Recent content by Japle

I once carried a 4" M29 and two speedloaders for a month just to see what it was like. It was like strapping half a steel grapefruit to my side. The speedloaders were as bulky as the gun. At 5' 9" and 145 lbs, the thing stuck out a mile. It was obvious as hell, but no one noticed it. Even my...

I won a S&W 327 5" at the S&W Nationals and have used it to come in 2nd place Iron Sight Revolver twice in that match. I certainly agree with Jerry that the super-light gun is the way to go for fast shooting. These days, I use my 327 in pistol league matches. The current 327 retails for $1569...

Here's my version. XD .45 with a can and red dot sight. Quick into action, 14 rounds of .45ACP JHPs and it won't blow my ears out.

EAA has terrible warranty service. EXAMPLE: I have a Witness .45 that locks the slide back with rounds still in the magazine. I called and talked to their "gunsmith". With no mention by either of us about what ammo I was using, he told me that it was my fault for using hot handloads. Then he...

I bought a S&W 617 not long ago and the action was so bad and the rate of misfires so horrible that I sent it back to the factory. They fixed it, but the DA is super-heavy. From what I've read, S&W has pretty much stopped doing quality-control checks, thinking that it's cheaper to fix bad...

Nice Blackbuck, Craig! Was that in Texas? I collected mine in Argentina.

The scope shown is a 2X. My hunting load is a 180 gr XTP at 1568 fps. This load groups under 2" at 50 yds with me steering the iron sights. I haven't sighted it in with the scope yet. I plan to get to the range next Thursday. Here's the first hog I shot with the out-of-the-box gun. The...

I used my DE .44 Mag on a hog a few years ago. The hog was running flat-out across my line-of-sight at 40-50 feet and I broke the spine just behind the ear. So, I know the gun is up to the job. But now I want to shoot a hog from 50-75 yds from a stand and my 78 year old eyes aren't gonna work...

I built a 2011 a few years ago with a 6" barrel in a 5" slide, just because I think it looks cool. The extra 1" of barrel has no effect on functioning. Then I had it Cerakoted, again just for the look.

For those of you following this little saga, I took the 617 to the range this morning and fired 6 different type of ammo through it - target ammo, high velocity, subsonic and bulk stuff. The gun went BANG every time. The DA pull is pretty damn stiff, but smooth, thanks to the work I did on...

STI “Frankenstein” 9mm that I built on a SteelMaster frame with a 5” slide & 6” barrel (because I think it looks cool), BoMar-type sights. My main pistol-league gun and great for Steel Challenge.. S&W 327 .38/.357 5” 8-shot revolver. Fantastic DA trigger and super-accurate. My #2...

I have a "Mountain Gun" in .45 Colt. My standard load is a 255 gr coated Keith SWC over 5.0gr of Clays with a Federal primer. Velocity is a bit over 820fps. Soft-shooting and very accurate. With the correct placement, I'd be happy to use it anything from cottontails to deer.

I got the 617 back today. About 4 weeks, which is what I expected. It came with a sheet listing "Performed service": Adjust Mainspring weight Repair yoke Repair sear Cut forcing cone Repair extractor rod My question: If this brand-new revolver needed all that work - and I haven't checked to...

I carried an XDs .45 for a few years and was happy with it. Then I went to a 9mm Shield Plus with a dot sight. They're about the same size, but I like the 14-round capacity and the dot a little better. The XDs is a fine gun, but the out-of-the-box triggers usually need work.

When you’re new to Concealed Carry, you feel like there’s a big sign over your head that screams “GUN!!” That feeling will pass. I wear cargo shorts almost all the time and wear a tucked-in T-shirt with an unbuttoned sports shirt over the gun. I started off with Hawaiian shirts because I thought...