The Gun Life

a place for thoughts, ideas, and reviews of anything relating to firearms. Seeking writers.

[gunsngear]

The Cardinal Rules of Firearms Safety

All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.

Never let the muzzle point at anything you are not willing to destroy.

Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you have made the decision to fire.

Identify your target and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything you have not positively identified.

[thegunlife]

5 gun related youtube channels you NEED to know about

1. MrColoinNoir 

Mr. Noir really stepped on to the scene with his "you know you're a gun nut if..." video.  He specializes in modern pistols and black rifles of all types with a great sense of humor. 

2. Hickok45

Ever get bored with the traditional gun review videos with their endless lists of numbers and stats?  Hickok45 is like your buddy at the range telling you why he loves or doesn't love something. Watch a couple of his videos to see what I mean. 

3. Range Time with Cory and Erika

There's a ton of good concealed carry and tactical advice here.  What makes it different is their banter and you can see what a great time they're having together.  

4. MidwayUSA

Need to know how to install dove tail sights? Re-blue a barrel? Do a DIY trigger job?  This is the place to go.  There are videos on EVERYTHING you could ever want to do as an home gunsmith.  

5. Gun Talk TV

I'm a big fan of Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Radio.  It's a great channel for keeping up with some of the latest gear and training techniques before they hit the market.  

[thegunlife]

initial thoughts on the Colorado theater shooting

Last night in Aurora Colorado and mentally unstable man murdered a dozen or more innocent movie goers for reasons unknown.  This is a terrible event and we should take time to pause, reflect, and mourn the loss of human life in such a tragic way.  

My hope for the American people is that we not get caught up in this political game.  What we need to remember is that these actions were  made by someone who was severely mentally unstable.  And such, his actions can not be rationally explained.   I also hope the American people remember that we live in world where fertilizer and diesel can take down a government building and everyone who owns a car owns a "deadly weapon".  

I remember applauding Jon Stewart for this video when things were getting extremely political with the Jared Loughner shooting. I can already see us going down the same path with the recent Colorado tragedy. Click to watch the video.  

[thegunlife]

top 3 choices for your first pistol

     One thing that frustrates new gun shoppers is that everyone they talk to has a different "must buy" for their first gun and they get frustrated by the overload of information.  That's because none of them are right (or wrong per se) because everyone has different needs, physical characteristics, and wants and so everyone has a different answer.  However, there is hope.  

     The first thing you should do when buying a pistol is to not buy anything...yet.  Huh? Seriously, don't buy anything until you've had some training.  The NRA basic pistol course is inexpensive and a good start but a hands on class at your local range may be even better.  Now that we have that out of the way let's continue...

     By ruling out what guns you should NOT buy as a first pistol, you will have a much smaller scope of what to look for.  From there, you can find a gun range that has rental pistols and spend an afternoon trying several of them out.  Yes, it will not be cheap, but I promise it will save you money in the long run when you decide you want something different.  

too small - Every time I hear a gun store clerk suggest a snub nose revolver to someone who's never shot a gun before I just want to slap them and take away their gun store card.  Seriously, who came up with this idea that smaller is better for a new shooter?  Putting a snub nose .38/357 in a new shooter's hands is probably the easiest way to guarantee they will never shoot again.  These guns are hard to shoot and should be left to the experienced shooter and even the experienced shooters don't like shooting them.  

too powerful- Anything more powerful than 45acp will probably cause you to develop a bad case of recoil flinch and other bad habits.  We're talking .44 magnum, .357 magnum, 10mm etc... However, if you try it, and you can handle it well than more power to you.  

too cheap - There are a lot of bargain pistols out there that I would own and shoot, but not any that I would trust my life to.  If it's less than $300 new I'd look elsewhere.  In the long run the cost of the pistol is pretty small compared to how much you'll spend on ammunition and accessories.  

Top 3 Choices

1. Glock 19 - If someone asks me what pistol should they buy and after hearing my spiel on renting several options first and they force me to pick one gun for the beginner, this is it.  It's just small enough to carry, enough capacity (15rds) for home defense, and has very very little recoil.  ~$550 new

2. Springfield XDm Compact - For those that feel slightly more comfortable with more "safety" features this is a great choice.  Slightly smaller than the Glock 19, but also comes with an extended magazine.  ~$599 new

3. Ruger SP101 - For a lot of people revolvers are still a great choice.  The Ruger SP101 is kind of a medium sized revolver, so it's heavy enough that it won't hurt like a true snub nose.  I'd suggest getting the 3" barrel and starting out with .38 special ammunition.  Stay away from .357 ammo until you feel comfortable and ready.  ~$550 new

[thegunlife]

My Journey to the Kahr P9

My Journey to the Kahr P9

Finding the right firearm to carry is a lot like finding the right wife.  First you shop around to get a sense for the field.  Then you date a few to see if you’re a good fit.  Finally, when you know the time is right, you propose to the girl/gun of your dreams and start planning the wedding.  That’s where I am at right now with the Kahr P9.  Like many, I wish I could have said it was love at first sight, but it wasn’t.  It was quite a journey until I found her.  

Like many young men, what I thought I wanted and what I really wanted or needed were two different things.  I was after the tall blonde at the bar not realizing the headaches a girl like this can give you once the honeymoon period is over.  Like many, I had to learn the hard way. 

So now, after reach a level of “maturity” I had decided to find something you could bring home to mom and I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for:

9mm

DAO or striker fired

barrel of at least 3”

capacity equal to or greater than a 1911

single stack

no manual safeties 

All signs pointed to the Kahr P9.  It is a proven design that has been around for almost 20 years.  Long before the term “sub compact” even existed Kahr was making them. 

Now the real review:

Shooting is all about the trigger so let me start there.  It has one of the smoothest triggers I’ve ever pulled.  It’s a very long pull, but smooth as butter and the breaking point is always a surprise.  However, the distance from the grip to breaking point of the trigger is as little short for me, so I added a hogue handall jr to add just a little more length.  I found after shooting 200 consecutive rounds my trigger finger was a little sore without using one. 

Fit and finish are perfect.  However, it does appear the Kahr over builds it’s polymer frames which allows for a very tight fit, but also for some wearing on the frame.  This was true for mine as well.  It doesn’t bother me in the least and I’d much prefer a little “wear” than a loose frame. 

The checkering was too aggressive for me.  After the initial 200 rounds my palm was pretty sore.  The hogue handall jr. fixed this problem as well.

Off hand I was easily putting all shots into a 5”-6” circle at 30 feet. 

I experienced no FTE or FTF during the break in period suggested in the manual.  I did have one failure to return to battery, but it was after I released the slide by pressing the slide release which it says not to do in the manual instead of sling shot-ing the slide using my hand. 

The P9 carries wonderfully.  I carry mind in a crossbreed supertuck deluxe. 

I don’t think anyone looking for a CCW would not like the Kahr P9 and hopefully the review might save you some of the headache’s of going after the wrong girl like I did. 

- Stephen

[thegunlife]

They Are More Numerous Than the Locust (by Walker Parks)

[thegunlife]

I can't think of a better Holiday gift for the gun lover in your family than this.  A limited edition, SIGNED, book about all things gun from one of the pioneers in the industry.  Very cool.