Re “Springfield 9mm 1911s: Loaded Versus Range Officer Showdown,” September 2015
I’m a subscriber from the beginning, and I much appreciate all that you guys do. I was very glad to see R.K. Campbell’s well-written review of the two 9mm Springfields, mainly because I took the plunge on the Range Officer 9mm earlier this year, and have previously owned the 9mm Loaded Target model it was compared to. One of my sons has it now.
I was tickled to death with my 9mm R.O., and I got just about the same results as you guys did, which were good. I think the extra attention to detail on the R.O. definitely showed, but not so much on the overall comparison at the range. Not sure why yours had a 7-pound trigger; mine came in at 5.5 pounds. But as regards the “match” barrels in both, particularly the R.O., and the bushing fit at that, over the last few years I’ve come to the conclusion that the term has lost whatever meaning it once might have had. To me, a “match” barrel and bushing means this: Oversized and gunsmith fitted. A call to Dave Williams up at the Springfield Custom Shop pretty much confirmed what I was thinking about the R.O. barrel, and to tell you the truth, this was one of those guns that I knew could do better. Okay, it became an obsession. I used to be a shrink for my last 12 or so years in the Army, but don’t ask me how this happens. It just does, sometimes.
So here’s what Dave did for me, and not for a relatively extraordinary amount of money either: A fitted Nowlin ramped barrel and bushing (they’ll give you what ever barrel you ask for), and a very fine machine stippled front strap (not expensive, actually good looking and very functional). I went ahead and had it refinished while it was there, in a matte-black Armory Kote.
When it came back, I installed an S&A magwell spare, using a 19-pound mainspring this time, and used a C&S light sear spring to improve the trigger press. I also installed an extra-power firing-pin return spring just to be sure, but it really didn’t need it. Cost? Not much. Results? Holy cow. I couldn’t believe the difference at the range, and that’s even acknowledging how good it was to begin with.
The point is, for Springfields, I’ve used the Custom Shop for years and have never been disappointed. I’d encourage other Range Officer owners to consider getting their over-the-counter pistols tuned, anything from major to minor tweaks. It sure brought my R.O. up to what it was capable of, and didn’t break the bank either.
— Neal
Neal, having an obsession for a tightly fitted barrel and bushing isn’t a disorder; it’s a sign of good taste! — Todd Woodard
Re “Firing Line,” September 2015
Thanks for featuring my letter last month. A few follow-ups:
S & K Scope Mounts in Pennsylvania (ScopeMounts.com or call [800] 578-9862) probably makes the best mount available today. It is quite like a Conetrol, but the rings are one piece of spring steel that wraps around the scope.
The Buehler Microdial mount is very expensive, if you can find one. It’s like a regular turn-in mount except, at the rear is a dial that sets elevation by moving a threaded stud up and down on the rear mounting screw. Windage is done with standard opposing screws. This is a very slick rig compared to B&L’s mounts. Rings came in 7⁄8-inch, 1-inch, and 26mm and 27mm sizes.
There’s also the Leupold Adjusto Mount. This adjustable mount was available for 7⁄8-inch, 1-inch, and 26mm scopes. The later ones had click adjustments for W&E. You could use a single scope for multiple rifles, but resighting was required when you moved the optic, of course.
As for the slop that B&L scopes have that vary the power by turning the whole eyepiece, you cannot detect it by pushing on the ocular. The best test is shooting several groups at 200 yards or longer. Make three shots at 2X, rotate all the way to 8X, set back to 4X, shoot three more and so on. If they all land on top of one another you’re good to go.
B&Ls may often be found on Ebay for reasonable prices. Ebay’s 14-day return policy is excellent when buying optics. Best to all @ Gun Tests!
— Larry
Re: “Tactical 20 Gauges: LSI’s Escort Gladius vs. Remington 870 Pump,” September 2015
There was no mention of the Weatherby 20-gauge semi-auto tactical shotgun. Are you planning on evaluating this shotgun in the near future?
— James
Hey James, sorry, but the Weatherby 20 gauge isn’t in current development. However, in the June 2015 issue, we tested the Weatherby PA-459 TR No. PA4591219PGM 12 Gauge, which got a Grade B-. According to Weatherby’s online specifications, the 20-gauge pump is configured the same as the 12-gauge model, except it’s three-quarters of a pound lighter. With the proviso that it wasn’t shot head to head with the others, I’d estimate the larger bore’s issues would mostly translate to the 20 gauge’s performance. Most important: “Coming in slightly behind the other self-defense shotgun in this test, this [PA-459 TR] pump action still performed well with only minor flaws in handling and accuracy. But it cost more, so we can’t recommend it when there are better, less expensive options.”
— tw
Re “Tactical Models: Mossberg 930 Versus Remington 870 Pumpgun,” February 2015
I was a little disappointed with your rating of the Mossberg in this issue, because of the one failure to extract. I have a Mossberg 930 I bought in May 2008, which has become my wife’s favorite warm-up gun when we go to the range (25 to 50 rounds just for her). Since day one, we have used Winchester 00 Buck, Ranger Low Recoil, 2-inch rounds exclusively, and have logged 1300 rounds and counting in it. The only time we had a failure to extract/feed like you had was when my wife did not keep the gun tight into her shoulder. She is right handed, but she shoots left handed because she is left-eye dominant. She got a hot case on her one time, which caused her to be a little skittish and not hold it tight into her shoulder. Anytime someone asks me about shotguns, I always promote the Mossberg 930, especially for women because of the light recoil and ease of use. Wish I had bought two so we wouldn’t have to take turns shooting.— Gene
Hey Gene: We understand you having buyer’s equity in the Mossberg 930 Tactical Special Purpose Semi-Auto 85330 12 Gauge we tested in the February 2015 issue. As Bob Campbell and his team decided, “The Mossberg’s single failure to extract did not meet the reliability standards of the Remington. You may decide this isn’t important, but we cannot dismiss this malfunction that came well after break in was done.” And we understand you and your wife’s affinity for the 930’s lesser perceived recoil, a result of its gas operation and slightly heavier weight. I would note its B grade is above average, so it’s not like we hated it. The 870 Tactical was also a hundred dollars cheaper.
— tw
Re “Downrange,” September 2015
Having bought my Taurus Millennium after one of your reports, I am left with the question, “What should I do with this handgun?”
— Tom
Get it fixed under the terms of the recall. Should be fine after that. — tw
Re “How About a Krag-Jorgensen?” September 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed your piece on the Krag. A shortened 30-40 Krag was the first high-powered rifle I fired as a boy, and my brother and I fired it a lot. I have had four since and have killed a lot of animals with them. I recommend a Weaver side mount to mount a telescope for hunting, if you can find one and a Krag drilled and tapped for one.
I find that round-nose bullets shoot better because they can load closer to the rifling. To load a pointed 180-grain close to the rifling, it becomes too long to feed through the magazine. The best ammo I’ve found is the Hornady 174-grain roundnose soft point), resized to .309 inch diameter. If you keep your handloads below 40,000 CUP, you will have no problems and your brass will last nearly forever. I have fired brass made as far back as 1905 multiple times.
— Ken
Can’t Find Brass AK Ammo
The range that I shoot at will not allow any ammo that is magnetic. I would like to shoot my AK in 7.62x39mm, but have been unable to find ammo that is brass and not magnetic. Please help.— Gary
A quick search on several sites turned up plenty of brass-cased 7.62x39mm ammo for your AK. On CheaperThanDirt.com alone, for instance, I found Prvi Partizan brass-cased 123-grain soft points selling for $9.19/20 (AMM-6171); Arsenal brass-cased full-metal-jacket 122-grain rounds for $10.49/20 (AMM-617); and Fiocchi brass-case 123-grain FMJs for $11.94/20 (58881). — tw
