Interesting news on the gun front this Sunday morning...

from Utah gun dealer Larry Correia, making the rounds at the SHOT show...

Vltor is making a Bren 10.

I see this and think, "Bren Ten? As in the very first pistol chambered for my beloved 10mm cartridge?" So off I went, and teh Google-fu was strong this morning, as it yielded this, via the Calguns forum:

"Tucson, AZ - Feb 01, 2008 - Vltor Weapon Systems today announced the launch of the Fortis Pistol Project, a modern version of the famous Bren Ten style pistol.
Originally released in 1982, the Bren Ten pistol was designed to advance the state of the art in handgun technology. Designed to fill the need for a full size, full power, double action pistol, the Bren Ten created immense interest as a potent choice for law enforcement and military use.
Developed as a pistol and cartridge combination, the Bren Ten was the first production pistol to chamber the powerful 10mm Auto cartridge. In its original loading, the 10mm Auto was capable of launching a 170gr buller at 1,300 fps - generating over 600ft/lb of muzzle energy.
Unfortunately, the original Bren Ten and its successor fell victim to business management and financial problems - but the demand for a high quality American made, full size, double action pistol has still not been filled.

According to Eric Kincel, the General Manager for Vltor, the Bren Ten may have truly been a design that was ahead of its time; "Now is the time to make this pistol. With today's precision manufacturing techniques and the superior materials available, the Fortis will be a pistol line that is everything people hoped previous attempts would be."
Eric pointed out that the Fortis is nearly identical to the original Bren Ten in exterior appearance and ergonomics, but that some changes have been made to improve reliability, safety and strength. "The Fortis, while based on a twwnty-five year old idea, is very unique. It offers a high tech, high quality pistol that more than fills the demands for a full size, magnum power auto loader."

The first released Fortis will be a "duty gun", a full size, all steel, high capacity 10mm Auto that will reliably answer the call of professionals and sportsmen that rely on a good pistol. However, Eric is quick to point out that the Fortis Project is a line of pistols based on one common design. "There will be other versions of the Fortis...different calibers, sizes and options specific to certain applications." When asked if they intend on releasing a faithful reproduction of the original Bren Ten, Eric's answer was simply "We sure want to".

Fortis Pistol Proposed Specifications (subject to change in final production)

Manufacturer - Vltor Weapon Systems
Model - Fortis (original release)
Type - autoloading pistol
Operation - Semi-automatic, Double/single action
Caliber - 10mm Auto (others to follow)
Barrel length - 5.00"
Overall length - 8.75"
Height - 5.75"
Width - 1.30"
Weight - 38 ounces
Safety - reversible thumb and firing pin block
Sight radius - 6.88"
Sights - Adjustable, 3-Dot combat style
Rifling - 5 Groove, radiused, RH twist
Stocks - Engraved polymer panels
Capacity - 12 rounds
Finish - Black Steel Slide and Subdued Finish Stainless Frame"

Gonna be keeping a sharp eye out on this one. From everything I've heard about the Bren it was a hell of a gun, just with not-so-good quality control; since the demise of it and the S&W 10xx series there hasn't been much of a choice for the 10mm enthusiast at least as far as non-1911 platforms go, beyond Glock and EAA. I had been considering the EAA Witness for a while, but honestly I'd be afraid of getting a lemon -- and from everything I've heard about EAA, its customer service is nonexistent. And as far as 1911s go, both Kimber and Dan Wesson will set one back at least $850 for one of their 1911s NIB, though in my experience they've both been worth the price. I don't know if the Fortis will be any cheaper than that, as I don't know anything about them, but in any event the pistol sounds VERY appealing. Kurt Hofmann, if you want an affordable 10mm that isn't a Glock, this might be your chance, buddy...

Ooooh, my favorite Reba tune! "If I siiink any more, I'll go under, if I cry anymore, I'll go blind...oh, there ain't no relief, for this missin' you grief, how looong can you torture my mind...How bluuuuue, can you make me....how looooong, till I heal..."

UPDATE: Bloody hell, I'm gonna go even more broke...I heard the Colt Delta Elite was also re-introduced at SHOT...

My Friday Gun Shop Adventure

So last Friday after I picked up my new gun, I was on the hunt for some half-decent factory ammo to run through it, namely the Remington UMC. It's about the hottest factory practice ammo you're gonna find on the shelf, drives a 180-grain FMJ at about 1150 fps, or so they advertise. I'd only seen it at one gun store around here, Shooters Supply, which of course closed earlier this year. I'd seen references to another little shop in Vidor here and there, Gary's Guns out on Highway 12 just northeast of where it runs into the interstate.
So after I took care of my Friday business, I rode out there to pick some up. I'd called 'em before and the clerk told me they had plenty of it.
"You might wanna stock up now, my friend, 'cause it's only gonna go up from here." One more reason I am quite glad I took up reloading.
Anyway, I got out there late Friday afternoon. They had a pretty good selection of pretty much anything gun-related you'd want, at least with what I could tell with my somewhat cursory glance around the store. The guy at the counter told me, "We got anything you could want, what do you like?"
Bet you could guess what I told him, too. "Well, I have a bit of a fetish for 1911s."
The ole boy didn't miss a beat. "What caliber? .45, 9mm, 10mm? How 'bout a .38 Super?"
"Well," I said, as I glanced down at a Kimber 10mm identical to the one I picked up last year, "I do like the 10mm, in fact, I picked up a Dan Wesson Razorback earlier today."
"Well then. You need a .38 Super. Check this out." With that he pulled out one of the most beautiful Smith & Wesson 1911s I'd ever seen -- a Doug Koenig model from the S&W Performance Center, with the square trigger. As far as I remember, the price on that thing was somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500.
"Try it out and see what you think."
Lord have mercy. They say the 1911 generally has the best trigger pull of any pistol, but this was out of this world. The trigger pull alone would have been worth the price tag, you just wouldn't belieeeeve. But I'd have been paying it off forever. Speaking of that, the store clerk piped up again.
"We got this little thing called layaway..."
"Yeah, and I have this little friend in my pocket called a credit card, but it'd hate me forever, and I already shoot one esoteric caliber, I can't quite afford another right now..." I did say that as I laughed and grinned, though. "But I do have another little friend at home, an RCBS turret press."
And off the discussion went into reloading. He said he loaded a bunch of calibers, though I don't remember which ones he said he loaded the most. 9mm, 10mm, .45, .38 Super, 9x23 were some of the ones he mentioned, though. I asked him if he had any pet loads for the Centimeter, but he said he only played around with that one. My impression was pretty favorable, though. The guy sounded like he knew his stuff pretty well. All that and virgin 10mm brass, to boot -- the only place in the Golden Triangle I've seen it! No once-fired, but none of the other shops I'd frequented had that either. As far as I remember it was about $15 per hundred, With that price, and the other components, one could load 10mm at a price that runs neck-and-neck with factory .45acp, and that's hardly a bad thing. Like I say, I'll be checking them out more...

Random caliber musings...

Done what now? Caliber wars are what?...

Caliber wars are fun. I’ve been cruising The Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy lately, and for whatever reason there are multiple threads in which some guy rolls in with the assertion that “ROROROR .40 SUXXORS”, while at the same time asserting that the 9mm is a superior caliber. To the .40.

Now I know the platform wars are more fun than a barrel of monkeys, but I've never actively engaged in a caliber war, the biggest reason being I'd probably end up making myself look like a dumbass, and even regarding the smallest of the Big Three, Linoge said it pretty well: "Numbers and dick-waving aside, multiple 9mm JHPs will cause most people to reconsider their current activities..." That said, I still tend to think the 10mm is still the Goldilocks cartridge, that is, just right. Assuming the FBI didn't try any bullets lighter than 180 grains, I'd almost bet the 10mm would have fared much better if they had gone that route. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I've loaded my own 10mm with those 155-grainers to about 1400 fps, and I'd think with those specs you could take down just about anything on two legs. HOWEVER. For anyone reading this, the preceding was my entirely unscientific, wild-arsed guess just looking at the numbers. In any event though, those 10mm loads were surprisingly easy to shoot. Perhaps that's because I'd been thinking it would be worse with the exaggerated claims of the 10mm's recoil, but still I liked a lot. I've never tried any of the Double Tap ammo in my 10mms, and I know they'd be different, especially with the heavier bullets, but I'd still be interested to find out how they'd feel.

More Range Fun With the Kimber 10mm

Yes, that's right, friends, I went to the range yet again last week with my Kimber Stainless Target II. I didn't get to throw too many downrange because of time constraints -- maybe tomorrow or the next day, if it doesn't rain -- but I took 100 rounds of 180-grain Federal American Eagle...and 20 rounds of Winchester Silvertip 175-grain hollowpoint ammunition, one of the few even semi-widely available close-to-full-power 10mm loads. According to the Winchester website, this particular cartridge is rated at 1295 fps out of a 5.5" barrel. The Kimber is a 5-inch gun, of course, so they go out just a little slower than that, but still, I was a bit apprehensive. So after about 50 rounds of the weak Federal AE, I gingerly opened up that grey box of Winchester Silvertips and loaded a magazine with them. Slammed the mag into the gun, charged it, took aim at the target. BOOM! Okay, that wasn't so bad, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Okay, still not the rocket ride I was expecting. I finished off the rest of the magazine and thought, is that all there is?
Mind you, this was not a bad thing. I had just heard so much about how the 10mm was such a hard-recoiling cartridge (although, granted, in the original Norma loadings I am sure it does kick pretty hard), but still I was very pleasantly surprised. This is, of course, a completely unscientific wild-assed guess, but I'd guess with that shorter barrel I was driving those Winchesters out at about 1250 fps, at least...it might well have been more than that, I don't know. I wish I'd had a chronograph so I could have seen for myself...but back to the point, a 175-grain bullet at 1250 feet per second -- a bullet with about the same sectional density as the .45ACP, in a cartridge with about the same recoil as the .45ACP+P and at 400 feet per second faster than standard .45ACP, would be quite a potent self-defense cartridge indeed. I am itching to try the Double Taps in that gun...I know they have quite a following among the 10mm enthusiasts, and looking at the ballistics on those suckers, it's not hard to see why...
UPDATE! AlanDP says in comments:

Maybe you need to step up to a .50AE. (ha ha)

Come to think of it, one of these would make an absolutely hellacious truck gun...
Back to the range today, 50 rounds of Blazers, about the same of Federal AE, and the last of the box of Silvertips. Went head-to-head with the last three mags I shot...one mag of Blazer, one mag of Federal AE, and one of Winchester Silvertip. I felt the extra kick with that last one. 1250 fps? I'd believe it...

UPDATE, 5-22-07:
Seems like this post gets a lot of hits from Google from folks looking for info on the Kimber 10mm 1911s, specifically the Stainless Target II. More observations on my experiences with this fine weapon may be found here, here, here, here, and here.

Dirty Range Fun

not THAT kinda dirty, just keep readin'...
So last weekend I loaded up a few more rounds of 10mm, as I had a few more primers here and there I needed to put to good use as well as some more Berry's 180-grain plated flat-nose bullets.
I had a few left over from the last range trip with the 10mm...it's been a few weeks since I've taken the 10mm out, because I nailed my Shooting Chrony as I was testing a load I'd worked up before I even got the first reading on how hot it was. But I ordered a new one late last week and it came in Monday, so today I took it to the range to see how it worked out. I picked up another Shooting Chrony, but I took a step up to the Alpha model, the red one that will hold one 2- to 32-shot string and calculates average velocity, standard deviation and extreme spread. I took about 60 rounds today, with the following specs:

Case: Federal and a few Winchesters, three times fired
Bullet: Berry's 180-grain plated flat-nose
Charge: 12.1 grains of Accurate Arms No. 9
Primer: Remington 2 1/2 (large pistol)
OAL: 1.260"

Firearm: Kimber Stainless Target II

The only difference between this load and what I've loaded before was the primers, as I'd been using CCI large pistol primers before. And there was a bit of difference that I could see, from both the velocity readings and inspection of the pistol after shooting.
The load with the CCI primer was running just over 1150 fps on average, with individual shots running anywhere from 1120 to 1190, while the load with the Remingtons was running about 1120. I only took a seven-shot string, but the load was amazingly consistent through the string, anywhere from 1115 to 1128 feet per second; that's the lowest extreme spread I've had with ANY load I've worked up. I don't know how it would have changed if I had taken a longer string; maybe I'll try that next time out and see how it works.
But then again, I might not. The lower velocity I could deal with -- that much could be remedied with a higher charge, as examination of the cases showed it was running at about-normal pressures -- but it seems that not all the powder is burning, as the gun was a good bit dirtier when I was finished shooting than it usually is. I suppose one could also try magnum primers -- I've read of people using them a lot with the 10mm -- but I just don't know if I want to try that with a stock gun, as it'll ramp up both pressure and velocity if what I've been told is right. In any event, other than the dirty gun, it was a fun range day. But to twist the old saying, even a bad day at the range beats a good day at work. Better too that I managed to recover well over half my brass. I think I recovered about 50 out of 65, and it didn't take me that long either. Maybe I'm gettin' better at that too!

Underrated? Yep, I'd say so...

or, once again, I Get Referrals, from this search: underrated 10mm auto cartridge.
Yep, I think the 10mm is quite underrated. A lot of folks would point to the .40 Smith & Wesson as the best of the 9mm and .45 worlds, but I think the 10mm is a better one — heavier than the 9mm and much faster than the .45, even with bullet weights approaching the .45, and in most cases faster than 9mm, even. Those hot loads are no doubt a handful, but they are in any pistol. I'll admit I haven't driven my homemade 10mm rounds as fast as some folks do, but a 180-grain bullet at about 1200 fps or a 155-grain bullet at 1400 is still damn potent for an autopistol — and surprisingly easy to shoot, too. To steal Ferris Bueller's words, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up." I have two of them myself...

Interesting...

A search for you know what yielded this, with an interesting bit of information...

The First release of the Fortis is being developed in both 10mm Auto and .45ACP, there will be other calibers available in the future.

Interesting, very interesting, especially if all one has to do for a caliber change is to change uppers. As of yet the only pistol line I've seen that has this capability is EAA's Witness line, which is basically a clone of the highly-esteemed CZ75. Coincidentally, the Witness is one of the very few non-Glock and non-1911 pistols out there chambered for the 10mm. The reports I've seen on the Witness have been mixed, evocative of the old poem...

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
When she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.

Contributing to the horrid part of that equation is what I've heard about EAA's customer service, which is pretty much that it's the absolute worst in the gun business. From what I've heard about the Witness it's built like a bank vault, much like the Ruger P-Series pistols, and for that reason I had considered making a Witness my first 10mm -- but I heard about said customer service and decided to bite the bullet, so to speak, and get a Kimber. For what I paid for that gun I probably could have bought TWO Witnesses. It'll be interesting to see how much of a dent in the sales of the Witnesses the new Fortis will put in, and how said dent causes EAA to respond vis-a-vis customer service. If it causes them to change things that would be nothing but a good thing, even if the Fortis is priced competitively with a mid-level 1911, as Fortis GM Eric Kincel said on the blog. I'm guessing that would be between $700-900, compared with about $450 for the Witness from what I remember when I was looking for a 10mm way back when. I'd pay for it. Quality costs money, but when it comes to things like firearms, that quality is -- at least up to a point -- always worth more than you pay for it.
More info on the Fortis here.

Weekend Gun Fun

It rained like the proverbial cow leaking on the flat rock most of yesterday, and sprinkled a bit this morning, but I finally got out to the range later this morning with my Kimber 10mm Stainless Target II and 100 rounds of 180-grain American Eagle full-metal-jacket. I did it more than anything to get more brass for the upcoming venture into reloading, but I hadn't taken the Kimber out in a while and thought it'd be fun to pull her out and see how she was doing. Granted, the AE is a real pussycat of a load at 1060 fps, but still I wouldn't want to get hit with it, and the Kimber handles it like a champ. I was doing failure drills more than anything else to get a feel again for how she handled with that load, and I was quite amazed at how fast I was getting the sights lined back up...it seems a little harder to do with the .45 than the 10mm, though the real tale is going to be told as I work up warmer loads and start driving them through her. I guess it was more of a time-killer than anything else, but I had a blast. The Federal AE makes for a fine plinking load, though to be honest I'd rather they load it a little hotter -- what the hell's the use of making 10mm ammo if you're gonna load it down to .40Short&Weak levels? I wanted some more of the Remington UMC in the green & white box (same bullet slightly hotter @ 1150 fps), but they didn't have any of that at Gander Mountain...and the Federal was $25 a box! One of the reasons I am getting into reloading...I bet I could shoot those same 180-grain bullets at about 1200-1250 fps all day long with a 20-lb. recoil spring and a Shok-Buff.
Went back to Gander Mountain today to see what all they had in the way of reloading supplies, and it didn't look like much...I saw bullets, lots of them, but mostly they were hollow-points, and the only thing they had in the way of propellant was blackpowder. I guess I'll be off to the gun show they have every month in Pasadena to see what they have, or off to one of the local Kimber master dealers in Mid-County someone was telling me about that could get powder for me. I'd love to get my hands on some 800X or AA #9 to see what that 10mm feels like when it's loaded to its potential.
And last, but not least...while I was at Gander Mountain, at the counter in the gun department I ran into one of the guys who worked at Shooters Supply before it closed down. I never made it back up there before it closed to find out what was going on, but I got to chew the fat with him for a few and asked him what happened. He said the shop was doing fine, that it wasn't the competition from GM that got it...it was the shop owner's decision to sell the business and retire. I suppose he earned it, but still I was sad to see them go...they had some good people up there in my experience. Counter guy at Gander Mountain was the only one from Shooters who stayed in the gun business; I was surprised to see that. I figured they'd all have gone into other gun stores around the area, but I guess there are only so many gun-store jobs to go around. Whatever they're doing, I hope they're well...

Memorial Day Range Fun

With what, you ask? Why, the Kimber 10mm and more real 10mm ammo, what else?
Saturday morning I sat down and took my last batch of once-fired brass and loaded it, a little bit hotter than what I've done before, and Monday morning it was off to the range. Once again, the specs:

Case -- Remington nickel-plated
Bullet -- 155-grain Hornady XTP
Load -- 14.8 gr. Accurate Arms No. 9
Primer -- CCI large pistol

The load was 0.5 grains higher than the minimum in the Accurate Arms data sheet. I think that's about as high as I'd be willing to go with the once-fired; anything higher and I'd rather go with virgin brass just to be safe, at least at this point. And right now it's more about load development than anything else; I usually set up the target at the 7-yard mark and set up the chrony at the 3-yard mark, and this week was no exception. So I started blasting, and the results were quite impressive, as they've been so far with my particular components.
The average velocity was 1371 feet per second, with an extreme spread of 58 fps and a high of 1399 fps and just over half the shots running between 1360 and 1380 fps. So we're running just about on par with the Georgia Arms 155-grain Gold Dot at 1375. And the Kimber ate every one. I must admit, that was a concern of mine initially, that I would be doing something wrong and have problems with jams, especially with the Kimber's tight tolerances. So far my fears have been unfounded, and the load was very comfortable to boot. No doubt it's different with a heavier bullet, but I'd have to say that particular combination would be just about the perfect middle ground between the 9mm Parabellum and the .45acp. And every time I shoot it, I am that much more mystified as to why the .40Short&Weak overtook the 10mm as the accepted middle-bore autopistol cartridge. It works, but still, it's such a shame that the 10mm was relegated to niche status.
Before I go any further, though, the gun will get some stiffer springs and a Shok-Buff -- at least a recoil spring, maybe a mainspring as well, and a flat-bottom firing pin stop. (I've heard those help with cutting down on standard deviation, too.) I'd really rather not be posting here some horrible day about cracks in the frame or that sort of thing...

Thursday Evening 1911 Musings: Dan Wesson vs. Kimber

So I've gotten some hits from the search Dan Wesson vs. Kimber. Some thoughts, as one who owns pistols from both manufacturers...
I'd almost bet money that the folks who search for something like this are in the market for a 10mm 1911, so I'll just focus my commentary on those. I think that vis-a-vis the Kimbers, the Dan Wesson pistol plays the same role as the Springfield does -- that is, the DW 1911 is just as good of a pistol as the Kimber for less money, as you'll see if you check out my previous postings on the Dan Wesson Razorback I recently picked up. See here and here.
Now, with that said, as far as the 10mm goes, there is one big difference between the Kimber Stainless Target II and the Dan Wesson Razorback -- the former has a ramped and fully supported barrel, while the latter has a traditional barrel, albeit one that has a generous bit of throating. (I seem to recall someone saying the 10mm Pointman Seven had a ramped & supported barrel but am not 100% certain on that.) Now, how much of a difference this makes would probably depend on your personal habits more than anything else -- what kinds of bullets you use, what kinds of loads you drive through the gun, how many times you reload your brass, that sort of thing. As for me, the most risky thing I ever did with my Kimber was with (I think) twice-fired Federal American Eagle brass, a CCI large pistol primer and 14.8 grains of Accurate Arms No. 9 behind a 155-grain Hornady XTP. That's a half-grain over the minimum load, and even with that minimum load I was getting flattened primers -- albeit with no other signs of high pressure such as bulged brass. With the RZ's traditional barrel it might have been different, I don't know. (For the record, that particular combo was good for about 1370 fps on average out of the Kimber. Bet it'd make for a hell of a defense round...) Maybe those concerns could be at least somewhat mitigated by using only virgin brass for hot loads, but then that's a good idea anyway. I am sure I was pushing the envelope with that twice-fired brass, especially if what I've heard about the Hornady XTP is true -- that it's a high-friction bullet design, which makes for increased pressure. That would certainly explain away the flattened primers I was getting even with the minimum loads.
But, I've said it before and I'll say it again -- don't drink the Kimber Kool-Aid. I love both my Kimbers and would certainly buy another, but in my experience, to say they're better than at least Dan Wesson or Springfield is to have fallen for the marketing hype, even in the case of the 10mm, so to speak. Buy any of them and you'll have made a great choice.

Range Report No. 1: Kimber Stainless Target II, 10mm

Actually, this is two range reports in one, and more of a preliminary report -- the REAL ones will come when I can get my hands on some REAL 10mm loads. ;-) I've put two brands of ammo through her so far, two different weights and loads:
50 rds. of CCI Blazer -- 200 gr. @ 1,050 fps
100 rds. of Federal American Eagle -- 180 gr. @ 1,060 fps

So far, I am very impressed. 150 rounds through the pistol, no jams, failures to feed or duds. The slide did lock back prematurely just once about a quarter of the way through the Federal, but I think that was due to limp-wristing. I ran her through my normal range regimen -- half at the 3-yard line, half at the 7-yard. Would have tried my luck at the 15-yard mark were I not mainly concerned with how smoothly she'd run through what I fed her, because this gun is arguably more accurate than I am. I know that might not be saying much, considering most guns no matter the brand are more accurate than the people who are shooting them, but still, it's just amazing. Ragged holes, anyone? I found out that no matter which of my guns I am shooting, though, I tend to shoot low and to the right. Next trip I am going to start working on that...I've been shooting the Springfield GI on most of my recent range trips and the same thing's been happening. I was thinking it was the gun, but apparently it isn't. The recoil of the Kimber 10mm with those light loads seems to be similar to that of the .45, so it didn't take long to get used to, but I know what's really gonna tell the tale is those real 10mm loads. When the founds come, so will they -- and it won't be too long. I look forward to it...

Fine weapon, but I still don't know...

I'm thinking that for $2900 before tax, this thing had better be able to go downrange and change my targets when I am out shooting it, and detail strip & clean itself when I get it back home. The .50GI is a pretty nifty idea, I reckon, but I don't know if I'd be willing to trade off that reduced magazine capacity even for that hot 300-grain load listed here. It was quite amusing how they compared that load to a relatively mild .44 Magnum load. Talk about stacking the deck. If I needed something at that level I think I'd just run with my 10mm loaded with something like the Buffalo Bore 200-grain load at 1200 fps. And I guess I've missed that "big concussion blast" of the 10mm, but I just can't fathom how it would be as bad as some people try to make it out to be. Talk about a fable that's gotten long in the tooth. Can't be any worse than .357 Magnum out of the Ruger SP101's 2.25-inch barrel. My hottest 10mm loads have felt like a pussycat compared to those.

Yeah, you can hunt with it...

A referral, from Google, "dan wesson razor back for hunting sidearm."
Yeah, you can use it for that. I've heard a lot of folks hunt with 10mm — including the Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent, who's done it with the Glock 20. If I remember correctly, Buffalo Bore loads its 10mm so hot (180 grains @ 1350 fps, 200gr @ 1200) for precisely that purpose. Double Tap also has some good hot'n'heavy loads for it as well. I've read of whitetail deer, hogs and javelina all being taken with the 10mm, albeit at all very short ranges, as in about 25-40 yards. Don't think I'd wanna get that close to a javelina or hog with that amount of firepower. Even if I was good at follow-up shots with that hot load. Also, if you're gonna be driving those hot loads through that gun on a regular basis, I'd suggest one of these.

What's Better Than Having One 10mm Pistol?

Having TWO 10mm pistols, of course!
So, to that end, a few weeks ago I asked my friendly local FFL to get on finding me a Dan Wesson Razorback, the company's famed 10mm 1911. I've heard many good things about the Dan Wesson pistols since CZ bought them out a couple of years ago, namely that they're pretty much the best 1911s on the market for the prices they fetch -- more or less a custom pistol for an assembly-line price, with fewer MIM (metal-injection-molded) parts than just about any 1911 manufacturer save for the higher-end makers like Wilson, Baer and Nighthawk. For a long time I was under the impression that CZ/Dan Wesson was like Kimber in that they only dealt through a master dealer network and not through the distributors like Davidson's and Lipsey's. There was only one CZ stocking dealer around here, Shooters Supply, and of course it closed earlier this year. The next closest CZ stocking dealer was Carters Country in Houston. I thought I'd have to go there to get the Razorback, but as it turned out, of course, I was finally able to get it through my normal FFL. So I went and picked her up yesterday afternoon and last night sat down and stripped her down and cleaned her with BreakFree CLP. The fit and finish on that gun is absolutely impeccable, and the trigger breaks like glass. So far I'd say it's every bit the equal of the Kimber, far from being some second- or third-rate "knockoff" (and I have a feeling my old friend who made that comment will agree once he sees her). She's getting her first test drive today, with 100 rounds of Remington UMC; I thought I'd replenish my brass supply a little bit. ;-) Wanna see it?

Range report to come. ;-)

National Ammo Day, and Sightseeing at Shooters

As my luck would have it, I had to work Sunday and was going out of town Saturday, so I thought I'd just make my National Ammo Day purchase early. So Friday afternoon I fired up the truck and rode up to Shooters Supply to pick up some. I had my eyes on more 10mm for the Kimber...I could have gotten the Blazer cheaper at Academy, but I also wanted more 10mm brass for when I start reloading after the first of the year. So I went in and picked up 100 rounds of 180-grain Federal American Eagle. (Why, why, whyyy don't they give us 10mm folks full-power ammo?!?!) I looked toward the back of the store...and what did I see? One of these...



That's right, a Barrett M82A1 .50BMG, live and in the metal! I've heard quite a lot about this legendary rifle but had never actually seen one in person. It was really cool...if I could have stayed longer, I'd have asked the folks there what they knew about it, if they'd ever shot one. Could I afford it? God, but I only wish. I do love the way they advertised it, though...

Cost - about the same as a good used pickup or a new 4-wheeler. But, everybody already has a pickup and a 4-wheeler, right?

I gotta say, I got a kick out of that. ;-)You'll have to call 'em if you wanna know how much it is; I don't know that they want it advertised, but I will say it's right in line with what I thought it'd be, with that scope and case. I seriously wish I could afford one on general principle alone, though. I have an enormous amount of respect for Ronnie Barrett after what he did when the LAPD sent one of their M82A1s back for repair. Would that all gun manufacturers anted up like that.

So I Got A Call Yesterday...

...from one of our friendly local gun stores, Shooters Supply in Beaumont. About five weeks ago I ordered a Kimber Stainless Target II in 10mm, and as the weeks wore on, I started getting more and more, ah, impatient. Well, I got outta the shower yesterday right before I hit the door for school, and this message was on my voice mail...
"Yeah, Pistolero, this is Friendly Gun Store Guy at Shooters Supply, that Kimber Stainless Target II in 10mm is in whenever you want to come pick it up..."
I seriously thought about skipping class to go and get it, but considering the gun is my graduation present to myself, I thought it might have been bad luck, so, I went to class and afterwards on to Shooters. Filled out the 4473, wrote the check for the gun and two extra mags, had them put on the Hogue finger wraparounds I ordered for her, and brought her home, cleaned and oiled her. And here she is:



I was going to pick up some ammo for her too, but as it happens, they were completely out of 10mm...they had a few boxes of 180-grain Remington UMC last time I was in there, but I asked them to order some for me. Not sure when it'll be in, a few days, I suppose, but when it gets here, you know what that means! Range report to come...

Snakes on the Range!

For real, yo...
I was out at my friendly local gun club this morning with my Springfield 1911, and as I was driving out there I saw a small snake slithering across the road. As it did, I just thought, whoa...because the range itself is more or less the same kind of terrain I was driving through, albeit without the tall grass and such. So I got out there and set up my target and as I was walking back, one of those snakes slithered right across my path, probably not 5 inches from where I had just stepped. I jumped and was like, "oh, shit!" As far as I could tell it was one of those little garden-type snakes, but it still freaked me out a bit. I did have fun shooting, though...but even a bad day at the range beats a good day at work. ;-)
I was shooting regular old Winchester White Box 230-grain full-metal-jacket, and I stopped to get it at Walmart. The guy in line in front of me handed the checker a piece of paper with the type of cartridge his friend had sent him after, and he said, "I don't know nothin' 'bout no guns." I thought it was pretty funny considering he said it in a real thick East Texas accent, like he came from so far back in the sticks they had to bring sunshine in by truck. It just goes to show you that the stereotypes the antis perpetuate about us aren't necessarily true, even in a place like Texas.
What his friend was looking for got me to thinking, though. 165-grain .40S&W full metal jacket. But the only .40 FMJ they had was the 180-grainers, and that's the only weight I could find for my 10mm when I go to loading for it as well. I'd love to find some of those 155- or 165-grain jacketed ball projectiles for rolling my own 10mm...the only ones I've been able to find are the copper-plated Rainier bullets, and if you drive those too fast out of the gun you run into leading issues, and I'd rather not deal with that. The only lighter jacketed bullets I've been able to find are the premium hollowpoints from Speer and Hornady, and while a 155-grain bullet at 1400 feet per second is just tons of fun, I'd really rather not be spending that kind of money when ball is cheaper. Of course, I'll still do it every once in a while...

Cheap Sunday Range Fun

...relatively speaking, anyway...
I got a call Friday afternoon from BZ Gun & Repair in Groves. The clerk told me he had gotten some Berry's 180-grain .40S&W/10mm bullets in if I was interested in them. Never heard of 'em before. So I did some research. Come to find out they were copper-plated instead of copper-jacketed. Which means, of course, that you can't drive 'em as fast as a jacketed bullet because the plating could come off and you'd get leading. I'd seen some conflicting reports of how fast one could load them to before getting adverse effects, anywhere from 1100 to 1300 feet per second -- and one brave soul was loading them to about fourteen-and-a-half, with what I am guessing was .357 Magnum, with no leading. 'Least that's what he said. Anyway, I bit the bullet, so to speak, and swung by there yesterday morning to pick some up. Just a box of 100, to experiment with. Later I sat down at my bench and loaded 50 rounds, with the most conservative data I could find for my components. Finished product:

Cartridge: 10mm Auto
Case: Federal twice-fired American Eagle
Bullet: 180-grain plated flat-nose
Powder Charge: 12.1 grains of Accurate Arms No. 9
Primer: CCI large pistol
OAL: 1.260"


I took it to the range this morning, with my Kimber Stainless Target II. Accurate rated that load for 1086 fps, albeit with a different bullet, and I was thinking it would shoot faster than that rating as did the 155-grain Hornady XTPs I've been using so far. I figured right. I took a 20-shot string and was averaging 1153.35 feet per second, with a low of 1112 and high of 1190. Only two of the shots were below 1120, though, and if you take those out it works out to about 1157 fps, with most of the shots running between 1130 and 1170. Very nice, and accurate, little midrange plinking load, runs about even with the Remington UMCs' 1150 fps. Seems like the recoil was a little heavier with these than with the 155-grainers, even though the latter was running about 200 fps faster. But it was still very manageable, with, just as important, no leading. I think I've found a winner here, for about $20 for a box of 100 completed rounds; it could go lower than that, of course, if I order components in bulk. Beats the living hell out of $25 for a box of 50. The more I roll my own, the more I like it!

Random Sunday Morning Gun Musings

So I ask 45superman to tell us about his 1911 in the comments to this post, and he says...
"Which 1911?"
Good answer, my friend, good answer. ;-) One will certainly do, but you just don't know true gun-nut nirvana until you have at least two. I've heard good things about the Paras but don't have any in my safe as of yet. Gonna need at least one more 10mm 1911 in the safe before that, maybe another Dan Wesson Razorback...the RZ I picked up in October was my fifth 1911, and I also have two parkerized Springfield 1911s, a GI and a Loaded, and two Kimbers, a Tactical Ultra II with a 3" barrel and a 10mm Stainless Target II. And all this gun talk reminds me, I have a box of Blazer 230-grain ball, and it's a sunny late-winter day here on the Texas Gulf Coast...yes, it's a good day.

Mmmm, don't think I'll use any more of that...

Or alternately titled, You Get What You Pay For, And That Goes For Ammo Too...
So I went shooting yesterday. I took out my Dan Wesson Razorback and didn't have any handloads on hand for it (note to self -- always load more than you shoot), and so I decided to swing by the local Academy and pick up a couple of boxes of the 200-grain Blazer 10mm ; at 1060 fps and 499 ft-lb of energy it's not balls-to-the-wall like I like it, but it'll do in a pinch. So I got up there, set up the target & started merrily blasting away. Seems like I was shooting low and a bit to the right, but I had some pretty good groupings.
But on about round 61 or 62, things went south for the day. I thought I had shot my last round, but I looked and the pistol was almost back into battery, but not quite. The cartridge was at an angle, and the pistol was locked up tighter than Dick's hatband. The slide would go back and forth just a little bit, but it wouldn't go all the way back, no matter how hard I pulled it. I had to get this old guy to help me with it, and he braced the bottom of the muzzle on the bench there and pressed down as hard as he could. It took a couple of tries, but we finally got it out. The case was bulged slightly toward the middle, and the bullet was set back further in the case than it should have been. I am thinking that had to have been the cartridge itself, because the recoil spring on the Razorback is only about 20 pounds, if I remember right. After I got home, I inspected the pistol as I was cleaning it and it looked like nothing was amiss, including the extractor. I remember thinking, "if it messes up my extractor, I am gonna be ticked!" It looked fine, but the next time I take it out I am going to take some of the Federal American Eagle or Remington UMC 180-grain FMJ. Both of those have the reloadable brass case as well, so I can recoup some of that extra cost. In any event, I don't think I'll be messing with the Blazers anymore. Oh, I bet you wanna see the pistol....


She's a beauty, and shoots as good as she looks! 5" barrel, chambered for the 10mm, fits 8 rounds, all steel with beautiful cocobolo wood grips. I had considered getting a set of Hogues for her like I have for my Kimber Stainless Target II, but I am thinking I'd rather save up for the wood grips with the finger grooves in the front. It may be a while before I get those, but even so I am more than happy with this pistol in its stock configuration.