Carry Gun Fun

[BryanP]

So I got a nice deal on a Ruger LC9s Pro. It's nice. Or at least it feels nice. I won't be able to shoot it for at least a week.

Until the Ruger proves itself, the S&W 649 stays in my pocket.

The PM9 is a problem. It shoots hardball perfectly. Every hollow point I've ever tried is problematic. As in "first round fires, then the slide locks back."  I may give in and give it to a gunsmith to figure out.

[230RN]

The smaller the semi, the more persnickety it is with respect to holding and ammo type and so on.

That's why the 642 revolver in my pocket is my primary defensive sidearm, and the 9mm semiauto (CW9) in my belt holster is my backup gun.

Same as you.

Quite the reverse from conventional wisdom, eh wot?

Besides, the auto in my pocket prints badly, but in the same pants pocket, the bulk of the revolver cylinder just makes it look like I've got a bunch of junk in there.

[BryanP]

Yeah, I'll always keep the 649. But I'd like to find a pocket auto I can trust. Dry firing it, the trigger is quite nice. But then so is the one on the Kahr.

I think I'll give the Ruger a proper shakedown trial. I'm not going to give it a full Tamara @ View From The Porch test, but a variation on it. A good clean and lube and log the shots, but I will clean and lube between sessions. I've got a bunch of WWB. I think I still have a box or two of Critical Duty, a box of a Critical Defense, and some other mixed stuff back there, but I need to order some more. 

[230RN]

I can't afford to give the Kahr CW9 a full-bore 2-300 round shakedown, but it seems to have done  pretty well with about 40 rd of HPs through it.  For now, I keep a really good defensive HP round (forgot the brand, I'd have to look) in the chamber on the theory that the first round doesn't have to feed at all. :)  The rest are regular ball rounds.  But that's my BUG anyhow.  Spare mag is also all ball.

Same is true, by the way, with revolvolators.  Neither the first round nor any of the others have to feed at all. :D  

[MechAg94]

I had a Kahr P9  while back.  I was never 100% confident in it thought it was a very accurate pistol for me.  The plastic slide would get stuck in the rear position if you racked it too hard and it sometimes choked when manually loading a round from the magazine.  I can't remember ever having an issue during actual firing unless it was just dirty.  I am happy with the other pistols I have now. 

I some really good online deals for S&W Shields if you are interested. 

[BryanP]

My 649 has Speer Gold Dot 135 grain .38+P (their short barrel optimized round).

I need to find some of those EFMJ rounds to try. They're not as good as a proper hollow point, but they're better than FMJ.

I have a couple of guns I should sell that I can fund some fun with. My old Hungarian "almost a Hi Power" is first on the chopping block.

[BryanP]

The Shield was on my short list. Then a LGS went out of business and their stock went up for auction. There were several LC9s Pro and I snagged one.

[MillCreek]

Everyone who carries a short-barrel .38/.357 revolver should read this:

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/

http://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/revolver-ammo-commentary/

[BryanP]

Interesting reading.  I'll have to see if I can pick up a few boxes of the rounds that performed best out of a 2" barrel.

[Kingcreek]

Hmm, I've carried a pm9 for years and it has never had a failure to feed or fire with anything including 2 or 3 different hollow point defense loads. I've got a cw9 with a lot less history but it has fed and fired atleast a couple hundred standard ball loads and a few HPs.

[BryanP]

Hmm, I've carried a pm9 for years and it has never had a failure to feed or fire with anything including 2 or 3 different hollow point defense loads.

Trade ya? 

Yeah, I've had others say the same. But that hasn't been my experience. Like I said, I may see if I can find a local gunsmith and have them look at it. If I end up with 3 reliable pocket guns, that's alright with me.

[230RN]

Here's what I carry in my J-Frame 2":

REMINGTON 38 SPL +P L38S2B
Caliber: .38 Special +P
Bullet Type: Semi-Jacketed Hollow Point
Bullet Weight: 125 Grains
Muzzle Energy: 248 ft-lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 945 fps

Looks almost as good as:

Remington 125 gr Golden Saber +P
in a 2" Revlver
13.9" Av Penetration
 877 f/s (actual)
~215 ft-lbs

As taken from that chart cited above, http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/

I recognize there may be a difference between velocities as touted by factory specs and those measured in the field in actual 2" guns.

I'd ike to carry 158 grain +Ps but in that lght "AirWeight," the recoil is a trife too much.

The .38 that Jack Ruby used to shoot Lee Harvey Oswald caused very extensive damage:

http://www.upi.com/Archives/1963/11/24/Physician-says-Oswald-lethally-injured-by-time-he-arrived/8181204553842/

The gun:

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/mar/11/jack-ruby-las-vegas-guns-trajectory/

Terry

[French G.]

I had a hell of a time with .40 Kahrs and premature lock back. Fixed the MK40 by reprofiling the slide release so the bullets didn't​ bump it on the way past. The K40 was much worse, newer stop design, dumb little spring to tension it towards disengaged. I assume that in recoil the slide release was bouncing around and would catch the slide near half the time. I put a lot more tension in that spring, fixed that problem.

[Kingcreek]

You might contact kahr. I've never needed them but it's my impression that they stand behind thier product and service any problems.

[dm1333]

Everyone who carries a short-barrel .38/.357 revolver should read this:

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/

http://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/revolver-ammo-commentary/

That was a good read, thanks for posting it.  I've been using Winchester Supreme Elite PDX1's in my Taurus 605 for a while.

[Grebnaws]

My Kahr cm9 may have been the worst pistol I've ever owned. I wouldn't carry one on a dare. It was sold for a huge loss after testing more ammunition than the gun was worth and suffering the slings and arrows of the Kahr faithful. It's a shame because on paper it was everything I wanted in a small 9mm and I imagine you'll end up very pleased with the LC9s.

The Remington 125gr +p golden saber is a very decent carry load for snubbies. I prefer the heavier lead standard pressure 158gr lswchp from Underwood and Buffalo bore or the hardcast 150gr full wadcutters. They flash and recoil less out of my LCR than the Golden Sabers.

[41magsnub]

Everyone who carries a short-barrel .38/.357 revolver should read this:

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/

http://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/revolver-ammo-commentary/

whoa...  my beloved 135gr speer gd short barrel failed badly.  I have a bunch of the BB 150gr hardcast wadcutters, switching to those tonight in the carry gun.

[MillCreek]

whoa...  my beloved 135gr speer gd short barrel failed badly. 

I saw that too, and I have several boxes of those rounds. I have switched to the Remington Golden Sabers.

[AmbulanceDriver]

whoa...  my beloved 135gr speer gd short barrel failed badly.  I have a bunch of the BB 150gr hardcast wadcutters, switching to those tonight in the carry gun.

Yeah, i've got the speer GD in 158gr (.357).  zero expansion against heavy cloth barrier....  guess I'm getting different ammo. 

[AmbulanceDriver]

On the other hand, my primary carry (Speer GD .45ACP 200gr +P) performed rather well in their same test....

http://www.luckygunner.com/45-acp-p-200gr-speer-gold-dot-jhp-20#geltest

[MechAg94]

I think most of the 357 defense ammo I have is Hornady since I bought a box here and there.  Some good, some bad.  Since Winchester ammo did so well on average, I might need to look for that.