Weaponry Reviews - Tilted Forum Project - TFP - Sexuality, Philosophy and Political Discussion

Greg700 · 10-02-2007, 02:24 PM

Ok, the idea here is to post concise reviews on anything you feel may help someone on this forum. Anything you have had personal experience with is fair game.

Here are a couple to get things going:

S&W M&P 9mm pistol, fullsize: I have put probably 2500 rounds through mine and it runs extremely well, is very comfortable, and I recommend it highly. I bought mine without a magazine disconnect or child-safety, and I feel I made the right decision. I had some initial problems with the pistol, but S&W customer service was top-notch and in addition to fixing my pistol, they installed Novak Tritium sights for free.

Eotech 552: I like this optic a lot. It is noticeably sturdier than the civilian 51x series, and the NV button is convenient. It is much faster to acquire a target than the aimpoint is, but it is also a little clunkier, and you have to fiddle with it every now and again or it will turn itself off.

Eotech 510: I can't stand these. They are not built to take abuse. I recently watched 5 out of 12 of these crap out on us. Usually, the prism inside the sight would break loose and would rattle around. Don't get one of these.

Beretta 92 (m9): If you buy one of these and you intend to really shoot it, make sure you have a couple extra locking blocks on hand. Personally, I can't stand this weapon, though it seems to work well enough when it isn't broken.

HK USP Compact: Very good pistol, ultra reliable. But it is expensive and is built like a tank. If you are looking for an ultra reliable higher-capacity weapon that can be carried with the hammer back and the safety on then this may be a good choice.

kel · 10-03-2007, 04:59 PM

have owned four. Each one of them was reliable enough for range duty, but 1 out of 10 times on the last round of a magazine they would jam the head of the empty case into the feed lips of the magazine effectively locking the gun up. This made them useless for USPSA or carry. One had to go back three times because it was going full auto and twice because it was breaking barrel link pins and once because it wouldn't extract (and they never fixed the extraction issues).

I have personally witnessed two out of time firing pin safeties go click instead of bang and one of mine does it too. I know one other person who had the full auto issue and he got it fixed in one trip because I explained to S&W how to resolve it.

The extractor is .125 high while a regular internal extractor is .175 high. Draw your own conclusions. Also be aware that as the hook wears it can drastically effect performance and reliability because the bottom corner of the hook is the critical surface when it comes to preventing this jam and there really isn't much material left after the hook has been dressed to aid feeding at the factory. This is not a problem that will always show up immediately as there are a number of other tolerances that affect its appearance.

If you don't believe me then see what Hilton Yam has to say:

Quote:

I am awaiting updates from S&W re: the proposed changes to their external extractor. Some samples of the extractor system work well, others not so well. The placement of the extractor is a bit high and the round slides off the hook during barrel linkdown. As the round slides off the hook, the extractor loses purchase. Some guns will continue to work ok, but you will occasionally see a casing eject to the front or up over your head. This is less than ideal and indicates marginal purchase of the extractor on the casing.

http://www.10-8forums.com/ubbthreads...true#Post51066

Quote:

Just wanted to add my experience with the S&W 1911s to Ned's excellent analysis.

The fit of the beavertail to the frame tangs - specifically the side to side play at the junction of the frame radius/thumb safety hole and the grip safety - can also affect the timing issues. If the fit is loose, the safety can actually be depressed along more than one line, allowing more than one variation in the timing. When I was up at S&W, they recognized this issue and were working to tighten the tolerances in this area.

In experimenting with the firing pin and safety plunger, I tried a number of mods to increase the clearance between the two parts in order to favor the timing lag. All the mods were ultimately unsuccessful, and the parts ended up peening each other.

The S&W extractors need to be closely monitored as they age and wear, as they all seem to work pretty well when very new. As the part wears, the performance starts to vary dramatically. Most users do not notice problems with their guns, as the bulk of the guns out on the commercial market do not get very high round counts on them.

For a few years, Smith has been planning the introduction of a new extractor and the deletion of the firing pin safety on their 1911s. These changes do not happen fast, but if/when they do, I feel that their 1911s will be an extremely solid offering for a duty 1911.

Buy a Colt or a Springfield so you don't have to deal with non-standard "improvements" to the design.

If you are unfortunate enough to have one of these problem guns I know of several partial solutions that may get it running well enough for gaming.

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Sig 226ST 9MM
The gun is reliable and good (maybe the best) for a DA auto but it is still a DA auto. The DA trigger reach is too long and the SA trigger reach is too short. Trigger reset is also long. I regret getting the stainless frame because it does not transition well and makes the gun heavy for carry. The grip is quite thick and does not conceal well. The factory grips squeaked and had play in them so I replaced them with hogue rubbers which are thick and tend to grab clothing. There was some light barrel springing which worked itself out on its own.

The factory sights are terrible. They are regulated so the POI is behind the white dot on the front sight and the front sight is too thick allowing too little light for feedback and it also obscures the target. There is no shortage of aftermarket options, but it would be nice if they came standard with a half decent set. Bar-dot is dead, let it go, it was never that good to begin with.

The manual of arms is %100 incompatible with the 1911 because the slidelock lever is in the same location as the thumb safety. This makes it difficult to get a comfortable grip high enough to be worth mentioning. This is already exacerbated by the large grip and long DA trigger reach.

The SA trigger is 4.5 pounds and crisp with a large quanitity of overtravel. The DA trigger broke in to 10 pounds or so after I replaced the mainspring with a 19 pound Wolff spring. Older carbon steel slide Sigs will have a worse DA trigger even with a lighter spring because they have a different (longer) mainspring.

I would only recommend this gun for people who are not going to be shooting competitively and are going to train extensively enough to master it. For the same level of effort you would get much better performance from a pseudo-DAO or SA gun. This is not to say that the 226 cannot perform as well, just that it is more difficult. It also stood up well to >1k rounds/month in USPSA.

squeeeb · 10-03-2007, 10:25 PM

Glock 17 - a magical gun, never got dirty, never jammed, even if using reloads, amazingly accurate. the only thing i didn't' like about it is the grips were a bit large for me (i have small hands) and it was light, which felt a bit awkward, i prefer a heavier gun...

Dog Brothers' escrima sticks - heavy, durable, nice....

Fire · 10-05-2007, 12:14 PM

astra 600/43

Vintage WWII spanish pistol, 9mm- shoots well, but is well known for having a very heavy recoil IIRC due to the fact that it is a blowback action w/ very heavy springs- have found mine to be reliable, even after several hundred rounds at a stretch- does have a kick though, and for a nine that is saying something- only problem is that my factory magazine is showing heavy wear- at the seams where it is welded, near the juncture with the feed lips, it is cracked from long term stress- according to some milisurp forums this is common... but was able to get replacement surplus factory mags without issues for less than new aftermarkets... overall a nice little shooter for fans of old school pistols

Femaru M-37

another old school pistol, this one was the hungarian royal military's sidearm until the germans steamrollered em- its a small .380, with a barely adequate 7 shot magazine- It shoots well, and as it is small but by no means compact,and solid metal, it has little recoil- the problem is that there are so many smaller pocket pistols with more rounds of higher calibur out there that it is pretty much a historical piece rather than any kind of carry gun- its also a single action with only a grip safety, and NO external safety, so its pretty much got to be carried on condition ZERO unless you wand to court an AD- It is, for all that, fun to shoot and hella sturdy, as well as being a reliable shooter, so if one were to luck into one on the cheap, I do like em.... BTW AVOID the AFTERMARKET MAGS FOR THIS WEAPON they suck- of three, NONE fed reliably.....

high standard sentinel .22LR (9 shot)

fun little plinker/ woods gun that wont quit, and combines the ease of a revolver with the capacity of an auto.....

Crompsin · 10-16-2007, 11:06 PM

Professional Ordnance Carbon 15 Type 97
5.56x45mm / AR15 Variant / Pistol

PRODUCT VIEW HERE

Bushmaster bought Professional Ordnance out some time ago. I have a PO piece, but the review applies to both since they're identical items.

Made of carbon fiber, this lightweight AR15 variant in pistol form weighs less than your standard 1911 when it lacks the standard 30 round AR mag.

The hard chromed fluted barrel and hard chromed modified AR bolt clean up easy (can't see the barrel under the hand guard, though).

The buffer tube isn't a standard piece, but a unique shorter red aluminum cap piece. This reduces the overall length of the bolt carrier / buffer assembly.

The dual (top of receiver/barrel and bottom of barrel) 1913 rail forearm provide ample room to mount optics, lights, etc.

It takes all AR mags, grips, optics, lights, and any other rail mounted accessories.

It features a single point attachment on the buffer tube plate for a sling.

Trigger pull was good at roughly 6 lbs. By no means a match grade piece.

The accuracy was astounding at 50' given the small size and light weight.

The recoil was minimal, the muzzle flash and noise was insane... like a flashbang going off in the range with every pull of the trigger.

Fun gun.

ziadel · 10-17-2007, 06:29 PM

Heres one:

Springfield Mil-Spec (Not the WWII Model) 1911-A1

Has never failed me once, hits where its pointed is extremely durable and reliable. Has never once jammed with an assortment of bullets, including semi-wadcutters.

Cons: Plastic grips. Thats my only gripe.

Fire · 10-21-2007, 12:32 AM

Ruger speed six in 9mm

9mm revolvers are something of a rarity, and not often made- and they seem to not stay in production when they do- I had the good fortune to come across one, and just put a box of shells and some spares through it- and have nothing but good things to say about it- designed to use moon clips to ease extraction, the speed six will work perfectly well without- I have only one moon clip, and empties are a bitch to pry out on one, so I fired 50 rounds through the weapon without a moon clip- spent rounds were easily shaken out of the cylinder, as crud accumulated (about halfway through) they were removed with a thumbnail. its accurate, reliable, and as with most ruger designs, built like a tank...... was so lucky to find one......

Bear Cub · 10-21-2007, 11:13 AM

Bushmaster DCM competition rifle

Pros -
1" free floater barrel

Two way flip rear aperture

Weighted butt-stock for outstanding balance

As accurate as any AR-based rifle I've shot at 200 yards, right out of the box, and it's DCM competition legal.

Not a single jam or misfire to date, even with poor quality ammo, regardless of the brass used.

Cons-
Front sight post was ground wrong. Not the easiest thing in the world to shoot a match when you're trying to hold the bottom of the black on an angle.

Trigger needs work. Pull was good, second stage crisp and accurate with minimal overtravel, but first stage had a tendency to stick and not return when released before second stage was engaged. If the first stage was worked a little bit, it'd be pretty darn close to a Jewell, without the expense.

VERY stiff springs in the provided magazines. Some of the most difficult I'd ever had to load.

10-02-2007, 02:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
Greg700 Eccentric insomniac Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: North Carolina	Weaponry Reviews Ok, the idea here is to post concise reviews on anything you feel may help someone on this forum. Anything you have had personal experience with is fair game. Here are a couple to get things going: S&W M&P 9mm pistol, fullsize: I have put probably 2500 rounds through mine and it runs extremely well, is very comfortable, and I recommend it highly. I bought mine without a magazine disconnect or child-safety, and I feel I made the right decision. I had some initial problems with the pistol, but S&W customer service was top-notch and in addition to fixing my pistol, they installed Novak Tritium sights for free. Eotech 552: I like this optic a lot. It is noticeably sturdier than the civilian 51x series, and the NV button is convenient. It is much faster to acquire a target than the aimpoint is, but it is also a little clunkier, and you have to fiddle with it every now and again or it will turn itself off. Eotech 510: I can't stand these. They are not built to take abuse. I recently watched 5 out of 12 of these crap out on us. Usually, the prism inside the sight would break loose and would rattle around. Don't get one of these. Beretta 92 (m9): If you buy one of these and you intend to really shoot it, make sure you have a couple extra locking blocks on hand. Personally, I can't stand this weapon, though it seems to work well enough when it isn't broken. HK USP Compact: Very good pistol, ultra reliable. But it is expensive and is built like a tank. If you are looking for an ultra reliable higher-capacity weapon that can be carried with the hammer back and the safety on then this may be a good choice. __________________ "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

10-03-2007, 10:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
squeeeb Psycho Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: hic et ubique	Glock 17 - a magical gun, never got dirty, never jammed, even if using reloads, amazingly accurate. the only thing i didn't' like about it is the grips were a bit large for me (i have small hands) and it was light, which felt a bit awkward, i prefer a heavier gun... Dog Brothers' escrima sticks - heavy, durable, nice.... __________________ onward to mayhem!

10-05-2007, 12:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
Fire Warrior Smith Join Date: May 2003 Location: missouri	astra 600/43 Vintage WWII spanish pistol, 9mm- shoots well, but is well known for having a very heavy recoil IIRC due to the fact that it is a blowback action w/ very heavy springs- have found mine to be reliable, even after several hundred rounds at a stretch- does have a kick though, and for a nine that is saying something- only problem is that my factory magazine is showing heavy wear- at the seams where it is welded, near the juncture with the feed lips, it is cracked from long term stress- according to some milisurp forums this is common... but was able to get replacement surplus factory mags without issues for less than new aftermarkets... overall a nice little shooter for fans of old school pistols Femaru M-37 another old school pistol, this one was the hungarian royal military's sidearm until the germans steamrollered em- its a small .380, with a barely adequate 7 shot magazine- It shoots well, and as it is small but by no means compact,and solid metal, it has little recoil- the problem is that there are so many smaller pocket pistols with more rounds of higher calibur out there that it is pretty much a historical piece rather than any kind of carry gun- its also a single action with only a grip safety, and NO external safety, so its pretty much got to be carried on condition ZERO unless you wand to court an AD- It is, for all that, fun to shoot and hella sturdy, as well as being a reliable shooter, so if one were to luck into one on the cheap, I do like em.... BTW AVOID the AFTERMARKET MAGS FOR THIS WEAPON they suck- of three, NONE fed reliably..... high standard sentinel .22LR (9 shot) fun little plinker/ woods gun that wont quit, and combines the ease of a revolver with the capacity of an auto..... __________________ Thought the harder, Heart the bolder, Mood the more as our might lessens

10-16-2007, 11:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
Crompsin STRIKE FACE Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Prime Self	Professional Ordnance Carbon 15 Type 97 5.56x45mm / AR15 Variant / Pistol PRODUCT VIEW HERE Bushmaster bought Professional Ordnance out some time ago. I have a PO piece, but the review applies to both since they're identical items. Made of carbon fiber, this lightweight AR15 variant in pistol form weighs less than your standard 1911 when it lacks the standard 30 round AR mag. The hard chromed fluted barrel and hard chromed modified AR bolt clean up easy (can't see the barrel under the hand guard, though). The buffer tube isn't a standard piece, but a unique shorter red aluminum cap piece. This reduces the overall length of the bolt carrier / buffer assembly. The dual (top of receiver/barrel and bottom of barrel) 1913 rail forearm provide ample room to mount optics, lights, etc. It takes all AR mags, grips, optics, lights, and any other rail mounted accessories. It features a single point attachment on the buffer tube plate for a sling. Trigger pull was good at roughly 6 lbs. By no means a match grade piece. The accuracy was astounding at 50' given the small size and light weight. The recoil was minimal, the muzzle flash and noise was insane... like a flashbang going off in the range with every pull of the trigger. Fun gun. __________________ C19H28O2 = C6H2(NO2)3CH3 All your base are belong to us. Last edited by Crompsin; 11-17-2007 at 06:15 PM.

10-17-2007, 06:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
ziadel Myrmidon Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: In the twilight and mist.	Heres one: Springfield Mil-Spec (Not the WWII Model) 1911-A1 Has never failed me once, hits where its pointed is extremely durable and reliable. Has never once jammed with an assortment of bullets, including semi-wadcutters. Cons: Plastic grips. Thats my only gripe. __________________ Ron Paul '08 Vote for Freedom Go ahead and google Dr. Ron Paul. You'll like what you read.

10-21-2007, 12:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
Fire Warrior Smith Join Date: May 2003 Location: missouri	Ruger speed six in 9mm 9mm revolvers are something of a rarity, and not often made- and they seem to not stay in production when they do- I had the good fortune to come across one, and just put a box of shells and some spares through it- and have nothing but good things to say about it- designed to use moon clips to ease extraction, the speed six will work perfectly well without- I have only one moon clip, and empties are a bitch to pry out on one, so I fired 50 rounds through the weapon without a moon clip- spent rounds were easily shaken out of the cylinder, as crud accumulated (about halfway through) they were removed with a thumbnail. its accurate, reliable, and as with most ruger designs, built like a tank...... was so lucky to find one...... __________________ Thought the harder, Heart the bolder, Mood the more as our might lessens

10-21-2007, 11:13 AM	#8 (permalink)
Bear Cub Bear Bottomed Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Houston	Bushmaster DCM competition rifle Pros - 1" free floater barrel Two way flip rear aperture Weighted butt-stock for outstanding balance As accurate as any AR-based rifle I've shot at 200 yards, right out of the box, and it's DCM competition legal. Not a single jam or misfire to date, even with poor quality ammo, regardless of the brass used. Cons- Front sight post was ground wrong. Not the easiest thing in the world to shoot a match when you're trying to hold the bottom of the black on an angle. Trigger needs work. Pull was good, second stage crisp and accurate with minimal overtravel, but first stage had a tendency to stick and not return when released before second stage was engaged. If the first stage was worked a little bit, it'd be pretty darn close to a Jewell, without the expense. VERY stiff springs in the provided magazines. Some of the most difficult I'd ever had to load.