BarryinIN

New today is the S&W Response, a 9mm carbine with interchangeable magazine wells. It comes with two magwells, one for S&W M&P magazines (and two 23-rd mags) and one for Glock 9mm magazines. The trigger group is AR. The buttstock is AR (Magpul MOE). The grip looks M&P, including the backstrap system. M-lock forend. It looks like no sights are included. How much, when do we see it, etc? Beats me. https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/response

Watching and waiting on those new grips. Eleven minutes into the announcement, and it’s all industry partner pitches so far. Maybe it will be rubber grips in different color options. Aaaaaand… It’s a 9mm carbine. Modular. Different magazine wells, can use AR trigger groups. The S&W Response.

Every time I get excited over something like this I get disappointed. I have prepared myself to expect nothing.

Recoil in my Blackhawk .44 Special is pleasant. Recoil in my S&W 696 is not bad at all. Recoil in the last Bulldog I fired stung a bit as I recall. I hope to shoot this one Thursday. We will see if my memory is accurate. All the .44 Special ammo I had loaded was a little stiffer than the Bulldog should probably see, so I loaded some more. I have fifty rounds ready, using seven different bullets. I’m mostly trying to see what bullet weight/velocity range is going to let it shoot to point of aim, then I can work from there. When I picked up the lil’ doggie, I had a 2” S&W model 12 in my jacket pocket. That’s a K-frame, so none too big. The Bulldog is almost identical in size except for having a 3” barrel. That’s not a lot of metal for shooting a .44 of any kind! FWIW, It has an early serial number so I emailed charter asking when it was manufactured. The Bulldog came out at the beginning of 1973. The answer came back that mine was made in late ‘72. I knew it was made in the early years because of the company address on the barrel, but I didn’t know it would be that early.

S&W has been sending out teasers. Lots of them. The bigger the fuss, it usually means the more disappointment to be had, so it’s probably a new rubber grip option. I’ll still keep my eyes peeled.

I have one on the way, an early original from the first three years of production. I know they have a reputation for questionable quality, but they have always intrigued me. I well remember when they were a fairly hot item due to them being the sole object of their type. A .44 caliber belly gun still isn’t exactly commonplace. I am a .44 Special fan, so feel an appreciation for the Bulldog for helping bring the cartridge back from near obscurity. I have been reloading it for some time so I’m set there. The speedloaders I have for my S&W 696 and 69 work in the ‘dog. Somehow or another, I have a set of factory wood grips for the Bulldog. When you put it all together, there is no reason I shouldn’t have one.

Apparently they had trouble adapting the AUG gas system to work satisfactorily with both supersonic and subsonic ammo. The AUG taps the gas from a pretty short point on the barrel, and I guess that was the bind. The 300BO barrel has a different gas block. Much larger in diameter. Still, 6.5 years… And that’s from the time they teased us. They might’ve been playing with it before then.

It’s only been six and a half years, but it looks like this is going to happen. https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2023/10/04/the-300-blackout-steyr-aug-is-finally-coming-to-the-usa/ Along with it, we are getting a new NATO stock (uses AR mags) that now has a standard external bolt release

I realized I put my own question out there. Why buy an LCR when an SP-101 is only a (relatively) little bit more money? Good question, self. Weight and trigger. The SP-101 is a tank and built accordingly. That would be a plus if this gun was only to be used at the range, but mine will not be. The triggers are no comparison. I admit it hurt to choose the ugly, nasty LCR over the beast of an SP-101, but practicality made it no contest.

Or, Forgive Me S&W, For I Have Sinned. That same sad story: A friend has one. I shot it. I liked it. I went to Gunbroker. It took a few weeks, but I made the right deal. The obvious question many people would have is “Why?” You could ask that about a few points in this case. Why a 9mm revolver? That’s kind of a two part question. Why a revolver, and why a 9mm revolver? For the first, I always have a revolver for pocket/ankle/etc carry. They deal with the crud and lint better that these locations always force into guns. But why one in 9mm? There are a few reasons, but MY best reason is because I always have 9mm ammo with me at the range. At the very least, I keep some reloaded cast bullet 9mm all the time. If I’m shooting anything at all, I can take a few practice shots with my carry gun. With a 9mm revolver, I can do the same. The only time I have .38 Spl or any other revolver ammo with me is when I am making a planned effort to shoot revolvers. Regular practice is a requirement with any gun, but it’s imperative with snubbies. Now, I can practice with the LCR anytime. At least, that’s the plan. Why an LCR? I’ve always been an S&W-first guy for revolvers. I don’t have any tattoos, but if I got one, the first would be the S&W logo. I probably have more of the little J-frames than any other size S&W. Over the years, I’ve had more J-Frames than I can think of right now. Even though I’m primarily an auto shooter I always have a J-frame on me if I have a gun at all. But I’ve never liked two things about them- the trigger pull and the sights. Just like everyone else. The LCR has a very nice trigger. Yes, it’s heavier than most people would like, but it’s about 3/4 the weight of J-frames. Even better, the pull is a lot smoother. The sights still aren’t great, but they are better. The Downsides. The biggest negative is that LCRs are expensive, and I can’t explain it. MSRP is a whopping $859. Real-world prices are still right at $700. Comparing prices while staying with Ruger, the all-steel, relatively premium, SP-101 is only $60 more than an LCR at $919. MSRP on S&W J-Frames starts at $539. No comparison there. Granted, S&W currently doesn’t offer their 9mm model 940. If you can find one, they tend to top $1000 pretty easy. Commonly named as a 9mm revolver disadvantage is the need and expense of moon clips. Big deal, I’d be buying magazines for autos and speedloaders for revolvers anyway. A real negative is recoil. One might expect a 9mm revolver, even a small one, to be on the mild side of recoil levels. If so, one would then be surprised. It’s not near the brutality of .357 Mag in a Scandium 340, but it does give you a smack. More than .38 or .38 +P. Rationally, this is to be expected since 9mm revolver performance falls somewhere between .38 Spl and .357 Magnum. Even mild 9mm factory “practice” ammo was a bit stiff. To the plus side, it seems to me that 9mm LCR muzzle flash and blast is less than even .38 Spl. I am guessing some of that is from 9mm ammo getting more attention from ammo companies in the way of low-flash powders than revolver rounds get these days. I’ve read a lot about bullets in 9mm jumping the taper crimp in revolvers but didn’t see any of it when shooting my buddy’s LCR-9. I was checking, too, shooting four then opening the cylinder to inspect the remaining round. I also shot some of my 140 grain lead bullet reloads just to test this since I use a very light taper crimp (a key to accuracy with cast in the 9mm, I have found) and saw none of it. So there I am. I will give it a fair shake and see what I have. Perhaps my attention span will last long enough. Also… The local gun shop has not one, but two, used .22 LCRs in the case. Just sayin’.

I have ran it through a class now. It was only a one-day class where I used 148 rounds, but still a class. There were only three students in the class, including me, so it may not mean a lot that it was the only shotgun to get through the day without a malfunction. The fact they were sharing Buffalo brand (?) shells didn’t help them any. I wasn’t planning on using it because I didn’t have a stock yet that fit me. I was going to use my Benelli M1 Super 90, then maybe switch to the M4 late in the day to see how much different it felt. But I guess the “new gun” factor was too much to resist. Naturally, my new stock arrived the following afternoon. Nothing exciting to report about the gun. Keep shells in it and shoot. This instructor was a proponent of reloading the gun with what you shot ASAP (Shoot one, load one; shoot two, load two, etc) so I got a lot of practice stuffing the tube full. The magazine spring and the shell latch spring are stronger than my M1 or any other shotgun I have, so it was my LEFT arm that was feeling it from shoving shells in all day. So far, I recommend it.

I’ve now had it a few days, but haven’t shot it yet. Oddly, I had never handled an M4 before buying one. I kept reading how much heavier they were than their competition, including Benelli’s own M1, M2, and M3, but it feels close to my Benelli M1. Part of that could be the old Surefire forend light on the M1, which isn’t heavy but probably has enough weight to effect the feel. Just looking it over, and IMO, the M4 is a tiny step down in quality from my old M1. The M4 is also 20 years newer (2001 vs 2021) which may have something to do with it. Two parts caught my attention right off. One part that always impressed me on the M1 is the “rat tail” of the bolt- the link pinned on the back of the bolt that runs to the recoil spring in the stock. It’s much beefier than on most semiauto shotguns I’ve seen. It’s a different part on the M4. It’s made of flat stampings stacked and riveted together. It’s probably fine, but it doesn’t look as impressive as the M1. The M4 also has a plastic trigger guard/trigger group housing while the M1’s is aluminum. That may save a minute amount of weight, but not much. I’m not opposed to some trigger guards being plastic, but for guns like this, the housing supports several pivoting and spring-loaded parts. Most of these parts get banged around pretty well in cycling and are on pins supported by this housing. I’ve never heard or read of a problem here, but I’d sure feel better with metal. They are available on the aftermarket. I might splurge. Then again, Marines have been using the M4 (as the M1014) for over 20 years now. They don’t seem to be destroying them, so there’s that. One thing I really like on the M4 is the pin that retains the trigger group. The trigger assembly is attached similar to most other pump or semiauto shotguns; with a pin through the receiver. Only THIS one is captive. It pushes through from right to left, stops when the assembly is freed, and stays there. I always seem to put these pins where I can easily find them later, then forget where that place is. I will know where this one is. Small thing maybe, but to me it’s worth a lot in actual use.

Because I didn’t have one, I guess. I wanted one of the current heavy hitters; the M4, Beretta 1301, or the new Beretta M300 Ultra Patrol. Maybe a Benelli M2. Actually I started out shopping for Mossberg 590s, but they are running in the upper $500s up to well into the $600 range. I thought I might as well go ahead and buy Italian. It turns out none of my wants are any too abundant right now, and when found they bring every penny they can get. I went back and forth between all of them as my favorite, but when I cleaned up my Benelli M1 it was decided. I was reminded how simple Benellis are, how beefy some parts are, and how clean they stay. I was tempted to get a Benelli M2 because they are so close to the M1 Super 90 I have and like. Then I threw a lowball bid at a used M4 on Gunbroker and won. It should be here tomorrow. Since I already have a Benelli M1, why another shotgun so similar? For one reason, I want a spare. I don’t have a similar backup for any shotgun. In classes, shotguns tend to fail a lot. They simply don’t withstand the heat and constant use as well as other types of guns. Switching to a spare gun is a very common necessity, and all of my shotguns are different from the rest. That kind of change can screw up the learning curve. Shotgun classes are held less often than others. I’ll make a greater effort to get to one, so it sucks even more if and when I can’t use the intended gun throughout the entire class. Another reason is I’ve expanded my shotgun use, for lack of a better description. I never used to keep a shotgun handy for defensive use except in the home. Then during the “Summer of Love” with all the riots two years ago, I started taking my Benelli M1 in the SUV whenever I went very far from home. Moving it out of its comfy house bedding spot to the SUV with all the casing up, stashing it in its spot in the SUV, and little things like unscrewing the light lens a little so it can’t be switched on in transport running the batts down, carrying a bag of ammo back and forth, etc, etc- then reversing the process when I got home- was enough of a nuisance that I probably left it home sometimes when I shouldn’t have. So I will now have two guns that operate the same, with similar controls, and the same sights, so one can get comfortable in the SUV and one can stay home. I can use them in classes without worry of having to switch to something completely different if one goes down. I can even switch back and forth, which might make it easier on the guns. That’s it! It’s a money saving purchase!

From the blog NRA in Danger https://nraindanger.wordpress.com/2023/06/08/ny-lawsuit-court-ruling/ “Here is today’s main ruling. The court strikes 13 of NRAs affirmative defenses, plus several by the individual defendants. In separate rulings, the court denied Josh Powell and Woody Phillips’ motions to dismiss. Looking at NRA’s Answer, the defenses that the court struck included: All claims relating to the First Amendment and the NY Attorney General’s bias, selective enforcement of the law, and an attack on appointment of a financial monitor. The ruling ends with, “ORDERED that, as soon as reasonably possible, the parties submit a joint letter proposing a trial plan and schedule so that the Court can reserve the necessary dates.” To make a long story short, it was a disastrous day in court for NRA and its former officials. Again.”

No, not everything, but they have more than they had maybe a month ago. If you've been waiting for something, you might take a look. www.starlinebrass.com/pistol-

Very good point.

I know some like to use #1 Buck or #4 Buck or even smaller for defensive use. I never liked the idea of anything smaller than 00 Buck. Here is but one example why. https://civiliandefender.com/2023/04/21/12-gauge-4-buckshot-to-the-face/

I posted it in the 2023 NRA Annual Meetings thread, but the lightweight K6 is definitely coming. Kimber rep said July delivery. MSRP $679

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2023 NRA Reelects Charles Cotton as President, Wayne LaPierre as CEO/EVP at Indianapolis Board of Directors Meeting 77,246 people gather for NRA Annual Convention Indianapolis, IN – The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) announces the election results from its Board of Directors Meeting held in Indianapolis, IN. Charles Cotton was reelected NRA President, former Congressman Bob Barr was elected as First Vice President, and David Coy reelected Second Vice President. Wayne LaPierre was again elected CEO and Executive Vice President. In recognition of his extraordinary leadership these past two years, the NRA Board of Directors voted unanimously to amend its bylaws to allow Cotton to succeed himself for a third term. In addition to his responsibilities as NRA President, Cotton is Chairman of the Audit Committee and a transformational leader. LaPierre was re-elected by the NRA Board of Directors, who annually elect the CEO/EVP. The Board of Directors are elected by NRA members. This followed a vote at the NRA Members Meeting on April 15, 2023, where members expressed confidence in Mr. LaPierre. The weekend festivities were proceeded by the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action on April 14, 2023 – a gathering of thousands of pro-Second Amendment elected officials, presidential candidates, and grassroots supporters.

Next year’s Annual Meetings will be in Dallas. Winchester has had a… let’s say entry level…semiauto .22 called the Wildcat for a few years now. It’s not bad looking, and retail starts at $289.95. It comes with useful peep sights and a pic rail, which might save you a few bucks. Made in Turkey. It may not be new, but new to me, is a bolt action counterpart called the Xpert. The trigger is actually pretty decent as it comes, and is adjustable. Also made in Turkey Both the Winchester .22s can use 10/22 magazines.

The fun stuff, what I’ve seen the first two days. The alleged new Army rifle, the SigSauer XM7, has been criticized for being heavy. I can attest that thing is every ounce as heavy as it looks. The Sig booth was close to the Ohio Ordnance booth. I handled their semiauto 1918A3 after the XM7, and while the BAR is a fair amount heavier, its better balance made the difference feel slight. That describes the XM7’s feel better than anything I can think of. Granted, the XM7 on display had the optic and suppressor mounted, adding to the bulk. But since that is how it is to be used, that is how it should be judged. Plus, the suppressor is almost a necessity because of the short barrel and high pressure cartridge. The new revolver from Henry is not quite as ugly as it appears in pictures, but it’s no beauty. The cylinder latch thumpiece is small. The sights are standard fixed revolver sights (rear trough), not bad but not good. The DA trigger pull is not terrible but not S&W or Colt Cobra level by any means. SA trigger pull is excellent, like most revolvers. I can’t see that it does anything different or better than what is currently out there. To be fair, the Henry rep said their intention was to create a companion gun to the Big Boy rifles rather than create a defense or hunting gun, and I will admit it would seem to do that very well. Henry’s Homesteader 9mm semiauto carbine reminds me of the old Marlin Camp 9 when viewed up close. The receiver top is a similar profile, and the bolt appears very similar, which must be what does it. I got to handle four new-to-me Springfield Armory guns. The Prodigy is their 2011/Staccato competitor, and they seem pretty nice. I would like try one. The SA Hellion bullpup rifle did not overwhelm me. The quality and finish appear very nice, but I did not like the ergonomics. The thumb safety is a flip lever that rotates approximately 45 degrees. I want to say it is located under the thumb, but that isn’t quite right. It sits a little high up on the frame, so the thumb doesn’t really rest on it when in the fire position. It seems best to rotate it, then roll the thumb off and below it. The ambi cocking handle is a bit odd and maybe a little cramped within its grooved area. The trigger is truly awful. I tried three, and none were any better than the others. The SA-35 HiPower reintroduction looks pretty nice. Attendees complained of the trigger feel, but I found it very true to originals. I probably tried a half dozen of them, and all were about the same. I always found Browning triggers to vary from gun to gun. Based on them feeling much like originals, I’m guessing the same smiths can tune them up nicely. Their 2020 bolt action seemed nice. Smooth action. Good triggers. Approx 60 degree bolt lift, like most are going to now. Kimber had what was the highlight of the show for me. For at least a couple of years, they have teased a lightweight version of the K6s revolver in .38 Spl +P instead of .357 Mag. Everyone who has handled or shot my K6s loved it but disliked the weight. The new lightweight was there, called the K6XS, for what the rep called their “soft release”. Availability is expected in July. MSRP is $679. Marlin (Maruger?) recently added the 336 to the returning rifles list The pistol caliber model 1894 is scheduled for this summer Ruger had the Super Wrangler, a .22 Magnum version of the Wrangler. The standard Wrangler is now made in a variety of barrel lengths. Barrett’s MRAD won the last army sniper rifle competition. They now have a new MRAD SMR that swaps bolt heads and magazines to adapt to magnum or .338 Lapua calibers. The Tippmann Arms booth is a fascinating place. Do I want the 9mm Gatling gun that uses Glock magazines, or the .22 Gatling gun that feeds from a belt? Lots of dry fire attachments; both laser muzzle tracing devices and mechanical ones to reset the trigger so you don’t have to run the slide for each “shot”. If I get through tomorrow without buying a Mantis, I will have done well. (P.S. I made it.)

This is going to be a heavy post. 2023 NRA Member’s Meeting, April 15, 2023, Indianapolis There were three resolutions presented to the membership for voting I don’t remember the first one, but the other two were both proposals to dismiss Wayne LaPierre. I’ll cut to the chase: They both failed. As many know, that was not due to love of ol’ Wayne by the general membership or gun owners in general, but rather because so many NRA members have quit in disgust there was nobody present to vote for his ouster. Jeff Knox, Rob Pincus, and several others tried, backed by people like myself cheering them on, but we were greatly outnumbered. His supporters claim he is the only person who can carry the fight. I doubt that. I think any number of people can do it without the distraction and effect on membership and revenue. They deny there is any distraction, yet we spent two thirds of our own meeting talking about him. They claim the loss in membership and donations comes from Covid, which had the same effect on every business. They can’t explain why Gun Owners of America and the Second Amendment Foundation are doing better than ever. Every single person I’ve talked to about joining or returning to the NRA has asked the same question first: “Is Wayne still in charge?” That’s all they need to know to decide. But he stayed. The current decline in membership and revenue has been approved. I talked to Jeff Knox after the meeting. The gist of it: He thinks the NRA will be bankrupt within two months. There is a LOT going on behind the scenes. I can’t even begin to remember all of it. There are still people suing Ollie North (for exposing them). Monday, the board will re-elect Wayne LaPierre as Exec VP, Charles Cotton as president, and appoint the temp head of the ILA as permanent (the head of it resigned a couple of months ago, and long-time ILA head Chris Cox was ousted after being accused of joining a coup against Wayne). The office of president of the NRA is limited to a single one year term. This was only belayed by a special vote once, during the Charlton Heston era. It happened last year, and look for it to happen Monday so Charles Cotton can serve a third term and continue his sterling leadership. What? You’ve never heard the name before? Yeah, that’s what I thought. He and Wayne protect each other. He “must” stay. Money is tight, and the NRA is hemorrhaging it. The NRA is trying to surreptitiously sell the Headquarters building in Fairfax VA right now to generate funds. They deny this, but they have been washing the exterior, repairing the elevators, fixing the roof that has been leaking for over two years, etc. all the while they complain about lack of revenue. They are selling it to generate some cash to hang on a little while longer. The NY lawsuit judge will possibly, if not likely force Wayne out this year, but the heavy damage will be done. Defending Wayne personally (not just defending the NRA) is costing a fortune. Knox thinks if the NRA goes bankrupt, it will of course reconstitute and continue to exist. I hope so. The ILA should survive OK. The Friends of the NRA should be OK. Both organizations have been trying to separate themselves from the mother ship for the last couple of years. Perhaps restarting from the ground up would be best. Other than that, things are fine; just fine! Oh yes… More scoop from Jeff Knox. Attendance this weekend is way down, and it’s causing a panic. The recent Great American Outdoor Show did really well, and that only makes it look worse. And the missing exhibitors DOES appear due to them being tired of the general BS that makes up the NRA “leadership”.

I am sitting in the Annual Members Meeting right now… …staring down Wayne La P, but I digress. Notable absentees in the Exhibit Hall this year include: Kahles Optics Leica Optics Swaworvski Optics Steyr Arms Pyramyd Air Berger Bullets RCBS and a little company known as- Smith and Wesson All had been exhibitors at the last three NRAAMs I have attended. I find that curious. Why aren’t they here? Economics? If people making knives in their garage can afford a spot, I think S&W can swing it. Nothing new to show? I know that isn’t the case for some of these listed. Protest? Don’t like ol’ Wayne? Could be.

One again, your intrepid reporter from Practically Shooting will be in attendance, browsing around, asking questions, and touching lots of guns. For a change, I plan to attend the actual annual meeting. This will be at least my fifth NRAAM and I’ve never come close to going. If there is any mud (or worse) slung at Wayne, I intend to see it. The other Wayne. Not you, Wayne W.