M2

Anyone ever seen a shooting simulator scenario that involved a BG with body armor? I have, and amazingly even seasoned law enforcement officers hesitate a moment to comprehend why their multiple center-of-mass shots are being ineffective in stopping the threat. It's unnatural, good hits on the target but not the desired effect. And "head shots" are nice in concept but extremely difficult under such conditions. I am far from an expert shooter, heck I consider myself to be just a little better than average in some regard; but I can tell you that it is a completely different situation from standing at a shooting range and taking well prepared shots at a piece of paper. Would have some lethal response slowed the shooter down? Most likely, but again it's a matter of weighing the risks involved. A dark and smoky movie theater crowded with hysterical people once they realized what was happening, it's a tough call. Sure most of us would like to believe we'd aggressively counterattack, but considering the circumstances I can completely understand why someone would chose not to. Remember the Gifford shooting in Arizona, there's a good chance that at least a few individuals were carrying there but no one engaged the shooter. All in all, it's a very horrific act by a real piece of shit, I agree with Rainman in that he appears to be enough of a coward that even just a few rounds fired in his direction most likely would have caused him to break off his attack and flee. It's just a matter of how much of an opportunity there was to do that with relative assuredly that you don't just simply add to the casualty list. In the end, the old police training adage that "action beats reaction" applies. Given the circumstances, I think some response would have been warranted no matter what the risk or probability of success... Cheers! M2

Admin Comment: Keep it focused, guys...thanks.

OK, here is the 30-day (give or take) review of the Suunto Core Regular Black... To be honest, I wasn't sure at first but now that I've been wearing it for a few weeks I am convinced that the Core is a great watch. It is thinner than the Highgear Summit it replaced, but I am finding that to be a good thing as it's easier to access under sleeves or a jacket. I keep it set on the barometer and I get a six-hour indicator of any increase or decrease in air pressure, good for determining which direction the weather is taking. We had some storms roll through this past week and it seemed to be fairly accurate in reading the air pressure. I think the altimeter is a bit off, I set it via my GPS and it still seems to be about 10-12' off. Since it works off barometric pressure I can understand the deviation, perhaps the Suunto GPS watches are more accurate. The compass is dead on, although I don't really have much of a need for it. Still, it's nice for the few times I have used it. The glass face has held up well despite a few bangs against it, but I will admit I liked the Core All Black's glow-in-the-dark dots on the bezel and I wish this one had 'em. But it is much easier to read outside than the negative face, my only complaint is that give its size the numbers could be much larger. It is the same diameter as my old Summit, but the numbers are roughly 20-25% smaller. There's a lot of usable area that Suunto could have used to enlarge them making them even easier to see. For 95% of you this wouldn't be an issue, but for us older gents it can be a challenge. Compared to the Casios I looked at, the Suunto feels to be a better quality device. I have an issue paying $200-300 for a Casio, for me they're suppose to be inexpensive watches and even their higher end models still feel "plasticy" in comparison to the Core (they're closer to the lower Suunto Vector model). The 'buttonology' could be better, I wish I could switch from the barometer to the altimeter without having to go through the menu although it will give you an altimeter reading while set for the barometer. I also like the beefier band versus the Vector, it is very comfortable and can be snug without constricting bloodflow. For the price I got mine via Amazon.com ($190 delivered), I think it is an excellent deal and would recommend the Sunnto Core to anyone looking for a quality but not overly expensive timepiece. Cheers!

Wow, tough to believe it'll be three years this November. The Webster Commission just its findings to the FBI...

The mag is single-stack so it is proprietary to the XD-S, however Springfield is already offering 7-round extended mags (next to the stock 5-rounder, not at the same scale)... vs. Although at $39.94 MSRP, I'm in no rush to get 'em. Oddly enough, I put the thinner backstrap on the grip and didn't like it as much as the thicker one. Cheers! M2

Hide your guns!

WTF?

What The Fuck? Additionally...

Had no problem whatsoever. To be honest, I am not even sure if my ring finger was on the grip or under it, but the recoil was so nominal that it didn't matter. It was easy to keep on target. I didn't over-think it, I just shot it the same as I would any pistol of its size and give how well it performed, no adjustment was necessary. But Springfield does off a 7-round magazine. I just don't feel it's necessary given what I'll be using this particular pistol for. Cheers! M2

OK, I just got back from shooting my new XDs and here’s a report… Things went pretty much as expected, I put 90 rounds through it, mainly Winchester White Box FMJ but also some Federal Hydra-Shok JHPs (I won’t carry a pistol until I’ve shot some SD rounds through it) and it was absolutely flawless. Not a single hiccup, everything fed and ejected as expected. Almost boring in its reliability, which is a good thing. I wish all my guns were so “boring” in this regard! So, the pros. First, as I stated, it’s typically Springfield. 100% reliable, accurate and I was amazed at how comfortable the recoil was for such a small pistol. It is easy to get on target and keep it there, I fired numerous mags in quick succession and kept all the rounds on target. The cons? Well, that’s a tough one. It does spit brass a good ways away, but I didn’t have any in the face like a few have reported. They were a good ten feet to my right, but honestly the only time that’s an issue for me is at the range when I collect the stuff for reloading. My second “criticism” is that I wish Springfield would give us a magazine loaded like the one I got with my XD. I was using an aftermarket 1911 loader which worked fine (the springs were stiff on both mags), but a XDs version of a Springfield XD loader would be gratefully appreciated (Springfield, are you listening?) Otherwise, about my only other “complaint” is that the gun got dirty. But I was thoroughly impressed with it. I brought my XD-45 Service along to compare the two, and the bigger pistol is more accurate (longer barrel) and easier to shoot (heavier); but I’ve also got a lot more trigger time with it so shooting it comes more natural for me. But as for the XDs, it is everything Springfield claims it is and more. It is characteristically a XD…well built, reliable, and extremely accurate. Even with only 90 rounds I know it is a dependable carry weapon and have no qualms in doing so. Six rounds may not be as good as 13 my XD holds, but not all situations allow carrying such a large pistol (although I have been doing so for six years now without any issues). I will still most likely garb my XD first but if things warrant a smaller weapon, the XDs works period, dot, no question about it. Cheers! M2

More fun videos from North Korea! 13 Of The Strangest Videos Uploaded To North Korea's Official YouTube Channel

Suck up.

If you're ever anywhere near Mons around the August timeframe, definitely check out Tanks in Town! And the Menin Gate at Ypres is impressive, as are the battlefields in the area. Cheers! M2

Don't forget that retired officers still hold their commissions...

Nope, but I have shot other compact 1911-style pistols, and none gained my confidence to a level of staking my life on one. Plus, while I do own a Taurus PT738 TCP; I am not the biggest fan of .380 either for just shooting or self-defense. My Tuarus cost me about $250 if I recall correctly, that Sig is almost three times that... Cheers! M2

Suck up. And to clarify, yes, you do need to be a commissioned officer to make inputs on a thread that's subject matter is 75% scantily clad women and the other 25% people telling other people they're stupid! Now go sit in the corner.

Fuck gender equality! You either can, or you can't. It's that simple.

Hoss, I don't own one but since an Officer-length 1911 is 3.5" and this XDs is 3.3", I would say they barrel-wise they are close; but the XDs is slimmer and the grip shorter. I don't trust short 1911s, every one I've shot has had issues feeding ammo/ejecting casings. They're nice looking, but the reliability just doesn't seem to be there from my experience. I don't think the 1911 was meant to be that short... Hopefully I'll have a range report this Saturday. Cheers! M2

Here are the pics... First, the XDs next to my XD-45 Service: Comparing the slide lengths: And the grip lengths: Staring down the barrel of loaded guns: Next to my Taurus PT709 Slim: Next to a Taurus PT738 TCP (same size as a LCP, P3AT, etc): So not a "micro" in any sense, about the same size and width as my Taurus Slim but carrying 5+1 .45ACP versus 7+1 of 9mm. If most reports of it being a good shooter for its size are true, I can easily see this being an alternate carry weapon in addition to an excellent BUG. Cheers! M2

Well, after being dicked over by someone on a local gun forum on a milled Russian AK parts kit, karma decided to reward me for my suffering at the hands of a fool... I stopped by an Academy sports store on my way home from work to pick up some more ammo for the Marlin I bought and shot this past weekend, and guess what was sitting in the display case? You got it, a XDs! As you may know, I have been looking for one for months now, and even at this past weekend's gun show all the vendors I talked with said they were near impossible to get. But it's always better to be lucky than good, and today I was really lucky! Although I knew it was pretty much certain I would buy it, I asked to handle it first at which point it was certain I would buy it! The thing fits perfectly in my hand, it's probably the smallest possible .45 ACP weapon that still feels like a real pistol! I can easily get a solid 2½ fingers on the grip and it is near perfectly balanced. It is slim (1" wide) and I have no problems getting a strong grip on it. Honestly, it is everything Springfield claimed it to be and more! Price was $529.99 + tax, and of course I had to buy some SD ammo because I wasn't going to carry this baby home unloaded! I most likely will take it out to the range on Saturday and see how it feels to my XD-45 Service, which has been my favorite 'go-to' pistol for years but which may now have some strong competition from its little brother! I will take some pics of it next to the XD and post them up for comparison's sake, but I am happy (and redemption has occurred) as this is the one firearm I wanted to purchase in 2012! Cheers! M2

Still 'nyet' on the Rooskies showing up for RF...

WTF? Shouldn't that have been Sammy Hagar's drummer?!? (Don't ask me which one is him!)

Nor did Waylon Jennings narrate it. It also didn't it freeze in the middle of the jump for a commercial break!

Anyone seen Ted?