February 22, 2012

Hornady Recalls FTX Custom Pistol Ammunition
Filed under: ammunition,Industry News,Safety — Tags: , , — CTD Lady Blogger @ 11:05 am    

Hornady Product Recalls, Item number 9249

February 2012

Hornady Manufacturing Company is recalling seven (7) lots of Item#9249, 500 S&W 300gr. FTX Custom Pistol Ammunition. These lots were shipped between September 9, 2010, and October 17, 2011.

Item number 9249, Lot Numbers

Hornady Custom Pistol Ammunition Recall

Hornady Custom Pistol Ammunition Recall

  • 3101327
  • 3110256
  • 3110683
  • 3110695
  • 3110945
  • 3111388
  • 3111885

Hornady Manufacturing Company ballisticians have determined that some cartridges from Lot Number’s 3101327, 3110256, 3110683, 3110695, 3110945, 3111388, 3111885, may exhibit excessive chamber pressures. Use of this product may result in firearm damage and or personal injury.

DO NOT USE HORNADY CUSTOM PISTOL AMMUNITION ITEM #9249, 500 S&W 300gr. FTX, FROM THE ABOVE LISTED LOT NUMBERS.

The lot number can be found printed on the lower portion of the box label.

THIS NOTICE ONLY APPLIES TO LOT NUMBER’S 3101327, 3110256, 3110683, 3110695, 3110945, 3111388, 3111885. If you own any one of these Lot Numbers’s or have any questions regarding this recall, please call 800-338-1242. Hornady Mfg. Company will make all arrangements associated with this return and replacement of the product.

ANY OTHER LOT NUMBERS OR ITEM NUMBERS ARE NOT SUBJECT TO THIS RECALL AND REQUIRE NO ACTION.

Click here to visit the Hornady Web site for more information.

February 21, 2012

The BP9CC: While You Weren’t Looking, Bersa Grew Up
Filed under: Firearms — Tags: , , , , , , — CTD Mike @ 12:29 pm    

I have a hard time saying “Bersa” without immediately following it with “Thunder.” The .380 ACP Thunder has been a favorite budget concealed carry gun of the American shooter for many years. It’s not as tiny as the Kel-Tecs, Diamondbacks, and S&W Bodyguards that have come since, but it successfully replicates the classic Walther PPK for half the price with great reliability and accuracy. I’ve seen tons of Bersa Thunders at shooting ranges across the country over the years, tried out more than a few of them, and never heard a Bersa owner complain about parts breakage or the reliability of the guns. The .380 Thunder shoots straight because the blow back design allows for a fixed barrel. The only complaints I’ve ever heard about them are the long trigger pull in double action (duh) and the small sights. And that’s pretty much all I knew about Bersa, until this year’s SHOT Show.

Thunder Pro 9

17+1 capacity, Picatinny rail and good trigger, around $415. I didn't know either.

Did you know Bersa makes a 9mm pistol with a 17 round magazine? I didn’t! For years, I thought they only made little sub compact pistols in minor calibers. The Thunder Pro HC is a full sized service pistol with a 4.25” barrel, alloy frame, ambidextrous slide, safety, and magazine release controls, and a Picatinny light rail. Bersa also makes the Thunder Pro HC in .40S&W, which cuts capacity down to 13+1. Thunder Pro Ultra Compact models are smaller versions of the Thunder Pro, with chopped barrels and shorter grips holding a few less rounds. Bersa even makes an Ultra Compact .45 that holds 7+1 rounds, yet is only 5.1 inches tall. The Thunder Pro HC and UC are traditional double-action/single-action guns with exposed hammers and big controls, and they have a reputation as underrated guns. Nevertheless, they represent older concepts of what a concealed carry pistol should be.

Thunder Pro Ultra Compact

Ultra-Compact .45acp holds 7+1 and weighs the same as a Glock 27

At the 2012 SHOT Show, Bersa released their first polymer framed pistol, and it is truly state of the art. The BP9CC reflects the new “slim is in” thinking and is less than an inch thick. BP9CC doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it stands for “Bersa Polymer 9mm Concealed Carry.” Hey, at least they didn’t name it the Thunder Polymer, am I right? Its single stack magazine holds eight rounds of 9mm ammo, and the magazine release is ambidextrous. The BP9CC’s barrel is 3.3 inches long, it is striker fired, with a crisp trigger and a “fast” trigger reset of just a few millimeters. Dovetailed sights are a standard 3-dot setup, the front dovetail being a Sig specification and the rear being a Glock specification, so it should be very easy for night sight manufacturers to “mix and match” parts from their existing product lines to sell night sights for the BP9CC. The frame features a standard Picatinny light rail mount up front, as we have come to expect. There is no external “active” safety, but the trigger has an M&P style cam safety built into it. Bersa included a firing pin safety to make the gun “drop safe,” and an integral locking system that makes the gun legal to sell in those states requiring it. Like all Bersas the BP9CC is rated for +P ammunition, despite weighing only 21.5 ounces.

Bersa and Kahr

BP9CC next to the CW9. Isn't that interesting now?

Stylistically the BP9CC reminds me strongly of a Kahr CW9. The trigger and the texture of the grip are different, but the grip angle seems identical to the Kahr and the slides are very similar. I haven’t disassembled a BP9CC to see how similar it is to the Kahr internally, but at less than an inch thick it stands to reason that Bersa employed some Kahr type trickery to keep the gun as slim as possible. There are two finishes available, the standard matte black and a two-tone version with a matte nickel plated slide, which is the one I would choose for superior corrosion resistance.  The magazine release is truly ambidextrous, as opposed to a reversible setup which some companies will advertise as ambidextrous. Large buttons placed on each side of the grip can be pressed at any time to release the eight round drop-free magazine. Rifling in the barrel is polygonal, similar to what Glock uses. Early reports suggest that the BP9CC has excellent mechanical accuracy and controllability, which makes sense since it weighs just a tad bit more than the Glock 26 and has a slightly longer grip. You won’t need to buy an aftermarket pinky extender doodad to wrap your hand around the BP9CC.

Bersa BP9CC duo-tone

Nickel slide gives the BP9CC maximum corrosion resistance. I'd pay a bit more for this.

Bersa originally announced their polymer pistol project way back in 2009, but the first examples of the BP9CC are just now finding their way into the hands of the American shooting public. What gives? Well, just as we have BATFE here in the states, the Argentines have a government entity called RENAR, the Registro Nacional de Armas. According to my sources at Bersa, RENAR approval to export the new pistol here took much longer than originally hoped. Bersa took the extra time to refine the BP9CC as much as possible, but the bottom line is that they were hoping to sell modern polymer pistols long before 2012. They say good things come to those who wait, and now Bersa’s patience is paying off for shooters here in the U.S. who want an affordable and super slim concealed carry pistol. With MSRP set at $429 for the matte black and $440 for the “duo-tone” nickel finish, chances are you’ll be able to pick up a BP9CC for around $100 less than its Glock or Kahr competitors, and that means Bersa is going to sell a lot of these little pistols.

February 19, 2012

“Amazing penetration and striking power!”
Filed under: ammunition,ballistics,Rifles,Rimfire Ammunition,Uncategorized — Tags: , , — olegv @ 1:47 pm    
1908 Steyr-Pieper .32 tip-barrel pistol

1908 Steyr-Pieper .32 tip-barrel pistol

This marketing slogan of the early 1900s described pistols chambered in the lowly 32ACP cartridge. The guns were touted as being good for everything from home defense to assassinating important persons to self-defense against brown bear. To the modern reader, such claims appear outrageous, but why were they taken seriously back then? The rounds that 32ACP superseded were mainly the black powder .320 revolver cartridges loaded with lead round nose bullets. 80 grain unjacketed bullet at about 550fps lacked penetration and typically did not expand. Five or six of those from a revolver were rather less likely to end a fight than eight jacketed pistol bullets propelled by smokeless powder at 900fps. Neither round would equal the performance of .38 Automatic or similar, but then neither would the larger guns fit pockets, whereas the .32 could. Note that neither the higher velocity nor the greater penetration were at all significant for target shooting, so the Olympic pistols use .32 S&W Long even today.

22LR ball, 22WMR ball, hollow point and varmint rounds

22LR ball, 22WMR ball, hollow point and varmint rounds

Much the same situation obtains with 22LR and 22WMR. The ballistic advantages of the higher velocity round are meaningless for target shooting and recreation plinking, while the lower cost of the 22LR makes it quite attractive. On the other hand, people who shoot things other than paper may find 22WMR worth considering. First, let’s look at the bullet construction. 22LR bullets are usually plain or plated lead, with a couple of pre-fragmented rounds available. 22WMR, on the other hand, comes in plain lead for plinking, as ball for penetration (capable of defeating the skull of a 300-pound wild boar straight on), hollow point for self-defense and frangible for varminting. Next comes the velocity difference. Although 22WMR appears to be a waste for use in pistols due to the slow powders used, it still gives the same performance from a pistol as 22LR out of a rifle. Out of the rifle, the faster cartridge pushes 1950fps with 40 grain bullets and at 200 yards (!) the velocity is the same that 22LR produces at the muzzle. That becomes significant both for resisting wind drift and for minimizing projectile drop. In sum, just the 32ACP in the early 1900s, 22WRM provides a valuable improvement in performance over 22LR without adding much weight or bulk.

RMR30 with Primary Arms 3x prismatic scope, Gemtech 22WMR sound suppressor

RMR30 with Primary Arms 3x prismatic scope, Gemtech 22WMR sound suppressor

22WMR is obviously a marginal round for self-defense but it is far from useless. Its niche is similar to the 5.7×28 FN cartridges, for use in lightweight compact weapons. For example, the upcoming Keltec RMR30 is almost exactly half the weight of an AR15 with the same length barrel. If necessary, it may be fired with one hand. Each extra loaded magazine adds 6.4oz vs. 16oz for the standard AR15. This may be of small importance to professional weapon users, but paramount to backpackers or to those who cannot lift much weight due to a handicap. RMR30 itself is not designed as a front-line combat weapon. For example, the telescoping stock is lightly built and wouldn’t last in melee fighting, but then neither would the folding stock of the “paratrooper” M1A1 carbine. As configured, it proved 100% reliable over hundreds of rounds and quite accurate as well: at 25 yards, I can put the entire 30 round magazine into one 1/2″ hole using the 3x scope and CCI Maxi-Mag ammunition. That’s with my elbows rested on a table, not from a machine rest. The crisp trigger shared by RMR30 and PMR30 is a big help with the accuracy. The imperceptible recoil helps as well. When I take it to the range, I always end up with 10-11 year old kids wanting to try it — the light weight and the variable length stock make it a viable firearm for them. The sound suppressor works quite efficiently because the amount of gas at the muzzle of a 22WMR isn’t large but it exits at a fairly high pressure. The illuminated 3x scope works well for precision shooting — for defensive use, a red dot allowing co-witnessed backup sights would be more appropriate.

February 17, 2012

World’s Ugliest Military Rifles
Filed under: Firearms — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — CTD Rob @ 3:41 pm    

We were standing around the office the other day talking about guns. I know what you are thinking, that’s a big shock, right? We were discussing how appealing some of the new guns today are looking. The Italians made the ARX-160, the SCAR is a thing a beauty, and nobody has ever looked at a G-36 and said “wow, that’s ugly.” This got us thinking. What are some of the ugliest, most hideous military weapons ever made? We decided to list a few of the guns that only a mother could love.

British SA80

British SA 80

British SA-80

Oh my, what were our cousins across the pond thinking with this one? They shoved a pistol grip under a giant buttstock and called it good. In service, the initial reception of the rifle was poor. British soldiers complained that the rifle was unreliable and fragile. Tests on the rifle later identified an excess of 50 faults. Most notably the magazine release catch, which could easily be caught on clothing and therefore accidentally release the magazine; the plastic safety plunger which became brittle in cold climates; firing pins that were not up to repeated use and prone to fracture, if used in automatic fire mode. Although this report identified many issues, and engineers corrected some of the rifle’s problems as a result, (e.g., the magazine release guard and trigger); these modifications only addressed seven of the 50 issues and complaints over the rifles reliability. This rifle just makes us want to say “bollocks.”

French FAMAS

French FAMAS

FAMAS

The French FAMAS has been in service since the 1970s. This gun does work quite well however. The FAMAS has seen action in several theaters with great success. The French troops refer to is affectionately as le Clarion (“the Bugle”) because of its shape. We refer to it as le Fugly. Being a decent weapons system won’t keep it off our list, it is just too darn terrible looking, also its French, enough said.

Korobov TKB_022

Korobov TKB 022

Korobov TKB-022

We promise we don’t hate all bullpups, but good gosh this is an ugly gun. These weapons did have the best barrel length to overall length ratio among Russian weapons of the time, however. In testing, the rifles performed very well. They were more accurate than the AKM, and had ambidextrous ergonomics. The Soviet army eventually rejected the gun since the design was too radical. There were also concerns about the displaced center of gravity to the tail end of the weapon. Durability of the weapon’s plastic housing during prolonged operations under difficult conditions or during storage was also an issue.

Fedorov Avtomat

Fedorov Avtomat

Fedorov Avtomat

Well the Russians managed to make it on our list twice. The Fedorov Avtomat was an early attempt at an assault rifle. It had many modern features despite Fedorov designing it in the early 1900s. It had relatively light weight, a large detachable magazine, an intermediate powered cartridge, and selective fire capabilities. It’s recoil-operated action was however, sensitive to fouling, and early models did not have interchangeable parts.

What are the ugliest guns you can think of? Comment below and let us know what monstrosities you’ve come across.

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Filed under: ammunition,Contests,Firearms — Tags: , , , , , — CTD Lady Blogger @ 8:37 am    

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