Cats, Guns, and more. What’s not to love?
My Ruger Precision Rimfire .22 came from the factory with a decent trigger. A bit heavy on the pull for my liking.
I think it’s time for Timney!
Purty, ain’t she? Easy install, almost a drop-in.
Nice flat trigger.
Finished product.
And how about that trigger pull weight?
And ammo comparison between the Christensen Ranger and the RPR:
PDG, I’d say.
I don’t think so.
Plenty of Kat napping lately, but not much recording.
And, oh, yeah. From yesterday, an observation. The slower moving 140 merely ripped through the target, while the faster moving 140 and 147 punched neat holes.
Yep. Cordless, long-distance hole punch.
And just for yucks, yesterday reorganizing my loading bench, I pulled out this:
Many happy hours.
I talked to a couple shooting buddies at the club on barrel life for the 6.5. Both said that the first signs they noticed were a slow decrease in velocity, and the groups started spreading out. Over the last five years, my muzzle velocity has decreased from about 2650 to about 2500 fps with 140 grain bullets.
So, today’s project was to up my normal load of Hodgdon 4350 from 39 to 41 grains (that seems to be a standard load for many). DISCLAIMER! Don’t use anything I say here as safe or accurate! This is my rifle, my loads and my experience. Always start out 10% less using anyone’s recipe! This is the Interwebs, ya know.
I also wanted to recheck loads for 147 g. bullets. Back during the last ammo shortage, it was all I could get for awhile. Back then, my rifle didn’t like it as much as 140’s, but I’ve got some and was thinking about wind carrying ability at long range. So, I brought some of those.
First, the obligatory range pic.
And some results.
My rifle still prefers the 140 g Hornady ELD-M going a bit slower, at least at 100 yards. You can see that, after my fouling shot (F), the next five rounds were .422”. The faster 140 came in at .848” with a flyer. And the 147 was .878”.
I’ll take all three to the upper range to see if the heavier ones work better at distance.
And, in the meantime, remember:
Si vis pacem, para bellum
Yes, writing about the 9 mm Parabellum reminded me about the above.
You snooze, you lose.
Let’s look at an initial comparison between .380 ACP, 9 mm Luger, and .357 Sig.
Federal 95 grain FMJ .380 being fired from a 3.75” barrel at 980 fps – 203 foot-pounds of energy.
Federal 115 grain FMJ 9 mm being fired from a 4” barrel at 1180 FPS – 355 foot-pounds of energy.
Federal 125 grain FMJ .357 Sig being fired from a 4.5” barrel at 1350 FPS – 506 foot-pounds of energy.
There’s a good article over at TheGunZone.com from May 2024 that stresses that foot-pounds is not the be all and end all. Bullet design, expansion, shot placement and bullet weight all are equally as important. As a general comparison, it does give some idea of effectiveness, though. With the above numbers, the comparison is just as you would expect.
So let’s assume that each bullet is designed properly – I’d say shot placement is the most important. Can I quickly shoot each at Tueller Drill distance of 7 yards with a two-hand grip and make the hits count? Can I do it shooting dominant hand alone? Let’s take a look:
Looks like both the Max 9 and the LCP group around 2”, while the G32 spreads out a bit.
What’s the takeaway, then? For a tiny mouse gun the LCP shoots accurately enough (although in a sudden unexpected defensive gun use situation, I’d bet that grappling distance is more likely than 7 yards. I think Heinlein described it as “bad breath” distance). Proper bullet design, expansion and 200 foot-pounds of energy should be ok.
Same thing with the Max 9, but twice as many rounds and more foot-pounds.
The Glock? If I am knowingly going into a firefight, lots of bullets and lots of energy.
But the final consideration is “which one am I likely to have with me all of the time?”
In real life, I’m a belt and suspenders guy. The LCP is with me always. One of the other two is usually with me as well, depending on season, clothing and perceived threat level. So the answer to the initial question, “How compact is compact?”, is, in my case, small enough to carry concealed.
I’d need to put some height and weight on to carry a 1911 daily. Maybe take a look at the legendary .45 ACP soon.
Let’s look at the tech stuff first:
Glock 32. 13 rounds. 4.02” barrel. Unloaded weight* 24.34 oz. OAL 7.36”. 5.04” height. 1.26” width.
Ruger Max 9. 12 rounds. 3.2” barrel. Unloaded weight 18.4 oz. OAL 6”. 4.52” height. .95” width.
Ruger LCP. 6 Rounds. 2.75” barrel. Unloaded weight 9.6 oz. OAL 5.16”. 3.6” height. .82” width.
(* Yes, I hate unloaded weight – not very useful except as a comparison point. Loaded, the G32 comes in at 30.34 oz. and will definitely be a factor in comfortable carrying consideration.)
Yes, some significant size differences. Take a look:
And capacity:
How about concealability?
The G32 is in an IWB holster, the Max 9 in a pocket holster, and the LCP is in a wallet holster. Much has been written about concealed carry, and it is very much an individual choice. IWBs are uncomfortable to me. Being in the frozen north, I can carry pretty much any handgun I want in an OWB holster underneath a jacket. I do that for both the G32 and the Max 9. But the tiny LCP in its wallet holster fits inside my back pocket, or a cargo pants pocket, or a jacket pocket. And it just does not print, other than being shaped like a wallet.
What it comes down to is the ease and comfort that will encourage you to carry every day. With the LCP, I do.
We’ll take a look at more variables tomorrow, as well as effectiveness of the round. I mean, I can carry a literal peashooter very comfortably, but it won’t do the self defense thing. Is the short little .380 ACP adequate to the task of being my EDC? And can I hit anything with it?
Well, from yesterday’s bullets, anything shooting them should be compact, right? Mmmm, no. From left to right, .380 ACP, 9 mm Luger, and .357 Sig. They do all share the same actual diameter – .355 inches. Yep, don’t rely on bullet names to accurately represent dimensions; there’s usually a bunch of marketing in the name. .357 Sig was meant to match the stopping power and name recognition of the .357 Magnum, but shoot out of an autoloader instead of a revolver. And the European name of the .380 is the 9mm Kurz, Kurz being Short in German.
So what size compacts will shoot these rounds?
,
Top is the Glock 32 (but it’s really the G19, which is the compact version of the original plastic fantastic Glock 17). The 19, 23 and 32 are the exact same frame, but calibered in 9 MM, 40 S&W, and Sig .357 respectively. Swap out the barrels and they are virtually interchangeable. Minor quibble, the 40 and 357 use identical magazines, while the 9 uses its own.
So, the G32 above, marketed as a compact, can shoot the barn-burning .357 Sig, as well as the 40 “Short & Weak” and the 9 mm “EuroPellet”.
Next pistol down is a Ruger Max 9. It is chambered in, you guessed it, 9 mm. But it is significantly smaller than the Glock. Maybe we can call it a Sub Compact.
And finally, the Ruger LCP. Little Compact Pistol? Perhaps we are talking Micro Compact. And it is significantly smaller than the Max 9. I’m betting it will fit in a pants pocket easily.
Tomorrow, let’s compare dimensions, performance, accuracy and some other factors. But all shooting the same diameter bullet should make it easy. Right?
Yup, been in the wind. Secret project and all.
So let’s get back to things, like guns and cats. I’d do politics, but things are changing so quickly that discussion is mere guesswork and bloviating.
I’ve been wanting to do an homage to Mr. Browning and Herr Glock. My not so humble opinion is that the 1911 is like the Garand – the finest battle implement known to man. Or something like that, thankyouverymuch, Gen. Patton. I also think the Glock 17 etc. is/was a game-changer. I almost said paradigm shift, but that would be something along the line of a hand-held laser pistol.
But first, I’m going to discuss something I worked on a few years ago, roughly summarized as, “How small is compact?” I’ll drop a teaser with the bullets pic below.
A Major Prize will be awarded to the first person successfully identifying these three cartridges:
For the next week. Flood warnings up here. No range time. But I did get my bullet order in from Midway. In the meantime,
KatNap Fever! 