christiangrest

[christiangrest]

Pistol Collection 2024 Top 5

About every year I put together a list of my top 5 firearms in a couple of categories such as pistol and long gun. Why every year you might ask? Well both my collection might have a new addition or my favorites may have changed a bit due to use case etc… But regardless, it’s a nice conversation I can have to discuss firearms, so that’s always a good thing. This year has some new entries but also some old ones as well.

First up is the very first factory Glock pistol I ever purchased and that’s my Glock 19X. The Glock 19X is a Glock 19 sized slide on top of a Glock 17 sized frame. These had some weird looks when first introduced by both Glock lovers and haters. But as time has gone on, you’ve seen other manufacturers follow suit with this style of pistol. Higher capacity with a short muzzle. These are available over at Brownells of course and are quite reasonably priced and come with that legendary Glock reliability.

Second is the very first 1911 in my collection from the early 2000s and that’s my Kimber Stainless 2. Kimber gets a bad rap, but mine has been solid and even has sported some upgrades over the years. Between the .22 conversion kit and the Ed Brown threaded barrel I picked up from Brownells for suppressor use…it’s always a good day when shooting this classic.

Third is my Beretta M9A4 that my wife got for me some time ago. I carried the original M9 in the Navy so I wanted an M9 variant and the more modernized M9A4 doesn’t disappoint! With it’s crisp Langdon Tactical trigger/hammer kit and the PA RS-10 red dot, it’s one proficient shooter. Truly shocked the U.S. military didn’t keep the M9 on board. It also is an excellent suppressor host.

Fourth is my S&W Model 629 6.5” .44 Magnum revolver. When you want to play Dirty Harry and do it in style, this 629 Deluxe model has had some trigger polishing and an Apex spring/firing pin kit installed. With the upgraded Hogue rubber grips it handles both .44 magnum and Special with ease. This pistol is one of those that I had wanted for quite some time and finally picked it up early last year.

Last up is a new pistol for this year, the Sig Sauer P365XL Spectre Comp. I picked this up from Brownells in January and quickly ran it through the paces of 1K plus rounds of various ammunition. Installed a Holosun 507K green dot ands have been carrying it most every day since. It’s been quite a surprising pistol and one that I highly recommend for anyone looking to step up their EDC game in a huge way.

So this is it… my list of my favorite top 5 pistols in 2024. Not sure what I might add to the collection this year, but definitely stay tuned for next year’s list… you never know who will get added or bumped off the list.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #revolver #top 5 #glock #sig #s&w #beretta #kimber #1911

[christiangrest]

Range Days are Great Days!

I’m a member of the North Carolina Gun Owners and maybe 1-2 times per year there’s a range day organized for whoever is able to attend. This was actually the very first year that I was able to attend with my busy schedule. Some of the members know that I do a lot of firearm projects as well as some content for Brownells so I took the opportunity to take a number of items with me that I picked up from Brownells and I thought the others would be interested in shooting.

We arrived at the private land late morning and I unpacked what I had brought along. The weather was great! Nice and sunny but with a good amount of wind… but that didn’t keep us from having a great time. Since many people had shown interest in my Henry lever action project from last year I was sure to bring that one along. What started as a basic Henry All-Weather in .44 magnum that I picked up from Brownells sure has had some major changes. Shortened and threaded by Madpig Customs and accessorized with Ranger Point Precision gear and topped off with the Brownells MPO Donut…it sure was a hit.

I also brought along a couple of sub guns, the Century Arms AP5 MP5 clone and my B&T GHM9 Compact, both of which came from Brownells over the years. Both suppressed of course using Rugged Obsidian QD suppressors…these 2 aren’t super common and was nice to share with the folks that attended the range day. The GHM9 Compact has an upgraded Geissele trigger and can be a lightning fast shooter when you want it to be.

Other folk there brought what they had. Finally had an opportunity to shoot a Springfield Armory Prodigy 9MM. This is their version of a 2011 double stack 1911 pistol. It was topped off with a Holosun red dot and felt perfect in my hands. I’m seriously considering picking one of these up now that I’ve had the chance to shoot one. I also had the opportunity to shoot a Ruger Precision rimfire bolt action rifle. Once I got dialed in I was hitting all the aspirin taped up on the target at 25 yards away. The aspirin challenge was something they had done in the past. We started up close at 7 yards trying to shoot small aspirin with our rimfire handguns and later moved back to the 25 yard line and were shooting them with rimfire rifles. It’s much harder than you’d think it would be! One really cool rifle I got to shoot was the folding 9MM carbine by Smith & Wesson. That sure was an interesting setup and handy too.

All in all it was such a wonderful day. Getting to see some of the new and long time members of the North Carolina Gun Owners forum. I did my best to represent my affiliation with Brownells and the shooting sports… of course I had my Brownells shooting hat on. Looking forward to the next organized range day with the NCGO…who knows what I’ll bring with me next time.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #range day #ncgo #north carolina gun owners

[christiangrest]

Acceptable Accuracy?

In the world of firearms, one of the most talked about topics is probably accuracy. It’s also one of the more debated topics as well. There’s many, many probably thousands of different ideas on what kind of accuracy a said firearm should garner. For this discussion, I’d like to keep the topic related to long guns and rifle cartridges specifically. The reason this topic popped into my head is due to a specific rifle I picked up from Brownells last year. I’ve also picked up a variety of different ammo types to attempt to see which ammo the rifle prefers and what kind of accuracy I can get out of it. There are so many different kinda of ammunition available for a rifle caliber, hunting, defense and precision match type of ammo… and all of the manufacturers of course claim theirs is the best.

So the rifle in question is the Ruger SFAR 16” version chambered in .308 Winchester. If you ask around and pose the question of what kind of accuracy should someone expect from any modern produced rifle such as this Ruger SFAR, you will most likely hear that this rifle should shoot 1 inch groups at 100 yards or it’s not accurate. Or you might hear the term 1 MOA (Minute of Angle) at 100 yards. Either way, this seems to be the standard that most people judge all rifles from in terms of accuracy these days. What most people don’t realize is that many rifles, especially autoloading rifles will struggle to shoot this kind of accuracy even with the best ammunition available. I have a few rifles that are capable of this type of accuracy if I do my part, but the majority of them will shoot much looser groups.

So if a rifle doesn’t shoot 1 inch groups at 100 yards, then is it trash? What should be acceptable accuracy for the rifle? I think it then boils down to a use case scenario. The military spec for the M16 rifle was a staggering 4.5” groups at 100 yards! This is to be an effective military rifle capable of shooting and neutralizing human targets out at distance. Most of my AR style rifles will easily shoot in the 2-3” arena which is well within the military standard. So back to the intended purpose of the rifle. The Ruger SFAR I picked up from Brownells has shot somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 to 4” groups with a variety of ammunition. These were 5 shot groups in rapid succession without any sort of cool down. This truly is a “combat scenario” group test with a hot barrel. But regardless of this fact, there were many comments trashing the overall accuracy because of that 1 inch at 100 yard standard that everyone chases. For a hunting rifle which was my plan from the start, these are useable numbers. For a benchrest rifle? Not so much. These are acceptable numbers for the intended use of hunting.

So what does all this mean? Come into the accuracy of a rifle with expectations consistent with what the intended purpose will be. Of course we all want sub 1 inch groups, but don’t trash the rifle if it’s not meeting that bar set so high that most can’t achieve. If you are using your rifle to shoot paper at 100 yards from a bench, then try a different rifle.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #ar15 #accuracy

[christiangrest]

Training on a Budget

Let’s face it… ammunition is extremely expensive these days. My last case of S&B 9MM I picked up from Brownells was close to $300 after tax. I do get free shipping with their Edge program, so for anyone else the price would’ve been even higher. I remember not too long ago, 10-15 years or so when a case of quality 9MM was closer to $125-$150. With ammo prices being what they are, what options do we have to keep our skills up with practice without breaking the bank? I’d like to discuss a couple of options that I use to keep my skills up, but the price low.

The first option should be some sort of rimfire version of a pistol you typically use. A couple of my main EDC pistols are a Glock 19X and a Brownells exclusive Polymer80 compact build. So naturally a Glock G44 makes perfect sense to keep my training ongoing without draining my wallet. The Glock 44 is every bit like a Glock 19 but uses 10 round rimfire magazines and it a bit lighter due to the polymer slide assembly. Promag does make some higher capacity magazines that I’ve had good luck with, but others have had some issues with. The Glock 44 can be had from Brownells for sub $400 which is not much more than a case of 9MM these days. It shoots well as any Glock does and truly provides a more budget friendly option of training. Other major firearm manufacturers such as sig Sauer, FN and S&W make rimfire pistols that are similar in size and function to their larger caliber brethren.

So what about rifle training? Dry fire training for any firearm is a really good idea, but the folks over at Mantis have developed a number of devices to enhance dry firing training. They make their Blackbeard X system which is the perfect training aid for your AR styler rifle or pistol. They even make a version for the Sig MCX series of firearms. The Blackbeard X consists of a Bolt carrier assembly that replaces your factory BCG and charging handle and a magazine assembly. The unit has a rechargeable battery pack that connects to a pretty slick app on your phone or tablet. The Blackbeard X cycles your hammer so that you can dry fire again and again. The app has many different drills you can run through and keep track of. It will track your split times, accuracy and also help make suggestions on improvements to your dryfire skills. No other company makes a product quite like this… I’ve really enjoyed the 2 Mantis BlackbeardX units I currently own. Mantis also has some pistol orientated products like the MantisX and Mantis Training academy which I also have. The training academy comes with extra targets as well.

So there are some options that I’ve been using over the past few years to help me train without spending a ton of money. Even still, I don’t train nearly as much as I should. Training should be a top priority for anyone in the firearm realm.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #ar15 #training #mantisX #blackbeardX #Glock 44

[christiangrest]

EDC Revolver…

Revolvers are one of the oldest style of pistols there is in the world today. Despite there being vast improvements on the handgun or handheld gun, the revolver still has a spot in a lot of people’s hearts and mind. But should it be considered for your EDC firearm? Last year I jumped back into revolvers after taking probably a decade long hiatus. I picked up 2 Smith & Wesson 629 revolvers from Brownells….one of which is a serious contender for an EDC pistol or at least an occasional carry piece. The Smith & Wesson Model 629 Performance Center 2.5” is big, but centered around a defensive role and one that I intend to explore further. So let’s dive into the world of revolvers for concealed carry or EDC.

If anyone ever says that you can’t use one firearm or another for your personal protection in and EDC or concealed carry role you should first take a look at where they’re coming from and what they carry on a daily basis. In today’s world you have the vast majority of people vying after those tuperware striker fired pistols for their daily protection. Think of Glock 19s, Sig P320 and Smith & Wesson M&P series pistols. These pistols have a lighter weight generally speaking and carry quite a bit more ammunition. Your typical Glock 19 pistol carries 15 rounds of 9MM for example. 9MM is a formidable cartridge these days due to the vast improvements on ammunition technology. A revolver carries typically 5-6 shots, but some of them carry 7 or even 8 in some revolver versions. The ammunition performance also varies in revolvers. The 38 Special cartridge is probably the most common and is anemic when compared to 9MM, but many people choose to utilize the better ballistics of a .357 Magnum or .327 magnum. Reloading is also quicker with a striker fired pistol than a revolver. A speed loader like the ones made by HKS from Brownells can be used to reload a revolver much quicker of course.

With the main 2 differences between a revolver and striker fired pistol out of the way, when does a revolver make sense? They make great simple pocket carry pistols for the Summer time. Just grab and go. Most altercations don’t end with a long gun fight but rather just a couple of shots fired to neutralize the situation. 5-6 shots in most cases is plenty. When it comes to the larger magnum calibers, these pack quite the punch and can stop an aggressor with one well placed shot. The drawback of course for the magnum calibers is a heavier revolver is required most of the time and the felt recoil is substantially more. When hiking or hunting something like a .44 Magnum is preferred when in bear country. One thing a revolver has over a striker fired pistol is simplicity of use.

So are revolvers a viable EDC option? Absolutely! There’s plenty of situations that warrant a revolver for a defensive piece. Regardless of what you choose to carry, be sure to train properly and select and appropriate holster so that you can carry your firearm comfortably.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #44magnum #edc #revolver

[christiangrest]

Small But Mighty…Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph

If you’re a reloader, one tool in your toolbox has to be a reliable chronograph. A chronograph is one of those pieces of equipment that helps to solidify just how well your reload functions. Of course judging by the ac curacy on a target is also important, but a chronograph can help determine whether your reload speeds are similar to published numbers, too slow or too fast. Consistency is something else that a good chronograph can help determine. When it comes to reloading, you don’t want your reloads jumping all over the place in velocity as that kind of inconsistency can at a minimum cause a sever degradation in your accuracy of your firearm. It’s safe to say that a chronograph is very important. Brownells happens to have a number of chronographs available including the one that’s the main topic today, the new Garmin Xero C1 Pro.

For quite a few years I had been running an old Caldwell chronograph and it had become quite frustrating to use. It seemed to only to only function when it wanted to. Often times my shots wouldn’t even produce a value and this can become frustrating when you only load a handful of loads and need to check them. The other issue I was having was the power switch. The unit wouldn’t turn on many times unless I fiddled with the power switch. Since the warranty is long gone on the Caldwell unit, it was time to see what others I could find. The Pro chrono is another one that Brownells has available. It’s not much more than the Caldwell, but still has the wired pathways that can easily be shot. Another option was the lab radar, but that unit is quite pricey and somewhat bulky. But then Garmin threw their hat into the ring with the Xero C1 Pro.

The Garmin is similarly priced as the lab radar, but comes with it’s own mini tripod. It’s smaller than a cell phone with Bluetooth capability and does what chronographs do. Garmin also provides a user friendly app for keeping track of your chronograph sessions. It can calculate the speeds of rifle rounds, pistol rounds, air pistol/rifle and even archery shots. During the range trip recently, I used it to check speeds of some .223 reloads as well as some .44 Special reloads. When you start your session, you select pistol or rifle and a speed window for the rounds. Then the chronograph gives a nice graphic of where exactly to place the unit in relation to the barrel and muzzle of the firearm. No other chronograph I’ve used has this. Super helpful to maintain consistency when reading different loads.

I was a little skeptical about the unit at first…it truly looks like there’s nothing to it, but it’s performed wonderfully thus far. I’ve been a fan of Garmin products for a long time. I have owned multiple automotive GPS units, radios and even have one of their chart plotter/fish finder units on my boat. Only time will tell, but if this Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph is anything like my other Garmin products, then it should last a very long time.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #reloading #garmin #chronograph #xero #xero c1 pro

[christiangrest]

Adventures in EDC…Part 5

One question that comes up very often in regards to EDC is how often do you clean your EDC firearm? This is one of those questions that there isn’t a right or wrong way to answer to be honest. Many people put their EDC rotation on a strict cleaning schedule whereas other folk just clean when necessary. So when do you “need” to clean your EDC? There’s plenty of schools of thought on this. Some will tell you that you need to do a cleaning and lubrication on a weekly basis whereas another might say that’s excessive and should only be done on a monthly or even quarterly schedule. I would say that there are many different answers to this question, but some factors should be considered when attempting to answer this question for yourself. How often are you shooting/training with your EDC pistol? What are normal conditions you’re operating in… if they’re harsher conditions, like dusty or muddy conditions a more diligent and frequent cleaning schedule might be necessary.

Round count could also be a determining factor in determining a proper EDC cleaning regimen. Recently I’ve been running a ton of rounds through a new EDC pistol, the sig P365XL Spectre Comp I picked up from Brownells recently. I shot a total of 1050 rounds before doing a second cleaning and it was extremely dirty. It was still 100% functioning however, but it was definitely due for a thorough cleaning and lubricating before being thrown into the EDC rotation.

Another question is just how much cleaning is necessary? How far should I break the pistol down. For a pistol that’s not seen a bunch of rounds my personal opinion is just a field strip, wear check and lubrication is all that’s necessary. Some people on the other hand feel that if it’s a firearm that I might need to defend my life with, then a full strip down is more appropriate. At the end of the day the individual must decide for him or herself as to how much stripping down and cleaning is warranted under their specific use case.

As for cleaning methods, there are many but I’ll describe mine. I truly prefer the cable style system that OTIS Technology has in their kits, especially for pistols. You can pick up a wide variety of these cleaning kits from Brownells. The cable kits are simple and work very well, but don’t take up a ton of space otherwise. I like to use a separate solvent to break down the carbon and dirt, then follow up with a lubricant of some sort. I have a lot of different lubricants that I use, but lately I’ve been using Ceramic Shield by Suppressor Solution. I also like Liquid Drip, Slip 2000 and some others.

To wrap up this conversation regarding cleaning and maintenance of your EDC pistol, whatever you decide is appropriate for your particular situation, follow through and keep tabs on your EDC pistol’s health. Be flexible enough to change your schedule if and when needed and always ensure your EDC pistol is functioning perfectly once your finished.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #EDC #concealedcarry #otis technology

[christiangrest]

Canik Rival Long Term Review

It’s been well past a year since I picked up the Canik Rival pistol from Brownells. The wife and I got a chance to shoot it at the IV8888 range day a couple of years ago. She’s a huge Canik fan and has another Canik pistol as well. Canik has done a great job at making a name for themselves across the board, whether it be for defensive roles, range days or competition…Canik has you covered. The Rival pistol at the time was one of their newest offerings designed more along the lines of a competition pistol. It’s a tad bit on the larger size to be a good concealed carry pistol, even though it could be used for that purpose of course. When I picked up the new Canik Rival from Brownells, I wanted to do something extra special for my wife and surprise her. Knowing her favorite color was purple, I decided to take her new Canik Rival over to the good people at Weaponworks for a full cerekote treatment with a purple multicam cerekote finish. Weaponworks knocked it out of the park as they usually do and my wife was shocked at how nice it turned out.

The Canik Rival comes with a nice kit with different base pads for the magazines and of coursed holster to get you started. They’re one of the only companies that includes a usable holster with most of their pistols. They’re not the best, but they’ll do the job. The Canik Rival is also setup for an optic. The packagae includes all of the popular pistol optic plates that one might need to install their favorite pistol optic. The iron sights are a fiber optic style high visibility style of iron sights that are very easy to pick up when shooting fast. About a year after getting the pistol and spending some time with the iron sights, it was time to take the plunge and install a pistol optic on the Canik Rival. Once again we saw a product at the IV8888 range day from the good folks at Gideon optics. Gideon is a new company on the market coming out with affordable but quality pistol and rifle optics. We decided to install their Alpha green circle dot optic on the Canik and it’s turned out to be a perfect fit and looks like it was made for this pistol.

Have put quite a few rounds down range with the Canik Rival pistol and truly have nothing negative to say about it. The grip contour is very ergonomic and tend to fit mine and my wife’s hands very well. It’s such an easy pistol to shoot and shoot very well. The wife especially loves shooting steel plates with it and the Alpha optic from Gideon sure makes it easy to transition between different targets set up down range. I would guesstimate somewhere past 1k rounds have been spent through the Canik Rival and it’s ran everything without a flinch. So would I recommend the Canik Rival? I think everyone knows the answer to that question and the answer is a definitive yes!

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #canik #rival

[christiangrest]

Newfound Love for the .44

While not a new caliber for me necessarily, I’ve somewhat re-discovered it in a sense. While growing up the only firearm that I can ever recall shooting that was chambered in a .44 caliber was my Dad’s old Marlin 1894 chambered in .44 Magnum and .44 Special. In honestly, I don’t recall ever shooting .44 Special through it, but absolutely remember shooting .44 Magnum through it. Even though it’s a rifle shooting a pistol caliber, the .44 Magnum in a lightweight and handy Marlin 1894 saddle ring carbine packs quite a punch especially for a small person. It’s a great short range hunting round though, especially out of a rifle with velocities running in the high teens.

Fast forward to 2017 the year my Dad passed away and my wife inherited that old 1894 Marlin rifle. She had taken a liking to it and my Dad had given it to her to keep and shoot and shortly after that conversation he was no longer with us. We all unanimously decided that it was hers to keep. I’ve shot that rifle a handful of times since then. It’s not been without it’s problems like the occasional jam, the Marlin jam as it’s known in which a round will jam up on the loading elevator. Last year, 2023 I made the decision to start looking into other firearms chambered in .44 Magnum & .44 Special. Since I already had a lever rifle, I wanted a revolver and ended up picking up a Smith Model 629. Not long after that purchase I ended up with a Henry All-Weather in .44 Magnum from Brownells and just at the end of the year another Model 629 but this time a short barrel Performance Center version. Right about the time I picked up the Henry in 44, I decided that I would have to get into reloading of both .44 Magnum and .44 Special in order to feed these guys a steady diet. Picked up 225gr FTX projectiles and Lee dies from Brownells along with some large pistol primers. Also picked up some cast 240gr as well as both Starline .44 magnum brass and .44 Special brass. For powder I’ve been running H110 for my .44 Magnum loads and Titegroup for my .44 Special loads. On top of a new found passion for .44 I’ve also gotten back into reloading more often. There are so many different loads for both the .44 Magnum and .44 Special…too many to try them all, but something for everybody and every application. I’m still looking into more loading opportunities.

The .44 Magnum is a ton of fun to shoot in both the 6.5” 629 and Henry or Marlin rifles, but no fun through the short 629…it’s a handful! .44 Special on the other hand is pleasant to shoot through any of them and especially through the Henry while running suppressed… it’s so soft to shoot and super quiet since those rounds are moving well below 1000fps. I’m already looking forward to my next .44 chambered firearm. I’d love to add maybe a Model 69 or possibly another levergun. If you’ve not yet dabbled with the .44 caliber you owe it to atleast give it a shot.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #44magnum #revolver #44 special

[christiangrest]

Is 2024 the Year of the Levergun? 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have noticed that lever guns have been gaining in popularity the past 3-5 years. Some companies have started to even ,market more “tactical” style lever rifles. Not sure exactly what’s caused the increase in popularity but I think it’s a great thing! I’ve wrote a few articles on some of my lever guns in the past, but let’s kind of analyze where I think this is going and why I don’t think it’s a fad. 

So I had been wanting a more tactical style lever gun for a couple of years. Henry rifles to my knowledge was the first company to actually offer a factory tactical lever rifle and since I already have a couple of heirloom traditional lever guns, I had wanted a Henry X model. Those Henry X models were rather scarce, so I picked up man all-weather .44 magnum from Brownells early last year and between MidPigCustoms and Ranger Point Precision, I created what could be considered a better version of what could be a Henry X All-weather rifle in .44 Magnum. Midwest Industries has been making lever gun goodies for some time as well. 

Last year Rossi introduced their version of a tactical lever gun and the new Ruger/Marlin introduced theirs. Then at SHOT show 2024…a whole slew of companies unveiled their new tactical lever rifles. Companies that we never even thought would start making lever guns jumped into the arena. I suspect since the demand has been so high for the Henry, Rossi and Ruger/Marlin lever guns, others saw an opportunity to join in. Aero Precision had a prototype lever rifle that looked really cool. I’ve been a long time fan of what Aero Precision brings to the table. Also Stag Arms released their lever rifle and out of nowhere, Smith & Wesson decided to release their 1854 lever rifle in .44 magnum at an outstanding price point. Smith & Wesson is known for their high quality revolvers as well as newer modern pistols. Since they’re probably the go to for revolvers, it only made sense that they decided to bring back a lever gun. This was their first lever gun offering in over 100 years. 

So other than a void in the market caused by high demand, what other factor could be driving this? Well unfortunately, many places here in the U.S. have rifler restrictions that outright ban tactical rifles such as the AR-15, but don’t affect lever guns. Plus the American tradition of a lever gun is appealing to a lot of folk. Let’s face it, lever guns are also effective at many roles as well as downright fun to shoot! I don’t think this is a fad that will fade away, but rather grow over time. Many folk are also quite tired of AR-15s and this gives them a new firearm avenue to explore. 

So in closing, do you plan on picking up a new lever gun this year? Brownells always has a number of lever guns in stock which is where my Henry came from. I’ve got my eye on the new Smith & Wesson myself, but we will see. 

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #44magnum #levergun #lever rifle #henry #smith & Wesson #Rossi #2024 #SHOT 2024

[christiangrest]

Carry Pistol Optic or Not?

This year I plan to do something I’ve fought off for many, many years. For quite some time now I’ve been mostly against using an optic such as a red or green dot on my concealed carry pistol. Yes there are a ton of people that use an optic on their carry piece of choice but I’ve been perfectly fine with just plain old iron sights. As my eyes have aged, I’ve found many traditional iron sights harder and harder for my eyes to pick up fast enough. In my mid 40’s now, but my eyesight has never been the best anyways having always to wear prescription glasses and shooting glasses. I do have a horrible astigmatism which cause me lots of issues with a red dot optic generally speaking. The red dots most of the time never look very crisp but rather like a star or starburst as some would say. Then green dots started to become more popular and I found that my eyes tend to work better with a green dot versus a red dot. Also some manufacturers do a better job at projecting the dot upon the lens than others. Maybe now is the time to re-visit an optic on a concealed carry pistol?

One of my other huge concerns regarding the use of an optic on a concealed carry pistol is the chance to failure when you need it most is real. Let’s face it…these are electronic components with batteries. Most are also an open emitter. Not to mention that there’s a glass window that can also be damaged or shattered. These are all very valid concerns for anyone looking to use something like to potentially save their or their loved ones life.

I’ve been testing out a new concealed carry pistol I obtained from Brownells, the Sig Sauer P365XL Spectre Comp. This pistol has an optics cut so I thought that now might be the time to try out an optic on my carry piece. Brownells offers most any quality optic you could think of including the Holosun 507K Green Dot optic that I recently picked up. For my iron sights I prefer, or let’s say my eyes prefer a larger front dot with small or subdued rear dots which the Sig P365XL already has. Going with the knowledge that my eyes prefer a green dot over red AND that the Holosun 507K Green Dot also has a multiple reticle system including a circle dot, this made perfect sense in my particular situation. The larger cxircle dot reticle is much easier for my eyes than just a standard dot is…anything I can use to my advantage to get on target quicker is advantageous. The sights on the Sig P365XL are still useable if the otpic fails which is also comforting to say the least.

So I’ll be testing out the new Holosun 507K optic on the sig P365XL over the next couple of months. Initial impressions is that this looks like finally the time that I will switch over to an optic setup on my carry pistol. Only time will tell, but I’m sure liking what I’m seeing so far.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #optic #concealed carry #pistol dot #sig p365 #sig sauer #holosun

[christiangrest]

Range Day with the Wife

I shoot at the range on a fairly regular basis, but my wife is pretty much the opposite. She only goes to the range when she’s in the mood whereas I go whenever I’m working on a project, whether it be content creation or a repair. Sometimes just to hone my skills, which always need honing by the way. Whenever I have the discussion about shooting more often, my wife just has many other things she’d rather do and that’s ok. So whenever we do get out to the range it’s typically a time for me to assist her as best I can to ensure she has a good time and makes an improvement. There was a time some years ago where I could definitely say that she was a much better pistol shooter than I am…back when she was shooting much more regularly, but I believe that time has passed. I am now a better pistol shooter, but please don’t tell her I said so. Truly the main reason for this is the shear amount of trigger time I have and also the amount of different types of firearms I get the opportunity to shoot. A lot of this experience I can truly thank the folks over at Brownells for. If it wasn’t for them and the experiences AND motivation they’ve given me over the years, I might still be where I once was.

Two out of the 3 pistols we took out to shoot this past weekend were purchased from Brownells for my wife. The third one was an old pre model 15 S&W that was given to me by my father years ago. The first pistol is the Canik Rival in which I had custom cerekoted by the folks over at WeaponWorks here in NC. Purple is my wife’s favorite color, so I had a slick purple mulicam pattern applied. Recently I also added a Gideon Optics Alpha green dot optic to this pistol for her. The other pistol is the Sig P365XL Rose edition. Now both of these pistol are very different with the Rival being more of a competition pistol and the Sig Rose being a concealed carry pistol. I brought with me a case of S&B 115gr 9mm from Brownells as I wanted my wife to shoot as much as she could because who knows when the next time I’ll get her out to the range would be. She shot atleast 400 round through both of the pistols that day and truly honed her skills with the rather small Sig P365 Rose. She went from missing the target regularly at 10-15 yards to hitting it pretty much every time. The Canik Rival, after shooting the P365 a ton was like a cake walk…it’s truly and easy and forgiving pistol to shoot!

Throughout the entire range experience that day, I helped instruct my wife on how to shoot the P365 Rose better. As the day went on she went from frustration to complete confidence and having a great time. She’s one of those individuals that doesn’t give up easily and just needed some extra motivation to get it right. I’m hoping that the time before the next range day with my wife is much shorter than the last. I truly enjoy helping her have a great experience even when I don’t get to shoot much at all.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #range day #wife #canik rival #sig p365 rose

[christiangrest]

Sig Sauer P365XL Spectre Comp…Concealed Carry Hotness?

I had been considering a new firearm to add to my concealed carry arsenal, my EDC rotation if you will. Mostly I’ve been carrying Glocks and those pistol derived from Glocks. I also on occasion carry a 3” 1911 from Kimber when I’m feeling fancy and an uber small Kahr PM9 when I hardly have clothes on to conceal it. Think beach outings for the Kahr PM9. My wife has a S&W Shield 9MM Performance Center already. I truly was looking for something compact but with more capacity from the factory than the gen 1 Shield and the Kahr PM9. I was able to narrow it down to just a few pistols, the Glock 43X and 48, the S&W Shield Plus and one of the Sig P365 variants. One downside of these super compact pistols is that typically they’re not that fun to shoot…they take more work than say a full sized Glock or 1911. Sig Sauer had released it’s P365XL a couple of years ago and then came out with their Spectre Comp line of P365XL pistols. The P365XL has a flush fit 12 round magazine or an optional 17round extended magazine. This puts it up there with the typical Glock 19 I carry.

The Spectre Comp version is on a whole different level. They reduced the length of the barrel to the standard P365 length of 3.1’ but kept the slide the P365XL length and milled into it a set of compensating ports. The built in compensator helps to keep the small pistol shooting flat to allow quicker follow up shots or atleast that’s the idea. Sig’s Custom Shop also adds some different cuts on the slide and a better trigger. The pistol comes in 2 flavors, either black with a gold trigger and barrel or the coyote tan version. I had been looking at the Coyote tan version which had been in stock over at Brownells and decided to go ahead and take the plunge. It arrived at my FFL after a few days. First impressions of it was how well it fit my rather large hands for being such a small pistol. Even with the flush fit magazine, it’s comfortable. The look of the slide is also very nice and sets it apart from the other P365 variants.

I’ve had a total of 2 range sessions with the new Sig Spectre Comp P365XL for a total of 350 rounds. The trigger is actually very good despite having more take up than I anticipated. The Siglite night sights work very well with my eyes, having a large front dot and subdued and blacked out rear dots. Does the compensator actually work? I would say so. I’ve shot small pistols like this in the past and this one excels at follow up shots. I could shoot it all day long and be plenty happy in doing do too. So far I’ve only had 1 malfunction and that was a stuck case that failed to extract when shooting cheap Tula steel cased ammo. Since the pistol is also optic ready, I believe I will be adding a pistol dot in the near future.

So if you’re looking for a new concealed carry pistol, in my opinion you should give the P365XL Spectre comp over at Brownells a good consideration. It’s been a wonderful pistol and has exceeded my expectations.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #sig sauer #sig p365xl spectre comp #p365 #p365xl #concealed carry

[christiangrest]

APEX Tactical Trigger Kit…J-Frame S&W Upgrade

Recently I had a friend approach me looking for some options for one of his revolvers. He has an older Smith & Wesson J-Frame 442. These are awesome little revolvers and perfect for a small carry pistol or backup pistol. They easily disappear inside of a pocket holster. No external safeties to worry about, so they’re also an easy option for someone who wants to upmost in simplicity. This particular Smith & Wesson also doesn’t have the dreaded locking mechanism that the 90’s ushered to us during the Clinton years. Another nice point regarding these revolvers is no external hammer and double action only… that’s right, these are just about as simple of a firearm you can get these days. Of course make sure you train with any firearm you intend to use to defend yourself and your family members. This revolver actually belongs to his wife and she had complained a little bit about the double action only trigger being way to hard to pull. She was right in her complaint as the double action trigger pull is somewhere north of a 12lb pull. He asked if there was anything I could do to improve it and make it more pleasant to shoot. I quickly headed over to the Brownells website and saw that APEX Tactical makes a duty trigger upgrade kit for these Smith & Wesson J-frame pistols, so I went ahead and ordered one.

The APEX Tactical trigger kit came in from Brownells in a few days and it comes with a different mainspring, hammer spring and a new firing pin spring. It also came with an upgraded firing pin. The J-frame Smith & Wesson comes apart much like other Smith & Wesson revolvers. Three screws then I could remove the tight fitted side plate in order to access the internal workings of the hammer, trigger and firing pin. The replacement of the springs and firing pin were fairly straight forward, but if you’ve never taken apart a Smith & Wesson revolver, be sure to watch a few videos so you can see how they come apart and go back together. In my opinion the mainspring is the most difficult part to re-assemble. It has a rod, spring and cup and needs to be compressed to re-install taking care not to launch them across the room. Since I had it apart I took the opportunity to polish up the trigger bar as well.

After I was finished with the re-assembly, there was a noticeable difference in the trigger pull. According to my trigger pull gauge the trigger pull was lowered down to an 8-9lb trigger pull. In addition to the lower pull weight, the trigger itself was much smoother. I believe this was mainly due to the extra polishing work I did while I was in there. Some people might think that the lower trigger pull weight makes it less safe, but with an 8-9lb trigger pull, this is plenty heavy for a double action trigger in order to remain safe for carry. So if you’ve got a Smith & Wesson J-frame pistol and looking for a way to make an awesome wheelgun better, look no further than the APEX trigger kit from Brownells.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #smith&wesson #j frame #442 #wheelgun #revolver

[christiangrest]

Product Spotlight: B&T GHM9C w/JMAC Skeleton Stock

I have had this little pistol caliber carbine (PCC) or subgun whichever is the preferred terminology these days, for a couple of years now. I picked this up from Brownells and it’s been one heck of a nice package overall. The Swiss truly know how to manufacture nice things and especially true in the firearm realm. Last year I paid the tax and got the approval from big brother to add a stock assembly. I’ve ran 2 different style stocks on this short barreled rifle or SBR, both of which are from JMAC Customs.

The initial stock assembly that I chose to run was one of the skeleton triangle stocks from JMAC Custom. This stock works very well on this Grass Hopper Mouse (GHM) when it’s in it’s extended form. What I was finding however is that in it’s folded form,  it was a bit harder to access the grip with the lower portion of the triangle stock somewhat in the way. I absolutely love the triangle style folding strock assembly, but it would appear to be better in both function and aesthetics on the AK platform, which I also run one of these on. So I was looking at what other JMAC custom stocks I could try and use instead. Their basic skeleton stock seemed like it would be a perfect candidate to pick up and replace the triangle stock with. I decided to pick one up and definitely glad that I did. The lines on this stock seem to work very well with the B&T GHM9C and an added bonus is that I have a little better access to the pistol grip to fire while the stock itself is folded.

Now for the folding mechanism I am using the 1913 rail type folding mechanism that JMAC Customs makes. These are very nice as they allow you to attach one of their various stock assemblies to any firearm that has a 1913 rail section on the rear of the receiver. One thing to note regarding the 1913 folding mechanism is that it’s pretty tight. You have to lift up on the stock in order to fold the stock and it’s definitely on the stuff side. This might seem like it’s too stiff, but trust me, this is a good thing because there’s literally no way to fold the stock un-intentionally. I did add some oil to the folding mechanism pin to help it loosen up and it may loosen up some over time and use. Cheek weld on the stock with the gen2 PA Cyclops optic is also perfect for my build and stature. The stock also has QD attachment points at the rear as well as closer to the receiver. Holes on the top allow for additional cheek risers if needed. This is the stock that B&T should offer as an accessory in my opinion.

Final thoughts…if you’re looking for a stock for your PCC definitely take a look at the skeleton stocks made by JMAC Customs. You can find them over at Brownells and of course the JMAC customs website.

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #B&T #jmac customs #skeleton stock #ghm9c #grass hopper mouse

[christiangrest]

Has the AR-15 Platform Ran Out of Tricks?

We all or most of us anyways, have had a love affair with the AR-15 firearm platform for a long time now. It is indeed America’s Rifle. There are more in circulation than any other firearm in American history. Of course early on in it’s military configuration it was met with wide skepticism, but over time it evolved into a very capable firearm with many different forms. Companies have been trying to improve upon the AR-15 for decades as well. Between piston systems replacing the original gas impingement setup to different style stocks, handguards, triggers and sights…you name it, it seems like each and every aspect of the original AR-15 has been changed. Even the styles of the receivers are drastically different depending upon the company it’s sourced from. So I beg the question…has the AR-15 platform ran out of tricks? What more can be changed?  Companies are constantly trying to improve upon the original design.

Now I’ve been building and tinkering with the AR-15 platform for close to 20 years. Countless builds, troubleshooting and even some factory rifles. I typically look to Brownells for my wares and that includes some of the more interesting rifles I’ve purchased over the past few years. One of them is a Geissele super duty, an exclusive Brownells version. Geissele has tried to improve upon the AR-15 platform by using a wire wrapped buffer spring, awesome triggers, a special maritime bolt catch as well as a bolt carrier called their reliability enhanced BCG that sports some interesting features. This is probably one of my favorite standard looking AR-15 rifles and it would appear that Geissele is out of huge ideas to make any more drastic changes. If it works, stick with it.

Another rifle I picked up from Brownells about a year ago is the Sig Spear LT 5.56. This is the 3rd version of the Sig MCX series. It’s a short stroke piston system instead of the direct impingement that has a 2 position gas setting. It also uses an AR-180 style BCG with dual recoil springs. This feature allows the stock to be folded and no buffer tube required. Also ambi controls are standard. But even after all of the changes, the heart is still very much a derivative of the AR-15.

The last rifle I’ll mention is the Ruger SFAR .308 rifle. Although not the first company to do this, they have stretched the AR-15 receiver enough to accept the larger .308 cartridge all the while keeping the overall package the same size and weight as a 5.56 AR-15. I picked this rifle up from Brownells over the Summer, and while it’s not been perfect, I have truly enjoyed the concept and look forward to hunting with it later on this year.

So has the AR-15 platform ran out of ideas? It’s truly hard to say. So many things have been tried and some perfected over the original design. One thing for sure is that need will dictate innovation… do we really need anything else to be changed?

#brownells #brownellsinc #bureauofpropaganda #ar15 #sig #spear lt #ruger sfar #geissele super duty

[christiangrest]

Firearm Project Goals…2024

The very first goal, which is truly a trickle over from last year is to get my Ruger SFAR 16” .308 rifle running 100% and ready for deer season or even possibly a chance at some elk. This rifle project came about towards the latter part of 2023 and hasn’t been without some trails and tribulations. After picking up this rifle from Brownells in the fall, it’s had numerous issues, some expect3d and some not so expected. As I write this, I have plans and backup plans to solidify this rifle into my reliable collection.

The next project which is one that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time and almost started on last year is the Brownells BRN-4. This is a faithful reproduction of the HK416 rifle system, but at a much more affordable price point. Brownells worked with some manufacturers to reproduce the major components and they’re even compatible with original HK parts. My plan is to produce a near clone of this rifle at some point this year. At this writing, the complete upper assemblies are out of stock, but Brownells has had them in and out of stock for quite some time now.

Another project I would like to get underway is a new concealed carry pistol. I’m long overdue for a new pistol for my EDC rotation. I’m not yet quite sure which pistol platform I’m going to be leaning towards, but heavily looking into the S&W Shield Plus or Sig P365 series. Both of these are highly regarded in terms of concealed carry pistols and either would be a perfect edition to my EDC rotation. Both of these pistols offer more capacity than a single stack and close to that of a Glock 19, but are still thin and more compact than a double stack Glock. Both also offer optic mounting which is something I might bring into my EDC fold as well.

Whatever this new year brings, it’s sure to bring new ideas and projects. We will see by the end of the year just how many of these projects became a reality or which ones got shuffled to the back of the list. Regardless, this is going to be an awesome year, so stay tuned!

#new year #2024 #firearm #projects #Brownells