Tag Archives: Pistol

Self Defense, Shooting in General

Do you want reliability and maintain your firearms?  You might be overlooking something really important

I’m old enough to have grown up with iron sights.  It wasn’t until I wasn’t until I was a teenager that I bought my first four power scope for my pump up Crosman airgun.  In 1990, I bought my first red dot scope – a big Aimpoint thing that went on my .44 Desert Eagle.  Today, 34 years later, I have all kinds of optics, lights and lasers. Do you know what most of them have in common?  They all take batteries of one type of another.  So, here’s a question for you – when was the last time you checked or replaced your device’s batteries?

My dad was in the 6th infantry at the end of WWII and he drilled into me the need to clean and lubricate firearms.   Every time we went plinking it was followed by running patches and then lubricating the .22 rifle.  Maintaining firearms was second nature but back then there were no electronic do-dads on firearms. Now, years and years later and a few range trips where optics wouldn’t work due to dead batteries, checking batteries and having spares was added to the list. 

Here’s what I want to share with you – if you want to count on your electronic gadgets, you need to maintain the batteries too.

Why bother checking?

First off, batteries have a finite capacity and that as we use them, they eventually run out and need to be changed.

Second, batteries have a shelf-life.  In other words, they are chemical devices and at some point, the chemicals are depleted, no reaction can occur so no power comes out.  The packaging may say the lithium batteries are good for 10 years – well, that is from when they were made and not when they went in your device. 

Also, just when did you buy those batteries anyways?  Get older and you’ll understand that last part more.  If the packaging doesn’t have a date, I write down when I bought it and guess they are about a year old.  I have Surefire CR123A batteries that hit 10 years – time flies by.

You might want to write either the date you bought batteries or the expiry date on the box. In this case, Surefire writes the expiration date on each battery – “04-2033”. I wrote the purchase date on the box so I can track orders but you use whatever system works for you.

As an aside, I take comments like “Our optic’s batteries will last 10,000 hours” or some huge number with some skepticism because they are usually estimated from testing and with a number of assumptions.  Your real battery life might vary.  So, that cool slide mounted optic you just bought with a huge hour claim — I’d recommend you know how to change the battery and keep a spare around just in case.

Improving Device Reliability

Let me share with you a few things to increase device reliability that concerns the batteries:

1.  Know how to change the battery in each device.  That might sound simple but sometimes somebody else installs a battery for you on a new optic and then you don’t know what type it is or where it goes so find out and practice doing it.

In the case of Vortex Crossfire red dots, the CR2032 battery is under a cap on the rotating brightness knob.

2. If you log work on your device, include batteries.  I am honestly not this organized but some guys are.

3. If you have no idea how old or depleted a battery is in a device, change it.  Some guys change batteries before they head to the range. I’ve talked to a few law enforcement officers that say they change the batteries in their lights before they go do something and that’s an option if you have time.

Energizer brand batteries will have a “Use by” date. If you look at the bottom of this CR2032 package, you will see the date is 3/2033. Lithium batteries have a 10 year shelf-life so these were probably made in 3/2023. By the way, a common scam on eBay and Amazon is to sell batteries nearing the end of their shelf-life at steep discounts so be careful who you buy from.

4. Test your device before you go to the range or at least every six months.  Shorter if your device is mission critical.  Now, just because it powers on doesn’t mean it will last – the battery might be near the end of its life but at least you have an idea.   If you want to go the extra mile and have a multimeter, find out what the acceptable voltage range is for that type of battery and discard it when it nears the bottom.

5.  Always keep spares – both in your house as well as your range bag.  I can’t tell you how many shooting sessions were saved because I had a spare battery in my bag.  On the flip side, I’ve had a few range sessions where the firearm had to go back in its case because an optic was dead.

Two days ago, while I am writing this post, I took my brother-in-law and nephew shooting the other day and the CR123A battery in my Vortex UH-1 holographic optic was dead. We were only able to shoot my 10mm Stribog because I had spare Surefire CR123A batteries in the Stribog’s carry case.

6. Buy quality batteries from a reputable seller. Did you know a lot of devices that use CR123A will not be covered if you use a no-name brand battery? Yeah – they had problems with cheap CR123As catching on fire and people wanting warranty coverage so the big device vendors expressly mention that cheap batteries will invalidate their warranties.

Also, not all batteries are created equal – some supposed alkaline or lithium batteries hold a fraction of a charge compared to name brands such as Duracell, Energizer, Panasonic and Surefire. Not to mention that cheap batteries may “pop” open and leak corrosive acids in your battery compartment. In short, don’t go cheap on the batteries for something you need to rely on.

7.  Have a plan if the device stops working.  This is critical – your red dot, laser or whatever stops working then what will you do?  For example, practice shooting a pistol both with the device on and off.  Do you have back up sights? Do you need to remove the optic to use the sights? What will you do?

Build For Reliability

Now, I need to expand a bit on that last one when it comes to optics.  At this point in life, whenever possible, I want one of two things to be possible – my first choice is to co-witness the optic with the iron sights so even if the device stops working, I can immediately continue with the iron sights with no lost time. 

You can co-witness a Vortex Crossfire red dot on a MP5K when you use a low profile B&T mount. It’s a pleasure to shoot and reliable. If the red dot should fail for any reason, I can just use the iron sights.

If that is not possible then I want the optic on a quick release mount that I can get off the weapon in a hurry.  You’ll notice most of firearms have American Defense quick release mounts because they are quality and I can count on them.  You can use whatever name brand you like but I would not recommend cheap no-name mounts because stuff bends, they don’t return to zero when remounted, etc.

On this one, an MKE rail was used. The rail allows you to use the sights but the optic will not co-witness with them. So, if I need to get the optic off in a hurry, it’s on a low-profile ADM quick release mount.

Practice For Resiliency

Resliency is the property of a material to bend and turn to its original shape.  In your case, if an optic fails, how do you stay in the game?You can do all kinds of the stuff above and then life throws you a curve ball – what do you do?

Part of the answer is to mentally rehearse what you will do and then a very important point is to actually practice with the device turned off.  How will you aim?  How will your transition to a backup light or whatever?  How do you get the optic out of the way in a hurry if necessary so you can use the backup sights that are blocked by the mount?  It’s one thing to think about these things and another to do them.  For example, the quick release levers for American Defense mounts have a small button that must be pressed for the levers to turn.   You wouldn’t want to be fumbling around with them if you are in a rush – they move out of the way very easily with practice.

Rechargeable Batteries Introduce New Variables

“No more changing batteries” sounds great but there are still things you need to consider.  If you have a device with a rechargeable battery, like a thermal or night vision optic, then remember three it takes time to charge them.  To me, this is their biggest Achille’s heel – you can’t swap the batteries and go so plan accordingly. You need to also consider how long will it store a charge and how long will it run?  Can you plug in a USB battery pack to extend the life or recharge it?

Even rechargeable batteries have a limited life – it may be three, five or seven years or they may tell you the number of times it can be charged and discharged but you need to have an idea.

Buying Batteries

Amazon is just about the cheapest place I have found to buy batteries. Look for name brands — I only recommend Duracell, Energizer, Panasonic and Surefire. There are dozens if not hundreds of brands out there and not all are good. Whether brand name or no-name, be sure to read reviews before you buy something from a seller other than Amazon directly:

Quick trivia for you – the “C” in CR means it is a lithium battery. The “R” means it is a round shape.

Summary

Electronics are everywhere these days and sometimes we don’t think twice about them.  If you want to rely on your firearm and it has an electornic device on it, like a dot optic or light, always factor your devices’ batteries into your maintenance plans.  That’s the first part and  preventive maintenance certainly helps but you also need to plan and practice in advance if the optic or whatever device fails. 

I hope this helps you out.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Pistols, Uncategorized

S&W M&P .22 WMR Photo Gallery

As I mentioned in the last post, I am a new owner of a S&W M&P .22 WMR pistol. It wasn’t really planned – I had young nieces coming to visit and nothing really that I would consider a good pistol for them to start with. It worked great – I have no hesitation recommending it based on my experience.

At any rate, the last post goes into more detail and you can click here to read it. I took a ton of photos of the pistol and figured that I would go ahead and share them.

Click on one of the photos and you can navigate around and see others:

I hope you find the photos helpful. I am very impressed by the pistol – that’s for sure.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Pistols

The Smith & Wesson M&P .22 WMR – What a Blast!!

My nieces were coming to visit from the Philippines, and it dawned on me that they wanted to go shooting but I didn’t have a 22 caliber pistol anymore. It just so happened that Smith & Wesson had released their M&P 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) pistol to the market and my good friend and FFL, Scott Igert, had one at his shop – Michigan Gun Exchange – so I headed over and picked it up.

I had a few reasons for moving fast. #1, I was to take the girls shooting in two days. #2, my nieces were 10 and 12 years old and I was worried about the recoil of any of my 9mms #3, I like the S&W M&P series and it gave me an excuse to try one of their new .22 WMR pistols that held 30 rounds!

Believe it or not – that really was the order of things. I he didn’t have the M&P, I would have gone with a Ruger Mark IV, Browning Buckmark or whatever he had in that I could make work. My original idea was to get a pistol chambered in .22 long rifle because I wasn’t in a rush to add another caliber.

Folks, I don’t know about you but for me, adding nother caliber is expensive. I can’t just buy a rifle or pistol in a new chambering and get a few rounds of ammo – I need at least a thousand rounds to feel comfortable that I am not going to run out. I am certain a lot of anti-gun people simply do not understand that you can have family fun at a range and go through hundreds of rounds easily in one day. They must have a mental image of a bag of musket balls or something.

Bought a Holosun HE507K-GR X2

I wanted the girls to have fun and the only green dot scope Scott had in was a battery powered Holosun HE507K-GR. On my bigger pistols and carbines, I prefer the dual powered Holosuns that have solar panels also but this was going to be a range gun primarily and the battery life of these optics is phenomenal plus they automatically turn off and on based on movement.

By the way, I have had very good luck with Holosun Optics. None have failed on me so far.

One Small Speed Bump

Scott knew I was in a rush so he asked me if I wanted him to mount and sight in the optic while I worked on some rifle he had in. I said sure and oddly enough, none of the screws that came with the Holosun HE507K-GR X2 green dot optic would fit the M&P slide nor were the screws that held the protectve cover on the slide long enough. Hmmm….. The manual didn’t specify the screws to use… great. Ok, so I took it home with a quick stop my Ace Hardware with just the slide in hand to not freak anybody out.

If you are going to mount an optic on a M&P 22WMR pistol. you need to get two #6-32×1/2″ alloy hex head screws. Also, if you don’t already have it, get some blue medium strength thread locker. I am turned off any of the fine screws used for optics that already have the threadlocker attached. I have an M&P 10mm that will likely take an act of God for me to get the screws out if I ever need to.

Ace hardware to the rescue – two #6-32×1/2″ screws were needed.

Read the Manual & Be Safe

I have read so many forum posts over the years where people got themselves in a bind because they didn’t read the manual. Read the manual. Watch a video or two if you want but don’t just dive into trying to disassemble a weapon you know nothing about.

The M&P .22 WMR is relatively unique and the manual does a good job covering ammo, known issues (such as challenges with extraction if it gets too hot), how to disassemble, clean, lubricate and re-assemble the pistol. Of course, you have red lawyer-approved comments all over the place but you do need to read it and all and all, it is a decent manual.

Last but not least, be safe. Make sure your pistol is unloaded before you do anything.

Mounting the Holosun Optic

With the pistol and parts in hand, I set up the kitchen counter to install the optic. I like a nice wide open table to work on small parts and put down a green fiber mat. Folks, those matts are for more than looks – the small fibers absorb the energy of a small dropped part and reduce the odds of a small screw or whatever flying across the room. Out in my shop, I even have a magnetic mat under the green mat but in a rush in the kitchen, I set up shop using just a small parts mat.

The M&P .22WMR comes apart very easily. Here, I have removed the slide, barrel and optics cover – well, technically, Scott removed the cover. You can see the firing pin where the cover was at and the two screws holes that will be used to secure the optic on the slide.

By the way, if you are thinking “why did he take it apart just to add an optic?” First, Scott and I pulled the slide and removed the barrel so I could walk into Ace Hardware with it and not scare anyone. Second, I would have taken it apart to clean and lubricate it before the first range trip. Folks, always, always, always do this before you take a semi-auto pistol, rifle or shotgun to the range or you will likely get frustrated fast by malfunctions.

Here’s a closer look at the RMR-footprint cut out the slide has. Any red dot that shares the same footprint as a Trijicon RMR will go right on the scope. Holosuns, for example, have a RMR footprint. I always find it indicative of the degree of overall quality when you see really clean machining done on surfaces most people will never see. The machining on my M&P .22WMR was really well done.
Installing the optic is easy – set the optic in the cut out, put medium strength thread locker on each screw and then screws them in with a hex driver.. I go for snug and then use a torque screw driver to take each down to 15 inch-pounds – not that is inch-pounds and not foot-pounds. That torque recommendation comes from Holosun. Other optics makers have different specs – for example, SIG recommends 9 inch-pounds and others say 12 inch-ounds. Bottom line, bring it down to whatever spec you are comfortable with and let the threadlocker do its job.
The Holosun was mounted nice and solid.

To save time and ammo, I boresighted the optic in using my SiteLite Mag laser boresighter unit. SiteLites are expensive but they are also the most accurate bore sighter that I have used. The unit centers in the barrel using O-rings and seems to result in the closest initial scope alignments that I have found and I have used a ton of different brands and models over the years.

Moving on to Cleaning and Lubrication

Again, read the manual for details. With the M&P apart, I ran cleaning patches through the barrel, wiped down all of the parts and then lubricated where indicated.

When I first get a pistol, I do use grease on the slide rails and barrel to help with break in. Grease tends to accumulate gun powder and dirt faster than oil but my goal is to have things slide smoother during the initial break in knowing that I will need to clean and oil it later.

Also, I would highly recommend you cycle the slide 200 times by hand. Some guys, typically new guys, look at me skeptically when I tell them this but think about it. When we talk about wear-in or break-in periods, what are we talking about? Almost any firearm needs the parts to move a certain number of times to get rid of burrs, smooth down finishes, etc. By hand cycling 200 times you are jump starting the process. Given how nicely done the machining looked and how the pistol’s action felt after lubrication, minimial break in was probably needed but I cycled it 200 times anyways.

A lot of jams and frustration can be skipped entirely by doing the above. Guess what? My nieces and I did not have any problems of any kind and I attribute that to the above and proper ammo.

Use Approved Ammo

I really wasn’t looking forward to adding another type of ammo. .22WMR is basically a stretched .22 long rifle (LR) rimfire case with twice the charge. .22WMR ballistics are roughly double that of it’s smaller .22LR cousin for that reason.

When I took my nieces to the range, I started them on a .22LR single shot Savage Cub rifle and then we moved up to the M&P pistol. At any rate, I snapped this photo of the longer .22WMR brass right next the .22LR case so you can see what I mean – the case of the .22WMR is twice as long.

When it comes to ammo, the M&P .22WMR does have ammo that works well with it. I’d strongly recommend you click here, go to the Smith & Wesson product page, scroll down the page and on the left will be a link to tested ammo.

Because of the TEMPO gas system, they recommend the use of jacketed rounds only and not ammo that is bare lead, copper washed, copper plated, etc. If the jacket isn’t present, the TEMPO gas system will foul faster and stop working reliably.

Scott had CCI Game Points (which is a jacketed soft point round) and CCI Maxi Mags that are jacketed hollow points. Both are on the approved ammo list and I must mention that I’ve always had great luck with .22 rimfire ammo of all types from CCI.

Range Time

My wife and I, my two nieces and sister-in-law piled in my truck and headed to the range. A few days before I had printed out a 10 commandments of firearm safety that we had talked about and even practiced with the rifle and pistol we would use. During the drive we want over them again – they were nervous but I wanted them to know that a fun time at the range always has safety at the center.

We arrived at the Berrien County Sportsman’s Club on a pleasant day and were able to secure my favorite shooting lane. They all helped me take targets, guns and ammo down to the 25 yard line.

They started with one of our old Savage Cub rifles. We bought two – one for each of our girls when they were maybe 8 and 10 years old – about 15 years ago. I dug one of them out and cleaned it before we went. It’s not been out of the case in years and years so I was very pleased to see it was still sighted in and worked great.

The girls did great with the Savage Cub and were very excited to see their scores on the target. They had to learn the importance of a consistent cheek weld, trigger control, breathing, etc. I like starting kids on a single shot .22 because there is no recoil and I can make sure everything is safe at all times.

Once they were feeling good with the rifle, it was time to move up to the M&P .22 WMR pistol and I fired it first just to make sure everything was good to go. I loaded a magazine with one round and shot it – no odd sounds, barrel was clear, etc. I then loaded up three and shot them slow fire – no problems.

The pistol is very soft shooting. Yeah, it barked a bit louder than the .22LR Savage Cub rifle but I was sure the girls would have no problem controlling it.

We spent a lot of time talking about stances, grips and keeping their trigger fingers off the trigger until ready to shoot.
This is my 12 year old niece and she might weigh 100 pounds. She had no problem controlling the M&P. We were shooting from about 15-20 feet away. Even in the Philippines there are liberal moms who would question why we took them shooting so I am not showing their faces even though I am very proud of them!
This is my 10 year old niece and I’d be surprised if she is 80 pounds. She did a great job by her! This photo was staged by the way – I made sure the pistol was clear and carried it down to the target. She only held it long enough for this photo – what you don’t see is a huge grin going ear to ear.
Here’s the pistol from another angle so you can see she had no problem holding it.

We only put about 30 rounds of the MaxiMag hollow points through the pistol – I forgot about the Soft Points. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and had to pack up to get home in time for dinner at their Lola’s house – Lola means grandmother in Tagalog by the way.

Summary

I really didn’t plan to buy a M&P .22WMR. Now that I have one I am thinking about keeping it. The action cycles smooth, it’s reliable, the trigger is good enough and it holds 30 rounds!! It’s very manageable – even the girls had no problem holding and controlling the pistol.

The range trip was a big success and we all had fun. The reliability and accuracy of the M&P helped make it possible. I have no reservations recommending one and plan on taking it to the range again.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Pistols

Stribog SP9A1 Range Results And My Observations – Why I like it!

In the last post, I told you a little bit about the Stribog and the modifications I made [click here if you missed it]. I took it to the range twice over the summer and ran about 400-500 rounds through it flawlessly – really. So let’s talk about the details.

Prepping to go to the range

One thing I have learned over the years is that most semi-automatic weapons need to break in and that includes the Stribog. Never take a weapon out of the box and expect it to work. Instead, field strip the weapon, clean and oil it. After that, cycle the slide manually a few hundred times (literally) to get a jump start on the break in process.

What happens during wear-in or break-in is that surfaces that rub together – either by sliding or rotating start to have the surface smooth down. Despite what you may see, most surfaces have thousands of tiny ridges and spikes sticking up that cause friction and screw up operation. As the weapon cycles, these little edges are worn down. A decent oil or light grease can help with this as it fills in these areas and the luibricity enables the parts to slide or rotate while they are wearing in.

This is to be expected of most weapons unless you are buying a custom firearm where the builder has probably meticulously polished everything. By the way, firearms with parkerized parts need wearing in the most. On the other hand, other finishes, such as Nickel Boron, may need it less.

What’s my tip for you? If you want to have an enjoyable first range visit, clean, lube and cycle your weapon at least 200 times.

Function tested the Stribog

Just to be safe, I function tested the Stribog to make sure the fire control system was working right:

  1. Make sure the weapon is clear
  2. Try pulling the bolt back and let go. The spring should forefully return the bolt to the home position. If it doesn’t, take the weapon apart then clean, lube and try this again. If it still doesn’t then something is wrong and you should talk to who sold it to you, Grand Power or do some searching online – just be cautious because not everyone posting advice knows what they are talking about so be a healthy skeptic.
  3. Cycle the bolt, pull the trigger and you should hear a click. If not, you have a problem.
  4. Make sure the hammer is not cocked (pull the trigger if you need to – See #1). Now, pull the trigger and hold it down and cycle the bolt – you may hear or feel a light click as you release the trigger – that should be the disconnector catching the hammer so it doesn’t follow the bolt back. When you squeeze the trigger you should hear the normal click of the hammer hittin the firing pin. If the hammer isn’t getting caught, you have a problem.
  5. Cycle the bolt, turn the safety to on and try to pull the trigger – it should have little to no movement and you should not hear the hammer hit the firing pin. If you do hear the hammer hit the firing pin – make sure you did turn the safety lever the corrrect direction and all of the way to safe. If it still fires, you have an unsafe weapon that needs to be serviced / returned for warranty repair.

Range Trips

The Stribog has been to the range twice as of my writing this. The first visit was with my friend Jim and we used 124 grain S&B FMJ ammo. I like to use the 124 grain ammo during initial break in of 9mm firearms as there is a bit more recoil impulse to overcome remaining friction.

Jim putting 124gr FMJ rounds down range through the Stribog. We were both vey impressed. Ok, about the pink hat – Jim forgot his hat and it was a bright sunny day. The only spare hat in my truck was my wife’s. Sooo… Jim wore that hat and has endured good natured ribbing ever since. He’s a very good friend and a great shooter … even with a pink hat on – Hi Jim 🙂
Niko is cutting loose. You can see some smoke rising from the muzzle. It was toasty from all the rounds. Niko is about 6′ 2″ tall and I’m only 5′ 8″. The adjustable brace worked really well for both of us as a result. By the way, that F5 modular brace system is incredible. I am running it on both my Stribog and CZ Scorpion Micro.

It ran great – I think we put about 90-120 rounds through it with no problems at all. In the second trip, we ran about 60 rounds of the 124 grain S&B FMJ. We then ran probably 300 rounds of 115 grain CCI Speer FMJ bulk box ammo and wrapped up with about 30 rounds of the IMI 124 grain +P black dot hollow points through it.

The IMI +P 124gr load is decent. The black paint is used to identify it is a +P load. It’s just a paint and not any form of special coating. If you read the reviews, it’s a decent HP load at the end of the day. I wish I’d brought some other HP loads to try as well. We didn’t have any issues but people have reported problems in the past with HP loads,

What was amazing was the we had zero, none, nada failures to feed (FTF) or failures to eject (FTE). I attribute this to how I break in all semi-autos before I go to the range the first time as mentioned above. It should also tell you that the Stribog is pretty well thought out and made.

The Stribog really performed great during both of its range trips. Note, we only used straight 30 round mags and none of the curved ones. I had the curved mags buried in my range bag and we simply didn’t get to them. We used mags both with and without the steel reinforcing lips and did not have anyu issues with either one.

So what else did I notice?

In both cases, we were shooting paper targets and plates at about 10-15 yards from the standing position. The combination of the Stribog, Holosun Optic and F5 modular brace proved to be excellent.

Controlling the Stribog even during rapid fire was easy. The relatively small 9mm cartridge has very little recoil to begin with and fired from the Stribog with a brake, it’s very easy to keep the muzzle on target. I’m sure the brake helped some but givent he weight of the Stribog and an 8″ barrel, it probably would have been ok without it. If nothing else, the brake looks better than the threaded muzzle protector.

The trigger is perfectly decent. It’s not a match trigger but it is one of the better factory triggers I have encountered out of the box in a pistol caliber carbine. I used my Wheeler digital trigger pull gauge to collect some test data – I carefully pulled the trigger 10 times and found that the average pull was 5 pounds 10.8 ounces. The minimum was 4 pounds 10.2 ounces and the maximum pull was 6 pounds 6.8 ounces. Not bad. There is a spring set to reduce the pull that can be bought but I don’t reallly think the pull needs to be changed given close quarter use.

By the way, I always compare triggers mentally to the worst triggers I have felt out of the box. The worst trigger award goes to H&K and clone MP5s. Yuck. I’d described those triggers as pulling a truck with no wheels through the mud. With practice you get used to them – I guess with enough practice you can get used to just about anything and they do wear in a bit – but they suck out of the box.

Moving on, I do wish the charging handle was a tad bigger to spread the load a bit more. It’s jost a tad too narrow for me but that’s just me. There is a folding charging handle option I plan to try at some point.

I do wish the charging handle was a tad thicker. See how it tapers in the middle? I do plan to upgrade to a folding charging handle in the future. The controls overall are well thought out and easy to use. The safety is just above the pistol grip, the magazine reease is above and to the front of the trigger and the slide release is immediately above the magazine release.

Summary

The Stribog really delivered. It was fun, accurate and reliable at the range. I wish I had brought some other hollow points to try but it didn’t cross my mind. I actually bought a case of the IMI +P 124gr HP rounds specifically for my PCCs if self defense was required – I really only shoot FMJ at the range.

To wrap up, I like the SP9A1 Stribog and have no hesitation recommending it to others given my experience. There is a growing aftermarket so you can customize the pistol to fit your needs.

I hope this helps you out!

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Pistols

What is a Stribog? It’s currently my favorite pistol caliber carbine

I do a lot of reading and a few years ago I read about a new pistol caliber carbine (PCC) called a “Stribog” by Grand Power. It was a blocky looking thing but it was getting good reviews. The more I read, the more positive real-world reviews I encountered. Finally, in a fit of obsessive compulsive behavior, I ordered one in and now it’s my favorite PCC. Well, that would be too short of a post so let me back up a bit and give you some background.

Where did the name “Stribog” come from?

First off, “Stribog” is pronounced “Stry-Bog” and refers to an anicent Slavic diety that can be interpeted as the god of wind or, depending on the translation, the god of annihilation or war. Others say he was the gold of the cold but regardless, that’s what it was in centuries long past. [If you want to read more, click here for a cool post on Wikipedia].

Who makes it?

The Stribog is made by Grand Power, a relatively new company located in Banská Bystrica – Slovenská Ľupča (Slovakia). Mr. Jaroslav Kuracina started the company just before 2012 when he then got funding from friends and the rest is history. They now are producing 2,000 firearms per month on CNC machines based on Jaroslav’s designs.

By the way, Jaroslav’s patented design is how the barrel locks into the slide by rotating. This matters for two reasons – first, it reduces barrel rise meaning you can get back on target faster. Second, it reduces felt recoil – enabling the shooter to better stay on target also.

In 2008 they started exporting to the US and today, Global Ordnance of Sarasota, FL, is their US distributor. In a relatively short amount of time, they have not only entered the US market but created a good reputation in the process. You can now find the Stribog being sold by many different vendors including Global Ordnance directly, Palmetto State Armory, GrabAGun and many others.

Which model did I get?

I bought a SP9A1 with a folding SB Tactical brace in November 2021. It is my understanding that at some time prior to that the charging handle was of the reciprocating type – meaning it would travel forward and backward as the bolt cycled. One thing I made sure of was that it did have a non-reciprocating handle and it did. I would bet by the time you read this you will only find new firearms for sale with the non-reciprocating handle but buying one used might be a different story.

Chambered for 9×19 NATO (9mm Luger) and fire +P loads. 9mm NATO tends to be hotter than 9mm Luger so +P ammo is not a challenge for it.

8″ barrel with 1/2″x28 threads – this thread is commonly used for 9mm muzzle devices so you can readily add compensators, suppressors, etc.

The Stribog arrived nicely packed in a hard case.
Here;s looking at it from another angle. Honestly, I can do without the screen printed white text and graphics.
It took me a minute before I looked at the lid and noticed the three magazines tucked in there.

In looking the pistol over, there were a few areas for improvement. First, I do not like the trangular SB Tactical brace. It works but doesn’t suit my taste. I also wanted to do something with that 8″ barrel poking out the front of the handguard, install a muzzle brake and a reflect optic.

Installing the F5 Manufacturing Modular Brace

Folks, I’ll tell you up front that F5 Modular Brace System is my favorite brace. It really is well done plus they make a number of Stribog related products if you are interested.

Pop out the back lower pin and you can then change the rear plate in the top half. The pin is captive meaning it will push through but will not exit the other side so don’t force it.
This is as far as the pin will push out. You do need to push it until it stops so you can remove the back plate but don’t force it out.
Push the plate down slightly and then it will pull out.
The F5 literally slides right back in place of the plate. It’s very nicely done – my unit did not require any fitting.
For the brace, I switched over to the cool F5 Manufacturing’s modular brace system that then holds a Tailhook brace. I like the modular system because it is adjustable and reminds me of a SCAR.
The GearHeadWorks Tailhook is one of the slickest braces in my opinion. It’s made from aluminum and the hook is deployed by pushing a button and folding the it outwards.

The Dragon Snout

There is actually a neat 3D printed angled forearm extension made for the Stribog known as “the Dragon Snout”. It’s made by 3D Experiment and is sold by Global Ordnance.. It fits and feels great plus aesthetically I like covering up the approximate 3″ of barrel that stick out of the factory handguard.

First off, it’s a great name! It’s also very well done.
The Dragon Snout mounts by sliding it onto the existing 1913 Picatinny Rail on the bottom of the pistol’s handguard. One minor detqail – the Dragon Snout will likely need to go on before your muzzle device. For the Grand Power S9 shown, it did need to be mounted after the Dragon Snout.

Grand Power S9 Muzzle Brake

I went with a Grand Power 9mm brake that has an integral locking nut. Unfortunately, I do not see it for sale right now anywhere so I can’t link to it. Here are some photos of it.

The S9 brake is seems to work quite well and it was easy to install.
The threads are protected by a barrel nut so you remove it and thread on the new brake. It’s interesting to note the proof mark on the barrel 9×19 CIP – CIP is a European standards group that does the work of SAAMI there. CIP and SAAMI standards are often close but not exactly the same due to differences in where they collect pressure data. SAAMI also has +P and +P+ whereas CIP does not.
When installing a brake, thread it on as far as you can and then back it off only as much as you need to “clock” it (align it) and then tighted the locking nut.
Here’s a good photo of the brake and how it is larger than the Dragon Snout’s front hole. You can also see the integral iron front sight and charging handle.
The Stribog was really shaping up and I liked both the balance and the way it felt when I brought it up.

Adding a Holosun HE510C-GR Green Reflex Sight

My opinion of Holosun optics has improved quite a bit over the last two years – mainly because I started using the versus just reading about them. My go-to holographic sight is the Vortex UH-1 when I can afford it. When I can’t, I have found the Holosun optics to be very decent affordable choices. I especially like the HE510C-GR.

In general, I like Holosun’s use of two power sources – battery and solar plus you can either manually shut off the optic or use the shake awake feature that turns the unit and then off after a period of inactivity.

I find the green colored reticle super easy to find. Bringing the Stribog up and acquiring the target is both very straight forward and fast.

The HE510C-GR arrives well protected in its box ready for you to install the battery and mount it.
The unit has a quick release lever so you can remove the optic quickly either for cleaning or if you need to get it out of the way. I really prefer optics with quick release levers because there are any number of reasons why you may need to get it out of the way in a hurry. For example, if this Holosun were to fail, I’d remove it and quickly fail over to using the integral backup iron sights that are built into the Stribog’s top rail. Those sights flip up but are too short to use with the Holosun so I just leave them folded down.

The Final Result

I was very happy with the weapon – it all came together in a nice package:

Here’s the finished unit – A Stribog SP9A1 with the F5 modular brace, Dragon Snout forearm, S9 brake and a Holosun HE510C-GR optic on top. That is one of the straight 30 round magazines,

Quick Comment on Magazines

The magazine design is unique. While there are now options for the lowers that let you use Glock mags, the native magazine is a proprietary double stack design.

You have a number of options for magazines – 20 and 30 round plus there are ones that are straight, with and without metal reinforced tops and a curved model. Right now, I have a combination of straight 30 round magazines both with and without the reinforced metal feed lips.

I’d recommend you have 4-8 magazines at least for your Stribog. Why? It’s so much fun to shoot you will go through 30 rounds fast. A number of places sell Stribog magazines and I bought a few of my spares from GunMag Warehouse. I bought a couple of the steel reinforced lipped models from Global Ordnance but everyone seems to be sold out of them at the moment. I haven’t had any problems with the all polymer units but if we make a broad generalization, steel reinforced mag lips of any design tend to last longer.

Summary

Ok, the Stribog was assembled and ready for the range! For a change, I am writing this after taking it to the range twice, having a blast and will talk about my experiences with the weapon in my next post.

Here’s one view of the completed Stribog.
And another.

I hope this post gives you some ideas and I definitely like the Stribog.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Glocks, Self Defense

I Use A 5.11 Select Carry Pouch To Conceal Carry My Glock 29 Gen 4 When Hiking

I recently wrote about my Glock 29 Gen 4 and carrying it while hiking. A fellow asked me for more details on what I was using to carry it ands I told him I was using a 5.11 Select Carry Pouch – which is a fancier product name than “tactical fanny pack”. Joking aside, it really does a great job.

Ok, why the fanny pack? I’m on the heavy side and when I go hiking I am usually wearing shorts or sweatpants depending on the weather. Jeans are a “maybe” but I’m at the point in life where I go for comfort. I’m sure not dressing to impress anyone.

If I am wearing jeans and can use a pistol belt then I might use a holster but it depends on the weather. I’d rather conceal the firearm vs. dealing with people staring at my pistol as we are walking along. If I am wearing a coat or open long sleeve shirt then I might wear a belt holster. My preferred option is a Galco shoulder holster.

What I find is that I am often hiking or fishing and it’s too hot for a coat or loose shirt so I had to figure out what to do. I knew a fanny pack might look goofy but would work great if I could find the right one given how it could distribute the weight while concealling the pistol.

The Glock 29 gen 4 is relatively compact but it is not tiny by any means and once you load it down with 10 rounds of 10mm and have a couple of back up mags of 10mm, you’ve got a lot of weight to deal with.

A couple of years ago I ordered in some different models of the no-name import fanny packs that claim to support concealed carry and the quality was very disappointing – light fabrics, lousy sewing and poor zippers across the board. They weren’t an option for the Glock 29 gen 4 because they would never hold up to real world use.

There are a lot of carry options out there but I think I can make the blanket generalization that you get what you pay for – you need a well thought out design, rugged materials, a rock solid zipper and these aren’t cheap.

One company I like is 5.11. Their gear is reasonably priced and has never let me down. Yes, I am getting to my point – their 51804 Tactical Select Carry Pouch is very well made, looks good and doesn’t attract attention. It’s a tight fit but I can squeeze in my G29 with the Pearce magazine base plate so I have a place to rest my pinky finger, two more 10 round mags and a Streamlight TLR-8 that I keep in a side pouch.

The main pouch is a tight fit but I can squeeze in what I need. It’s symmetrical so you can insert the pistol facing either left or right. I have mine set up to rip open with the left and pull the pistol out with my right hand.
Here’s another angle. When you have the load shown, there is very little extra space.
I keep a TLR-8 stored in the right side pouch. It’s a snug fit also.
They call that thing sticking up a “hot pull strap” that you can use to yank the compartment open in a rush. Now that folks is one heck of a good idea. If you are in a hurry and the adrenaline is kicking in, fumbling with a zipper is going to suck. Grabbing that pull strap and yanking open the pouch is very do-able.

To give you an idea of real world sizing, a G29 Gen 4 is about 7″ long andjust over 4.5″ with a regular mag. Let’s just round that to 5″ in my case with the Pearce base plates. You can see in the photos that it is a snug fit. My Sig P365 fits no problem.

It works great for me. If you are interested, here’s the link to the pouch on Amazon – click here. Also, here are other sources for you:

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Glock

Customizing My Glock 29

The Glock 29 Gen 4 offers a solid platform out of the box and for many, that is all they want. For me, after building a few Polymer80s and having a better idea of what I liked, I knew I wanted to upgrade some of the parts to personalize it plus run heavier loads.

Wait – Not The Trigger You Ask?

You may look at that list and be surprised that I left the trigger alone – yes, I did. I’ve used Zev, Overwatch and other aftermarket triggers along with other aftermarket parts like connectors, springs, etc. My personal choice, and this is just me, was to go with the tried and proven OEM Glock parts and let them wear in. I’m not shooting matches or precision targets – this was to be a defensive pistol so I wanted reliability and a trigger with enough pull that I wouldn’t have an accidental discharge. There are guys that will agree with me and ones that will strongly disagree – the trigger decision is totally up to you. Mine was to go with the original Glock trigger parts.

New Sights

The original Glock sights are better than nothing but I really do not care for them. Others must feel the same way because there are a ton of aftermarket sight vendors. By the way, go for a brand name – some are just total junk and not sufficiently rugged.

I’ve had very good luck with TruGlo and Trijicon and I tend to favor the latter more. Trijicon sights are very well designed, make aiming super easy and are incredibly rugged. I opted for the Trijicon HD Night Sights (GL1040) for large frame night sights that have an orange ball in the front and tritium illumination. I intentionally wanted a low-light sight but not to add an optic.

I used a Wheeler Sight Tool for pistol sights and really like it. Installing and removing Glock sights is a breeze with this tool. You can’t see it from this angle but I do have blue painter’s tape on the slide to protect the finish just in case.
My current tool for removing and installing Glock sights is this 2-in-1 Real Avid tool that has a pin pusher on one end and a pin pusher on the other. What makes a good tool? The little bolt you see requires a 3/16″ thin wall socket. Having a rare earth magnet at the right depth makes all the difference in the world to properly hold the bolt while you are trying to get it threaded into the sight. Cheap tools do not have the socket properly formed, don’t have a magnet, etc. The Real Avid tool gets it right. Cheap imports are just that – I’ve seen them useless right out of the box.
Done. It took me maybe 10-15 minutes including taking these photos. The right tools make it very easy.
The dots glow green in low light due to tritium inserts.

Changing The Controls

That is a Rival Arms Extended Slide Lock. An OEM Glock Slide Stop Lever and a Tango Down Vickers Tactical Magazine Catch.

I like to replace the slide lock, slide release and mag catch normally. The slide stop is actually a big problem for me as I have a hard time grabbing, even feeling, the two sides to pull it down to remove the slide. This really drives me nuts and is one thing I always replace. I installed a Rival Arms extended slide release that sticks out just enough for me to get a much better grip on it. I wish I could find the packaged but I installed a no-name unit online and it had problems from the start – the Rival Arms unit is what I went to next and am still using. Point of the story – beware of cheap parts and test your stuff.

For the Slide Stop Lever, I actually am still using the Glock unit. Normally I would replace it but had a hard time finding one that would fit a Glock Gen 4 model 29. I can use the Glock lever, it’s just not my first choice.

For the Magazine Catch, I went with a Tango Down Vickers Tactical model. I’ve used these a number of time of times now because I like how it sticks out just a bit more than the original but not too much. I’ve tried ones that stick out so far that if you even lay the pistol on its side, the catch is depressed enough to release the magazine and then the next round fails to feed because the mag isn’t properly seated.

The Vickers Tactical Magazine Catches are really my preferred unit these days for Glocks and Polymer80s.

Recoil Spring Upgrade

The stock Glock 29 spring is rated for 17 pounds as I understand it. To better run the hotter loads from Buffalo Bore and Underwood, I wanted to put in a stiffer spring but I wasn’t exactly sure what to go with. This helps with obtaining both higher and more consistent velocities with these loads. Yes, the OEM recoil spring will still work – this is an improvement is all. However, if you run too stiff of a spring, your pistol may not cycle reliably with other loads you want to run.

Wolff Gun Springs makes this decision super easy for you. They sell what they call a “Recoil Calibration Pak” with springs at 17, 19 and 21 pounds. They have a variety of these assortments for different Glock models as well.

To install the spring, you need to get a two piece guide rod assembly and Wolff sells them as well. The native Glock springs are in a captured assembly that really isn’t designed to come apart. The Wolff guide rods make it super easy for you to try different springs and do not affect accuracy or reliability in terms of the rods themselves.

That is the Wolff two piece guide rod and springs. It’s worked great so far.

I installed a 19 pound spring and found it functioned just fine with all of my Buffalo Bore, Ammo Inc, S&B, and Underwood loads. That’s what I am running at this point and haven’t had any reliability issues so far.

In Conclusion

The pistol is configured the way I want it and as reliable as ever. The end of the day, what you do is your choice but just be sure to test your combinations (the new parts, magazine and ammo) before you rely on them.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Glocks

Installing a Pearce Grip Extension On A Glock 29 Magazine

The first thing I noticed with the Glock 29 with its stock 10 round magazine was that the grip was way too small for my hands. Granted I wear XL sized gloves and have big palms courtesy of my dad and grandpa but literally, my pinky finger had nothing to grab on to and I really didn’t want to control a 10mm pistol running hot loads with just two fingers – excluding my trigger finger that is. I had a trick up my sleeve though – I knew I could get grip extensions that would make holding the pistol way more comfortable.

Yeah, sorry, I can’t stand this kind of grip.

The solution comes from Pearce – they make a really nice injection molded base plate replacement that gives us just enough of an extension to comfortably hold the pistol. Since Pearce released their’s some knock offs have come out that look identical but I stick with Pearce.

That little lip makes all the difference in the world.

How To Install Them

There’s two reasons for this post – first is to tell you that there is a grip extension for the 10 round magazines and the second is to give you a tip on installing them that will save you some real grief and this pertains to Glock mags in general.

On most magazines, you push the locking button down that holds the baseplate in position and while you are doing that, you then push the baseplate off while capturing the floor plate and spring so they don’t come flying out. Trust me, those suckers can come out like a rocket.

A Glock is close but not quite. Everything I said above is true but there is also a ridge case in the middle of the magazine’s rails that the base place slides on that makes it an absolute bear to do without a Glock magazine tool. Honestly, the first time I went to disassemble a Glock magazine I could not get it off and then started searching – people said to get the tool. I thought the tools were a scam because I never needed one before other than something to push a recessed dimple down or pry off a base plate with 30-50 years of junk on it. Well, with a Glock magazine, you really need the tool and everybody and there brother makes them or imports cheap knock offs that work as well.

Here’s what you need- A G29 otherwise I don’t know why you are reading this :-), however many Pearce grip extensions and 10 round Glock magazines you need and you can see the magazine tool I use in the top left. Note, I can’t speak to whether these extensions will fit on any other brand magazine – all of my 10 round mags are Glock models.

When you look at the tool. it has a nose that pushes the dimple down on the floor plate while also allowing you to have enough leverage to then pry the base plate off thanks to the mechanical leverage it gives you.

I secure the magazine in a vise to hold it while I use the magazine tool to remove the base plate. By pushing down on the handle of the tool. you have enough leverage to remove the base plate. Go slow and capture the internals – notice how I am saying this over and over.

Again, be prepared to grab/capture the floor plate and spring assembly or they will rocket out. Yeah, I’m making light of this but a lot of people have suffered eye injuries from not being prepare and getting hit by the parts as they fly out.

The floor plate (the little grave stone looking plastic tab with the dimple on it resting on the wood vise jaw) that pushes the magazine spring down and also locks the floor plate in place is shaped to go in the magazine one way. You just need to make sure that little dimple is face up to lock the grip extension in place. If the grip extension doesn’t want to snap in place then you probably installed that floor plate upside down.
Reinstall the spring assembly and make sure the follower (the plastic thing that pushes the bullets up) is oriented properly. Note that the dimple is face up in the photo in order to lock the base plate in place. What I do is to hold the floor plate and spring with my thumb as I slide the base plate, or in this case the Pearce Grip Extension, on to the magazine tube. You will probably hear the dimple click ino the hole of the base plate or at least feel that the extension can’t move / that it is secure.
This is a good photo of the ridge, or tab, that is cast in the magazine’s body that really holds the base plate on and makes removal so hard.

This is the end result. Notice how my little finger can now firmly grip the pistol.

If you have big hands or just want to make the grip a tad taller for whatever reason, I absolutely recommend the Pearce Grip Extensions and have four of them on my OEM Glock 10 round magazines. I have shot a ton of hot Underwood and Buffalo Bore ammo and had no problem controlling the pistol. So far, they have held up just fine.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@*********ps.com. Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.