Just Guns

[balakay]

I'm considering getting another carry piece.

I got volunteered for my church's security team. In order to be considered, you have to pass the GA State Police 30 round semi-auto course. We had a requalification and training (by the guy who works for and trains the police here) on Saturday and I didn't make all my 20 yard shots. I wasn't off by much, but every inch counts. I carry a S&W M&P Shield40, FWIW.

As far as the qualifying round, I missed one of the 20 yards, but made all the others. We also had a situation training and had rooms setup. The situation setup had 2 other 20 yard shots, and I missed one there also. In the situational one, I hit the shoulder of a friendly target. This has bothered me more than it should. The instructor said that was pretty much expected using a short barrel pistol at that distance with the factory white dot sights and he didn't seem bothered by it one bit.

Until now, I've never considered really pulling out my firearm for anything shorter than about 7 yards. You know, a real "self" defense distance. I hadn't really considered needing to make longer shots to protect others until the situational practice.

So I'm considering changing things up a bit. I really like my M&P shield40. So much so that my wife has one in 9mm also.

I could look at getting a threaded barrel to add a little barrel length. That should, in theory, improve the longer range shots, but I'm not sure that it will add much more than a half inch. So I'd be going from a 3.1" to something like 3.7"

I could look at upgrading the sights. I've previously looked into night sights, and still wouldn't be opposed to an upgrade. The guys who had the best scores on the qualifying course were using red dot sights. The groupings from those guys were far superior to anyone using regular sights. I don't think I'm quite ready to drop the coin on a red dot or have my slide milled to accept one. I think I have seen one that mounts to the factory rear sight mount, but that is still expensive.

I could also look at just carrying a different gun all together. Probably something in the range of a 4" barrel is what I'm thinking. I may even go back to 9mm to have a few extra rounds in each mag. Not really sure, but figured this would be a good place to ask the question and get y'all's opinions.

I don't normally trust the opinion of strangers on the internet, but you're a cool bunch of strangers on the internet .

I still haven't found a pistol that shoots better than my original XD9 subcompact. For a $275 pistol that thing shoots better than any other pistol I've owned I causing my 1911, my HK, my fullsize XD9, my XDS, and my current Hellcats. Not sure if they're all that accurate or if I just got lucky. I don't carry it because I'm too small to conceal a double stack comfortably. But I used it for my concealed carry test and got a damn near perfect score with it. I love the way it shoots. I did upgrade the trigger in it to the PRP.

 

[tex]

My take on this situation is dont buy something else for a specific purpose if it wont fill that void. Ask the other guys you practiced with if you can shoot their gun to see how you do with it. Also visit some ranges to rent their guns and try them out.
I applaud you in considering doing this for your church. Also in a situation like this you can wear a sport coat and really conceal a full size pistol to gain accuracy over a sub compact.

 

[tx_shooter]

I'm considering getting another carry piece.

I got volunteered for my church's security team. In order to be considered, you have to pass the GA State Police 30 round semi-auto course. We had a requalification and training (by the guy who works for and trains the police here) on Saturday and I didn't make all my 20 yard shots. I wasn't off by much, but every inch counts. I carry a S&W M&P Shield40, FWIW.

As far as the qualifying round, I missed one of the 20 yards, but made all the others. We also had a situation training and had rooms setup. The situation setup had 2 other 20 yard shots, and I missed one there also. In the situational one, I hit the shoulder of a friendly target. This has bothered me more than it should. The instructor said that was pretty much expected using a short barrel pistol at that distance with the factory white dot sights and he didn't seem bothered by it one bit.

Until now, I've never considered really pulling out my firearm for anything shorter than about 7 yards. You know, a real "self" defense distance. I hadn't really considered needing to make longer shots to protect others until the situational practice.

So I'm considering changing things up a bit. I really like my M&P shield40. So much so that my wife has one in 9mm also.

I could look at getting a threaded barrel to add a little barrel length. That should, in theory, improve the longer range shots, but I'm not sure that it will add much more than a half inch. So I'd be going from a 3.1" to something like 3.7"

I could look at upgrading the sights. I've previously looked into night sights, and still wouldn't be opposed to an upgrade. The guys who had the best scores on the qualifying course were using red dot sights. The groupings from those guys were far superior to anyone using regular sights. I don't think I'm quite ready to drop the coin on a red dot or have my slide milled to accept one. I think I have seen one that mounts to the factory rear sight mount, but that is still expensive.

I could also look at just carrying a different gun all together. Probably something in the range of a 4" barrel is what I'm thinking. I may even go back to 9mm to have a few extra rounds in each mag. Not really sure, but figured this would be a good place to ask the question and get y'all's opinions.

I don't normally trust the opinion of strangers on the internet, but you're a cool bunch of strangers on the internet .

In my experience the issue with the subcompact is not the barrel so much as it is the sight radius. Adding a longer barrel does not add any distance between the sights. I would also look into a trigger upgrade; a little easier/smoother pull can make a big difference.

That said; there is a reason self defense pistols are compact and duty pistols for intervention into another person's space are commonly 4 or 5 inch barrels and full sized pistols. Longer barrels = longer sight radius, bigger grips = easier to control for follow up shots, and larger magazines = more rounds to send down range.

If I was in your position - I would get a compact 9mm. It does not have to be tricked out; just a decent trigger and moderate round capacity. Maybe see what is common with the other guys that are carrying so spare magazines are interchangeable. IF you ever come to that and I hope like hell you do not.

I will +1 for the XD9 setups. My wife and I both carry them; so leaving a spare magazine in each vehicle works nicely. No matter which vehicle we are in there is at least one spare magazine. That said; Glocks are popular for a reason and easy to get tuned to your preference. The XD mods are coming along but no where near as mature as Glocks.

 

[CowboyTaco]

But I used it for my concealed carry test and got a damn near perfect score with it.

My Beretta 92FS is my favorite gun. It was also my first. Thing is just smooth and accurate. Similar to Blake, I used that when I qualified for my TX Concealed permit. The only reason I didn't get a perfect score is because the retard next to me missed his target so bad that my paper jumped when I wasn't even shooting. I got points off for that one and the instructor didn't believe me. I figured it wasn't worth arguing because I had already passed, but so did the guy next to me.....somehow.

I really should get a holster for that gun, but I just don't want to conceal a full size.

I applaud you in considering doing this for your church.

I fully expected to get a bunch of comments about why I shouldn't do it. I know all the reasons that I shouldn't, but I am. I'm just glad they require qualification. One person did fail on Saturday.

I was right in the middle. 7 people showed up for qualifying on Saturday. 3 shot better than me and 3 shot worse. The 3 who shot better were all using red dot sights.

If I was in your position - I would get a compact 9mm. It does not have to be tricked out; just a decent trigger and moderate round capacity. Maybe see what is common with the other guys that are carrying so spare magazines are interchangeable. IF you ever come to that and I hope like hell you do not.

This is kind of what I'm leaning toward. Not that I'm going to use church security as a reason to get another firearm, but who doesn't love a reason to buy another firearm. Tangent: do you really need a reason to buy a new firearm?

I do have an upgraded trigger on my Shield. I don't know if there are better options out there now, but at the time there were only 2 to choose from and I couldn't justify the expense of the other. I let one of the guys at my office shoot it at the range one day and his response was something to the effect of "now you have a Glock trigger" which he said was a huge upgrade over the factory. He said that he sold his Shield because he hated the trigger.

The obvious answer is practice. I haven't shot since I had to originally qualify for the team. I'm sure I'd be more accurate if I had a chance to shoot more. Ammo is starting to show up on shelves again. I was able to pick up about 400 rounds of .40 a few weeks back, but I haven't see any 9 or any self defense ammo on the shelf in quite a while. I know it is out there, but I just haven't seen it. Even with having ammo to shoot, getting time away from the kids, paying range fees, etc. Not making excuses. I need to shoot more. Even though at the range, they won't let you draw from holster, so it isn't quite the same. I need my own little Sabado Hacienda.

Also, I certainly hope to never be in that situation.

I could stick with the M&P lineup. I had a buddy back in TX who had either the Pro or the 2.0 and it was darn nice to shoot. It was smooth and balanced and fit my hands nicely. I could look at something like the M&P 2.0 compact, which has a 4" barrel and would fill the gap between the smaller 3" and larger 5" pistols that I have. I could also look at something like a Hellcat or XD-S mod 2 with the red dot. I'm sure improving the sight would improve the long range accuracy, but those are still in the 3" range.

Choices.

I'm gonna try to make it by Academy, Bass Pro, or one of the local shops here soon and see what they have in stock. I can look online all day, but actually seeing and holding are a different story.

 

[CowboyTaco]

I will +1 for the XD9 setups.

I'm gonna look into these as well. Specs look promising and I do like the XD series.

 

[Anathollo]

I'm considering getting another carry piece.

I got volunteered for my church's security team. In order to be considered, you have to pass the GA State Police 30 round semi-auto course. We had a requalification and training (by the guy who works for and trains the police here) on Saturday and I didn't make all my 20 yard shots. I wasn't off by much, but every inch counts. I carry a S&W M&P Shield40, FWIW.

As far as the qualifying round, I missed one of the 20 yards, but made all the others. We also had a situation training and had rooms setup. The situation setup had 2 other 20 yard shots, and I missed one there also. In the situational one, I hit the shoulder of a friendly target. This has bothered me more than it should. The instructor said that was pretty much expected using a short barrel pistol at that distance with the factory white dot sights and he didn't seem bothered by it one bit.

Until now, I've never considered really pulling out my firearm for anything shorter than about 7 yards. You know, a real "self" defense distance. I hadn't really considered needing to make longer shots to protect others until the situational practice.

So I'm considering changing things up a bit. I really like my M&P shield40. So much so that my wife has one in 9mm also.

I could look at getting a threaded barrel to add a little barrel length. That should, in theory, improve the longer range shots, but I'm not sure that it will add much more than a half inch. So I'd be going from a 3.1" to something like 3.7"

I could look at upgrading the sights. I've previously looked into night sights, and still wouldn't be opposed to an upgrade. The guys who had the best scores on the qualifying course were using red dot sights. The groupings from those guys were far superior to anyone using regular sights. I don't think I'm quite ready to drop the coin on a red dot or have my slide milled to accept one. I think I have seen one that mounts to the factory rear sight mount, but that is still expensive.

I could also look at just carrying a different gun all together. Probably something in the range of a 4" barrel is what I'm thinking. I may even go back to 9mm to have a few extra rounds in each mag. Not really sure, but figured this would be a good place to ask the question and get y'all's opinions.

I don't normally trust the opinion of strangers on the internet, but you're a cool bunch of strangers on the internet .

You have three options here:
#1. Sell the .40cal and get a 2011 pistol design if you want accuracy at range.

#2. Buy another S&W M&P 2.0 and send it off to Jagerwerks to get it milled for a Trijicon RMR (3.5 or 1 MOA dot).

#3. Instead of buying that longer barrel or pistol sights, spend that same amount of money on ammo and go practice or take classes from qualified instructors (not just people who are NRA certified, look for instructors who have actually killed people before). Go shoot a few thousand rounds through your pistol and get to know it.

Google Tony Cowden and the Modern Samurai Project.

 

[tx_shooter]

Lots of accuracy to be found in practice. I recommend getting a laser dry fire system to get some "free" home range time. I picked one up last year and use it at least once a week. It has saved me lots of range time and ammo; but has also helped me identify concealed carry issues and worked out my draw. I recommend it for anyone who asks.

Get some laser dry fire time and then see what your scores are like. If you are out of practice there is not a new pistol in the world that will make up for that.

 

[CowboyTaco]

I fully agree that more practice is the best answer. Zero argument about that.

 

[tx_shooter]

That said - I am still shopping a lighter light weight rifle just because I can.

 

[tex]

That said - I am still shopping a lighter light weight rifle just because I can.

Hard to beat the weight of the Browning x bolt. My Winchester 70 extreme weather is also fairly light

 

[tx_shooter]

Really leaning towards a Tikka T3x Superlite in 300 WM or 6.5CM for a backup rifle. A 6.5CM with 140gr pills should do anything I plan to do for a few years (or at least five). At the point I book a legit edge of the world sheep hunt I will have the extra bills to order a Nosler M48 or build a custom 28 Nosler.

 

[Anathollo]

Your monthly PSA to buy mags now while they're cheap and available. I got these for 12% off with free shipping.

 

[Silverback]

Link? I've bought like 30 mags recently but can one really ever have enough? No.

 

[tx_shooter]

I found a few more when I was cleaning out a junk drawer in my office. One was loaded the other was empty. Win some and you lose some.

 

[Anathollo]

Link? I've bought like 30 mags recently but can one really ever have enough? No.

Primary Arms. But the 12% discount ended (although they've had it quite a few times now). Make sure you sign up for their email notifications.

Smoke color is the best and from what I've read, it's one of the more durable clear colors.

30-round Smoke- Lancer Systems L5AWM 30-Round Translucent AR-15 Magazine - 5.56 NATO - Smoke

20-round Smoke- I like the 20 rounds for shooting off the bench on a bipod. Lancer Systems L5AWM 20-Round Magazine - 5.56 NATO - Smoke

30-round Tan- Lancer Systems L5AWM 30-Round Magazine - 5.56 NATO - Flat Dark Earth

 

[CowboyTaco]

I'm gonna try to make it by Academy, Bass Pro, or one of the local shops here soon and see what they have in stock. I can look online all day, but actually seeing and holding are a different story.

I stopped by one of the (very small) local shops yesterday and the guy immediately took me to look at a Stoeger STR-9s Combat.

STR-9S Combat Semi-Auto Pistol | Stoeger Shotguns Pistols and Airguns

www.stoegerindustries.com

For $499, you get a 4.67" threaded match barrel, raised fiber-optic 3-dot sights, optics ready (interchangeable plates), and 3 20-rd mags. The gun felt good in my hands and was relatively well balanced. I liked it much more than the more expensive Canik that the showed me. Those were the only two with a threaded barrel that he had in stock.

He said the gun is so affordable because it is made in Turkey and they don't have the high labor costs that we have in the US. Also said that Stoeger is owned by Beretta and is fairly new to the pistol game, but have been making great shotguns for years.

I came home and tried to do as much research as I could. There about 4 videos on YouTube...2 are from TheHumbleMarksman, 1 is from Guns & Ammo (and was absolutely a waste of 3 minutes) and the other was from another channel, but was the same guy from TheHumbleMarksman. He seems to like it, so there's that. But I can't find much information on the gun, which is concerning by itself. I found zero videos or articles of it being suppressed. I will look some more today from the computer instead of on my phone.

The biggest complaint that the guy reviewing it had was lack of holster options, which is kind of an important aspect even though it doesn't have to do with the guns reliability or accuracy.

In summary, it seems like a really good value for the dollar but also feels a little like a gamble. I'm not one to really gamble with this sort of thing, so looking for other's thoughts before I decide to seriously consider it or rule it out completely.

 

[Anathollo]

I stopped by one of the (very small) local shops yesterday and the guy immediately took me to look at a Stoeger STR-9s Combat.

STR-9S Combat Semi-Auto Pistol | Stoeger Shotguns Pistols and Airguns

www.stoegerindustries.com

For $499, you get a 4.67" threaded match barrel, raised fiber-optic 3-dot sights, optics ready (interchangeable plates), and 3 20-rd mags. The gun felt good in my hands and was relatively well balanced. I liked it much more than the more expensive Canik that the showed me. Those were the only two with a threaded barrel that he had in stock.

He said the gun is so affordable because it is made in Turkey and they don't have the high labor costs that we have in the US. Also said that Stoeger is owned by Beretta and is fairly new to the pistol game, but have been making great shotguns for years.

I came home and tried to do as much research as I could. There about 4 videos on YouTube...2 are from TheHumbleMarksman, 1 is from Guns & Ammo (and was absolutely a waste of 3 minutes) and the other was from another channel, but was the same guy from TheHumbleMarksman. He seems to like it, so there's that. But I can't find much information on the gun, which is concerning by itself. I found zero videos or articles of it being suppressed. I will look some more today from the computer instead of on my phone.

The biggest complaint that the guy reviewing it had was lack of holster options, which is kind of an important aspect even though it doesn't have to do with the guns reliability or accuracy.

In summary, it seems like a really good value for the dollar but also feels a little like a gamble. I'm not one to really gamble with this sort of thing, so looking for other's thoughts before I decide to seriously consider it or rule it out completely.

It's a gamble. Does the lower cost make up for the fact that you might not be able to find parts, magazines and holsters down the road?

 

[Anathollo]

After an awesome and insane Dove hunt I went on a few weekends ago, I decided to do something about this small bolt release button.

Old button that I added when I first got the Versamax shotgun a decade ago now. This was the only thing available at the time for that tiny, hard to press bolt release button:

New GG&G bolt release with a large pad to hit. This was expensive, but considering how much I use my shotgun, it'll be worth it in the long run. It also takes less force to release it as well.

 

[CowboyTaco]

It's a gamble. Does the lower cost make up for the fact that you might not be able to find parts, magazines and holsters down the road?

No, and that is what is stopping me.

 

[Anathollo]

No, and that is what is stopping me.

M&P 2.0 with a threaded barrel is $459. I don't think that includes suppressor height sights, but that's not an expensive upgrade. If you wanted to run a red dot, then ship it off to Jagerwerks to get it milled for an RMR.
Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0 9mm Centerfire Pistol with Threaded Barrel