Trigger pull alterations - some thoughts...

In the spirit of two earlier articles I posted on sport shooting and accessory/part selection, I wanted to share some lessons I've learned the hard way (not the "Oh crap, I'm going to die" hard way, just the "Hey, something's not right and I spent money on this" hard way). 

I own a CZ-85B that I had customized specifically for sport shooting.  As part of the custom work, I had a trigger job done that resulted in an amazing improvement in the crispness of the trigger and the pull weight reduction.  When I went to test fire it in the middle of the ammo shortage, I had a mix of PRVI and PMC ammo to run through it.  The PMC ran reliably throughout, but I experienced several failures to fire with the PRVI.  I took the ejected rounds and ran them through my other 9mm I had brought (unmodified), and they fired.  I was a little confused at first, because my CZ had always run whatever ammo I fed it previously.  Then I decided to read the description of the work that had been done to it.  Included in the trigger job was a lighter mainspring.  One of the things your mainspring influences (other than trigger weight) is how hard the hammer strikes the firing pin.  A lighter mainspring means a lighter hammer strike.  Ammo with harder primers (PRVI, TulAmmo, etc) may not reliably fire in a gun with a lighter mainspring. 

Does this concern me?  As it relates to my CZ, no.  As I stated, I wanted this gun modified specifically for sport shooting.  When I sport shoot, I control the ammunition that I feed it.  I'm not quite to reloading yet, but I can try multiple types of ammo, and feed it the one it likes best.  For those of you who are planning for the Day of the Zombie Horde or other self-defense/societal breakdown scenario, this should concern you.  Unless you have cases of ammo stacked in your garage (and judging from the shelves at Wal-Mart, some of you do), there will come a point when you will need to scavenge for ammo.  When that happens, you need a gun that will reliably fire whatever you can find.  Gun designers are relatively smart people, and they design guns to perform in a variety of scenarios.  If you choose to tune your gun for a specific purpose, that is perfectly fine, but be aware of the unintended consequences that may come of it.

My second lesson learned was with modifications made to my Glock.  I installed a spring kit and reduced weight trigger connector.  I liked the trigger pull so much when sport shooting that I considered changing out the springs on my carry pistol as well.  Then two things happened: 1) I actually read the spring manufacturer's instructions and 2) I paid more attention during my dry-fire practice.  The manufacturer's instructions specifically state that the reduced power striker spring, while excellent at reducing trigger pull weight is NOT to be used in a defensive pistol.  Why?  See above for my experience with the CZ.  Second, during dry-fire, I glanced down as I worked the slide to reset the trigger and noticed that the trigger was not resetting fully forward.  It was resetting far enough to be ready to fire, but not far enough to reset the trigger safety mechanism (that annoying lever on the trigger everyone loves to hate).  Per GLOCK’s website, “The trigger safety is a lever incorporated into the trigger. When the trigger safety is in the forward position it blocks the trigger from moving rearward. The trigger safety and the trigger must be fully depressed at the same time to fire the pistol. If the trigger safety is not depressed, the trigger will not move rearward and allow the pistol to fire. The trigger safety is designed to protect against firing if the pistol is dropped or the trigger is subjected to lateral pressure.”  In other words, if it doesn't reset properly, and my shirt/jacket gets in the trigger guard or I drop the pistol, bad things could happen.  The lower weight trigger spring I installed is the most likely culprit.  Since I plan to go to the range this weekend, I will re-install the original springs this week and dry-fire to see if the problem improves.  If I find the lighter springs are causing the problem, I will permanently remove them.

In summary, it's your gun, tune it the way you want, but ensure that you have done your research and understand any unintended consequences that may occur.  Just because it’s the latest and greatest, or the manufacturer promises that this is the last upgrade you’ll ever need, or your buddy tells you how much faster he is with his super-light trigger pull doesn’t necessarily make that set-up right for your intended use.

Tonight's dry fire

15 minutes divided as follows:

5 minutes - From position 1, draw and sight in on target.  Points of performance are grip, draw, presentation, sight picture.

5 minutes - From position 1, draw, sight in, and "fire."  Points of performance are grip, draw, presentation, sight picture, and trigger press.  "Shot" should break approximately the time full presentation is reached.

5 minutes - From position 1, with one magazine with one dummy round in the firearm and two spares, draw, sight in, "fire," and perform immediate action.  Points of performance are grip, draw, presentation, sight picture, trigger press, and immediate action.

Thoughts and recommendations always welcome.

IDPA Match

Is sport shooting a good place to train?

I've heard this question come up many times, and I've seen many people list sport shooting, such as IDPA or USPSA, as their monthly/weekly training session.  So, is sport shooting a good place to train?  Well, that depends.

First off, I have nothing against sport shooting.  I compete in IDPA, and it's a lot of fun.  There are lots of great people to hang around, and any day on the range is a good one.  I've also shot in local 3-gun matches.  So, please, don't take anything I say as a slam against the shooting sports, merely an attempt to ensure people take a serious look at their training and what goes into their training plans.

With the disclaimer out of the way, I personally believe that sport shooting presents an excellent chance to practice your fundamentals.  It's also a great place to get tips on your fundamentals, if you are willing to ask others to observe and critique you.  Since sport shooting generally focuses on time as its scoring mechanism, your fundamentals are key.  Everything from stance to grip to recoil management eventually affects your score.  In some cases, it can also present a chance to shoot in unusual positions or scenarios that you normally couldn't practice on a static range, such as prone shooting, drawing from concealment (some ranges don't allow holsters), and shooting around barricades.

Sport shooting, however, is a horrible place to learn tactics.  Due to the very nature of it being a sport, there are artificial rules in place to ensure a level playing field.  Rules govern gear, carry positions, magazine capacity, etc.  Other rules require ditching your empty firearms into strategically placed barrels and clearing firearms when transitioning.  Also, because time is critical, less emphasis is placed on shot placement.  Gaming the system for most shooters requires finding a balance between accuracy and speed, where one is sacrificed for the other.  In the real world, when your life is on the line, "speed is fine, accuracy is final," as Larry Vickers says.

My recommendation: enjoy sport shooting, but don't let it be a substitute for solid training from a knowledgeable professional trainer.

Galco Ankle Glove holster review

So far in my concealed carry experience, I have utilized three different ankle holster: a Fobus ankle holster for a Ruger LCP, an Uncle Mike's holster for a CZ-82, and now the Galco Ankle Glove for my Smith.  I'll tell you upfront, the Galco stands far above the other two in terms of security, comfort, and just plain staying where you put it. 
The construction of the Galco is a neoprene band backed with sheepskin.  The holster itself is leather, and has a thumb snap retention strap that goes behind the Smith.  Some models have the thumb strap and some don't, so make sure you know which is which before you order.  Between the thumb strap and molded fit of the holster, I have no worries about the gun coming loose.  The Fobus was probably the next most secure holster (no thumb strap, but with a tight molded Kydex fit), with the Uncle Mike's in last place (not molded, with a hook and loop thumb strap).  The Galco's wide neoprene band - which is as tall as the holster itself - is easily the most comfortable ankle holster of the three.  I've worn it for 12+ hours while walking around the mall and running errands and almost forgot I was wearing it thanks to the sheepskin panel.  The Fobus and Uncle Mike's had a nylon backer to the holster, with a 1.5-2" nylon strap to secure the holster around your ankle.  The wide strap also keeps the holster in place vertically due to its snug fit.  Technically, the Galco can be worn with or without a calf stap, but I haven't needed the calf strap yet.  The Fobus had no provision for a calf strap, and the Uncle Mike's still managed to fall even with the calf strap.

Despite the wide strap and the general larger width of the revolver versus a slim .380 or other semi-auto, the Ankle glove is not overly bulky under clothes.  As long as you remember you are wearing the holster and don't allow yourself to expose the holster through your pants riding up, no one should even notice that you're wearing it.

This kind of performance doesn't come cheap, though.  My price paid for the Ankle Glove was $75, versus $33 for the Uncle Mike's and $45 for the Fobus.  When it comes to security and comfort, and having your gun when you need it, however, the extra money is completely worth it.  I highly recommend the Ankle Glove for anyone who is considering ankle carry.

CERT Class completed!

Finished up the CERT course two weeks ago.  It's a pretty good course that teaches the basics of disaster preparedness and response.  The biggest thing I learned was the basic techniques for triage in a mass casualty incident.  It's a lot different from what you learn in a normal First Aid class.  It's almost a mass TCCC.  Focus switches to major injuries like massive hemorrhaging, and away from injuries that can be delayed to be treated later.  The classes are free and usually run by your local fire department.  Check it out if you get a chance.  I've got my quarterly exercise coming up on Saturday.

Next up will be the Virginia Department of Emergency Management SAR Field Team Member...

Firearm accessory analysis

            Merriam-Webster defines Analysis as “a careful study of something to learn about its parts, what they do, and how they are related to each other.”  In reality, most people conduct analysis on a daily, probably hourly, basis.  To thinking, functioning adults, analysis becomes an almost unconscious process that assists them in everything from building a budget, to planning the most efficient way to complete an errand run.

            In the firearms world, equipment manufacturers develop products that they advertise to give some sort of “edge.”  Examples include extended magazine releases, extended safeties, enhanced sights, enhanced triggers, and other enhancement products with a price range from relatively inexpensive to hundreds or thousands of dollars.  These products may legitimately provide a solution to a validated problem, however, new shooters purchasing a firearm for the first time (and some old shooters who just really like gear) often fall “under the spell” of these advertisements, and spend thousands of dollars customizing their firearms to the specifications of an individual who endorses the products without conducting any sort of analysis of their own needs.  Usually, the end product meets all the criteria for “high speed, low drag,” but may provide little to no real improvement to the shooter.  Conducting a simple analysis before cracking open the cool-guy firearm parts catalog remedies this situation.

            First, ask the question: “How do I intend to utilize this firearm?”  People utilize firearms for different reasons, including competition, self-defense outside the home, self-defense inside the home, and instruction of others in firearm usage.  While a product designed for one category may provide benefits to another category, each product must be evaluated separately.  For example, extended magazine releases enhance competition firearms by allowing for faster magazine changes, resulting in a lower time and possibly a higher ranking.  In a defensive situation, they provide the same benefit, resulting in less time spent with an empty gun in the face of an armed criminal.  However, a competition situation varies significantly from a defensive one.  In a competition scenario, competitors usually carry specialized holsters outside the confines of their clothes and intentionally minimize the dangers of an accidental magazine release (or carry enough spare magazines that losing one does not represent a critical failure).  In a defensive situation, the user frequently conceals the firearm underneath clothing, the firearm is subject to the bumps and bruises of daily life, and carrying copious amounts of extra ammunition is extremely impractical.  In this case, the loss of a magazine due to accidental release represents a much greater danger and deserves additional scrutiny by the shooter to determine if the enhancement warrants the additional risk.

            Next, ask “Can this firearm do the job without enhancements?”  Although this question is highly subjective, many first-time purchasers buy a stock firearm and immediately begin customizing, without ever having taken the firearm out for a test fire to determine its baseline performance levels. 

If the answer to the question to the above question is “no” or a qualified “yes,” the next question becomes “What specific performance enhancement does this product provide, and do I really need it (or, does the benefit gained from this enhancement outweigh possible risks or associated costs)?”  Once again, each individual shooter’s needs vary, and what appears to be a need for one may not be for another.  Going back to the magazine release example - my hands are very large, and I can easily reach the magazine release on all of my handguns with little to no difficulty, whereas a shooter with smaller hands may experience significant difficulty in reaching a magazine release, especially on firearms with double-stacked magazines.  In their case, they may “need” an extended release, and I may not.  If they elect to install the extended release, they should do so in light of question 1, and ensure their own willingness to accept the possible risks of the extended release.  The “needs” analysis must be conducted for every firearm enhancement being considered.

            After developing a list of their “needed” enhancements, shooters should ask, “How do these enhancements interact with each other, and can a single enhancement accomplish multiple tasks?”  This question comes from personal experience.  In an effort to improve my hands’ purchase on my handgun and speed up my magazine changes, I purchased an enhanced set of grips that included a “thumb scoop” and an extended magazine release.  I installed both parts and conducted dry-fire drills to test the parts’ efficacy.  I soon noticed that when I conducted a magazine change, my magazine release stuck.  After testing with multiple firearm manufacturers and multiple parts manufacturers, I discovered the issue.  The combination of the “thumb scoop” with the extended magazine release caused me to press the magazine release so far into the frame that it allowed the magazine catch lock to rotate out of position, locking the magazine release.  I re-installed the original magazine release with the new grips and the problem ceased.  The two enhancements, installed for two different reasons, actually addressed the same issue (easing access to the magazine release) and in my case, caused failures when installed together.  As a result, I removed the extended releases from all of my copies of that firearm and kept the grips in place.  This analysis saved me approximately $20 per firearm and provided greater reliability.

            As the shooter adds each enhancement to the firearm, they must conduct dry-fire and live-fire drills under conditions as close to their intended use as possible.  As they conduct these drills, they must continually analyze/assess with the question, “Is this enhancement performing the task for which I installed it, and is my firearm properly equipped for my expected situation?”  Equipment changes, needs change, and people change.  As a firearm’s mission evolves, enhancements that had been previously installed may progress into obsolescence, or new enhancements may be “required.”  A constant state of evaluation and analysis is necessary to ensure that the firearm remains ready for service.

            Although I focused on the magazine release here, this analysis holds true for any enhancement to be considered.  A proper analysis conducted beforehand, followed by a systematic evaluation of the enhancements with a focus on analyzing interrelationships between the firearm, enhancements, and shooter present the best possibility of a creating a personalized firearm that meets the shooters needs while reducing the impact on a shooter’s budget.