My handguns

[Aaron]

Just a few quick pics I snapped.

The first is an older model Smith & Wesson 5906. Popular gun back in the day, but now it's getting pretty obsolete. For just range shooting, I love the action. The first shot is double action, and has a long hard trigger pull, but from then on it's single action, and I love it, the shots just click off without barely touching it. Maintaining accuracy is easy. But, in the real world, should I ever need to use it, I could see it being unsafe, as with that much adrenaline, you can't effectively control something so touchy. The gun carries 15+1 in 9mm, and through 2500 rounds, I never had a misfire. Although, I did have a problem about 3 times in those 2500, where when the slide rode back after firing, the decocking lever (Which acts like a safety when down), would somehow fall down, and the gun would no longer shoot.





And here's the new gun, a brand new S&W M&P in .40 caliber. It carries the same amount of rounds as the 9mm (15+1). The biggest difference is weight. The M&P weighs significantly less than the 9mm, although they are nearly identical in size. The M&P is also a lot better in ergonomics, and is easier to manipulate. The slide doesn't have the decocker that tears your hand up, the mag release can be worked without moving your right hand, and the slide lock can be worked without moving your hand as well. I really like it!!! Plus it has a standard tactical rail, so I'm hoping to get a light for that here in the upcoming months. I've got 500 rounds ready, I'm hoping to hit the range sometime this week. Now I've got to figure out how to field strip it, and change the grips.






Also in the upcoming months, I'm going to get a baby M&P .40. It's the same gun, except with a shorter barrel, and a shorter magazine/grip. The full size magazines will still work, but the standard compact magazine is 10+1.

[Aaron]

Just field stripped the M&P. It wasn't that difficult, I've heard it was a royal pain in the ass. I found it pretty easy actually. No where as easy as the 5906, but still only took me a minute or two. The lower section of the weapon is absolutely weightless. It feels no heavier than a pen or spark plug. Amazing. The slide is still pretty heavy, being steel, but overall the thing is really light, which will be welcome.

Still need to figure out how to change the grips though. Youtube isn't helping here. Nevermind, figured that one out with a bit of help from Google. It's really easy, easier than a strip. As you can tell from the 5906, I like large grips, so I put the largest of the 3 M&P grips on. MUCH better!

[slowpoke]

Nice guns man, that 40 cal reminds me of a PX4 storm that I traded not to long ago. Now I've got a light weight colt 1911 with the 4.25 barrel. Yea I know its kinda old school but I like it.

[Aaron]

The 1911 is one of the best handguns ever made, and they win the beauty contest hands down. They are awesome handguns, I've had my eyes on a nice Kimber ever since I got into guns. But the $1500 tag scares me off a bit. Not to mention, their practicality is pretty low. 8 rounds is really low in this day and age, and the numerous safeties are not something I want/need in a gun. I still want one though!

[AkursedX]

I got to test and evaluate one of the first 40-cal M&P's on the market. I had serial#200-something, I don't rememember. I was very happy with it and put close to 8000 rounds through it without a single FTF. That was with all kind of mixed ammo. The only qualm I had with it was the magazine disconnect. You could not fire a chambered round if you did not have the magazine in the weapon. This might not seem like much, but as a police officer, that chambered round in-between a possible reload could be the difference between life and death.

S&W received my feedback about that issue and I was told that it wasn't the first time that they heard that. They have since changed this issue and you can now get the M&P's without the disconnect. I have since upgraded to this style and am still happy with it. They seem to be right up there with glock with reliability and with better ergonomics.

I also enjoy it better than my current duty weapon, an H&K P2000.

[Aaron]

My 5906 has the magazine safety on it, as does my new 40 (I chose it with that option).

It's good and bad. One, like you said, could be that life-saving round in the midst of a reload. On the other hand, God forbid someone did get the weapon, the magazine is easy to release, is an action that is natural considering all of the training you've had (Even in highly stressful situations), and will cause the gun to not fire, regardless of anything the fucker does to it. Now I know what's coming next, the whole "Nobody should ever get your gun." Well yah. But fact is, standing 10ft away from somebody is not possible or practical in LE. You are standing at arms reach, all the time. So it's good and it's bad, and it's up to the shooter on which they prefer really.

[slowpoke]

Damn, those are both good points on the mag safety that I had never even thought about. Having the option to shoot without the mag definately has a place for guys that depend on their weapons all the time. And being able to disable it is a helluva feature too, I had a friend who while cleaning his pistol shot himself through the his nostril and the bullit exited the top of his nose on the other side, if his gun would have had that feature he wouldn't have gotten shot. I do realize that a chamber inspection should be top priority when dealing with a gun but I bet that kind of thing is why some pistols have that option.

As for the looks of the 1911, my thoughts exactly. I even love the contrasting coler of the lightweight frame. I wish I coud post pics and show it off. I used to have a springfield with the five inch barrel but I have kinda long arms for my torso I guess and had trouble pulling it from my holster.

The only thing I don't like about your guns is the style of trigger. I don't like the dead area of trigger pull before anthing actually happens. Don't know if those guns have that problem but my PX4 and my ruger P90 did. Just personal taste I guess. Gotta agree about the 8 rounds though, it sucks. I'm gonna get the ten round clip pretty soon.

Sorry about the long ass post.

[Aaron]

My old 9mm, the first trigger pull is long and hard. Throughout the pull it's "doing something" though, it's pulling the hammer back. Then at the very end, the hammer drops and it fires. The slide racks, and in doing so, pulls the hammer back with it, the slide falls and chambers another round, but the hammer stays back. So the next trigger pull doesn't have to pull the hammer back, it just has to drop it. So after the first shot, the trigger is set about 3/4 of the way back, and just barely moves before the next shot fires. I fore by trigger reset, so I only release the trigger enough to reset the firing mechanism, which after the first shot, isn't much at all. After that first shot, I absolutely fucking love the trigger feel. Unfortunately, I can see, in the heat of the moment with all of that stress and adrenaline, accidentally firing off more than I intended. This is one of the main reasons departments have gone away from this gun, and gone to the Glock/XD?M&P, which all have a consistent trigger feel shot to shot.

The M&P trigger is lighter than the first pull of the 5906, and much shorter too. It's about halfway between the initial pull on the 5906, and the single action pull of the 5906. It moves about halfway and does absolutely nothing through that distance. Then it fires, then moves the remaining half doing nothing again. It's a very simple trigger feel, like the gun isn't doing anything to make the bullet go off. So far I like the trigger feel, using trigger rests the subsequent rounds are easy, but not too easy, to fire off. It's damn near perfect. The only complaint I have is that the trigger feels "cheap." It's plastic, and has an incorporated trigger safety like the Glocks do. And while that is fine and all, it makes the trigger feel like it's going to break. I like the actual trigger of the 5906 better, but it's steel, thus adds weight. On the other hand, with my long fingers, when I'd fire the 5906, I'd wedge my finger tip on the side/bottom of the trigger and the bottom of the trigger guard, and after a long day, it'd be bleeding. Not a big deal, but it's the little things. The M%P doesn't feel like it'll have this problem.

Don't sweat it, I'm all for long posts.

[slowpoke]

That's what I mean about it being a personal preference on the trigger, mine had movement before engaging the hammer and I never could get used to it. The 45 I have now is from "colts custom shop" and the trigger doesn't move more than 3mm before it fires. I like that and the fact that the trigger moves sraight backword and doesn't have an arching motion, its not a big deal, but I am more comfortable with it.

[Aaron]

its not a big deal, but I am more comfortable with it.

That is a big deal!

There really is no difference between most LE type guns nowadays. The Springfield XD, Glock, and S&W M&P are all basically the same gun, and a lot of guys carry the 1911 on duty too. So it comes down to what you're comfortable with, what you like best, and what serves your needs. For me, that's the M&P. The 1911 is a different style gun, and a lot of people love it. I personally really like it, but for my uses, the 8 round capacity, and the high weight, make it impractical for anything more than a sex toy (Because it does look that good), and a range gun. It all comes down to what you need the gun for, and what you feel most comfortable with.

By the way, in Colorado, the law that says we can basically shoot anyone who enters our home to commit a crime, and we believe will use any degree of physical force in doing so, is called the Make My Day Law. I'm ordering a front door mat that says "Make My Day" on it

Might I add, the Make My Day law is fucking awesome, and for all you stuck in teh republik of kaliforna, sucks for you!

[Aaron]

It's actually better for people with smaller hands. My hands are a bit too big, even with the large grips it feels a bit small for me, but I don't mind it. I think you'd like the grip.

[whipped]

I want an M9, or something nice and heavy with no recoil like those shitty plastic guns...

[V8Mikie]

Bleh, no offense but your taste is guns is akin to your taste in cars

here's a few from my collection...

From the top left- Sig P225, P220 carry, P226, Mosquito, and P228/M11


HK USP .40


USP 40 with HK P30

[There really is no difference between most LE type guns nowadays. The Springfield XD, Glock, and S&W M&P are all basically the same gun, and a lot of guys carry the 1911 on duty too. So it comes down to what you're comfortable with, what you like best, and what serves your needs. For me, that's the M&P. The 1911 is a different style gun, and a lot of people love it. I personally really like it, but for my uses, the 8 round capacity, and the high weight, make it impractical for anything more than a sex toy (Because it does look that good), and a range gun. It all comes down to what you need the gun for, and what you feel most comfortable with.

Glocks are waaaay different than M&Ps and XD's. First, the trigger is a lot different, many people can't get used to shooting a Glock unless they started out with them. Secondly, Glocks have polygonal barrels and are more accurate in general. Third, Glocks are the original, the M&P and XD are just imitators

8 round capacity is fine for most applications. You really think if someone breaks into your house you are going to get the chance to reload? Don't get me wrong, I hate 1911's, but 8 rounds is plenty in 99.99% of any situation any of us would ever be in.

[V8Mikie]

I have two suppressors, no USP .45, the triggers are too gritty on them, the Sig SRT trigger is smooth as butter. That USP 40 was my first pistol.

[Aaron]

I took the M&P .40 out to the range, with 300 Blazer rounds, and did some shooting. I really liked it. The trigger is perfect, the gun is so light, easy to hold, and very natural to manipulate. It was also pretty accurate, although it was firing about 1/2-1" lower than the sight level at 7 yards, but no side-to-side inaccuracy. I did encounter a few misfires, 4 in 300 rounds. All 4 happened on the final round, it would not feed properly. I'm not sure why, I'm guessing it's a mix of brand new gun/mags, and cheap ammo. We'll see if it does any better in the coming weeks, I'll be putting at least another 700 through it. I've got a Streamlight TLR-1 on the way for it.

My one major complaint is that the gun feels really weird when it fires. First, it's got a lot of recoil, but secondly, it feels almost "cheap" when it fires. You feel everything happening inside, it feels like stuff is moving around violently inside of the gun immediately after firing. I never experienced this with my 5906, I think it's a side affect of the polymer frame/components. Not a big deal, it doesn't influence the gun's performance at all, it just feels really weird. Compare it to a BMW engine out of the early 90s. The top end was extremely noisy as it clattered about, but it really wasn't a problem, that's just how they were.

Overall, I love it, and can't wait to replace my 5906 with it!