Free For All Friday 5-16-2014: 1911s, CCW Behavior Shotguns and Kahr pistols…
So the wife is insisting that I take up a hobby that has nothing to do with computers. She thinks it’s unhealthy sitting in front of my screen all the time and wants me to “unplug”. Guns don’t count because blog and, apparently, my love of Formula 1 racing doesn’t count either because I spend the whole time with my iPad in my lap chatting with other fans because…well…I’m a Formula 1 fan in a NASCAR world and I’m the only person I know who follows it. So anyway, in order to make her see the error of her ways, I’ve started playing Warhammer. Think of it as the geekiest game of chess you’ve ever seen…that or think of it like a real life RTS game like Command & Conquer or Starcraft. You have armies of hundreds of little miniatures that you’ve assembled and painted then you make them battle. It’s an absolute blast to play and the strategies are challenging. She will regret this.
Oh yeah, this is a gun site…
“Did the Original 1911 Not have a thumb safety? And can you get them without one today?” -@CaptainCarry
While I haven’t been able to find any pictures or information on prototypes, when it was released the 1911 came standard with a grip safety and manual safety. The 1911 in the picture to the right is from the very first week of production (serial number 33). As you can see, the safety looks radically different from the way it does now. Beyond that, very little has changed on the gun. The reason for the added safeties is simple: the 1911 is a single action pistol and, as a result, the trigger is super light. It only takes the slightest nudge on the trigger to fire this gun so you want to make sure it’s not going to go off unless you want it to. Because of that, most 1911 manufacturers stick with the original design. The only one I’m aware of, off the top of my head, is Para’s LDA line of compact 1911s. The LDA in the name stands for “Light Double Action” and they’ve essentially traded the manual safety for a long double action trigger pull. It still has the grip safety as well so you’ve still got that extra layer of protection. The only other thing I can think of, and this is a major stretch mind you, is the Springfield Armory XDm line. The ergonomics of these polymer, striker fired pistols is very close to that of the 1911s so, while it isn’t a 1911 by any stretch of the imagination, it feels arguably like one….if you close your eyes…and haven’t spent extensive time shooting a 1911….like I said, it was a bit of a stretch.
“Hey, Noob, I had a thought the other day about behavior while carrying (concealed or otherwise). I remember in my class they said ‘always try to avoid conflict’ and adhere to any means necessary to extinguish the threat before you pull your weapon as a last resort. Now, does this mean one must be passive and a push-over while carrying? Does assertiveness come anywhere in there? It wouldn’t feel right to act differently if you’re carrying or not if it isn’t truly your behavior, but at the same time society holds you to a higher regard. Do you carry? How should one act when it comes to that? How would corresponding laws see that?” -DonaldB
While I don’t teach concealed carry classes, if I did there would be a general rule of thumb that I would tell the students: “If something happens, you will be judged after the fact by people with the benefit of hindsight and who have no concept or clue what it could possibly be like in the situation you were in.”
Remember, as a card carrying gun carrier, you are a representative of us all. Everything you do either benefits all of us or hurts all of us. Carry and defense laws also have a big grey area concerning protecting someone if they are the aggressor and, with the benefit of hindsight, sometimes witnesses and such can be confused as to who the aggressor actually was.
While I don’t think anyone expects you become a cowering lamb, actively seeking out trouble does no one any good. Ultimately, I think the “avoid trouble” thing is a bit misunderstood. It really comes down to don’t take the dark alley shortcut when you would normally take the well lit and crowded path. Don’t get out of your car to confront the dude that just cut in front of you in the McDonald’s drive through. Don’t escalate a situation when walking away is possible. I’ve found that, since I’ve been carrying, I look at the world differently. Situations that used to make me furious now have me saying “if things went south, you are really not worth any of the trouble it would cause me”. It really comes down to that. Is being overly assertive worth the trouble it could cause you?
Hey Noob, So, it’s time to buy another shotgun. I have a Benelli Nova pump 12g, which I love. However, I would like to get get another one so my son and I can go shoot Trap together. Here is the question. Which one to buy? It needs to be versatile and not cost more than my mortgage. My son was looking at the Benelli Montefeltro, which is pretty close to my top end for cost. It’s beautiful, but I’m not sure I want to spend that much. I will if that is the best option out there. What are your thoughts? What should I look for? Any better options? Thanks as always! -SkylerR
So it looks like $1200 or under is your budget. The good news is that there are a lot of options available at that price range. Right off, Benelli is Benelli. You can’t go wrong with that company. Here’s the thing: I’m not sure how old your son is but if he’s still in the high school age range, get him started on the clay sports as soon possible. We’re talking every weekend out shooting. Get him some lessons. Get him as good as possible before he turns 18. Why? While not widely advertised, just about every big college in the country has a shooting team and many have very good scholarships available. Getting good at skeet and trap could earn him a free or heavily discounted ride through higher education. With that in mind, you might look at some over/unders. It sounds like you’re going to be doing it a bit more than “every now and then” so I wouldn’t recommend the Stoeger for that. Take a look at the new Ruger Red Label. There’s also a great line of over unders from CZ-USA. Finally, the tried and true Browning Citori.
If you still want to go semi-auto, Benelli and CZ both have some excellent options as well. Beretta has the the A300 and the A400. Then there’s Browning, Franchi, and lots of others. Frankly, there’s almost too many to list.
With any clay shotgun, get the absolute longest barrel you can find as that helps with accuracy. You also absolutely need choke tubes. Some guns have extended chokes which add to barrel length and some even have compensated chokes that will help with recoil to get you on target faster. Having an adjustable stock is a HUGE bonus as well, although most that come with one are a bit on the pricey side. If it’s not adjustable, and trust me on this one, spend the cash to get the stock fitted to you. You won’t regret it at all.
“What are your thoughts on kahr pistols gun noob?” -JustinV
There’s a phrase that’s used often: “Do one thing and do it well”. Kahr has had a near laser like focus on small, concealable pistols for the vast majority of its existence. They are considered some of the most fine carry weapons in the market and are used as backup guns by many police departments across the country. They carry a price to go along with the quality, mind you, but it’s not unreasonable (all things considered). There is some controversy, however, with the fact that the father of the owner of Kahr is the founder of the Unification Church. Justin Moon, the owner of Kahr arms has constantly and consistently asserted that Kahr has nothing to do with the church and that he is the sole owner of the company and I’ve never seen any “non-tinfoil hat” evidence to the contrary. Frankly, other than some odd beliefs, there’s a lot worse organizations a company could be loosely associated with. In the end, it doesn’t affect the quality of their guns and I would carry one in a heart beat if my budget allowed for it.
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