Published in a magazine!

That's right everyone! Check out the February issue of the American Shooting Journal and you will see my first print published story! I interviewed my good friend and competitive shooter Brian Schrock for an article about his rise in the revolver shooting world. Please check it out and let me and the editor of the magazine know what you think. Thank you everyone!

American Shooting Journal Online

The Glock 17L (or "My Infatuation With Long Barreled Pistols and Short Barreled Rifles")

Way back in April of 1988 three amazing things happened. We will only be discussing one of these three here today, but I felt they were all worth mentioning:

1) Marvel Comics debuted Venom: the newest and best Spider-Man villain of all time.

2) Glock debuted their newest handgun: The model 17L.

3) The Davis’ debuted their son to the world: Me.

The 17L in all it's glory!

The Glock 17L is essentially the Glock 17 but with a longer, 6.02” barrel as opposed to the standard 17’s 4.49”. I own a Gen 3 manufactured in December of 2008. I can’t speak for earlier models but mine came stock with extended slide and magazine releases, as well as a lightened 4.5lb trigger. My slide does have the lightening cut but the barrel is not ported. Personally I don’t think porting would really add much to this gun, as it shoots great as is, recoil is negligible and muzzle rise is nil with such a long slide.

Extended slide and magazine releases. Giant scratch courtesy of a crap scope mount.

Lightening cut. No ports.

The 17L has since been officially discontinued by Glock (they still do limited runs from time to time) and was essentially replaced by the model 34. The reason being for IPSC competition, the 17L was too long to fit into the “box”. Glock basically shortened the slide of the 17L to fit into the box and BAM! Glock 34!

Glock 17 magazine w/extension, 17L barrel and Glock 19 barrel for comparison

The 17L started my love for long barreled pistols. This love has also spread to other long barreled pistols from S&W, Walther, CZ and any variant of the 1911, especially those produced by AMT (The Terminator anyone?). The long slide craze has come back around in today’s market. FN, Taurus, EAA, HK, Kahr, CZ, Walther, Springfield, Smith & Wesson and a host of 1911 manufacturers are all making guns that can either be considered long slide, or at least the company claims they are.

Long barreled pistols are just so damn cool! Imagine as a young man you start thinking “Man, wouldn’t this long barreled pistol look cool with a shoulder stock!” And then you discover the world of short barreled rifles.

Hold up! You’re telling me that not only are there pistols with long barrels… but there are also rifles with short barrels?! Now I’ve seen everything!

So now I’ve got two more odd firearm vices to add to my list along with the old, obscure and forgotten. I don’t know what it is. The appeal of these polar opposites. In a world populated by people who want the most velocity out of their rifles and their pistols small enough to fit in their pockets, I’m the guy who wants an 8” .308 and a 7” .45. My collection only currently houses 2 pistols I consider long, the 17L and a Beretta model 75 Cougar with a 6” barrel.

The barrel is longer than the slide!

What is considered “long”? Long slide and long barrel are two different things, generally associated with pistols and revolvers respectively. With pistols, the slide and barrel usually go hand in hand. But look at my Beretta here. Long barrel, not long slide. The plot thickens!

The Beretta Model 75 Jaguar .22LR

Back to the short barrel rifle part of this story. Short barrel rifles are something that are still currently out of my realm. For those who do not know rifles with a barrel length less than 16” and an overall length of less than 26” are classified as legal SBR’s under the NFA law. This means they are regulated the same as machine guns and suppressors. So not now, but maybe someday.

Now there is a murky grey area here between these two that completely fascinates me: pistols with shoulder stocks. Back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s apparently everyone that made a pistol thought “LET’S PUT A STOCK ON THAT!!!” I love that mentality.

I want stocks for all of my pistols. Unfortunately for all but one of them, that runs into the aforementioned SBR category. The exception to the rule in my collection is a Chinese Broomhandle copy that has a buttstock/holster serial numbered to the gun. Don’t worry, I’ll have a post detailing that one up soon.

In summation: Cut the barrels off of your rifles, and stick them on your pistols!

I Celebrate Diversity

Diversity in firearms comes in many different shapes, colors, calibers and sizes. Some people like them big, some like them small. Some like them short, and some like them long.  Today I’m going to discuss my revolver collection thus far… which is about as diverse as you can get.

Currently I own 7 different revolvers, from 7 different manufacturers, in 7 different calibers. Phew! We’ll start with the smallest calibers and move our way up.

1) Heritage Manufacturing Rough Rider

                This was my first handgun. My father bought it for me when I was about 10 from the Arizona Sportsman gun store in Mesa, AZ. I remember the excitement of that day vividly as I couldn’t imagine anything more exciting happening to me in my entire life. The Heritage brand is now owned by Taurus and as I understand, haven’t changed much in the past decade and a half. The guns are pretty low cost (I think we paid $120, not a significant change from their current street price of around $150) but it has been a fantastic gun over the years. It came with two cylinders for .22LR and .22WMR and a little folding knife in a nice cardboard box. At a gun show in Phoenix I happened upon a wonderfully used cowboy style holster and belt with loops made for .22LR. I used to carry this gun on our numerous father/son dove and quail hunts in the desert. It has been through quite a lot over the years. The front sight currently leans a little to the left, but I’ve been told that happens with age.

Barrel: 6 ½”

Finish: Blued

Grips: Walnut

Sights: Fixed

Well used and well loved. Lots of wear on this baby.

2)  Cimarron/Chiappa Plinkerton

                The Plinkerton came into my collection a few years ago because I wanted a .22LR revolver that mimicked the size and feel of a SAA. The Plinkerton delivers. Again, it was a low cost gun purchased just for cheap plinking purposes, but it works quite well. Unfortunately years of quick drawing and negligent dry firing practice have marred the cylinder pretty badly, but it still works. This Plinkerton also has some sentimental value as my father and I both purchased one at the same time to have matching guns. They do make a model with an interchangeable cylinder, but I opted for the basic version.

Barrel: 4 5/8”

Finish: Matte black

Grips: Black plastic

Sights: Fixed

Same size and approximate weight of a SAA

3) 1887 Husqvarna Swedish Nagant

                This little baby was actually gifted to me by a good friend. It is a Swedish Nagant made by Husqvarna. I’ve tried to date it based on the serial number, and the best I can tell it was made sometime in the early 1890’s. It is a much nicer and smoother revolver than the later and more famous Russian Nagant revolvers. It is a double action/single action but it does not have a swing out cylinder like your average DA revolver. Instead it uses a rotating ejector rod located under the barrel. The caliber is 7.5 Swedish Nagant. Ammunition is nigh on impossible to find. I’ve managed to acquire one round, again thanks to a friend, that will be used to create my own rounds. As I understand they can be made from .32-20 brass and by either shaving down .32 caliber rifle bullets or using .32 caliber round balls. I also have a holster that I’m assuming was issued with it. It is leather and has loops for six rounds of ammunition. I was told that it was ok to shoot .32 S&W Long through it, but the time I tried that the cases split in the cylinder so I decided I wouldn’t do that anymore.

Barrel: 4 ½” Octagonal

Finish: Blued

Grips: Wood

Sights: Fixed

A piece of history

4) Ruger Security Six

                Here is the workhorse of my collection. The old school classic that adorns my hip every time I go out on a hike or just exploring the woods. This baby is built like a tank and hits like one too. In my opinion, the .357 Magnum is the most useful and versatile of the revolver calibers. The ability to shoot lighter and cheaper .38 Special loads for target practice or to accommodate sensitive shooters paired with the ability to shoot hot loaded .357’s for anything else makes for one gun for all seasons. I acquired this one from a guy off of the online classifieds site backpage.com. I traded one of the Glock model 42’s for it, and I have never regretted that trade. This was my first revolver with adjustable sights (a feature I have yet to make full use of) and I’m not sure if I really need them. I keep it for shorter range encounters, should they ever occur. The Security Six was eventually replaced by the beefier GP-100 but I like the older look of the Security Six series.

Barrel: 6”

Finish: Blued

Grips: Rubber

Sights: Adjustable

With the Hunter leather holster she rides in

5) Charter Arms Bulldog

                This gun gained quite an infamous reputation in the late 70’s as the preferred gun of the “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz. He was also known as the “.44 Caliber Killer” as he struck fear into the streets of New York City. His choice of weapon shouldn’t be a surprise as the Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 Special was one of the most popular and best-selling revolvers of the time. I bought this gun when Charter Arms reintroduced it as part of their classic series a few years ago. I planned to use it as my daily carry weapon but found out that carrying my Glock 19 was a lot easier and more effective. Don’t get me wrong, this gun is an experience to shoot. It weighs a mere 20oz and bucks like a beast, but it is very controllable. Unfortunately the .44 Special is all but dead in this world, not gaining the popularity of its .38 caliber counterpart. So it definitely isn’t a range gun, but I throw it in my coat pocket every once in a while, and I don’t feel under gunned.

Barrel: 3”

Finish: Blued

Grips: Wood

Sights: Fixed

Looks just as intimidating as the pooch

6) S&W 629

                What can I say about this gun that Dirty Harry himself already hasn’t? The S&W 629 is the stainless steel version of the classic Model 29. It has had numerous small design changes over the years, most notably the addition of a full underlug on most of the recent models. The .44 Magnum is considered by most to be the King of the Revolver Rounds, even though it has been eclipsed several times since its development. Recoil is considerable, but staying on target isn’t hard with enough practice. As I said before, the .44 Special and .44 Mag don’t share quite the relationship as their .35 caliber counterparts do. .44 Special ammunition is considerably more expensive, harder to find, and comes in less variety than its magnum brother.

Barrel: 5”

Finish: Stainless Steel

Grips: Rubber

Sights: Adjustable

Two of the most intimidating words in the English language

7) Colt New Service

                Way back in the day, the military decided to replace all their old .45 Colt SAA’s with .38 caliber DA revolvers… bad idea. The military decided to go back to the good old .45… good idea. The New Service model was adopted right in that awkward period before the 1911 was officially adopted. A few years later during WWI however, they couldn’t produce enough 1911’s so Colt provided New Service’s (now dubbed the model 1917) to supplement the 1911. My New Service was manufactured in 1912 and wears the longest length barrel available. It is chambered in .45 Colt, one of the numerous rounds the New Service was chambered in but also the one it is most commonly encountered in. My gun was refinished at some point in the past diminishing some of its monetary collector value, but I have no intention of selling it. It is a joy to shoot as the only thing I put through it are lighter cowboy loads. I’m sure the gigantic frame could handle some hotter loads but on a gun this old, I’m not taking any chances.

Barrel: 7 ½”

Finish: Blued

Grips: White Plastic

Sights: Fixed

The BOSS. Biggest Old-School Shooter

Well there you have it. Diversity at its finest. I’m sure I’ll add many, many, many more revolvers to my collection in the coming years and just as many new calibers. I've always loved revolvers and the fact that they are chambered in not only their own calibers but in rifle, pistol AND shotgun calibers make them even more fun. Try and collect them all! Yeah... right.

EDIT: Here is a bonus of a few guns I will be adding to my collection. There aren’t too many revolver companies I don’t already own but there are quite a few calibers.

1) Freedom Arms Model 83

                This is a gun I’ve wanted since I saw the movie “Alien Nation” starring James Caan. He’s a police officer whose standard sidearm proves ineffective, so he upgrades to a single action .454 Casull. I know the Casull is one of the hardest recoiling rounds out there (I used to have a lever action Rossi in this caliber, one of two guns I regret selling) but dammit they are awesome to shoot.

2) S&W Model 57

                I used to own an S&W model 57 in .41 magnum (the other gun I regret selling) but I was young and dumb and ammo was hard to find. It was a beautiful blued gun with wood grips and an 8 3/8” barrel that was even Magna-Ported. I want her back….

3) Dan Wesson .445 Supermag

                My first .357 was actually a Dan Wesson Model 15. The interchangeable barrel feature seemed really intriguing but I didn’t have much use for it. As you may know or will come to find out, I like a lot of odd things. I especially like guns in calibers that are either not well known or obsolete. The .445 Supermag is one of those. It is basically a lengthened .44 Magnum case and was very popular with silhouette shooters.

4) Ruger Blackhawk

Ruger made for a short while, their Blackhawk single action revolver in a round called the .357 Maximum. Essentially a lengthened .357 Magnum it developed a reputation as a top strap cutter as the flame in the barrel gap was so intense it actually cut the top strap on some people’s guns. Badass.

5) Webley Mk VI

I’ve gone into detail with this in another article here: A Love Affair Renewed but a Webley Mk VI in .455 Webley would be heaven.

The Break

Wow. I can't believe it's been 3 months since I've updated here. I had surgery on my right elbow in early May and since then I've been trying to adapt to using my left hand for everything. I haven't been out shooting since April! I'm starting to go into withdrawals here! Unfortunately here in Arizona, the daytime temperatures are exceeding 110 degrees so going outside isn't something I want to do anyways. This has given me plenty of time to write though. I've got several pieces written I will be putting up over the course of the next few weeks. In one of my last posts before my sabbatical, I mentioned big things. I've got a couple articles submitted to a national magazine that are under consideration to be published, but that is taking longer than I expected to come to fruition.

In summation, new stuff is coming and my arm is healing nicely.

My Retro-Esque AR-15 Part 2... NOW WITH PICTURES!

So I don't have much of an update toward the completion of my AR this time, but I did snap a couple quick pictures of what I've got so far.

Here's a left side view of the receiver area.

Here's my carbine length triangle handguard.

I haven't added the flat slip ring yet. I'm going to wait until I get the new upper to add it on there.

My friend provided me with a 20 round magazine today. Again many thanks to him. It's made by Universal Industries, which as I'm told, made magazines for Colt as well.

UI for Universal Industries.... or CH for Colt, Hartford? MYSTERY!

The A1 grip I picked up at a local gun show.

The A1 grip I picked up is definitely well used. Personally I think it adds character.

The newest addition. Universal Industries 20 round magazine.

The magazine looks like it has been well used as well. I've thought about having the gun refinished in the XM gray type color and possibly making look distressed to give it that older look.

CAR stock on a two position tube.

And here is the stock. I'm not sure who manufactured it or the buffer tube it sits on but they seem to work just fine.


Well that is all for today. I'll keep updating as I add pieces.

Gun People Can Be The Worst....

You know, there are several groups that I associate myself with. I'm talking classes of people with like-minded opinions or interests that include video gamers, comic book geeks, movie enthusiasts, wrestling fans and of course... gun people.

Often times I am made to feel ashamed by others for liking wrestling because it's fake (it's predermined. There's a difference.) or for liking comic books and video games. But more often I am ashamed by my own group. This happens 9 out of 10 times most usually with gun people. Don't get me wrong here; gun people can be the best. When I say 9 out of 10 I mean the incidents. 9 out of 10 gun people are amazing, knowledgeable, and friendly. But there is always that one guy that shits in the apple pie.

Price gouging is nothing new. It's something that seems to be ingrained in the human DNA. Some try to write it off as simple supply and demand while others pull out there insult thesauri and start reading down the list to berate the guy trying to peddle his wares for exorbitant amounts of money.

The most glaringly obvious as of late has been the .22 LR shortage. I work at a sporting goods retail store and deal with this day in and day out. It doesn't matter if we get 100 rounds or 100,000 rounds; they are gone within a matter of minutes. But that is a story for another day. Today I am focusing on this guy who posted an ad on a local online classifieds site for the soon-to-be-impossible-to-get Glock 43:

"Capitalism"

So this guy (whether he be dealer or mortal man) has ordered several of these Glock 43's for the full intent of reselling them. As you can see his price is almost double Glock's MSRP of $580 on the gun. The question is why? Why would someone do this? In every realm of collecting there are the rare and hard to find that demand hefty prices. But this is ridiculous in my book. Buying multiples with the intent to sell at an inflated price is apparently a hot button issue on many message boards of whether or not it is legal according to ATF rule. I'm not going to argue that here. I'm not a lawyer. I would rather debate on the moral grounds that instead of buying one for himself and allowing two other happy people the ability to pick up their guns, he has decided to hoard them for himself AND then gouge his fellow "gun people" for the chance, nay, the PRIVILEGE to buy a pistol from him for twice the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Maybe this is something we need to start standing up for? Maybe this is why those that aren't gun people look down on us for trying to screw our brothers? Maybe it's a lesson in the fact that maybe we don't NEED a new gun and if you wait 3 months the hype will die down and they will be at your dealer in no time? Or maybe I'm just bitter because if I want one I have to buy it from this jackass?

My Retro-esque AR-15

I currently only own one AR-15. Instead of joining the herd and tacticaling out my AR with the latest and greatest tacticool accessories, I'm taking a trip back to the beginning. A while back I decided I was going to try and make a true "retro" style carbine. After a bit of research I decided that while it sounds like a noble pursuit, at this time it's a little beyond my means to make it truly authentic. So I've decided to make it "retro-esque"; making it look old, but maybe not 100% historically correct.

What I've Got So Far:

- I started with an XM-177 Upper from Model 1 Sales. I opted for the completed upper with a bolt carrier and charging handle. The nice part of Model 1 Sales is that your parts with any combination of configurations your heart desires. I chose to go with a fixed sight A2 upper, slot flashider, and I added a carbine length triangle hand guard for good measure.

- For the lower I used a DPMS complete lower from an AP4 whose upper I used to build a retirement gift for my father. I'm going to go ahead and keep this. The markings aren't correct, but I'm really just going for aesthetics.

- I was gifted a 2 position buffer tube, CAR stock, and a flat slip ring all of unknown manufacture from a good friend.

- I found an original A1 pistol grip at a local gun show for $7. Money well spent.

What I Still Need To Get:

- An A1 upper. I am trying to find one with the dustcover and forward assist, but no brass deflector.

- A 20 round straight magazine.

- One of the old school fixed power scopes that mounts on the carry handle. Again, this doesn't have to be authentic, one of the new Chinese copies will work just fine.

- A teardrop shaped forward assist button.

- Some kind of old school sling.

What I Might Add:

- A triangle charging handle.

- A partial fence lower without markings or one with more authentic looking markings.

- I thought about trying to find either an original or reproduction of the moderators on the original XM-177s, but based on different opinions online these may or may not be regulated like suppressors. Also it would turn my rifle into an SBR and that's something I'm not willing to do for this one.

This is a poorly made rendition of what I am trying to build.

You know the big thing (other than cost) that really turned me off from trying to make a true retro gun was the people in the forums I visited while doing research. I saw pictures of guns that looked amazing followed by pages of harsh words and criticisms for not having the right parts, non original parts etc. That kind of killed it for me. I decided I was just going to make one that I would be happy with, and to hell with everyone else's opinion.


 I'll keep updating as I add new parts or undoubtedly change my mind about something. If you have any interest in building a retro AR and want to be as authentic as possible, check out NoDak Spud LLC. They build new manufactured retro parts. Otherwise make it yours. Make it what YOU want, not what people tell you it should be.