They "AR" The Problem

Not in this sense of course.....

Absolutely, in this sense of it,..... that of an infinitely flexible system where the parts are different, yet interchangeable as well as just complex enough so that it's sort of challenging. A couple of months ago, I finished my AR as an "M4" or "carbine" (16" barrel) version. What that means is that, as long as it has an upper receiver with a barrel of 16" or longer attached, we're in good shape, legally speaking. 

....but let that barrel drop under 16", just one hair......, that completely changes the definition of what it is and you may have some issues. So, lets back up to where we started: I built a carbine. What makes it a "carbine" is that the barrel is less than 18" and that the gas port is either carbine length or "mid-length" as mine is known as. 

In the image above, you have the actual definitions. The original AR15/M16 as designed by Gene Stoner while at Armalite/Fairchild, had a "rifle" length gas port, meaning 12" forward of the chamber. And the .223/5.56 cartridge was designed to function within those parameters to have the gun's action work properly. Recoil-wise, this was a very mild feeling gun. Then the shorter versions came along which were designed with shorter gas port system and they weren't nearly as smooth in function or feel. For simplicity sake, we'll make the generalization that the shorter systems tend to be more difficult to get running properly. In the current generation of almost across-the-board carbine/16" length barrels, that's become the norm, so the mid-length (what I have) are generally perceived as being smoother and more reliable guns. 

However, the rage these days, is the pistol. This is mostly due to people skirting a federal mandate that arbitrarilly uses that 16" length as a "continental divide" of guns. So, if you want a gun to have less than a 16" barrel, you have to file papers to have a "Short Barrel Rifle", pay a $200 tax to get a stamp, and wait..... somewhere between 6 months to a year to legally possess such a thing (or even the parts to build such a thing)! That is unless you buy/build a "pistol", which is essentially the same thing, but without a "stock"! You can have a pistol brace, and even ocassionally shoulder said brace, but it can't be a stock! So, now, these are the hottest thing in the world of ARs! All the convenience of the SBR without the complexity and/or costs.

My intention is to take a 10" barrel and make a pistol upper for myself. These tend to be not nearly as difficult to get running properly as the shorter pistols, as they often have the 7" "carbine" gas port. Then last night, I was seduced by a Christmas sale!

A sales notice arrived in an email advertising that Combat Armory had a fully assembled 7.5" pistol upper for $110! It was too much to resist. Now, one of these is on it's way to my house. Granted, it'll spend the vast majority of it's life as a 22LR surrogate where my CMMG conversion bolt will live, but, it still is a fully functioning .223/5.56. When it arrives, it'll go right on top of my already finished Aero Precision pistol lower and will be ready to spread some holiday cheer.

So yeah, the whole thing is rapidly headed in this direction.... and there-in lies the problem!
 

Real World Conceal Carry Experiences

So, about a month ago, I finally received my Texas "CHL" in the mail. These things are called all kinds of things ranging from Concealed Handgun License to License to Carry and just about anything in between. The reality is that here in Texas, it allows the holder to carry a handgun (aka pistol) either "concealed" or "open carry". Given the kind person that I am, it's unlikely that I'd ever carry a firearm in the open..... maybe in the woods or something like that, but certainly not walking around town!

I've carried my gun every day since receiving the license that I wasn't working (which means, being at school). And since being on break, I've literally carried it every single day. This is what I've learned.

Some months ago, in preparation for conceal carry, I bought a smaller pistol; a Walther PPS. Compared to my PPQ or MR9, it's thinner, lighter, shorter in length and not as tall in height either. It was the right call. I carry this gun inside the waistband at what's commonly called the 4 O'Clock position, behind the right hip as is seen above. That dude is carring a 1911 type pistol, and I certainly can't imagine myself doing that with my double-staked duty pistols! I don't take it out when I get in the car. I've carried it under a jacket, sweatshirt, and untucked collared shirt. So far, so good. The other thing I was right about? My PPS is the one on the right, or the "M1" version. The other one is the "M2". I'd rather have the M2: see how it's design is pretty much that of the PPQ? However, the M1 has one critical advantage. It's mag release is the paddle style, same as my other two pistols. I haven't had automatics (pistols) for long, but I sure don't want to have to learn different magazine releases for different gun that I use on a regular basis! There are some sacrifices though. See how flat the grip is and how few contours there are?

The PPS moves around in my hand more than I like when I shoot it. So I tried the Talon grips.... basically skateboard tape die-cut for the pistol it's made for..... feels like sandpaper. I carried the gun like that for a couple of weeks, but I found that my shirts would get hung on it and I kept having to pull it down.

My solution ended up being the Hogue Handall Jr. grip sleeve. Gives me the feel of the M2 with the all important paddle-style mag release of the M1.

One of my most concerning issues was how the gun was going to feel in my back while driving a car. After carrying for a few days, I noticed that I didn't have a problem while driving. Then I realized that it was because we have these cheap mesh back supports in our cars. We normally keep them to allow a little airflow back there during our 9 months of summer here in Texas. It turns out that these $5 devices give me enough flex to keep the gun from digging into my back! There's nothing better than effective and cheap. 

We'll see how well these things work when dealing with the full-sized PPQ carried in an "Outside-the-waistband" holster!

My Favorite Pistol: Walther P99 and Evolution

Christmas came early! Let's just hope that I continue to practice good firearms safety and don't "shoot my eye out". In the last week, I've bought or arranged to buy 2 pistols. Neither really fit into a plan as such (maybe 1 of them...... a little bit). They're mostly because I like them, and they both have to do with my favorite gun: the Walther P99 and it's evolutionary progeny, the PPQ. 

So, I'll start here. This is the original (Gen1), Walther P99. Some may recognize it as the Pierce Brosnan Bond Walther, when they decided to move the Bond character to a more plausible primary weapon, vs the much loved, but rather illogical 7.65mm Walther PPK...... if you didn't already know, yes indeed, it was a .32acp version of that gun he supposedly carried. Might as well have been a .22LR! Anyway, that's not the reason I like that pistol anyway. Well..... look at it! More importantly, hold it. I know, it's a very personal thing, but that grip fits me like no other. In fact, I traded my HK VP9 for one of these a while back, but then I traded that for a PPQ.....

This is it. My favorite pistol! That which the P99 became after evolutionary improvements. I like it so much that, I'm about to have 3 versions of it. 

The Umarex (part of Walther Gmb), PPQ CO2 powered, .177 BB/Pellet gun.  

The Walther PPQ/22LR, which of course shoots a .22 long rifle. It's direct blowback, as you can see by the fixed barrel and the magazine. It's unfortunately, not paddle released, but hey..... I'm going to pick this one up next weekend and is part of my early Christmas, but is there more?

 

Is there more!?! Does Santa wear red? I came across this and bought it. It looks vaguely familiar doesn't it? What is it? Why, is a Magnum Research (of Desert Eagle fame), MR9, sometimes labeled the "Baby" Desert Eagle. OK, what is it really? It's a Walther P99, licensed to Magnum Research with a slightly altered frame made by Walther, upper parts made and assembled by MR in Pillager, MN (one of my favorite town names). 

Here's a little bit of history and commentary for you. Don't worry, I'll let you know which is history and which is my commentary. Back in the late 80's and into the 90's, Walther wasn't in as good of a business situation as it is now and needed some help selling in the large American market, so they hooked up with Smith and Wesson. At the time, Walther needed a company with a big footprint here in North America and Smith was trying to get involved in the polymer gun market, so it looked like a marriage made in gun heaven. So, Smith took over the importation and distribution of Walthers and as such, you see the P99s of that time with the S&W rollmarks. That part is the history. This next part is my commentary. Don't get me wrong; I don't like S&W as a company, but I respect their guns. This whole thing turned into a conflict of interest for them and Smith for their part pretty much ripped off Walther's technology which you see today in the Smith & Wesson M&P line lifted from the Walther P99 and the S&W Shield derived from the Walther PPS. In the meantime, Smith did a piss-poor job of marketing Walther's products, so much so that Walther ended up breaking away and forming their own distribution based in Ft. Smith, AR. All that is fine, because in the gun-world, everybody copies everybody else. In fact, Walther hired away one of Glock's top engineers when it started the P99 project to compete against the Glock 17. The part I take exception to? Look at that top image..... that's the S&W SW99. It's a Walther manufactured lower mated to a Smith upper. It's awkward, ugly and an affront to it's Germanic roots! Walther agree to some rather interesting partnerships to push more units at that time. The Magnum Research MR9 was a part of that, although, clearly a much more aesthetically pleasing one than the SW99! So yeah; I've gotten myself into the collecting and enthusiast aspects of gun ownership. 

That part of me would rather have had picked up the later 4.5" version of the MR9 with the Desert Eagle-esque slide than the 4", but I'll take it. Of course there are other members of this family tree that I'd like to get as well.

The next most likely would be this; the Q4 Tactical. It's unfortunate that it only comes in the M2 or "button release" version, but I'd really like to have the longer threaded barrel and the slide already cut for RMR attachment plates. 

A more far-fetch addition would be the target/race-gun versions. The Walther Q5 Match, and the Canik TP9SFX. Not because I don't want one of these sci-fi looking variants, but mostly due to their $600-700 selling price!

Speaking of....... Canik....... If you didn't already know, the Walther P99 has been copied,..... a lot. One of the main culprits has been the Turks. There's been a number of firms, such as Sarzimaz, but by far the most successful has been Canik. A brand brought into the U.S. by Century Arms of Delray Beach Florida. The Canik TP9 is basically a clone of the Walther P99, down to the decocker on top of the slide. They are so close to the various Walthers, that there are videos showing people interchanging slides and barrels between the TP9 and the Walther PPQ. The reviews for them have been very good, particularly when you calculate in the big difference the selling price difference between the brands! Canik has done so well that they've released a number of different models. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on me picking one of these $300-350 9mm models at some point and adding to my growing collection!

Status Update For My 2nd Amendment

I apologize for my blog inactivity, but I'll have to trot out my work excuse. I'm now the Assistant Swim coach and the Swim coach at my school, so I've been pretty busy. What that entails is to leave for practice at 4:45 each morning and come home about 7:30 each evening, ..... plus, into the second grading period of the school year!

On the other hand, my plan to create a small arsenal is going quite well. OK, not the stockpile that this guy has amassed, but I've done pretty well..... being up to 7 guns in a bit under a year since I first got started in just short of a year. I'm especially proud that they all fit into a plan and not just random pieces and that I've been able to do it without debt.

So, what exactly is this plan? In a word; it's purpose, in that every gun I own has a purpose and not just a random piece. ??? It starts with my belief that because we've been given the right, then it's our responsibility to defend ourselves. You know: the 2nd Amendment and stuff.....

It all starts here; with the handgun. I chose this as my first purchase because, the pistol is the most flexible. It doesn't do one thing all that well, but it can do virtually any thing. Home protection, personal concealed carry, you name it. I actually started out with an HK VP9, but after some trading around which included a Walther P99, I ended up with the PPQ that I wanted all along. It's a fantastic weapon that fits my hand well and shoots great. It also gets the majority of my handloads which to date have been exclusively 9mm. The other handgun that I own is my latest acquisition which is the Walther PPS, and it is in fact an "M1" version as well so that both have the European style "paddle" mag release. I bought this not too long after taking the Texas LTC (Licence to Carry) class. And as soon as the bureaucratic wheels of government slowly get turning, I'll start to conceal this firearm.

 

A major part of my system is this. It came to live with us this summer. In my system, each gun has a job to do and this one holds down the job of "intruder stopper". Is it sexy? ..... no Is it cool? .....a little bit with the Magpul SGA furniture and yes, mine wears the heat shield too (not because I need it, but because it was cheap and kinda cool in a WWI, trench gun way). But it has an essential job. If something goes "bump in the night", I'm reaching beside my nightstand for this Mossberg 500 "Persuader" and jacking a round of #4 Buckshot into the chamber..... the 3rd shell in we move on to "00"... It doesn't get taken out for random range days, and nobody is going to oooh and ahhhh over it when they come over, but it has a very important job. Equipped with an 18" barrel, and a white-beamed weapon light, it'll be just fine. 

And while we're on the subject of shotguns, there's this that fulfills the role of "survival" all-in-one gun "just in case". It was cheap ($65 shipped). It folds up, as you can see, and with adapters (of which I own a 9mm one), can handle darned near any cartridge. There are supposed to be other barrels coming for it as well, so that should be cool in case it ever comes to fruition, but $65!!!

Then, last month, the big one happened; the "battle rifle" got finished!  It's basically like the one in the image above, built on an Aero Precision upper, lower, M-Lok free-floating handguard/rail, with a 16" stainless barrel chambered in .223 Wylde. I'm not going to get into a ton of detail here, but this essentially gives me a do everything long-gun. It's not legal to hunt deer with here in Texas, but if push came to shove, it could do that. People can and do hunt hog with them and the .223/5.56 is an outstanding varmint cartridge. However, at the end of the day, it's a battle rifle and all that that implies! One of the strengths of the AR "platform" is the flexibility. Eventually, I'll most likely build an actual hunting "upper" based on the 6.5 Creedmoore chambering as well as a .300 AAC (Blackout) on a shorter barrel as well. Both could be done on the same "lower" that I already own, and the 300BLK wouldn't even need a new bolt or magazine! The gun was pretty much all finished down to offset iron sights about a 2 months ago.....

..... then this happened! I had picked up a cheap 1-4x optic and was going to go with that until some time in the future when I came across a local ad for a Primary Arms 1-6x with the aclamed ACSS reticle. It's used of course, be in good shape for $180 complete with a quick-detach mount DONE!!!

NOT SO FAST! Yes, it was done in so much as it was ready to shoot regular .223/5.56 ammo, but you can't shoot that at a lot of indoor ranges, plus it's expensive. On top of all that, it's been the wettest fall in decades here in North Texas. But, I found this conversion for 22 long rifle. Yes; yet another reason to get an AR. I know that the 22lr is actually .223 vs. .224, but it's close enough to work just fine on most guns. I was able to try it out on mine last week and it shoots just fine. Now I have an option for when it won't stop raining and I can't go to the outdoor range. And at close to 5 cents per, I'll happily shoot 22lr for training purposes all day. Oh yeah, I picked it up used from the same firearms classified for $125. And I'm not done yet!

This weekend, I've arranged to pick up a Walther PPQ/22LR from a guy locally. Again, it's purpose is to allow me to practice inexpensively while maintaining the feel of the full-sized weapon in my hands. I really excited to find it. I also have some other projects going as well, so stay tuned. 

License To Carry

I almost feel like this when I say "License To Carry", but that's not really it. It feels funny saying it, and it's not because, this was my least favorite Bond of them all! Last weekend, I took the Texas "License to carry a handgun proficiency course" and now I have a "certificate of training". This is what's necessary in Texas to be licensed by the state to carry a handgun, either "open carry" or "conceal carry". Of course, there's still come paperwork to be done, but I've done it and soon, I'll be fully legal to carry a handgun around (unless, it's an illegal location such as a school etc.). Why would I do that.

It's mostly because of this. Well actually, let me start from the beginning. I'm not afraid of bad neighborhoods and bad people. I've lived in New Orleans and Chicago. Been to Cabrini Green and regularly went to the St. Louis No. 1 Cemetary in New Orleans which is literally right up against the projects. But the stuff represented by the imagery above scares the "Dickens" out of me (aren't you glad I didn't use another Bond title Living Daylights as a pun here). There are more and more groups (of both side) which are advocating violence and concepts of anti-authoritarianism. I just don't want to turn the corner in the wrong place at the wrong time and be in the wrong situation with no recourse. 

So now, this will be me. Which gets me to the gun itself. Although, I'll start by packing my Walther PPQ which is what I have. However, I don't see it as being the optimal solution. It's just too big for the summer months here in Texas where shorts and T-Shirts are the norm. Eventually, I'll get around to picking up something that's smaller, lighter and more conducive to every day carry. 

Right now, the front-runner is this: the Walther PPS, M1 (or "old") version with the paddle mag release. It's a single stack (read thin) with a much shorter grip making it way easier to conceal, which is after all, the name of the game!  I will have to get over the awkward proportions and general ugliness, but I don't want to have to develop a different muscle memory for a magazine change. I'm a paddle-release guy and will probably continue to be that unless I switch primary handguns. 

Whichever way I go, I know I'll feel a lot better out and about with my family in today's increasing unstable society.

"The Rifleman" Remake

Appropriately, the early 60's was a time for TV Westerns featuring a rifle toting lawman or bounty hunter. 1963 gave us "The Rifleman" starring Chuck Connors.....

And earlier, 1961 had given us "Wanted: Dead or Alive" with a young Steve McQueen. Of course, in reality, those shows didn't feature "rifles" per se, "The Rifleman" probably should have been called "The Carbine-man", but I'll have to say that it does lack the ring of the official title. And in the case of the McQueen show, that heavily modified Winchester can barely even be called a carbine. 

The "Mare's Legs" as guns of that type has come to be called have more in common with today's AR "pistols".  I was born in 1960 (and in Hong Kong), and not having moved to the United States until I was 7, in 1968. Never-the-less, like most boys of the era, loved Westerns and all things associated there-of. 

So, appropriately, and probably to no one's surprise, I've fallen hard for the Kel-Tec Sub 2000! Previously, I talked about how it was the missing "pistol-caliber carbine" that I'd been searching for, but that was on a conceptual basis.... Now that I've shot it, well.... I'd have to say that I'm completely smitten! Let me go through the reasons:

• ITts small, light, AND it even folds up to be even smaller. Really, 16" is ridiculous!
• It shoots like a dream! I put about 200 rounds through it without a hiccup. This included 4 different types of ammo, 2 of which were my own hand-loads.
• It was dead accurate out to 25 yards (the max  at the indoor range), and that was with the hard-on-old-eyes peep sights which I'm going to replace with a notch sight. When a red dot was mounted on it....., it was "too easy". 
• The previous owner had already upgraded the charge handle, trigger and trigger guard among other things and it felt awesome. 
• It was dead reliable while using 4 different types of magazines, including Beretta OEM, Mec-Gar (pretty much OEM), Beretta 35 round extended, and USGI M9 mags.

 

 

The previous owner had also put on the very common upgrade of the Magpul AFG on the lower rail. I ended up removing it because it felt awkward and I felt like it made the gun feel bulky which was contrary to the spirit of the design. 

In it's place, I put on the Magpul XTM hand-stop, which I love! It does the same thing, but is much smaller and lighter! 

And on the inch and a half of rail left, I mounted a Truglo MicroTac laser. It's the perfect size and weight for this carbine's intended purpose of a ready for anything carry-carbine.