Graham Baates

Which Kahr Would You Drive?

Influenced by YouTube’s TheFireArmGuy we decided to start giving Kahr pistols a try. They’re an American-made option that seems to have all the right features for an affordable carry gun. Slim, low profile, economical, and simplified, the Kahr pistols fall into that single-stack build that makes for something comfortable, light, and efficient. In my experience there are two types polarized opinions of Kahr handguns: those who are approaching “fanboy” status and those who have never fired a Kahr. Having tried the CW45, CW9, and now P9 we’re starting to understand the following.

What I didn’t quite understand was the myriad of models and trim levels. Perhaps its my repeat trips to Front Sight, but I truly believe, “any gun will do if you will”.

So why bother with what is essentially the same gun but costs slightly more? I believe the answer may also come from shooting schools and lots of range time. The physical differences between the Value and Premium lines are in the rifling, sights, and some smaller parts being mim or cnc’d, and some extra touches on the machining of the slide. The biggest difference however I think depends on the owner. Are you looking for an affordable, American-made option for carry or stashing or are you looking for an affordable, American-made primary gun?

The overall difference between the value and premium lines is the package.

While both models are certainly reliable and and durable, the Premium line is built more for high-volume shooting and includes the extra magazines to support it. The premium line also comes in a lockable hard case for those who like to keep their kit together while the value line saves you the storage space with a disposable cardboard box.

Street prices between the two lines can differ by as little as $80 which is certainly worth the extra magazines. See the video link below for a tabletop side-by-side comparison and decide for yourself.

For more information and charts breaking down all of the options available from Kahr Arms check out their website here.

Watch: Simple Tips for Easier Gun Cleaning

Dental picks and tooth brushes have long been part of the inventory of any gun enthusiast’s cleaning kit. These two tools from the health and medical world do a great job or reaching the “plaque and tartar” left behind as dirty mementos from a good day on the range. Though your dentist may not know why you always ask for old picks and a toothbrush, good logic stands that he may appreciate the need to keep defensive tools as clean and healthy as he expects you to keep your mouth. What else might the medical world have that we could use to keep our “bodies” healthy?

Gun-Tips and Bore-Sticks Make Gun Cleaning Cleaner!

Gun-Tips come in an assortment of shapes and sizes, just like the nooks and crannies that carbon likes to hide in.

Openly crossing the divide from the medical world to the shooting world are some products from Swab-its. Their Gun-tips and Bore-Sticks are actually medical sponges carefully selected and shaped for those of us trying to avoid needing one in a hospital.

These reusable sponges hold dirt, solvent, or oil and in testing proved very useful for gun cleaning and lubrication. Unlike cotton swabs Swab-its leave no lint behind to cause future problems. It’s a bit elating to freely dab and jab the Gun-tips into tight places where previously a cotton-swab would have only cause more issues.

No lint left behind, even after rubbing against a trigger spring.

Gun-tips also retain their shape after scrubbing which makes the inside of slide rails or back side of an extractor much easier to clean and lubricate.

Another great design feature is the flexible plastic rod that permits pressure, but will also flex as needed to allo off-angle approaches in limited space such as cleaning the barrel without needing to completely disassemble the firearm.

Flexible rods make off-angle attacks easy.

In a market that seems to never run out of new gimmicky “solutions” to money in your pocket the Gun-tips and Bore-sticks seem to be an actual solution based on the same principles that brought the dental pick and tooth brush into the gun world. Reusable, flexible, lint-free, and easy to pack for once it appears we have a real addition to the cleaning kit. “Addition”, is tongue-in-cheek as these will replace the large bag of patches that seem to only fit easily just before they run out.

The easy way to coat a bore for storage.

Elusive European Engineering: The Grand Power Q100

Grand Power is one of those, “Why do I not already own one of these?” companies that has been long known for their excellent triggers. Well-known may be relative because generally the American public has been unable to find or see one of these elusive pieces of European engineering.

Produced with incredible refinement and manufacturing standards, the Grand Power pistols are also known for their rotating barrels. By rotating the barrel instead of tilting as in the Browning system the barrel can sit lower in the gun (in fact is has to). This helps direct recoil more into

Author’s 15-shot group from 10 yards with the Grand Power XCalibur

the wrist and less over it as in the Browning model. The reduced shifting of mass, and reduction in 90 degree surfaces also makes for a smoother cycling gun. Combine those features with TRUE fully-ambidextrous controls and four back-straps to chose from and it’s little wonder that most shooters find themselves a hard-core fan within the first magazine.

Critics of Grand Power’s tight tolerances and hammer-fired system point out that in harsh environments debris might obstruct the hammer. Grand Power listened and applied their same engineering to creating the Q100. Thanks to bureaucracies it was released in Canada before the United States, but is now available as you may have seen in gun-industry news. What you haven’t seen is a non-stock photo and an actual human handling one. Until now. The video below offers a complete 1080p, up-close and personal tabletop review.

Full Specs:

Caliber	9 MM
Action	Striker DAO
Capacity	15+1
Barrel Length	4.3″
Front Sight	Plastic
Rear Sight	Drift-Adjustable Steel
Finishes	Black
Grips	Polymer
Construction	Steel Slide, Steel Frame, Polymer Grip
Safety	Trigger
Weight	26.1000
Length	8″
Height	5.3″
Width	1.4″

For more information visit Grand Power’s website.

CM9 Gen 2: Better Gun, Better Value: VIDEO

You may not have ever heard of Sarsilmaz, but chances are you’ve already benefited from their manufacturing. They are the largest private arms manufacturer in Turkey and make everything from handguns to aircraft parts for Boeing. That’s right, Sarsilmaz is a private company so before you get excited about making comments think. If you boycott a private company who are you hurting? The government you don’t like or the people living in that country? Sarsilmaz has been manufacturing for over 100 years and is sold and used in 78 countries worldwide. With politics out of the way let’s move on to the gun.

By the Numbers

Action	SA/DA	Frame	Polymer
Capacity	17+1	Slide	Alloyed Forged Steel
Brl Length	3.8”	Barrel	Alloyed Forged Steel
Overall Length	7.3”	Empty Weight	28oz
Safety	Ambidextrous manual; drop safety; firing pin block; hammer block	Additional Features	Picatinny Rail
			Changeable Front Sight Adjustable Rear Sight
			3 size-changeable back straps

The CM9 Gen 2 is a modernization of an older design and has packed a lot of features into a very affordable pistol. If you skipped the tabletop video SPOILER ALERT: Sarsilmaz has an ultra-modern facility including 11-axis machines. 11! I’m not even sure how that’s possible, but if you look at the CM9 Gen 2 you can tell it was made with great attention to detail. The fit is about as perfect as one could ever expect from a handgun. The fact that the frame, barrel, and slide are all serialized could suggest that each gun is fitted. Front and rear cocking serrations, adjustable sights, ambidextrous safety, and three interchangeable back straps. That list is expected on most modern handguns, but not those with a MSRP below $400! T R Imports offers this gun for as low as $361.

If you’re like me that makes you wonder how the gun can be manufactured, transported, imported, then distributed for so little. How does such an inexpensive gun shoot? We wanted to find out and try with not only standard range-fodder, but also hollow points, steel-cased ammo, and target ammo. The results can be seen below.

Hop Up Your Glock: Ranger Proof EDGE Trigger Shoe

Ranger Proof is a bold statement. It’s even more bold to name a company Ranger Proof. The company has set some high standards for itself as one should expect with such a name, “Our mission is simple. We will provide the absolute best gear, made with the best components at the most fair price we can all the while providing the best customer service in the industry. We are not only businessmen, we are consumers first and foremost. Our commitment to quality and customer service shall set the example for others to follow.”.

Before any of the tabbed get their feathers ruffled here’s what the company has to say about using the tab in their logo, “It is not a secret as to why the Ranger Tab was used in the creation of our logo. The Ranger Tab is recognizable world-wide as a beacon of someone that will not quit under extreme circumstances.

The Ranger Tab symbolizes the fact that when you see it, you know the person wearing it can be counted on when the going gets tough. The same thing goes for our gear. Rangers are notoriously hard on gear, so if we “Tab” the gear “Ranger Proof”, then you know you can trust it to work for you.

Assuming their products are as hard-working as they advertise them to do it’s only fitting that they would offer a product for America’s most-modified handgun, the Glock. The EDGE of course has a flat face which some shooters prefer. The safety has been widened which I expect will improve comfort. The most interesting claim is the elimination of pretravel. This part is available through AIM Surplus, but not on Ranger Proof’s own website. Listed at half the cost of most complete triggers the EDGE is only the shoe, requiring use of your existing trigger bar.

Because your existing trigger bar is used you’ll need to drive out this pin to change the shoe.

Installation is simple and requires only driving out a few pins which any Glock owner is familiar with. To see how and if it actually works watch the video below.

Is it truly Ranger proof? Time may tell, and I’ll have to find a Ranger to try it out, but in the mean time I look forward to shooting it and appreciate that a company is offering just a trigger shoe. While other companies offer complete triggers with bar in my experience little if anything is ever really done to the bar and the shoe is where the magic happens.

Hailstorm 9mm AR by Dark Storm Industries ~ VIDEO

The Hailstorm has a generous magazine well.

It seems like around ever corner is a pistol-caliber carbine-type firearm using AR controls and Glock magazines. This phenomena is for good reason. Most gun owners are familiar with the AR platform and also own a Glock. Even if you’re like me and not necessarily a Glock fan it’s hard to deny the reliability and availability of their magazines. The abundant aftermarket for the AR platform also means there are plenty of options for customizing compatible firearms.

A plus for the consumer with the flood of PCCs is choice. Lines are now starting to become clearer between the budget, common, and higher-end options. Towards that upper end of the spectrum is Dark Storm Industries (DSI). Fortified within enemy territory DSI does their manufacturing in New York. This cry for freedom is not only producing instruments of freedom in New York, but also special models for the non-free folk in states like California and New York. The model we have on loan is for the rest of us Wildlings, but if you live in occupied territory rest assured that DSI has something for you too.

Here are the build specifications taken directly from the product page on Dark Storm Industry’s site:

DS-9 Billet 7075 Aluminum Lower Receiver – Accepts Glock Magazines
DS-9 Billet 7075 Aluminum Upper Receiver w/ Last Round Bolt Hold Open
DSI 9mm Bolt Carrier Group
DSI Billet Ambidextrous Safety Selector
DSI Ultralight Narrow Profile M-Lok 9″ Barrel Shroud
DSI 7.5″ 9mm Threaded 1:10 Nitrite Barrel
DSI Conical Muzzle Blast Deflector
17 Round Magazine
CAA Stock Saddle Cheek Riser
Thordsen Ehnaced Buffer Tube Cover with QD Sling Sockets
Hogue Pistol Grip
Optic Ready (sights not included)
Trigger Lock
Weight: 3 lbs 14 oz (including mag)

That’s a lot of DSI’s own parts coming with the MSRP of $1095. Just holding the Hailstorm inspires action. I think we’re going to enjoy this one!