S&W M&P Pro 9mm Review

I've had the M&P Pro for a couple years now and figured it's probably time for a review, so here goes...

Pros: 
-Reliable.  The gun has had 0 malfunctions
-Durable.   There are many, many of these guns with documented round counts over 25k that have only had simple spring replacements in that time
-Easy to maintain 
-Lots of aftermarket support 
-17+1 capcity-Can be disassmebled without pulling the trigger (I know some folks like that)
-Reversable mag release for lefties out there
-3 interchangable backstraps
-Relatively lightweight at 24oz unloded
-S&W has great customer service 
-Durable finish on melonite treated steel
-Accurate.  My gun is a 2011 made model and never had the accuracy issues that have been reported in the older M&Ps
-Low Bore Axis resulting in a relatively soft shooting gun
-Easily modified to fit the shooters' preferences
-Requires very little cleaning/lubrication to run reliably 
-No external safeties
-Points very naturally for most shooters

Cons: 
-Poor, almost non-existant trigger reset as it comes from the factory
Chrono data:
Federal 124gr HST: 1123FPS, 347 FT/LBS Energy
Speer 124gr +p Gold Dot: 1260FPS, 436 FT/LBS Energy

Here's a video with a little shooting, a size comparison with a few other guns, a discussion of the pros and cons, and do a chronograph test with the loads above:

Gen 4 Glock 19 Review

The Glock 19 is probably the most popular gun in America and for good reason---it's reasonably priced, reliable, rugged, accurate, and simple to maintain.  But in the last couple years its' reputation has taken a hit and some of that came from me.   I had a Gen4 G19 (PYU###) serial number and it was terrible---malfunctions/brass to the face/erratic ejection/ect...   Well Glock replaced that gun and that gun is what this review's about.  Let's get into it...

Pros: 
-Reliable.  The gun has had 0 malfunctions
-Accurate.  It's more accurate than I am, that's for sure. 
-Durable   -Easy to maintain 
-TONS of aftermarket support due to its' popularity and longevity.
-Accepts 15, 17, and 33 round factory magazines 
-Glock's customer service is excellent
-Durable finish
-Cheap replacement parts, should you ever need them 
-Low Bore Axis resulting in a soft shooting gun, especially for the weight.
-Easily modified to fit the shooters' preferences
-Requires very little cleaning/lubrication to run reliably 
-"Medium-sized" frame works well for both duty use and concealed carry.
-Improved grip texture on the Gen4 guns


Cons: 
-Recent history of problems in the post 2010 models
-Comes with a serrated trigger (even the US models)
-Availability these days.

Chrono numbers:

Speer Gold Dot 124gr +p : 1232 FPS, 418 FT/LBS energy
Federal HST 124gr : 1155 FPS, 367 FT/LBS energy


Here's a video with some shooting from the 12m line, a size comparison, a demonstration of shooting it with some loads often blamed for the recent issues, and a chronograph test with some popular carry/defensive loads:

 

Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40 Smith and Wesson

Finished up the testing of the Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40 S&W (#53962) round.  Here are the conditions and results. 

Test conditions: 
-Glock 35
-Test rounds fired from 10 feet 
-"FBI spec" Clear Ballistics gel block
-4 layers of denim 
Results: 
-1036 FPS, 429 FT/LBS energy
-16'' of penetration 

-Recovered weight: 180gr

Here's the video showing the test, the permanent cavity, and a discussion of the results: 

Handgun Stance Basics: Weaver & Modern Isosceles

Glock 17L Review

The Glock 17L (along with the G24) is kind of the unicorn of the Glock line up.   Produced in small batches and rarely, if ever, is it seen in the wild.    Here's a quick review of mine:

Pros: 
-Reliable.  The gun has had 0 malfunctions
-Accurate.  The longer sight radius helps when targets get small or range gets long. 
-Durable   -Easy to maintain 
-TONS of aftermarket support (not as much as some models however)
-Accepts 17 and 33 round factory magazines 
-Glock's customer service is excellet
-Durable finish
-Cheap replacement parts, should you ever need them 
-Low Bore Axis combined with relatively long slide resulting in a soft shooting gun.
-Easily modified to fit the shooters' preferences
-Requires very little cleaning/lubrication to run reliably 
-Many of the worries about brass to the face are assuaged; I've never heard of it with the G17Ls.
-Increased velocity due to the long barrel


Cons: -Availibility
-Not offered under the Blue Label or GSSF programs-Factory adjustable sights have a cheap feel
Chrono numbers:

-Gold Dot +p 124gr: 1331 FPS, 487 FT/LBS energy
-HST 124gr: 1203 FPS, 398 FT/LBS energy


Here's a video with some shooting from the 12m line, a size comparison, and a chronograph test with some popular carry/defensive loads:

How To Use A Vertical Fore Grip

Winchester Ranger T 230gr 45 ACP Ballistics Gel Test

Finished up the testing of the Winchester Ranger 230gr 45 ACP (#RA45T) round.  Here are the conditions and results. 

Test conditions: 
-Springfield Armory TRP with 5'' barre
-Test rounds fired from 10 feet 
-"FBI spec" Clear Ballistics gel block
-4 layers of denim 

Results: 
-878 fps, 394 ft/lbs energy
-14'' of penetration 

-Recovered weight: 124gr

Here's the video showing the test, the permanent cavity, and a discussion of the results: 

 

 

CCR Refinishing

Just wanted to do a review of CCR's CPII electroless nickel boron refininshing process as a lot of folks are buying used guns these days due to market shortages of new models....

Pros:
-Durable finish.  It performs well in salt bath tests and shows wear less than any finish I can think of.
-Affordable.  I think the normal price for a slide is around $100 but they have sales from time to time for $75
-Decent turn around time.  I have several guns done in this finish and they generally come back within 3-5 weeks.
-Looks great.  The finish is even and has a matte silver look to it in person.
-Easy to clean.  Carbon wipes right off.


Cons:
-Not really any I can think of other than the fact that shipping can be expensive if you want to send a complete gun in due to federal laws and UPS/FedEx pricing.

Here's a video showing a couple guns I've had done in action:

Mako E-Lander Mags

Lots of rumors swirling about these mags these days since they're readily available so I'll try to sum up what I've found with them to date......

Pros:
-Available
-In terms of reliability, they function flawlessly in all rifles they've been used in to date
-Come in 10, 20, 30, and 40 round capacity
-Nice even finish
-Anti-tilt follower
-Made out of steel.  I'm not really a metal magazine AR fan but I think steel mitigates some of the issues the aluminum USGI mags are known for (spread feed lips, denting, ect...)
-Insert fully loaded and drop free in my Colt LE6920
-Cost.  The 30 rounders are $18.70 and have free shipping if you order 6 or more.
-The overall construction seems pretty good.   Nice welds, finish, ect...


Cons:
-Unmodified, they were difficult to insert on a closed bolt when fully loaded in several rifles.   They were extremely difficult to release after insertion when fully loaded.   All mags tested were fully loaded for over a week before testing.
-They're heavier than other competitor's mags (USGI/PMag/Lancer/ect...)

Once I took off about 1/16-1/8'' from the mag catch in the mags (see the end of the video below) they functioned just fine in every way in all the rifles I've tried them in.   All in all---I'd be more concerned if they didn't work than the fact that they had to be slightly modified to drop free so that's a good thing but I'd prefer not having to tinker with mags to get them to function in my rifles...    

If you just need to get a hold of some 30 rounders there's certainly worse mags out there (Promag for example--they're selling at the same price these days as well).

Here's the video showing a little shooting and demonstrating the things I talked about above: