Officially jumping n the 10-8 bandwagon

I've referenced material from 10-8 before, and read/forward their articles to many, so I might was well do it here as well.

If you own a 1911 you owe it to yourself to check out this stellar reference site: 10-8 Articles, also of interest is their blog. I recently picked up one of their Armorers blocks and it's proved useful in the short time I've had it. Just the other day their Gen 2 Slide Stops were back in stock and I decided to get one as my Nighthawk was not consistently locking open on empty with Wilson ETMs, so far it seems to work as advertised, the pad is nicely oversized without being overly large. I also picked up some 10-8 Lube and some Armorers Tools. We'll see how this slide stop performs now that IDPA is getting to start back up as well as some scheduled training this Spring. The wife and I are heading back to TDI for Pistols II & III to fill the prerequisites for Team Tactics. 

I totally spaced during my ordering process as I meant to get some of their nifty slotted screws designed to work with a .45ACP casing, oh well, there's always next time. If the slide stop works well for me I'll probably order another for my Springfield.

100 Years of the 1911

On this day today in 1911, the M1911 was patented.

Now say what you will about the 1911 and it's perceived and legitimate short comings, you have to admit that for a basic handgun design to still be in use, largely in it's original form for 100 years says something about the genius and ability of the design. From new gun owners to Military and Police hi-speed / low drag types, to gun collectors, carriers, competitors, the 1911 fills the hands of many of shooters and is still thought of in some circles as "the" handgun to have.

It's no secret that I'm a 1911 fan, and this year is being hailed as the year of the 1911, every maker under the sun is offering a commemorative 1911 celebrating the 100 year anniversary.

Kimber, Remington, Para, Colt, Ed Brown, Les Baer, Nighthawk Custom, and many others are all offering something special for this year. Colt is even roll marking models with "100 Years of Service" on the slides of 1911s made this year on top of their commemorative models. The two models I'm most interested in this year are the Colt ANVIII an the Ed Brown Executive Elite Centennial Edition  . When you look at the likes of the Kimber and NHC model that Ed Brown isn't too outrageous compared to their other models.

Most likely I'll be ordering a Colt ANVIII, but those Browns sure look nice. Maybe an ANVIII and another Colt with the roll mark are in order...

Most likely going with Sig for the new rifle.

While the Colt SP901 is pretty temping, so is a gas piston AR 10 made by Sig.

From Sig's Facebook Page

All ready has the ACS stock I want and may be a little lighter than the Colt sans the monolithic upper. How did I miss this at SHOT?

There's also a "Precision Marksman" version with a longer rail and 20" barrel, specs show less than two pounds of difference, 9.3 vs 10.6 lbs. But I'd have to buy the ACS stock anyway and eBay the PRS from the Marksman model. The ACS is less clunky with no funky wheels and stuff, has a cleaner look and a better spot  (a'hem "cheek") weld than most of the other stocks I've felt. I wonder if an extra 4" of barrel and longer rail is worth the weight, it's not like I'm going to he hiking in Afghanistan with the thing and some moderate range coyote hunting may be in my near future.

Guess we'll wait and see how the pricing between the Cotl SP901 versions the Sigs compare.

Don't Shoot the Messenger: Another Reason to Not Endorse Kimber...

ALE's pricey guns prove unreliable.

"ALE Director John Ledford said the Kimber pistols repeatedly suffered such problems as rounds jamming during training exercises, broken sights and the weapon's safety button sometimes falling off. He made a deal with a local firearms dealer to swap the pricey pistols for less expensive handguns without spending any additional money."

I'm sure that those guys are just haters and gun snobs and that there's really nothing wrong with the guns...

Oh, my favorite part.

"In an effort to fix the problems, Ledford contacted Ralph Karanian, the chief operating officer of Kimber America of Elmsford, N.Y. Karanian promised to fix the problems, and the company replaced a key spring on the pistols, according to the memo. Agents also fired as many as 1,500 rounds with each pistol on the suggestion they needed to be "broken in.""

If you buy crap, don't be surprised at the stink.