New South Florida Licensing Office in Doral

Hey folks, it’s been a while since my last post. I have been really busy and I have not been able to post anything new. I should have a couple of reviews coming up in the next few days. Some holsters, some guns, etc.

I just wanted to write this quick post to let everyone know that according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services we now have another South Florida licensing office where we can do our application process.

Miami-Dade Regional Office

Concealed Weapon or Firearm License

8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST)*

7743 NW 48th Street

Suite 100

Doral, Florida 33166

Phone: (305) 639-5555

Fax: (305) 639-3502

Be safe! Steel targets from here are recommended for your shooting pleasure.

My Close Call with an Negligent Discharge.

The importance of today's post is to promote gun safety while handling firearms. People who are often handling firearms tend to get overconfident, and that’s when accidents happen. I never pictured myself or anyone I consider knowledgeable with guns having a negligent or accidental discharge, even less witness one. We are always stressing firearm safety, and the first and most important thing I teach people who are new at handling firearms is exactly that. In the past week I heard of someone we know from High School have an accident, and I witnessed a ND right before my eyes.

Before I get into details, I will go over those rules. The rules I like to teach are Col. Jeff Cooper's Rules, and also the NRA rules (which are simple to remember).

Col. Jeff Cooper's Rules of Gun Safety 

1. ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
2. NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)
3. KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER TILL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.
4. IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET, AND WHAT IS BEHIND IT. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

The NRA's version of the safety rules:

1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. 
2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. 
3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

 

I visited a friend this weekend who is proficient and has been around guns for quite some time. He took out his gun to show me some work he had done to it. He did a full safety check, and handed me the gun with the slide locked open and the magazine off. I inspected it like I normally do to all guns and looked at the work he had done. The gun was placed on the coffee table when we finished, and he went to get ready. After 10 minutes or so he came back, we were talking about different things, his wife and my wife were also in the room, everything was very normal. He came back into the room, picked up the gun to safety check it, pulled back the slide, chamber was empty but the magazine full of rounds was in. When he released the slide, he chambered a round, he pointed to a somewhat safe direction (the floor a few inches away from his foot), pulled the trigger and KABOOM! In the middle of the conversation, no one paid close attention to the steps he took, perhaps not even himself, he was on autopilot, something he did all the time but forgot the most important step, removing the mag. It went off about 3 feet away from me.

Sorry for the bad quality, phone pic on low light.

The outcome, everyone was ok, no one got hurt, just scared shitless with our ears ringing for a bit. The 9mm Winchester PDX1 bullet hit the tile and made a hole the size of a silver dollar. Thankfully it did not ricochet, some tile and bullet fragments scattered around the floor, but that was about it. I told him I would be keeping the case, and that I would make a keychain out of it so I could look at it every day. "The one that almost got me". It will be a constant reminder not to get confident and to always keep safety in mind. Perhaps he is the one that could benefit the most from this "Reminder Token", but he can't have this one, this one is mine. I will get him one for his birthday, from a big caliber round, along with having to put up with my crap for a few years to come since I'm a big SOB and will enjoy busting his chops.

I hope all of you out there who get to read this can learn from the experience just as much as we did. Never get confident with your firearms, and always exaggerate safety. Double and triple check, rack the slide multiple times checking for rounds, know everything about your gun and how it works.  

BE SAFE!

KZ Aluminum Foregrips Review - Botach Tactical

Today's post will be a review of some foregrips I purchased for my AR-15. 

A friend of mine recently bought himself a Troy Modular Combat Grip.He was not planning on putting it on his AR anytime soon so I asked to borrow it to test it on mine. I got home, took off my Magpul AFG, and installed the Troy. I found that the vertical foregrip gave me better control of my rifle, and it was much more comfortable. I don’t hold it like a broomstick, and since the Troy grip is modular, the stubby grip was perfect. So the hunt for the perfect foregrip started. 

The Troy foregrip is great, but I was not convinced on paying $50-$60 for it. The cheapest place I found it was on Botach. I am a big fan of Magpul products, so I was looking around for the RVG as well. Browsing the Botach Tactical site, I found these KZ Aluminum Foregrips. FOR $9.95! I thought to myself, why not give these a try, if they turn out to be crap, I'll try to send them back. I bought the stubby model, and 3 days later, it arrived at my house. 

Stubby KZ Aluminum Foregrips

First impressions, great craftsmanship. Very well cut, no rough edges, and it grips prefect. I unscrewed the bottom cap and it was very smooth, and I prefer the way they place the o-ring on the cap compared to the Troy. The o-ring helps it screw on tight and will keep it waterproof.  

O-ring fits snug on grooves and does not fall out.

I also like the fact that when you unscrew the moving piece that clamps the foregrip to your rail, they added 2 steel rods that keep it from wobbling to the sides. When you begin to tighten the "clamps" it does not move. 

Oily look is from using a little bit of locktite.

I did not like that the screw that tightens the grip to the rail sticks out, I wish they would have made it flush. Not a big deal though, I will just attach that side of the grip to the right, so my left hand won't touch it, easy fix. Holding the AR left handed does not bother me either.

So in my opinion, if you are shopping for a foregrip, and you have $10 and some blue locktite, don’t hesitate to buy the KZ Aluminum Foregrips. You can go ahead and spend 6 times as much on some other ones out there, nothing against them, but I rather save my money for other things. 

I have another one on the way so I can install it on my wife's AR, and my AFG just sold on Amazon.

Want one? Get it here.

I need some help deciding on some comfortable rail covers. My rail is 10" long. I would like to cover the bottom and side rails with the same rail covers, not a mix as you can see above. I'm thinking of the Magpul XTM's. Any suggestions?

Galco Kingtuck Holster Review

Gun holsters are an important component for those who own guns, but they are essential for those who carry. They are designed to offer protection to the handgun, secure its retention, and provide ready access to it. Over the years, I have acquired about a dozen different holsters. They each have a different use /  purpose, some I use more often than others. Holsters are accessories that you can expect to change as you carry over the years due to wear and tear or because you find another that better suit your needs.

Living in South Florida, the most comfortable way for me to carry a firearm regardless of what clothes I am wearing is IWB (inside the waistband). OWB (outside the waistband) holsters would require for me to wear a light jacket or a very long shirt in order to conceal it (not happening in Florida summer), and I don’t like to pocket carry. I need to have a holster I can wear year-round so after wearing it and practicing with it, pulling my gun out when I most need it becomes as easy as pulling out my phone. Under stress, this is critical. I also like to stick to one firearm, that firearm is the one I practice with, the one I carry, the one I am most comfortable with all around. My current carry gun is the Glock 19. I carry my gun at a 5 o'clock position, right above my right back pocket and wallet.

Today I will be reviewing my favorite IWB holster, the Galco Kingtuk. I have been wearing this holster for the past 2 years. The Kingtuk is considered a hybrid holster because it is made out of leather and kydex. The leather part goes against your body, making it very flexible and comfortable. This leather piece keeps the gun completely away from your skin, the rigid kydex is what holds your gun in place. It is very similar to others made by well known brands like Cross-breed and Comp-tac.

Galco Kingtuck for Glock

One of the most important features in a holster which everyone should look out for when shopping around is that the holster should completely cover the trigger. You do not want the trigger to be exposed, you will have an accident sooner or later. You can see that there is only a small gap, which will not accidentally set off the trigger. 

As you can see from the picture above, the holster is designed to keep your gun at an angle or cant. This makes it easier to grip and draw when you are carrying it on your back. You can notice the combat cut as well, which is the edge of the holster under the grip of the gun, which is parallel to your belt. You can adjust the cant angle by unscrewing the belt clips and moving them up or down accordingly. You can see the extra holes on the picture below, which shows the backside of the holster. One of the main reasons I switched to this belt is because it has dual belt clips. Once you put this holster on, you do not have to adjust it again. This was not the case with my previous holster, because it had a single clip I was constantly adjusting the angle of the gun, to sit, to walk, it was a pain.

After 2 years, paint is chipping, but no rust

I can run with this holster, I can turn it upside down and shake I lightly, my gun does not fall out. At the same time drawing requires almost no strength. This was not the case at the beginning, I am not surprised to hear of people drawing their gun and pulling it along with the holster right out of their pants. You must break in the leather and allow it to take the shape of the gun. You can do this by wearing it around a few nights while watching TV or doing stuff around the house. It is no different than breaking in a baseball glove. 

Below, I had my wife model the holster. I decided to use her as a model because shes petite, the holster would be more noticeable on her body. The holster does a great job at hiding the gun close to her body, of course with the help of a good belt (See my post about why a good belt is important). 

You cannot tell she's wearing it

Yet there it is

Easy to draw

Side view

This holster is in my opinion worth every penny. You can find it online for under $55. You can get it from Amazon here.

Galco KingTuk Inside the Pant Right Hand Black 4.5" Glk 17,19,22,23,26,27,31,32,33 Kydex and Leather KT224B 

 GALCO KINGTUK IWB HOLSTER - GLOCK

Galco KingTuk Inside the Pant Right Hand Black 4" 1911 Kydex and Leather KT212B 

GALCO KINGTUK IWB HOLSTER - 1911

Duragrips 1911 Grips Review Part 2

So I get home this afternoon and I have a package waiting for me. The folks from Duragrips.com sent me a couple of grips. My post today will be to do a full review on perhaps the best set of aftermarket grips you can get for your 1911 for a reasonable price. Duragrips also makes grips for other guns, I am sure they are just as good.

Here is the new collection.

You can go back and look at my first post about these grips to get more info on the Peanut Grips that are installed on the Kimber.

My first impression upon opening the box, just like the first set I bought. Lightweight, perfectly cut out, the finishing is very smooth, no imperfections. It is made out of a tough polymer, which my niece put to test. She saw me with the camera and could not resist but to get on the table and start messing with all those little things her uncle was taking pictures of.

Here is my review on each one of the grips.

First I will start with the D-Fence grips. These grips are made to resemble a chain link fence. For you guys that shoot in cold weather or always shoot with gloves, these are it. They are very comfortable to handle for me, my wife thought they might be a little pinchy after shooting a lot with them (her hands are a little sensitive). Then again, my Kimber has serrations all over the place, maybe she felt she was getting pinched all over her hand. I think for me they would be just fine, but with gloves on, they are perfect. They also look great.

D-Fence

These are made to resemble a chain link fence

It feels great.

The second set of grips I will review would be the Grid-Lok grips. I must admit, out of all the ones they have I thought these would be the ones I liked the least. Am I glad I got a set of these. Out of all four, these are the most comfortable ones. The grid style cuts are not as aggressive on the hand, but at the same time give you a great slip-proof grip. I am having a hard time deciding which ones I want to leave on the Kimber for now, the Peanuts grips or these (I am planning on testing each one out for a few months, both carrying and shooting).

Grid-Lok

The look is starting to grow on me

Out of the 4, these feel the best

The third set I will review would be the Wasp Nest grips. These were designed after the Duragrips owner had to clear out some wasp nests around the house and thought the texture would make a great grip pattern. These grips are the best from both worlds. They are very comfortable, and the grip is not harsh on your hands. For my first order I was having a hard time deciding on these or the Peanut ones. So here they are.

Wasp Nest

These look good!

They feel great

This pic is from the Duragrips site, WOW!

They are all very well made. They are all very symmetrical, there are not visual flaws or imperfections. You can see the finish and the material quality on these pictures, no rough edges. I love them.

The inside of the grips

To sum it up. I am going to have a really hard time picking which ones are my favorite. I think time will tell. As of now, I can't make a decision, I like them all. They make me want to buy more 1911's to be able to use them all (just don't tell my wife I said that).

I want to thank Brian from Duragrips for making these great grips. Keep up the good work.

Folks, I don't think there's anything else to say. If you have a 1911 and want to change out your grips, these are it.

I am going shooting this weekend, and I need to finish breaking in my Kimber. Some of the folks that keep up with the site will shoot it this weekend, maybe they can chime in on how awesome these grips are.

Mannequin Shootout.

Today's post will be about the story of Melanie the mannequin. She is a damaged mannequin that was discarded at a big and tall store. Instead of choosing to end up in a dumpster, she decided to shine one last time and help us hone our shooting skills by allowing us to shoot the crap out of her. Thank you Melanie, you are awesome. (For the ladies out there reading this, nothing against women, we love you)

So the idea was to look for a mannequin, fill it up with paintballs and expanding foam, and shoot it. I spoke to my buddy Armando about the idea and he said he was pretty sure he could get one. He knew someone who could let him know when damaged mannequins from a store were discarded and all we needed to do was pick them up. 

So here is the whole process.

Materials:

Mannequin - 6 foot non petite, she's pretty hot - Free

Paintballs - $30. Perhaps you can get them cheaper, it was the last box left at Walmart.

3 x Can of expanding foam - $1.79 each.

Masking tape - Had some laying around, it's pretty cheap.

Tools:

Drill and bit

Latex gloves

Big thanks to my buddy Geo and his wife for helping and taking pictures.

Here is Geo holding up the mannequin, it's huge.

Materials

So we took it apart and started working on the torso.

We drilled some holes in the back and the back of the head. The torso will be filled with paintballs and then topped off with expanding foam. The torso would stay facing down until the foam completely dries, so the paintballs stay in the front and it creates the "bleed" effect as the mannequin is shot. We poured in the paintballs in the back and tilted it so that a good amount of paintballs would fill the front half of the head. The hole in the head was necessary to ensure foam would fill up the empty space.

Drilling the back holes

Drilling the head hole

Pouring in the painballs

You can see the paintballs in the head

You can see the paintballs in the torso

Filling up the head

Filling the back

Foam starting to expand in the head

Foam starting to expand in the torso

I taped the back of the head and the torso to prevent expanding foam from pouring out and ensuring it fills up all the crevices. It was already expanding and coming out.

Add caption

Its been already a few hours since we finished, and its drying up nicely. It looks like I might be needing an extra can. Once its completely dry I will assess it and pour some more if needed.

Stay tuned for updates on the outcome and the best part, the shootout. It's going to be EPIC!