Monthly Archives: August 2013
Noob Explains: Tiny Gun Syndrome
I’ve reviewed a few “carry guns” so far. In more than one of those reviews, I’ve referred to something I like to call “tiny gun syndrome”. This doesn’t mean that the pistol is going to go out and buy a Corvette or Porsche. It’s a strange phenomena that occurs when you shrink down the components of a gun.
When you think about it, tiny guns are the equivalent of reducing a liquid during cooking. Bear with me here, this will make sense I promise. Let’s say you cooked that steak like they do in most restaurants and seared the steak on a grill first then finished it in a heavy pan under a broiler (one of the best ways to go, mind you). When the steak is finished, there will be little bits left in the pan along with some of the juices. Those little bits are concentrated beef flavor and are wasted by so many. So while your steak is resting for a couple minutes, you take a glass of red wine and use it to deglaze the pan. This is a fancy cooking term for “dump some liquid into the pan and boil it all the while scraping the bottom of the pan gently in order to dissolve those beefy bits”. Yeah, it’s easier to just say “deglaze”. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
IMPORTANT: Springfield XDs Recall
Looks like there could be a problem with the Springfield XDs pistols in both .45 and 9mm. From the sound of it, there’s an ever so slight chance of it firing when the slide moves forward. Their site is getting slammed right now but I was able to grab the notice:
For more information, check out http://www.springfieldrecall.com
ATTENTION
3.3 XD-S™ SAFETY RECALL
Issued August 28, 2013
Technical Background Get Started Contact Us Springfield-Armory.com
Springfield Armory® is initiating this voluntary safety recall to upgrade 3.3 XD-S™ 9mm and 3.3 XD-S™ .45ACP pistols with new components, which eliminate the possibility of a potentially dangerous condition. We want to emphasize that no injuries have been reported to date.
Springfield has determined that under exceptionally rare circumstances, some 3.3 XD-S™ 9mm and .45ACP caliber pistols could experience an unintended discharge during the loading process when the slide is released, or could experience a double-fire when the trigger is pulled once. The chance of these conditions existing is exceptionally rare, but if they happen, serious injury or death could occur.
What should you do?
STOP USING YOUR 3.3 XD-S™ 9mm or .45ACP PISTOL AND CAREFULLY UNLOAD IT!
To begin the upgrade process and for fastest response, click on the Get Started link at the top of the page. On that page enter your serial number and click Next. If your pistol is subject to this recall, you will need to provide your name, address, phone number, and email address. The serial number is located on the frame beneath the dust cover (accessory rail). If you prefer, you may initiate the upgrade process by calling 800-680-6866. If you no longer own the 3.3 XD-S™ 9mm or .45ACP pistol, please advise Springfield of the current owner.
XD-S Serial Number
What pistols are involved?
This Safety Recall applies only to:
Springfield 3.3 XD-S™ 9mm pistols – serial numbers between XS900000 and XS938700
Springfield 3.3 XD-S™ .45ACP pistols – serial numbers between XS500000 and XS686300.
This Safety Recall does not apply to any XD® or XD(M)® pistols.
What will Springfield do?
Springfield will send you a return authorization and mailing label, allowing you to return your 3.3 XD-S™ 9mm or .45ACP pistol to Springfield at no cost to you. Springfield will upgrade your 3.3 XD-S™ 9mm or .45ACP pistol with the new components, and return it to you. Springfield will provide tracking numbers so you can monitor the receipt and return of your upgrades.
Questions?
Visit Springfield Armory. com for further information about this safety recall. You can reach the Springfield Armory Call Center at 800-680-6866. Springfield apologizes for this inconvenience, but your safety is our paramount concern.
We greatly appreciate your loyalty to Springfield products.
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Things I’ve Learned While Reloading
I recently started reloading my own ammo. There’s a lot of experimentation as well trial and error to it. Sometimes I feel like a mad scientist. It’s been a bumpy ride, to say the least. Let’s talk about a few things I’ve learned that I have yet to see in a guide or book. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Brownells Returns as Presenting Sponsor of AR15.com/Rockcastle Pro-Am
(PRWEB) August 20, 2013
Brownells – The World’s Largest Supplier of Firearms Accessories, Ammunition and Gunsmithing Tools™ – is proud to announce it will again serve as a presenting sponsor of the AR15.com/Rockcastle Pro-Am 3-Gun Championship held at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, KY, August 23-25, 2013.
Now in its third year, the hugely popular match is expected to draw more than 500 professional and amateur 3-gun shooters, all vying for their share of the $300,000 prize table. The incredible prize table is made possible by donations from companies that include Brownells and Sinclair International. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Reader Question: How Often to Replace Recoil Spring?
A wonderful reader who didn’t leave their name (but judging from their email address likes “My Little Pony”) has asked “does the spring in my gun ever need to be replaced? If so, when should I replace it?”
Well, I’ve got an answer that is 20% cooler! First, I’m going to assume we’re talking about the recoil spring. Asking how often to change a recoil spring is kind of like asking how often to change your car’s oil: It varies depending on whom you ask. Talk to a mechanic or someone at a Jiffy Lube and they’ll tell you every 3,000 miles. Now, I don’t know about you but for me, every 3,000 miles isn’t exactly possible from a fiscal standpoint as well as from an “I’d much rather spend an hour at the gun range than in a waiting room while they change my oil and try to charge me $100 for a freaking air filter” standpoint. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Rock Island Auction Company to Sell Several High Value & Significant Historic Items in September
Rock Island, IL. (PRWEB) August 16, 2013
Rock Island Auction Company has an abundance of fascinating historical items for sale in their upcoming September Premiere Firearms Auction, to be held Sept 13th-15th, 2013.
While RIAC is no stranger to a firearm with a unique history, seldom are so many present at a single event. Crossing the auction block will be a Colt revolver attributed to Butch Cassidy, a Walther pocket pistol attributed to Adolf Hitler, a Smith & Wesson revolver attributed to the infamous outlaw Emmett Dalton, a Smith & Wesson revolver present at the 1893 Columbia Exposition whose “siblings” can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and most notably an elk skin jacket from the Battle of Little Bighorn and possibly worn by George Custer himself. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Don’t Let an Injury Affect Your Training…
I’m an idiot. I’m man enough to admit it. Not all the time, mind you, but sometimes I can show an amazingly remarkable lack of intelligence. So, yeah, I injured my wrist pretty bad while I was under my desk fixing my computer. I like to tell people I hurt it while I was saving a busload of school children from a horde of cannibal leprechauns. In reality, I guess I put too much weight on it while in a weird angle while I was trying to climb out from under my desk.
Now, that’s not the idiot part. It was an accident that could happen to the best of us. In hindsight, I could have climbed out differently but this was the way I had done it for 30+ years with no injury. No, the idiot part was my actions immediately following said injury: I denied it. I figured it was a cramp or maybe the result of sleeping in a bad position. There was no way something that stupid could injure my wrist! Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Beginner Gun Review: Taurus 738 TCP
For the longest time, if you wanted a small gun to carry in your pocket your choice was the Walther PPK, a little .22LR folding revolver, a 2 shot derringer, a J-frame style revolver or a .25 caliber pistol that probably won’t work. While the PPK was the choice of James Bond, it’s also remarkably heavy. The .22LR folding revolvers are spotty in reliability due a combination of the .22LR round itself as well as shoddy craftsmanship. Plus, there’s a lot of fumbling involved before you can shoot it. The derringers have the same problem: too much fumbling. Combine that with only 2 rounds and a complicated reload process, they’re best reserved as a “last ditch effort” gun instead of primary defense. The J-frame revolvers good and reliable but those .38 special or .357 Magnum rounds hurt like the dickens in that little pistol and, personally, I’m not fond of revolvers. Don’t even get me started on those cheap .25 caliber pistols. While I’ve spoken at great lengths about my love of the .25 round, there hasn’t been a decent pistol made for it yet.
In the end, it was looking like pocket carry was a lost cause. In many ways, it was a niche market. Then, along came Ruger and their LCP. That gun captured the imagination of the consumer and suddenly every company out there was marketing their own .380 pocket pistols like crazy trying to keep up with consumer demand. You couldn’t open a magazine without seeing ad after ad about some company’s tiny gun. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Deer in the Headlights?
I have long held a theory that, when presented with a situation that is completely and totally out of the ordinary, a human being’s mind will not immediately see it or process it. It turns out, science has proven me correct. Have you ever been driving down the freeway and someone ahead is going the wrong way? Chances are, your first thought isn’t “Holy monkey! Someone is going the wrong way and I should move!” but more along the lines of “There is no way that’s a car going the wrong way…”
Of course, that’s providing you actually had time to grasp and process a situation. We’ll get to that in a moment, though. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources: