Glock 10mm is gone and Sig P220 .45 ACP kit is on the way here

The big Glock 10mm is gone and my Sig P220 .22LR Rimfire is soon gonna be sporting a .45 ACP slide conversion kit.

I boxed up my Glock 20 10mm/9x25mm last week with all accessories and shipped it off to the gun show at Concord for the weekend.

One of my cellmates at the gun shop was looking at it in the booth at the gun show, thinking about buying it himself, when a guy walks up, does a double-take and sez "What is that!?"

It's a made in Austria full-size G20 with an extra Lone Wolf 9x25mm extended ported barrel, three 15-rd. mags and three 17-rd. mags with +2 extenders, Ghost 3.5-lb. trigger, stainless-steel guide rod and captured-recoil-spring assembly, with all standard Glock parts in the factory box with papers, plus 120 rds. of Double Tap Gold Dot JHP ammo.

Try saying that fast three times without taking a breath.

Anyway, my buddy Wes told the guy about it and he bought it on the spot.

So when the Sig P220 .45 ACP caliber conversion kit I ordered from Sig comes in, now I got the cash to pay for it.

This also means I now have only one 10mm pistol in my small arsenal, a customized G29 subcompact.

When the P220 conversion kit arrives, it will become my 4th .45 ACP pistol, one Sig, two Para-Ords, compact P12 and full-size P14; and one Llama IX-C wide-frame full-size.

I also have four .357 Sig pistols (two Sig P229s and two S&W M&Ps, compact and commander-size) and three 9mm pistols (one CZ P07, one Steyr M9A1, one Kel-Tec PF-9) to round out my carry choices. Plus of course, a few revolvers, one Charter .327 Magnum, one S&W .44 Magnum, one Charter .44 Special and two .357 Magnums (one S&W and one Taurus). I shouldn't say it out loud, much less put it in writing, but I'm pretty well set for carry guns now.

That does not mean I'll stop buying guns. I'll just start buying something other than carry pieces.

There's a .44 Magnum Colt-Single-Action-Army-clone at the shop I've had my eye on for some time, plus a dandy stainless Marlin 1894 .357 Magnum lever-action rifle that would make a nice pair with my .44 Magnum stainless Marlin 1894. Choices, choices...

Who is Pau Ferro? And why can't he spell "Paul"?

When the boss lady at the gun shop where I work ordered a Sig Sauer P229 SAS Gen 2 .357 Sig pistol for me, I asked her to see if the Sig factory rep would get me a pair of those nice Rosewood grips that Sig put on the SAS Gen 1. He said he'd try to get me a set. It's been about two months now and no Rosewood grips have yet appeared and I got tired of looking at those black plastic grips on my P229. That's it in the top photo at right.

So I googled around online a bit and found some nice Hogue wood grips I liked and could afford called Pau Ferro. Which raised my curiousity. Who is Pau Ferro? Some grip designer who can't spell Paul? Not really. Wikipedia sez:

"Pao ferro" or "pau ferro" (Caesalpinia ferrea or Machaerium scleroxylum Tul.) is an exotic tree found in Brazil and Bolivia. Its wood is often used for making fingerboards for electric basses and guitars. It has a similar feel and similar tonal attributes to rosewood, but is harder and has a slightly lighter colour. The wood may also be used for flooring, fancy furniture, and handgun grips. It is also known by the names morado, palo santos, caviuna, Brazilian ironwood, and Bolivian rosewood, though it is not actually rosewood.

I read a little further and found that "Stevie Ray Vaughan's Signature Fender Stratocaster comes with a Pao Ferro fingerboard."

Hey, if it's good enough for the best rock guitar picker since Jimi Hendrix, surely Pau Ferro is good 'nuf for me. They're quite lovely on my new Sig and I'll give them their baptism of fire at the range tomorrow.

Another candidate for blasting tomorrow is my new-to-me EAA Witness P-Compact, which I purchased as a .45 ACP. The previous owner glued some Mahogany panels to the grip, so it looks OK. But I've been wanting a .38 Super pistol for some time, so I ordered a .38 Super conversion slide and mag from EAA last week. I ordered a blue-steel slide to match the frame, but they sent me a matte-stainless-finish slide instead. Hey, it's even better looking than a blue one for the same price. I'll take it gladly.

So I've rounded up some .38 Super ammo and the Witness P-Compact will get its baptism of fire tomorrow, too. And if it is shoots .38 Super good, then I'll order some 9x23mm ammo in FMJs and hollow-points and that will be my carry load in the Witness P-Compact. IMHO, faster ammo with more foot-lbs. of energy delivered is better than slower ammo with less foot-lbs. of energy put on target. And .38 Super is about identical to 9mm +P while 9x23mm is right there with .357 Sig, if not a bit ahead of it in both departments.

Caliber	Grains	Type	Mfg.	FPS Muzzle	Ft.Lbs. Muzzle
357 Sig	125	JHP	Gold Dot DoubleTap	1450	584
9mm	124	JHP	Gold Dot DoubleTap	1301	473
.38 Super	125	JHP	Winchester	1240	427
9x23	124	JHP	Winchester	1460	587
10mm	180	JHP	Gold Dot DoubleTap	1300	676
.45 ACP	230	JHP	Gold Dot DoubleTap	1010	521

Here's a little comparison table I put together of my favorite pistol calibers with the hottest loads I could find data on, trying to keep the grain weights as close as possible for comparison purposes.

I had an "experiental" .38 Super barrel from Lone Wolf briefly for my Glock 20 10mm. I shoulda known a guy who can't spell experimental is not a good candidate for trying out a new product. It was experiential indeed, as it jammed about half the time with .38 Super and about a third of the time with 9x23. The two rounds are virtually identical in dimensions except that .38 Super has a small rim, called semi-rimmed, while 9x23 is a true rimless. And that semi-rim does tend to cause feeding problems with .38 Super. But 9x23 not only feeds smoother, it's also hotter.

My daddy always said I lived by the philosophy that if a little bit was good, a whole lot was more better. He was right. I guess that's why I have a love for all those oddball pistol calibers like 10mm, .357 Sig, .38 Super, 9x23 and also the true 9mm Magnum, 9x25mm. I swapped the "experiental" .38 Super barrel for a 9x25 barrel from Lone Wolf and lived happily ever after.

Range report coming tomorrow if the Good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.

Colt joins the 10mm revival with Delta Elite's rebirth

Reports of the demise of 10mm pistols are greatly exaggerated, as Mark Twain said about himself when finding his obituary in his morning newspaper. At right is the new/old Colt Delta Elite 10mm Stainless, an old 10mm pistol newly brought back into production by Colt.

I love my job as a gun store salesman and gunbroker poster for a local gun shop, which is how I came to hold this fine piece of Colt workmanship in my hands and take photos of it for posting. It's up on gunbroker now for a mere $950 if you want one.

(P.S. Too late. The Colt Delta Elite is already sold. It didn't stay on gunbroker but a bit more than 24 hours. That was fast!)

I wrote earlier about the revival under way in 10mm pistols and being a 10mm gun lover, I'm delighted at this market correction. Frankly IMHO there is no finer pistol caliber than 10mm. It offers the size and grain weight that nearly equals the famed one-shot stopper .45 ACP with ballistics that far outstrip that caliber.

In my view, 10mm is the perfect pistol caliber and I'm still perplexed as to why the .40 S&W, which is a shortened 10mm, didn't find a way into my heart. Millions of law enforcement and civilians love .40s, so I expected I would, too. But alas, when I bought my first it turned out to be probably my last also. I bought a Steyr M40-A1, loving Steyr pistols, but I just didn't care for the caliber when it came to actually shooting it.

It's recoil is sort of weird, a slapping kind of torque that twists in my hand and I've got pretty big hands. I love shooting 10mm, .357 Sig, .45 ACP, .44 Magnum, .44 Special and all three flavors of 9mm I've tried, 9x19, 9x23 and 9x25, but I just don't like .40. So I swapped it for a 9x19mm.

But getting back to 10mm, I met a genuine fellow 10mm gun nut the other day in the gun shop. This gentleman has an entire collection of Bren Ten pistols and is one of the early members of the Bren-Ten Forum, where he snatched up the username of SCrockett for Sonny Crockett.

In case you're not an old gun nut like me, Sonny Crockett was the Bren-Ten-carrying detective in Miami Vice, that TV cop show of the olden days, recently revived as a cop movie.

And the Bren Ten, the daddy rabbit of 10mm pistols, is supposedly being revived also by gun manufacturer Vltor under a new name, the Fortis. According to the Vltor blog, its promised arrival in early 2009 has been pushed back a bit due to overwhelming demand for other products, in particular military contracts. I'm looking forward to seeing my first Fortis.

Downsizing 'Baddest Tactical Pistols' to carry size

I got on a full-size "Tactical" pistol binge in late 2007 and bought the following handguns in reverse order:

Baddest Tactical Pistol No. 6: Glock 20 10mm Baddest Tactical Pistol No. 5: S&W M&P 357 Baddest Tactical Pistol No. 4: Steyr M9-A1 Baddest Tactical Pistol (Revolver) No. 3: S&W 21-4 .44 Special Baddest Tactical Pistol No 2: CZ75 SP01 Custom 9mm Baddest Tactical Pistol No. 1, Llama IX-C .45 ACP

The S&W Model 21 .44 Special was traded straight up for the Sig P226 when I acquired a S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum/.44 Special and the Model 21 became surplus.

And since I started work as a gun shop salesman in January, I've gone in the other direction, buying a S&W M&P Compact .357 Sig and a Charter Arms .327 Fed. Magnum snubnose revolver.

And now I've decided to take it a step further and divest myself of some of my full-size pistols and downsize for carry weapons.

The Sig Sauer P226 .357 Sig and the CZ 75 SP01 Custom 9mm are the first two up on the block and are now listed on Gunbroker. Though I love both pistols, neither is very concealable and both are fairly heavy so are not good carry candidates.


I'm thinking about replacing the Sig Sauer P226 with 4.4" barrel with a Sig P229 with a 3.9" barrel. Sig Sauer has a Sig Anti-Snag (SAS) carry model of the 229, which I want in .357 Sig with night sights and the Short-Reset Trigger. A set of those nice wood grips shown would be good, too.



And I'm thinking about a new 2009 model of Para Ordnance as the replacement for the CZ SP01 Custom. Para has a .45 ACP model called the Carry 12 which is a subcompact with 3.5" barrel and Para's Light Double Action trigger. The LDA trigger is IMHO the biggest improvement made to date to John Moses Browning's famed 1911 single-action .45 ACP pistol design.

But then there's also that S&W NightGuard model in 10mm. Six rounds of 10mm in a lightweight carry revolver sounds mighty attractive. And Smith has also brought back the incomparable classic Model 24 with a 3" barrel in .44 Special. So many choices and so little money to buy with.

But gotta sell what I got before I can buy something smaller, so I must learn to be patient.

10mm Pistol's Demise 'Greatly Exaggerated'

In addition to being gun nut in general and a pistol nut in particular, I'm even more peculiar than that. I'm a weird caliber lover. Love .357 Sig. Love .44 Special. Love 9x25mm (DoubleTap only).

Had a brief fling with .38 Super and 9x23mm Winchester, but they didn't work out. Not due to the calibers but because the barrel to convert my Glock 20 was "experiental" and it wouldn't feed properly. I'm still hopeful of a conversion barrel for my G20 that will actually work.

But until then, I am also a certified 10mm nut. First pistol I bought after 9/11 was a S&W 1076, the FBI duty weapon from 1990-95 until the feds wimped out and went with .40 S&W. I traded it straight up for a highly customized G29, the "baby" Glock in 10mm with a 3.76" barrel. Can you say pocket rocket? And of course, I also bought a G20 which is fine full-size 10mm pistol. (See my pair of 10's above, G29 and G20.)

And lo and behold, after being written off as dead, 10mm caliber is making a comeback, almost as if it's quoting Mark Twain, saying "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

One of my gun-nut buddies says:

10mm is making a little bit of a comeback:

Glock is supposed to release the G20SF and G29SF this month.

Colt is making a new 1911 Delta Elite 10mm that should be out soon.

EAA has a bunch of 10mm options.

The latter refers to European-American Armory, which imports the full line of Italian Tangfolio pistols which are available in compact, full-size and even long slide with scope mounts in 10mm, as well as .38 Super, 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Swap a slide and you got any caliber you want.

And now in other 10mm comeback news, the daddy rabbit of all the 10mm pistols, the very first one which was almost still-born, the Bren Ten, may be resurrected soon under a new name!

Quote:

Tucson, AZ - Feb 01, 2008 - Vltor Weapon Systems today announced the launch of the Fortis Pistol Project, a modern version of the famous Bren Ten style pistol. Originally released in 1982, the Bren Ten pistol was designed to advance the state of the art in handgun technology. Designed to fill the need for a full size, full power, double action pistol, the Bren Ten created immense interest as a potent choice for law enforcement and military use. Developed as a pistol and cartridge combination, the Bren Ten was the first production pistol to chamber the powerful 10mm Auto cartridge. In its original loading, the 10mm Auto was capable of launching a 170gr buller at 1,300 fps - generating over 600ft/lb of muzzle energy. Unfortunately, the original Bren Ten and its successor fell victim to business management and financial problems - but the demand for a high quality American made, full size, double action pistol has still not been filled. According to Eric Kincel, the General Manager for Vltor, the Bren Ten may have truly been a design that was ahead of its time; "Now is the time to make this pistol. With today's precision manufacturing techniques and the superior materials available, the Fortis will be a pistol line that is everything people hoped previous attempts would be." Eric pointed out that the Fortis is nearly identical to the original Bren Ten in exterior appearance and ergonomics, but that some changes have been made to improve reliability, safety and strength. "The Fortis, while based on a twwnty-five year old idea, is very unique. It offers a high tech, high quality pistol that more than fills the demands for a full size, magnum power auto loader." The first released Fortis will be a "duty gun", a full size, all steel, high capacity 10mm Auto that will reliably answer the call of professionals and sportsmen that rely on a good pistol. However, Eric is quick to point out that the Fortis Project is a line of pistols based on one common design. "There will be other versions of the Fortis...different calibers, sizes and options specific to certain applications." When asked if they intend on releasing a faithful reproduction of the original Bren Ten, Eric's answer was simply "We sure want to". Fortis Pistol Proposed Specifications (subject to change in final production) * Manufacturer - Vltor Weapon Systems * Model - Fortis (original release) * Type - autoloading pistol * Operation - Semi-automatic, Double/single action * Caliber - 10mm Auto (others to follow) * Barrel length - 5.00" * Overall length - 8.75" * Height - 5.75" * Width - 1.30" * Weight - 38 ounces * Safety - reversible thumb and firing pin block * Sight radius - 6.88" * Sights - Adjustable, 3-Dot combat style * Rifling - 5 Groove, radiused, RH twist * Stocks - Engraved polymer panels * Capacity 0 12 rounds * Finish - Black Steel Slide and Subdued Finish Stainless Frame" http://www.vltor.com/ and http://vltor.wordpress.com/

From the most recent entry on the Vltor-Fortis Pistol blog, Dec. 10, 08:

Quote:

Fortis Pistol receivers after undergoing final QC inspection and waiting for the machine operations -- by the time you read this, they will be being made into the last run of pre-production guns, the next round will be for delivery!

Last word is they're shooting for SHOT '09 for the unveiling of the new Fortis/Bren Ten II, which is Jan. 15-18 in Orlando, Fl.

No photos of the complete Fortis pistol on their site except this thumbnail.

Here's what some of the originals look like from Bren-Ten.com, the definitive source:




Sounds like a good plan to me.