side gate loading for SAFE magazine top-off from behind cover (Henry is slowly coming out with them, but only in certain calibers right now)

3). Side ejection and the ease of mounting optics on top of the receiver. Marlin lever guns come drilled and tapped for a scope/optics mount. They put flush fit filler screws in the 4 holes at the factory.

4). A pistol caliber carbine to go with my Ruger GP-161. It shoots .38 Special as well.

5). Not banned in Kommiecticut (at least not yet)

6). Blued receiver; not a bright, pretty shiny one

7). 11 round full capacity (10 + 1)

8). Made in the USA

9). Even with the 20" barrel, it is a very compact rifle, at 37" overall with a 13" length of pull

10). Price was in the lower middle range of all the manufacturers for a lever rifle in the desired caliber.

11). I have had other Marlins that have never let me down.

I have a great gun belt setup for my GP-161 that I refer to as my "Wyoming Deputy Sheriff" rig. A Bianchi thumb-break holster, a Bianchi dual speed loader carrier, two HKS #586 speedloaders, a snap carabiner for my keys, and everything carried on a 1.75" Wilderness Tactical belt. My thought for the 1894CB would be to add a pouch on the belt forward of the revolver to carry loose .357 Magnum rounds in. I'm thinking a solid black dog treat pouch that snaps shut and can be opened and closed with one hand. IMHO, with some practice, that is a lot of firepower.

More about the Smith and Wesson M&P 45 Shield. I'm thinking once I get an additional 7 round magazine (for a total of 3), and a dual magazine carrier, I will probably retire the SR9c for EDC duty. The slightly smaller size (as you will see in the photos) and comparable weight for way more effective firepower is the primary reason (8 rounds of .45 versus 11 rounds of 9mm). Yes, I am one of those that favors .45 over 9mm, so don't bother sending any hate my way! 😆 It perfectly fits the friction-fit holster from the SR9c and the slimmer design sits closer to my body. Since the magazines are not double-stack, those will also sit closer than the Ruger mags currently do. I will certainly keep the Ruger for backup, or maybe if the day comes my wife ever decides to carry. I did some side by side comparisons this morning. 

The Ruger is sporting what should be a 17-round magazine, but is actually a Kommiecticut legal 10

S&W on the left, Ruger on the right. Much slimmer with single stack mags

First overlay photo, with extended mags. The Ruger below is longer.

An overlay shot with the S&W on top, both with smaller mags and lined up by grip

Same overlay as the previous photo, but showing the size difference at the muzzle end

Same overlay, comparing the grip end. Even with the 6 round mag fit and control are good

My brother (who has the Shield in 9mm) asked me yesterday if I thought .45ACP was maybe too much caliber for the size of the gun. While I wrote yesterday that the report definitely seems louder, felt recoil was easily manageable and certainly not unpleasant or painful. I am happy with it so far and will carry it for now around town and other places (not soft-targets) where I don't need to have the extra mags. Some day, maybe ammo availability will be more normal, and I will pick up a spare box or two of the SIG .45ACP Elite V-Crown to run through it.

Range Report 2-26-21

While it is certainly still winter here in the northeast, those of us lifelong cold weather dwellers don't go into hibernation. Yesterday was one of those fantastic late winter days that we don't mind being outside and doing stuff. Bight sunshine, blue skies, dwindling snow pack, no wind, and temps around 40. The sun is making its trek higher in the sky, and even though the air is chilly, those rays are warm. Friday is my normal day off, so I decided it would be a good day for my long overdue trip to the range at my new club a few miles from the house.

First up, was the brand new Smith & Wesson M&P 45 Shield.

Since premium (actually any) ammunition is not available, I was using my handloads. Speer brass, Winchester Magnum Large Primers, Bullseye powder, and Berry's 200 grain flat point copper plated bullets. First thing I noticed, was this pistol is LOUD and my assumption is that it has to do with only having a 3" barrel. I was wearing my hearing protection of course, but the report was noticeable. I hope I never have to fire it in self-defense without hearing protection, because I already have hearing loss and this would cause further permanent damage. I was told by my FFL that Shields tend to shoot low and to the right, and every one he has dealt with required sight adjustment. Not this one. At 7 yards they all dropped in the center black of the NRA 25 yard pistol target I was using. I ran through a couple of more mags, then moved out to 25 yards and the steel. Aimed dead center of the 12 inch plates was a hit every time. I shot a total of about 70 rounds and was satisfied that at close personal defense range, I would have no problem delivering effective center-mass hits. My personal defense ammo for this pistol is SIG Elite V-Crown 230 grain JHP.

 

The only issue I had, I guess could have been classified as a FTF; was twice when the pistol failed to go all the way into battery. The first time I racked the slide and loaded a fresh round. The second time, I used the butt of my left hand against the rear of the slide and then fired. I assume it is a combination of a tight new pistol and possibly slightly under powered handloads. It only happened twice early on and never again. There was not one FTE. All the brass went to my right and was easily recovered. A review complaint on-line is about the aggressive grip stippling. "Waah... it hurts my delicate hands!" Not mine, because I have working man hands. I like it because there is no movement of the grip when I hold it. I mostly fired it with the 7-round magazine with finger extension, but even with the 6-round magazine, hold and control were just as good. I am not one of those shooters that is picky about triggers. If I squeeze it and the gun goes "BANG" every time reliably, then it is a winner. I have many handguns of different type and manufacturer, so I don't expect them to have the same trigger. I think a shooter should be familiar enough with all their EDC firearms enough to be able to pick up any one of them and be effective.

Next up for function testing was my formerly drowned but now cleaned and lubed Ruger LCP. First, 5 rounds of Federal .380 ACP round nose FMJ for function testing, and those went out the muzzle flawlessly. When the pistol went for its swim, it was loaded with 8 rounds of .380 Hornady Critical Defense. The rounds looked fine, but because they were my personal self defense rounds, I did not trust them any longer. I took 2 random rounds out of the 8 for testing. I pulled the bullets with my kinetic puller, they were perfect, and everything inside was dry. I placed the powder in a small pile in a metal pan, lit it with a match and it burned up as expected. I then placed the .380 shells in a vise and struck the primers one at a time with a punch. They popped off just fine. I saved the other six rounds for testing at the range. So yesterday I put those six rounds in a magazine and fired them. Every one went off just fine. I ran a couple of more mags of the Federal target ammo and then put it away.

The next needed firearm to test was my 1 year old Marlin 1894CB in .357 Magnum/.38 Special. Months ago, I had purchased a Skinner peep sight and blank to go where the factory buckhorn sight was on the barrel. I had the peep sight sitting and waiting for installation just before the trip to the range. The reason was, the rifle was sighted in with the factory sight. If I put the peep sight on too soon, I have rendered my rifle useless. Then where would I be in case of an Indian attack or band of marauders? So Thursday night, the factory sight was removed and the blank installed, and the Skinner sight was installed as well.

A closeup of the winged Skinner Peep Sight

The blank installed where the factory buckhorn sight was. Filing and fitting of the blank was necessary.

 

 

Apparently, I hit the mark perfectly as far as windage goes when I installed the peep sight. Windage adjustment is a pain in the ass, requiring you to loosen the mounting screws and slide the whole thing left or right. Elevation only required a couple of turns of the peep assembly to get it dialed in. Zeroing was done with my .357 Magnum handloads consisting of Berry's 158 grain .357 diameter bullets, Remington brass, Winchester small magnum pistol primers, and Hogdgon HS-6 powder. I zeroed at a target at 50 yards then whacked the 50 yard plate a few times. I then struck the 75 and then 100 yard plates repeatedly and easily. Switching to .38 Special ammo only requires holding slightly higher, but is just as effective. Lots of fun and I am ready for Injuns or comancheros!

I ended the day with some plinking with my Ruger GP-161 in both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Banging plates at 25 yards was effortless, 50 yards a little more challenging, and I could even hit the one at 75 yards. 50 and 75 were hit firing single action. I still have a quantity of ammo left in .38 and .357. Last up was an EDC I haven't fired in a while, my Ruger SR9c in 9mm. I burned up some 9mm handloads from a few years ago and at the seven yard stand, placed all my rounds exactly where I wanted them. I used the last 10 rounds on the 25 yard plates.

The club I belong to is small, only 90 total members. This means that if I keep planning my range outings for Fridays during the day, I will always have the place to myself. After 3 PM, guys may start showing up after work like they did yesterday (I could hear them from my house). The rules say no shooting before 10 A.M. or after sunset and during the summer, the range is active just about every week day in the evening.

Not Anyone's President, Actually

Beyond the FACTS that the election was rife with cheating in the battleground states, where state election laws were blatantly violated. I am going with the left's own mantra of "NOT MY PRESIDENT!!" and "THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN!!" that was perfectly OK during the 1st term of President Trump (and both terms of W, and the one of his father for that matter). But apparently so are over 30 Demon-Craps, because they don't want Gropey Joe to be the only one able to launch nukes. See more here from Legal Insurrection. The excuse given is nothing more than an extension of Trump Derangement Syndrome, that Trump was so unstable he should not have been allowed "The Football." It needs to be a consensus. HA! The title is COMMANDER IN CHIEF for a reason. The working theory I've heard is that Gropey Joe is not quite with it anymore, and this is a prelude to enacting the 25th Amendment to install Heels Up Harris.

Where am I? Is it num-num time yet? I think I need a nap.

Another gleaming example

Gropey-Dopey Joe suckles on Dr. Jill's finger as she introduces him at a 2020 campaign event

The burning question is, who is really controlling the puppet strings of the current administration?

Deplatforming "Right-Wing" Media

Being pushed by the ass-clowns at Media Matters and gaining ground with #LIBTARDS nationwide. As someone who has been temporarily cancelled once, I am very familiar with how these assholes operate. Article link to story at The Right Scoop.

CANCEL CULTURE: House Democrats now trying to deplatform Fox News, Newsmax and OANN/

Their beef is that they shouldn't have to pay for content they hate and never watch getting delivered to their TV. You know what... I AGREE!! Let's make ALL cable and satellite systems total "ala carte" and I will ditch all the woke sports channels, CNN, MSNBC, BET, OWN, Lifetime, PBS... you get the picture. Then we'll see what networks survive with customers willing to pay for content.

Then while we're at it, add the checkbox on my 1040 form that allows me to withhold taxpayer dollars from infanticide factories.

Eligible Again - NFW!

At Governor "Jolly" Ned Lamont's COVID press conference yesterday afternoon, he announced the latest "vaccine" schedule. 55 and over can get jabbed starting March 1st. It will be the second time I am eligible, and this time I won't just say "NO!!!" but "FUCK NO!!"