Posted on 10/25/2019 4:03:12 AM PDT by Kaslin
My last two columns really have my leftist detractors’ panties in a wad. I’m not just speaking metaphorically about the feminists who don’t wear them. I’m also talking about the anti-gun Beto males who do. Given the fact that these columns on recommended firearms have caused so much emotional distress to my adversaries, there is only one reasonable thing to do: Keep writing them!
In this installment, we are sticking to the theme of a man’s three principal responsibilities; defending the family at home, defending the family away from home, and raising responsible gun-owning children. But in this segment, we enter into the realm of non-essential firearms choices. In other words, these three are not necessarily needed if you have the six I have already recommended. But the first two in this installment are awfully fun to shoot – and the third will extend your deer hunting capabilities, which is a legacy you will want to pass on to your children. So here goes:
Winchester Defender 20-Gauge. Please allow me to be blunt. I like big shotguns but I don’t like big women. If you’re like me, then you might end up with a discrepancy between the two. At night, you have a large frame shotgun underneath the bed and a small frame wife on top of it. You have to consider what happens if you are out of town and she is left in charge of defending the home. Obviously, many women do not feel comfortable shooting a 12-gauge – especially those who are smaller in stature. So the simple solution is to have a 20-gauge home defense weapon in your arsenal. It will get the job done. It is also better for yard pests (e.g. raccoons, armadillos, and snakes) than a 12-gauge.
By way of confession, providing the woman with something comfortable to shoot is not my only motive here. I just love shooting this gun at the range. It is lighter and has less recoil than a 12-gauge. And if you really want to have fun at the range you can find a semi-automatic version of a 20-gauge defensive weapon. Mossberg offers an SA-20 tactical that is hard to beat for that purpose.
Kimber 1911 Model .45 ACP. I previously recommended two carry weapons – one in each column – that could be comfortably shot by both a man and a woman. But this selection is a man’s weapon. Sadly, some people shy away from using 1911-style .45s because they have lower magazine capacities – generally only seven rounds. Such criticisms are misinformed. Put simply, you don’t need as many shots with the .45 ACP round. If you are shooting a 230-grain hollow point then you have a tremendous amount of knockdown power. Firing these heavy loads is like hurling a cinder block in a bar fight. Unless you are an actor in a bad Hollywood action movie, you’ll never be in a position to reach for the eighth cinder block. The fight will be over by then and your opponent will be leveled.
Also, note that the seven-shot magazine is an advantage in that it is a single stack, which makes it easier to conceal. And, speaking of ease of concealing, I like Kimber because they make 1911s with three, four, and five inch barrels. I find the intermediate option to be small enough to conceal. It is also easier to manage the recoil relative to the three-inch option. Others will disagree. And that is precisely why Kimber offers several options.
Browning A-Bolt .270. I recommended a good brush gun in the last installment of this series. But as you continue to teach your children to hunt you will want to expand both in range and in the type of game you are hunting. The .270 can really reach out when you load it with a flat shooting 130-grain round. This can help when you are trying to take out game that is found in wide-open spaces and is therefore difficult to approach. (Please accept my apologies for those who now have an obnoxious Dixie Chicks song stuck in their head). Indeed, it is accurate and powerful enough to take down a pronghorn antelope at 200 yards. Stepping up to the 150-grain bullet allows you to take down any deer including mule deer and axis deer (which often requires through-the-shoulder penetration to hit the deer’s heart).
Of course, this .270 is not capable of taking down some larger game found in the western (and far northeastern) United States. And that is precisely why this column series must continue with another installment.
… To be continued.
The only drawback is, that if you are too close to your target, the flamethrower function will cauterize the wound.
Who writes this crap? This is assuming proper draw, fire discipline, bullet placement, etc.
Depends on what your budget is and what features you want. Springfield’s 1911s are generally fairly good, but I like SIG and Dan Wesson (CZ-USA) offerings lately. If you want to go higher in the market, there are plenty of very good high dollar boutique makers, but I’m partial to STI’s offerings when in that end of that market.
“We do, LOL. A 210 grain JHP going about 850 fps is nothing to trifle with.”
I shoot a Sierra 210gr HC over 26gr of H110 @ about 1750fps in my Ruger 77/44 for deer.
I carry a Kimber 45 and it is a very substantial weapon.
The worst of the Kimber fails I have personally witnessed was back in July of this year, a brand new pistol. It would not reliably feed 230gr FMJ normal spec ammo of any kind or of any manufacture. You could get upwards of 20 jams per magazine. JHP was even worse.
I can sort of understand maybe needing some break in (though most modern firearms don’t need them and even RIA’s fully CNC’d cheap-but-decent 1911s don’t need much if any), but something that had troubles chambering its first FMJ round out of any mag? How the heck does *that* pass initial QC or get dismissed as “it needs break-in”?
Shotguns - Just about any 12 sa pump will do, the Mossberg M90A1 comes to mind or any of the 500 series.
.270? Change that to 30-06 and you're in business from varmint to big game.
If Andy Sipowicz carries a .38 snub nose, that’s good enough for me.
That’s pretty much the conclusion getting around on the internet. Allegedly Kimber management is denying there’s a problem instead of bothering to investigate it. Kimber *has* been increasingly trying to become a volume manufacturer in recent years and that may have had something to do with the drop in quality.
Everyone can make a lemon sometimes - my friend just sent back a new CZ Shadow because it has a weird habit of locking back at random - but reports of Kimber problems are becoming alarmingly common. Right now, I would trust a bargain basement RIA 1911 out of the box over a Kimber in similar condition, sad to say.
I do kind of wonder if Kimber has stuck with manual machining instead of going to CNC for functional cuts as many makers have.
If, however, you would like to pay H&K-like prices for a 1911 as interpreted by German Space Wizards, there is Korth’s offerings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02ZdYUPtp7g
That really bad. Like I said ours were tight for the first couple hundred rounds. But after that they run pretty much flawlessly.
I certainly hope Kimber gets their act together and makes some serious improvements to their QC.
Best,
L
“RIA 1911 out of the box over a Kimber in similar condition, sad to say.”
Don’t be sad to say it. You are 100% on point. If you are looking for the sweet spot of quality vs cost, Rock Island for the win!
I don't know anything about guns or 1911's but if I did I would strongly recommend the Colt M45A1.
Right now, the only 1911 based firearm in my collection is a first series stainless Colt Delta Elite. For as old as she is, I love her. Very accurate, tightly fitted and well made. Production quality is on par with an early model Kimber my brother has. The CZ still gets my nod as a SHTF weapon, first because .40 is a lot more readily available than 10mm, and takedown of the CZ requires no tools. The Delta needs a bushing wrench and has a 2-piece recoil spring guide that adds another wrinkle to take down. Also, as learned in the early days following the gun’s introduction, a Shok-buff is a good idea, which is no problem for a range or occasional carry piece, but is just one more part to replace or tend to in a prolonged adverse environment.
THAT is a beautiful weapon and well made. Now you’ve piqued my interest. :-)
Savage 320 tactical 12 gauge
CZ 2075 Rami for edc
AR-15 rifle
Those are my 3.
A fringe benefit of carrying a 1911 is that you can always beat the sumbitch to death with it.
THE most ergonomic, accurate and reliable handgun I own....and I own “a few” is the CZ-75bd 9mm.
Well, functional quality. The RIAs are CNC’d guns, but they don’t bother doing a lot of the cosmetic or quality of life finishings of other manufacturers. Yes, the guns work and work well, but exterior corners aren’t rounded and edges aren’t smoothed - they are precisely machined. It is classic CNC machining, looking exactly like the sharp-lined blueprint it was made from with no additional effort spent on it.
But the most important quality of any pistol is that it is precisely machined where it counts and works when you pull the trigger - and yup, the RIAs do that just fine. They’re just a bit unpleasant to carry and in some cases use. On the other hand, the buyer can take their RIA to any competent gunsmith and get those sharp (not rough - sharp!) edges removed for minimal cost should they so desire.
Sadly, Kimber seems to have forgotten that particular item.
MARSOC is phasing out the M45A1 for the Glock 19 as of 2016. They may end up moving to the new Sig M17.
Also, you want to *not* buy anything from Colt right now.
1. They got caught slapping the USMC name and logo on civilian intended M45A1 production without permission.
2. Colt has officially decided to go back to pissing on the civilian gun market and relying on military sales for rifles. The Second Amendment can go screw itself per them - news stories posted here on FR will show this to be the case. Or you can go read this: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/20/762640053/colt-suspends-manufacture-of-controversial-ar-15-for-civilian-market
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