Must-Have Gun Tools?

While looking through some gun forums in the wee hours of the day on which I write this, I came across a thread that detailed what the opening poster believed were 'must-have' gun tools. I was truly surprised, to say the least, at what he thought were the must-have  essentials for what he called "your 'smithing bench". After reading about what he thought were the ten necessary tools for working on firearms, I decided to give an in depth reply.

 

Before I continue allow me to list his ten must-have tools:

 

1. Gun Vise

2. Screwdriver Set

3. Torque Wrench

4. Boresighter

5. Scope-Leveling Device

6. Hook & Pick Set

7. Cleaning Rod(s)

8. Jags And Bore Brushes

9. Ultrasonic Cleaner

10. Gun/Brand specific tools

 

 

Here is what I wrote regarding my thoughts about his choices of his choices for ten must-have tools for working on firearms and my thoughts on the tools I consider pretty much as essentials (or as unnecessary luxuries) or as simply nice to have for working on the guns that I own or on guns I may acquire at a future date. Mind you, I make no claim to be a gunsmith or that my work area is a 'smithing bench. So here is the reply that I wrote:

 

"With all due respect to your expertise on this subject, I see my essential firearms tools differently than do you yours.

I think a sonic cleaner is a luxury and completely unneeded in a kit of gun tools. I have never, I repeat never, used a sonic cleaner in my shooting lifetime and that has been over 60 years long so far. I own a gun or two or three that is/are over 100 years old and I am certain their parts have never been in a sonic cleaner and never will be as long as I own them. So please, explain to me why it was a must-have for me in all those years; yet, I never have used one and my firearms work just fine.

It also seems to me a boresight is a luxury. I sight in my rifles the old fashioned way, bang-bang-bang adjust as necessary - then bang-bang-bang until I get it right. I start close in and work out to further distances. I like some good old shooting to get it done, it's fun. Of course I could always boresight a rifle by aiming down the bore then adjusting the reticle of a mounted scope to be on target all without a laser boresight. I guess a boresight is nice to own and convenient to use maybe even much more efficient but it most certainly is not a must-have necessity.

Of course other scope mounting/adjusting devices are also not necessities. They are certainly nice to have but truth be told, I did just fine mounting scopes for many a year after my 50s once my vision became less than optimal. I purchased a torque wrench only within the last two years, same for a scope mounting kit with the level and other tools. Nice to have and makes the job of mounting a scope easier and more precise but not must-have tools. Th same goes for a gun vise. I got my first one two or three years ago. Wow does it make a very nice difference but for many years I used my knees or someone else to hold the gun while I worked on it. I did with what I had.

Placing jags & bore brushes separate from cleaning rods almost makes it seem as if you could not find another appropriate item to take a number in your pick of ten 'must-have' tools. Let's face it - brushes & jags are part of a must-have firearms cleaning kit, as is a cleaning rod and as are cleaning brushes (brass & steel - not bore brushes but hand held brushes that resemble toothbrushes). You purposefully excluded patches and swabs - go figure they are tools like any others that fit into a cleaning kit and add pipe cleaners to that list (if you have ever cleaned a Yugoslavian SKS you may understand why I include them but they also come in quite handy on many other types of firearms). A complete cleaning kit is thus considered by me to be all one tool with accessories or a tool group as far as I am concerned but if you want to make them separate then why not have jags as one item and bore brushes as another and cleaning patches as another and add swabs & pipe cleaners to the list and solvent and had held cleaning brushes as another and you could just keep going.

Somethings you seem to have excluded or maybe have forgotten are: pin punches (these are gun tools of relative necessity in my mind), a hammer with combination brass head and nylon head, a pair of needle nose pliers is another, a hemostat is another, a bore light is another, a telescoping rod with a magnetic end is another excellent tool to have around but maybe not an essential one until that tiny screw or spring falls under something to heavy to move but yet can be reached under by the magnetic tipped rod to retrieve the lost item. I'd also say a Glock tool but any correctly sized pin punch will do. I'd likely add a 1911 wrench (not necessary maybe but sure makes disassembly and assembly easier). I also find a small multi-function knife to be a very useful and a must have item in my firearms tool kit. Depending on what type of firearms you have sight tools (both rear and front) could be must have items. For instance, it is pretty much a necessity for the rear sights on Glocks and a Glock front sight tool is also a good choice for a Glock owner. Of course there are also sight tools for rifles like AR-15s and AK-47s.

Lest I forget and while these are probably not considered tools, I think some of the most essential things to have when it comes to working on guns are manuals, exploded parts diagrams annotated to describe each part, and firearms books detailing assembly and disassembly of guns. The books can be expensive but you can often find greatly discounted used editions on sites like eBay. Manuals can also be expensive but if you have a currently manufactured firearms, many manufacturers offer manuals you can download from their websites. Even if you do not have a computer or smart phone, you can go to almost any public library and download them or print them there for a nominal fee at most. I currently have well over fifty such books and manuals. Some of my manuals are from the original manufacturer as those that came with the gun, others are after market so to speak such as those salmon colored ones for which I cannot recall the publisher. I have many for guns I do not even own, they may come in handy some day when I buy my next gun or the the next one after that or if I am looking for a particular manual I do not have, I may be able to trade one I already own for the one I need.

As for not using the kitchen table - well pardon me if I did not make a lot of money in my early career and lived in tiny studio apartments for a few years and the only work area that I had available was my kitchen table or the floor. Believe me it was better using the kitchen table while sitting in a chair than trying to sit on the floor and work on a gun. It always amazes me how well meaning gun folks offering advice often seem to expect everyone is as well off as are they and that they assume every gun owner has or must have things like a separate work area with a work bench. Many folks do not have those luxuries, heck they may not even have the basic tools both you and I mentioned. Thus they do with what they have but I'd at least hope they acquire the basic tools for any gun they own. When I used my kitchen table, I made sure to cover my table with a plastic/vinyl tarp when cleaning guns on it and I still cleaned the table very well once I was finished. There are several brands of supposedly nontoxic gun cleaning solvents available making use of the kitchen table less of a hazard nowadays. You do the best you can with the best you have, that is what makes the world go round."

 

I may have left something out as to my essentials but please note that if I did not mention something like a screwdriver set that the original poster of the thread did mention, it was simply because I agree that is an essential so don't assume that if I did not mention something it means I do not think it essential. For instance, I did not mention Allen wrenches, which I think are a must have but did not bother to mention them only because a good size variety of Allen heads come in many gun screwdriver sets. Yet, I suppose a set or two (the first in imperial sizes, the second in metric sizes) are pretty much a thing to own. I did make sure to add things the other guy did not list, like pin punches and needle nosed pliers, that I think are mandatory. I covered most of the necessary tools in that manner, or so I think, without having looked through my tools as or before I wrote the above. If you think I missed something, please let me know. It is always nice to learn more about maintaining my firearms.

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

 

 

Something Of Interest For The Beretta 92FS Owner

 

That is quite the informative chart regarding the Beretta 92 series of pistols. Credit for that evidently goes to Lucky Gunner. As for copyright, if there is one, and being I am a certified firearms instructor, this is being freely used solely for educational purposes to educate my readers, some of who are interested in learning about firearms in general and others who specifically may desire to learn about the Beretta 92 series pistols.

 All the best,

 Glenn

The Glock Collector - Added A New Blog To The Link List Today

 Well, truth be told the blog is not not new, it is just new to my list under the header:

TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM

 

The newly added blog is The Glock Collector. Now, some of you who are more attentive than me may immediately notice that said blog seems to have died three years ago in March 2020; that is the date of the last post. I only noticed after adding it to the link list and despite there being no new posts to it in over three years, I am going to keep it on the list because there seems to be lots of good info about Glocks within its pages. For instance, I was trying to determine how to tell if a Glock has been factory refurbished or rebuilt. The Glock Collector made it straightforward and pretty simple at these two pages:

https://glockcollector.info/2019/01/11/product-number-breakdown/

https://glockcollector.info/2019/11/21/case-label-colors-what-do-they-mean/

 Now that I am aware of that info, I may stop at Hot Springs, on my journey back to Texarkana from my sons place, to pick up a Glock 26 at the Lion's Club gun show. We stopped there yesterday and I would have bought it had I sold any of the guns I had brought with me. Later, after leaving the show, I found out that dealers at gun shows often sell rebuilt/refurbished Glocks as new - that was news to me. Because of the price this particular one had on it, it would be worth it to me to go back and check on it. If not rebuilt or refurbished and if still up for sale, I may own a new Glock 26 before I get back to my apartment.

All the best,

Glenn B

I Don't Know About You...

 ...but I do know that I need to make a trip to the range. I have both a shotgun & revolver I bought at auction back in late April, probably received them in early May and  have not shot them yet. The shotgun is a Savage Stevens Model 94C Hammered 12 gauge; it is a single shot. The revolver is a Ruger New Model Single Six Convertible, 22 LR & 22 WMR, in stainless steel. Both are in very nice condition and I am very happy about that because I bid on them without being able to check on their condition before bidding. I usually check at least a couple to a few days before the auction but my timing was off so I tried the day before the auction. That was no good and no go because they were too busy to do it at the auction house. That's okay by me because it was my bad as they say. 

Regardless of not being able to check, I wound up with two very nice firearms. As for the shotgun, I certainly did not buy it for anything like needing another shotgun, I think I have four of them right now, two Remington 870s, a Remington Model 10 and a Remington model 31. Those are more than enough for me, in fact I recently sold my Remington model 29. I bought this one thinking it would be a nice project gun on which I'd maybe touch up the bluing and refinish the wood stock. Right now, that is still the plan but I have no clue when I, THE Great Procrastinator will get around to it. Anyway here it is in pics:

 

 

As you can see it is in pretty good shape. I have almost half a mind to leave it as is but I also have just a bit more than half a mind to strip that ghastly dark finish off of the wood and replace it with one using tung oil and lots of rubbing it in; I am a fan of more natural looking wood and there is oft times beautiful wood grain under those old time dark finishes. I know many folks prefer the original finish and a good number of them think it almost sacrilegious to refinish an older gun like this but I have no qualms about doing so. After all, this is not some rare super expensive gun, I got it for a whopping total of about $130.00 or so and that includes shipping and an FFL fee.

 

As for the revolver, it is staying as is except maybe for me touching up the finish on the grips or replacing them with a better looking pair. Now, they do not look bad but there appears to be finish wear when seen up close & personal. That may only need a bit of polishing though. Here are some pics of it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I posted pics of these already but am just too lazy at 0545 hours of the morning to check. I got out of bed at 0350 or so and have not felt like jumping back under the covers, wide awake am I for some reason.

I bought these at auction, the same auction my son told me to bid on this for him, the this being a Glock 41 in 9mm. Here are some pics of it:

 

The Glock needs some repair, minor at that but repair nonetheless. Someone, an idiot I suppose, put an improperly sized pin into it as far as I can tell. It's the one above the trigger pin (its name eludes my little gray cells right now). It falls out when shot. No big deal if it is only the pin and not something internal. It will or should be an easy fix no matter what. I just hope Glock is again selling parts to the public. Apparently they had their own crisis during COVID and would not sell parts to the public for a while back then! If they are not selling parts, the pin may cost me about 10 times what it usually sells for from Glock.

 

As I said, I need a trip to the range. I was thinking only with the Savage Stevens & the Ruger but I guess with the Glock as well since my son gave it to me to fix being I used to be a Glock Armorer & Advanced Glock Armorer. I said used to be because I never recertified once my certification expired the last time which was the fourth certification or so for me over the years. I figured why waste the money to recertify with Glock @ of a few hundred dollars when they were not selling parts to the public. I guess when I get it fixed thought I should shoot it to make sure I got it right.

 

Anyway, as I said, I need a range trip. Maybe Friday, sounds good anyway.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

Bartolomeo Must Be Rolling In His Grave

The business that he ran was probably already in operation for many years before 1526 but it was that year, which is shown on an invoice, during which Mastro (Master) Bartolomeo Beretta sold close to 200 long gun barrels to a city/state arsenal in Italy. The Beretta family business/company has been in business ever since, in fact probably longer, and is one of the premiere firearms makers in the world. They make or have made everything from matchlock long guns to flintlock handguns, to double barrel shotguns - veritable works of the gunmaker's art - valued at tens of thousands of dollars apiece, to modern revolvers and semi automatic pistols to true assault rifles as in real weapons of war. More on Beretta's history here: https://www.beretta.com/en/company/fabbrica-d-armi-pietro-beretta/history.

 

In all that time, the Beretta name has been the hallmark of excellence in firearms manufacturing. So when it comes to my latest acquisition of a Beretta pistol - the Beretta APX A1 Carry 9mm semiautomatic pistol - if mine is the norm for these particular handguns I must wonder if Bartolomeo is agonizing from the grave. This particular pistol, in my opinion, might well be enough to cause his spirit not only to rattle chains and moan in agony but to take those chains and bind closed forever the doors of Beretta's manufacturing plants.

 

Make no mistake about it, even though I just said that about the APX A1 Carry pistol, I remain and have been an avid Beretta fan for over four decades. I purchased my first Beretta pistol when I was a Border Patrol Agent back in the early 1980s. Since then I can account for 18 other Beretta pistols that I have purchased and am fairly certain there were at least two or three more that have passed through my personal inventory. Right now, as I type, I own 11 of them but chances are before too long, I will own only 10. Those I currently own include: a Beretta 70S in 22 LR, a Beretta 70S in 380 AUTO, a Beretta 84B in 380 AUTO, a Beretta 87 Target in 22 LR, two Beretta 92FS pistols in 9mm, two Beretta 92FS Compact L Type M pistols (these use single stack mags) in 9mm, a Beretta 92SB in 9mm, a Beretta 950 BS in 22 Short, and my latest acquisition the Beretta APX A1 Carry.

 

To say that I have thought Beretta pistols as being to my liking is a gross understatement. They truly have been among the best, if not the very best, handguns I have ever owned. In fact, with that thought in my mind, I jumped at the opportunity to purchase something new for me - a Beretta striker fired (as per the vernacular) pistol. So, I purchased a Beretta APX A1 Carry pistol back in November 2022. All of my other Beretta pistols have been semi-autos and all metal except for the grips and all have external hammers. This new one is quite different as it has a polymer frame, does not have an external hammer and is striker fired. Well now that I have it, my opinion of Beretta pistols is newly revised as well, at least relative to my opinion of this particular one.

 

Striker fired handguns are nothing new. For example, my oldest one is an Ortgies semi-automatic pistol that was manufactured in the 1920s. Over the period of time since my Ortgies was manufactured (and longer) - the striker fired semi-automatic pistol has gone through many advancements. Many handguns today are of that type. Glock introduced their pistols back in the early 1980s (I think 1982 - the lock 17) and they pretty much took the market by storm shortly thereafter. Since then though many other, if not all major manufacturers of semi-auto defensive pistols have created their own versions modern striker fired pistols. 

 

One of the notable things about striker fired pistols, as opposed to double action semiautomatic pistols is that the length of trigger pull is often very short as is the trigger reset. Those made by high quality manufacturers often, but not always, have a smooth crisp actions. This is where the Beretta APC Carry A1 figuratively falls on its face and I think could be making Bartolomeo turn uneasily in his grave, if not actually rise from it, in protest that this gun bears the Beretta family name.

 

I took it to the range a couple of days ago and shot about a hundred rounds or so through it. Normally, when I fire a new gun for the first time, I shoot at least 200 rounds through it to assure it is functioning properly (at least I try to do so with those I am fairly certain I will be keeping and possibly using for self defense). I would prefer to shoot 300 to 500 rounds through new ones like that but the truth is that ammunition became very pricey over the past few years. Even though it has come down markedly in price just lately, it is not as cheap as it once was and my pocket book is a lot skinnier than it used to be what with the inflation apparently caused by President Joe Biden and his administration.  

 

The things I do not like, at all, about the Beretta APX A1 Carry mostly have to do with the trigger's action. First of all, and this is all my opinion: the trigger has an overly long, a seemingly very - very - very long length of travel, before it will cause the gun to go BOOM. That is mostly evident as trigger take-up. Then there is the part of the trigger's overall travel referred to as trigger creep. That is the trigger pull, once it evidently engages other internal parts and causes them to move - such as the sear. It feels outright crunchy like there is sand or other grit in the action. Granted the creep may smooth out over time as the gun breaks in, so to speak. My view on that - it should not be crunchy feeling in the first place and in today's world there should be no break-in period required, a pistol should be ready to go at its best right out of the box except maybe for cleaning. Then there is the trigger reset - the reset that was very hard for me to feel when firing this pistol. 

 

Another thing I dislike very much about this pistol is that, according to the manual, it requires a tool to disassemble it for field stripping. You need to insert a punch or something else like a ballpoint pen tip (they actually recommend this in the manual even though this means the ball point pen's ball possibly could come lose and then I guess may wind up in the works of the pistol or at least have you wind up with ink in the works). The tool needs to depress the Striker Deactivation Button on the right rear side of the frame. It is otherwise easy to disassemble for field stripping without tools beyond that point. Assembly was straightforward and easy, it did not require a tool to assemble from a field stripped condition. I did not disassemble it further. Why on earth Beretta would create a defensive pistol that requires a tool to field strip it is beyond the scope of my imagination.

 

Additionally, I do not like the grip. It just does not feel right in my hands. It is on the small and thin side but then it is a compact single stack pistol; yet, other single stack pistols I own do not have the same inadequate feel for me when I hold them. That of course is a subjective and personal issue but I must point out, this is the first Beretta pistol I have owned or fired for which I have noticed this foible. Because it is a fairly thin pistol, it is easy to conceal or should be for most shooters.

 

As for the specs, I'd give them to you from the Beretta website but for some unknown reason, I cannot find the APX A1 Carry shown therein. (I wonder, has it already been discontinued?) There are a few to several APX pistols pictured on their site but the Beretta APX A1 Carry no longer seems to be one of them. The specs, of course, are shown in the manual. Sadly though, if you are considering purchasing one of these pistols and want to check the specs, you are unlikely to have a manual for it at hand because they come packaged in the box with each new APX A1 Carry pistol. I though will give you some of those specs for my APX A1 Carry, as they appear in the manual (for educational purposes):

Model: APX A1 Carry

Caliber: 9x19 (9mm Luger, aka 9mm Parabellum)

Magazine: 6 rounds (8 round extended optional) - Note mine came with an extended mag base on one of its two magazines, one mag base, attached to one of the mags, that was not an extension but has a small finger lip and another spare magazine base with no finger lip.

Sights: Removable front and rear

Frame Chasis: Stainless steel

Grip Frame: Fiberglass reinforced technopolymer

Slide: Steel with Nitride finish

Barrel: Steel with Nitride finish

Safety: Automatic striker block & trigger drop safeties

Length: 5.8"

Barrel Length: 3.1"

Grip Width: 1"

Width: 1"

Height" 4.4"

Sight Radius: 4.7" ( I did not measure this but it seems a bit longer.)

Weight: About 20 ounces with empty magazine

 

If you do consider getting one, I suppose I should also mention other parts such as the sights and slide. The rear sight is a notched sight without any sighting assist dots. It is plain black in color and the rear side of it (side nearest the shooter's eye) is grooved, that probably to cut down on possible glare. The front sight is a post with a single white dot. It is easy to get on target fast with a good sight picture and alignment. The sights are removable and if I understand correctly the rear sight base area of the slide accommodates a red dot sight on the APX's optics plate. That plate seems to be in place with the rear notched sight sitting atop it. There are directions in the manual on how to install a red dot sight. The manual is okay but the photographs in it are very small and some of the photos' details are very difficult to see due to small size and darkness/contrast of some of the shots.

The slide has wide grooves front and rear. The slide is easy to operate but the wide grooves do not seem to me to add to its function and appear to me to be that wide more for the tacticool effect than anything else.

The internal workings, at least many of them, are evidently located in a chassis that sits inside the frame.

As for how it shot, it was satisfactory as far as I shot it. I only fired it out to ten yards. I did not shoot further out because I had to stop shooting because to the stiffness of trigger pull seemingly caused by the crunchy feeling trigger creep was so bad as to make shooting it not only uncomfortable for me but actually painful to my trigger finger. I shot a fist sized group a bit low and to the left of dead center.

The need to use a tool of some sort to field strip this pistol, in my estimation, sets it back around 40 years from currently made defensive pistols that I have used and owned. More importantly, I think in a defensive pistol, is the trigger and its operation. In fact, the the trigger and the operation of the trigger are some of the most important aspects of any firearm and of the users ability to shoot it well. The Beretta APX A1 Carry trigger, has (in my mind) one of the worst trigger actions I have ever encountered in all my 57 or 58 years of shooting. That trigger was supposedly reworked and improved  by Beretta; yet, I think it has no place on a high quality handgun. In my opinion, any gun with a trigger like that does not deserve to wear the proud Beretta name or trademarks. 

 

Now, I'll leave it to Beretta as to decide onto what they want to put their name and on what they want their reputation to depend. I am truly shocked though that they have decided their name and reputation are, even in part, suitable to be associated with the APX A1 Carry. If I had to rate this one on a alphabetic scale, I'd give it a C minus or C at best. Despite its name of APX A1 Carry, it is not a gun I'd choose to carry for self-defense unless in an absolute emergency where I thought a better made pistol was unavailable.

In closing let me tell you what a guy on a gun forum wrote after I posted about the price I paid and the rebate offer with which it came: "So, you got a Beretta for $199.99 after rebate? Damn, that’s Hi-Point money". Truth be told, I think it may be the low point of Beretta quality (or lack thereof) to which Beretta has ever fallen. That's my opinion, yours may vary.

All the  best,

Glenn B

I Don't Usually Go Christmas Shopping On Black Friday...

 ...but when I do I buy myself something nice. Really, I was not intent on making any purchases yesterday and definitely was not about to go out to stores to do any Christmas shopping nor any other shopping. Black Friday is just too crazy for me; the lines I have seen outside of some stores over the years have been long and sometimes there for days with people camped out in tents while waiting before the sale event. The last time I waited on really long lines for many long hours was for tickets to see Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden and for one of their shows at the Nassau Coliseum in Nassau County NY (I was on the line for well over 24 hours in freezing cold for the one at the Coliseum). That was back in the 1970s. I got great tickets for both shows but had to settle for listening to one of those shows broadcast live on the radio because I wound up in the hospital after an emergency appendectomy; I did not eat Quarter Pounders with cheese for years after that because it was after eating one that I had the appendicitis attack but I digress so...

 

As I said, I usually do not shop on Black Friday but I unintentionally wound up doing just that yesterday and I got myself a nice Christmas present. For a good many years of my adult life,  I have figured if I am going to essentially be Santa Claus for others then I may as well be Santa for myself too. Now mind you, I did not get off the couch to shop at any stores; instead I was scouring the Internet at first looking at some things on the Beretta site (not guns) and then merely looking at Black Friday deals related to firearms. I was not seeking to get myself something but was just killing time and wondering if I should get my son anything else firearms related for his birthday when I came across an advertisement for this at $359.99: 

 

 

 

 

That is a Beretta APX A1 Carry (click on the link for specs and such) 9mm pistol. I was not looking to buy it but it did seem like a great deal. After seeing ad, I checked out the pistol on Gun-Tests Magazine's website. The APX Carry got a best buy review from them and an A rating so I figured its A1 version would be just as good. I was beginning to get intrigued and then went to check on prices for it at AmmoSeek.com. That is where I saw that the Sportsmans Outdoor Superstore was offering it for $60 less. That hooked me.

 

Since the price of this one was only $299.99 and that there is a currently running $100 rebate offer from Beretta on them, I ordered one almost without hesitation. Yeah, I admit, I hesitated a bit because finances are not all that great right now but what pushed me over the edge was that I'd be getting a Beretta at a Hi-Point price. Imagine that a Beretta for $199.99 plus tax after the rebate and I got free shipping too. How could anyone who is a Beretta fan turn down that Black Friday deal! I can only hope (and I guess expect) that the quality of this little gun will be as good as what went into the making of all of my other Berettas. It will be my first striker fired, polymer frame, Beretta pistol but definitely not my first Beretta. I kind of, sort of almost definitely a fan of Beretta pistols - being I already own ten of them, I suppose that probably qualifies me at least as a bit of of a fan.

Merry Christmas, ahead of time, to me from me. My thanks to  Bartolomeo who started it all in 1526, to Pietro who modernized the company and to all the others in the Beretta family who have made & continue to make some of the highest quality firearms the world has ever seen. Thanks also need be given to the big guy upstairs who gave us his only begotten son as the gift that started it all. 

 

For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son: that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. (John 3:16 )

 

Christmas, as I see it, has always been about giving; albeit, maybe not to ones-self but can you blame me? After all it was 'such a deal' (Murry the vendor, personal communication); so, how could I resist. I hope your Christmas shopping works out as well as mine has so far.

All the best,

Glenn B

This Video Makes Me Want To Pick Up A Browning

 If you are interested in firearms history, you likely know that there probably is not a more eminent figure when it comes to firearms patents and models than John Moses Browning. If you'd like to know some of his history, watch this video. It is just under an hour long but I think definitely well worth your time: 

 

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Think This Might Have Been One Time...

 ...when I would have kept my mouth shut and just would been happy to have made a find like the once a couple of folks made in storage boxes they bought at auction - a dozen fully auto rifles - supposedly M16s!!! More at the source. 

 

It just absolutely goes to show: No good deed goes unpunished. I mean, damn that was one heck of a find to voluntarily report to the G. Then what does the government do but get a warrant to raid their place to look for more of them and to look for any evidence they might find of any wrong doing. All they probably had to do was ask to be allowed to search the other containers but no they had to get a warrant when they (the folks who found them) seemingly had done the right thing.

 

All the best,

GlennB

I Had Thought We Kicked The King's Arse...

 ...or at least the arses of his military men and allies in the American Revolution, aka: The War Of Independence. So you can imagine how bewildered was I when I was looking at a revolver on Gunbroker.com when I saw the condition of it was rated  by the King's Firearms Condition Standards. 

I do not recall seeing them in a lifetime of shooting until to'day. Here they are in case you are wondering:

The King's Firearms Condition Standards For Modern Firearms

 Grade 10 : New in box, a grading of 10 means the firearm is as it came from the factory with all the factory paperwork ect included. Not used.

Grade 9 : LNIB, a grading of 9 means the firearm is used but appear to be in a new in box condition. Will not show wear. Possibly will have a few rounds through the firearm.

Grade 8 : Very good to excellent, a grading of 8 means the firearm will show some very minor wear and/or scratches to the finish.

Grade 7 : Good to very good, a grading of 7 means the firearm will show light to mild wear and/or scratches. Will be in good mechanical condition.

Grade 6 : Good, a grading of 6 means the firearm appears to be in good functional condition but will show mild wear and/or scratches. This wear may include holster wear and/or light to mild surface rust.

Grade 5 : Fair, a grading of 5 means the firearm appears to be in functional condition but will show mild to heavy wear and/or scratches. This wear may include holster wear and/or light to mild pitting. This may also include frame modification and/or polished slides ect.

Grade 4 : As is, a grading of 4 means the firearm will cock and dry fire but no actual guarantee of actual function. Finish condition will vary from fair to good.

Grade 3 : Poor, a grading of 3 means the firearm will cock and dry fire but will show heavy wear, deep gouges and/or heavy pitting. Also, may include broken stocks and or missing parts.

Grade 2 : Parts, a grading of 2 means the firearm(s) is not in a functional condition and will need parts and repair to fix. Finish of a grade 2 will vary from fair to good.

Grade 1 : Parts, a grading of 1 means the firearm(s) is not in a functional condition and may or may not be repairable.

Nice standards but I look at them this way, if by King's they mean they are in some way, shape or form related to the king of England (I know there is no current king) - they are as useless as trash to me. I do not bow down before, honor or follow any rules set by or even merely named for a monarch. Of course, they could be named after some guy named Ichabod King for all I know; so if anyone knows where and how they originated, clue me in please.

All the best,

Glenn B

All

Texas - I Ain't In NY Any Longer...

 ...and some of the best proof of that are gun friendly laws that were passed during the 2021 legislature. Take for instance House Bill 1927 which allows for license free carry of a handgun by law abiding citizens over the age of 21 or House Bill 1500 that "...establishes that firearm and ammunition manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, suppliers and retailers are essential businesses that shall not be prohibited by state or local officials from operating during a declared disaster or emergency". Several more new gun friendly laws, in Texas, can be seen at the source: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20210601/texas-legislature-adjourns-after-groundbreaking-session-for-gun-owners

 

Dang, the politics here are much more to my liking than those in Cuomoistan! This may not be the most gun friendly state but as I indicated it sure ain't NY!

 

Edited To Add: House Bill 1927 was signed into law today by Texas Governor Abbott; it goes into effect September 1, 2021! (Source.)

All the best,

Glenn B

Range Report - Maybe Not Quite What You'd Expect (Or The Scary Things I See At The Range)

I dragged mine fatigued feeling fat arse out of my chair and to my car today and headed to a more or less local outdoor range over in AR today. I have not been to the range for some fun shooting in too long and brought along my Glock 30 pistols (two of them), my latest acquisition a Beretta 1934 for a test shoot and my Savage Axis XP in 308 to sight in its new Vortex Crossfire II scope.

I think I have mentioned, in a previous blogpost, that I now go to this range only on weekdays because of the arsehat factor often present there on weekends. I should have listened to my own advice. 

When I got there today, there were three other shooters there. They had been taking a break from shooting and the line appeared safe. They asked me if I needed to set up targets to which I replied no since I'd be shooting the Beretta first just to make sure it worked okay. Soon they called a hot line and the shooting commenced. The two guys at the other end of the range seemed to be doing things right. The other guy, one bench to my left was not shooting at the moment. I loaded up the Beretta mags (only have two mags 7 rounds each) and fired away for a function check. It worked just fine. I did that two times more and the third time I was shooting it I started having a problem in as much as pulling the trigger did not result in the hammer falling on intermittent attempts. Sometimes it went bang because the hammer fell, other times the hammer did not budge. "Oh no..." I thought "...the gun is screwed up".  

Well, as I was reloading mags that last time, I noticed the guy next to me was having problems with what I think was a Mossberg shotgun with only a pistol grip. He was shooting or trying to shoot short mini-shells through it but they were not going bang and he complained he was getting only slight dimple or none at al from the firing pin on the primers. I suggested he try some normal length shells and he loaded up behind the firing line! He then walked to the line and started shooting but luckily did not cover anyone in the process. The first went bang but then most of the others had the same problem. He then uttered something about having taken the gun apart and maybe screwing up something when he put it back together.

DANGER WILL ROBINSON - DANGER! - is what I should have heard booming inside my head. Next thing I know, the guy turns around and covers the other two shooters with the muzzle  and walks away from the firing line - fully charged shotgun in hand - points the gun at the road behind the range on which the shooters' vehicles were parked and starts unloading it while pointing it that way. He put it down once unloaded and bagged it. He then went to the line to shoot a pistol but not before loading it well behind the line. That was it for me, I decided to leave but not until I also got a video of him with his pistol because he was loading it behind the firing line and I mean several feet behind it. While making the video of him loading like that and then shooting, he had a misfire. He immediately racked the slide and ejected the round that did not go off, picked it up, put it back into the chamber and tried firing it. had the same problem and did that three times in all. Normally I'd wait several seconds, probably do a ten count, before opening the action just in the event it was a hang fire (which is a delayed fire shot). 

You can take a look at the video below. While I will not comment on what I think of his range etiquette, you can leave all the comments you want to about him. He was scary in his absolute... - oh wait - I said I'd not comment.

It's a pity I had to leave because I felt it was not safe due to his apparent ineptness with firearms/range safety. (Whoops did I just comment about his range etiquette and such?) It was also very disappointing. I had at least another 100 rounds to go through the Beretta and since I seemed to be having a problem with it not firing some of the times I pulled the trigger (the hammer was not dropping on some trigger pulls) I definitely wanted to try to figure out the problem. (Probably not the gun but user/knucklehead (that would be me) error as later on I realized I had had the safety partially engaged, once I disengaged it completely the problem went away while dry firing at home.) I must have engaged it with my grip or  whatever and I did not realize it or even take the time to check why I was having the problem once I realized there seemingly was an unsafe arsehat shooting next to me. (Whoops there I go again commenting on that guy - sorry.) Another trip to the range, this time on a weekday when it is much more likely I will be the only one there, should allow me to determine if the safety being partially engaged was the problem as I am pretty sure that was exactly it. Besides not shooting the Beretta any more, I also did not shoot any of the other guns I had along with me.

Oh Well, at least I made it home alive and unventilated and can go to the range another day to try again.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Little Cleaning Required For...

...the two new Zastava M70 pistols, in 32 ACP, that I received today from RGuns via my local dealer/FFL. I just sold off some of my other guns, a shotgun & a couple of rifles and while i certainly did not have a glut of cash to spend on more guns, like these, there was enough to convince me I had to take advantage of the deal RGuns has on them. They were $225 ea. plus $15.00 shipping (for both). Add on my FFL fee of $25.00 ea. and I spent a total of $515.00 for both of them. Considering that they each came with two magazines, a holster and a cleaning brush - it was a good deal. It will have been an excellent deal if they are actually in new condition. As far as I can see, through the downright sticky gloominess of the Cosomolne that envelopes them, they are as RGuns claimed - new old stock or as they I think describes them better - New Old MilSurp. Whatever, they do look new and that was a darned good deal on pistols for which so far I have seen only good reviews. Now, of course, that sticky mess that is covering them could be hiding blemishes, only time and a good cleaning will tell.  As to how well they operate - only time, a cleaning and a trip to the range will tell.

That may take me several days at least or maybe until the weekend after this coming one since I am already in the process of stripping the paint off of a Mosin Nagant 91/30 that I painted as a goof for a Zombie bayonet charge at a blogger shoot several years ago. Started that this evening in earnest and must say so far the paint is coming off of the metal nicely (some metal parts were painted a deep pink. It was supposed to be red but paint container was mislabeled or the guy who mixed the paints was colorblind (or both). Anyway, I figure I'll hold off on the M70s until I at least get the metal done on the 91/30.

More on these once I get them cleaned up and to the range.

February 9, 2020, Edited to Add:

By the way, when I purchased these they were advertised as being:

"UN ISSUED NEW OLD STOCK"

These pistols are not new as far as I can tell. The fact is, to me, they appear to have been lightly used. I am in no way saying the dealer used false advertising when selling these, they were probably told they were new and maybe some in their stock were new but evidently at least not the two I received. Here is why I think so: On each of the two I bought, there is evidence of wear on the slide rails of the frame and on the inside of the slide. There also was fouling in the bore and chamber and fouling in each magazine (even though each pistol and both mags with each gun had Cosmoline (or the equivalent, on them). While the fouling could have been solely from an initial test fire, the fact of the finish wear on the slide rails and such probably indicates otherwise. Though, I suppose that could have also come from test firing but, while it is not bad, it seems a bit much to be from test firing. Each also has small scratches and or dings in the exterior finish of the slide and frame finish. 

If I was gong to associate the word 'new' with them, it would be to say 'almost as good as new'; that of course being in my estimation. All things considered though, both were in what I am guessing is 95-98% cosmetic condition and nonetheless they were an excellent deal for the price.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Truly Terrible Gun Show...

...in my estimation was the one Brendan and I visited today in Texarkana, TX put on by T&K Promotions. After reading the hype on their website about what excellent gun shows they put on, all I can say is I was sorely disappointed and sorry to have wasted $20.00 in admission fees for me and Brendan today. Once we had paid our admission and gotten my guns' actions strapped with nylon ties, I walked in with one of my Mauser Chileno 1895 rifles slung over my left shoulder. Since I was hoping to sell it I had a wooden dowel down the bore with a paper for sale flag at the top saying what it was - no price shown. As I was standing there talking to a dealer in the outside hall leading to the main showroom, a woman walks over and tells me I "You have to remove the deal from your gun". At first I had no clue, so I asked what she meant. She told me my advertisement had to come off of my gun and she would hold it (evidently the sign not the gun) for me while I walked around AND that I could just tell dealers what I was asking for it. I kept my mouth shut except to say, I would hold onto my sign. I folded the paper around the dowel and took the dowel out of the barrel. Right after I did so, the dealer I had been talking too said 'That was weird, first time I ever saw that happen'. Me too; never before had I been told I could not walk around in a gun show trying to sell a gun with a flag advertising what I was selling. Oh well, their show, their rules. Once inside the main hall, I figured carrying the dowel would be a pain so I tore off the sign and put the dowel back into the bore.

Then I walked around the show. I walked around it twice and had one dealer ask me what I was asking; when I told him $475.00 he paled and bowed his head. I walked on. No one else asked until we were leaving maybe a half hour later at most. Yes, I said a half hour at most. That has got to be about the shortest time I've spent in a gun show except maybe for one put on by Big Al's Gun Shows in Danbury, CT back in August 2009 but I think even though that show was worse I probably spent more time there if only because Brendan and I met a friend of mine from work there. We were in and out of today's show quickly for a couple of reasons, the first being me having to remove the for sale sign from my rifle, why bother trying to sell it if I could not advertise it. The rest of the reasons were that both Brendan & I thought this gun show sucked was subpar; it certainly was not what I had expected after reading the hype on the promoter's website.

First of all, upon entry into the main showroom, it was obvious that the whole front wall of the room was lined by tables selling junk items that were in no way related to firearms. There were plenty of nick-knacks though and other non firearms related things! My first full spin around the hall I noted there were plenty of other tables mixed in among the gun vendors' tables that also had non-firearms or non-knife related stuff for sale. As for the gun tables, most did not have tags on their guns with make or model number let alone prices. I heard one potential customer as a dealer how much he was asking for a revolver and the deal quickly spurted out "four hundred" then seemed to take a moment to think better and blurted out "and seventy five". I should have asked him a bit later about the same gun as my guess was the price would have been different because I figured he was making up prices on the moment. As for the ones who did show prices, most of those guns were older used ones, ones I'd likely have an interest in but as seems usual nowadays the prices were pretty high on most of those. In particular a used Charter Arms Undercover revolver wore a price tag of $500.00. 

Besides the tables selling what I thought were junk items not suitable for sale at a gun show, there were a lot of other non gun tables selling things like knives, optics, and holsters. While a few tables offered some ammo for sale, there was not even a single table dedicated to ammunition sales that I saw and I am pretty sure I saw them all. This all at a gun show that according to the promoter:

"The gun shows are organized and designed to highlight guns, knives and other outdoor sporting related items, so attendees get what they come for, the very best selection of guns and knives that can be found in East Texas" (source). 

You will note they call it a gun show then say they put it together to sell guns, knives and other outdoor sporting stuff (they mention archery somewhere on the same source page - but there was zero archery equipment that I saw). They also call it a boutique style show (and with that I can agree after seeing some of the junk items for sale there).

There FAQ page also says this:  

"What if I don’t have guns to sell?
Related items to hunting, fishing or such are acceptable. If your items are totally non-related, there is a small percentage allowed in each show so that we can keep our shows family-oriented and meet visitor expectations."

They have me wondering what is their idea of small percentage. I say so because I counted 34 tables, out of a supposed 200 table at the show (or 17% of the tables), that were selling items that were not firearms, firearms accessories or ammo and also were not knives or other sporting goods. Those were things like handbags, some sort of water repellent for shingles, coins, Christmas trees (no trees on display but a sign said that they were for sale), nick-knacks, hats, paintings, and other items. Then there were at least 4 to 6 tables that had nothing on them except signs saying they were being held for Saturday & Sunday (we were there on Friday, first day of this 3 day gun show).

This was not my idea of a gun show that I could appreciate. Apparently it was not Brendan's idea of a good show either. So, we left after only about 30 minutes of being inside. Now mind you, while I was not happy about having to take the for sale sign off of my guns (especially since they allow attendees to sell guns there), I was not upset about it, as I said - their show - their rules. Yet, it definitely was one of my reasons to leave early. I mean, why stay trying to sell a gun that I could not let other people know I was selling by way of a for sale flag! It seemed pointless to walk around with it slung over my shoulder while others would have no idea I was trying to sell it. Regardless of that, in my opinion this still wasn't a show worthy of our time or our money as I explained with the other reasons described above. I mean, if I want to waste my and Brendan's time at least we could be doing it having fun at home and maybe drinking a couple of beers or we could be somewhere else that bored us no end like this show but that I did not have to pay a $10 a head entry fee just to be able to waste our time. So out the door we went without selling my rifle and without spending the money from such a potential sale, or from within my pockets, on any items at this show.

All the best,
Glenn B