Springfield Armory EMP 9mm and 40 cal Micro 1911 Nov 2011
The
micro 1911 video was really fun to
make. We were lucky enough to be able to shoot both
guns side by side and it sure proved
to be an eye opener. The guns are basically identical except
for
minor dimension changes due to the
magazine and barrel size. The 9mm frame is aluminum and the
40 is steel which makes the 40 quite a bit heavier than the
9mm.
Recoil/muzzle flip was very good on both guns although the 9mm was very tame. They feel good in the hand and are very finely crafted guns. Stock with Trijicon night sights, two tone and nice wooden grips, these guns are top shelf.
We did
have two small problems. I needed to adjust my rear sight
over a bit
because the 40 was about 2 inches to
the left at 21 feet. The 9mm experienced a few fail to lock
back
on the final
round. We are looking into why the gun is not locking
back.
Overall
I am very happy with this pistol. The craftsmanship is
excellent and this is a
really accurate gun for a 3 inch
barrel length. Most if
the blogs and reviews I have read proves that people who buy
these guns love them. I would
have to
agree.
Springfield Armory XDm
4.5 .45acp December 2012
This gun is everything that is good about the Sprinfield XDm line
and it is probably the best polymer
pistol I have every shot. It weighs in at 1 lb 12 oz
with and empty 13 rd magazine. Not exactly light as a
feather, but it is a .45 gun for goodness sake. Compared to
its direct competitor, the Glock 30, the is less than ½ of an oz
difference between the two guns.
The fit and finish of this gun is near perfect. I prefer the
stainless over black combination simply because it is a classy
looking combination.
On question I hear a lot from gun
buyers is; "What is the difference between the original XD and the
XDm." My humble opinion, which is based on shooting thousands
of rounds from both the XD and m
models, my official answer is, “Not Much.” They
look different, that is about it. The only thing the XDm does
differently than the XD is the auto decocker function that was
integrated into the switch that allows you to field strip the
gun. If you ask me the trigger, and seer assembly are
practically identical and feel the same. In California you can
not buy the XDm because of the idiots in Sacramento want a magazine
safety on the guns, and fists full cash to drop and inspect the
guns. If all you can buy is the XD, you are not missing out
on much when it comes to upgrading to the “Prettier”
XDm. I think SA has the XDm to get all of the XD
owners to buy new guns.
H&K UPS COMPACT 40 WITH L.E.M. TRIGGER DEC 2011
When fans of my show saw I was doing gun reviews they quickly began offering up their guns for my opinion. In the HK video I compared the 4.5 inch .45 to the .40 LEM. Both guns were excellent. I really enjoyed the LEM .40 for its ease of shooting and feel. I am not a fan of the H&K magazine release though. Although it is ambidextrous, it is a very small triangle piece at the base of the trigger guard. It is almost impossible to release a magazine without having to readjust your grip on the gun.
Both guns were very accurate although I had difficulty with the recoil on the .45acp gun. H&K prides themselves on the reduced recoil of their guns. I did not feel any reduction on the .45, but its recoil was more than my micro .45 XDm or other .45 caliber guns I have shot. Also I noted that the price of these guns were very prohibitive when compared to comparable guns from glock, S&W M&P or XD/XDm guns.
Overall these are excellent guns and anybody who owns them should be proud of having one of the top guns in the market today.
1994 Smith and Wesson Sigma 40 cal FEB 2012
In preparation for my S&W M&P show I was given a Sigma to shoot as research for the script. This gun was very different. I will admit I am not a Glock fan, but I would pick a Glock every time over this gun. The guns accuracy was very inconsistant, the trigger was very heavy and there was almost no trigger reset. I had to release the trigger out 95 percent to hear the click. It felt fine in my hand but it was not at all satisfied with it's performance. The gun failed to strike the primer once in the first 50 rounds, I reset the seer, and bang. For the price, I guess you get what you pay for, but this is probably the least liked of any of the guns I have shot or reviewed. That includes the Jennings J-22 I reviewed with the XDm this past December.