Our hiatus featured lots of new gear as well as a criminal outrage stopped short in Texas, another allowed to continue in New York and the resulting political fallout.
Starting with the start, the pre-SHOT product dump is ongoing. The feature image shows the new Ruger Custom Shop creation, the “Super GP100.” A fan of the line, I think they’re all “super.” This one is tweaked with competition related alterations. The new Ruger Custom Shop Super GP100 Competition Revolver is a stainless version of the current .357 Mag CS3, but chambered in 9mm. The cylinder is shortened and the barrel, shrouded forward of the frame, protrudes into the cylinder window of the frame to mate up closely to the cylinder. This prevents excessive free bore to help enhance accuracy and velocity. This allowed Ruger to maintain the same profile as the CS3 while adding an additional half inch of barrel length.
I’d noticed complaints about the lightening cuts in the barrel shroud. Apart from looking trendy and appealing to the younger set, it enhances balance. One commentator opined that the recoil of the 9mm in the revolver was “inconsequential.”
I used to carry a four-inch 357 Magnum on duty – as well as a 4” S&W M29. The Ruger SP101 357 Magnum was once my uniformed backup gun – and I carried it with magnums.
I shot the CS6 9mm Super GP100. The recoil of the 9mm in the revolver is not on par with the guns mentioned above – but it’s far from inconsequential. The blast likewise enhances the “snap” of the 9x19mm in the 45.6 oz. competition revolver. It’s an 8-shot that’s configured for use with moon clips, 3 of which are provided along with a tool to help with the clip unloading chores.
A green fiber optic rod is in the front sight and the trigger – in both trigger-cocking and single action modes – is simply superb. The stocks do nothing for those of us with short hands, but I was able to reach the trigger and make the gun work. Supplied in the Custom Shop hard case, the MSRP is $1549.00.
On New Year’s Day, word of the current Colt Python dropped. A lot of video content was posted. Running at around $1400, the new gun features a user-replaceable front sight, it takes stocks meant for existing Pythons, has a new, simpler lockwork that doesn’t “stack” in pressure like the classics. More robust than earlier Colt revolvers, this is what people have been waiting on.
Now, let’s see if they buy it.
And S&W was not to be outdone, releasing their M&P9 Shield EZ. An upsize and bit of revision of the M&P380 Shield EZ, this one has the service 9x19mm chambering. I was prepared to be unimpressed as the 380 well served a growing part of the shooting population.
I was wrong. I am impressed. More later. In the “GLOCK is certainly finished now” department on social media, the release of the GLOCK 44 – a G19-sized 10-shot 22 LR – was announced during our break. People I trust tell me that it works – actually runs – and it fits G19 holsters and the magazines fit G19 mag pouches . . . is it just me or does this sound like a great training analog?
No matter. The internet experts have declared it dead on arrival. That means GLOCK will likely only sell all they can make. And good on them. It took lots of R&D to make a 22 LR GLOCK pistol and they apparently did lots of testing before the release.
Ruger didn’t want them to be alone in the internet doghouse, so they released the LCP II in 22 LR. It’s also a 10-shot gun but an exact analog to the LCP II in 380. What’s so good about that?
Have you priced 380 ACP ammo versus 22 LR ammo lately?
Besides, it’s a gun you can shoot. A lot. You can shoot it a lot without the arthritis flaring up or causing convulsive jerking of the trigger in anticipation of the 380 firing in such a small gun. I’m looking forward to this one too.
And we also have the “Ruger-57.” This is a 20 round (standard capacity), full-size hammer-fired pistol in 5.7x28mm (5.7 FN) chambering. A lightweight (24 ½ oz.), it features a 4.94" barrel and comes with two magazines. While critics complained, I checked the price of American Eagle 5.7 ball and concluded that this could be an interesting field and farm gun.
Finally, the politico-media elites have opined that it’s better to try for gun bans that are proven not to work and ensuring potential crime victims are disarmed – as it’s terrible that situations like the Texas church featured armed victims. That’s discussed here.
The “common-tater” asked, “Are we relegated to finding solace in the fact that only three people died inside of a church in the latest tragedy, and must we seek comfort in the idea that six people felt a need to be armed as they worshiped?”
Well, he’s wrong – about everything. Let’s take a look at the easy stuff:
1. Three people died? Oh, two crime victims and one violent criminal offender – that’s what you mean? – And,
2. As to “comfort” and (feeling) “a need to be armed,” it’s a matter of understanding the planet on which you live – and what reality is. In New York, it was a maniac with edged weapons. On 9/11, it was terrorists with commandeered aircraft. In Benghazi, it was a mob. If you don’t “feel the need,” you’re likely delusional and perhaps shouldn’t be armed.
Meanwhile, on an industry friend’s social media account, we see this: “Why do we sell semi automatic weapons (sic)? Perhaps I should ask why do we need them? This is a sore spot with me.”
Here's the deal: there are no safe spaces. The default setting in the observable universe is "absence of life." The Earth, it appears, is the anomaly. With that in mind, you must appreciate that the death rate is 100%. Everything that lives dies. It's as it must be.
We are also outliers on this rock that's teeming with diverse life; there are creatures and, I believe, there is a Creator. We are both and we are neither: creatures who create. The problem is when the human goes off the rails and kills.
It's not the tool, it's the evil mind. It's hatred. That's what we need to fear and address. It is in no case the tool of the crime - but the tool who committed the crime. That’s the job in 2020; defeating those who’d disarm the governed. Make that your commitment.
Happy New Year.
- - Rich Grassi