<- Notice this is grumpy Troll as opposed to the geeky Troll in the previous post. :)

I have probably ranted about Tactical Reloads before but Tactical Reloads have always bugged me. What's a Tactical Reload? Well that it is, in a gun fight, reloading a weapon while retaining the partially used magazine in the gun for possible later use. Part of my angst for it comes from the draconian enforcement of it in IDPA competition. Part of it comes from my realization that in a real gun fight the likelihood of it being useful is slim and is something I would never want to try while suffering an adrenaline dump.

This YouTube video covers sever good reasons why I don't like it and when and why it might be appropriate to use, better than I probably can.

So I have had a reoccurring itch to have a revolver for concealed carry. I nearly bought a Smith and Wesson 442 (38 Special) but ultimately decided to get the XD-40 Sub-Compact. I am glad I did, the Springfield Armory XD is what I shoot more than any other firearm at the present and to have a compact version of the same gun I shoot in competition seemed, and still is, a good idea.

Well along come Charter Arms. I have to admit I do not know a whole lot about the company but they have release a new and intriguing rimless series of CCW revolvers. Now rimless cartridges in a revolver are not new, Smith and Wesson and other manufactures have been doing it since WW-I. Charter Arms has develop that revolver that uses rimless cartridges but with the important difference of not needing to use half or full moonclips. The revolver apparently has a special extractor star that can eject the rimless cartridges from the cylinder without the need of the moonclip.

At first blush I was not overly impress, moonclips work, and work very well and for reloading a revolver there is no faster way than moonclips. Speed-loaders are nice but moon clips are faster. But for a CCW reload time is not as critical as say shooting a revolver in IDPA or IPSC competition, most CCW situation, god forbid your in one, are over in 2-3 shots fired. The Charter Arms concept looks especially good if you think of it as a backup gun to your primary semi-auto allowing you to strip rounds from you primary weapons magazine to feed your backup revolver without the need for moon clips. That is very appealing in that sort of hordes of zombie fantasy way.



Charter arms is going to make a 9mm version based on their 12 oz aluminum frame, usually chamber in 38 Special and the 40S&W and 45ACP version on there heavier (21oz) bulldog frame usually chambered in 44 Special. The 40S&W version is the first to be released and the one I would be most likely to buy. Hmmm... decisions decisions decisions...

Since these are my favorite political topics to talk about and the of course judge candidates on I thought I would ramble a bit on Obama and his stance on the second amendment and hunting.

( Rambling post about Obama and his anti-firearms and anti-hunting endorsements )

In addition to carrying my soon to be first born child, Jr., as I like to refer to the yet unknown sex little birch, GFWTR let me purchase another firearm tonight. After trading my Kahr CW9 for the XD-45ACP Tactical I did not really have a concealed carry pistol. So tonight I picked up an XD-40SC. I had considered a Smith and Wesson 5-shot Revolver like the 642 or 442 but decided on the XD-40SC for capacity and most importantly controls I am familiar with. It not quite as small and light at a 442 but with well over 16,000rd and three starting four season of competition through my other XDs it just didn't make sense to confuse the situation with a new gun with new controls. The XD-40SC puts all the controls and similar trigger feel in a conceal carry friendly package. Another benefit is that my favorite concealed carry holster will work with all of my XDs so I don't have to rush out and by any holster and such. The only thing I will be buying is one or two more of the sub-compact 9rd magazines but for practice I can use all the normal 12rd magazine I already have. Finally I already reload for 40S&W so practice ammo will not break the bank. Hopefully tomorrow after work I get a little time to slip up to the indoor range and test it out. None the less GFWTR is one special wife to put up with me!

ETA: Sorry forgot to add the picture I took of the collection.


Click to Enlarge

The Westroads Mall shooting 8 fatalities (9 if you count the shooter's suicide) and three injured.

The New Life Church shooting 2 fatalities and three injured.

Why were fewer killed at the New Life Church compared to the Westroads Mall? It wasn't because the gun man committed suicided sooner. It wasn't because there were less targets. It wasn't even because law enforcement responded quicker. It was because a citizen with their CCW permit was carrying a weapon and stopped the shooter. An option that the owners of the Westroads Mall choose to taken from those at the Mall for their "safety".

ETA: changed title to fit the entry better.

Hagar the Horrible via

Didn't work back then, still doesn't work today.

Found this on the XDTalk Forum and given that it was from another Cleveland area resident I figured I would post it up here

via XDTalk Forum

Funny video clip on how to make your own protective Gun Free Zone.

YouTube video

enjoy

via Surly Curmudgeon

I got my Kahr CW9 back last night. They had made two attemps to deliver it during the day and of course I was at work. GFWTR and I drove down to the FedEx center and got it and then I took her out to dinner. They fixed the trigger bar and polished the barrel for me. I had notice some minor burs in the barrel near the muzzle. The work seems to have been done well and on time. I still think three weeks is way to long to turn a warranty repair around but they did say it would be three week and turn in around it just over that, 3 weeks, 2 days. They also threw in a new 7rd magazine, given that the MSRP on that magazine is $40.00 and about the cheapest I was able to find one was $30 I take that as compensation for my shipping cost to send it to them. Now I just have to find time to get to the range and test it out. I ran snap caps through it last night and everything seems good but live fire is the only way to be sure.

So my CW9 was sent yesterday and arrived at Kahr today. The clock is ticking we'll see how their service stacks up.

Smith and Wesson 7days door to door.
Springfield Armory 8days door to door.

hmmm....