Finally!

Brownell’s has taken what was arguably the most user unfriendly site I have ever seen and completely revamped it. Go here and enjoy!

Ruger LCR: first impressions

Finally got a chance to try one of the beasties last night.  Right out of the box you can tell this gun will be something different.  On the model I tried the first major difference I noticed was the trigger.  It was just as good as any gun coming out of the famous S&W Performance Center.  Smooth and light.  Not rough or difficult to squeeze like some other pocket revolvers I have handled.

While these guns aren’t target pistols the accuracy was more than acceptable at the ranges it is most likely to be used and felt recoil was less than the common Air Weight J-Frame carried by so many cognoscenti today.

I only have two negatives about this little revolver.  The first is the sights.  While large and easy to pick up in good light they become difficult to find when the lighting gets low.  Which is also when  a lot of self-defense confrontations occur. Hopefully XS sights or someone else will offer a brighter front sight for this gun.

The second is far more personal.  After 24 years of almost exclusively carrying and firing S&W revolvers (when I carry a revolver anyway) I am too used to pushing on that cylinder release to open the gun to use the LCR effectively.  A deficiency I am sure could be overcome with practice, but as I already have a 642 I am content with what I have. The Ruger style of cylinder release is in my opinion superior to any other since it allows the directions of force to oppose each other when opening the gun.  Handy if something has slightly gummed up the works.

As is standard for me I would be reluctant to recommend this or any micro-compact gun to a new shooter but an experienced shooter looking for a gun to carry either as a backup or when wardrobe requirements made carrying a larger gun prohibitive I would not hesitate.

For those interested this gun retails for around $440 in my area.  More if you want Crimson Trace grips.

Poor Man’s Arsenal Part 1

I have seen this theme come up again recently on several gun boards and have decided to make my return to regular blogging (I hope) by covering my version of this topic.

Over at AR15.com (link expires in 90 days) is a post titled “Every man needs a .22 rifle, a rifle, a defensive rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.” Now this is five guns, that’s a lot of iron and that much iron costs.  So how can we fill one’s presumed basic needs without breaking the bank?

Assuming the primary purpose of accumulating this arsenal is self-defense, a good place to start would be a basic shotgun.  Using the “Buy it now” price over at gunbroker as a guide I’ve assembled the following options:

• Single Shot NEF 28” Barrel 12 GA Modified choke $171
• Single Shot youth model NEF 22” Barrel 20 GA Modified choke $171
• Remington 870 12 GA 26” Barrel $210 (used rough cosmetically)

Now I bet a few choked when they saw the single shot shotgun on the list.  However, it’s a viable option provided you have a method for carrying extra ammunition and are well practiced in its use. The price of the 870 surprised me but it does look a bit rough around the edges. It would definitely need to be checked out by a competent gunsmith (as all used guns should be) and may need a refinishing, but not absolutely necessary for our purposes.

The 20 GA youth gun made our list because it is ideal for small statured and recoil sensitive shooters.  I wouldn’t advise keeping a 20 GA and a 12 GA in the same house personally, but if you’re very careful about not mixing up the ammunition you should be ok.  Just keep in mind that a 20 GA round can be chambered in front of a 12 GA round.  The results are not something you want any part of your body near.

So we have our shotgun, all we need is ammo and we’re set right? Not at all.  If we go cheap we have a shotgun with one round on board.  It would be nice to have more if we needed it.  So what are our options?

First up we can use a buttstock shell carrier.  These bring 5 extra rounds to the table and run from $15 for an elastic version all the way up to$70 for  a fancy leather version (12 GA only). Advantage: They are attached to the gun and you won’t forget them. Disadvantage: I wouldn’t advise shooting from your off hand shoulder while behind cover with one of these. 

Next we have the Bandoleer  Eagle Industries offers two.  Along with 12 extra rounds one also carries two pistol magazines, or a light and a knife or anything else you can fit in the pouches for the price of $21. The other carries a whopping 56 extra rounds fro the price of $36.  Having used of of the latter bandoleers I’d get the $21 version.  Besides we’re trying to save money here.

Since the 870 is widely considered to be the premiere combat shotgun we will cover the total cost of outfitting the one we found. 

First up is a tech inspection.  Usually they run around $65.  We will assume that the shotgun is not in need of repair and you do not desire to have it refinished.

Next we need spare ammunition again.  We’ll just use the above prices and mention the $27 option of a side saddle carrier that brings an extra 4-6 rounds (12 GA only) and while attached to the gun does not interfere with an off-hand shooting position.

So lets add them up.

Our intrepid single-shot comes in at $192 for the gun and a 12 round bandoleer from Eagle Industries.

The 870 on the other hand come in at $296 if we go with the bandoleer or $302 if we go with the side saddle.

So for today we will stick with the single shot at $192 less the cost of ammunition and training,

Next time we will look at handguns.