The boys are back, and they’re talking SHOT Show! Jack won the predictions game… but lost so much more.
Falling Block vs. Rolling Block
The world of early cartridge firearms is fascinating. The cash-strapped American military first adopted the famed trap door carbines from Springfield Armory. While these might have been the first cartridge firearms formally adopted by the United States military, they weren’t necessarily the only cartridge firearms standing around. The Rolling Block and Falling Block designs had established themselves with hunters, military forces, and more. A fairly common question is, what’s the difference?
Trap door carbines are easy to understand, but what’s the difference between a falling block and a rolling block? What exactly is a block in the first place? There were other cartridge firearms in this era, mainly the famed lever action rifles. These rifles fired something more or less equivalent to a pistol round or near enough to a pistol round. When you got into bigger, more powerful calibers, you needed a more robust system.
Loading the round into the chamber was as easy as sliding it into the chamber from the rear. The big problem to solve was what kept it there. When you fired the rifle, gas propelled the round forward and would most certainly propel the round rearward if allowed. You needed a block to keep the round from flying outward. Engineering in this era was wrapped around muzzle loaders where a block wasn’t needed.
One of the first arms races for pull-powered cartridge rifles meant for military use was to establish a blocking system.
The Rolling Block
The Rolling Block was mostly designed in 1863 and was used as a split breech carbine issued to US Calvary troops. It wasn’t until Remington took over the patent in 1866 that the Rolling Block we know and love was up and running. I imagine the Civil War and the need for established rifles and handguns really dampened the production of new firearms, especially when you’re already swimming in military contracts.
A Rolling Block rifle appears to have two hammers at first glance. In reality, it has a single hammer and a breech lever. The user would cock the rearward hammer o the locked position. Then, they use their thumb to manipulate the breech lever rearward, which exposes the breech. This breech lever rolls the block rearward. Thus, it was named the rolling block.
With the block locked to the rear, the shooter can insert a cartridge. The block is then rolled back into place. The rolling block contains the firing pin. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer drops and strikes the firing pin and fires the weapon.
The Falling Block
The Falling Block design is much older than the rolling block. In fact, it dates back to the 1840s and likely earlier with custom gunsmiths. Sharps used the action in his rifles, so did the Belgians, and many more. After the Civil War, the falling block really took off with the widespread acceptance and use of cartridge firearms.
To shoot a falling block rifle, you have to use a specific mechanism to lower the block. With some guns, this is a lever beneath the action, much like the Winchester 1885 designed by John Browning. In smaller guns, like the Stevens rimfire rifles, it’s a lever on the block that the user presses downward. The shooter depresses the block in one way or another inserts a cartridge and raises the block.
The firing pin is contained to the block. When the block is struck by the hammer, the weapon fires. The Falling Block carbines are still fairly popular and produced as expensive custom guns. These rifles are quite robust.
Which is Better?
Both systems are robust, well-made, and certainly well-proven. The Rolling Block design was successfully fielded by the United States military, including as the first official cartridge pistol adopted by the US Military. However, the falling block is a much more robust system. That’s why it’s still produced for high-pressure, modern calibers. Both are a ton of fun, and if you just want to play late 1800s shooter, either one will work. I have both a falling block and a rolling block .22LR and enjoy them both immensely.
Five MORE Things You Can Do at The Great American Outdoor Show (that you can’t do at SHOT)
Last time I gave you five things to do at the Great American Outdoor Show. It was a great time and while one day was fun and exhausting enough, I discovered that it wasn’t “actually” enough. I spent a second day there. With 650,000 square feet of show space, “enough” is not really a thing. So here are five MORE things to do at GAOS (that you can’t do in Vegas). Yes, I had fun and you should too!
1. See a 3D target archery competition.
I’m not sure what the criteria were to sign up for this, but it looked like fun! It was set up in the horse barn area (I think?) so there was plenty of room. They had 3-D targets representing just about any game animal you could think of, set up both near and far. Some of the targets were even for sale. I loved the sound of the “thwack” as the arrows struck their targets. Afterwards, I checked out the archery product section, which was huge, and I also discovered that my own Ten Point Crossbow model has been discontinued. Does that mean that I need to go shopping for an upgrade? We shall see.
2. Buy spices from a guy wearing fluorescent deer antlers.
This was definitely a double-take moment. The hat alone warranted a stop at his booth. The spice array from this family owned company was mind-boggling. Only partly to reward his attention-getting hat, I purchased some “Chesapeake Bay” seasoning since Lent is coming up and I will surely be making crab cakes. Give his link a look if you are into interesting spice mixes. Major Flavor Seasonings.
3. Watch lumberjacks chopping wood.
The GAOS was the site of the Pennsylvania Lumberjack Championships and though none of the guys looked like Paul Bunyan and I didn’t see a blue ox, I got to watch some real hard-hitters at work. I don’t think there is much wood cutting in Vegas, although I hear that axe throwing can be a thing.
4. Buy beef brisket jerky and bacon brittle from a young Amish/Mennonite guy.
Yes, bacon brittle – candy that has bacon in it! What’s not to love? I am not a fan of super hot stuff myself, but he offered an incentive for brave souls. If you could eat an entire (2.5 oz) package of their “Armageddon” hot jerky in five minutes without taking anything to drink, you’d get 25% off your purchase. The fellow told me that a few tried and succeeded, but a few also bitterly regretted their decision. I stuck with the original flavor, myself. This was a friendly, energetic fellow, and a good salesman! Their business ships to anywhere in the U.S. so give them a try! Gourmet Meat Express.
5. Sit in a rocking chair under the cows.
To avoid some of the crowds, the Farm Show Complex offered a “short-cut” up through the second floor, which I availed myself of a few times. But not many people used it. That meant it was quieter, cooler, and nobody was using the rocking chairs in the atrium. Ahhhh, so I rested my tired dawgs under the cow mural. Putting ten miles of concrete show floor under my feet in two days made this a blissful experience. You should try it. I’ve never seen a rocking chair in Vegas, but they sure could use some in the press room!
So that completes my list of the best things I did at the Great American Outdoor Show. My overall impression of the GAOS? Two thumbs up, would definitely go again.
Is the 20 Gauge Really the Best Low Recoil Defensive Option?
I’m a big guy, and as such, I’ve always been partial to the 12 gauge. A low-recoil shotgun has never been necessary, and I realized there was a giant 20-gauge gap in my knowledge of defensive shotguns. So I did what any self-respecting gun writer would do, and I wrote Mossberg to try out their new Mossberg 590 in 20 gauge. The 590 is a legendary fighting shotgun that traditionally chambers the 12 gauge cartridge.
This modern tactical 20 gauge is a rare bird, so seeing Mossberg embrace the smaller gauge was interesting. This isn’t a review of the gun, but I will say it’s a very nice shotgun. It’s fun to shoot, lightweight, and compared to the 12 gauge 590, it’s light recoiling. Mossberg built the 20 gauge model on a 12 gauge frame, so it’s big and plenty heavy. It does provide a lower recoil option than the 12 gauge variant and is soft and easy to shoot.
The But Behind the 20 Gauge
But…is it really the softest shooting defensive shotgun option outside of .410? As I shot the 20 gauge more and more, I had a realization. I was shooting some cheap Monarch buckshot, 2.75-inch shells loaded with nine pellets of No. 1 buck. It’s not a bad defensive load. My realization was that this pump action 20 gauge was light recoiling, but was it better than a gas-operated 12 gauge with reduced recoil tactical loads?
I grabbed my Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical with some Federal Flitecontrol and Winchester Defender and shot the guns side by side. I could hardly tell the difference in recoil. The 12 gauge with the right ammo and a gas-operated action was fairly tame, as tame as the pump action 20 gauge.
That realization and experiment led me to believe that the famed low recoil 20 gauge option isn’t as big of a deal as I had always been told. If you absolutely have to have a pump action shotgun for defensive purposes, then yes, the 20 gauge is lighter recoiling. However, if you asked me for a low-recoil defensive shotgun, I’d point you to a gas-operated semi-auto with the right ammo.
Why?
Great question. Always ask why. First, let’s talk logistics. The 12 gauge dominates the tactical shotgun market. As such, it has the most affordable defensive ammo options and is the most widely available. Most importantly, it has Federal Flitecontrol. These purpose-built defensive buckshot loads pattern tighter and often feature reduced recoil. Training ammo, like birdshot, is cheaper and more common.
I’ve found a couple of defensive buckshot loads, but they are nothing to brag about. The Barnes option is No.3 Buckshot, which doesn’t always penetrate that well. I’m sure it would stop a threat, but I’d prefer a projectile I know will penetrate deep enough to stop a threat reliably with a single pellet. The Barnes buckshot is also $4.50 cents per round and doesn’t perform all that great. Winchester also produces a 20 gauge tactical buckshot, but it’s just a low recoil Super X load.
The lack of good, solid, and easy-to-find defensive 20 gauge loads makes it tougher to suggest. Sure, that cheap Monarch load will work, but I can have Flitecontrol with the 12 gauge variant. Also, don’t forget the fact it is a semi-auto, which means it is easier to use, faster to fire, and has less human mechanical reliance.
What About a Semi-Auto 20 Gauge
That’d be the real money for a low-recoil shotgun. The problem is that it is tough to find a semi-auto-defensive 20 gauge. Benelli doesn’t make the M2 series in a defensive configuration. Beretta doesn’t seem to make any semi-auto tactical 20 gauges. There are a slew of Turkish imports, and there might be some defensive 20 gauges in there, but man are Turkish shotguns really tricky…
Some work, but most don’t. The only tactical shotgun in the 20 gauge variety I know of is the Mossberg SA-20. That’s also a Turkish import, but one that meets Mossberg’s quality, so I tend to trust it more. Sadly, they are often tough to find and are not super well supported, making it tough or even impossible to find shorter-length stocks, magazine extensions, and more.
The 12 gauge semi-auto shotgun market has never been better. Beretta has the 1301, the A300 Ultima Patrol, Benelli has the M4 and M2 series in tactical varieties, Mossberg has the 930 and 940, and not to mention the Renegauge Security, the Stoeger series, and many more. A semi-auto 12 gauge with the right ammo is the better low-recoil shotgun.
That being said, if you wanted a pump action tactical 20 gauge, the 590 is pretty damn good.
Wiley X Announces Plans to Assemble All New Products in the USA at Frisco Headquarters
FRISCO, Texas (Feb. 14, 2024) – Wiley X, the global pioneer and leader in premium protective eyewear, is proud to announce that the brand will now assemble all new products from its 2024 lineup and beyond in-house at its Frisco, Texas headquarters. This move signifies a commitment to creating additional jobs at the company’s Frisco location, ensuring quality control, and
streamlining production processes.
“As a Veteran-founded and second-generation American business, this has been a dream of ours for quite some time,” said Dan Freeman, CEO and Co-Owner of Wiley X. “We are proud and excited to continue building our business by not only designing but also assembling products in Frisco. We look forward to the opportunities it will create for our hardworking teams in the U.S. that made this all possible.”
Wiley X has built a reputation for providing world-class eye protection for those who serve, work, and play in life’s harshest environments. With the decision to assemble its new products at the Frisco headquarters, the company aims to further expand its manufacturing capabilities with additional product options and services for customers. Streamlined U.S. production will lead to quicker response times, faster product availability for customers, and an accelerated warranty and replacement program.
“For over 30 years Wiley X has provided the best possible protection and performance for professionals and outdoor enthusiasts alike,” says Myles Freeman, President and Co-Owner of Wiley X. “By bringing assembly of new products under our own roof we’re taking even greater control of the manufacturing process, guaranteeing the highest quality standards while creating exciting opportunities for our team here in Frisco.”
The decision to assemble new products at the Frisco headquarters also brings economic benefits to the local community. By creating more job opportunities in the area, Wiley X continues to contribute to the growth and development of Frisco, making it an even more vibrant hub for innovation and opportunity.
For more information about Wiley X and its range of eyewear products, visit www.wileyx.com.
About Wiley X
Veteran-founded in 1987, Wiley X has been producing the world’s most protective eyewear to various markets that rely on impact resistance for over 30 years. Myles Freeman Sr., a military veteran, started Wiley X to protect the eyes of those who protected America. The company’s military heritage helped carve a roadmap for Wiley X in the years to follow for many well-respected weekend warriors. Every adult sunglass style made by Wiley X meets ANSI Z87.1 High Velocity and High Mass Impact Safety Standards, for protection that goes far beyond the harmful rays of the sun. Several styles also meet U.S. military MIL-PRF-32432 (GL) standards for ballistic eye protection, a key reason why Wiley X has been a leading provider of vision protection equipment to the U.S. military and law enforcement for more than 30 years.
The Judge Home Defender – Breaking It Down
I’ve been blasting away with the Taurus Home Defender for about a month now. The gun itself is rather interesting. It has more in common with something like the Mossberg Shockwave than the original Judge. Since the gun has been designed for home defense, I decided to outfit mine as if it was the only gun I had for home defense. What would I do, and why would I do it? With that in mind, I’ve had lots of people asking about the weapon and its accessories, so let’s break that down.
The Taurus Judge Home Defender
The Home Defender version of the Judge features a massive 13-inch barrel. It’s designed with an extended forend and comes with rails for both lights and optics. Taurus installed shields against the cylinder, which would provide a bit of protection against the blast when using the extended forend.
The longer barrel gives the rounds a significant velocity boost and tends to allow buckshot to be a bit more like buckshot. At the same time, it can still handle the proven and massive .45 Colt rounds. Let’s break my Taurus Judge Home Defender down.
The Optic
Across the top sits a Vortex Defender. Why the Defender? Well, if I doubled up on the Home Defender with a Defender optic, it’s got twice the defense, right? No, not really, but the Vortex CCW-Defender is very light and very small. It comes with a Picatinny rail adapter, which is necessary with the Home Defender.
Some of the problems I have with the Defender-CCW don’t much matter with a revolver, outside of the oddball motion sensing auto-off with a crazy long on time. Anyway, the Defender’s refresh issues aren’t a big deal on a nonreciprocating firearm. The buttons are massive and easy to engage, and the big 6 MOA dot is easy to see. It works and keeps with the affordability of the Taurus Judge Home Defender.
The Light
I’ve tried a few different lights but settled on the very compact TL RM1. This lightweight, compact light is designed for long guns but works very well for the Home Defender. The ergonomics of the ramp-style switch make it easy to access. I can also use a pressure switch if I so choose.
Five hundred lumens is enough for inside the home, and it casts a wide, bright white beam that has lots of spill. The TL RM1 is also very light, which makes it easy to maintain the ability to fire the weapon with one hand. It’s also fairly affordable and easy to use.
The Ammo
I’ve tried a number of different loads with the Judge Home Defender. The one that consistently makes the most sense and is the easiest to find is the Hornady Critical Defense. It’s a .41 caliber projectile backed by two .35 caliber balls. It’s three projectiles total, and the .41 caliber FTX slugs give you excellent accuracy, and the two extra balls give you that extra shot on target effect. It provides a rather light recoil and delivers consistently tight groupings at home defense ranges.
The Side Saddle
The side saddle mounts to the optic’s rail. It’s not made for shotguns but for rifles. This five-shot side saddle is a Monstrum Tactical .243 caliber side saddle. It attaches with ease, and the .410 shells slide in rather easily. Even the .45 Colt rounds fit, but they tend to be tight compared to the shotshells. It allows for five extra rounds to be held to the gun and doesn’t get in the way.
The Future of the Judge Home Defender
I plan to add a pressure switch to the TL RM1 light; this way, I can access the light at two different points if necessary. I also plan to swap the stock grips for an ATI X2 grip. It’s larger, and the Judge grips feel fairly small. If possible, I’m looking to add a single-point sling to the gun, which will provide greater control and retention over the weapon.
The more I use the Home Defender, the more I like it. It might not be my first choice for a home defense weapon, but I’m enjoying the process of dragging every ounce of potential out of it. Check out the Home Defender now and make it your favored home defense weapon…or just have some fun with a massive revolver.
The New Russian 6.02x41mm
While Russian soldiers remain embroiled in a brutal war of aggression with Ukraine, the Russian Arms Industry is busy producing new rounds and a new AK. It’s odd because it seems even Russian soldiers don’t have enough AKs to fight and have even relied on the Mosin Nagant once more. Anywho, the Russians have developed a 6.02×41 and a new AK and sniper rifle to go alongside it.
What’s the Point of the 6.02x41mm?
Kalashnikov.ru first reported on the advent of the new AK and cartridge. It bears mentioning that Kalashnikov.ru has a very heavy pro-Russian bias but does offer the most information on the new cartridge and most things to do with the Russian arms industry. According to their report:
On December 12, 2023, the Federal Service for Intellectual Property of the Russian Federation registered patent RU 2809501 C1, which describes the “Small Weapon Cartridge with Increased Penetration,” developed at the Tula Cartridge Plant in collaboration with the Kalashnikov concern.
The increased penetration part and the fact the website discusses the new round having the same energy at 900 meters as the 5.45 at 500 meters makes it clear they are attempting to compete with the Next Generation Squad Weapon program that SIG Sauer recently won with their rifle, machine gun, and 6.8mm Fury cartridge.
The NGSW is designed to embrace technology, like the new XM157 Vortex smart scope, to make the average soldier more lethal at extended ranges. Additionally, the weapon platform and the high-pressure cartridge will supposedly have the ability to penetrate modern body armor. It seems like the Russians want to mimic that capability but on the AK level.
They tested three cartridges before landing on the 6.02x41mm round. Supposedly, it offers the best compromise of ammunition weight and size, with range, penetration, and controllability in an assault rifle platform.
The New Rifles
Russia has clung to the AK longer than America has clung to the AR. It’s unlikely they’ll be apt to swap from the reliable action anytime soon. The AK series is basically a Russian brand, and the rifle certainly works. Russia is one of the biggest arms exporters in the world, and the AK is their flagship. How much damage would they do to their brand by swapping rifles?
Kalashnikov Concern has seemingly converted the AK-12 into the AK-22. This includes all the AK-12 upgrades. It’s got folding and collapsing stock, rails for optics, a handguard with rails, and a few modern muzzle device options. The iron sights are moved rearward for a longer sight radius to top it all off. The AK-22 takes all that and chambers the 6.02x41mm round.
Alongside the AK-22, the Russians have shrunk the ‘Microwave’ rifle from its 7.62x54R design to a smaller, more compact 6.02x41mm option. The Microwave is a sniper rifle in the same vein as the Dragunov series. It’s semi-auto, mag-fed, and certainly looks cool and modern.
Does It Matter
The key to the success of the NGSW weaponry and the 6.8mm cartridge is its range. To get the most out of the rifle, it uses a high-tech, high-end optic that implements a ballistic computer a soldier can use to call their shots with ease. A good shooter can only do so much when they can’t see the target.
With that said, I, like many, have been following the Ukraine war. How many optics have you seen in use by the Russians? A few for sure, but not many. It seems like the most common are red dots. This also brings us to the question, how many AK-12s have we seen?
Not a ton, at least compared to the other AK variants. It certainly doesn’t seem like the Russians could get the AK-22 in production in enough numbers to matter. If they did, they don’t have the optics to make the new round worth it. It’s likely a patent to gauge potential foreign exports. Plenty of countries use the AK, but Russian military equipment hasn’t proven to be superbly useful. Maybe the 6.02x41mm will work out, but I doubt it.
Lakewood and the Bronx Shootings
Two intriguing shootings happened this week, one in Texas at Joel Osteen’s Houston area Megachurch and the other in the New York Subway. Both shootings are likely to fade from the collective memory for different reasons.
The Bronx
As details began to emerge on the 1 killed 5 injured incident in the NY Subway, a sad old pattern took shape.
Two groups, verbal conflict, gun was flashed, shots fired. Criminals doing crime, territorial groups defending their egos. A tale literally as old as time. In gun control heavy New York it isn’t a thrilling success story for their policies on crime management and gun violence prevention.
On that note, I do have to add, California is still leading the nation in mass shootings with 7 and mass killings with 3.
Get bent, Newsom.
Houston/Lakewood
The Osteen Megachurch incident is also interesting in several respects.
First, I do hope the poor seven year old that the shooter brought as a human shield/cover/dissuasion recovers. No child so young could willingly and knowingly partake in a venture like the attack could have been on the Spanish language service that was about to begin. The boy appears to have been struck in the head during the gun fight and is identified as the woman’s son.
The RumINT around the event though has the corners of the internet ablaze, and we live in such cynical times the theories are… depressing. What we do know is the 36 year old woman, an interesting note as female shooters are rare but not unheard of, brought an AR or similar rifle and the five year old to the church, concealed, and attempted to attack the church service. Two off duty cops saw her raise the rifle and quickly shot and killed her. The boy was struck in the fire, likely unfortunately by the officers but at the fault of the shooter for bringing him.
“Palestine” has been confirmed by the authorities to have been written on the rifle, giving us some insight into motive. This indicates that the shooter had little expectation of survival, wanted to send a message with the recovered evidence, and lends credence to the child human shield tactic as getting a kid killed by hiding behind them is very Hamas brand.
Swift action by the off duty officers protecting the service stopped the shooter from killing many in a packed church where density could produce very high casualties if she had remained unopposed.
The rifle markings harken back to the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, the rumors of the shooter possibly being trans (due mostly to an alleged male alias name from a previous arrest) brings back memories of Nashville Tennessee, and attacks on places of worship call to mind many other events. The cynical nature and goodwill lost by authorities in recent years doesn’t help the discounting and dismissal of rumors any either.
Rumors aside, speculation laid down, and merely considering the facts as we know them… the nation and the world still remain in a state of heightened discontent and the pain points are factional. Many people are mad, many on edge, and they are at odds for different reasons. All of them tend to consider their reasons better than others reasons. This is a recipe for flare ups and those flare ups will be violent. That violence will cause injury and death, it will mostly be unjustified in the grand scale but justifiable to their particular faction and themselves.
Thoughts
Long gone is my personally held hope that the 21st Century would be a truly enlightened time. We’ve let exaggeration and hyperbole get away from us and let misconceptions become “personal truths”, all while pretending that if we pretend hard enough certain core mechanics of the human experience just won’t be.
We are sick of each others nonsense. We are sick of those in powers nonsense to a far greater degree. We are sick of facts being exaggerated into falsehoods to fit a preference. We are just sick and tired of so many things. That generates short tempers and aggressive, sometimes exaggeratedly so, reactions. Those actions and reactions hurt people.
We are already not an entirely rational species it well known. But the absurdity that we can pretend violence doesn’t need to exist in the first worldview while excusing it in certain underprivileged and strained factions where it is a currency is still mind-boggling.
I think the 2020’s are going to be their own brand of hostile. Roaring sure, but largely in anger and frustration.
The Best Guns of 2023
It’s the beginning of the new year as I type this. We have NYE’d and greeted 2024 with open arms. As the year ends and the next begins, it’s a great time to reflect on your goals, accomplishments, and, of course, on the guns of 2023. Specifically, what were the best guns of 2023? That’s a great question, and I have a few that I think are undoubtedly great guns. To make it on this list, you didn’t necessarily need to be released in 2023. It’s also why the list is still worth mentioning in 2024, guns don’t have expiration dates. More they have eras.
The Best Guns of 2023
I’m sure some of these hit the market in 2022, but to be considered for this list you have to be commonly available in 2023. That means some guns released at the end of 2022 count, and some released at the end of 2023 don’t. If I can basically walk into five gun stores and find this gun three out of five times, it counts. With that in mind, this is just my opinion, and these are the guns that have excited me.
Extar EP45
Extar made its name by cutting out the middleman and being a manufacturer that sold directly to the consumer. Cutting out the middle man ensures a low price point, and they’ve become well known for delivering an excellent product. The EP9 wasn’t quite an AR but was an AR-like subgun that was affordable, reliable, and quite ergonomic.
This year, they released the big bore EP45, a 45 ACP variant of the EP series. The EP45 is a straight blowback operated system, but they found a way to make the .45 ACP bearable. In fact, it’s downright soft shooting. The EP45 does what a ton of other companies have done, but they do it a whole lot cheaper. Heck, it even takes Glock mags. For less than five Benjies, you can get a big bore subgun that’s begging for a suppressor. This makes it a natural for one of the best guns of 2023.
Girsan MC P35 PI
The Girsan MC P35 series gave shooters an affordable option for owning a Hi-Power. These Turkish Hi-Powers have proved to be quite reliable and followed up with the all-too-cool MC P35 PI. This Hi-Power clone utilizes a shorter 3.9-inch barrel, and the PI titles come from a series of handguns made in Argentina and imported in limited numbers. It’s a Commander-sized Hi-Power, and what’s not to love?
In reality, it’s short, light, handy, and easy to shoot. It has all the Hi-Power quirks like a little hammer bite, and the magazine doesn’t drop free, but that’s part of the charm. It’s really soft shooting, shockingly accurate, and just fun to shoot. The Ops version even implements a red dot and rail option in case you need something more modern. It’s my personal favorite gun of 2023.
Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol
The semi-auto shotgun market has taken off, and like usual, the Italians dominate it. Most of their guns cost north of a grad, but the Beretta A300 Ultima patrol is offering an American-made semi-auto shotgun with some Italian roots. It delivers Beretta quality and engineering without the over-the-top cost. Beretta released the Ultima Patrol and ensured it was ready to rock and roll.
It’s optics ready, has M-LOK slots on the handguard, includes an adjustable LOP on the stock, and even some hook to mix with loop for a side saddle. The Ultima Patrol is most certainly the best shotgun of 2023, and if the Mossberg 940 Tactical had been released this year, I’d be in a terrible spot. It’s a great gun without 922R concerns and delivers a reliable, even duty-ready, tactical shotgun for less than a grand.
IWI Carmel
Admittedly, the Carmel had a tough year in 2023. It did suffer from the fate of an early recall, but still, I’d rather a company take responsibility and get the gun fixed. Outside of that, it’s tough not to admire the Carmel. It’s a short-stroke gas piston rifle that chambers the standard 5.56 round and utilizes AR-15 magazines. That’s nothing fancy these days, but the price compared to competitors is worthy of note. Get your hands on a Carmel.
The completely ambidextrous or reversible controls are genius. The reversible controls can be reversed in the field without much drama. The gas system is adjustable and is designed to be used with suppressors. The barrel is cold hammer forged, and the gun is super accurate. Plus, an M-LOK handguard, long optics rail, and collapsible and folding stock top the rifle off in a great way.
S&W Response
S&W went from having zero pistol caliber carbines to having two in just a few months. The S&W Response could have just been another AR-9 type PCC, but S&W went a different route. Sure, it’s a straight blowback design, but that’s where normal stops. S&W went with a polymer lower and upper receiver to keep the rifle lighter than six pounds. The Response also has an interchangeable magwell.
You can swap the M&P magwell for a Glock magwell. The future is open for different mag wells, and who doesn’t want a SIG P320 or CZ 75 magwell? The gun is well put together with minimal recoil, great controls, and a very low price point. The Response is my favorite PCC of 2023, and I can’t wait to try it out at the next Steel Challenge match.
The Next Year
2023 is gone and SHOT has shown us the start of the 2024 releases. Hopefully, we’ll get to see a slew of new firearms that can adorn this list next year. Until then, have a great year, and hopefully, we’ll come back next year even harder.
The CZ 75 B SA
The CZ 75 B SA is a no-frills hammer fired single-action only metal framed pistol chambered for 9mm that CZ unfortunately discontinued in 2018. It’s a shame because this handgun punches well above its weight–not only is it accurate but it was also fairly affordable. I first became acquainted with the CZ 75 B SA in 2015 and fell in love with it. Though my handgun shooting wasn’t as sophisticated then as it is today, I noticed that this single-action CZ 75 variant was extremely easy to shoot well. Compared to the Gen3 Glock 17 or 19 I used to shoot then, its all-steel construction also mitigated felt recoil which improved the shooting experience.
CZ 75: THE KING OF HIPSTERS AND SPORT SHOOTERS
The CZ 75 is one of the most important hammer fired 9mm pistols designed in the last quarter of the 20th century; it’s on the same tier as the 1911, Beretta 92, Glock and the Browning Hi Power. Just like these other handguns, the CZ 75 became popular around the world which means that finding both cheap copies and upmarket clones of this Czech design isn’t difficult. The most notable about this Czech handgun family is that the slide rides inside the frame–not over the frame like most other pistols. The CZ 75 borrows this cue from the Swiss Sig Pistole 49 (P210). CZ shooters love to debate as to whether this slide configuration is the secret-sauce for the CZ 75’s performance, but according to renowned gunsmith Bruce Gray, maximum inherent accuracy isn’t predicated by where the slide actually sits. However, he mentioned that the CZ 75 / SIG P210 inside-the-frame scheme lends itself to easier fitment of the slide and frame in terms of consistency, even on a mass-production scale. And any shooter can appreciate repeatability and consistency in any firearm. The base model has seen many variants, versions and trims in various calibers and configurations. The original design has been tweaked and revised; it evolved into the second generation “B” model, with a firing pin block starting in 1993. The standard CZ 75 B can be had in the original TDA configuration, a decock-only configuration (BD) and the single-action only configuration–the specific gun this article is written about. It’s also important to mention that the CZ 75 is the parent of CZ’s popular SP-01 and Shadow 2 models. I only mention this because my love affair with the CZ Shadow 2 started precisely because of the CZ 75 B SA. CZs get their “hipster affinity” reputation not only for their alternative slide and frame configuration, but also because their owners tend to come off as extremely passionate. Calling the CZ 75 family a cult-classic wouldn’t be wrong either.
SPOTLIGHT: CZ 75 B SA
I fell in love with this gun because of how easy it is to shoot well and in those days, I still lived in California. California is famous for its beaches, mountains and its gun-control. There, the freedom-hating left-coast Politburo limits which handgun models ordinary citizens are allowed to buy (courtesy of the inane California Handgun Roster). The CZ 75 SA was on the roster at the time, and that solidified it in my book because beside being easy-shooting and affordable, it was legally available. This pistol isn’t perfect in stock configuration, but even today, I still think it makes for a great beginner’s gun mounted optics not withstanding. Because this gun is specifically a single-action piece, it’s straightforward to operate. It also came with a pair of ambidextrous safety levers, making it left-handed friendly.
We’ve had this specific gun in our family since 2016, and while it hasn’t seen a crazy firing schedule, it conservatively has at least 1000 rounds of both factory ammo and handloads. We’ve never had reliability issues with it, but like any other mechanical device, it is subject to a maintenance schedule. Fortunately, those for CZ 75s are well-known. Ammunition wise, we’ve only cycled 124-grain or 115-grain rounds through it. I don’t tend to stock or handload much 147s, so I can’t speak to shooting those through this pistol. European guns tend to prefer 124-grain bullets anyway. I’m aware that many dedicated CZ competitive shooters tend to load their 9mm cartridges closer to 1.10” COAL (cartridge overall length) for these guns’ chambers, but I’ve never had issues with my 1.150” COAL loads through this gun (or my Shadow 2 for that matter).
GRIP AND TRIGGER
At closer distances it really isn’t unreasonable for a shooter of decent skill to put all their shots through the same hole. Besides the way it’s built, the pistol points naturally and its single action trigger is easy to manage. I’d wager that its breaking weight lies somewhere between 4-5 lbs. By eyeballing it, its trigger has roughly 8mm of pre-travel until it reaches its breaking point. A gentle increase in pressure is enough to break the trigger without much disruption–there’s not a rough transition. With deliberate practice, getting used to the CZ 75 B SA’s trigger and breaking the shot in one continuous motion isn’t difficult either. Once the shot breaks, there’s no creep or over-travel; however the length of reset is fairly long, and it feels like it’s just a tad over 1cm. It’s somewhat reminscent of the reset on a double-action trigger. The trigger face on this model is more angular and not curved like on the standard TDA or BD versions. I prefer it.
The grip profile isn’t any different than the standard 75 B. The top of the backstrap has some radiusing that ends with a short beavertail that does a good job at keeping the web of the hand separate from the ring hammer. Both the frontstrap and backstrap are smooth with no additional texturing while the standard plastic stocks include some moderate texturing. These plastic stocks also have some moderate coke-bottle contouring, but it’s not bombastic. Unless one upgrades the pistol with more aggressive grip panels or uses chalk, keeping a solid purchase during rapid fire may be challenging. Another sensible and easy upgrade here might be the addition of some grip tape. Because I’m more used to the grip angle of my CZ Shadow 2, the one on this 75 B SA feels more basic and less-developed. I’ll admit that I never cared for the fact that the OEM grip screw takes a Phillips bit. It looks cheap.
THE SLIDE
I love the glare-reducing ribbing on the top of the slide; it always classes up any pistol. The included standard sights are fairly basic, and though they work, I really despise the cream yellow-colored fill in the “dot” of the front sight. It’s not a bright, attention grabbing color and has no place on a front sight. The color fill on the rear sight dots was the same way, but I filled those in with a sharpie years ago, and this helps somewhat. Frankly, upgrading the stock sights would be highly recommended. An issue that pertains to not only this pistol but its entire family is that because the slide rides inside the frame, there’s not a lot of real-estate to grab onto when manipulating the pistol quickly. The CZ 75 B SA includes only one set of milquetoast serrations on either side of the slide towards the rear.
PUNCHING HOLES WITH THE CZ 75 B SA
Slow fire with this gun is fantastic, even with the less than stellar OEM sights. In stock configuration, this gun is great for deliberate and steady target shooting. This gun will make short work of any NRA B8 target at any distance, and ditto for untimed skills assessments like Dot Torture where accuracy is critical. For rapid fire performance, the CZ 75 B SA leaves something to be desired. In fairness, it’s no Shadow 2 either and this gun is less sophisticated and substantially cheaper. This isn’t to say that the CZ 75 B SA isn’t can’t do work in capable hands, it absolutely can. For the sake of this writing, I dusted the gun off and cycled a box and a half of 115-grain factory ammo. Not surprisingly, it was challenging to track the slide with that dull colored cream front sight, but I still managed 0.20 splits when shooting doubles or Bill Drills. In rapid fire, this trigger takes some getting used to, and that’s something that’s easily done by deliberate practice with the gun. The lack of checking on the frontstrap, backstrap and stocks can become a liability. In rapid fire I noticed that the gun tended to slide around in my hands a bit. I don’t think any of this is a problem for beginners getting uses to shooting and taking shots at their own paces, but anyone who might want to shoot this gun more seriously would do well to upgrade the grip and use grip-chalk like I mentioned above. Fortunately, upgrading the OEM stocks and sights isn’t difficult since the CZ 75 has been a dominating force in the world of performance pistol shooting.
THE TAKEAWAY
The CZ 75 B SA is a descendant of one of the most influential double-stack hammer fired 9mm pistol series, and this no-frills user-friendly gun shines best as a general purpose shooter and range-gun. It’s a great beginner’s gun too since its easy-shooting ways can certainly help build up a newbie’s confidence at the range–a crucial element needed to meaningfully build up shooting skills. After all, shooting performance is extremely mental, and cultivating a sense of confidence is paramount to success. For deliberate rapid-fire performance, the CZ 75 B SA honestly needs upgraded sights and grips, but fundamentally accuracy and performance around found in this gun’s DNA. The original SP-01 Shadow, the Shadow 2, the Tactical Sport Series, the Czechmates, the Parrots and beyond after all, are just souped up CZ 75s. So too bad the Czech firm discontinued this basic all-metal single-action 9mm shooter.
Industry Trends – The New Genre of .380 ACP Pistols
As 2023 closes and 2024 starts, it’s interesting to look at the way the firearm industry trends. 2023 had lots of 5.7s, a few interesting PCCs, and some fairly radical guns. One trend I’ve noticed is the rise of new .380 ACPs. For over a decade now, close to 2, the .380 ACP has been regulated to micro-sized pocket pistols. However, in the year of lord 2023, the guns chambering the .380 ACP have changed radically. Like most things, this trend didn’t start in 2023 but has been a slow growth that just exploded.
The Rise of the New .380 ACPs
The new .380 ACP series is nothing new. If anything, it’s truly a return to tradition. Browning designed the .380 ACP to work with the Colt M1908 Pocket Hammerless. The M1908 was basically Glock 19-sized, thinner, but still fairly large. In the modern era, the gun I give credit for creating this new genre of .380 ACPs is the S&W EZ series. The original .380 ACP gave shooters a low recoil round that still packed a punch.
From there, SIG released the P365-380, giving us a lower recoil .380 ACP option of the famed originator of the Micro Compact. Beretta and Ruger both released bigger .380s. Beretta brought back the Cheetah series. The new 80X Cheetah provided a fairly large pistol chambering the .380 cartridge. Ruger released the Security-380, which gave the user something between compact and subcompact with ten to fifteen rounds of ammo on tap and an easy-to-rack slide.
We also saw guns from Glock and even Girsan. Bigger .380s are the quiet cult hit of 2023. It’s welcomed as far as I’m concerned. I have strong feelings about the pocket.380, mainly that it’s stupid and too hard to shoot to be worth a damn. A compact .380 offers us a new genre of firearm that’s downright excellent.
The Benefits Of These New Guns
The .380 ACP gets its rep as a pocket-gun cartridge, but it was never really meant to be. I say that understanding that pocket was in the name of Pocket Hammerless. Pocket-size is the real decider of what’s a pocket pistol and what’s not. I specifically mean the Ruger LCP, the S&W Bodyguard .380, the P3AT, and similar guns.
While it’s not great as a modern-duty firearm, it’s dang near perfect for concealed carry. In guns like the Security-380, Glock 25, and P365-380, it’s a low recoil alternative to 9mm. The little .380 ACP is nothing to laugh at. It can reach the established standards for a defensive round and penetrate deep enough to reach something vital.
Additionally, through these longer barrels, the round can gain more velocity, and more velocity can aid in ensuring expansion. Expansion means we are getting a bigger and better hole. The round performs a lot like a 9mm. It won’t do as well through barriers like glass. It also doesn’t work as well if you shoot through an arm with the idea of hitting something in the torso.
A medium-sized .380 offers recoil-adverse shooters a very capable defensive round in an easy-to-shoot gun. These shooters are getting modern options with the ability to add lights, optics, and more. While the .380 ACP might not blow your socks off, it’s a very capable defensive round, especially for those who find 9mm a little harsh in the recoil department.
What’s Next
I think these new .380s are a great sign of the times. It’s a smart design and a great caliber. The pocket options ensured defensive ammo is still easy to find. I hope we keep seeing modern options with modern features in the .380 ACP world. It’s not the best fighting round, but it’s enough for the average joe and concealed carrier.
Five Things You Can Do at The Great American Outdoor Show (that you can’t do at SHOT)
This year I decided to try something new. Instead of flying across the country and paying exorbitant prices in Vegas at SHOT Show, I instead stayed in my own time zone and drove to the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
This show, a presentation of the NRA, spans nine days and 650,000 square feet of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The family-friendly event features more than 1,100 exhibitors, plus competitions, educational seminars, speakers, and celebrity appearances – including former President Donald Trump.
This show is kind of a cross between the NRAAM and the State Fair. Yes there are guns, but there are also boats, and fishing gear, and archery gear, and hunting gear, and more outfitters from more places than you could travel to in decades, and seminars about venomous snakes, and how to draw more deer to your property, and how to fish the Susquehanna River, and noises from turkey and goose calls every-fricken-where, And food … and food … and more food.
It was a completely different experience than SHOT Show and enjoyable in a different way. I went during the week to avoid some of the crowds, and I also avoided the time that Former President Trump was to be there. I hate crowds and it might have also been a security headache as well. I kept forgetting that merchandise was actually for sale there, (unlike SHOT) so my first day was for scoping things out and the second day was for shopping! Plus one brain point to me for staying at a hotel that offered free shuttle to the show and back.
So without further ado allow me to present (at least) five things you can do at this show that you cannot at SHOT.
1. Get a whiff of manure
The GAOS is held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, so there are reminders everywhere that this site is first and foremost an agricultural center. The Farm Show is in January and the complex is well cleaned afterward, but after generations of use there is still an occasional reminder of our country’s agricultural heritage. Being a rural gal myself this just reminded me of home. There are also many more Amish/Mennonite folks at this show than you will ever see in Vegas.
2. Eat a funnel cake.
This deep fried batter confection “used” to be a PA Dutch speciality, but now I think most people just consider it “fair food”. Nonetheless I consider it an essential element to having a proper gastronomic experience in Pennsylvania. I’ve personally never seen a funnel cake at SHOT Show.
3. Watch an in-person deer butchering demonstration (while eating the above funnel cake).
You can do some pretty strange things in Vegas, but I doubt that eating fried batter while watching meat butchering is one of them. There were subsequent demonstrations throughout the day in ways to use the various cuts and cook them up. You could literally spend all day just at the butchering/meat/cooking demonstrations and buy jerky, cheeses, and all kinds of snacks to boot (I recommend the sweet beef bologna sticks). If I “had” all day to do that I would have. I don’t have nearly enough experience in the butchering end of hunting.
4. Watch “Dock Dogs”.
While there are various LEO and service dogs at SHOT, none of them get wet. At the GAOS there were water dog competitions throughout the days that I attended. Unfortunately, every time I peeked into the arena I kept missing the big contenders. But I did get a look at a few puppers who were just not having any of it. They are probably champions in their own duck pond at home, but in a big arena with a chlorinated pool some of them simply said “Nope”. Ya had to feel for them, but they sure were cute.
5. Meet a foot doctor who invented a decoy system.
I’ll write a separate article about this later, but I met a fellow retired doctor who has patented his own innovative motorized decoy system for waterfowl hunting. The company name is “Quickcoys” and there’s the link. More on that in another piece.
As if all this weren’t a sufficient taste of why you should go to the GAOS next year, stay tuned for even more.
Gunday Brunch 136: The Taurus Executive Grade Lineup
Today we’re running another solo adventure, where Caleb takes you through the @taurusfirearms lineup of Executive Grade revolvers. The Executive Grade are true hand-finished revolvers, available in 38 Special, 357 Magnum, and 45 Colt/410 bore.
Shadow Systems XR-920 Elite
On the Thursday prior to SHOT Show, I was at my local gun club shooting and evaluating some new guns from Smith & Wesson when another gun club member offered to let me shoot his Shadow Systems XR-920 by pure chance. I had never shot anything from Shadow Systems, so naturally I didn’t hesitate to take him up on his kind offer. This gentleman graciously gave me about 80-90 rounds of his own 9mm ammo as well and encouraged me to run the XR-920 as hard as I could. So please enjoy this “brief” review, because I sure enjoyed shooting this gun.
Glock disrupted the handgun market and shifted it into what it is today. Polymer framed striker-fired pistols are now the norm, and every major gun manufacturer sells them. However, the Austrian company still enjoys relevancy and still dominates the market after the better part of three decades. Since its original patents expired, today’s consumer can buy Glock clones and spend either as little or as much as they want to. While many gun companies sell competing designs, other gunmakers instead have embraced the original Glock “recipe”. Some even take things further and execute products with a higher degree of sophistication than even the Austrian behemoth itself does. Shadow Systems, a Plano, Texas based manufacturer is one such outfit that does this with their Elite series handguns.
Shadow Systems XR-920 Elite First Impressions And Overview
Before I continue with the rest of this brief review, I’ll be up front and disclose that the sole thing I didn’t like about the Shadow Systems XR-920 Elite is the fact that it does not posses ambidextrous slide stops. This is understandable since Shadow System bases their guns on the older Glock pattern that has no ambidextrous slide stops. The basis of my complaint is solely because I’m left handed. Otherwise, these guns are well-made. The specimen I shot certainly made a good impression and it was evident that Shadow Systems did not gloss over any details. I’ll confidently add that a non-gun person could give the XR-920 Elite a once-over and easily deduce that it’s neither “cheap” nor cheap-looking.
Overview
The XR-920 Elite is best described as Shadow System’s take on a 9mm Glock 45; it’s built with a full-size grip and a shorter, Glock 19 length slide–think Commander configuration. Shadow Systems ships Magpul GL9 17-round magazines with the XR-920 and the gun also obviously feeds with Glock OEM magazines. The XR-920 Elite has a 4.5-inch match-grade spiral fluted threaded barrel with a bronze TiCN finish made from 17-4 stainless steel. Its slide is ornately machined with slide serrations on either side and on the top. This slide also sports some “window cuts” towards the front in order to reduce mass. Fit and finish between the slide and barrel is immaculate. The full-size grip naturally follows the same grip angle of the Glock 17, but its contour feels more nuanced in the hand. It doesn’t feel like a standard full-size Glock grip. This grip also makes use of interchangeable backstraps and its texture is reasonably grippy (more so than a current Gen5 Glock) without being overly abrasive. One way all of Shadow System’s guns standout from Glocks is their inclusion of a slightly extended beavertail at the top rear of the backstrap. It’s easy to see how this beavertails is useful for shooters with larger hands. When drawing and shooting with my normal-sized hands, the beavertail was not cumbersome either. All Shadow Systems handguns also ship with a removable magwell, and I didn’t mind this one at all. The XR-920 frontstrap is long enough so I could comfortably build a firing grip and wedge my support-hand pinky finger against the lip of the magwell, not unlike what I do with any magwell equipped Staccato. Out of the box, the XR-920 Elite has an aluminum flat-faced trigger; I didn’t have a trigger scale with me at the range, but Shadow Systems claims these triggers to break between 4.5 to 5 pounds. After trying to run this gun as hard as I could that day, I wouldn’t change anything about this trigger. The take up and break are very smooth and the flat metal face provides a nice, even surface. At 4.5 pounds or higher, this trigger is “street safe,” too.
THE SHADOW SYSTEMS OPTICS MOUNTING SYSTEM
The XR-920 Elite ships with what I’d consider “aftermarket” iron sights because they don’t feel like an afterthought the way most standard sights do. They do sit taller in order to accommodate mounted optics, and the front sight is also dot driven and I was able to hit whatever I aimed at using a combat hold. The rear sight is black, plain and serrated while the front sight is bright green with a tritium vial. They are similar to the factory installed Ameriglo Bolds on my Glock 45, but with a higher degree of refinement.
Although the exact XR-920 Elite I shot had no dot, I still took the time to research the Shadow Systems optics mounting arrangement, which I found interesting. Instead of using a “master pattern” that takes an assortment of optics plates with their own footprints, Shadow Systems uses a universal cut meant to fit almost all major makes and models of reflex sights. Their proprietary cut consists of four deep and threaded holes without any recoil bosses. To account for the differing “surface areas” of various optics, Shadow Systems ships their handguns with extra-long machine screws and very hard plastic shims. The idea here is that these longer-than-typical screws provide a higher degree of clamping force while the hard shims fill up any voids or gaps. The Shadow System’s optics cut reminds me of Smith & Wesson’s factory CORE pattern–not only with the V-shaped layout of the threaded screw holes but also the longer screws themselves. Again both concepts rely on the longer screws that sink deeper to provide more clamping force. Unlike the S&W factory screws that use a 5/64 hex head (that I absolutely hate), the included Shadow Systems machined screws have very deep Torx heads in order to prevent the risk of stripping them.
Burning It Down With The Shadow System XR-920 Elite
I fired approximately 100 rounds through the XR-920 Elite in fairly rapid succession, all with 115-grain Winchester Whitebox this gentleman let me have. I also burned up 15 loose rounds of 115-grain CCI Blazer aluminum I had in my pocket. The gun’s owner encouraged me to push it as hard as I could because the gun and the brand were completely new to him and he wanted to see if Shadow Systems held up to its reputation. Since shooting this gun was a very much spur of the moment thing, I didn’t do much besides shooting from concealment at 5 yards at some index cards. I used a timer, more so for the start signal but I got several reps of drawing and firing 5-6 rounds, and so on. I certainly dumped a magazine’s worth of ammo too, as best as I could control it. With slow fire, almost any gun will feel like it shoots well. Pushing a pistol under rapid fire, however, allows one to see how it shakes out performance-wise.
Even without a dot, the gun points very well and I found its grip profile conducive to a good draw and presentation. It was easy to stay target focused with that bright yellow-green front sight. I didn’t shoot the XR-920 Elite any different than I would have my own Glock 45, but the former certainly tracked and printed better shots under rapid fire than I’m used to doing with the latter. This was a neat surprise and perhaps it’s indicative of why Shadow Systems owners are so passionate about their handguns. Regrettably the pistol wasn’t mounted with a dot, but I would have loved the chance to observe how a dot tracked under recoil. While my quick and dirty T&E didn’t involve any accuracy shooting, with the fit, finish, quality and reputation I would surmise that the XR-920 Elite prints more-than-adequate groups at 25 yards and beyond.
THE TAKEAWAY
With the expiration of the original patent, Glocks are now in the same tier as other legendary handguns like the 1911, CZ 75 or the Browning Hi-Power–those influential handgun designs that have been around for generations with numerous clones and copies from around the globe. Polymer frame striker guns are fairly inexpensive to manufacture so affordable and competitively priced clones are easy to find these days. However, I’m quite happy that I finally had a chance to appease my curiosity concerning guns on the opposite end of the spectrum: the XR-920 Elite has a list price of $1,164 after all. It looks good and shot well. If the gentleman at the club offers to let me shoot it again, I may just have to take him up on it.
The Legacy of Gaston Glock’s Pistols
Gaston Glock’s passing has sent ripples throughout the firearm world. For many of us, he and his pistols have been a large part of the firearm industry for our entire lives. Glock is a multinational corporation, and even though the founder has passed, the company isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With that in mind, I think it’s a great time to reflect on the contributions of Gaston Glock and his polymer frame pistol.
Polymer Frame Acceptance
Glock wasn’t the first company to produce a polymer frame pistol, but they were the first to make it successful. HK’s VP70 was a flop, but the Glock pistol became undeniable after its adoption by the Austrian Military. Gaston Glock had a long history of working with polymer outside of firearms and held 16 patents prior to producing the Glock 17.
His use of polymers and the Glock’s success proved that the polymer frame was a very viable option for a serious-use pistol. The Glock 17 won in Austria, then Norway, and then Sweden, and eventually, it couldn’t be stopped. It exceeded all NATO durability standards. The polymer frame established itself as something here to stay. Sure, plenty of 1911 fans grumbled about Tupperware pistols, but as we’ve seen, the polymer frame dominates.
Every major company out there offers a polymer frame pistol. Even the 2011 pistols with two-piece frames integrate polymer frames. Polymer is not just more affordable, but it’s lighter and easier to work with, and the additional flex it offers can even reduce felt recoil.
Keeping Guns Cheap
Believe it or not, Glock has aided in making sure firearms remain affordable. Look at an old Gun Digest and look at the prices of firearms in 1980. I pulled one up, and an S&W Model 39 in 1980 cost $284.50. Adjust that for inflation in 2023, and it becomes $1,060.15. How much does an equivalent modern S&W cost? Like 550ish? Heck, you can get a metal frame S&W with an optic for less than 1,000 dollars.
There is an old legend, Gaston Glock, who wanted to sell his pistol for some super low amount, and he was told that no one would seriously consider it. The price was too low, and American shooters would think it was equivalent to the Raven or other Saturday Night Specials. In this era, it bears mentioning lots of cheap guns came from countries like Germany. An Austrian polymer pistol likely wouldn’t be viewed much differently.
Glock’s pistol has always been affordable. According to the internet, they cost about 75 dollars to produce. I don’t know if that’s true, but the very simple design and minimal use of parts likely keep things cheap to build to scale. Glock forced other gun companies to keep the price of their firearms affordable to be competitive. There is a reason why we don’t see new contracts being awarded to the P226 anymore.
User Modularity
Arguably, any user skilled enough can swap anything on most factory guns. With enough YouTube videos, you can do nearly anything. What Glock did differently was produce a pistol so freaking simple that the end user could easily modify it as well. I’ve swapped triggers in Glocks and CZ 75s, and boy, let me tell you, it’s a ton easier with a Glock.
According to Glock’s website, there are 34 parts to the pistol. That’s not a whole lot going on for a modern semi-automatic pistol. Simple is good, and simple bred an entire aftermarket of parts and pieces. Since the Glocks are so simple, it’s a lot easier to make aftermarket parts that work and work well.
Things like hand fitting aren’t happening with the Glock. Just pull it out, drop it in, and go. User modularity before Glock’s influence wasn’t common. There is a reason why so many famed 1911 armorers exist, but you didn’t see a rise in Glock armorers. Anybody can be a Glock armorer with an eight-hour course and a single punch.
The World According To Gaston
Gaston Glock was certainly a behemoth in our industry. His name was attached to the world’s most popular pistol and rides proudly in the holsters of concealed carriers, soldiers, and police officers all over the world. He didn’t just produce a nice gun. He changed the world of handguns.