Mouse Guns and Gear

2012 Wish List

2012-03-02T22:56:00.002-08:00

From time to time I'll be asked about specific pocket pistols that I've mentioned in my blogs. Often I get questions about pistols that I've never owned or had the opportunity to shoot. I'm lucky enough to be able to buy a new pistol every so often so I keep a short wish list of new pocket pistols that I'd like to own or at least evaluate. For 2012, I actually have 4 pocket guns that I would love to get my hands on. I'll be going the extra mile to get my hands on each of these this year and you can be assured that I will review each one if I can get them.

So here's my short list for 2012 in no particular order.

Heizer DoubleTap 45 ACP

Why I want this pistol: It's super thin and light. This would be an excellent back up for a Glock 36. It would also be an ideal knock about trail gun with 2 rounds of .45 ACP 230 grain JHPs in the gun and 2 CCI .45 shot shells on standby in the grip.

Sig Sauer P938 9mm

Why I want this pistol: Capitalizing on the success of their .380 acp P238 , Sig has announced a 9mm will be available in a similar platform. With a 6+1 capacity and an optional 7 round magazine (pictured) this 1.1" wide beauty sports a 3" barrel and 1911 like controls. Sig has listed several variations of this model, but I'm most interested in the all black Extreme version pictured. It's small with a light weight alloy frame. I can't wait to get my hands on this little gem for discrete 2 O'clock IWB carry.

Boberg XR9-S 9mm

Why I want this pistol: Like Heizer, Boberg is another relatively new pistol manufacturer in the market. Their initial shipment of guns went out late in the 3rd quarter of 2011. Their unique design allows for a barrel length that's about 10% longer than similar sized pistols. I jumped on their "waiting list" in Q3 of 2011 with hopes of actually getting my XR9-S at some point in 2012. What really sold me on this gun was a size comparison that Arne Boberg did with the Kahr P380. I love the P380 size so I'm sure making adjustments to the size of the XR9-S will be a snap.

Masterpiece Arms Protector II .380acp

Why I want this pistol: The last pistol on my list is the Masterpiece Arms Protector II in .380 ACP. I started liking this pistol when it was still the original Protector. The Protector II is an updated version of that original design and has been modified in several areas. It's now ported, has more functional slide gripping surfaces, and a beaver tail to reduce "slide bite". As a LWS380 owner, I have to say that the Seecamp .380 is a punishing pistol to shoot. I'm intrigued by the porting on the Protector II and really want to see if it can tame the trigger finger slap I get from the micro .380 guns. I think this will be a great hide-out option that is offered at a very reasonable price.

It's awesome to live in a country that allows us to make lists like this and actually stand a good chance of getting each item on the list in the next 12 months. I can't wait to get my hands on these pistols and shoot, review, and evaluate them. 2 years ago, a list like this would have been loaded with .380 and .32 acp options, but companies here in the USA keep pushing the design envelope to bring us 9mm and larger pistols in very small packages. It's going to be a good year.

More DB9 Terminal Ballistics Tests

2012-02-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

For months I've been talking about this great ballistics box I built over the Winter and how excited I was about getting out to the range and finally testing it out. Today was the day to see if this new box was going to be awesome or just another waste of time and money. Unfortunately, even with all the "over engineering" I thought I had built into the box, it was a disappointment. Let's just say that my investment in Sim-Test media saved the day. Enough of that, you probably want to see the details of my tests.

I started out slow and tested two .380 ACP rounds. I tested two Remington products. My first test was the 102 grain Golden Saber. I shot two rounds over a chronograph, through two layers of dry denim, and into my polymer gel catch media. Velocities from the two shots were 775 and 790 feet per second. My second tested round was the Remington/UMC 88 grain JHP loading. My measured velocities were 786 and 880 feet per second. This load penetrated two layers of dry denim before entering the catch media. Bullets were fired from a Kahr P380 with a 2.5" barrel. Muzzle to catch box distance was 7 feet.

Golden Saber performance was pretty dismal with only partial expansion. The Remington/UMC 88 grain loading has tested well in all my previous velocity tests but today I happened to draw a very underpowered test round and a normal round. The slow loading failed to expand and the normal velocity load shed it's jacket. I'm not impressed by either loading.

The impact energy of the .380 ACP ammo was already causing stress on the bullet trap. Rather than continue to push things with additional .380 tests, I reconfigured my catch box with 3 slabs of Sim Test media backed with my polymer media. I really needed to test 3 specific 9mm loads from a Diamondback DB9 that has a 3" barrel.

As some of you know, the Diamondback DB9 is a relatively new micro 9mm pocket pistol. It started shipping in June of 2011. I personally have documented my issues and successes with my DB9's at several points in this blog. My biggest issue with the DB9 is the magazines. They simply will not allow the DB9 to reliably feed Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot ammunition. Diamondback Firearms recommends Hornady Critical Defense 115 grain FTX and Remington Golden Saber 124 grain BJHP as reliable feeders. I've had exceptionally good success with Remington/UMC 115 grain JHP bulk packs. The goal today was to test these three loadings and assure they would expand reliably from the DB9's 3" barrel.

Each loading was shot 7 feet away from the bullet trap. Each round passed through a chronograph before passing through 2 layers of denim, 12" of Sim-Test mixed to ballistics gel density, and finally coming to rest in my polymer catch media. All rounds passed through all 12" of Sim Test, but their final penetration distance was not captured. The goal today was to verify expansion and not document penetration.

Golden Saber was the first to cross the chronograph with two shots registering 1035 and 1008 feet per second. Performance was good with full expansion.

The next load tested was Remington/UMC 115 grain JHP. The two shots achieved velocities of 1098 and 1141 feet per second. Expansion was also good, though slightly less uniform than the other pairs tested. This may be attributed to the velocity variance between the two shots.

The last test was done with Hornady Critical Defense 115 grain FTX. The two tested shots achieved velocities of 1015 and 1004 feet per second. Expansion was also good.

Performance from all three 9mm defense loadings was a nice confidence booster in the current state of the ammunition industry. I felt it was important to test 2 rounds from each load in order to better gauge the consistency of the ammunition and make sure that good or bad performance wasn't just a fluke. In the following pictures the loads are positioned in the order they were tested and reported on above. Remington Golden Saber, Remington/UMC JHP, and Hornady Critical Defense.

I always strive to present the facts as I see them and skip the endorsement or recommendation of one product over another. Based on what I tested today, I have confidence that any of these rounds could expand at the velocities achieved from the 3" test barrel. Ultimately, you will decide if one of these loads appeals to you based on their cost, availability, and function in your specific pistol. I do think that all three tested loads are worthy of your consideration.

Diamondback DB9 - Follow-up Review

2012-02-25T17:13:00.002-08:00

I've had my DB9 for just about 9 months now. Back on June 5, 2011 I posted a blog that had my review and range report. You can see that blog here. I've received several emails and comments from readers that were considering a DB9 of their own and found my review helpful in making their decision.

Over the last 9 months I've had the chance to shoot and carry my DB9 pretty extensively. I estimate that my original DB9 now has over 750 rounds through it. The initial issues with the DB9 pistol were resolved over the last few months with a redesigned magazine follower and a free set of knurled pins that eliminated the walking frame pins.

I found another issue developed with the magazines as they aged and lost some of their initial spring tension. This started happening about 3 to 4 months after I got my DB9. For me, this issue has been problematic because I would like to carry Federal's excellent performing 124 grain HST round. I know this round performs perfectly in the short barreled DB9 because I tested it and reported on it here. Unfortunately, this round starts to cause nose diving issues in the DB9 magazines as they start to get some age on them. The also excellent Speer Gold Dot 124 grain will also nose dive and fail to feed from older magazines.

Diamondback Firearms has heard the complaints of their customers, but has yet to do anything about the magazine failures to feed these two ammunition loadings. Their response has been to use the Hornady 115 grain Critical Defense round. I've never tested Hornady Critical Defense so I have been using Remington/UMC 115 grain JHP ammo that's available at Walmart and many other sources. I've run enough of the Remington ammo through this gun that I have full confidence it will feed all the time.

Last week I ordered some magazine components for a Kel-Tec PF9 magazine in hopes that I could modify them to work in the DB9 magazine and possibly get my DB9 to feed the HST and Gold Dot rounds again.

I ordered magazine springs and followers. The next few photos show the Diamondback magazine parts next to the Kel-Tec magazine parts.
Springs

Followers

I tried a few things with the components that I won't bore you with. Let's just say that after fitting the follower it made no improvement with feeding. I'd love to have the 45 minutes of my life back that was spent slowly sanding, filing, and smoothing the oversize follower to fit the Diamondback magazine tube. The photo below shows the outcome of trying to load the top round of a magazine full of HST rounds. Both followers cause the rims to lock on the top two rounds and force the nose of the bullet down and into the feed ramp.

Next I tried modifying the spring. The stock PF-9 magazine spring is too long to fit in the DB9 magazine. That makes perfect sense when you realize the PF-9 magazine is designed to hold 7 rounds vs. the DB9 magazine with a capacity of 6 rounds. I started trimming off coils from the PF-9 magazine spring until I could get it to fit the DB9 magazine tube. I had to trim off two coils, which left me with a slightly longer than standard spring. Two Diamondback standard factory springs are on the left and my modified PF-9 spring is on the right.

After installing the new spring with a stock DB9 follower, I noticed some pretty significant differences in the follower performance. Filling up the modified magazine with HST ammo, I noticed a significant reduction/elimination of nose diving with the top round. The HST rims didn't lock together as hard as they had previously, so the propensity to nose dive was dramatically reduced. I'm not willing to claim victory yet, but so far it looks like the PF-9 spring that has been trimmed to fit the DB9 magazine may allow me to go back to using my HST in my DB9 again.

The improvement is subtle, but if you are experiencing this yourself, you will be able to really see the difference. This photo shows a round of HST that failed to feed and was jammed into the feed ramp. Notice how low the nose of the bullet sits in the magazine.

The next photo shows a modified magazine with the trimmed PF-9 magazine spring installed. You can see the round flows down the magazine lips without nose diving. The reason for the change is a more balanced spring pressure across the entire follower keeps the rims of the top two cartridges from a hard lock up, thereby reducing the top rounds propensity to nose dive.

I have to get out the range tomorrow and see how this new spring works under fire. I'm pretty confident it will work.

How ironic would it be if a Kel-Tec part ended up being a fix for a Diamondback product?

Terminal Ballistics Testing - I'm So Stoked!!!

2012-02-25T10:54:00.001-08:00

You would have to know me really well to fully understand why I'm so incredibly stoked this afternoon. It all got started several months ago when I did my first testing of .380 ACP ammo. At the time, I was focused on capturing velocity only, but I tested the same ammo in 3 different pocket pistols with various barrel lengths. You can read all about that testing here. Since publishing that blog entry, it's become the most looked at post out of the 50 or so I've done. It's been visited over 6000 times so I know there's a real interest in the data.

I did receive some feedback that my data was "nice", but lacked terminal performance information. I couldn't argue with that since I knew it was true. Simply knowing average velocity and a calculated energy value let folks make and educated comparison of one ammo vs. another, but fell woefully short when trying to compare the terminal performance of one ammo vs. another. I took this to heart and spent several months designing, building, testing, and destroying a series of terminal ballistics test boxes that would allow me to 'catch' fired rounds and measure their terminal performance. My best work in this area took place last September when I was able to test 5 different 9mm loads. You can read about that here.

I finally built a ballistics box that should last for a long time. It's been sitting in my garage just waiting for a trip to the range so I can finally test it out. I tried to take it out last weekend, but my local range was packed on Sunday and full of groundskeepers on Monday. It's pretty elaborate and will allow me to capture impact velocity and terminal performance from each shot. Previously, I was capturing the velocity data as a separate step.

Earlier today I got permission to do my testing on a private range tomorrow. Based on the weather forecast, I should have a great day for testing. I'm locked and loaded with dozens of .380 ACP, 9mm, and even some .32 ACP ammos to test. Can't wait!

Nice Pants - For Pocket Carry

2012-02-12T14:29:00.002-08:00

Mouse Guns and pocket carry are a natural for me. Sure, I'll occasionally go with an IWB rig if weather dictates the need for a hoodie or more substantial jacket, but 10 months a year it's a long or short sleeve T-shirt and pants or shorts for me. Over the years I've learned a few things about what makes a good and bad pair of carry pants. I'd like to share some of that with you all.

If money was no object, I would have a closet full of 5.11 tactical pants, but at $50 or more per pair I don't want to make that commitment. Sure, that seems like a reasonable price when folks have no problem shelling out $100 or more on a pair of designer jeans, but I'm not that guy. I buy my pants at Kohl's, Walmart, or the Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger outlet stores that I visit when I'm up in NJ. No tax on clothing up there so it's always nice to pick up a few things when I visit. Also, some of the 5.11 stuff starts to look a bit too tactical for my tastes. I want a comfortable pair of carry pants, but I'd prefer not to stand out from the masses like the guys and gals that wear their "photographer" vests when they are out and about. It doesn't take a genius to figure out they probably aren't photographers and they probably have something strapped on their belts under that vest. I'm glad that works for them, but as said before, I'd rather be less conspicuous.

It took me a little longer than it probably should have, but I finally figured out that not all pants are created equal. You would think that something as generic as good ol' blue jeans would share some common design dimensions between brands, but I found that was not the case. There are a few brands that are much better suited to pocket carry than others. The primary factors are the size of the pocket pouch that you can't see from the outside of the pants, the slant of the pocket opening, and the quality of the material used to make the pocket pouch.

I've found 4 basic types of pocket openings in my wardrobe. From top to bottom, I call them On-seam, 45 Degree, Open Top Small and Open Top Large. There may be several other types, but this is what I had in the closet. In general, I have found that 45 Degree or Open Top works better for me than On-Seam with most pocket holster types.

Overally, I've found that most jeans will have similarly sized pockets. They will vary by an inch or two in length and width so it's best to turn them inside out and really check them out before you buy. The pair in the middle has the largest pockets. They are the Sam's Club Members Mark brand and a great overall value. The Levi's and Van's aren't bad, but can be problematic with some of of the larger pocket choices.

If you are a right-hander, you may want to pay attention to the rivets used on the watch pocket. The Van's are my favorite because the watch pocket is sewn on. The Sam's Club jeans on the right are next choice because the rivets are flush. Last choice is the Levi's with their raised rivets they do a great job of pin striping your pistol slide with copper stripes if your holster doesn't fully cover the slide.

I wear cargo pants and shorts frequently. I like the option to carry in the cargo pocket or front pocket. My favorites were Dickies Rip-stop Cargos that I was getting from Walmart until they stopped carrying them. I found them to be super comfortable and incredibly long wearing. Unfortunately, they are also the pair of pants with the on-seam pocket openings so the front pockets were best suited to the smaller auto pistols. Carry in the cargo pockets was another good option since the pocket flaps secured with velcro. I've been on the look out for a new cargo pants option and recently tried the Wrangler Cargos available at Walmart. The first thing I noticed was the front pockets were much larger than the Dickies.

The pants also have a small pocket sewn into the left cargo pocket. Perfect for a spare mag or knife. The G36 magazine just disappears while the knife rides low and secure.

Two of the larger pocket pistols I have are the Ruger LCR and Glock 27. The Wrangler Cargo front pockets and the Sam's Club Members Mark Jeans front pockets are both up to the task of pocket concealment with these two larger options. The thickness causes some printing, but is not very noticeable when wearing a hoodie or jacket. The pockets are also deep enough that you don't run the risk of someone behind you noticing the pistol grip if your front pocket should gap open for a second.

If back pocket carry is your thing, the Wrangler cargo pants have a large flat bottom rear pocket that's a bit taller than your standard jeans pocket. Now you see it....

Now you don't.......

I think the most important thing to remember when looking for pocket carry pants is to try the pants on. It's no good to try this with the pants on the rack or shelf as they will change fit dramatically when you wear them. Stick your hand in the pocket you will carry in. Now ball your hand into a fist and try to pull your hand out of the pocket. Does it feel tight? If so, move on to the next pants as this is how your hand will be positioned when grasping for your pocket carry pistol.

I've found that if you can find a good pair of pants that you are happy with, it's easier to adjust your pocket holster type than it is to find pants that work with a specific holster. Open top pockets work great with most holster types, but I'm most partial to holsters with double wings like the flat bottom RKBA holster on the Glock 27. The pistol draws straight up from this holster type so as long as the pocket opening is wide enough for the grip length, it's an easy draw. For angled or on-seam pocket openings, I like the single wing holsters like the Remora holster on the Ruger LCR. For pockets with angled openings, you will have to slightly rotate the pistol grip as you draw from the pocket. The rounded wing shape makes this feel more natural.

The Remora Back Pocket Holster 2DC was a recent new acquisition for me and I find that it works really well in the Wrangler Cargos as it grips the pocket on the draw and provides a full lightly padded shield between your body and the slide. It's a universal fit with most small autos with up to 3" barrels. It's one of the most comfortable back pocket options I've tried.

Members Mark Jeans are available from Sam's Club for about $14. Wrangler Cargos are available from Walmart for about $19. One caution on the Wranger Rip-stop cargos. They must come from a different factory because their front pockets run a shade smaller than the standard Wrangler Cargos.

If you've found other pants that work well for pocket carry, please leave the information in the comments so all of us can benefit from your experience.

Crimson Trace Rail Master Install Impressions

2012-02-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

A little over a week ago I received an email from Crimson Trace letting me know that they just released a new universal rail mount laser that will work on any rail system on pistols, rifles, and shotguns. It looked like a good product that would definitely come in handy for my ballistics testing work so I decided to order one. It arrived this afternoon so I spent a few minutes installing it on a Springfield XDm .45 ACP.

Opening the package, you won't be surprised by what you find if you are familiar with Crimson Trace products. Crimson Trace always packs great easy to follow installation instructions, a pair of hex laser adjustment wrenches, 2 lens cleaning swabs, a battery, and laser warning stickers. What was different this time was the parts kit also included 3 spare rail lock inserts with numbers 2, 3, and 4 molded into the inserts. The laser unit is actually pretty small. Smaller than I thought it would be, which I thought was a good thing.

Installing the laser unit is really easy. I was surprised that Crimson Trace didn't include a screwdriver with the the laser so before you start your install, take the time to go find the right size screwdriver for the job. If you don't find a blade that's wide and thin enough for the job, you will run the risk of the driver twisting out of the slot and ruining the screw.

Included in the installation instructions is a handy cross reference chart that guides you on which rail lock insert to use depending on the firearm you are installing the laser on. I quick look told me that the number 2 rail lock insert was going to be the correct choice for my pistol.

Changing out the rail lock insert involves removing the rail clamp by loosening the mounting screws and sliding out rail lock insert 1 and replacing it with the right rail lock for your firearm. The picture below shows rail insert 1 half removed to demonstrate how easy it is to swap out the rail lock inserts.

After installing the correct rail lock insert, the laser and clamp slide back together and can now be positioned on the rail lug that positions the laser in the most comfortable position for laser actuation and shooting comfort. In my case, the closest lug to the trigger guard was too close and the 3rd lug was too far so I locked the laser on the 2nd rail lug. The last steps include tightening down the clamping screws (easy with the correct size screw driver blade, but a challenge if your blade is too narrow), and installing the battery. The battery compartment door is located on the bottom of the laser. The photo below shows the battery door partially removed in preparation for battery installation.

The battery door easily slides back over the installed battery and sits in a recessed groove that will minimize and possibly eliminate the possibility of accidental battery door opening.

The photo below shows my comfortable reach to the laser actuation switch. The switch operates easily with just a light press on the switch required to turn on the laser. The switch is silent in operation, but your finger can definitely feel the switch turn on and off. I found the switch was really well done and can be operated with the trigger finger or thumb of your off-hand when holding the pistol with a two handed grip.

The laser appears to be as bright as any other Crimson Trace laser product I've used. The dot was nice and sharp with very little corona or edge dispersion around the main dot. The dot appeared to be quite low and needed to be adjusted up a bit when test sighting at 15 yards. The picture below shows the laser adjustment points that are similarly located to those on other Crimson Trace lasers.

Here's the final view of the Springfield XDm .45 with the Crimson Trace Rail Master installed. You can really see how small the laser is on this full size pistol. It's barely as long as the rail. I think this laser would work well on mid size and even some of the small pistols with rails. After I have a chance to try the laser on this pistol over the weekend, I may try it on my Ruger SR-22 rifle and a few other railed pistols. So far I think I'm going to like this laser.

8 Months and 9 Days to 50K

2012-02-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

Based on the current blog views and the typical daily traffic trends, Mouse Guns and Gear will cross the 50,000 views milestone at some point late tonight or early tomorrow. I'm not sure if that's a big deal in the world of hobby blogging, but to me it feels like a big deal. I think I've done 50 posts in the last 8 months and it's been quite a bit of work, but it's not been hard work. I've really enjoyed doing it and have learned a bunch of stuff about taking better pictures, producing and posting videos, and several other social media skills that I never would have messed with otherwise.

I really appreciate the feedback from folks that have stopped by to read the blog. I've even "enjoyed" the pithy comments left on some of my YouTube videos. I guess you just have to take the good and the bad and hope it all balances out in the end.

I've got 3 more blog pieces in various stages of development that I hope to wrap up in the next few weeks. Followers of the blog also know that I'm supposed to be getting an early evaluation Heizer DoubleTap to review so I'm looking forward to that arriving at some point in the next few months. I've also decided to do more pieces on ammo and ballistics testing in the future now that I've completed my ballistics box. I really can't find much data on ammo performance from mouse guns with 2" to 3" barrels so I'd like to take that on as my testing focus. My first dive into testing 9mm from short barrels showed me how dismal some rounds perform at mouse gun velocities.

It's taken me 4 months of testing and trial and error to get to this latest prototype. I've blown up at least a half dozen other boxes getting to this point. Even though it's ugly, I think I'm going to be really happy with how this new box works. I've also invested in a second chronograph that will allow me to capture impact velocities of the captured bullets instead of measuring velocities as a separate test step. If nothing else, it will end up saving me money on ammo since I'll be capturing both velocity and terminal performance from the same shot.

Over the last few months I've been watching a bunch of YouTube videos from TNoutdoors9. He does a lot of neat stuff and it's been really interesting to see how his ballistics work has progressed over the years. Back in 2011, he started using Sim Test media for his ammo testing. I swapped a few messages with him today and decided to order my own box of Sim Test just in case I can't get the ballistics box working for me. I hope the box helps me weed through the good vs. not so good ammo quickly so I can do a follow up test with just the Sim Test media, calibrated to ballistics gel standards, to really capture worthwhile terminal performance data.

I'd like to give a shout out to Alan and Jacqui at Remora Holsters. You see Remora holsters in a few of my blogs because I think they are an excellent fit for my holster needs, and I use them frequently. Alan has been more than generous to me with several freebies over the last few months. So you can expect to see more of their holsters in future blogs like the LCR .38 vs. S&W Bodyguard .38 piece I'm working on. Remora is also an innovative company with new stuff coming out all the time. Keep a look out for their new Tuckable Remora holsters due to go up on their site later this week. As soon as I buy mine, I'll be sure to post a review.

Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .380 - Old Review and Range Report

2012-02-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

I was contacted earlier today by a blog reader that wanted to know if I was going to review the Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .380. As it turns out, I bought a Bodyguard in July 2010 and did a mini review and range report on it, but that was before I started this blog so I've gone back and reconstructed the review and range reports from my original pictures and reports.

One of the first things I wanted to check was how the Bodyguard with it's integral laser would weigh in against a Kahr P380 with an add on Crimson Trace laser. As you can see from the two photos, the Bodyguard was about half an ounce heavier than the Kahr. That was very acceptable considering the Bodyguard had a barrel a half inch longer than the Kahr P380.

Initial impressions from cleaning are good and bad. Take down and reassembly was easy, but there was an odd bit that required you to pull the barrel forward to reinsert the take down pin.

I like the full length rails. I also like the stainless frame insert to keep the slide from battering the polymer frame when the slide cycles. I like how they have modularized the laser so it can be fussed with or not at the user's discretion. I really like the laser lens protective bezel as a quick wipe will remove any accumulated powder soot. Analog sights are good and highly visible. Melonite coated Stainless slide was nice to learn about reading through the pistol documentation. I also like that it's black. All black.

Hate the plastic trigger and it's mold line running down the center of the trigger. That's gotta go if this gun is a keeper. I like the steel guide rod, but noticed scoring from the twin recoil springs has already started. We'll see if this gets worse after some range time. External safety isn't well received by me, but I understand why it's there.

I could spend a bunch of time discussing machining marks and other visible signs of build quality, but I won't. I will say the gun passed the shake test with flying colors. When the gun is in battery (no ammo) and the mag fully inserted, there is zero rattling heard when you briskly shake the gun. Fitting is not sloppy.

Trigger is pure 3rd generation Smith and Wesson auto. It takes a firm press to get the hammer started and that's followed by a medium to long/smooth stacking and a clean break. I noticed a small bit of grittiness, but hope that will smooth out with rounds down range. In all fairness, I'm sure it's going to be fine for CQ self defense, but horrible for bullseye target shooting. Good thing this isn't a gun for bullseye target shooting.

My thoughts after my initial range test:
Finally, a .380 done right and ready to roll right out of the box. LCP, and Colt Mustang Pocketlite, you've met your match.

I don't want to jinx myself, because a good report today could be followed by a recall tomorrow, but I'll take my chances since a few of you want a second opinion on the ugly little kid called the Bodyguard.

I ran through half a Win White box Value Pack, a box of Golden Saber, a box + of Critical Defense, and finished up with about 35 Gold Dots. Happy to report my results were nothing short of perfection. It was a very Glock-like experience. One handed, two handed didn't make a difference with function.

Iron sights and laser were close enough to point of aim at 7 and 10 yards that I didn't make any adjustments. Trigger is still stiff, but it's workable for what this gun was designed for and the distances involved. Accuracy with the laser was very good with the white box Winchesters. First 7 shots had 4 touching shots clustered in a nice little clover leaf pattern.

Gold Dots were the last rounds shot since I wanted to make sure they would work even in a "dirty" gun. I was also pretty fatigued at this point as I was working with another gun in between strings with the Bodyguard to give it time to cool. My trigger finger was also pretty sore at this point from that confounded ridge on the plastic trigger. This target was the last 7 shots at 10 yards.

Brought it home and cleaned it up with specific attention to my areas of concern. As expected the stainless frame buffer showed signs of impact with the slide. It was only powder soot and was easily removed with Eezox. Full length rails showed signs of light burnishing on the 4 corners so they must be the high spots. Scoring of the guide rod ended up as nothing more than some superficial scratching from the springs and not the deep gouges you get with the LCP guide rod.

I see no reason not to put this one into the carry rotation immediately aside from my personal requirement of having a couple spare mags on hand. It's a keeper.

Follow-up Range Reports:

I increased my rounds downrange to 300'ish this afternoon. I have done a good job keeping up with the full boxes, but I've also been running all odds and ends from partial boxes through the gun as well since it seems to eat anything you put in it. So my count isn't exact.

Today was 50 rounds of Rem 95 grain FMJ and 50 rounds of Win White Box FMJTC. I set up 2 targets at 10 yards. As I was wrapping up for the day, I shot one without the laser and one with the laser. 12 rounds per target. Used the Win White box for these since they make such a neat hole in the targets.

10 Yard Iron Sights

10 Yard Laser Sight

I've made zero adjustments to the sights or laser since taking the pistol out of the box when new. Based on the lack of any shifting of the laser over time, I have no intention of adjusting anything with the sights or laser. This is plenty good enough performance from both sighting systems. If anything needs adjusting, it's my shooting skills with this gun. I did learn today that my best groups came when I just stepped up and shot each round as soon as the sights or laser were back on target. Trying to pull up the trigger slack and then guessing when it would break was just futility with a trigger this heavy.

I did have to keep cleaning the laser's protective lens today. If I didn't keep up with it, the laser dot got large and dim as the grime built up on the lens. Must have been the Rem ammo because it wasn't building up so fast last time. The good news is that the actual laser lens sits behind a protective cover that was easily cleaned with some spit and my pinkie. No need for a swab and alcohol.

I'm pleased with the laser ad iron sight systems. I have had zero issues with failures of any kind. I'm adding this to the carry rotation with high confidence.

Current Update:

Several months later, I decided to trade off the Bodyguard. The only problem I ever had with it was with the laser activation buttons popping out when drawing the gun from a pocket holster. I had been accumulating 380 pistols like crazy in 2010 and could no longer justify having so many. Over many months I learned to love the trigger on the Kahr P380 so the Ruger LCP and Smith and Wesson Bodyguard were both traded off as they both shared similar trigger pulls and weights. I will say that the LCP and Bodyguard were both highly reliable.

C.O.P. Copper Only Projectiles .380 Ammo Update

2012-02-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

Last month I reviewed a new .380 ACP ammo from Rare Ammo. The details of the review can be found here. Link to Blog Review

Last week I decided to contact Rare Ammo and share my findings with them and give them the chance to respond to the low velocity and poor terminal performance I experienced during my evaluation. It's been a full week now and I have not heard back from them. I found this somewhat surprising as their website asks for feedback and questions about their products.

Based on my results and their lack of response (customer service), I'm giving this ammo my first ever big thumb down. It's pretty obvious that they could care less about customer feedback and that's just inexcusable for a new product.

Crimson Trace Rail Master - More CT Awesomeness

2012-01-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

This morning I was working on my Ted Nugent Ammo post and when that was done I checked my mail and found an email from Crimson Trace waiting for me. It was a new product announcement email on their new universal rail mount laser. I've always liked Crimson Trace primarily for their outstanding customer service, long warranty period, and the "no thought required" or instinctive activation of their laser guard and laser grip products. In my opinion, their pressure pad in the grip activation rules the market place and they can command their premium price point vs. all other competitors in the space that require laser activation that you have to "remember" by switching it on during the draw.

I love this new product and can't wait to get my hands on one. Honestly, I would have one on order now, but the Crimson Trace website is down for some reason. Maybe a bunch of other people are also super excited about this new product or perhaps they just have a technical issue and really bad timing that it's going on right as this product announcement email went out. I can't get any details other than what came in the email because their website isn't working. Here's what they sent in the way of details.

So now I can buy one laser that I can swap between Springfield, Glock, Ruger, or anything else with a rail for less than $150 that still comes with the Crimson Trace Warranty and Customer Service. I'm in!

The Crimson Trace website came back up yesterday so I was able to read a little more about the laser and it does indeed come with the batteries for life and 3 year warranty so I have one on the way. I'll be sure to let you know what I think about it. This will be a very helpful tool when I start serious ammo evaluation when my bullet box is done. If this laser keeps me from making one bad shot that could ruin my catch box, it's more than paid for itself.

Ted Nugent Signature Ammo

2012-01-28T07:07:00.000-08:00

Earlier this morning I just stumbled on a new product announcement that made me stop in my web surfing tracks and do a bit more investigation. Typically, I’m not a person that runs out to buy celebrity endorsed products like the Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Knife by Gerber. I’m sure it’s a fine piece of kit, but I’ve never been super excited by products like this. Today I read that Ted Nugent has been working with Pierce Munitions on his own line of hunting ammo that will carry his signature and endorsement. Now this is a celebrity endorsed product I'm interested in.

From the Pierce website:

We Proudly present - Ted Nugent Hi-Performance Ammo

Gun rights crusader, musical legend and lifelong deerslayer, Ted Nugent - provides gungho serious hunters with killer hunting ammunition.

"I have always celebrated my hunting lifestyle. As the provider for my family, it is my responsibility and God-given duty to supply sustenance both physically and spiritually for my family and I take that very seriuosly." – Ted

I don’t want to be overly critical here, but the Pierce copy writer should fix the spelling error on the word seriously in Ted’s quote.

Pierce will be rolling an impressive list of 25 hunting cartridges under ‘The Nuge’ brand. The low end starts with some heavy .357 Magnum loads and the upper end tops out with a hunting load in 50 BMG. I can’t wait to find out what Ted will be hunting with that 50 BMG load. Possibly the Great White Buffalo? Their current list of offerings includes:

.357 MAG 158g Speer® UPH
.357 MAG 170g Speer® UHP
10mm 180g Speer® UHP
.44 MAG 240g Speer® UHP
.44 MAG 270g Speer® UHP
.45 LC 250g Speer® UHP
.223 36g Barnes® VGFB®
.223 55g Barnes® TSX®
.223 70g Barnes® TSX®
.308 WIN 168g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.308 WIN 180g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.308 WIN 200g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.30-06 168g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.30-06 180g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.30-06 200g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.30-30 150g Barnes® TTSX®FN
.243 WIN 62g Barnes® VGFB
.243 WIN 80g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.270 110g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.270 130g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.270 140g Barnes® TTSX®HPBT
.300 WIN MAG 168g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.300 WIN MAG 180g Barnes® TTSX®BT
.300 WIN MAG 200g Barnes® TTSX®HPBT
50 BMG 647g Barnes® STSX®BT

The ammo is still in development and if you try to link to the Ted Nugent Ammo product page, it displays a banner that the website is coming soon so we have to assume the ammo will also be coming soon.

As I said earlier, I’m not a big fan of celebrity endorsed products, BUT in this case I’d buy this ammo.

LaserLyte Side Mount Laser Review - Ruger LCP CK-AMF

2012-01-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

I first heard about the new LaserLyte side mount laser a few months ago. At the time, I didn't really play much attention to the buzz about the product because most chatter was focused on using the laser on Ruger LCPs and Kel-Tec PF9s. I finally read a bit more about the laser and folks reporting good things about it, so I decided to check it out a little closer. I found out that the side mount laser for the Ruger LCP would also fit the Kel-Tec P-32 so I decided to add one to a Midway USA order last week when I found out they were on sale for $74.99. I had a $10 promo code so that also helped cover the shipping for my order.

The next three pictures show the laser in it's packaging as it was delivered along with my much loved Kel-Tec P-32 hard chrome over navy blue.

I opened the package and read through the instructions and also spread out all the included pieces. The laser unit comes with the two attachment pins, 4 hex allen wrenches, laser warning sticker, extra set of batteries, and a special shim to use if mounting the laser to a Kel-Tec frame. I also had to round up some extra stuff to help with the installation. I needed a 1/8" brass drift punch, bench block, and tap hammer. My tools are in the second photo.

I glanced at my phone and started my install clock at 9:16pm. I followed the included instructions and finished the installation at 9:30pm with some of that time taken up to take a few pictures as I worked. This was a very easy installation that would probably take me 5 minutes now that I've done it once previously. The finished product is shown below.

Two things that I really liked about the P-32 were the overall weight and size of the pistol. It's just over 7 oz. empty and incredibly slim. I had some concerns how those two things I liked about the pistol might change after installing the laser. I've included some before and after shots of the weight and width of the pistol with and without the laser installed.

One other concern I had was if I would be able to use my existing holster for the P-32 after the laser was installed. I was happy to see that I could use the same Desantis Nemesis holster after installing the laser. The laser does add a bump to the side of the holster, but I seriously doubt anyone would notice it printing in your pocket.

I've told you what I like about the P-32, but I have not told you what I don't like about it. I really don't like the zero contrast small sights that are machined into the slide. The sights are fine for the pistols primary purpose of close range self defense scenarios. I use this pistol as my primary test gun for checking velocity and terminal performance of various .32 ACP ammo. I need to know exactly where the bullet will impact in my testing. Adding this laser is a good solution to my sight problem. The added benefit is that now I also have another sighting reference when I use this pistol for carry purposes.

While we are on the subject of carry with the laser attached, I made a short video demonstrating the draw and laser activation from both the right and left pocket. Right hand draw and laser activation is pretty easy to learn. I didn't have any issues at all with some test draws. Since the laser sits on the right side of the gun, I also wanted to see if I could activate the laser with my thumb if I carried this pistol in my left pocket. For me, left hand activation with the thumb was indeed possible, but somewhat awkward. I really don't practice left hand drawing with any frequency as it's a rare occurrence for me to carry in the left pocket.

I planned on getting out to the range today, but while the temperatures are great the wind is really blowing and there is no chance I can keep my target stand from blowing away. I may get over to the indoor range this week and see how well the laser holds it's zero through a box or two of shells. I'm not overly concerned because the laser is currently regulated with the sights at 10 yards. I think that's pretty amazing and a big confidence booster for this laser.

I like the laser so far. Made in the USA, comes with a spare set of batteries, and super easy to install. It also has a one year warranty so I should have plenty of time to complete my testing and evaluation before the year is up.

Heizer's Half Dozen DoubleTaps

2012-01-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

Laura Burgess Marketing has been doing the PR work ahead of the Heizer Doubletap launch. Last night these photos of Heizer's SHOT Show booth went up on the LBM Facebook page. Pretty cool to see 6 Doubletaps all lined up and ready to be fondled by booth visitors. Can't wait to try one for myself.

COP 380 Auto - Copper Only Projectiles .380 Auto Ammo Review

2012-01-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I'm a sucker when it comes to new stuff. I hope that's a part of what brings you to this blog as I'm willing to be the guy that "takes one for the team" and keeps you from wasting money on stuff that falls short of expectations or brings you useful information on something new that is really good or even outstanding. This is my first ammo review, so I hope this works out well.

Two weeks ago, I needed a couple of things from Midway USA so I was browsing around the site and as usual, I found a few things to add to the cart even though they weren't on my "shopping list". I don't know about you, but Midway and me is worse than me at Walmart or Harbor Freight. I always end up putting a few extra things in my shopping cart. One of the things I added to the cart was a couple boxes of an ammo I had not seen offered before. It's listed as C.O.P. Ammunition .380ACP 80 grain Solid Copper Hollow Point. The C.O.P. name is an acronym for Copper Only Projectiles. Since I've never seen it before, I have to assume it's a new line of ammo. It's loaded with hollow point bullets made from solid copper. I also assume this product has been brought to market to compete with Magtech's First Defense, Corbon's DPX, and the Barnes TAC-XP loaded offerings from Buffalo Bore and Doubletap as all of these product lines are loaded with hollow point bullets formed from solid copper.

With 4 other players making pure copper hollow point rounds in .380 Auto, you are probably wondering what caught my eye on the COP product. The 4 other makers all get about $1 per round for their products. Magtech is the lowest price at $0.97 per round. The other three are loaded with Barnes bullets and range from $1.21 to $1.38 per round before adding applicable tax and delivery. COP has come to market at a price of $0.49 per round. All price comparisons are based on the current prices at Midway. With the chance to get 50 rounds for less than $25, I added a couple of boxes to my Midway order.

The next two photos show the front and back of the COP packaging. I'm not sure if RareAmmo is the manufacturer or just the distributor of the ammo. The COP brand may even be a house label created by Rareammo and manufactured to their specifications by a 3rd party. According to the packaging, the ammo is made in the USA. I spent a few minutes on their website and learned a bit more about the parent company of Rareammo.

Opening the box, you find the internal packaging to be a bit different than the usual plastic or Styrofoam tray. I like the packaging as it's 100% cardboard and recyclable. I really hate having to throw away the plastic trays most ammo ships in because they don't have the recycle symbol on them so I assume they can't be recycled. I didn't notice any issues with the packaging having a negative impact on the quality of the rounds. It appears to protect them well in shipping.

A quick inspection of the ammo shows uniformity in loading and components. Loaded in mildly spotted Starline brass, the round is loaded quite long compared to it's peer group with sampled rounds averaging .970 for overall length. A sampling of 10 rounds showed 6 weighing in at exactly 133.6 grains with the balance of the sample being within + or - .4 grains of the 133.6 grain sample mode. From the website, the published velocity for this load is 1045 fps that's generating 185 ft/lbs of energy. To the best of my knowledge, the standard ft/lbs energy calculation for this bullet weight and velocity should be 194. There must have been an error in their calculations.

A true test of any ammo is to get it out on the range and run some rounds over the chronograph. For those that have been with me, you know the drill. For the new folks that might be reading my blog for the first time, please see this blog entry for a description of my chronograph testing regimen.

It was a great day to get out to the range today. Clear skies and temps in the upper 50's with the occasional wind gusts coming up the range to keep tipping over my target holder. Not our typical January weather, but I was able to finish up my evaluation for velocity and expansion. The velocity data showed that this ammo is a pretty anemic performer. I tested velocities in both a Kahr P380 and Bersa Thunder 380CC. The data table is displayed below. As documented above, published velocities were supposed to be over 1000 fps. This ammo fell way short of those numbers and the ft/lbs of energy really show how slow this load is. I believe this is the worst performing round that I've ever tested in the P380 and second worst performer in the Bersa Thunder 380CC. You can see for yourself by comparing the COP results with the results of other 380 ammo here. The one good thing is that the ammo fed and fired perfectly in both guns, but would not cycle the slide with enough vigor to allow the Kahr to slide lock on empty. The Bersa slide did lock back on empty.

Measured velocity is one thing, but terminal performance is what really matters. I'm still working on my bullet box so I substituted water jugs for my expansion testing today. I used my standard 2 layers of medium weight denim, but backed that up with water jugs today. I'm not particularly interested in capturing an accurate penetration depth. I just wanted to check velocity and test for expansion. I documented my test on video. I work alone so please excuse the tripod and stationary camera and not being able to hear some of what I was saying over the wind noise.

If you don't want to sit though the 3 minute video I also shot some pictures of the captured bullet. The end result was expansion that did not exceed the diameter of the bullet base. The round performed as you would expect any very slow FMJ would perform.

To wrap up the review, I'll close by saying that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. I really liked the prospect of a solid copper hollow point in .380 that was just about affordable enough that I could practice with the same ammo that I intended to carry. COP is also available in 9mm and my next test was going to be on their standard pressure 9mm load in a Diamondback DB9. Unfortunately, COP ammo turned out to be an under achiever that was hampered by poor velocity numbers that pretty much assured poor terminal performance. I've seen one other test of this ammo in .45 ACP on Youtube and that reviewer also identified an issue with low bullet velocity.

COP ammo is currently out of stock at Midway. I guess a few other adventurous folks took a chance on the ammo. If you should happen to see it in your store, on-line, or at one of the many gun shows that Rareammo/JEK Incorporated attends, I hope you will remember this review before spending your money on this ammo.

Add on Grips for Pocket Pistols

2012-01-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of adding grip enhancements to polymer pistols. I know there's a huge market for slip on grip enhancers, but I've never found one that made enough of a difference to be worth the trouble. Overall, I think the designers of polymer pocket pistols do a good job texturing the grips for a sure hold. There may be an advantage of having a more "hand filling" grip, but that would be adding bulk to the grip and in my opinion that defeats the main value of the small pocket guns. I want less bulk, not more bulk. I also find that the rubbery grip sleeves attract pocket link and can make it a little more difficult to slide the holstered gun into your pocket when getting dressed.

Since pocket pistols ride in the pocket, they are usually quite warm to the touch even if your hands happen to be cold. There may be some value in a tactile rubber grip if you are forced to use your pistol with cold hands. Cold hands aren't part of my routine so again this isn't a benefit for me.

I did come across something that I found quite useful recently. http://www.tractiongrips.com/ Traction Grips makes pre-cut sets of rubberized grip tape for many popular brands of pocket pistols. It's also available in a few colors. Here's an example of a pre-cut grip installed on a Diamondback DB380. The pebble finish is grippy without being overly aggressive.

They also offer the "grit" type of grip tape and here's what that looks like installed on a Glock 26. I'm not a fan of the grit tape as any grit that makes it into your holster is going to end up scratching the finish of your slide when you drag the pistol in and out of the holster. Some folks dig this type of tape, so Traction Grips has you covered if you are interested in this type of grip.

I personally find that the Traction Grips Universal Grip Set has been perfect for my needs. It's a set of two bulk sheets of the traction grip material that can be trimmed to any shape or size and applied to specific locations needing some additional gripping surface. I cut pieces for the front straps of my 1911's and it made a big difference in their use. If you aren't comfortable around scissors, you can get the 1911 front strap grips pre-cut. The really nice part about the bulk sheets is you can put them on anything that needs a bit more grip. I ended up putting a bulk sheet of clear grip on the back of my cell phone case so I could put it up on the dashboard of my car without having to worry about it sliding around. You will find many uses for this stuff once you see how well it works.

For this blog I pulled out my veneer calipers and measured the thickness of the Traction Grips material. With the backing in place it's .026" as compared to 3M Rubberized Safety Walk which is .054" thick with the backing in place. This stuff really does add grip without adding bulk.

Here's another application of the Traction Grip material on a Rohrbaugh R9. If you wanted to go through the expense of having the front and backstraps checkered professionally, you would be looking at a project that would cost several hundred dollars. I'm sure it would look great and feel amazing, but what if you decided you didn't like it? For control, these small pieces of Traction Grip material have made all the difference in the world for me and I was even able to apply it to the magazine extension for even more grip and control.

Traction Grips are made made in the USA. You can find them on Facebook as well as their website. http://www.facebook.com/tractiongrips I've included a few more pictures from their website that shows what a pre-cut kit looks like and also their sample material swatches in Gray, Black, and Black Grit. I've received Clear from them in the past, so that may also be available.

Prices are really quite reasonable. On the website, I see complete kits for Kahr pistols are $7.99. My favorite, the Universal kits are currently $4.99. I also know that some websites like the KTOG will have the occasional Traction Grips special offer posted up on the board. Great stuff at a super price. I encourage you to check it out if you find yourself in need of extra grip for your pocket pistol, full size pistol, or just about anything else around the house.

First Direct Communications with Heizer

2011-12-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

With the holidays, I'm behind on my email so while my new GPS was getting a map update downloaded I scanned through what's accumulated this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find a note from Heizer in response to my query about their new DoubleTap.

Last week, I posted an update on the Heizer DoubleTap. One thing that was interesting in the provided photos was that the barrels shown in the latest pictures did not appear to be rifled. The blog from last week can be found here. I shot a note over to Heizer and asked them about it and received a response from Ray Kohout himself this morning. The DoubleTap pictured in the latest images was indeed a mock up and production barrels will be rifled. He also answered my question about if it would be possible to co-mingle a 9mm and .45 ACP barrel in a single barrel set. The answer was co-mingling would not be an option, which is fine since I wouldn't want that. I was more interested in the option to port only the under barrel while leaving the over barrel sans porting.

From my shot gunning days, I learned that firing the under barrel causes the gun to rotate less since it's more in line with the center axis of the gun. When shooting trap doubles, the under barrel is shot first to aid in getting to the second target as quickly as possible. Ideally, with the DoubleTap it should discharge the lower barrel first before discharging the top barrel for the second shot. I still think that porting only the bottom barrel would be a good option for getting back on target as fast as possible for the second shot.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas with their family and friends. Happy New Year to everyone and Mouse Guns and Gear will see you next year.

A Unique Opportunity to Review A Heizer DoubleTap

2011-12-18T07:54:00.000-08:00

Two months ago I heard about a new firearm from Heizer Firearms called the DoubleTap. My first post about it was published on October 15th and much more information has come out from Heizer over the last two months. I've been following Heizer on Twitter and I know they also have a Facebook page if you are interested. A little after my first post about Heizer, I was contacted by their PR Team about taking part in their early release testing and review cycle. Needless to say, I was flattered and jumped on the opportunity to be part of that group. I really enjoy putting together my reviews for the few I've done, but being 100% self funded without any commercial support usually involves paying "out the nose" for a new model if I'm lucky enough to track one down. This arrangement with Heizer definitely takes that pressure off me.

Late last week, I checked in with the folks at Heizer to see if I had "made the cut" and had a spot on their Testing and Evaluation list. It was great to hear back and learn that I was indeed on the list. At this point there isn't a confirmed date for delivery, but I have a feeling that it will probably be some time after the annual NSSF SHOT Show in January. It's also up the air as far as which model with be provided for evaluation.

When I was confirming my opportunity to participate in an early review, I was given a pair of new pictures to share with you all. The first image shows a cut-away view of the DoubleTap. The next two images come from the Heizer Facebook photos. The second two pictures are more exciting because they show an actual cut-away DoubleTap with .45 ACP barrels installed and a spare set of what appear to be 9mm barrels. You can also see the two finish variations of black and something similar to Ruger's Target Gray.

The second provided image shows a DoubleTap with the aluminum frame. With the aluminum frame being 2 ounces lighter than the titanium frame, and retailing for about $200 less than the Ti version, I bet these become to fastest selling models offered. Not sure about you, but I think it looks pretty darn sexy.

When looking at this picture in full size and expanding it a little, the bore appears to be smooth and without rifling. I've asked the PR group about that, but I may go to the source with that question. I've also been thinking about the porting a bit more and it's really only needed for the first shot to help recover for the second shot. If given the option, I would really like to get a set of .45 ACP barrels with only the first shot barrel ported and the second shot barrel without ports. This would allow me to velocity test both barrel types and still test the recoil reduction offered by the porting. In the real world usage scenario, first shot barrel porting will be the one that matters as it allows for faster recovery for the second shot. Second shot barrel porting isn't needed for shot recovery and would only reduce velocity from the second shot.

The last picture was an early promotional photo that shows a DoubleTap .45 ACP along with an iPhone. When I saw this image, I pretty much made up my mind that I had to have a DoubleTap. I NEVER leave my house without my iPhone. You can figure out the rest.

I've read that holsters in nylon and leather are in the works with their various makers so there must be some dummy guns floating around out there now. I'm sure Alan at Remora could whip something up quickly if I asked him to take a shot at it.

So stay tuned for any updates. I'm really excited about the opportunity and it's lit a fire under me to finish up my bullet catcher so I can do some terminal ballistics testing with the 3" barrels that the DoubleTap comes with. It will be interesting to compare velocities and terminal performance from the DoubleTap with that of a 3" barreled 1911. The DoubleTap may just be the perfect back up for those that typically carry a .45 ACP as their primary.

Additional facts, figures, prices, options, etc. about the DoubleTap can be found on their sell sheet. Rather than post that, I'll just share the link to their .pdf file. DoubleTap Sell Sheet Link - Opens as a .pdf

Savage Scout Rifle Update

2011-12-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I did a blog post about putting together a Savage FV-SR scout rifle in 22LR. Last weekend I got rained out at the range so it gave me time to order up a more appropriate scope and read up a little more about experiences others have had with various ammo selections in their FV-SRs.

As a reminder, this is what the Savage looked like with the original Bushnell rimfire scope.

After reading some different posts from others about their rimfire scope choices, there was an overwhelming positive feedback thread on the Nikon Prostaff 3x9 Rimfire scope. Midway USA had the scope in stock along with Wolf Match .22LR ammo that others reported as a great and accurate ammo when shot through this rifle.

I took a chance and ordered a second set of Leapers UTG rings in medium height. It's always a gamble when you order a scope and rings or your rifle. Luckily, the rings were more than high enough to accommodate the larger objective lens diameter of the new scope. Here's what she looks like now.

It was chilly and windy today, but the sun was out so I decided to take a run up to the range and start running some rounds down range with the scout. Unfortunately, I forgot the clips that hold my target holder together so I was able to rig something up with the clothespins I had in my bag. With the headwind coming up range over the backstop, the target was swinging in the breeze. I was able to get the scope zeroed and the wind died down slightly just long enough for me to get one good group on paper. If it's any indication of what's to come in this rifle's future, I'm going to be very happy with this rifle. It's so nice when you feel good about the money you spent on something. I'm really pleased.

Diamondback DB9 Frame Pin Replacement

2011-12-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

If you've been following the blog, you may remember that I reported on an issue with one of the frame pins walking out of the frame during firing on my DB9. It turns out that I wasn't alone and many other owners reported the same issue. We've all been waiting on Diamondback to come up with a solution to this problem that didn't involve the application of blue loctite or some other adhesive. My try at applying loctite didn't work out so well and I never did get the problem pin to stay put.

The good folks at Diamondback Firearms let us know on Monday of this week that knurled pins were now available in the Diamondback on-line store. Ordering the pins was pretty simple, but did require that I set up an account with the store even though the pins are shipped out free of charge.

I really wanted to get out and shoot my Savage Scout today, but I got rained out. The postman delivered my replacement pins today so I shot a live video of me going through the process of replacing the old pins with the new set from Diamondback. It's a pretty simple process and shouldn't give you any difficulty. Now I just need to get out to the range and see how well the new pins hold.

Building My Scout Rifle

2011-11-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I noticed that one of the guns on my Want List was back in stock at Buds and available for a really good price. Going from memory, I think it was $40 to $50 less than when I last checked on them. Unfortunately, these rifles have been out of stocks for the last few months so I was stoked to see them back in stock at such a great price. Order In!!!

This is a Savage Mark II FV-SR rifle in .22LR. The key features that make this model a little more special than the standard Savage Mark II series rifles are the tactical bolt handle, 16 1/2" threaded barrel, fluted medium heavy barrel, and the Picatinny rail mounted on top of the receiver. Oh, and did I mention that it's BLACK. This baby screams to be dressed up with tactical goodies. I had to oblige.

As some of you may know, adding tactical goodies to anything gets pretty expensive, pretty darn fast. I learned my lesson on my Ruger SR-22 rifle build that it's not hard to end up with more money tied up in the accessories than you paid for the original rifle. I decided to be a bit smarter with this build and do it right, but don't spend money like a drunken sailor.

First stop was at Boyd's for a new stock. Not many options available, which was fine because I only wanted their Tacticool stock. I also ordered new trigger guard and bottom plate hardware. Sad to say, but the Savage trigger guard is molded into the plastic stock. The great news is they had the model I wanted in stock and in my favorite tactical color.....BLACK.

I ordered a few spare mags and a Bi-pod from CDNN. The mags were factory 5 and 10 rounders and the Bi-pod was a cheap-ish model from Shooter's Ridge. I opted for the shortest 6" to 9" adjustable model since I was working with a small footprint rifle.

Last stop was Midway for some UTG max strength QD scope rings and ammo that I will use to test this puppy out when it's done. Over the last week the stuff has been tricking in via the boys in brown that drop by the house from time to time and leave stuff on the porch.

I tried to spend too much money on a scope at Academy's Black Friday sale, but the sweet Leupold Rifleman 3x9 scope they had advertised was long gone by the time I got down to Academy at 7:00am. I knew that deal was too good, so I should have been there at 5am. No worries, I had a Bushnell 3x9 rimfire scope I had purchased locally a few years ago and never got around to putting on my 10/22 so I decided to use it for this project.

It took me about 45 minutes to put all the pieces together and finish my .22 Scout Rifle. What a difference a few extra parts make. The stock is really fantastic and well worth the price that Boyd's charges for their finished stocks. If you have the time and are so inclined you can buy this stock unfinished and paint it yourself. I'm glad I had them do the finishing. The action dropped right in with zero fitting required. The barrel floats freely and a dollar bill easily slides between stock and barrel from the muzzle to the receiver. The $20 UTG rings work really well. The cheapie bi-pod also fits great. I'm actually super excited about getting out and shooting this thing as soon as I possibly can this weekend.

Since I didn't go overboard on the tactical add-ons, I had some money left over to pick up some good .22 ammo to see how accurate this rifle can be. I picked up a pretty good assortment of the expensive stuff and also included a few boxes of ammo that I've always wanted to try that are less expensive. I also raided my stash and found some high dollar match ammo that I've been storing for many years so I guess it's time to shoot that up.

I may post a few targets and let you know how it shoots after I get it out on the range this weekend. If it shoots 1/2 as good as it looks, I will be a happy man.

Just Returned from the Big Show

2011-11-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

It's been over a decade since I last attended the Tulsa Arms Show. If you've never been, you should put it on your bucket list if you have even a smidgen of interest in guns and gear. I didn't realize it, but the show is touted as being the world's largest gun show and I'm inclined to believe that claim after spending 6 hours walking the show yesterday.

I met a Tulsa local friend and fellow gun nut at 10 am yesterday. We browsed non-stop until 1:30pm when we finally took a breather for a BBQ plate. After our 15 minute break we were back out on the floor until we finally called it quits at 4:00 pm so we could meet up with some other locals for drinks, dinner, and cigars.

Notable things I saw included a $64,500 Holland and Holland double rifle what was just sitting out on a table along with the other Parker shotguns and high dollar fine English doubles. Just having the chance to walk that series of tables and drink in all that fine walnut and custom engraving was well worth the $10 admission price. I also spent some time walking the "Ruger Wall" which was a collection of displays put up by the Ruger Collectors' Association. Again, this series of displays was worth the price of admission. I'd love to show you pictures from the show, but there is a strict no pictures policy posted at the entrance. You'll just have to take my word for how good the show is until you have the chance to experience it for yourself.

I went to the show with a goal of finding a Ruger 77/22 in .22 LR, but I didn't see very many of them on the floor. I estimate we walked 50% of the aisles and really only looked at about 25% of the tables in great detail. There were a few things that caught my eye, but I was able to resist temptation and not rush into a purchase I might regret later on. I did make a fantastic deal with my buddy that I walked the show with. That deal would never have happened if we didn't spend 6 hours talking with each other during the show as I had no idea he wanted to sell something that I really wanted, but he didn't bring it along with him to the show. So I can cross one more off my wish list.

Heizer DOUBLETAP Video - Tons of Details

2011-11-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

While I was out of town, it appears that Heizer has posted their first video on the DOUBLETAP. They've also added many more details about the pistol. Very notable features are interchangeable barrels and the option of Aluminum or Titanium frame. Porting is shown as an option for those that would rather skip it. The MSRPs have also been added to the Heizer website. First quarter 2012 is just around the corner.

Rather than create a new blog for this update, I'm just going to edit my previous blog and add this video link to Ray Kohout, the inventor of the DoubleTap explaining and demonstrating his new invention. It does look pretty sweet.

Not Really A Mousegun, But It Was My Birthday

2011-10-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

Back in the 90's I started a personal tradition of buying one really special gun per year on or about my birthday. Regardless of how they turned out or worked, these were all going to be "keepers" that were never going to be for sale or trade. To fund these purchases, I kept an aquarium in my bedroom and each day I would dump any change from my pockets into it. When birthday time rolled around, I would bag up all the loose change and take it down to the bank so they could count it up and let me know how much cost I had defrayed through my yearly savings. This went on for several years and I've still got some really unique pieces that were made or refinished or have some other special characteristic about them that make them unique to me. This all came to abrupt end at the end of the 90's when I started shooting competitive trap and the "buy-in" for a top of the line fine Italian trap combo started approaching the price of a custom Ranger bass boat.

Spin the clock ahead a decade and I'm back on the one special gun a year program. For 2010 it was a Seecamp LWS380 that was ordered in 2008 for delivery in 2010. The backlog is still bad, but back then it was a full two years. The only thing really special about it is a personalized serial number with my initials and birth year. It's unique to me and the only custom serial number gun I've ever owned.

Back in 2009, my wife bought me a Ruger Mark III 22/45 Hunter for my birthday. Nothing super special about that other than it was the first time I was ever gifted a firearm. Requiring me do the transfer paperwork as the ultimate owner of the gun ruined any surprise factor, but it's the thought that counts. Another part of her gift to me that year was a copy of American Handgunner Tactical Annual 2010 as seen below. I really thought the cover shot and inner magazine article pictures looked great. I read the magazine and probably read through the cover story about 3 times since my experiences with the Kahr brand of pistols matched up so closely with those of the author of the cover story. We were both exposed to Kahr pistols several years ago and really didn't think much of them. I happened to see Kahrs for the first time at a S&W and Kahr Demo Day at a local range. I tried the then new S&W 945 and a cute little MK9. I loved the 945 and absolutely hated the kick and hand sting I got from the MK9.

In the summer of 2009 we were all scrounging for ammo. This forced me to expand my horizons and get into more of the local pawn dealers and sporting goods suppliers. On one of those trips, I happened to see this new in the box Kahr CW45 in the display case.

I asked to see it and one thing lead to another and it followed me home that day. It's been a great pistol. It's been 100% reliable and quite accurate for a cheaper version of the Kahr P45. I have had such a good experience with it, I was considering using it for concealed carry, but wanted to add night sights to it first. Then I remembered reading that magazine article about the Robar custom P45 which is about the same size as the CW45, but comes with some more extensive finishing and that sexy sculptured slide. I was lucky enough to find the original magazine in the basement so I went over to the Robar website to get more specifics on the P45 package featured in the article.

Robar had a page on their site that detailed all the work they do to the box stock P45 to get it to what you see on the magazine cover above. The worklist is detailed as:

Robar's Kahr Package

Forward cocking serrations
Texture grip
Smooth trigger operation
Dehorn & Bull Nose Slide
Round & polish trigger face
Add beavertail
Polish throat
Test fire for function
Ammunition
Engrave Robar logo on top of slide
XS 24/7 Big Dot night sight
Norton Special NP3 refinish
NP3 Finish two magazines

You can either buy the whole package at a discounted price, or take bits and pieces from the list at full price for each modification. You also have to pay for shipping both ways so add in for that and you end up with a really expensive list of modifications. If this was going to be my 2011 birthday gun, then I had to go all in for the whole package. I was able to track down a NIB P45 from a dealer that was just down the street from Robar. I put in my Robar order and then I sat back and waited for the work to be done.

The Robar P45 ended up being the most expensive pistol I ever purchased. Probably not smart, but I really did want something special for birthday 2011. So now I have to figure out how to pay for the package. Well, I stopped the aquarium change bank at about the same time that I stopped using real paper money to buy stuff. Not sure how things work for you, but using cash to pay for stuff seems to have fallen by the wayside for those small things that would generate a pocket full of change in a day. On the other hand, if you have a credit card that pays you cash back, you can rack up a pretty hefty reward balance over time. Let the rewards pile up long enough and you might find you have enough to pay for the Robar customization package so really the only cash outlay was the base pistol. I love it when a plan comes together.

Robar was able to turn the gun around pretty quickly so technically, I received my birthday gun early this year. That gave me some time to order up some holsters and spend some quality range time with the pistol before my birthday. I did actually go to the range on my birthday and I look along the original CW45 and the new P45 for some head to head shooting comparison.

Originally, I though I would like to try a tuckable hybrid holster for the CW45 so I ordered a Comp-tac Minotaur MTAC Holster that works best at 4 to 5 O'clock. At first I wasn't really excited about the holster, but I think that will change as cooler weather comes and I find that I'm wearing a coat more frequently. I ended up buying a second kydex shell in order to use the Comp-tac holster with both the CW45 and P45.

What I have been using most frequently is a selection of clip-less in the waistband holsters from Remora. One nice feature is the holsters work equally well with the CW45 and P45. I ended up with 4 different holsters that all fill a specific role. I like wearing these holsters at at 1 O'clock or 11 O'clock as cross-draw. The best part of this is that 4 different Remora holsters will run you about the same price as the Comp-tac with two shells. You can also wear them in the waistband without a belt or with a belt if you happen to be wearing one.

Ordering holsters from Remora can be a bit daunting at first. There are just so many varieties and options available. I'll walk you though what I learned by ordering from Remora and maybe it might help you decide on one model vs. another if you decide to add a Remora to your holster stash. I knew I wanted a holster for the range so the 4 RTF-SS fills that need. The RTF is remora short-hand for reinforced top which keeps the soft holster from collapsing after the draw and aids greatly in reholstering. SS is shorthand for sweat shield which means the body side of the holster is larger to keep the pistol away from your skin and your sweat off the gun. I'm not really good about packing along a spare magazine, so I thought I would try the 4P-SS. That's the holster on the right in the picture above. It works, but could be improved with some cross stitching across the magazine pocket to keep the mag from dropping down too far into the pocket. That's something I'm going to have a local shoe repair shop do one of these days. 4-SS is the basic holster for the Kahr P45 and CW45 with the added sweat shield. The 3C is a brand new size from Remora that was created specifically for the 3.5" barrel Kahrs. The size 4 fit well, but the 3C has been modified slightly to make the fit a bit tighter. I like the 3C a bit better than the 4 as it allows a little more grip on the draw. I will probably get a 3C-SS at some point in the future. All Remora holsters look similar so the folks at Remora will write the model inside the holster. That's very helpful if you end up with a few of their holsters.

I've been asked if the Robar P45 was really worth the money considering I had a CW45 that worked just fine. I really like the XS Big Dot night sight system on the P45. It's quite a bit different than the stock CW45 sights and takes a bit to adjust to, but after you make the adjustment you can really see how this sight system shines. You just put the dot on what you are targeting and make sure the lollypop stick on the rear sight is aligned with the dot and you are good to go. I thought I would lose some of the fine aiming that you can do with standard patridge sights, but my concerns were unfounded. On a carry pistol, these sights really appear to be a better solution for rapid deployment and getting the muzzle on target. The grip stippling feels great and I don't feel compelled to add a grip sleeve like I did on the CW45. The carry melt done on the slide and controls makes a really big difference. There are zero sharp edges on the P45. The only negative I have is the Robar NP3 finish is very slick by design and when the gun is new the slide is very difficult to retract as the recoil springs are at their strongest. It took many rounds down range to get that spring loosened up a little so retracting the slide was easier. The plus side of that NP3 slickness is the gun cleans up with a dry rag. Nothing sticks to that finish. We'll see how it holds up over time.

One more note on ammo selection. Both the CW45 and P45 will shoot any 230 grain fmj I've fed them. They both choke on Hornady TAP 200 grain XTP. Something about the bullet engages the rifling of the barrel and causes the slide to stop just short of battery or will go into battery, but can't be manually ejected. I've read that others have the same problem with Kahr 45s and Hornady XTP ammo. Otherwise, everything else I've tried seems to work just fine.

I thought the CW45 was pretty accurate, but I didn't expect the P45 to be much more accurate. I was hoping they would be similar. Hands down the P45 shoots tighter groups. I made a video that shows me shooting a similar target with both the CW45 and P45. I used the same ammo in both guns. The P45 wins. I also threw in some extra video of me shooting two strings with the P45 at a special target from Gun Fun Shooting Targets.

Happy Halloween!!! Watch out for zombies.

Diamondback DB9 Standard Versus Compensated Barrel Velocity Study

2011-10-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

I was asked to evaluate the velocity difference between a standard and compensated Diamondback DB9 barrel. Diamondback sent one to me for the test and I was told I had the option to return the barrel within a set time period or I could keep the barrel for a price that is less than retail. Since doing the test would only cost me ammo and I was going to be breaking in a new DB9 EXO anyway, I thought I would jump on the opportunity and see how things played out.

There have been several questions about velocity gain or loss due to two characteristics of the compensated barrel. The first is that the compensated barrel is longer than the standard. The second is the compensated barrel has two horizontal cuts across the top to vent gases forward and up during firing to reduce muzzle flip and also recoil impulse. Since the vents start outside the slide, the standard DB9 slide can be used with the compensated barrel. The photo below shows two standard DB9 barrels and one compensated DB9 barrel.

Today, I tested 4 different loads through two DB9s. The all black DB9 had the standard barrel and the DB9 EXO had the compensated barrel installed. Both pistols are shown below with their matching Size 3 Remora pocket/IWB holsters.

The testing set up was identical to previous velocity testing work. Those that read the blog frequently will know this set up all too well. I run a CED M2 chronograph that's about 8 feet from the muzzle. I shoot from a seated position.

I shot video during the testing today so you could see the results I captured just like you were there with me today. I cut up the raw video with some title slides to insert breaks between the different tested rounds.

If you don't want to watch the video, then you can just jump to the spreadsheet below that has all the gory details. The net results from the test showed that there is virtually zero velocity gain or loss between the standard and compensated barrels for the 4 loads tested today.

Really, I'm not surprised by this. You would think that the longer barrel would delivery higher velocities as longer is usually better for gas expansion and building velocity, but you have to factor in that the added barrel length is also cross cut with vents that provide an escape path for those expanding gases as they enter the added barrel length.

Diamondback claims that their tests show a measurable reduction in recoil with the compensated barrel. In addition to shooting from a bench, I also tried both barrel types from a standard standing shooting position. I did this last week and again today. I can confirm that there is a slight reduction in felt recoil with the compensated barrel. I literally had to shoot one gun immediately after the other to really appreciate the reduction.

When I was asked to do this testing, I really didn't think I would end up keeping the compensated barrel. The curious side of me definitely wanted to shake out the barrel and see how it performed, but I ultimately expected to send back the barrel at the end of testing. What I didn't expect was an improvement in accuracy with the compensated barrel. The target below was shot last week and got me thinking that perhaps this compensated barrel was a good fit with the new DB9 EXO. I shot this target in a darkish indoor range and thought it might have been a fluke, but would be worth checking a second time.

Today I shot my standard DB9 (target on left) and the DB9 EXO with Compensated barrel (target on right) again with six rounds pulled from the same box of ammo. This was RWS 115 grain FMJ that I had never shot before so I had no idea what to expect. The compensated barrel equipped DB9 again shot a tighter group and clustered the shots more tightly around the point of aim. These targets were placed out at the 7 yard line.

So to wrap this up, I will be keeping the compensated barrel and it will be installed in the DB9 EXO. I can confirm a small reduction in felt recoil with the compensated barrel and also confirm that the combination of my specific DB9 EXO and the compensated barrel I was sent for evaluation delivers better accuracy than my original standard DB9. Velocity proved to be quite equal with the two barrels so neither a gain or loss of velocity was noted. So, I'm buying the barrel since reducing felt recoil while improving accuracy has always been "money well spent" in my book.

Final Recap on the AR State Ruger Rimfire Challenge 2011

2011-10-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Back on October 2nd, I first mentioned my intent to participate in this event. Initial Post At that time I used a long range weather forcasting iPhone app called WT360pro to call up the Centerton, AR weather forecast for October 22. The forecast told me low 70's and partly cloudy. Well I have to say that forecast was right on. We had great weather all day with clear skies in the morning and clouds that rolled in during the afternoon. I'm still amazed by how accurate the long range forecasts are from this weather company.

The final scores were posted to the host organization website today. Nighthawk Custom Training Academy I was fortunate to have some really excellent shooters in my squad, including the High Lady Winner. Cheryl Current was the High Lady winner and I just happened to shoot some video of her doing a few runs on one of the stages. At the time, we had no idea she would win her class.

I ended up just north of middle of the pack. I can't complain about that performance. I did really well on the pistol stages, but gave up several spots during the rifle stages due to multiple failures to fire with my SR-22. If my rifle didn't act up, I may have finished in the top third of the field. Regardless, I had a great time at the event and am looking forward to participating again next year.

The folks at NCTA, that put on the event, did an excellent job. Sure there were some things that could have run smoother, but for the first time hosting the event I think it went great. This really was a family friendly shooting competition that was fun and accessible for novice, experienced, and even the sponsored shooters.

When it came time to give out the prizes, I really liked the way they did it. Anyone that shot both rifle and pistol stages was guaranteed a prize and your shot at the prize table was done by random drawing. Obviously, you wanted to be one of the first to the table. I ended up near the end of the pack, but still got a great prize pack that contained $100 voucher for Warne Scope Mounting Products, a Ruger 22/45 magazine, Springfield Armory T-shirt, and some other little goodies from Brownells and Gunfun Shooting Targets. I shot a quick video of the prize table. It was loaded with great stuff for kids and adults.

I happened to run into another event competitor when out to dinner tonight. He also agreed that the event went really well and that it was a fun competition. So kudos to Ruger for dreaming up the event and also to Nighthawk Custom Training Academy for putting out the effort to host the event. My hero of the day is Geof Schroeder, who tirelessly entered in all 400+ scoresheets and put out the results recap. You da man Geof!!!

A Long Day - Ruger Rimfire Challenge

2011-10-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

We started with the Shooter's Meeting this morning at 8:00am. I finally pulled out of the parking lot at 6:30pm tonight. What an awesome day of shooting. I really can't say enough good things about the match today. It was a great experience for me and it reminds me of all the good things I miss about competitive shooting and the people you meet and compete with at events like this.

I saw a preliminary score sheet for the Pistol event, but the Rifle event probably won't be out until tomorrow via email so for now I'll just say that I am tickled to death with my Pistol standings considering the field of shooters that attended the event. Rifle gave me some problems due to my equipment. I'm really disappointed in my Ruger SR-22. I don't think the trigger was resetting properly when firing at high speed.

So rather than dwell on the negative, I'm focusing on the positive. Here's a short video that pretty much summarizes my experience today ,which was constant and measurable improvement. Just in case you don't hear the RO call out the times, they were 6.62, 5.56, and 4.72. I had shaved almost 2 seconds off my time after only 3 runs.

I've got a big day planned around another hobby tomorrow so I'll do a full event recap once I have the final scores. I'm off to bed with the echos of ringing steel still rattling around in my head.

Great Event So Far

2011-10-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

We've been at it since 8:30am this morning and so far so good. I believe we have about 60 shooters representing a few different states. Skill levels are very mixed with many sponsored shooters all the way to A few Jrs. I'm having fun and loving the sound of ringing steel. Currently waiting on the squad ahead of us to finish so we can shoot the last stage of pistols and take a break for lunch. Rifle match starts after lunch.

Tomorrow is The Day

2011-10-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning it's Ruger Rimfire Challenge day. Last Sunday I got the rifle sighted in and both guns are clean and ready to go. I'm charging the batteries on the video and SLR cameras so I can document the festivities tomorrow. It should be a good time. Really looking forward to the event.

On another subject, the blog went over 25,000 visits today. That's more than 5,000 visits a month. I really didn't know what to expect when I started the blog back in June. I think it's pretty neat that so many folks have stopped by to read through the blog. There's so much more to come. I just need to find the time to do my work and report my findings. Maybe it will get easier when winter gets here.

Velocity testing and terminal ballistics testing are the two big areas I really want to focus on. I guess I'm just a numbers geek at heart or maybe I should have been a lab technician instead of going into business as a career. A key component if the terminal ballistics testing is my catch box. I made really great progress on building the box until I got to the point where I need to find someone with a router that can make 3 cuts for me. I don't mind buying tools, but I've gone this long without a router so I think buying one for this project would be a waste. Also, I'd like someone to do that job that knows how to use the router vs. me trying to learn on this expensive plastic stock.

I'm really pleased how this turned out. After the routing cuts are done, I can get it glued together and start expansion testing more loads. When finished, the bullet trap will be 46" long so I can definitely test FMJ penetration along with HP expansion. I'll probably start with .380 and 9mm. Maybe also do a head to head comparison on the 3 major maker's .38 Special +P 158 grain LSWCHP loads. There is just so much I want to test and this trap will enable me to do as many tests per day as I care to do, but I have to get it finished first.

Heizer Updates Their Website

2011-10-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I got word through my blog comments that Heizer updated their website with a whole bunch of new info on the DOUBLETAP. Updated Heizer Firearms Website 10-17-2011 They now have the real dimensions up and I was close on the height and width, but the length was way off. They are putting 3 inch barrels on the DOUBLETAP so my guess wasn't even close. The full published specs are interesting because now we see 9mm will also be offered along with the 45 ACP. Not sure if both frames will be available for both calibers. 3.9" is exactly the same height as the Kahr P380 so that's one point of reference. Nothing I know of is .665" thin. The Kel Tec P32 comes closest at .75". The Diamondback DB9 is 5.6" long so there's one more point of reference. 14 oz empty weight jumps to 17 oz when you add 4 rounds of 230 grain FMJ ammo. Availability in early 2012. I'm still interested.

DoubleTap™ Specifications:
Caliber Weight Width Length Height Barrel Frame MSRP	.45 ACP, 9MM 14 oz Titanium (empty) .665 inches 5.5 inches 3.9 inches 3.0 inches Titanium or Aluminum TBD

Innovation and The Dead Pool

2011-10-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

When it comes to pocket pistols, I love new stuff. Over the last 10 years there has just been an explosion of small pistol innovation. It's really hard to keep up with all the new and innovative products and design work going on right now unless you are an industry insider and have the chance to attend the many trade shows throughout the year. I'm not that lucky so I have to rely on others for the early word and then you can usually pick up more details on the web.

Earlier this week I read about a company called Heizer Defense LLC out of St. Louis, MO USA Earth. Gotta love how they included the planet in their location. So far so good with Heizer Defense in my book. They have a website Heizer Defense with a single picture of their DOUBLETAP two shot pistol. I'm not even going to use derringer to describe this pistol even through it does have a capacity of two shots in an over under barrel configuration. It appears to be more innovative than your run of the mill derringer so I won't saddle this pistol with that description.

Intrigued by the picture and their description below, I thought I would do some reverse engineering on the photo and see if I could estimate the dimensions. From their website, Heizer tells us the following about their new pistol. Sounds pretty good to me.

"HEIZER Defense has developed DOUBLETAP™ the world’s smallest and lightest .45 ACP conceal carry pistol on the market today.
Only DOUBLETAP delivers, not once, but twice over! That’s LIFE ASSURANCE!
Titanium Frame with MIL-STD finish resists corrosion.
2 rounds in chamber and integral grips houses an additional 2 spare rounds.
Ported barrel reduces muzzle flip and recoil.
Slim, no-snag and hammerless design for easy pocket carry.
Thumb latch auto ejects spent rounds.
5 Patents pending including double-action trigger."

So here's what the DOUBLETAP looks like after doing some estimation based on the one true measurement that we know to be true and that is the bore diameter must be at least .451" to acomodate the .45ACP cartridge. Building from that base, I estimate a height of 3.25" and a length of 3.5". It also looks like the width will be well under .75". I have no guess on weight but I am very pleased with the mention of a titanium frame in the description.

My next step was to print off my image in my estimated "life size" dimensions and see how it stacked up with other popular pocket pistols. The DOUBLETAP picture is flanked by an LWS380 on the left and a Rohrbaugh R9s on the right. It just seems to fit right in between the two of them.

I'm cautiously optimistic that we will indeed see the DOUBLETAP come to market. I can see adding one or maybe two to the collection/carry rotation if they aren't priced way out of this world crazy high. It's on my radar now so I'll be keeping my eyes on the website to see if additional details are updated in the coming weeks and months. Maybe I'll even have the chance to blog my review one day.

Shifting gears a bit, my excitement about the Heizer Defense DOUBLETAP reminded me that I had not checked one of my other "on the radar" guns in quite some time. That gun was the MSAR Archangel. MSAR is MicroTech Small Arms Research and back in 2009 they caused quite a buzz when they attended a show in Phoenix and displayed their Archangel 9mm pistol. At 7.1 oz, it promised to be the lightest 9mm pistol on the market. Aside from the trigger, it didn't look too bad in the various photos on the internet. Unfortunately, it appears that MSAR filed for Chapter 11 in July of 2011 and the Archangel pistol project has been shelved. Since 2009, I pinged MSAR twice for an update on the status of the pistol, but never got a respose so I assumed the project was dead. I guess I should cancel my standing order with my local MSAR dealer. =( Move this gun to the dead pool.

Good Results at the Range

2011-10-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

I did have a chance to get out to the range and do my preliminary sight in on my guns for the Ruger Rimfire Challenge coming up later this month. I wanted to get both my pistol and rifle set, but the Range Master came along and told me that I couldn't shoot the rifle on the pistol range. So, I only got one group done with the rifle but it was a large single hole group centered above point of aim so I'm not really concerned. The pistol was a different story. Since targets will be placed between 4 yards and 24 yards, I had to find a good zero that would have me on target for the close stuff, but still shoot close to point of aim for the longer range stuff.

I'm pleased with this set up. The targets are 6" paper plates. The real match targets will be 6", 8", and 10" steel plates. The bottom target was shot at 8 yards - 5 rounds. The middle target at 15 yards - 10 rounds. The top target was shot at 25 yards - 5 rounds. The majority of the targets will be set between 8 and 15 yards so the only real adjustment I need to make will be to hold high on the close in targets. The rest should be right on with a center of target hold.

Unfortunately, it was very windy on Saturday and I didn't get to shoot many clays. The wind was in my face so the targets were blowing off the hooks I had them resting on. I did manage to shoot one bank for speed, but it didn't go very well. I had them in close and I think I was shooting under them. I'll have to remember to hold high on the targets the next time around.

I never did get a chance to get over to the rifle range. It seems that everyone must be working on their deer rifles for the season. There wasn't even a spot in the lot for me to park. Worst case, I go to my fallback indoor range to get the rifle set up. They have no problems with .22 rifles being shot in their pistol range.

Ruger Rimfire Challenge Prep - Week 2

2011-10-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned that I had about 3 weeks to get ready to shoot in my local Ruger Rimfire Challenge event coming up on the 22nd of October. I made some progress on my pre-event checklist so I thought I would post an update.

I got my entry form and check out in the mail this week but I had to decide what I was going to shoot as competitors will be classified by their gear. I really wanted to go with iron sights for the pistol portion, but in the end I decided to shoot Open Class for both rifle and pistol. Both guns started life as Rugers, but I made a few modifications (parts swaps really) to each along the way. The rifle is one of the new SR-22s and the pistol is a Mark II frame with a Volquartsen LLV action. Both triggers have been Volquartsen-ized with the target trigger components. I've used both of these quite a bit so I know they run well. Both have red dot sights.

As I studied the match stages, I was happy to see a mix of steel plates and clay targets. I love shooting clays so it was off to Home Depot to scrounge up the parts for a Clay Target holder. I built this in about 30 minutes last weekend and it's perfect for my practice needs. Total cost was about $5 as I had the T's and elbows left over from another project. It breaks down for travel. As long as I shoot the bottom bank of 5 first, this should work out great for practice. All I need to do is put it out on a drop cloth and cleaning up the clay pieces will be a breeze. I also picked up some 6" and 9" paper plates to substitute for the 6", 8", and 10" steel plates they will be using for the event.

The last thing I needed to decide on was my ammo. I had 1000 rounds of CCI Mini-mag HP of the same lot number on hand so it's going to be my practice and match ammo. I've always had good luck with Mini Mags. They seem a bit more powerful than the bulk packed Federal, Winchester, and Remington so I have high confidence that they will cycle both guns with authority.

The only other thing I did this week was to spend some time holding my pistol out at arms length for several minutes per day. At 48 oz fully loaded, it can get heavy after a few minutes pass. I want to be sure my muscles are properly prepared.

Tomorrow afternoon it's off to the range to sight in with my ammo choice and start breaking some of those clay targets. If I can get to the point where I'm consistently breaking the clays at 8, 16, and 24 yards with both guns I will be more than prepared for the real match.

A Departure From The Normal Blogs - Ruger Rimfire Challenge

2011-10-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog 4 months ago, I really had no idea how much work and time would go into the creation of the content that goes into the posts. I know there are many bloggers that just repost the content of others they happen to find interesting. I've had some of them point people to my blog and I appreciate that. My goal was to only post my own created content in my blog so it's become increasingly difficult to find the time to make fresh posts.

All in all, to be sitting at almost 22,000 views in 4 months is pretty exciting. I've also received a bunch of emails from blog readers letting me know they appreciated the information I was able to provide. Since I'm not "sponsored" or ad supported, this is the payoff for me. It's nice to be appreciated.

I've still got a ton of ideas for new blog posts, but again it's just difficult to find the time to do the work needed to create quality posts. They will get done, but it's just taking longer than I had originally anticipated.

I was in a gun store the other day and overheard two people talking about the Ruger Rimfire Challenge. They said there was going to be a local match in the area. I couldn't wait to get back to the house and find out more about it. As it turns out, the match is scheduled for October 22 and it's less than 10 miles away. I've decided that I need to take part in this event. I've got all the gear and plenty of ammo on hand so why not take advantage of the opportunity.

I've got 3 weeks to get my gear in order and get some quality practice time in. Along the way I need to decide on which classes I'm going to shoot, which .22s I'm going to use, read through the rules, spend some time learning the course of fire. I also need to get my match registration sent off to the event sponsors to secure my spot for the event. Doing all this will probably consume most of my free time over the next 3 weeks so I'll be updating the blog with my progress as we count down to competition day.

Ideally, I would like to give a run down on the competition and the event sponsors/coordinators after the event has happened. Competitions can be daunting for many folks. I've done a fair share of competitive shotgunning in the ATA previously. I've also shot a few dozen local IDPA and .22 fun shoots at a local range. This event promises fun for everyone and is advertised as a family type event. I'm anxious to see if this ends up being true.

I went out to WeatherTrends360 to check the weather forecast for the event and it told me partly cloudy and highs in the low 70's for the day so we should have good weather for the event.

A Look at the .32 ACP and .32 NAA

2011-09-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

Back in the early 1990's, when someone mentioned a mouse gun, my immediate thought went to the Walther TPH, Seecamp LWS32, or Taurus PT-22. These tiny vest pocket sized guns were usually offered in .22, .25, and .32 calibers. I always wanted a Seecamp, but this was pre-internet boom and I had no idea how to track down a local dealer so I could get on the 1 year plus waiting list for one. I did have a Taurus PT-22 for a few months, but it was very unreliable in feeding and firing. By the end of the 90's I had one small gun left in my collection. A stainless and alloy framed Colt Mustang Pocket-lite .380. I didn't pay much attention to mouse guns at all from 1998 to about 2007.

Here's a quick picture comparing the rounds discussed in this blog entry. From left to right we have:

.22 Long Rifle
.32 ACP HP
.32 ACP FMJ
.32 NAA HP
.380 ACP

I'm really not 100% clear on how I stumbled on the Seecamp website, but one day I found myself there and clicked through to their Seecamp owners forum. I started catching up on all the old posts and found myself getting sucked back into the quest for a Seecamp of my very own. I also started reading up on all the new mouse guns that had come out over the previous 12 years and all the new makers and models available. A few old models like the Colt Mustang and Walther TPH were now gone, but for every model that was discontinued, there were many more to take it's place.

Prior to getting my Seecamp LWS32, I had never seen a .32 ACP cartridge. In my small world, pistol ammo came in .22 LR with the next step up being .380 ACP. While I was shooting my Seecamp, I came to understand and appreciate the .32 ACP for what it had been in the past and where it fit in our current times. According to what I've read the .32 ACP cartridge was designed by John Moses Browning and commercially released in 1899. Through the last century the cartridge has been used by police forces and civilians. The concealed carry trend gave the .32 ACP a lift in popularity in recent years with several new lightweight pocket sized pistols coming on the market.

I recently had an opportunity to do some data gathering on the .32 ACP. Along the way, what started as a simple exercise to chronograph some different rounds from a Kel-Tec P-32, grew into something much bigger so this blog entry is really the culmination of several months of activity. It may seem scattered, but the common thread is the .32 ACP cartridge.

Initially the plan was to do a .32 ACP ammo study similar to the .380 ACP study from July. While I was running my initial tests with a Kel-Tec P-32, I got word that Bersa was putting out a limited number of their Thunder models in .32 ACP. Having recently rediscovered Bersas, I decided I should get my hands on one and include it with the Kel-Tec testing. It's really a fantastic little firearm. Aside from the obvious good looks, it come with windage adjustable sights and a factory 10 round magazine that brings the capacity to 11 rounds of .32 ACP in a convenient sized carry package. It's been a reliable feeder of anything it's been fed, delivers reasonable accuracy, and it's a joy to shoot with very little recoil.

The Kel-Tec P-32, I've had for some time now. It's the lightest pistol I have ever had my hands on. It holds 7 rounds in the flush fitting magazine for a total capacity of 8 rounds and weighs in at 10.3 ounces fully loaded. It lacks target type sights, but the rudimentary sights milled into the slide are satisfactory for it's intended purpose.

Rapid fire at 7 yards on 5" pie plates, really demonstrates the value of the .32 ACP cartridge. With some practice and attention to trigger technique, it's quite possible to put rounds on target quickly since you have less muzzle flip and recoil to counteract after each shot. A Bersa grouping is shown on the left and a Kel-Tec grouping is shown on the right.

I've mentioned the Seecamp LWS32 earlier in the blog. I did not include the Seecamp in my testing for two reasons. The first is that it comes with NO sights. "Aiming" is accomplished by practicing a technique called point shooting. Since I was running rounds over my chronograph, I didn't want to risk an errant shot putting my sky screens out of business. The second reason is that the Seecamp was designed around one specific cartridge, the Winchester Silver Tip. I will get into that a bit more later in the blog.

Have you ever read about the new .32 cartridge that was developed by North American Arms and Cor Bon? Dubbed the .32 NAA, the cartridge is made by necking down a .380 ACP case to accept the .32 bullet. Very recently, the folks at Diamondback Firearms released their DB 320. The DB 320 uses all the same parts as the DB 380 except for a barrel that is bored and chambered for the .32 NAA cartridge. If you own a DB 380, you can purchase a .32 NAA barrel and instantly convert your pistol to use the new round. Switching back is as simple as removing the .32 NAA barrel and reinstalling your .380 ACP barrel. It's like having two guns in one. Since I was testing and reporting on .32 ACP, I thought I would also test out the .32 NAA while I was at it. The photo below shows the .32 NAA barrel installed in a DB 380. The .380 ACP barrel is shown resting on the frame of the pistol for illustrative purposes.

The spreadsheet below has all the chronograph results from my testing. Click on the picture to bring up a larger version of the sheet that is actually legible. As expected, the Bersa's longer barrel gave every round the chance to build up greater velocity and energy. Three varieties of ammo were not tested in the Bersa because I used up all the rounds breaking in the Bersa a few weeks ago. I did have several varieties on hand for comparative testing.

If spreadsheets aren't your thing, I plotted the data on the charts below. The charts show the comparative energy of each round and are listed from highest to lowest. The big surprise for me was the Corbon loading. Corbon's claim to fame is high velocity rounds that are loaded within industry specifications for pressure. Their tested round was defiantly the highest velocity and highest energy round in the test. Sellier and Bellot's 73 grain FMJ offering was the fastest and highest energy loading of that type.

I also found it interesting that Fiocchi loads their Extrema round with Hornady's XTP bullet to a much higher velocity than Hornady does in their own Custom line of ammunition.

My results with the two .32 NAA rounds through the Diamondback conversion barrel left me a bit mystified. To my knowledge, only Corbon offers .32 NAA ammunition so that's all I could get my hands on. When comparing the fastest .32 ACP FMJ load through the Kel-Tec P-32 against the Corbon .32 NAA FMJ load, there is an obvious velocity increase and energy gain even though the .32 NAA bullet is a couple grains lighter. Corbon advertises 1000fps velocity from their FMJ load, which was realized today on my chronograph. The confusing part for me was their 60 grain HP load falling well short of their 1200fps advertised velocity. The velocity improvement over their .32 ACP load in the Kel-Tec P-32 is so slight that I will say it's just down right disappointing and not worth the cost of proprietary ammo.

I will add that the Corbon .32 NAA HP load was incredibly soft shooting. It felt much more like shooting a rim fire pistol than a center fire pistol. Perhaps they had a batch go out with light charges and that's the lot I received.

My DB 380 is the discontinued MS (milled sights) version. The sights are milled directly into the slide so my accuracy isn't as good as it would be with a pistol that has target sights. I would say the sights are very similar to those on the Kel-Tec P-32. The target below shows two groups of 7 rounds each of the .32 NAA FMJ loading. The target on the right is 7 rounds of the .32 NAA HP load. The reduced recoil of the HP load is demonstrated by the reduced vertical stringing of my shots. I'd like to say there are 7 holes on the right target, but I can only count 6. I must have shanked one shot.

There is one more advantage of the .32 NAA over the .32 ACP. The .32 ACP is a semi-rimmed cartridge. Semi rimmed cartridges work best in revolvers where the rim helps prevent the cartridge from slipping into the revolver cylinder. When semi-rimmed cartridges are held in a pistol magazine, they can shift forward and backward during the firing, recoil, and loading processes in such a way where the cartridge rims will get locked together and render the pistol incapable of feeding another round into the chamber. This condition is called Rim Lock. Since the .380 ACP is a rimless case, and that's the basis for the .32 NAA cartridge, rim lock is not an issue.

Up above in my initial spreadsheet you may have noticed a column called OAL. OAL is an abbreviation for the cartridge Over All Length. You can measure it with a dial or veneer caliper, which I have done for the rounds I had on hand. In the chart below you can see that current production ammo falls roughly into two size groups. The first is rounds measuring .910" or less. The rounds have bullets with flat or hollow point noses. Earlier I mentioned that the Seecamp was designed around the Winchester Silver Tip round. Seecamp gets around the rim lock issue by installing a filler in the back of their magazines that keeps rounds longer than .910" from fitting in their magazines. With less front to back room for rounds in the magazine to slide, the opportunity for cartridge rims to "lock" together is minimized. I'd like to say eliminated in place of minimized, but one never knows for sure. Kel-Tec offers a similar rim lock prevention device for their magazines. Rounds longer than .960" are less prone to rim lock in standard .32 ACP magazines because they fill the front to back space within the magazine and therefore do not slide during firing. Rim lock is again minimized. There are a couple of rounds that fall in the no man's land between .910" and .960", while I did not experience rim lock with either round, it would be wise to test these rounds extensively in your specific pistol and magazines before putting them into service. I've only experienced rim lock on one occasion and that was at the practice range before I installed the rim lock prevention kit in my Kel-Tec magazine. If you ever experience rim lock, you will never want to experience it again.

Ideally, I would also include some terminal ballistics data with this entry. Unfortunately, I'm still working on my bullet trap. It's been a long design and development process, but I'm getting closer to the end goal every week. I did manage to catch a couple .32 ACP bullets over the last month. I wanted to test them all, but I keep destroying my prototype traps.

My first "catch" was a Speer Gold Dot .32 ACP that was fired through 2 layers of denim and it penetrated through my entire catch box before coming to rest in a water jug I had backing my catch box. No noticeable expansion versus the unfired round on the left.

My second catch was a Corbon 60 grain .32 ACP. This round penetrated through 2 layers of denim and 16.5" inches of media in my catch box before coming to rest. Expansion was excellent.

If you've stuck with me to the end here, I hope you enjoyed the post and possibly even got an idea or two from it. The .32 ACP may be 112 years old now, and while other cartridges of similar age may be gone into obscurity, this little guy keeps right on rolling along. There are some very small and light pistols available for the cartridge and it's lighter recoil may appeal to those that find larger cartridges to be too punishing.

As far as the .32 NAA goes, it's a new guy on the block that was supposed to deliver performance greater than the .380 ACP (according to Wikipedia). From my limited testing, I don't find that to be the case, but I'm keeping an open mind for the moment. Perhaps I just got some bad boxes of Cor Bon HP ammo. Regardless, anytime I can get a conversion barrel for a pistol I currently own, I'm a happy man. Maybe I'll do a blog about conversions one day.

Terminal Ballistics Test - Diamondback DB9 - Know Your Load!

2011-08-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting pretty heavily with a hyper absorbent polymer substitute for traditional ballistics gel. I'd love to use the standard ballistics gel, but I was hoping to find something that was temperature tolerant, reusable, and relatively cheap. The polymer adds very little volume to the mix (2 tablespoons per gallon of water) and creates a slurry that's dense enough to suspend a captured bullet. It's been quite a challenge to fine tune the mix ratio and find a testing container that's also reusable. Over the last 3 weekends, I've tried a variety of set ups and tested my best set up yet last weekend. It's still not perfect, but I did manage to catch a few bullets.

I've been pretty consumed with a serious pocket 9mm bug. As the 9mm pocket pistols continue to shrink in size, it starts to make less and less sense to tote a .32 or .380 when you can step up to 9mm in a "slightly" larger pistol. Slightly in quotes because size and weight tolerance are really personal choices. I don't mind the extra ounces in the pocket for the trade off of a more potent defense cartridge.

If you follow my blog, you know I've been pretty taken with the Diamondback DB9 since getting it back in June. It's been in my pocket or waistband just about every day since it passed the initial 200 round break-in testing, One thing that's always bothered me is wondering if any of the short barreled 9mm pistols on the market would launch a round fast enough that it would actually expand a hollow point bullet. So my first terminal ballistics tests with my testing media have focused on some different 9mm rounds out of my DB9.

I tested 5 different 9mm loads. I ran two of the loads across my chronograph several weeks ago.

The other three were not previously chronographed, but all did feed well and provide good accuracy out of my DB9. I was comfortable carrying my DB9 with any of these as I was sure they would feed and fire. The loads tested are shown in the picture below and they were:
Winchester Personal Protection 147 grain JHP
Speer Gold Dot 124 grain GDHP
Federal HST 124 grain HP
Fiocchi 124 grain JHP
Sellier and Bellot Police No Tox 115 grain JHP

The results were surprising in a couple of cases. Testing protocol dictated that every round was fired through 2 dry layers of medium weight denim before entering the catch media. I'm still working on the design of a bullet trap that will allow me to accurately measure penetration depth. Until that time my penetration depth "measurements" are only rough estimates. The goal of testing is really to answer the question, did the bullet expand. If yes, then how big did it get. All rounds were fired 8 feet from the bullet trap.

Can you guess from the pictures below which round is which?

I'll help you out with one more picture.

The details for all loads follow, along with a solo picture of each bullet. Click on any image to view the large version.

Earlier I mentioned that some of the results were surprising. The biggest surprise was the less than half the sampled rounds delivered reasonable expansion when fired from the short barreled DB9. While I can't be sure, it appears the Sellier and Bellot maintained a FMJ profile and plowed through all 36 inches of media and kept right on going through the back of the test box. It wasn't even polite enough to close the door behind it when it left, so emergency patching was the order of the day. As this was the first shot of the day, it could have been a disaster that ended testing, but since this was my third attempt at this I came prepared for such an event. The Fiocchi and Winchester rounds both shed their jackets and tried to expand, but also failed. Expected performance was noted in the Speer and Federal loads.

It's not my place or my intention to suggest that one round is better than another as there are 100's of variables that impact ammo performance. My initial question that prompted my testing was simply "Will bullets expand when fired from my DB9?" I answered my question so if I am going to make the commitment to carry a concealed firearm, I do want to make sure it's loaded with a round that will expand and reduce the risk of over penetration and the unintentional damage that may cause. So for me, it will be one of these two until I have the chance to test out other options.

Remora Holsters and the Diamondback DB9

2011-08-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

One of the typical issues with a brand new gun model is availability of holsters. I knew this going into my decision to buy an early model DB9. I was sure that a generic Blackhawk! #3 or #4 would probably work, but I'm not overly fond of the basic pouch holsters as they often inhibit getting a proper grip when drawing from the pocket. I was pleased to see that DeSantis stepped up and actually had their Nemesis holster for the DB9 available before the pistol was actually released to the public.

If you've never had a Nemesis holster, there's a picture of the DB9 holster below. They work ok, but I've found them to be ill fitting from time to time. The Nemesis built specifically for the Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .380 was not stitched properly and it allowed the rear sights to snag on the binding around the holster mouth. The DB9 holster was a better fit, but was cut too short allowing the end of barrel to drop below the bottom of the holster. 1/8 to 1/4" of extra length would have made the holster better in my opinion. The second picture below illustrates what I am writing about. On the plus side the Nemesis holsters are relatively cheap, light weight, and broadly available.

Not sure if you've heard about Remora holsters yet. I know they were new to me up until about 8 months ago when I read post from someone singing the praises of a clip-less in the waistband holster. Being typically skeptical, I dismissed the concept as absurd and went about my business. The buzz around these holsters continued to grow so I took the next step and visited their website for a better look at the goods. The holsters appeared to be well made, made domestically, offered several options, covered many pistol brands and models, and were reasonably priced. If I was going to try them out, I was going to try to break the system. I ordered a holster for a CZ75. I wanted to see if this clip-less holster could really support a 41 oz. fully loaded steel framed pistol all day and not end up dropping down my pants leg. Imagine my surprise when the holster was able to support the CZ in a pair of microfiber shorts for half a day. I gave up before the holster did. I just can't sit, walk, and drive around with a CZ stuck in my shorts all day so after about 5 hours my testing was done and the Remora holster passed with flying colors.

I put in additional orders over the following months and even had the chance to speak with Alan Bogdan, the owner of the company, on one occasion. If you ever email Remora, the emails go to Alan and he will communicate with you directly via email or phone if necessary. Not sure how long he can keep that up if his business continues to grow as it has been, but for now you can be sure you're communicating at the top of the company.

As I said before, Remora holsters are made in the USA. I'm not sure how many holster making elves Alan has on staff, but if you've gotten accustomed to the multi-week or multi-month wait for holsters you don't need to worry about that with Remora. I'll run you through an example from last week so you can see what I'm talking about.

If you've been following the blog, you know I'm pretty fond of my DB9. It's pretty much replaced everything else as my primary every day carry pistol. I was using the Nemesis pictured above, but I wasn't really happy with it as the barrel was always picking up lint from my pocket. I had a Remora Size 2 pocket holster in hand so I thought I would give it a try with the DB9. Just so you know, the Size 2 Remora is actually for the DB380. It fit OK, but the rear sights were exposed and it was a bit tight and made pocket draw a little difficult. The picture below shows the DB9 in the Size 2 Remora holster.

I wasn't happy with this so I shot an email off to Alan and asked if he had a holster that would work with the DB9. This was August 13th. I also sent along the picture, like the one above, so he could get an idea about any changes required. He answered me back that same day and said he was working on a holster that would fit the DB9 and he would get one out to me as soon as he could. Imagine my surprise when I went to the mailbox on Thursday August 18th and found my Size 3 Remora (pictured below) in the mailbox. A perfect fit.

The Remora holster for the DB9 tips the scales at a tenth of an ounce heavier than the DeSantis Nemesis, but in return for that extra weight I get a closed muzzle holster and one that can work equally well in the pocket as well as in the waistband. That's great flexibility. I have been using the holster both ways depending on what I happen to be wearing that day.

I'm sure Remora holsters will be appearing in my blog again in the future as I add other reviews and commentary. If you are intrigued about Remora holsters after reading this, please feel free to check them out on the web. http://remoraholsters.com/

Remora also has a Facebook page. Remora Holsters Facebook Page I was reading through what was on the page and it sounds like there are some new products in the pipeline. One I found pretty exciting was a tuckable Remora holster. Can't wait to see what those look like.

Fun With Kydex Week 2

2011-07-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last week, I updated the blog with some pictures and prose about my first attempt at kydex molding. I mentioned that to finish the support side holsters, I needed some rivets and a setting tool. All that arrived this week along with some leather and more Kydex, so today I attempted my first hybrid pocket holster for my DB9. I also did some pretty intensive finish work on the support side holster. Most of that was sanding and shaping.

The DB9 holster was a huge amount of work. My press does great for sandwich holsters, but the single sided left much to be desired. There is just no way for 1" of foam to properly conform to a pistol that's almost an inch thick. I used my press to get a general outline, then used a heat gun and my gloved fingers to form the kydex to the pistol. I would have given anything for access to a vacuum table this afternoon. It would have saved me hours.

Initially, I had planned to use a leather backer but I got these Bank of America mouse pads in an auction item I purchased and they just seemed perfect for the backer. It's rubberized on one side and super slick stiff plastic coated on the other. This is a right handed holster so the rubberized side help hold it in the pocket. Retention is fine and it sticks in the pocket on the draw. I'll be wearing this all week with an empty chamber just to be sure the trigger doesn't get actuated in my daily activities. It feels really good in the pocket.

All in all, I'm really pleased with how these turned out. I definitely need to find a better solution for mounting the rivets. I bought this thing off Ebay, and it did an OK job but I think a hand setter would have done a better job.

Fun With Kydex - Or How I Spent My Saturday

2011-07-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since my last update, but it's been pretty busy recently with travel and family obligations. I've had my mind on a project and finally got the chance to work on it today. Overall, I'm tickled to death with how it worked out and if these two attempts are any indication of things to come in the future, I'm really glad I decided to give Kydex molding a try.

Kydex is a type of plastic with a fairly low melting temperature. Do some digging on the web and you will find a bunch of information about using Kydex to make holsters, knife sheaths, magazine carriers, etc. If you can dream it up, someone will make it for you out of Kydex. I'm pretty good about dropping my CC pistol in my pocket, but I'm horrible about taking along the other things like a knife, flashlight, and extra magazine. I'm not a guy that's going to be running around town in 5.11 tactical pants. It's just not my style. I do wear shorts that have cargo pockets about 7 months of the year so I wanted a support side Kydex holster for my light, knife, and a spare magazine that would fit well in a cargo pocket. I inquired around and several different people would do the job, but they wanted me to send my stuff to them so they could custom mold what I wanted. I'm too lazy to mail away my stuff so for months I've been thinking about doing my own support side holster.

3 weeks ago I had some time to do some googling and found this place that sells Kydex sheets and all of the other stuff you need to make a holsters and sheaths. http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php I put in a small order for 4 feet of Kydex and 2 feet of the molding foam you need to press the Kydex and form it to your gear. This place also sells a professional steel molding press for $80 plus shipping, but the "do it on the cheap until you see how difficult or easy it is" side of me just didn't want to take the plunge until I had a few attempts under my belt. Service from Knifekits.com was fantastic. My stuff arrived super quickly and it was exactly as they specified on their website. I'll be using them again.

So this morning I went out and got a haircut and then headed over to Walmart and Lowes for some of things I knew I would need to make my Kydex press. Initally I had planned to make a hinge for the top and bottom pieces of the press. I spent quite a bit of time looking for the right brackets or whatever that would allow me to make an articulated hinge for the rear of the press. As it turns out, it was added expense and complication that ended up not working well at all. I probably wasted 2 hours of time on that aspect of the project and ended up not using it in the end.

My pressing foam was 8" x 12". I had two sheets of it for the top and bottom of the press. I bought a can of spray adhesive to secure the foam to the press plates. I had some extra 3/4" plywood at the house so I cut two 12 1/2" by 11" boards for the top and bottom of the press. I did a quick sanding on the boards and secured the foam with the spray adhesive. Man, it felt great to get my hands busy working with my tools again. Here are two pictures of the finished press. The first is open and the second is closed.

Once I had the press the way I wanted it, it was time to heat the Kydex and start molding. I'm a total sucker for digital camo. For some strange reason, it just appeals to me. I even bought a roll of digital camo Ducktape when I saw it on the shelf a few months ago. When I saw that I could get digital camo Kydex, I knew I had to have it. My first attempt was with the digital camo Kydex. The first thing I did was cut a piece of Kydex to about the size I thought would be best for the three items and then made sure it was double that big to allow for folding back over the top of the three items. I used our family toaster oven to heat the .08" thick Kydex to between 325 and 350 degrees F. I was pretty amazed at how fast the stuff softened up. Using leather gloves, I removed the Kydex and placed it in the press. I added my stuff and folded the Kydex sheet back over top of my stuff. I then used three clamps to press the two plates together and left it to cool for 30 minutes or so.

I could test how the Kydex was cooling by touching the ends of the stuff hanging out of the press. The flashlight was a real heat sink and when that finally cooled down, I decided I had waited long enough. What came out was pretty ugly so I stuck it back in the toaster oven and brought the Kydex sheet back to flat and repressed it. I was much happier with the results the second time around.

Kydex comes in several thicknesses. I had some .08" and some .06" thick stuff to work with. The digital camo was the thickest .08" and the .06" stuff was just basic black. I've purchased a couple commercial Kydex holsters in the past, and they were even thinner than what I had on hand. So there must be some .04" and .05" Kydex available.

What comes out of the press will need some trimming and sanding work. While I got started doing that on the digital camo holster, I decided I would try molding the black .06" Kydex on the same three items. The thinner Kydex decided that it was really bacon and it started warping and twisting while heating. I'm thinking that maybe I heated it up too quickly or made it too hot. I'll have to play around with the temps on the next pass.

The trimming and sanding process gets pretty messy. It was hotter than you know what here today so I had retreated to the shade of the garage to do my finish work. I made a huge mess with Kydex scraps and crumbs, but it wasn't anything the ShopVac and a shower couldn't take care of. I'm sure that heating, cutting, and sanding Kydex releases all kinds of nasty chemical agents so I made sure I was working in a very well ventilated area.

So that was my afternoon. I ended up with two fantastic support side pocket holsters for my Fenix PD30, Benchmade mini Stryker, and a Diamondback DB9 spare magazine. I am going to have to put in another order with Knifekits for some rivets. The holster retention is pretty good, but a rivet or two will make things about perfect. Once that's done, I also want to try reheating the holsters to give them a slight curve to fit more naturally against my left thigh. Flat isn't bad, but I think the curve will feel better when sitting. Notice the difference in the molding quality of the two. The left was the .06" thick and the right was the .08" thick. Maybe I can track down some digital camo Kydex in the thinner .06". I'll have to check into that.

My next holster will be a matching custom digital camo for the Diamondback DB9. I've been thinking about the features I want to include on the holster and also how I want to press it. For me that's one of the best parts of making your own holster. I'll get it exactly the way I want it.

The Great .380 FMJ & JHP Ammo Test - The Results

2011-07-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned this test a few times over the last couple of months. The plan was to run 22 different types of FMJ .380 acp ammo through 3 different pistols and capture the velocity data with a chronograph. Between bad equipment and then bad weather there were a few false starts, but I did manage to get through the testing on June 18th. You are probably wondering what took me so long to publish the results and I'll go into those details a little later.

As suggested, I've added this listing of tested ammo at the top of the blog. Details will be shown below. Tested loads included:

Tested FMJ - 22

Aguila 95 Grain FMJ RN

Allegiance 100 Grain FMJ RN

Armscor Precision 95 Grain FMJ RN

Black Hills 100 Grain FMJ RN

Buffalo Bore 95 Grain FMJ FN

Buffalo Bore 95 Grain FMJ FN "+P Load"

Double Tap 95 Grain FMJ RN

Federal American Eagle 95 Grain FMJ RN

Fiocchi 95 Grain FMJ RN

Independence 90 Grain FMH RN

Magtech 95 Grain FMJ RN

Magtech CleanRange 95 Grain FMJ FEB

Remington/UMC 95 Grain FMJ RN

Remington/UMC 95 Grain Leadless FNEB

Sellier & Bellot 92 Grain FMJ RN

Speer Lawman 95 Grain TMJ RN

Speer Blazer 95 Grain TMJ RN

Speer Blazer Brass 95 Grain FMJ RN

Tulammo 91 Grain FMJ RN

Winchester WINClean 95 Grain BEB FP

Winchester 95 Grain FMJ FP

Tested JHP - 10

Hornady 90 Grain Critical Defense FTX HP

Winchester 95 Grain Supreme Elite PDX1 HP

Fiocchi 95 Grain Extrema XTP HP

Remington 102 Grain Golden Saber HP

Double Tap 95 Grain JHP

Winchester 85 Grain Silvertip HP

Magtech 85 Grain Guardian Gold "+P Load"

Federal 90 Grain Hydra Shok JHP

Remington/UMC 88 Grain JHP Value Pack

Speer 90 grain Gold Dot HP

I'll start by describing the testing protocol. 5 rounds of each ammo variety was test fired through 3 different pistols and across a CED M2 chronograph positioned approx. 10 feet from the muzzle. The testing set up looked like the photo below. A new string of data was captured each time the load and pistol changed.

I set up a detailed testing sheet and found this handy tackle box that allowed me to keep things as organized as possible when at the range. Don't worry about reading the spreadsheet in the picture below. I'll have a larger image available later in the post.

I decided to use the following guns for the testing. Clockwise from top left they are the Diamondback DB380, Kahr P380, and a Bersa Thunder .380CC. This gave me 3 different barrel lengths to work with. The Kahr is shortest at 2.5". The Diamondback comes in at 2.8". The Bersa has the longest barrel and measures in at 3.2". The differences in barrel length will be important when we get down to the final results.

Once I finally got over the issues with weather and a bad chronograph, the testing actually went pretty quickly. I was able to get into a nice rhythm of loading two magazines for each gun with two different ammo types and then running 6 strings across the chronograph before taking a break and reloading the six magazines again. I have to say that the CED M2 made this project possible. All I needed to do was catalog the string number by gun and load so I could match my spreadsheet to the chronograph data as it was downloaded to my PC when I got back to the house. The final results of my testing are displayed in the spreadsheet below. I added the energy calculation column. All other data came straight from the chronograph.

Click on the results sheet to open a larger image you can read.

My first opportunity to test came on 6/18/2011. You are probably wondering why the data for the Diamondback DB380 stops on the 10th test load. Unfortunately, the DB380 broke a trigger return spring during testing and had to be shipped back to Diamondback Firearms for repair. If you notice the last entry for the DB380, you can see the high and low velocities are the same. I was only able to get one test round with load number 10 before taking the DB380 out of action. I considered holding the results until the DB380 gets back so I could finish the testing, but decided not to wait.

I had a few people ask me if I was also going to test any of the hollow point ammo in addition to the FMJ. Initially, I said no primarily due to the expense of adding them to the test. I softened a bit and ran string 23 for a member of the Kahr Talk Forum that specifically asked about Gold Dots in the Kahr P380. After the DB380 dropped out of the testing, I decided I would test as many varieties of HP ammo as I had on hand, but would not go out and buy additional varieties. As it turns out, I had quite a few odds and ends on hand so while the testing may not be as comprehensive as the FMJ testing I was able to cover a good number.

I went back to the range on 7/3/2011 with 10 new .380 HPs to test. I also wanted to run another string of load number 19 from the original testing as the numbers looked quite promising in the initial tests. You may remember that my goal for this testing was to find a fast, heavy, and reasonably priced FMJ round that I could carry and practice with while not breaking the bank. Load 19 from test day one was a bit of a surprise so I wanted to validate the results. Adding the HP testing expanded my results considerably and the final spreadsheet is shown below

Click on the results sheet to open a larger image you can read.

So now the fun part starts. Being a numbers guy, this sheet was like opening a long anticipated and highly valued Christmas present. I can't say enough good things about the CED M2 chronograph. Once I got past the problem in the initial unit, and got a replacement that worked 100% it was very simple to capture the data and off load it to my Windows XP PC when I got home. Transferring the data into a spreadsheet was a snap as the M2 comes with a data export utility that formats in Excel friendly files. I really don't think I could have done this test if I had to manually log each string while I was at the range. If I was doing the logging manually, I probably would have made a mistake or two and gotten frustrated with the time it was taking to keep things logged and organized during testing.

My only issue with M2 is that my Windows 7 PC will not recognize the unit when attached via USB cable. I'll have to call CED again and ask them to help me through that issue.

So what did I learn after going through all this testing? Some interesting things jumped out at me that were surprising.
1) Even though the Kahr P380 had the shortest barrel, it delivered higher velocities than the longer barreled Diamondback DB380 except for load 7. There could be a number of reasons for this, but the learning was that I would have previously assumed the DB380 would yield higher velocities due to the added barrel length.

2) The Kahr P380 had 3 loads that it would not chamber consistently. For some samples I was able to get one or two of the 5 test rounds to chamber, while one would not allow the gun to return to full battery. The Bersa Thunder 380CC was a new addition that was going through it's break in period during this testing. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to run 50 rounds of Blazer Aluminum through the gun and commence testing with it. Through the entire test the Bersa fed, fired, and extracted everything it was fed. I'll be doing a full write up on this gem in another blog. I've nick named the Bersa "The Pig" due to it's voracious appetite for everything it's fed.

3) Armscor Precision (load 3) was the slowest load of the test. Buffalo Bore's "+p" load (load 6) was the fastest. +P is in quotes because there are no published SAAMI standards for that designation in this cartridge.

4) Using the NRG metric as a guide to gauge the "power" of a load, there seemed to be a sweet spot that helps you decide if a load may be better for practice or carry. Putting it on a scatter plot showed me that the sweet spot is 160 to 175 for the Kahr and 180 to 200 for the Bersa. The good news is that we have several choices of various FMJ and HP loads that are available for reasonable prices in this power range. Some may want to chase the upper and lower end outliers for recoil sensitivity or to get the most ooomph from their load choice.

5) Internet urban legend said that the Winchester White Box 100 count value pack (load 22) was a cheaper version of the similar loading in the 50 count boxes (load 21). My samples did indeed show that the 100 count value pack rounds were slower than their 50 count box peers. Just wanted to add a little fuel to that fire.

6) Speer Lawman (load 15) was slower than Blazer Brass (load 17). Shocking!!! Lawman was my previous carry load. I should have been using Blazer Brass!!

7) I was really hoping to find a nice fast flat point FMJ in the testing. While it's meplat is smaller than the Winchester and Buffalo Bore, the Remington UMC Leadless (load 19 and retested load 34) surfaced as an unexpected contender. It sits between the Winchester and the Buffalo Bore in velocity and it's price is right. I'm picking this one for my FMJ favorite. The Remington UMC Value Pack 88 grain HP (load 33) isn't too bad either in the HP category. It's reasonably priced and broadly available.

8) If money were no object, I would probably run the Double Tap FMJ and HP loads (load 5 and load 28). They cost roughly double the Remington/UMCs listed above, but their performance is impressive for a load that is labeled as a standard pressure loading. You're probably thinking I'm a cheap SOB, but I love to shoot and practice so switching to Double Tap would mean I would have to cut my practice fun in half.

9) Two loads tested are no longer available. The first is the Fiocchi 95 grain Extrema XTP (load 26). During the 380 ammo drought, I picked up several boxes of these for a reasonable price. The boxes are indeed marked 95 grain. The currently available loading from Fiocchi is a 90 grain XTP. My boxes are either mis-marked or they changed the loading over the last 18 months. The second loading is the Double Tap 95 grain JHP (load 28). This load is no longer cataloged and has been replaced with a 95 grain controlled expansion JHP.

10) You may have noticed that I really didn't get into a deep discussion about the cost of the various loads tested. Initially, I thought I might put a cost per round column on the results sheet but since ammo is really just like any other commodity with prices that rise and fall with supply and demand there was little chance that my numbers would be accurate from one week to the next. All I have to say is that if you ever see a super deal on Double Tap ammo, please send me an email about it. =)

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me or add a comment below. I hope some of you will get some value out of this body of work. I enjoyed pulling it together and perhaps one day I'll get back out to the range with some wet newspaper filled milk jugs and see how some of these loads perform.

Over 5000 Views In The First Month

2011-07-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog on May 30th 2011, I wasn't sure how many readers would stop by and read my ramblings. I'm really impressed that over 5000 visits have been made in the first month. I've even picked up a couple of followers and started following them in return.

Recently I've been quiet, but that's because I've been busy working on my next blog project. I just wrapped up my ammo testing this afternoon so you can expect the .380 FMJ test results as well as .380 HP results and some .32 auto tests too.

Diamondback DB9 Update & Ballistics Test

2011-06-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

On my first trip to the range with my DB9, I called out a couple of problems. You can find that range report here. The biggest issue was the failure to feed most of the premium defense ammunition. Diamondback was very responsive to the problem and had new magazine followers made and they shipped one to me last week. So it was time to go back to the range and see if the new follower fixed the feed problems.

Last week I finally did something about the finger rest on the magazine base plate. With my hands, the additional length wasn't enough to allow me to get a third finger on the grip and it actually became annoying to my pinkie that was curled under the magazine. I did the primary polymer removal with 3M blue 80 grit. I followed that up with a double sided nail salon type file with 100 and 180 grit. Fine finish with a sheet of crocus cloth. Washed it up in water and followed that with a drop or two of McGuire's Back to Black. Time consuming to do by hand, but easy enough. Aside from being more comfortable to shoot, the gun is now shorter in height and conceals a bit better in the pocket.

The other issue I had was the walking frame pin. That was easily fixed with a drop of blue Loctite on each end of the pin.

I ran another 105 through my DB9 today using the new follower that Diamondback sent me. From my initial range trip, I could not get Gold Dot 124 grain or HST 124 grain to feed from the magazine. The rounds would nosedive and stick on the feed ramp. My results today with the new follower installed were outstanding. Aside from one failure to feed on round number 4, the rest of the trip went great. The info below is a detailed synopsis of the 105 rounds fired today.

1-7 Speer Gold Dot 124 grain HP. Fail to Feed on round 4. Cleared jam and finished mag.
8-14 Fed HST 124 grain HP. Perfect
15-49 Fed Champion 115g FMJ. Perfect
50-56 Winchester 147 grain HP. Perfect
57-70 Speer Gold Dot 124 grain HP. Perfect
71-84 Federal HST 124 grain HP. Perfect
85-91 Winchester 124 grain NATO FMJ. Perfect
92-98 Winchester 115 grain White Box FMJ. Perfect
99-105 Speer Gold Dot 124 grain HP. Perfect

Ideally, I was hoping the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain would feed and also give good accuracy. It delivered so I can run that load in the DB9 with the same confidence I have using it in other pocket 9's.

To my knowledge, I may be the first to actually run some ammo through the DB9 and across a chronograph. The 3" barrel of the DB9 allows the 9mm ammo to get a decent head of steam built up. All rounds were measured about 8 feet from the muzzle over a CED M2 chronograph. Energy is roughly 50% higher than what you get from a pocket .380. Some people are asking if the DB9 can handle +p rounds, but I really have no interest in trying them. Recoil is snappy, but manageable in the DB9 with the standard pressure rounds. I personally see no reason to step up the pressures and recoil when I can comfortably shoot the standard pressure rounds.

Click on the picture for a larger view.

So I guess that about wraps up my DB9 Review and Testing. I've got 312 rounds through the gun now and all issues found on day one were eliminated on test day two. I have picked my load of Speer Gold Dot 124 grain as the one I will use as my carry round. I've run it across the chronograph so I know what velocity and energy it's producing. The only thing I will do in the future is some water jug testing just to be sure the 1000+ fps velocity is enough to allow reasonable expansion of the Gold Dot bullet. Keep checking back here for those test results.

Early on in my evaluation of the DB9, I mentioned it could be a world beater in the ever growing population of micro 9mm pistols. All results I've seen show me that my initial evaluation has been spot on. Prices for DB9s have recently gone up due to supply and demand pressures, but even at $350 the DB9 offers a significant value proposition and is really a best buy in the market segment. The closest competitors in size and weight, will set you back 2 to 4 times as much as the DB9.

I'm looking forward to the aftermarket and Diamondback catching up with night sights, holsters, and spare magazines. As is, it's great. With some additional goodies, it will be fantastic.

If you are interested in the thoughts and impressions of other DB9 owners, please check out the Diamondback Talk Forum.

A Really Nifty and Useful Weather App for Iphone

2011-06-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

You may remember that my last attempt to test .380 fmj ammo was a literal wash out due to clouds and rain moving in while I was trying to test. The clouds and rain caused all kinds of problems for my chronograph.

Well I think I've found a better way to plan my range trips. I found this little gem in the Itunes App Store this week and it's been fantastic at predicting my local weather hour by hour over the last few days. The really nice part is that the app will give you a weather forecast up to 360 days out into the future and they say it covers the entire globe. Got a trip to Fiji planned in a few months, they have a weather forecast for you.

WT360 description and Link to Itunes App Store

They forecast some good weather for tomorrow so I'll be back at the range and trying to get through as much of the test ammo as possible.

Is The Great .380 Ammo Test Cursed?

2011-06-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

I did get the chance to hit the range this morning and get started on the testing. I wish I could tell you that I got it all done, but I can't. A little bugaboo called the rain moved in and shut me down about 30 minutes after arriving at the range. Looking outside now, it's bright and wonderful. It never really rained hard, but the cloud cover and sprinkles were playing games with the CED M2 chronograph's ability to register the bullets traveling over the sensors. The new M2 is a huge improvement over the one I had to send back. This one should work out fine.

I did get 2 of the 22 varieties tested today, so I put them into the spreadsheet and finalized the format I'll use for reporting the rest of the samples. When all ammos are done, I'll add a bullet energy calculation for each load so we can compare those as well as the 4 currently reported statistics. I'm capturing more data for each sample string, but only reporting the following:
Hi = Highest velocity measured for the 5 shot string.
Low = Lowest velocity measured for the 5 shot string.
ES = Extreme spread of velocities measured across 5 shots.
Avg = The average velocity of the 5 shot string.

Click on the picture of the spreadsheet for a readable version.

Two down and 20 more samples to go. Maybe next weekend will be more productive.

.380 Ammo Test Update

2011-06-12T05:26:00.000-07:00

Back in this entry Great 380 ACP Ammo Test I mentioned that my CED M2 went back to Midway USA for replacement. I shipped it out on May 31st via USPS Priority Mail. I'm happy to report that the replacement unit arrived on June 8th and the testing will commence as soon as possible.

Kudos to Midway for the fast service and refunding my $11.90 return shipping expense. I was willing to eat that in order to get a unit that worked, but Mr. Potterfield was having none of that and gave me the return shipping back. If you've never shopped with Midway, you should check them out for your shooting needs. Midway USA

With any luck, I should be able to get back to testing today. Our weekend plans got scrapped so it looks like I'll have a chance to get back to the range today.

Update on DB9 Issues and Carry Impressions

2011-06-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to publish an update on the issues I experienced with my DB9 during my first trip to the range last week.

The first issue was the walking frame pin pictured below. I called Diamondback on Tuesday and explained the issue. As I expected they advised me to apply a tiny drop of Blue Loctite on the pin before pushing it back into place. They were certain that would fix my issue and I have to agree that will be the case. If you don't know about Loctite, it's basically the duct tape of the gun world and is used to keep a multitude of screws and pins from loosening or moving during the stress of firing.

I also reported an issue with failure to feed some varieties of hollow point ammunition. I did some testing and measuring after my range trip and found something interesting. The DB9 was failing to feed when the combined length of the cartridge + the width of the bullet nose exceeded 1.307". You can see it pretty clearly in the sheet below.

To the credit of the folks at DBF, they were all over this reported issue on Monday morning. They determined that the root cause of the issue was shrinkage in the plastic magazine followers after they were molded. New magazine followers are being made and will be sent to all current owners with feed issues and all unshipped DB9s will have the new follower installed before shipping from the factory. My replacement follower left DBF on Friday June 10th. I'll wait until the new follower is in hand before going back out to the range to retry the Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot.

I do have a CHL so I've tried to carry my DB9 as much as possible this week, which was actually an easy chore to accomplish. This thing is just so small and light that it's no trouble or bother to have it along with you on your daily routine. Custom holsters aren't available yet so I tried the Desantis Nemesis for the DB9 and the Blackhawk! #3 pocket holster. The weights are the actual as carried weights including a full charge of ammunition. Both holsters work fine, but I do like the closed muzzle end of the Blackhawk!. I like the grip space of the Desantis, but it was made too short and the muzzle protrudes from the end of the holster where it becomes a pocket lint magnet. We buy these pocket guns for their light weight so again the Blackhawk! comes out on top.

Conceal-ability is excellent in the front pocket. I think many people get too hung up on "printing". Seriously, how many times have you checked out someone's front pockets when you saw them walk by? I know I don't. The most visible feature in either holster is the magazine base plate. It's the widest point on the grip and it does print a bit. Otherwise it's out of sight and small and light enough to be almost out of mind as well.

As of 6/10/2011 it's impossible to find spare magazines for the DB9. We've been told they should be available in about a month. So I'll be keeping an eye open for them to start popping up on the Diamondback Firearms Web Store.

Cheap and Easy Target Holder

2011-06-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

I recently gained access to a fantastic range. The only problem is that it's bring your own target holders so I needed to get one together in a hurry for a recent trip. I shopped at Lowe's but I'm sure that Home Depot or any other home center or builders supply would have the same stuff.

Here's what I bought.

Required:
(2) 1 1/4" 5' sections of Sched 40 PVC pipe
(2) 3/4" 5' sections of Sched 40 PVC pipe
(2) 1 1/4" x 3/4" Sched 40 T couplers
(2) 1 1/4" Sched 40 elbows

Optional:
(2) 3/4" Sched 40 caps
(2) 1 1/4" Sched 40 caps
Kobalt 1 5/8" PVC Pipe Cutter

I really went for the economic approach and was trying to see how little you could spend to get a decent reusable and non-wood target holder put together. My total investment wasn't too bad. Just under $31.00 after tax. You can skip the end caps without sacrificing function. I just wanted a more finished look.

The biggest expense was the PVC pipe cutter. I originally thought I would use a hacksaw, but the pipe cutter solution looked well worth the extra $10 and now I've got a new tool for future projects. I shopped in the irrigation section and not the plumbing section. Irrigation had the 5 foot lengths of pipe I was looking for. Plumbing supplies may be cheaper, but I didn't bother to find out.

Start by cutting both 1 1/4" pipe sections in half. That will leave you with 4 30" sections of pipe. Set one of these aside as it will not be used. Cut 2 of the 30" sections in half. Rejoin the cut halves with your T couplers. Put your elbow couplers on one end of each section. The elbow should be oriented 90 degrees from the 3/4" outlet of your T couplers. Insert your remaining 1 1/4" PVC section between the elbows to complete your base. Add your two 3/4" 5' PVC pipes into the corresponding holes in your T coupler. You're done!

I went over the ends of each pipe section with 300 grit wet/dry paper and also a green Scotchbright pad. I did this so disassemble could be easily done if I needed to do it. I used a rubber mallet to seat the pipes in the T and elbow sections. I also used the mallet to add my optional end caps to the open end of the base and one end of the 3/4" vertical sections.

I had the Pony clips, closed cell foam mat, sandpaper, and Scotchbright pad at the house. If you don't have those available, you should pick them up with your PVC. The closed cell foam mat is actually a camping mat that you lay on the ground and put your sleeping bag on when camping. I picked one up at Walmart last year for another project that required closed cell foam so I had it on hand. If you don't want to go the foam route, you can always substitute a piece of scrap cardboard. I like the foam because it can be reused multiple times, accepts staples for hanging targets, and you can stick an adhesive target to it and it will peel right off when you are done shooting.
Assembled

Disassembled for transport or storage. You can remove the cross support for transport if required. This fit perfectly in the back of my vehicle.

Target holder in action with (2) 10 1/2"x12" NRA B-16 targets attached. Plenty of room.

I do plan on picking up another 4 plastic Pony clips that will be exclusively for the target holder. I like plastic vs. metal in case I ever shank a shot and it hits the metal clip. I'm sure the plastic clip would be destroyed. I don't want the metal clip sending my shot back at me or someone else as a ricochet.

On really windy days, I think I could pour water into the base through the holes in the vertical T to add weight. I would probably have to drill some holes in the 1 1/4" caps to let the water out after the shooting session. As is, it works great. You can do an unlimited number of variations on this theme to add more cross members to the base, add cross members to the vertical target supports, and on and on and on. I believe this is just about the minimum build you can get away with and still have a stable stand. I would have upped my vertical supports to 1" diameter, but my Lowes was out of stock when I did my shopping.

Finally - The DB9 Range Report

2011-06-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day here today so I was able to follow through with my plans to get out to the range and give the DB9 a thorough shake down. As of this morning, the plan was to take this ammo along and burn through as much as possible for the evaluation. What you plan and what you actually end up doing rarely coincides so I didn't get the chance to shoot everything pictured, and I go into detail on why as we progress through the evaluation and range report. In total, I got through 207 rounds and if I refer to a round number in the rest of this post, it's the number of the round between 1 and 207.

You may me wondering why so much Blazer. I took the Blazer in quantity because it's been the best performer in the DB380 so why wouldn't it do great in the DB9. 1 plastic box has 100 rounds of Federal 115 grain FMJ and the other plastic box has 100 rounds of Remington UMC 115 grain Value Pack HPs. I get both at Walmart and immediately just dump them in a bin when I get home to cut down on storage space. Jeff Quinn over at Gunblast.com mentioned that DB9 was a fussy eater in his review. I wanted to be sure I had plenty of options available if my DB9 turned out to be fussy too.

I had the range to myself again today. I guess I'm one of the few stupid people willing to go out in 95 degree weather in the afternoon and shoot guns. Trigger time is happy time regardless of weather conditions so I just grabbed a couple of quarts of Powerade Zero and got down to business. I had to scramble around last night and get a target holder put together. I had a design in mind and it took about an hour to get the stuff an put it all together. I'll post a blog entry on that project in the near future. I set the target holder out at 7 yards and didn't move it during the testing so everything was done at 7 Yards.

As I mentioned above, the plan was to run a bunch of Blazer through the DB9 and see how it performed. I ran a mag +1 on each target with the following results. Not too shabby for my first two mags through a brand new gun. I'll take it. The black area is 5 1/2" across on these targets. I did have a failure to fire on round 9. The primer was hit, but did not detonate. I put things back in order and the cartridge did fire on the second strike.

Rounds 15 to 21 were an absolute disaster. I've never had this happen before, but rounds 17 and 19 actually stuck in the chamber after firing. 17 required me to poke it out from the muzzle end. Rounds 19 was worse. It was so stuck in the chamber that I had to grasp slide and frame in different hands and bang the frame hand on my leg in order to free the stuck case. Please learn from my experience and do not attempt to use Blazer Aluminum in your DB9. Here's a picture of the ammo to avoid. As you can see, rounds 20 and 21 went back in the box and Blazer aluminum was DONE! for further testing.

The next ammo up was the Federal Champion 115 grain FMJ that you could get at Walmart for under $10.00 a box before the price increase. I use this as my IDPA load so I keep a plastic tub of loose rounds and just grab what I need when I need it. I had brought along 100 of these in case the DB9 was ammo fussy. I used this for rounds 22 to 77 and every round was perfect. At round 77, I did notice something that you should see.

That little pin on the right side of the frame turned out to be a walker. From round 70 forward, I had to push that pin back in at every 20 rounds or so. I never let it walk much further than the picture so I can't tell if you if it would keep walking and eventually cause the pistol to fail. I can say that the pin can walk at least that far and the gun will still function. A quick press of the thumbnail and the pin slides right back into position for another 20 rounds or so.

At this point I started switching up ammos more frequently. I had a ton of stuff to shoot up so I was really interested in what would work and what would not. Next up was the Remington UMC bulk pack 115 grain HPs that you can also get at Walmart. No issues at all with these and they made a nice tight little group. I used these for rounds 78 to 98 with perfect function.

Rounds 99 to 112 were Fiocchi 124 grain HP. Rounds 113 to 126 were Winchester White Box 147 grain HPs. Both ammos worked perfectly and the Fiocchi was really delivering good groups as long as I did my part and didn't shank one as I did with the target in the upper left corner in the picture below. These targets are 3 inch circles with 1 inch centers.

So at this point, I'm doing the happy dance. The DB9 is controllable and it's possible to shoot some decent groups at 7 yards as long as you take your time and make sure the sights are lined up at about the center of the target you are shooting at. By now you can see that I have a low bias on my targets. I don't think I'm snatching the trigger and dropping the muzzle at the point of firing, but maybe I am. In reality, I think these groups are close enough to point of aim that I really don't need to worry about it. Time to try out the super premium ammo.

Next up I wanted to try the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain HP and the Federal 124 grain HST. I really like the 124 grain Speer Gold Dot and run it in my other pocket 9's. The Federal HST is new for me after finally being able to get a couple boxes after the ammo shortage of the last couple of years. I have to say that I was not impressed with the DB9's performance with these rounds. I think I have a fix for the problem, but it will be up to the good folks at DB to address this or not as they see fit. The four rounds on the left worked great. The two on the right wanted to nosedive if you had 6 rounds in the magazine and you racked the slide to load one into the chamber. When I say nosedive, it's really nose hook where the feed ramp will catch the bullet jacket serrations and lock the gun up. Clearing a jam like this is quite a challenge since you have to retract the slide, push the top round back into the magazine, then push the mag release to drop the mag while all the while holding the slide back in it's most rearward position.

I know you're probably thinking that the DB9 won't feed nickel cased ammo, but I think the problem runs deeper than that. =) The nickel cases are probably just a coincidence. See the gap between the bottom of the grip and the magazine base plate in the photo below. The DB9 is on the left. At the range I noticed that the magazine would actually move up and down the the range of that gap when you manually load a round from the magazine. It's advisable to keep upward pressure on the magazine base plate while you retract the slide if you want smooth chambering of the top round. This problem could be minimized with a change to the location of the magazine catch window on the magazine body.

After a bunch of troubleshooting, I was able to get 2 magazines of Gold Dot and one of HST through the gun. I tried a bunch of things and loading one in the magazine and cycling that into the chamber before refilling the magazine to 6 will work, but the top round of the magazine does nosedive after the first shot. Groups with both ammos were just OK.

As mentioned above, the Gold Dot 124 grain is my round of choice in my Kahr PM9. Just for giggles I ran a magazine of Gold Dot through my PM9 (target upper left) and the DB9 (target lower left) to see how they could compare. Pretty much the same in my opinion.

I'm feeling hot and disgusting at this point so I'm done with testing new ammos and I go back to finish up the rounds I know will work. The DB9 round count is now at 135 so I go back to the Federal 115 grain FMJ. I have one Failure to Feed at round 151 which requires me to drop the mag and bump the rear of the slide to feed the cartridge. At round 166, I switch over to the Remington UMC 115 grain HP. At round 172 I go back to the Fiocchi 124 grain HP and run 3 mag dumps +1's through the DB9 with the following results. The extreme spread across 21 rounds is 3 1/4" inches. I think I've found my carry load.

Rounds 194 through 207 are back to the Remington UMC 115 grain JHP and then I decided I'm done. It's been just about 3 hours now and I've crossed that 190 round hurdle where the DB380 previously let me down. I've found a load that I'm happy with in the Fiocchi 124 grain so it's time to call it a day. I've also got documentation on the issues with the walking frame pin and the failure to feed issues that the folks at Diamondback can mull over and let me know if they want to address. The photo below sums up my range trip.

Back in school you got extra credit if you showed your work. Here's my work.

If my experiences are any indication of the overall population of DB9s, then this sure does look like a winner. I have no issues at all dropping this in my pocket as a concealed carry option with either the Remington 115 grain HPs, Fiocchi 124 grain HPs, or Winchester 147 grain HPs. Fiocchi also makes a 147 grain loaded with the XTP bullet. I'll have to try some to those and see how they work. Overall, the most reasonably priced ammos were the ones that worked best, so the DB9 is nice because you can practice with your carry load and not break the bank.

I took RecoilCam out of my review since the video was so horrible. I've done a remix and made it quite a bit smaller so I'm bringing it back. Behold it's RecoilCam.

I did pick up on a couple of issues that Diamondback may address with my specific pistol or the issues may exist with the entire population. Overall, they are easily worked around and can be minimized by paying attention to your gear and careful ammo selection. I'll post any updates as feedback comes in.

So with that I am done and I hope you enjoyed reading through my updates this weekend. I did log some hours pulling this all together, but it was very enjoyable and I would do it all again if given the chance to do so. Please put any questions down in the comments and I will do my best to answer when I can.

Looking Under the Hood of the DB9

2011-06-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

I had to chuckle to myself after putting the title on this update. I wonder how many Aston Martin DB9 fans will google up this blog by accident.

I have to say, after cleaning the DB9 and comparing it to the DB380, this update will be about as exciting as the unboxing from last night. Not much has changed other than the obvious upsizing of several components, new trigger springs, and a much larger ejection port to accommodate the larger cartridge.

Recoil springs have been beefed up for the larger cartridge.

The slide looks just the same, but larger. The ejection port is also quite a bit longer on the DB9 to handle the longer cartridge. The DB9 barrel is has also increased in length by 2/10 of an inch. I had a very difficult time getting a decent picture of the feed ramps and chamber throats. I will say that if I could have properly focused the picture, the DB9 ramp was polished to a mirror finish and free of the tool marks found on the DB380 feed ramp. Both barrels have the same polishing on the chamber throats.

The frames appear to be nearly identical except for the size and modification to the trigger springs. On my first review of the DB380, I questioned the longevity of the original trigger springs and trigger bar actuation. The original system has been changed for the DB9. I did my best to call out the change in the picture below. I included the over exposed picture as it highlights some components that aren't as visible in the good photo.

A quick scan of the parts list for the DB380 and DB9 shows 39 parts listed for each gun. On the surface that doesn't seem significant until you dig in a little deeper on the list. New for the DB9 is a little part called S013 - TB Rear Assist Spring. For those of us that lived through the early trigger reset issues of the DB380, this new spring should make you raise your eyebrows. The trigger reset problems were caused by the rear of the trigger bar catching on the rear frame block and sear axis pin. I'm hoping the new rear assist spring was put into the DB9 to eliminate this problem. Also new for the DB9 is part G05 - Firing Pin Spacer. I was hoping that this part would eliminate one other known issue with the DB380. The issue comes up when your trigger has been pulled on an empty chamber and the firing pin is fully forward. If you try to rack a round from the magazine, the rim of the cartridge will catch on the firing pin and jam up the gun. The way around this is to always cycle the slide after dry firing the trigger to reset the firing pin back into the firing pin channel. Personally, I've never had a problem with this, but others grouse about it frequently. So I'm not really sure why the firing pin spacer was added for the DB9.

One last observation on my deep dive into the manual, and it's really quite a huge observation that I would never have caught if I wasn't doing this review. Check out this picture. The top manual is the one that came with my DB9. The bottom manual came with my DB380. Diamondback had to do a new run of manuals since one manual covers both the DB380 and DB9. Notice the DB380/320 Parts List title in the new manual. If I was a betting man, I read 320 to mean we will be seeing a DB in .32 acp soon. Now that may not get you very excited, but I can't wait to get my hands on one. I like my Keltec P-32, but I could see a DB320 in my future. I call dibs on one from the first batch please.

I'm done for the day. Check back tomorrow for a comprehensive range report.

New Diamondback DB9 Art Pictures Between Baseball Games

2011-06-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

Between the morning and afternoon baseball games today, I did manage to grab the good camera and take a few outdoor photos with natural lighting. It's 92 degrees here today so I actually broke a sweat taking these, but it was worth it since they are so much better than the pictures I took last night. I can't wait to get this thing out to the range tomorrow.

Diamondback DB9 First Look

2011-06-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Last year the DB380 compact .380 acp autoloader was released and almost 13 months ago I sat down on a Friday night and penned my DB380 review. Tonight I sit down and prepare to do it again, but this time I'll be writing about the newest Diamondback, the DB9 super compact 9mm pistol. There have been a few of us anxiously awaiting the DB9's arrival. Some of us bought DB380s while we waited for news of the DB9. Some of us speculated and posted what we though the DB9 would be like. Here's one of my posts from the Diambacktalk Forum from last year.

I think we were all looking for the same things from this pistol. We all appreciated the simplicity of take down and very light weight of the DB380. We wanted the folks at Diamondback to take things to the next level and give us a similar platform, but upsized for the 9mm Luger round. They certainly didn't disappoint and I'm super jazzed to be adding another pocket 9 to my CC stable.

I picked up my DB9 this afternoon and I plan on recreating the same experience I had with the DB380 last year. True to form from last year, I've got a heavy baseball weekend going this year too so I'll be updating the review as time permits. Tonight I wanted to do the unboxing and cover some of the inevitable comparision questions that several of us have. The first trip to the range will have to wait for Sunday.

Unboxing:
If you previously purchased a DB380, then there really isn't anything exciting here for you. The plastic case appears to be the same along with the die cut foam. The pistol ships with one magazine, instruction manual, trigger lock, Crimson Trace advert, and a discount card for 10% off any order over $50 at the DB store. I'll be using that discount on spare mags as soon as they are available. I quickly scanned through the manual and all pictures feature the DB380. I'm almost positive it's the same manual they ship with the DB380's.

Comparisons:

So let's get down to the comparisons. This next section will be a bit picture heavy, but I had to shoot a bunch of pictures to compare the DB9 with the DB380, Kahr PM9, and the Rohrbaugh R9. The Kahr and Rohrbaugh have been the kings of pocket 9's for some time now so it's only natural that people will want to see how they compare. Since I can't get out to the range until Sunday, I'll focus on the weight and dimensional differences tonight. All weights include an empty factory magazine. All pistols take 6+1, so ammo will add the same weight to all guns.

First up was the 11 oz. Diamondback DB9. As you can see, it gained a little weight with the magazine in place and the 11 oz. gun is really 11.4 oz. without the magazine so I'll let them slide since they didn't include the magazine and they rounded the weight down to the nearest ounce.

Next to hit the scale was the Rohrbaugh R9. It logged in at a flat 15 oz.

Moving on to the PM9, we see a hefty 17.1 oz, but you have to remove the Crimson Trace from that weight (.6 oz.) which gets you down to 16.5 oz. Just to be honest here, this is hands down my current favorite pocket gun. This is the benchmark that the DB9 must beat.

I'm sure there will be some DB380 fans that want to know what upgrading to 9mm will do to their pockets in weight and $$$'s. Here's the difference in weight. 10.4 oz. vs. 12.8 oz. and I get better sights on the DB9. I'll take that trade-off all day long.

Dimensionally, all 3 of the pocket 9's are different. I really struggled with the best way to convey that to myself and those that humor me by reading this blog. I ended up making a trip to Walmart tonight to pick up one of those scrap booking mats that has the measured grid lines on it. I used it as the background for all of the following pictures so I hope the size difference conveys. I struggled with lighting, shadows, and picture clarity, but I think I finally got some good pictures that compare the relative sizing of the three.

Diamonback DB9

Kahr PM9

Rohrbaugh R9 I have to come clean here. My carry mag includes a finger extension that increases the height dimension. I used the factory magazine for the measurements because I'm sure most people will run their Rohrbaugh stock.

Let me jump in at this point and make a few comments. Rohrbaugh has been the king of smallest pocket 9's for several years. Kahr has also sold scads of PM9's, As you can see above, the Rohrbaugh is the smallest in length and height, but they give up their width advantage to the DB. If the Diamonback checks out on the range, you could be looking at a world beater. Here's why I think that.
1) The DB9 can take a CT laser.
2) The DB9 could have night sights in the future.
3) The DB9 is rated for +P ammo as long as it's not +P all the time.
4) The DB9 manual doesn't mention the need to change the recoil springs every 200 rounds as you need to do with the R9..
5) The DB9 is literally 1/4 the price of a Rohrbaugh and 1/2 the price of a PM9.
6) The DB9 is smaller and lighter than the PM9.

At this point, I think I'd like to put up some pictures that compare the DB9 with the DB380. I'm sure there are some DB380 owners out there that would like to see what upgrading would do to the real estate in their pockets. The answer to that question is not much more. You can see in the photos below. DB9 is on the left and DB380 is on the right.

To wrap up the first look I took a 360 view of the DB380 and the DB9. It will give you a little more insight into the differences between the two.

So with that I should probably end here for the night. My plan is to get into the guts of the pistol tomorrow and see if anything has changed between the DB9 and the DB380. The day after that will the range day where all will become more clear on recoil and reliability. Stay tuned.

The Great .380 acp FMJ Ammo Test of 2011

2011-06-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've read a bunch of posts and articles about the .380 acp cartridge. Back in the good old days, you bought a Colt Mustang Pocketlite and kept it loaded with Winchester Slivertips and all was right in the world. As long as you could stomach cocked and locked pocket carry, you could go about your daily routine with confidence that if needed, your Colt would go bang.

Spin the clock ahead 15 years and now we've just experienced a pocket .380 extravaganza. So many new pocket .380s have shown up on the scene over the last few years it's really difficult to keep track of them all. Over the last couple of years, I've been trying different pocket .380s in a quest to update my beloved Colt with something a bit more modern.

About this time, I also started reading about the effectiveness of .380 hollow point ammunition. There were as many articles and photo essays condemning the ,380 for lack of penetration and marginal expansion as there were folks singing the praises of the cartridge. So about 18 months ago I made a personal decision. For the occasions I do find a .380 in my pocket, it would be loaded with full metal jacket (FMJ) ammunition. My primary reasons were that penetration is more important than expansion, risk of over-penetration is minimized due to the low velocities of the .380 in sub 3 inch barrels, .380 hard ball ammo is typically cheaper and would allow me to practice more with my carry round of choice, and finally that .380 fmj ammo feeds more reliably in most pistols due to the lack of a hole in the nose of the bullet.

So I went about gathering FMJ ammo samples from various sources locally and with the help of the internet. Back in the day when you went to Walmart for .380 ammo you would find UMC yellow box for $7.97 and red box Federal Champion for $9.97 in boxes of 50. If you wanted hollow points, you had to go to one of the specialty gun and hunting stores. Things have changed quite a bit since then and I was able to track down a few more options. Some came from Walmart, but most were purchased from specialty gun shops.

My plan was to run 5 rounds of each variety through 3 different .380 pistols and see which brand and variety delivered the fastest speeds for a given bullet weight. I knew I needed a chronograph to measure the bullet velocity so I tracked down the guy that bough my Pact chronograph and asked him if I could borrow it back for a few days. He was more than willing to let me borrow it, but Valentine's Day came along and my wonderful wife gave me a fist full of Midway USA gift certificates. So why not just get my own chronograph again.

I've been doing a little IDPA shooting over the last year or so and part of that discipline involves measuring the "power factor" of the ammo you shoot in sanctioned matches. I heard that many match organizers were using the CED M2 Chronograph from Competitive Edge Dynamics for this testing. I was brand loyal to Pact, but the M2 had some really nice features like allowing up to 500 strings of shots and the ability to connect the data logger to your PC and off load your measurements. What the heck, I'll give it a try.

I had some time away from work recently and also recently gained access to an outdoor shooting facility so it was time to get this ammo testing started. I got all my gear together and headed out to the range.

Ammo - Check
Spreadsheet Organizer - Check

I decided to use the following guns for the testing. Clockwise from top left they are the Diamondback DB380, Kahr P380, and a Bersa Thunder .380CC. Each of these could be carried by me on any given day and while I have a favorite, they all see their tours of duty. This also gave me 3 different barrel lengths to work with. The Kahr is shortest at 2.5". The Diamondback comes in at 2.8". The Bersa has the longest barrel and measures in at 3.2".

Time to head out to the range and get busy with the testing, so off to the range I went and got all set up nice and cozy. It was a little dark and overcast, but that never caused me any issues with chronograph testing in the past.

On tap for testing were 22 different varieties of FMJ ammo:

Load	Mfg	Desc	Prod. Number	Weight
1	Aguila	95 Grain FMJ RN		95
2	Allegiance	100 Grain FMJ RN	ALG 380	100
3	Armscor Precision	95 Grain FMJ RN		95
4	Black Hills	100 Grain FMJ RN		100
5	Buffalo Bore	95 Grain FMJ FN	27F	95
6	Buffalo Bore	95 Grain FMJ FN "+P Load"	27B	95
7	Double Tap	95 Grain FMJ RN		95
8	Federal	American Eagle 95 Grain FMJ RN	AE380AP	95
9	Fiocchi	95 Grain FMJ RN		95
10	Independence	90 Grain FMH RN	5262	90
11	Magtech	95 Grain FMJ RN	BN0511 L-341	95
12	Magtech	CleanRange 95 Grain FMJ FEB	BN0916 L-14	95
13	Remington	95 Grain FMJ RN	L380Ap	95
14	Sellier & Bellot	92 Grain FMJ RN		92
15	Speer	Lawman 95 Grain TMJ RN	53608	95
16	Speer	Blazer 95 Grain TMJ RN	3505	95
17	Speer	Blazer Brass 95 Grain FMJ RN	5202	95
18	Tula	91 Grain FMJ RN		91
19	UMC	95 Grain Leadless FNEB	LL380AP2	95
20	Winchester	WINClean 95 Grain BEB FP	WC3801	95
21	Winchester	95 Grain FMJ FP	Q4206	95
22	Winchester	95 Grain FMJ FP	USA380VP	95

I mentioned previously that I was brand loyal to Pact chronograph equipment. Well, I should have followed that conviction because I started testing, but couldn't get good readings from the CED M2. I blamed the lighting and packed up for the day with plans to try again the following day. It was a sunny and glorious day on my second attempt, but the M2 still wasn't working. After some trial and error, I determined that one of the sky screen sensors was not registering the bullet passing over it. Another nice thing about the M2 is real time error messages. I was being told that the chono was registering a start signal, but no stop signal. I reversed the sky screens and tried it again. I was now getting an error message that the chrono was not getting a start signal, but was getting a stop signal. It had to be one bad sky screen sensor. Luckily I was smart enough to bring along a 9mm on day two so at least my messing around with debugging the M2 didn't waste my .380 ammo stash. If I was really smart, I would have brought along a .22, but I'm not that smart.

The great .380 FMJ ammo test of 2011 became a bust due to a faulty chronograph! Luckily for me, I had purchased it from Midway USA and I gave them a call about my problem. Sure, sometimes Midway is more expensive than other places, but Midway has the 90 day no questions asked return policy. I was still in my 90 day window so the faulty chrono went back to Midway for a prompt and courteous exchange for a new one.

So, for now testing is on hold. While we wait on delivery of the replacement chronograph, maybe Competitive Edge Dynamics will get around to calling me back about a problem I am having when trying to connect the chronograph unit to my Windows 7 PC. Windows 7 doesn't want to recognize the device. I can attach the same chronograph to a Windows XP machine and it recognizes it just fine and dandy. Keep that in mind if you are shopping for a CED M2 and you only have a Windows 7 PC. The PC is probably not going to recognize the chronograph.

It's Shipping

2011-06-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

It took almost a week, but I just got the word that my Diamondback DB9 is shipping. This was my first order placed with Bud's so I really didn't know how fast or slow they would be and if I even had a shot at getting my DB9 by the weekend. As it stands now, it might be here for Saturday which would mean I could get out and give it a try this weekend. If not then I'm sure it will be here early next week.

I would love to include a picture with this update, but the best one is copyrighted by Jeff Quinn over at his excellent Gun Blast website. He's got the DB9 splayed out across his palm and you can see how really small it is. It's either that or Jeff has huge hands.

Getting Ready for the DB9

2011-05-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, I mentioned that Diamondback Firearms recently started shipping their new DB9 pistol. The specs on this gun are pretty incredible when compared to their DB380 Freshman offering. A weight of 11 oz with a max width of well under 1"? Sign me up for one of those.

Diamondback DB9
Weight 11 ounces
Height 3.86"
Length 5.75"
Slide Width 0.8"
Maximum Grip Width 0.8"
Frame Width 0.8"
Maximum Width 0.8"
Barrel Length 3.0"
Trigger Pull 5 pounds
Magazine Capacity 6+1

Diamondback DB380
Weight 8.8 ounces
Height 3.76"
Length 5.25"
Slide Width 0.758"
Maximum Grip Width 0.74"
Frame Width 0.748"
Maximum Width 0.76"
Barrel Length 2.79"
Trigger Pull 4.5 pounds
Magazine Capacity 6+1

Unlike with many other new pistol releases, the DB9 had a pocket holster available even before the gun was released to the public. I was placing an order at my favorite on-line shootin' stuff seller, Midway USA, a couple of weeks ago and I noticed they had the Desantis Nemesis available for the DB9. I had to add one to my order.

Over on the Diamondback Talk Forum, Diamondback Talk Forum, we've been getting updates from insiders at Diamondback on the shipping schedule. The first batch of DB9's went out the door to distributors on 5/23. I kept an eye open at several on-line dealers in a mad hope that one would be available and I would be lucky enough to snag one. After dinner on 5/25, I was checking my mail and noticed that one of my on-line sellers had a DB9 listed as available. I went through the order process and received my order confirmation. I got one. Nice. Now I just have to wait until I get the call from my local FFL holder so we can process the transfer paperwork.

I plan to do a full rundown on the DB9 as I did on the DB380 when it was released last year. I'll probably post my stuff exclusively on the blog time time around.

DB380 Update

2011-05-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

After my initial postings about the Diamondback DB380, and subsequent range trips, some problems developed with the pistol. Several of the ZA series of serial numbers had issues with the trigger failing to reset during firing. Mine started having this problem just shy of the 200 round milestone. The issue was infrequent and could not be repeated with any consistency. Following the web traffic and range reports of others shows that subsequent ZB and ZC series serial numbered guns were much less problematic. Internal components were updated by the manufacturer and many of the early teething problems were resolved.

I ended up getting a second DB380 from a local store. The new ZC serial number series DB380 was a MS version with milled sights and a parkerized finish. This series was done as a special run for a large sports store chain. I think the milled sights are just fine for the intended purpose of this tiny 380. Unfortunately, the folks at Diamondback have decided to discontinue the model.

May 2010 Diamondback DB380 Review

2011-05-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

I posted this last year on a forum I frequently visited. Now that the DB9 has been released and I have one coming this week, I wanted to pull my DB380 Review back out and add my thoughts on the new DB9 when it arrives. The original review and shooting feedback follow, along with a current update.

I think several of us have been curious about this new .380 on the block. I know I've been waiting for a pistol like this for a very long time. I've always wanted a polymer 380 with the reliability and ease of field stripping offered in Glock pistols. I was aware of the Diamondback and it's development, but really had no idea they had brought a contender to the marketplace until recently. A quick trip to Gun Broker showed me what was available and the going price. This one came from a dealer in Florida for $375 including shipping and local dealer transfer. This one was factory fresh with a serial number in the 4000 range. I'm hoping the fixes for the early serial number guns have been done to this one, but we shall see. I just picked it up after work so this thread will be a work in progress through the weekend. Tonight it was all about field stripping, cleaning, and discovering what the pistol was all about. Sorry for the crappy iphone pictures, but I was focused on the task at hand more than trying to be artsy. Maybe that will come later in the weekend.

When reading up on the Diamondback, I kept reading about the Glock-like design. When I saw a picture of it for the first time and saw the take down bar was identical to the Glock, I was sold. I had an open order in at RKBA Holsters so I added one for the Diamondback to the order last week. Stephen McElroy was more than willing to make sure it arrived with the others. The first picture shows the DB380 and a Glock 27 in two of RKBA's pocket holsters.

Here's how they look undressed. Quite a bit different in the grip, but I like the DB380 beaver tail and the more vertical grip is not unpleasant. The extractor on this pistol is HUGE. The proof will be in the shooting.

Undressed and with their tops off. I'm really quite astounded by the similarities of these two designs. Take down is identical. Clear all ammo, check again, check one more time, then drop the hammer, pull back the slide a skosh, and pull down the take down bar to remove the slide from the frame. Check out the rails. The DB has as much or more as the Glock in the rail department. Slides are a bit different, but you have to see the similarities.

Captive and semi-captive springs from the two guns. Looks like plenty of spring for a 380 if you ask me. Trust me, it's a stout set up.

And last but not least, the barrels. While they are very similar in design. The hoods share the same shape and locking slot. The feed ramp on the DB has a central channel not found on the Glock. I am very interested to see how this works under fire with different bullet designs. I took this picture pre-cleaning so the crap in the DB barrel is now gone.

Ok enough with the comparing. So what do the guts look like? First impressions are the guts look beefy as heck. Metal trigger and metal magazine release. Yipee!!!! Huge ejector and what appear to be monolithic rails embedded in the polymer frame. They couldn't rip the Safe Action Trigger of the Glock so they came up with a Zero Inertia trigger system. All I know is that there are dual transfer bars connected to the trigger by thin wire connectors (they look like springs) that make the magic happen to release the striker when the trigger is pulled. You can see them pretty clearly in the 2nd and 3rd picture. They are directly to the left of the first knuckle on my middle finger. From the 30 minutes I spent with the gun tonight, those connectors are by far the least beefy component in the design. I'm concerned, but the proof is in the shooting.

"Yippee!!!!" worthy were the decisions to come out of the chute with a metal trigger and mag release. Why they didn't make the mag release in black shall remain a mystery. 98%+ of the pistol is black. Why go bright on the mag release? The tiny serial number plate on the grip is bright, but the actual serial number is done in black on bright steel. I can always use a Sharpie on the mag release so no biggie I guess. I had to chuckle at the obvious rip off of the thumb groove. It doesn't make a huge difference in the grip, but I had to give Diamondback credit for going the extra mile to capture the Glock-ness in their grip. The available magazines come configured with or without the extended base plate. I found the flat base was best for me when shooting. The extended base plate didn't allow me to get more fingers on the grip and was actually more annoying to my pinkie than the flat base plate.

Since we're talking about the grip, I think DB screwed the pooch when the decided to put a reasonably aggressive texture on the front strap, but decided not to carry that over to the back strap. There is some texture to the side panels and back strap, but it's very non-aggressive. Maybe this is by design because the side panels have a slightly more aggressive grip than the back strap. It feels like 3 distinct textures across the 3 different gripping surfaces. The proof will be in the shooting. I like the forward and rear slide serrations. They provide a very secure grip when racking the slide, which you will do frequently since this gun comes without a slide stop which means it's not going to be holding itself open when your ammo runs out. Magazines will drop free and magazines require a firm push to insert in this new gun. This may change with time and use. The trigger guard is an overly engineered mess of angles and shapes, but it does have some nice features. It's undercut to let the gun sit lower in the hand to minimize muzzle flip. The front of the trigger guard has the 4th unique grip surface texture and may be a nice feature for those that use the trigger guard for the index finger of their off hand. I don't grip that way so to me it's not a benefit. There is no external safety and no magazine safety. The sights are quite reasonable and consist of a dot bar dot design of white on black. I'd slam a Crimson Trace on this immediately, but we are probably a year or two away from CT making that an option. Diamondback is very proud of their logo and it appears 4 times on the pistol. It's on each side of the grip and also on both sides of the slide. Wait until you see the magazines.

Magazines are available direct from Diamondback. I ordered a pair on Thursday and they were in the mailbox on Monday. The gun ships with one magazine so I ordered one with the standard flat base and one with the extended baseplate. The good news is they really fit well and don't show the same sloppy fit as some of the other popular 380s. I had to shoot a couple pictures because I have never seen a magazine branded like the Diamondbacks. You won't be confusing these with your P3AT magazines, even though I have read the two are interchangeable. It's a standard 6 round mag made in Italy.

So by now you are probably wondering how the DB380 compares to the Ruger LCP in size and weight. I find this a bit of a coincidence but the LCP with Crimson Trace and full load of ammo and extended mag floor plate weighs the exact same 12.6 oz as the Diamondback with a full load of ammo and extended floor plate. The RKBA hosters for both guns weigh in at the same 1.7 oz for a total pocket weight of just less than 14.5 oz.

Range Report from the Day After the Above Was Posted.
I was able to sandwich in a trip to the range between tee-ball games and a family event this evening. I'm now home and ready to give my verdict on the DB380. If you just want the headline, I will cut to the chase and say that this gun DOES NOT SUCK. It's really pretty well done. If you want more details, feel free to read on.

The plan was to blow through as much ammo as possible at the range today, while still taking the time to save targets for pictures. I also had two other items I was proofing today in addition to the DB380. I didn't get through all of it, but I did get through 184 rounds. All shooting was done indoors and at a distance of a measured 7 yards. The ammo breakdown was:
20 Magtech GG HP 85 grain +P
13 Federal Hydra Shok HP 90 grain
9 Golden Saber HP 102 grain
21 Fiocchi Extrema XTP HP 95 grain
21 Remington-UMC JHP 88 grain
50 Remington-UMC FMJ 95 grain
50 Win White Box FMJ 95 grain
---------
184 Total rounds down range

I started out with the FMJ fodder just to get a feel for the gun and sights. The first group was 25 rounds of Rem FMJ and the second group was 25 rounds of Win FMJ. I immediately saw the low left bias in the sights. For this trip, I didn't want to adjust anything until I could determine if the pistol was going to be reliable and dependable. I continued shooting until I had finished 50 rounds of each FMJ ammo. I did one handed and two handed shooting during this phase of testing. Zero issues of any kind were experienced in the first 100 rounds of FMJ ammo put through the gun and the two magazines used for testing. The trigger was really quite nice. Much more like the trigger on the Kahr P380 than the trigger you get with the Ruger LCP or Keltec P3AT.

The last 7 rounds of each FMJ was shot for grouping. Again, you can see the low left bias. All targets are 1" centers with at 3" boarder.

I then switched over to the HP self defense ammo and ran 14 rounds of each to capture the group size and point of impact. Flawless functioning from the MagTech Guardian Gold and Fiocchi Extreama ammo for all shooting. I did check throughout the test shooting and saw no evidence of smilies on chambered rounds.

Next up was the Federal Hydra Shok. I had my first feed issue when trying to chamber the first round from the magazine. I had to repeat the process 3 times before I was able to rack the slide and get the round to chamber. On the 4th round of the first magazine I had my first failure to feed during firing. I cleared this and got through the rest of the rounds without issue.

Golden Saber and Remington HPs were next on the list. I had issues getting the Golden Sabers to chamber the first round from the magazine. I had to manually repeat the process four times to get one to load properly. I experienced one failure to feed in the first magazine and had another on the second magazine, so I stopped trying them on the 9th round. The standard 88 grain Remington HPs fed perfectly and no issues were noted.

So knowing the low left bias of the sights, I shot one more 7 round group and adjusted my point of aim (POA) to the upper right corner of the target zone. I used the 3 loads that had proven themselves as viable candidates for a carry load based on their prior performance. First up was Magtech Guardian Gold.

Next was the Remington 88 grain HP.

And last was the Fiocchi Extrema.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the reliability of the DB380 so far. I believe the reliability issues encountered were 100% due to the ammo being used at the time. Like a good semi auto .22 LR pistol, guns can be finicky when it comes to ammo. I would bet that the different looking channeled feed ramp is the root cause of the feeding issues with the Golden Saber and Hydra Shok rounds. In a way, the gun was telling me it didn't like the ammo when it wouldn't chamber the first round cleanly. It was almost expected that it would fail to feed under fire. I can live with only being able to use certain brands of ammo.

I do not like the low and left point of impact on the sights. I took a close look at the rear sight and slide dovetail. it's pretty obvious that they didn't quite get things centered when they installed the rear sight. Since I want to move the group to the right, I need to move the rear sight to the right. There is quite a bit more room in the sight dovetail to move the sight to the right. That's an easy fix I can do. Once that's done I can spend some time on the shooting low problem. In theory, the sights could be set to impact POA at 25 yards, which would mean they would "shoot low" at 7 yards. In reality, I'm probably not going to bother with a 1" low at 7 yards problem. I'll just cover the target with the sights. I did let someone else try the gun today. He's an IDPA Master Marksman and he too shot low left. He also commented on the sweet trigger pull and Glock-like-ness of the gun.

In conclusion, I have to say that I love this little gun. After my trip to the range, I brought it home and gave it a very thorough cleaning and noticed very little wear after 184 rounds. Sure, there was some burnishing on the frame rails, but other than that it was visibly exactly like it was when it was initially cleaned on Friday night. Now I have to decide if I'm going to follow through on my statement that if there was ever a 380 that offered the reliability and simplicity of a Glock, I would get rid of all other 380s. Until Crimson Trace comes out with a laser guard for the Diamondback, I guess I don't need to do anything drastic and liquidate my assets.

First Entry

2011-04-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon. I've been active posting on a bunch of different gun bulletin boards, and it gets tedious to post and repost the same stuff in many places. I've decided to start my own blog spot so at least everything will live in one spot.

I've got some plans for various tests and reviews that will be added to the blog over the next few months. All reviews and tests will be done on various shooting supplies ranging from holsters, ammo, chronographs, and of course firearms.