Kel-Tec KSG-SBS

For L.E. and .gov types... pics at TFB.

Guest Post: 8mm Turk Ammo Tear-Down

Hey there Guns & Coffee fans!!  This is CRO.  So since the winter weather has hit the great northern state of Wisconsin I have decided to clean out the corner of the basement where my reloading bench lives.  The first can I grabbed was a .50 cal can that had my 8mm Turk inside.  My brother had recently picked up a Syrian Mauser and wanted some food for it.  I pulled the first bandoleer out of the can and removed 2 full clips of ammo.  I saw some cracked necks on a few of the cases and gave the bullets a wiggle.  The bullet pulled clean out of the case with just my hand strength.  Out of the 10 rounds I checked I was able to pull 3 of the bullets clean out of the case.  Now I could not give my brother some crap ammo to fire out of his Mauser as he is not too familiar with old surplus and does not know what to look for in selecting safe ammo to fire.  I decided to go through all my Turk and sort out the good stuff from the bad and all the bad I would pull for the bullets and powder.  Now for those of you who have been doing the surplus thing in the last ten years you are sure to have run across the 8mm Turk, and many of you are fully aware of the “quality” that this ammo has made for its reputation.  I decided that even though the supply of Turk is now drier than a Baghdad rooftop in July, and trust me that’s dry, I thought it might entertain many of you that know this ammo too well to know your not the only one who had “well worn” ammo.

That’s right, I’m not embaressed to let you see my messy bench top… I told you it needed cleaning.  But you can see the Turk bandoleer in its complete form.  And bottom center is the 50 cal can it has been stored in for a few years.

The clips were held one up, and one down inside each pocket.  The buttons are the thinnest stamped metal buttons I have ever seen, they do not have any edge to grab a hold of so getting a pocket open through the small buttonhole is very difficult.  I would not want to have to open one of these under stress!!  The ends of the bandoleer are just one foot of thin cloth one inch wide.  There are no buckles so the ends have to be tied together.

  

This is just the full clips on top of the bandoleer. So far so good right?  Well lets take a closer look-

1947. Yep.

So here are 3 very typical cracked necks seen on the ammo.  The bullet is very loose.  I was able to push the bullet inside of the case with only finger pressure.  No pliers or bullet puller needed here!   Now can you shoot these?  Yes,  Should you… probably not.  Have I shot bullets like this??  Yes.  Why?  I don’t know,  I was young and didn’t know better.  Do the vent hole work in my Yugo Mauser?  Yes.  Thankfully.

This was the worst cracked case I had.  The brass was just brittle.

Pulled bullet,  I would not exactly call that a cannalure.  More like a really, really tight crimp.

Fill er to the top!!  The powder would be just under the bottom of the bullet.  I have a suspicion that these were compressed loads.

No the pliers were not used for the bullet pulling.  The electrical tape covered jaws work great for holding surplus 30-06 rounds when reaming out the primer pocket,  why is it in the photo??  I told you I need to clean up.

I wanted to keep the powder to load some cases eventually.  Because I am not aware of and current load data for using surplus 1940 Turk powder I measured 20 cases of powder to get an average weight.  Surprisingly the loads were consistent.  The average was 48.2 the variance was only a few tenths of a grain.  There was the occasional case that varied as much as a grain but I think there were only 2 of them.  The powder is a flake type powder.  Reminded me of shotgun powder.  It was very different than the IMR 4895 I am used to dealing with.  I do not currently own a 8mm Die for the RCBS otherwise I would load a few and give a report.  Guess I’ll save that one for later.

I've shot plenty of this stuff over the years, and as many of the MilSurp shooters out there know, this stuff is hot, and it's not surprising the powder is jammed in the case.  Dad and I used to joke they simply filled the case with powder, jammed the bullet on top, and called it a day; and it looks like we may not have been that far off. "Powder measures are for pussies!"


As Cro mentioned, it'll work in a bolt-action Mauser fine, since it's a strong action, and has gas channels to redirect wayward pressure, but I strongly suggest you DO NOT use Turkish 8mm Mauser ammo in any Semi-Automatic rifle! Blown cases happen quite regularly with Turkish 8mm ammo.

I can see the meeting...

"That Judge is selling like hotcakes... but I wish it was uglier..."

Some trends need to go die in a hole.

"Journalists" and Bloggers

So I was sitting here poking around the interwebs (ordering a J-Frame kit from Apex and a set of screwdrivers... look for that next week) and sipping my coffee when a guy approached me and said he's a writer for the local newspaper, and if I'd be interested in talking to him for a bit.

This... could be fun.

He's writing a piece about some of the local businesses closing, and looking for opinions on the local economy, which overall, is about normal for the country right now (a local medical manufacturer just announced they were moving shop yesterday though, so 200 jobs evaporated and people are worried again.)

Anyways, we chatted for a bit, and his visible level of respect went up a few notches when I mentioned I'm a combat vet, and in the National Guard, and have lived in town nearly three times as long as he has (we moved here when I was like six months old.)  I then knocked it back down after he complimented me on my Eee PC and I mentioned I was a blogger... he seemed to close up a little bit and ended the interview shortly after that.

Just thought that was interesting, make of it what you will.

Ick...

Woke to find I have a lovely sinus thing going on (thanks Dan!) and that we finally got some snow, a measly two inches of powdered fluff that doesn't help make ski trails at all.  Thankfully it's payday, so I'm less than broke and was able to buy some cough drops to try and loosen up my nose and keep my voice from running away.

I braved the cold and snow anyway and came down to the coffee shop (snowshoes are in the trunk, just in case) and hopefully the caffeine will help jump start the idea motors in my brain.  If not, well, Mushroom Swiss Bison Burger is today's special at Cafe Espresso, so...

M&P22 Grumbles

After 300 flawless rounds Sunday, took it out yesterday and had failures-to-fire right out of the case.  Seems that at some point between leaving the range Sunday and going back out Tuesday, the firing pin return spring lost its sprung.

Having done the seemingly impossible, I'll be contacting S&W Warranty Services...

More New Magpul Stuff

From SSD.

A few of the items have already been released, but it looks like they're finally making a fixed stock for the AR platform.

Shorter LOP than an A2, storage, and means to mount a short rail to mount a monopod on the rear.  Looks good.  Possibly a good call for a "budget" PRS setup if you don't need/want the adjustability in the field.

US Palm Announces 45 Round Quad-stack AK Mag

On their facebook-

Okay, Jan 10 is close enough: for our good friend Steven S. who has impulse issues, here's one of our new product announcements for SHOT 2012 debut: a 7.62x39 45 round quad stack magazine! Yes, US PALM has successfully cracked that nut, and these babies rock! More, later, but for now, oh-yah! Estimated MSRP will be $99.95.

While I like seeing more innovation, I don't think the price is worth an extra 15 rounds in the box.  To each his own though.

Tuesday Morning Range Trip

Gonna head out in a half hour or so to do some longer range plinking (or at least as much as 100 yards can be considered "long range"...)  Cro's got a new toy to show off, so hopefully some photos today or tomorrow, depending on when I can edit them.

An Open Letter to The Anti-Gun Folks

From A Girl and Her Gun.  Go read and be proud to know awesome people like this.

M&P9... They Work

Tam and Uncle both mentioned it the last couple days, 2,000 rounds with minimal cleaning and maintenance, and they keep chugging away.  Mine has similar numbers and exactly 2 stove-pipe malfunctions with TulAmmo steel cased stuff (both rounds from same batch.)

Magpul Sneak-Peak

A few pages of the 2012 Magpul Catalog have shown up over at Gear Scout...

I'm hoping the new mags and floorplates will be out in time for my upcoming deployment.

Agilite Injured Personnel Carrier

Looks pretty cool, more at SSD, including a video.

Basic idea is a strap system for hands-free casualty evac.

Almost Missed It!

3 year Blogoversary is today!

Went to the range to try Manda's new pistol, now a house full of people over watching James Bond.  Good day.

M&P22 First Look

I took some time today to field strip Manda's new gun and take some shots of the insides and some comparison shots with the "real steel" M&P9.

Overall-

Obviously, the hole in the muzzle is smaller on the little one, and you can make out the barrel nut that holds the barrel assembly together.  It is the same setup as the Walther P22, unsurprisingly, and P22 thread adapters work if you plan to use the M&P22 as a suppressor host.

The slide on the 22 seem to have slightly sharper corners than the 9, and the polymer is smoother, as well as the finish on the slide being somewhat different, more of a satin black than the 9mm's finish.

Triggers-

Externally, they're pretty much a match.  Both have the hinged bottom half that acts as a trigger safety, and feel the same against your finger.  Internally, there's a bit of difference in how they work, which I'll get to in a bit, however the end product is a better feeling trigger than what S&W is putting in the centerfires (primarily due to the striker system.)  Take up and break are near the same as my M&P9 with Apex parts installed, although a little lighter; but where it really shines is the reset.  It's audible, tactile, and about 3,879 times better than the centerfire's trigger.

Sights-

The sights are similar, but obviously not identical.  The 22 is cut similar to the 9mm's, however there is only a single white dot on the front sight blade, and the rear is adjustable for elevation, as well as the normal drift adjustment for windage.  Elevation adjustment is a nice touch on a .22lr, given the inconsistencies common in different .22lr manufacturers.

Thumb Safeties-

The 22's thumb safeties are actually slightly further rearward than the centerfires, which causes MandaFern to have difficulty getting a good high thumbs forward grip, since it's just barely too much of a stretch to ride the safety for her.  It's not a show stopper, and on the M&P9 and my 1911, her thumb instinctively goes where it belongs.

Another con (for me) is that it has a magazine disconnect "safety," and it doesn't seem to be as easy to defeat as the centerfire's is.

Disassembled-

Takedown is a bit different on the two guns, the 22 requiring the slide to be fully forward, and the takedown lever needs to be pulled out about halfway from the frame, then takedown is consistent with most blowback pistols I'm familiar with (pull the slide to the rear, then up and forward off the barrel.)

Now we can start to see some of the internal differences between the S&W centerfire M&Ps and the Walther built .22lr version.  Most notably, the barrel is fixed to the frame, held in place by the barrel nut pressing against a barrel shroud and tensioning it against the frame, identical with the barrel system on the Walther P22.  The rimfire pistol also does not have a captured recoil spring, unlike the centerfire guns.

The barrel extension has a nice little ramp cut in to help with feeding-

and the magazine definitely shows the Walther rimfire heritage-

M&P22 on left, P22 on right.

What surprised me about the M&P22 however, is that it is not a striker fired gun like the centerfires, or a DA/SA like the Walther, but is actually a fully shrouded Single Action hammer fired system.

No wonder the trigger feels good!


Hopefully we'll have a chance to get out this weekend sometime and get some rounds downrange and see how it feels and shoots.

Sig P224 Ad

Found by Guns Holsters and Gear.  The P224 is essentially a cut down, sub-compact P229.

Teaser Shot!

More in depth look tomorrow, but for now...

It's her gun, so she got to choose the background.  Penguins rock anyway.

It's not mine, but MandaFern's very first purchase!  (It's always good to know the girl you're dating isn't a criminal or anything.)

I'll get more photos (inside and out) tomorrow, along with some comparisons with the "full size" 9mm, and the P22.  Ok, maybe not the P22 tomorrow; it's filthy and I need to do more research into what is and isn't the same on the those two guns.

.40S&W Rhino Coming

Will be at 2012 SHOT.  More info at Gun Nuts Media.

Would any Ladies like $300 to put towards a Self Defense Course?

If yes, head over to A Girl and Her Gun and get in on the drawing.

Click*

My brain is stuck dry-firing.  I'm on the morning shift today, and my blogger is broke.  Check back later I guess.

Israeli Bandage Application

Good little refresher video from PerSysMedical (h/t to SSD) on various ways to apply the Israeli Bandage-



I keep one in my range bag, and one in my blowout kit on my vests (personal plate carrier and my Army one.)  They are pretty amazing little things.
(Just a reminder, while a good video, this is no replacement for proper medical training.)

Want...

I've been practically eye-humping this rig from ATEi for the last week or so...

From ATEi's Facebook page

Minus the laser (just not a fan of the CTC setup on the M&P...)
May just have to save up while I'm gone...

New Year's Eve

I've gotta work overnight, so it's not really hitting me as anything special aside from meaning I'll go through twice as many checks as normal the next couple months from writing the wrong date down...

Thankfully MandaFern rocks and decided to knock out a sweet sweet dinner for me before I head out for the night.

Since it's Wisconsin, cold and snow doesn't mean jack-

She managed to grab some giant freakin' shrimp at a seafood sale at the supermarket yesterday (along with scallops and steak)... and I mean GIANT shrimp-

That's over a pound of shrimp... all six of 'em.

So "Tactical Dinner Pics" Go! (If you're on ARFCOM, you'll understand...)

Pan-seared scallops, grilled Colossal shrimp and steak slathered in saute'd mushrooms and onions with some rosemary baby red potatoes on the side.

Dessert (Tiramisu)-

I am now thoroughly stuffed and not sure how I'm going to make it until 7am... but hey, it was worth it.

See you next year!

UBG Holsters Canute Review

A few months back Nate from UBG Holsters asked if I was interested in reviewing some of his work.  With Concealed Carry right around the corner here in Wisconsin, I was definitely in the market for some IWB holster options and jumped at the chance to try out some good leather while I was at it.

I settled on the Canute model for my M&P9, and Nate sent one out to me a couple weeks later.  As a note here, I stressed that I was in no rush, as it would still be at a few months or so until I could actually carry it outside of the house.  Despite this, he still had it put together and in my hands a couple weeks later.  Having sat through a half-year wait for a Raven Concealment Systems rig a couple times, getting a hand built leather holster in a fraction of the time was a welcome treat.

The Canute is a typical IWB holster, featuring a full body shield and widely spaced belt loops with “pull the dot” style snaps, allowing the user to put the holster on or take it off without removing their belt; a welcome feature for those of us that must enter “posted property” on a daily basis.   The Canute also has a 22-25 degree forward cant, something I’ve come to appreciate for added concealment and a smoother draw when wearing the holster in the 4-5 o’clock position.

The model I chose is a plain, no frills black leather holster (other colors and even exotic skins are available) with no reinforcement around the mouth.  The leather is nicely finished and thick, and overall construction is top-notch.  The holster is molded to your specific gun, and my M&P9 fit well right out of the box (a little tight at first, as is expected with leather, but it loosened up quickly.  Instructions for break-in are also on their website.) Retention is still positive after a month of use, never has it felt like my gun was moving or about to fall out of the holster. 

As mentioned, the back features a full sweat guard/body shield to protect both the gun’s finish and your body from any pokey bits or sharp edges on your gun.

The only issue I’ve found so far with the full size body shield is that my thumb-safety occasionally snags on the top edge.  The safety does remain engaged, but it is something to be mindful of when reholstering.

As you can see, the holster is holding up well after a month of almost daily use, including snapping and unsnapping the loops a couple times a day on average.  Granted early winter in Wisconsin isn’t going to be severely torturous compared to summer on a big sweaty guy like me, it’s still reassuring to see practically no finish wear on the outside of the leather, and only a small amount of wear inside where a reference spot of grip-tape on the frame of my gun rubs during the draw (eventually I’ll most likely pull the grip-tape and stipple that spot though, and I think that will reduce the amount of wear it has on holsters.)

The belt loops are probably my favorite feature of the Canute, both due to their spacing, and the ability to remove the holster without undoing my belt.  Even with a full size duty pistol with 17 rounds of ammo in the mag, the loops spread the weight out well, and help spread the bulk of the rig out along the beltline, aiding in concealment.

Obviously, how well the holster conceals is very important with an IWB holster, and the Canute does so wonderfully.  I don’t know of many other holsters I’d be confident in trusting to hide a large gun under as little as a t-shirt, but the Canute excels in that department.

I wore a similar outfit at my family’s Thanksgiving day gathering (button-up cotton shirt instead of the T) and either no one noticed, or if they did they didn’t say.  A few days later I was talking to my dad about good concealment clothing, and asked if he remembered the shirt I was wearing that day;

“No, but I don’t regularly check out your wardrobe…”

“Well did you notice the gun I was wearing all day either?”

“…No.”

I figure if a house full of people familiar with you don’t notice it after a full day, it’s got to be good to go.

If you like what you see, UBG Holsters is offering free shipping with coupon code "gunsncoffee"

Fine print! UBG did provide the holster in this review for a reduced price.  Does that change my opinion? Hell no. This holster's good shit.

Top 20 Monty Python Sketches

The "Holy Grail" of sketches for their 40th Anniversary.

I'm rather partial to... pretty much all of them.

Amazon

Whenever you guys click an Amazon link on here, and buy something, I get a cut of the profits.  True to past experience, December is usually my big sales month, and this year is no exception.

This is awesome, and I thank you guys immensely.  I found out recently that I've been selected for a one-year deployment starting next summer, and despite my strong preference towards printed books, I think it'll be better to break down and pick up a Kindle Touch in the not-so-distant future and load it up with books, rather than ending up shipping a footlocker full of paperbacks around the world.  So far you guys have ordered enough stuff to cover a little over half the cost in kick-backs from Amazon.

(Don't worry Larry, I'll still be getting hard-copies of all your future books.  I've got an autographed copy of everything so far, would hate to have an incomplete collection!)

How Many Rounds Do You Carry?

And why that many?

A couple weeks ago MandaFern took her CCW course (provided free through Wisconsin Carry, Inc.) and I tagged along, both for morale support, and because (generally) any training is good training and I treasure gathering viewpoints and training techniques from any source I can.

At a few points throughout the course, the instructor (an avid 1911 fan) voiced his negative feelings towards people carrying wonder-nines with super-high capacity magazines.  One of my typical carry guns is my M&P9, fully stoked with 17 rounds in the mag, and a spare 17 round magazine on my support side.  Amanda knows this and nudged me a little when he mentioned it the first time.

I grabbed my pen from my pocket and scribbled down on her notes "'Coyotes' travel in packs" semi jokingly.  While this is a valid point, my other standard carry piece as of late has been my Smith & Wesson 442 J-frame revolver.  Typically with a speed strip of five rounds in my watch-pocket of my jeans and a speed-loader in my coat pocket.  That loadout has less rounds total than one magazine in my M&P.

Do I feel undergunned carrying that few rounds?  No, not really.  Despite my coyote comment, we live in a small enough town that large gangs of thugs are not really a threat.  .38spc+P is a proven round, and the most likely threat I'll ever face around here is an overzealous convenience store robber or the like.  I don't ever see myself being sucked into a running gunfight through downtown Stevens Point.

So why carry 34 rounds of 9mm when I carry the M&P?  Why not save some strain on my belt and leave the spare at home?  I should be able to deal with any likely threat with 17 rounds, right?

Simple.  The biggest Achilles's Heal of any semi-auto weapon system is the magazine.  Add to that the fact that just about any malfunction drill on a semi-auto pistol involves stripping the magazine out to relieve pressure on the action.  If something goes south inside my gun, it's much easier to grab that spare mag, where I know it is, than look all over for the half a mag I tossed in the dirt while fixing my gun.  And since I'm going to carry that second magazine, I may as well fill it up to capacity.

December Sets Record for Gun Sales

With a few days left in December, the FBI reports the number of background checks has already topped the previous one-month record -- set only in November -- of 1,534,414 inquiries by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System also known as NICS. Almost half a million checks were done in just the last six days before Christmas.

Neat.  Also of note-

Data recently released by the National Center for Health Statistics shows that in 2008, the number and per capita rate of firearm accident deaths fell to an all-time low. There were 592 firearm accident deaths (0.19 such accidents per 100,000 population) in 2008, as compared to 613 accidents (.20 per 100,000) in 2007. (h/t SayUncle)

Yup.  Gun ownership way up, gun accidents way down.  The Brady Bunch is probably rocking back and forth in a corner sniveling...

Shelley on Holsters

More importantly, what she looks for.

I've got to agree, a quality holster is a great thing.

Tuesday