blog: May 11, 2008

Notes From a Reloading Convert...

I recently received this email from Dave C, who purchased a press and started reloading. He seems pretty happy about it:

Well, I have to say thanks for setting me up with that 550 press. WOW, what a difference! Not a single malfunction, every round cycled the gun flawlessly. I didn't think re-loading would make that much difference, but it does. This now changes my whole outlook on shooting!

Dave has discovered what I've been saying all along: If you are going to shoot centrefire pistols, RELOAD YOUR OWN AMMO! Reloading is the most economical way to afford shooting.

blog: April 21, 2008

What the well-dressed ISPC shooter is wearing...

Support the Canadian IPSC Teams! Part of the proceeds from all IPSC clothing sold at mdgardner.com helps send our IPSC Canada teams to international competitions.

blog: March 12, 2008

Choosing A Holster

The information in this series should get you on the right track to successful pistol shooting. Time to look at a next step.

Holsters are a natural extension for most pistol shooters. Either they are getting into one of the handgun shooting sports or the mystique of the holster is raising its head. We need to explore the issues related to determining the best holster for you.

Prior to buying the holster, you need somewhere to hang it. You can certainly hang most holsters off any old belt, but do yourself and the holster a good turn, buy a really good belt. I use and highly recommend the CR Speed belts. The one I am using now has over 3 shooting seasons on it and it is like new for stiffness. The holster and mag pouches are rock solid on that belt. The Velcro is almost like new and I can’t see the replacement date for it in the future. Very well priced is another asset to go with the longevity.

I mentioned mag pouches, or revolver speedloaders. For a semiauto you will need at least 6 magazines for competition. I recommend another separate 3 for practice only. Without having shot revolvers in competition for a LONG time, I think about 50% more speedloaders for competition is about right. Get good quality magazines and speedloaders. You heard it before, buy cheap, get cheap. And when they fail in the heat of competition, how big a bargain were they? Exactly.

What type of holster is best? The CR Speed WSMII has proven to be the best holster and rig I have found since starting with a Bianchi thumb snap in 1976. The gun is held firmly ready and precisely positioned for smooth and efficient draws time and time again. If your budget allows, get one of these. But budget is a big part of shooting.

I also use a Kydex hip holster for the Glock and SW M&P. It holds the gun firmly but without the wide range of angle to facilitate that fluid draw. Having said that, my best draw time from a CR is .64 seconds. With virtually no training and just messing around at the range during a class, I hit a .90 second draw. It's not .64, but sub-second is workable. You can buy one of these for around $30. The CR is just under $200. The difference is a good CR belt and 2 mag pouches. Do the arithmetic (it isn’t math, it is arithmetic :-) ).

That is enough to keep you busy for a while.

Finally, regardless of what I have written, I always tell my students and clients, “The best reason in the world to buy a pistol, is that you have the money and you like it.” It’s only a gun, not a marriage. Sell it when the fun ends. And remember, the rule is that you only sell one gun to buy two more. Honest, I didn’t make that up! :-)

See you at the matches,
Murray "DOC" Gardner.

blog: February 17, 2008

Choosing A Centrefire Pistol

Note: If you are going to shoot centrefire pistols, RELOAD YOUR OWN AMMO! I’ll say it again,RELOAD YOUR OWN AMMO! Unless you are in a tax bracket beyond my conception, reloading is the most economical way to afford shooting. I have written other articles about this so I won’t go over that territory again. Cost to buy your reloading gear should be amortized over about 3 years. You won’t believe how much you can save (to buy more guns!).

For your centrefire choice you could consider a revolver. As with rimfire, used revolvers are usually very affordable and have all the mechanical benefits. The downside to revolvers is grip. If you shoot one seriously you will have a custom made set of grips. I discourage the rubber grips as they don’t reduce recoil no matter what you have heard or been told. You can only reduce recoil by putting less powder in your reloads. You can soften the felt recoil but that is hardly worth mentioning. Rubber grips also tend to be susceptible to hot and cold and/or wet weather. There are some bargains so don’t write off a revolver. They are also a good introductory gun for your friends who are beginners.

And now to semiauto pistols. I will expose my biases here without apology. I have shot about 25,000 rounds a year for over 30 years and have built my preferences from that experience. My goal here is to share that with you so you don’t take 30 years to find out what I know now. This conserves your energy and resources for important matters… more guns, ammo and reloading gear.

Listen carefully… GET A SINGLE ACTION SEMIAUTO PISTOL FIRST! Three reasons; grip, sights and trigger. If I have less than five 1911 pattern pistols in my safe I feel naked :-) These guns in almost any calibre are a winner. I have shot them in .45 Auto, 9mm Luger, .40SW, .22LR, .38 Super, 9x21 and maybe others I don’t remember. The bottom line is, this design has everything to do the job. Seriously consider this type of design in the many configurations in which it can be found.

You will find a wide selection of semiauto pistols in the market place and many of them are quite good. But none as good as the 1911. In March of 2007 I bought a Glock 22 in .40SW. I train law enforcement folks who use this gun so I thought I should have one to assist me in understanding the issues related to moving them to success. There were some accessories I put on it that make it meet Production Division in IPSC which expanded its potential. These changes included fibre optic sights, extended mag button, lighter trigger down to 5.5 pounds and some skate board tape on the grips. Using custom loaded ammo, it performs to an acceptable standard. I have not used it in competition and have no plans for that unless maybe at a club match. I also purchased a S&W M&P in .40SW. No changes to it yet but I bought it because it was the right price and it is a gun for my classes to use to learn about grip, sights and trigger.

I always liked the Browning Hi Power because of the grip angle and sights and trigger can be improved. It was the only 9mm Luger I felt worth shooting until I came across a 1911 in 9mm Luger and it is now my choice. That is why I am selling my Browning Hi Power. As a rule of thumb, if I cannot remember the last shot I fired with a gun, I sell it…to buy one I will shoot. :-)

We will assume that you have done due diligence, bought a rimfire pistol, learned to shoot it and have moved on to something in centrefire and got into reloading. You are getting there! The next step might be to look at a specific sport to use your pistol or even buy one for a specific sport (by specific sport I REALLY mean IPSC but I don’t want to seem pushy :-) ). When that time comes, search out the sport, talk to the winners and experienced competitors. Find out what they use. Buy that type of gun. I had a client this year who spent far too much money on the wrong guns and finally, three guns later, ended up with the first one I advised.

I have watched a phenomenon for years and it never ceases to amaze me. Think about this. If the winners in a sport, who do all the research and development, are using type X, what will you discover from type Z that is better? I will assure you that those seasoned shooters have already tried and discarded type Z. Buy type X and save yourself tons of grief and frustration. What are they using for ammo, reloading, holsters, sights, etc. etc.? Sit at their knee and learn. Certainly as you become more experienced you can make decisions premised on your now extensive experience. Until then, go with the tried and true.

See you at the matches,
Murray "DOC" Gardner.

blog: January 21, 2008

Choosing a Pistol Action

There are two types of actions to consider that will be advantageous later: either a revolver or a single action semiautomatic. There are very well made break and bolt action handguns but hold that desire in check until later.

We will start by considering a revolver. Price will likely be attractive as revolvers are not as fashionable these days therefore you should be able to find a good used one at a decent price. Choosing a double action made by Smith & Wesson in .22 LR will give you a chance to try both single and double action functions so you better understand those concepts.

• Get the K frame version as there are a good variety of accessory grips for that model and grip is on our chart of important features. Blue or stainless doesn’t make any difference.
• The sights on these guns are adjustable and quite acceptable for target shooting.
• Smith & Wesson tend to have very good triggers in single action (SA). If you don’t know what single and double action (DA) trigger functions are, back to your CRFSC student handbook -- or pay my Starbucks consultants fee! :-)

Consider this double action revolver as a keeper to share with friends who have not shot. It is very easy to see rounds in the chambers and easy to load and unload. I have had a Smith DA for about 30 years and would be hard pressed to sell it.

Our next consideration will be a single action semiautomatic pistol. There are a wide variety of choices in this area but I have found that models by Ruger, Browning, high end SW and some other quality makes are worth the investment. Steer clear of other than these and your choice will work for you.

• Just about any of the makes referenced above will have a decent grip angle. Stay away from small and oversize grips. The angle and style of the Colt/Springfield 1911 Government model is very workable and I recommend it to you.
• The sights that come on these guns should be adjustable. There are models with fixed sights but unless your budget dictates you have to get fixed, get adjustable sights. I am a big fan of fibre optic inserts due to deteriorating vision but I am certain they may be of value to others as well.
• Single action triggers on most of the rimfire semiautos will be reasonable but not great. A trip to a good gunsmith will result in a good trigger job. It should be two pounds, maybe 2.5 but no more. No, there is no such thing as too light a trigger. It has to do with the physiology of shooting.

Once you have purchased the model best suited to you, go find the right .22 LR ammo for it. Test one box of 50 on one target for each brand. This testing is done from the sandbags until you find the brand and model with which your gun performs best. Make certain it is the RIGHT type for your pistol. There are differences between .22 Long and .22 Long Rifle. Don’t know the difference? Go the Cartridges of the World and find out! :-)

Once you have found the cartridge that works best in your gun, buy at least a brick (500) but preferably a case (5000) of the same lot. This will insure that you have a decent quantity of good ammo. The cost for a case will be around $200/$250. That is a cheap investment to have the correct ammo.

As you shoot, track your performance with this gun and ammo. To do that, make up a chart that shows from zero to 100% on a left size axis. Draw a horizontal axis for time (days or weeks or months, it doesn’t matter). Track your score by percentage over time. If your scores are on a continuing upward incline, you are doing it right. If your scores do not show increase, or if they are ragged or flat line, then you need to get something fixed or changed. That is when you call me for a lesson. ;-)

In addition to the SW .22 I use, I have a Ruger Mark II, you can see it on my web page. It has a trigger job and muzzle brake and shoots extremely well. It is a great training piece and will give years and years of service. I couldn’t ask for more from this gun. When I sell this gun I will buy a similar model with about the same features. There are lots to choose from so that part will be simple. Changing grips, sights and trigger are easy and relatively inexpensive.

If you have read to here and still don’t see the value in buying a rimfire pistol first, or you have already done this, then let’s consider centrefire pistols. You are likely going to want buy one eventually so this is still of value.

Next time: Centrefire pistols

See you at the matches,
Murray "DOC" Gardner.

blog: January 1, 2008

Budgeting for a Pistol

First, park your ego at the door. The goal is to start shooting, gauge performance and improvement, learn how to economically continue to pursue the sport of handgun shooting and keep moving ahead.

The starting point is with a pencil and paper. If you don’t have one, go get one because those devices will save you a ton of $ and enlighten you. I’ll wait while you get the pencil and paper.

Write down a dollar value that you will be comfortable spending to begin your shooting experience. It doesn’t matter what the number is. Once you have identified that amount, visit gun shops, web pages, gun shows and more to find out if your number is a real world number. Keep that pencil/pen and paper or notebook handy to write down the things you are certain you will remember but you won’t.

Once that data is gathered sit down and look at it. Where is your budget relative to the real world? You may have to make adjustments and that is normal. Like buying a car or house, you have to know the numbers and see what works. In the gun game, you get what you pay for. Pay cheap, get cheap.

If you think buying the gun is the end, give your head a shake. That is less than the tip of the iceberg. There is GOOD eye and hearing protection. ALWAYS buy the best you can afford and never hesitate to upgrade. This safety equipment protects you from the rare problem that you might encounter. If it does its job once, it was a bargain.

What about ammunition for that new pistol? Write down those numbers. Here is a quick thought:

.22 Long Rifle      $2 or $3/box of 50
9mm Luger         $10/box of 50 if you buy 20 boxes or more
.40 SW              $14/box of 50 and as above
.45 ACP             $18+/box etc. etc.

At the range, 100 rounds goes REAL quick but the burn to shoot won’t be gone. Do the arithmetic; 5 boxes of .22 LR or 1 box of 9mm Luger? No rocket surgery required there to determine the most volume bang for your buck.

The skills I teach my students to shoot a rimfire pistol are IDENTICAL to the skills they use for larger calibres. There has been a .22 LR pistol in my safe since I started in 1975 and there will always be one there. I am writing this in late November. It is time to drag my rimfire gun out to keep shooting during the inclement weather. Save the centrefire ammo for spring and competition season. Saves money for the centrefire and all the skills keep honed.

By now, hopefully, you have realized that the first gun you should buy will be chambered for .22 LR. If you have not made that connection, stop here, go back to the beginning of this article and start again. If you have got it, then read on.

To understand some of the reasoning behind my statements about what to buy, you need to know the Secrets of Handgun Shooting. I just made that up as they aren’t that much of a secret.

1. Grip
2. Sights
3. Trigger

These are the three elements that will allow you to move towards shooting the handgun to its potential. Handguns outshoot their owners. Always have and always will. Put your pistol in a machine rest to remove the human element and they will tear a ragged hole in the target. Once you attach your hands to the pistol, it will shoot exactly where ever you point it. To prove this, sandbag test your pistol and then stand up, use both hands and duplicate that group. Point made.

What type of handgun for the first one? Visit me again to find out...

blog: December 20, 2007

At Last: How to Buy a Handgun, Part I

I have looked back over some old blogs and note that it was way back in 2004 that I started doing this with encouragement (a shove) from the Web Goddess. The concept was to write an article from my perspective on what to look for when buying a handgun. I got sidetracked with what to look for in a rifle and then a shotgun.

More sidetracks as I wandered into match analyses, reloading. etc. and the next thing you know, BOOM! No article on what to look for when buying a handgun.

Finally!

blog: October 7, 2007

The IPSC Season is Over: Are You Ready for Next Season?

Yes, I am VERY behind on my blog but it has been an extremely busy time.

Before I give you what has happened in that time, I want to make some announcements.

First, I know the CDN$ has recently done great against the US$. You will see that reflected in the lower prices on many products.

Second, it is not JUST the dollar variation that causes prices to be set. Freight, handling, administration costs and more determine the final retail price of a product. I watch these variables closely so that I can offer my products to my customers at fair and competitive market prices. With my large on hand inventory for immediate delivery to my clients, I am very grateful for their loyalty and support.

Third, my web page has hit another milestone, 30,000 visits. To celebrate that, I am putting on sale the Dillon RF100 Automatic Primer Fillers. MSRP is $359. My special price is $271.

If you have never used one of these or thought what is their value, let me bring you up to speed. THEY ARE WONDERFUL! No more futzing around with those fiddly little primer tubes and sorting the primers on the tray. I can load about 55 rounds on my 1050 while the primer tube fills up with 100 primers. Treat yourself as you won’t see this item at that price again.

Now, what has happened since my last serious blog. LOTS!

blog: September 9, 2007

What Does a Press Cost?

If you're considering buying a Dillon press, you already know you'll be getting the best value out there, plus the famous "No B.S." Guarantee. So the only thing you need to know is, how much will it cost "all in"?

Here is a "typical" invoice for a Dillon 650 press with all the accessories you might need. You can delete things you feel you don't need/want and get a good idea of what your bottom line will be. Prices are current as of the date on the statement.

blog: May 10, 2007

25,000 Visitors!

mdgardner.com wants to thank all the visitors and customers who have made this site such a success. To accomplish this, I want to offer a special every time the counter ticks over another 5,000 visits.

To celebrate our recent milestone of 25,000 visitors, mdgardner.com is offering Dillon's HP1 Electronic Hearing Protector at $173 plus taxes and shipping, while quantities last.

blog: April 25, 2007

Prepping Brass

I have found a very neat bullet feeder that works wonderfully on my 1050 and also on a 650. But that is not what I am going to tell you about this time. With this new bullet feeder I am loading more ammo now than ever. That means I need more components. Powder, primer and bullets are relatively easy to get but prepping the brass is the chore.

To help you understand how this is done I am sharing the following processes that I use. These are techniques that I have accumulated over the 30 plus years I have been shooting and reloading. I hope they help you.

Your brass has come from the range and will have all kinds of junk on it that will do harm to your dies and/or gun if you use it uncleaned. It is a shame to have a good set of carbide dies or your favourite pistol damaged by jamming a piece of brass covered in grit into them. OUCH!

Once you have gathered up your brass, regardless of which cartridge it is for, you should do some preliminary inspection. If there are obvious wrong cartridges, damaged ones, crushed, etc. cull them out before you put them into your tumbler. Scrap brass fetches a decent penny from the scrap dealers. :-)

blog: March 28, 2007

DOC Tests "Bulletproof" Camera

blog: February 5, 2007

Are You Reloading Yet?

For those of you not yet reloading, and heaven knows why or what you are waiting for, here is what one of my clients is able to do. Not only can he turn out lots of high quality economical ammunition, but he can also now have time to shoot it.

Hi Murray,

I decided to burn off a batch of ammo this afternoon, things seemed to go so well I grabbed my stop watch and timed the last 100 rounds. I clocked in at under 7 minutes, thats over 850 rounds a hour. Dillon rates the machine at 500-600 Rds/Hr. I think that goes to show how important economy of motion is.

My machine has both the Bullet Tray and the Cartridge Case Bin & Bracket, so my hands are always close to the press. As well the Automatic Primer Filler is fantastic! It works just as advertised, dump the primers in the top, press the blue button, start pulling the handle on the press and a few rounds later there are 100 primers waiting to be loaded into the press. I always hated the hunt & peck method that was required with the Primer Pickup Tubes.

What a time saver! I can't believe how much that machine changes the whole reloading process. I attached a photo of my set up.

Thanks Roger

Roger is very organized as you can see from the photo. It does not take up much space. Roger loads for .40 SW, .223 Rem and .308 Win.

blog: January 5, 2007

Helmet Cam Analysis

Last year in Kingston ON at the Canadian Nationals, Mark Hamrol allowed me to use his helmet cam on one of the stages. I had never used one before and it was an interesting experience.

The first bit was getting the friggin' thing on! The camera is on my cap so it has to be fitted with cap and hearing protectors so I could still see the targets and gun as the stage is shot. Then the back pack with the battery has to be fitted on my shoulders and around my waist but not interfere with my reloads and draw. Talk about a twisted set up to have AND shoot a stage.