Taking a Very Good Pistol, and Making it Great!

I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you probably remember my intial post professing love for my S&W M&P 9 mm. As I wrote then, it's a fantastic firearm right out of the box. However, one of the cool things about it is the ability to upgrade it with relative ease.

And upgrade, I did.

Sights.

I started by adding Tru Glo fiberoptic sights. The install was WAY more complicated than I realized. First of all, you have to be sure to remove the sights in the proper direction, as there is only one way the dovetail sight mounts will fit into the slide. Second, those things are REALLY in there. It takes a hell of a whack to remove them. If you don't have a vise to hold the slide, this can be quite challenging. Finally, you'll find the same difficulty in moving the new sights into place. However, if you are like me you might not be comfortable whacking the hell out of your new fiber optic sights.

There are a few tools that can help. I looked into "sight" tools designed specifically for removing/installing sights on my gun. However, they were incredibly expensive for a one time install (approaching $200), and are more suited for gunsmiths who will use them repeatedly. As importantly, I couldn't seem to find any tools in stock. As a result, I ended up just purchasing some reinforced nylon "punches" and beating the sights into place with elbow grease, a large hammer, and patience. I marred the finish on the front sight a bit, which sucks. But I did manage to get them installed.

When I first shot her indoors after that modification, I wasn't sure I was going to keep that setup. But then, I shot outside a few times in IDPA events, and I realized what all the fuss was about. Fiberoptic sights practically glow outdoors, even in overcast conditions. Finding the sight line couldn't be easier.

Trigger.

From there, I looked for ways to improve the trigger feel. As with many standard service pistols, the M&P trigger has a rather long pull, with lots of pre-travel (trigger movement before the firing pin releases), lots of over-travel (trigger movement that continues after the firing pin releases) and a lack of a clearly identifiable reset point (i.e., the point where the firing mechanism resets as the trigger moves back forward after firing). Apex Tactical created a drop in kit to improve these characteristics known as the Duty Carry/Action Enhancement Kit ("DCAEK") which replaced a number of parts. I installed mine with a lot of patience and a few tools, though many might find it to be a bit much and may prefer to take it to a gunsmith.

After installing the DCEAK, the difference was noticeable. The pull lightened to about 4-5 pounds, and the pre-travel and over-travel were reduced significantly. I was pleased. Then Apex upped the ante by creating a new kit that included an entire trigger replacement (the Forward Set Sear and Trigger Kit, or FSST). After learning from the DCAEK install, the FSST install was a snap.

And what a difference the FSST made. Travel issues were eliminated completely and the trigger feels incredible. It's as close to a custom single-action 1911 trigger as you'll find. Well worth the moderate price tag (~$150).

Barrel.

Finally, I ordered a custom match barrel from Storm Lake barrels. This part is the easiest imaginable install -- it's a single part replacement that literally drops in. The hardest part about installing this barrel is waiting the 2 months it takes for Storm Lake to make it once you've ordered it. That said, it's worth the wait. The accuarcy improvements are significant and apparent. What's more, after 250 or so rounds, I still haven't experienced a single mechanical failure on this firearm (which was a concern for me in adding this barrel because the feed ramp that loads the rounds is on the lip of the barrel and differs in design from the original).

In sum, I took a very good weapon and made it great. It's by far my favorite handgun to shoot in my collection. I haven't shot an IDPA event with it since the barrel and FSST install, but I can't wait to do so.

Here's a pic showing the modified trigger and a glimpse of the new stainless Storm Lake barrel:

Range Report: SIG 556 Classic Tactical Combat Rifle

I finally had a chance to shoot the new SIG 556 so I thought I'd share my reactions.  In sum, it's probably no surprise to hear me say she's fun to shoot.  I only ran through 140 rounds (which is nearly the shooting equivalent of the blink of an eye with this particular firearm and 30 rounds magazines), but here's a few initial thoughts.

For such a small round (comparatively), she barks!  I was surprised at how loud she was.  Granted, it was at an indoor concrete "bunker," but still, with these little bitty rounds, I figured it would be more akin to a .22 than to my .45.  The best part wasn't the report of the powder, but this cool sound from what I think was the actual lead traveling at 2800 fps -- sort of like the whistle you would imagine hearing if a tiny, supersonic jet flew past your head.  It gave me the sensation that I was sending lead MILES AND MILES down range.

I'm not a fan of the hooded front site and rear diopter.  In fact, I was sort of wishing I had skipped that option all together and applied the savings to a solid optic.  The front site is too large to feel like you are aiming with any real precision.  As for the diopter, it was hard to move by hand while trying to site in, and I couldn't even drift it far enough to make the necessary correction.  Out of the box, she was about 6 inches to the left and 2 inches low at 20 meters.  I'm already planning the optics package to remedy the situation.  I knew I would eventually go optics when I bought her, but figured I would keep the diopter so I would at least have the option.  Now, I can't really see myself ever relying on that diopter again, so I may as well remove it and sell it.

I had one "mechanical" issue while firing.  I've since learned that it was most likely due to a bad brass casing in a round I discharged.  The gun jammed at about round sixty.  When we examined her, we found a round sticking halfway into the breech.  I was able to dislodge it and much to my surprise, this is what I found:

The lower is the round that was stuck in the breech.  The upper is the reason why.  Apparently, after the upper fired, the extractor basically ripped the top of the brass off, leaving the rest of it sitting in the breech while the lower round tried to load on top of it.  You can't tell just by looking, but the lower round is actually bent.  The gun cycled so hard that when it shoved the new round into the half-casing, it bent the new round.  If you try to roll it, it wobbles across the countertop.  Other than that little failure (which was pretty frightening at the time), the rifle shot flawlessly.

In all, it feels pretty good to shoot.  I will admit that it does feel a little heavy after 90 rounds or so.  That said, there's is only enough recoil to let you know that you're shooting a real rifle, so it's easy to stay on target and keep sending rounds as fast as your trigger finger allows.  I'm ready to put another 400 rounds through her at some real distance.  Of course, I'm going to need a decent optic first.

Well, it's been a while so there's LOTS to catch up on ...

First order of business -- new additions to the family.  In my last post, I discussed my desire to take Tanner's up on an offer that seemed too good to pass up.  I think the day after I made that post, I came home with this:

Yep, that's a SIG 556 Classic battle rifle with a rotary diopter rear site.  The price on these things fell about 40% in the past 8 months.  The biggest reasons for the price drop seem to be (1) the rifle is about 1.5 lbs heavier than a standard AR-15 (8 lbs total), it lacks the standard AR-15 quad rails, upon which accessories (such as vertical shooting handle, tactical lights, etc.) can be easily added, and (3) it was way overpriced to begin with (the former pre-drop price was nearly double that of a decent, entry level AR-15).  I personally find the styling and enhanced AK-47 shooting action too cool to resist, though will eventually be looking to add a standard AR-15 to my collection as well.

In other news, I also finally broke down and purchased a full-sized gun safe.  I opted for the Browning Theftguard.  A stock photo with someone else's collection is shown here:

Now I can stop storing my rifles under the bed and my ammo and other gear in the closet.  Cyn is happy.

Since my last post, I shot an official IDPA classifier.  It wasn't as fun as an IDPA fun match (where you can shoot moving targets, from cars, etc...) but it's a good test of skill and is plenty entertaining.  The classifier is designed to test a standard IDPA skill set (reloading, shooting from different distances, from both hands, moving frontward and back, etc...) while using a pre-determined set of stages to help differentiate your skill level and give you a standard measure upon which to improve.

I was pleased to classify as "Marksman," but a little disappointed that I could have classified at the next level ("Sharpshooter") if I had made up about 13 more points by slowing down a little early in the match and focusing a little more on accuracy.  My scores can be seen here.

Finally, I added a Storm Lake match barrel and an Apex Tactical forward set sear and trigger kit to the S&W M&P 9mm I use for IDPA shoots.  Here's what she looks like now:

That's enough for now.  I'll be back later to post range reports from both the SIG 556 and the M&P with the new barrel and trigger.  As a preview, I'll say for now that I am really happy with both.

Ok, so i was all set to choose the M&P 15 MOE, but THEN ...

My local dealer is having a one-day deal on the SIG 556 Classic with a rotary diopter.  I fell in love with this rifle by looking and holding it a few months back, but I read some bad reviews (primarily too heavy @ 1.5 lbs over the average AR-15 weight) and too overpriced (about $1400 with a rear diopter, $1600 with a SIG brand cheap-ass red dot optic.  Here it is:  Isn't she sweet?    What a great deal.  Now I'm a little conflicted. At full retail, it's a no-brainer -- I'd go with the M&P.  But at this price, the SIG is such a great bargain, I might have to reconsider.  Thoughts?

Choosing my next firearm ...

When I set out to build my collection, I had a few key needs that I wanted to fill on a priority basis:

1.  Pistol for Home Protection  -- check.
2.  Pistol for Personal Protection -- check.
3.  Smaller Pistol for Personal Protection when wearing light clothing -- check.
4.  Pistol for Competition Shooting -- check.
5.  Back-up Pistol for Home Protection -- check.
6.  Versatile Hunting Rifle -- check.

The next step was to accesorize as needed:

1.  Multiple magazines for all firearms -- check.
2.  Holster, belts and mag holders for heavy/light carry and competition -- check.
3.  New sights, barrel and trigger system for competition shooting -- check.
4.  Optics and sling for hunting rifle -- check.
5.  Range bag and hunting backpack -- check.
6.  Cleaning kits and gunsmithing tools -- check.
7.  Plenty of ammo for all firearms -- check.
8.  Pistol safes to keep all pistols locked -- check.
9.  Hard case to transport hunting rifle -- check.

So, what's next?  The obvious missing elements to forming a well-rounded collection (aside from a safe to keep them all in) are an assault rifle and a shotgun.  Indeed, whether it's for sporting carbine competitions, clay pigeon busting or zombie annihilation, everyone should own at least one AR-15 and one shotgun.  I would also like to have one long-range pistol in the form of an FNH 5.7.  Some would say that I need a revolver or two, but for some reason, I just can't get into them.  I really like the semiautos and can think of several others I'd buy before I would even consider a revolver.

At this stage, a shotgun is simply out of the question.  This is true because when I buy a shotgun, I'm buying a BADASS over/under shotgun that can withstand the pounding of shooting thousands of clay pigeons at the local table-trap range.  Those shotguns, my friends, don't come cheap.  None of my guns or wish list future guns are cheap, but a truly well-crafted sporting shotgun is not cheap on a whole other level.  Think decent used japanese sedan price range.

I'd REALLY REALLY REALLY like to buy the FNH 5.7 and it would require the least capital outlay of the bunch (which matters since I've been cut off from "house money" for firearms purchases and forced to rely on my personal allowance until 2012).  However, it's kind of hard to buy another handgun when I don't own a decent assault rifle or sporting carbine.

Thus, I think the logical choice is an AR-15.  I've had my eye on the S&W M&P-15 MOE.  At first, I really wanted it in flat dark earth (shown in the link).  Lately, I've been thinking all black is the way to go.  I'm going to have to give this some more thought.  Yep, I think that's the right choice.  I can spend the rest of the year accumulating magazines and saving for the insanely expensive optics I want to mount on it,  then look into the FNH 5.7 around the holidays.  That leaves early 2012 to accumulate funds for the right shotgun before the trap shooting season gets into full swing. 

I guess it's about time to talk rifles for a change ...

I've had my eye on two tactical rifles for the past several months:  the Sig 556 Classic and the S&W M&P-15 (AR-15).  After reading several bad reviews of the Sig, I was pretty much ready to pull the trigger on the M&P-15 when I suddenly decided to join a hunting lease in Arkansas.  That changed everything ....

With that, I needed a rifle that was fit for hunting whitetail deer.  After kicking it around for several days, I finally decided to go with a Kimber 8400 in .270 Winchester Short Magnum.  I already know Kimber makes damn fine pistols, and this rifle certainly appears to be typical Kimber quality fit and finish.  I opted for the .270 WSM because it was a terrific balance of power and velocity.  A 150 grain Winchester Supreme Elite round drops less than 34 inches at 500 yards.  That's about 2/3 of the drop of a 30-06 at that distance.

I added Leupold VX-R optics at 3-9x40mm.  It has a "Firedot" reticle that actually lights up on the target.  Interested to see how that works.  It took nearly a month for the jackasses at the gun shop to mount the damn thing, but I guess it's better late than never.

In any event, I am shooting it for the first time this weekend, so we'll see how it fires.  In the meantime, a few pictures:

Since we're talking about pistols ...

or at least, since I'M talking about pistols (zero comments to date on this blog), I may as well move on to the next one in my collection.  I chose the next pistol because I learned that when it comes to carrying one around, (not unlike fashion accessories) there are times when certain guns are better for certain situations or attire.  For example, while I love my Kimber CDP and its thunderous, threat-eradicating .45 caliber power, it's not always easy to carry if you're wearing shorts and a T-shirt.  For those times, I chose the Sig Sauer P238 in .380 ACP shown here:

It's ultra-compact (it literally fits in the palm of my hand) so it's ideal for any situation where carrying something more bulky isn't practical.  In fact, most people who carry this and other guns this size simply carry them in the front pocket.  I prefer the tiny inside-the-waistband holster option shown here:

As far as how this little firearm performs, my impressions on the key aspects are set forth below.  In sum, I had high expectations for the SIG, and they were mostly met or exceeded.

Trigger Feel. The trigger has a short, crisp pull. It's in no way on par with my Kimber 1911 (nor would I expect it to be), but for a gun this size, it's VERY nice. I think it might be a teeny tad heavy for my liking, but not so heavy it affects accuracy much.

Sights. Bright and easy to find on follow ups. Nicely done SIG. If ever I need it, they glow like crazy in the dark.

Fit in the hand. Well, it's a small framed auto, so it's going to feel a little awkward on the pinkie to some. Just picking it up, it doesn't feel as comfortable as say the Bodyguard on the pinkie. However, it does feel great near the thumb, especially while shooting.

Shooting Feel. Here's where this little gun starts to stand out. The recoil is incredibly light and smooth. I know what you're thinking -- it's a friggin' .380, OF COURSE the recoil is light and smooth. True -- no .380 is going to vigorously roll back the hand of any half-grown man (or most women and children for that matter), but compared to peer offerings such as the S&W Bodyguard and the Beretta Tomcat (I've shot both in recent weeks), it's a dream to shoot. The contrast between the SIG and those guns is striking. I was sort of surprised by the discomfort I experienced shooting the Bodyguard, and downright angry with the Tomcat after about 100 rounds.  [NOTE: Regarding the Tomcat, emptying a mag from that little .32 ACP beast was like having someone hit me 7 times with a ball peen hammer between the thumb and index finger -- I couldn't WAIT to stop shooting it.]  The SIG on the other hand, felt like pushing tacks or staples into soft corkboard. Hard to describe -- it was just very smooth and controlled, and comfortable.

Accuracy. In a word, surprising for a gun this size and caliber. I easily hit center mass at 15 yards, and shot groups at 7 yards that I would have a hard time duplicating with my full size M&P (4.25" bbl).

Other considerations. I did experience 3 failure to feed's in the 100 round outing. Obviously his failure rate is unacceptable for a CCW application. However, I learned with my Kimber that this can happen during the break in period and completely disappear after a few hundred rounds.  The last 150 rounds have been flawless, so I'm hopeful she's broken in to the point where future failures won't occur.  Also, SIG sort of ticked me off with the decision to include only a single magazine.  This gun is one of the most expensive in its class, and Sig can't throw in a single extra magazine?  Come on guys, really? More importantly, however, fully securing the mag into the mag well (to avoid having nothing happen when you pull the trigger) is not as easy as it should be. It's hard enough to secure a flush .45 mag (which is why I like the tac mag extensions on my Kimber) but on the tiny .380, it's a whole other level of not-easy. SIG has figured out a fix for two of my complaints with their new extra round, pinkie extended magazine. However, I can't seem to find one in stock anywhere on the planet. Moreover, I think at least one of them (together with another flush mag) should be included with every P238.

All things considered, I'm very pleased so far.

Rating:  **** (of *****).  You're probably figuring out by now that you won't find too many guns which are still in my collection that are rated less than ****.  If I don't really like it, it goes bye bye.