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My top two favorite firearms are not in this image, but these are the next six on my list of favorite firearms.

Six of my favorite firearms

The topmost firearm is a FNAR .  Below that we have from left to right a Kimber Custom TLE II, a Ruger Super Blackhawk, and an XDm-45.  Below them we have a Howa Axiom 1500 and on the bottom is my custom built 6.8 SPC.

The FNAR features a Heavy Barrel, a Nikon Scope, and and has two twenty round magazines.  I still have all the factory accessories and really enjoy shooting this rifle as it is so accurate.

The TLE II might be the most accurate non-custom factory handgun I have ever shot.  This thing is actually more accurate than many custom handguns I have shot.  I do not know if this one is just an exceptional piece, or if it is typical of the line.  I will say it is impossible to tell a difference between its accuracy and that of my Kimber Custom Shop Pro Covert II.

Chambered in .44 magnum the Ruger Super Blackhawk is possibly in this group due to my love of single action wheel guns.  However it maybe in this group because it is just too much fun to shoot, what ever the reason it is accurate, powerful, and effective.

The XDm-45 was purchased because I already owned one of the first 5000 XDm-40 pistols made and it is an amazing firearm.  The XDm-45 had a terrible trigger out of the box, in fact it was the worst example I have felt from any Springfield Armory product.  A visit to Powder River Precision’s website, my Credit Card number, and a little time resolved that issue and the gun can now take its place as one of my favorites.

The Howa 1500 came from the factory with an Axiom stock and is chambered in .270 Winchester.  It came from the factory with the scope, rings, and bases in the picture which will remain on the gun until they give me a reason to change them.  I originally wanted this gun simply because it looked like something that would drive the gun banners nuts, that and the fact it was a .270.  The first time I took it to the range I got asked questions along the lines of “What is that?” and “Where can I get one?”  I also got comments like “That is the coolest gun I have ever seen.” and “It looks like a combination of an assault weapon and a sniper rifle, the Brady’s will really want this one banned.”  It took nearly 15 minutes to explain that there really is no such thing as an assault weapon.

Finally we come to my optic-less 6.8.  This rifle was a custom build by myself and features a custom ordered barrel.  Chambered in 6.8SPC and built for hog hunting this rifle is nothing but fun.  I have mounted a number of different optics and sighting solutions on it but I can’t find a solution that does the thing justice.  I’ve tried iron sights, day scopes, night vision scopes, and haven’t been able to make a decision yet.  Maybe I will get an EOTech and magnifier combo, or maybe something from Trijicon.  Who knows it could even end up with something even more expensive than itself.  Regardless of its current configuration, this rifle has been amazingly accurate with every optic mounted on it, and to be honest I think it maybe the most accurate firearm I own (maybe).

Now with all that said the common theme among all of these firearms isn’t the pistol grip, its the accuracy and effectiveness of them.

The Taurus Judge is the five shot revolver that shoots both .45 Long Colt and .410 Shot shells, and there is a new smaller version called the Public Defender. The new Public Defender model appears to be aimed at the concealed carry market where the previous model seems to target vehicle carry and snake killing.  Being smaller and lighter I expect the new Public Defender to behave differently when fired. Overall I expect my new Judge to be a completely different experience than my full sized model.

Taurus Judge Public Defender

Continue reading ‘A Meeting with the Public Defender.’ »

I tend to buy guns that I have an interest in.  For some it may be a rotating barrel, others it may be history, and others it may be function or form.  But for one reason or another I am interested in each and every gun I get.  The Taurus PT 24/7 OSS interested me for a number of reasons including the Double Action and Single Action functions, decocker, and feel.  Overall I expect good things from this pistol.

Continue reading ‘Taurus PT 24/7 OSS in .45 ACP’ »

Now that I own a Beretta PX4 Model C and a Springfield Armory XDm I feel I should compare them. Both guns are designed with ergonomics in mind. Both guns are comparable in price range with the XDm costing a little more, but it comes with a few more accessories and a nicer case. Both have similar features and similar capacity. In the end I expect these firearms to have similar capabilities and performance.

Continue reading ‘Beretta PX4 Storm vs Springfield Armory XDm’ »

The Taurus Judge is the five shot revolver that shoots both .45 Long Colt and .410 Shot shells. There are two chamber options for the Judge: one with the original two and a half inch chamber, and another with the three inch magnum chamber. On The Taurus website they claim the Judge gets its name from the number of Judges carrying them. If thats true or just a marketing gimmick I don’t know, and to be honest I could care less. With an advertised empty weight of 29 ounces, a three inch barrel (there is a six inch barrel version) and a chamber capable of chambering .410 shot shells this handgun is being pushed as a self defense gun. Some have suggested that the judge is suitable as a snake gun, general outdoor gun, Car gun, Carry Gun, and so forth. Personally I bought the Judge because I think it will make an excellent gun to shoot for recreation.

The Judge and ammo.

Continue reading ‘Judgement day for “The Judge”’ »

One of our greatest leaders in this country once gave a great speech in which the introduction from that speech applies to gun owners today.  Today as gun owners we are divided, and as Abraham Lincoln “A house divided against itself cannot stand.“  It is important to note that we gun owners are currently divided against each other and we must unite or we will loose.  Perhaps it is time for each of the different camps to spend a little time in each others shoes,  I like to think of myself as a Balanced gun owner and I hope that you also, or at the very least are willing to become one.

There are currently 5 camps in the gun owners world, members of which are dead set on “These other gun owners want to toss me under the bus” mentality.  The first camp is called the “Fudds” by the others.  They are hunters and outdoorsmen who who’s firearms are threatened every time there stories and potential legisilation about “sniper rifles”.  The second camp is called the “Rambo’s wannabe’s” by their peers.  They own and shoot “Evil Black Rifles” that were banned under the Clinton so-called “Assault Weapons Ban.”  The third camp that is responsible for the in fighting are called the “Wyatt Earps” or “Doc Holidays” by their peers.  They carry guns on their person and have a more defensive nature for their firearms.  The next camp we come to is the “Professionals” whose lives may depend on their firearms.  The Professionals carry and use firearms as part of their job which could be Law Enforcement, Security, or Military.  Finally we have the “Competitors” camp who use firearms to compete in sanctioned competitions.

The Clinton so called “Assault Weapons Ban” affected Some of the “Fudds”, had a serious impact on the “Rambo Wannabes”, affected the “Wyatt Earps”/”Doc Holidays”, Affected the non-government portion of the “Professionals”, and impacted the “Competitors” showing that we all can be hurt by bad legislation.  The current political climate is ripe for an effort to repeat a greatly expanded and much more permanent so called “Assult Weapons Ban” that will affect firearms that were not included in the original.  If this happens we may never again see the level of freedom we enjoy today.

Once more we come back to the quote “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  Our opponents are united against us and yet we have all been calling each other names and fighting over minor things, this must change or we will loose our rights.  First off lets refer to each other as gun owners, Second lets get membership up in groups that defend our rights, Third lets go and join at least one of the other camps.  Finally lets contact the politicians and let them know that if they attempt to take away our rights then they will loose their jobs.  Should we do this as a united mass of gun owners they will have to listen.  If we try it as five different camps then they will say “We have to ban the very dangerous assault weapons, but it will only be those.”  Next it maybe “We have to stop people from carrying a gun anywhere they feel like so we are banning carrying of arms in public, but thats all we intend to do.”  Then it maybe “We have to ban those extremely dangerous sniper rifles that ignore bullet proof vests, but those are all we will ban.”  Finally they will come to the competitors who will have to have their firearms stored in a government approved facility and can only use them when when allowed for practice and competition.  Eventually they will even turn on the professionals who will not be able to carry unless they are working and have a so called “legitimate” need for them.

I hunt with an AR15 while my daily carry stays concealed on me, so I like to think of myself as a balanced gun owner.  I try not to see “Fudds”, “Rambo wannabes”, “Wyatt Earps”/”Doc Holidays”, Professionals, or competitors as I prefer to see “gun owners”.  I try to introduce new people to the shooting sports, I have signed up people for the NRA and I have encouraged people to join the other gun owners groups.  I strongly believe that we must unite our divided house before it falls in on our heads.  Will you join with me and unite with other gun owners before its too late?

Finally the gun is assembled, equipped with a scope, and ready to go …. as soon as its sighted in or zeroed. I met two friends out on a private range where we shoot a lot and took 11 different firearms with me. Of the eleven firearms my newest stole the show early on, but we’ll get to that later. The real show stopper, and we forgot about everything else when we got to it, was my AR-15 build.

I asked my buddy Eric to zero the scope for two reasons, the first is that he is great at it and the second is that he wanted to shoot the rifle . We started sighting it in at about one hundred yards, and it was hitting its mark within five rounds. We then started moving on out and trying to see how far out we could hit constantly. We ran into one major problem in the “How far out is this thing accurate” test when we ran out of range to shoot. We ended up shooting at four hundred and twenty five yards. or nearly one quarter of a mile.

Our best target was a container three inches wide and eight and a half inches tall. We filled it with sand and when it would move. The first shot knocked it over leaving us with a 3 inch diameter base to shoot at, the second shot nailed it causing it to spin some while the final shot moved it back. After three hits our favorite target was useless and rather than go down range and setup more targets we chose to kill white colored caliche rocks that stood out against the red sand of the area.  Overall the rifle is amazingly consistent and accurate.  The upper receiver is more than capable of doing the job it was designed for, killing varmits.  For me its use will be more of a target rifle.

Ok, its been a while since I started my AR-15 build, but I finally got around to getting the upper and finishing it. I researched everything: stripped uppers, upper parts kits, bolts, bolt carriers, hand guards, and most importantly barrels. I spent most of my time looking for upper receiver assemblies and thought about building my own. Finally I ordered my upper, installed it, mounted the scope and shot the rifle.

First off I researched everything about the upper receiver assemblies, and had already decided on a flat top. Second I looked at the parts kits, nothing of interest there, unless I built my own. Next was the bolt and bolt carrier, and I decided that I wanted a a forward assist and serrations on the carrier. Hand guards were an area where I was tempted to go wild, after all I was tempted to go with the tacti-cool penta rail free float with a whole bunch of accessories. but I decided on a free float tube style with nothing but a bi-pod stud. Finally I came to the barrel, and here is where my research got complicated. I decided I wanted a 1-8 or a 1-7 twist rate for heavier projectiles, stainless steel, and from a well known manufacturer.

After determining that I did not wish to build the upper from scratch at this time I looked at upper assemblies from Bushmaster, DPMS, even found an unused Remington R-15 take off upper, and several off brand manufacturers. I found flame wars for every manufacturer that sells uppers all of which had good stories, bad stories, the “I wouldn’t own one because my friends wife’s uncle’s step-son’s bosses nephew…” stories, and so forth. Finally I found a manufacturer that had two things I liked. They were in Texas, and they used E.R. Shaw barrels. Now I read all kinds of stories about them but decided to give them a try anyway. So I ordered a complete upper assembly with bolt carrier, bolt, and charging handle from Model 1 Sales. It came it exactly one week from when I called in my order and mailed my payment with a 41 cent stamp.

After getting notification from work (I had it delivered there in case I wasn’t home and didn’t want UPS just leaving it in front of the door) that my package was there I went and picked it up. I assembled the upper to the lower and mounted the scope in the parking lot. I then went out to some private land we have permission to shoot on and fired 4 rounds. After that little bit of time too many people showed up and wind was getting out of hand but every shot was on paper, and the fourth shot was a bulls eye at 50 yards.

Since I have gotten this far I may as well mention my thoughts on it so far. Everything works smoothly, smoother than any production AR-15 I have ever shot. The extended/tactical latch on the charging handle is a must for a low mounted scope on an AR-15. Fit and finish on the upper is excellent. I did have to clear some debris from the charging handle guide channels in the upper, but that was a minor issue. Everything was packaged well (in a box that could almost carry the entire gun. I got what I payed for, and was very pleased in the end.

On Sunday March 16, 2008 I purchased a stripped AR-15 lower receiver from a gun show in Odessa Texas. On Friday March 21, 2008 I purchased a lower parts kit, and a used but complete A2 stock assembly at a gun store in Lubbock Texas. I went home and in about 45 minutes I completely assembled my now complete lower receiver.

I purchased this part from a local gun dealer who I have done business with in the past and would have bought it from his local shop except it was already loaded onto his trailer to be taken to the show. Since we had made arrangements I got the lower from him at the show and took it home with me. The thing about the lower receiver is that they are the part that the ATF considers to be the gun as they have the serial number. Seeing how this is “the part that is the gun” I still had to fill out the form 4473, show my Licenses, and pay my money before I could go. Everyone selling at the show appeared to be a Federally licensed dealer so everyone who was not exempt was required to have a background check called in prior to taking their newly purchased guns home (I am exempt).

I got off work a little earlier than usual on Friday so I went to Lubbock looking for parts to flesh out my lower. I picked up a new DPMS lower parts kit and a used, although complete, A2 stock assembly. I picked up a few other items I needed and went home.

After getting home I cleared my bench then got my tools, gun lube (CLP), lower, and parts. I opened up this link on my computer and started to work. After about 45 minutes of work I finished assembling my first lower receiver. I had expected a more difficult task but it was amazing simply, in fact it was easier than building a new computer.

The final components I need to finish my new rifle will be ordered soon, they will in fact be ordered as a complete upper with bolt assembly and charging handle. These will be combined with my now complete lower, scope (Purchased for an AR-15 I no longer have), and magazines(also purchased for the AR-15 I no longer have) to finish out this new rifle.

But I will have my own waiting area. What exactly is this waiting room you ask? its a forum on the website TexasCHLforum.com and its where people go to keep track of their CHL process while they wait on it. So in the tradition, or perhaps it is fashion, of the waiting room here is my time line (updates to come):

• 04/06/07: Applied for application on-line.
• 05/19/07: Took class.
• 05/21/07: Mailed packet to DPS.
• 05/23/07: Packet received at DPS (Confirmed Delivery from USPS website).
• 05/31/07: Letter Mailed from DPS (Forgot to sign back of photo, somehow).
• 06/01/07: Status changed to “Processing Application”.
• 06/16/07: Received letter above (USPS mis-delivered, receiver hand delivered it).
• 06/16/07: Unofficially heard from the S/O they had performed the criminal BG check.
• 06/18/07: Sent letter and photo back to DPS (Certified mail).
• 06/21/07: Letter with photo received at DPS.
• 06/26/07: Status changed to “Application Completed – license issued or certificate active“
• 07/09/07: CHL in hand (USPS mis-delivered again, same receiver hand delivered it again).

Notes: It seems the DPS continues to process the application even when something minor has to be redone (such as signing the back of the photo).