A Pit Bull In My Pocket

No, not the big ass dog currently attempting to lick my face off (he's a bit affectionate); the brand new carry gun sitting there.

As I mentioned in my BAG day post, my wife has snaffled my Kel-Tec P3AT for her daily carry gun; because it's the only gun we own... one of the very few available actually... that she can carry on body without a cover garment.

So, that found me looking for a new pocket carry gun.

S'okay with me, I've been planning on buying one of these since they came out:

That would be a Smith and Wesson, hammerless, 5 shot, J frame, scandium airweight, black non-reflective finish, in .357 magnum; a.k.a. the 340pd.

I've been a j-frame owner before, shot the scandiums (many of them, from .22 up to .44 magnum) many times; and owned a scandium L frame (a 386). I have not however been a scandium J frame owner as of yet.

...Well, until now.


That little cell phone holster there isn't actually a cell phone holder. It holds three 5 shot speedloaders quite nicely; while still allowing easy access, and of course while being very discrete. I actually prefer the Safariland speedloaders for this thing, but I happened to already have four of the HKS units around.

From the factory the gun comes with the UncleMikes/S&W licensed soft kraton version of Craig Spegels boot grips...

... which is great, if you have small hands. I uh... don't.

As you can see, I can barely get a three finger grip on there, never mind a four finger grip. Also, with the bare backstrap, the gun just isn't pleasant to shoot with anything approaching full house loads. .38+p+ is the maximum here.

The factory sights are... rudimentary would probably be a good way of putting it. Trying to site down that little black trough, in the dark, without my glasses on...

Yeah, no.

So, to kill two birds with one stone, I decided to put on a set of Crimson Trace lg-305 overmolded lasergrips. This version of the laser grip lets me establish a full (and comfortable) four finger grip on the gun, as well as giving me the laser.

I'm also considering swapping out the front sight for an XS BigDot, for lowlight redundancy.

The much larger grip lets me fire full house .357 magnum without discomfort (to my hand anyway. my eyes and ears are another question entirely), even though it's so light weight (just 15.5oz loaded).

Initially I had a concern that the size difference in the grip would hurt concealability; but I'll say, I have no problem with it.

Yeah, it's bigger, by quite a bit. Here's the two of them to compare:




It's about a half inch wider, and about a half inch taller, but not as wide through the palm swell. Also, it's sticky (with the soft and grippy Hogue overmolded rubber compound), but not as sticky as the stock grips.

I'll be honest with you, I think it's easier to carry with the laser grips on. It's CERTAINLY a hell of a lot easier to draw and establish a good grip; and with the smooth organic shape, it's very comfortable to carry in my front right jeans pocket, even sitting in the car.

So, how does the 340 compare to my previous carry gun, the P3AT?

It's bigger. Much bigger:


The numbers tell the story, at least somewhat.
Smith and Wesson 340 Personal Defense (PD):

Chambering: .357 magnum (120-158gr loads only. Short barrel loadings better)
Barrel Length: 1.875
Capacity: 5
Thickness: 1.3"
Height: with factory grips 4.3", with CT laser grips (305) 4.8"
Length: with factory grips: 6.375", with CT laser grips (305): 6.775"
Weight: 12.0 oz unloaded, 14.9oz loaded, with CT laser grips (305) 15.5oz loaded

Kel-Tec P3AT:

Chambering: .380 (browning lock type gun, +p are OK unlike blowback guns)
Barrel Length: 2.75"
Capacity: 6+1
Thickness: .8"
Height: 3.6"
Length: 5.2"
Weight: 7.2 oz unloaded (no mag), 10.2oz loaded

The reason I say the numbers reflect the tale somewhat, is that strictly by dimensions the 340 seems to come off quite badly; but the shape of the thing is very good, so the dimensions don't seem to matter as much.

Although the maximum thickness of the 340 is 1.3"; that is of course at the widest part, the round cylinder, which is actually a quite small portion of the gun; and the measurement makes the gun seem far chunkier than it really is.

Most of the 340 is only about a half inch thick, and is organically shaped; as opposed to the Kel-Tec, which is a nearly flat .77" thick, and is very linear. This makes the 340 actually FEEL thinner than the Kel-Tec, and in my experience it is more comfortable to carry in the pocket, and it prints less in most clothing.

Here's a pic showing both of them in their respective pocket holsters (a slightly modified Desantis nemesis for the 340, that is completely and exactly covered by the GuruDave holster for the P3AT):


The holsters are lined up foot and spine above; and the P3AT holster is almost exactly the same size as the 340s holster. The difference is the fair bit of the grip left out on the 340.

Again though, the shape of the thing is what really matters; because in your pocket, it doesn't look like a gun at all. My thigh is rounded, the P3AT is not, so the P3AT shows angles where angles shouldn't be, even with the holster; whereas inside the the holster, the 340 is all smooth curves.

That isn't to say the P3AT is hard to conceal (I've never had someone spot it yet, even trained and aware individuals); but the 340 just looks smoother in the pocket.

And, as I said above, it's a HELL of a lot easier to draw. Even in the holster, the P3AT has a tendency to want to rotate; at least in my pockets (which admittedly, are quite large).

The chambering is of course a major factor here. The 340 is a .357, even though it's only a 1.85" barrel. That means you're only going to get about 1100fps from 124gr at best; along with a HUGE fireball and muzzle blast.

Still, .357 is .357.

Take a look up at the factory grip above again, and you'll notice there is a deep undercut behind the trigger guard, a bare backstrap, and a very sudden and narrow transition into the web of the thumb.

On my hand at least, that means the trigger guard raps my knuckles, the frame hump tries to embed itself into the web of my thumb; and the narrow grip and bare backstrap puts the cylinder latch right against the meaty bit of the side of my thumb just waiting to tear a bit of flesh out if I'm not very careful to keep a thumbs down grip.

All of that says "DON'T SHOOT .357 THROUGH ME" very loudly.

Look again at the LG-305 though. Full 4 finger grip, broader and more hand filling through the palm, nice big rubber bit in the web of the thumb...

Really, with the big grip on it, .357 is not bad at all. I'm not saying it's like shooting a stainless L frame; but it can be accomplished without major drama in the hand... again though, and it may seem like I'm getting repetitious here, but it really must be emphasized; the muzzle flash and muzzle blast are staggering.

The cor-bon super hot .380 that I carry in the P3AT is supposed to be 1100fps, but that's from a 2.5" test barrel. Also that's effectively +p+ and only suitable for locked breech guns.

A P3AT is NOT a 2.5" test barrel, and what you've got is 90gr at around 1000fps from it's dinky barrel (and with a pretty large standard deviation by the way. It's hard to get a consistent burn in such a small barrel).

Buffalo bore has a 90gr load that claims 1100fps and Doubletap a 95gr load that claims 1000, but instead of a test barrel, both say that's their velocity from the P3AT. Both are above Saami +p like the cor-bon; and I'd expect the same kind of results, at 50fps lower than claimed, with a large deviation.

A note about barrel length: The stated length of the P3AT barrel is 2.75" vs. the 340s 1.88", but remember revolver barrels are measured from the forcing cone and don't include the chamber. Automatic barrels are measured from the breech face, so about an inch (.95" actually) of that length is the chamber, and the effective length of the barrel is in fact slightly shorter than the 340.

That's a worthwhile difference in mass, momentum, and energy (about 200ftlbs, vs about 400ftlbs). That means, even with full expansion, generally speaking the .357 is going to give you at least 2" more penetration; which is a big deal.

Now, as I have said repeatedly, any full .357 magnum load is going to give you a MASSIVE fireball and muzzle blast from that short barrel; and it's going to be unpleasant to shoot. For most people, most of the time, I recommend a .38spl +p (or +p+).

If you can get it (it's rarer than a liberal with a clue these days), I cannot recommend Speers gold dot short barrel personal defense ammunition strongly enough.

In either .357 magnum or .38+p it uses the same specially designed 135gr. bullet; made to penetrate, and give good, controlled expansion at the lower velocities of the sub 2" barrel. The loads also use a flash suppressed powder; and a powder charge whose burn rate, and volume is optimized to produce as little fireball, muzzle blast, and extra recoil as possible.

It IS a lower velocity round, at just about 1000fps from the 340, and 340ftlbs of energy; but it is specifically designed to BE a lower velocity round, so you still get good penetration and full expansion. Importantly, you get that nearly non existent muzzle flash, and greatly reduced muzzle blast (still substantial, but greatly reduced).

I plan on carrying the Speer, Doubletap, or Buffalo Bore .357 short barrel loads, if I can ever get 5 boxes together to qualify the gun with it. I'm on waiting lists at Midway, Midsouth, Cheaper than Dirt, and my local stores, and direct from BB and DT.

As it is, the ONLY defensive .357 I've been able to get my hands on is Federal premium self defense 158gr hydrashoks; which is excellent ammo, but not particularly well suited to such a lightweight gun (never go under 120gr or over 158gr on these guns. You'll get pull or setback, which can jam up, or blow up a gaun; and with loads above 158gr, you can possibly get forcing cone cracking and frame stretching).

So, all that said, I'm not particularly recoil sensitive; and with the laser grip, I get a full four finger grip that fills the hand nicely, and helps me control recoil well. That is clearly not the case with the P3AT:

By the by, that's not even an attempt at a shooting grip; it's just that when I have the P3AT in a proper shooting grip the only part of the gun you can see is the slide. I wanted you to see how much of my hand is hanging off in the breeze when I shoot that little gun.

Now honestly, most of the time it doesn't bother me. I can shoot the sucker very well, emptying a mag as fast as I can shoot into a 4" circle at 7 yards; which as far as I'm concerned is EXCELLENT pocket gun accuracy. I've put at least 15,000 rounds through the thing, including about 5000 super hot +p and better loads; and I find it reasonably easy to control and comfortable to shoot.

Well... 'Cept for one thing: with the hot loads, the front of the trigger guard beats the hell out of my trigger finger, and the bottom of it beats up my middle finger (the humped bit recoils right into my knuckle). I can get the best grip in the world on it, after 50 rounds I've still got two hurting fingers. It doesn't stop me from shooting the gun well, but it IS a pain.

Thankfully, Mels fingers are small enough that she doesn't have that problem; though she prefers milder loads to the ones I choose to carry; because she gets a lot more muzzle flip, and with he much smaller and not as strong hands, it's harder for her to control it.

So, which one would I rather shoot with full house loads?

The 340 with the laser grips; no question. Wih the factory grip it would be entirely the other way; but with the laser grip, the gun is quite comfortable and controllable.

... and of course I like having that .357 capability there in case I need it.

All in all, I'm very happy with my new carry gun.

I mean, wouldn't this view just ruin your whole day?:

(don't start snarking in comments about the four rules. The only thing at risk there was a remotely operated camera).

A Three Fer for Buy A Gun Day

Or sort of a Three-Fer anyway.

Yesterday was of course Buy A Gun (BAG) Day here in the good old U.S.A; coterminous with, not coincidentally, tax day.

In celebration and protest of this, we bought two guns, sold one to someone as their BAG day gun, and gave one away.

First, Mel appropriated my P3AT, because it's the only thing we have that she can carry without a cover garment or purse, so I needed a new pocket carry gun.

My next post will cover my new carry gun, along with some nice pics.

The other two guns are sort of a special case.

Our friend and my co-worker, a single woman and inexperienced shooter (she is an army vet, but shes 20 years out, and has only shot a few times in the last few years) recently bought a house.

Well, we sold her one of our guns (the custom HK USP compact .45 with night sights. She prefers autos to revolvers), a couple of different holsters and four spare mags, as her personal defense gun, and BAG day gun.

We also suggested she needed to get a shotgun for her house, with which she wholeheartedly agreed.

As it happens, her birthday is Saturday.

So, JohnOC, Mel and I got together and bought her a Mossberg 500a persuader for her home defense shotgun, second BAG day gun, and birthday present.

Is there any better gift than the tools of self defense, and self reliance?

A Christmas, Buy a Gun Day, and Birthday Gun "In Progress"

So, last weekend we went out and got my "big" birthday present:



Or at least the upper anyway; I bought the lower around Christmas time.



The Lower is a DPMS forged lower. The upper is a Wilson A4 upper, with a Wilson 24” full heavy 1” profile, stainless 1-in-8 air gaged barrel; sporting a Wylde chamber, and an 11 degree crown.

It's got a railed clamp on gas block, a fluted aluminum freefloat forend, and a matched and hand lapped bolt.



The stock is an ACE tubular stock, on a mil-spec tube, and in final form will have the extended LOP butt pad (I didn't have it on for this pic); which gives me an extra inch of pull (and the ACE with the short pad is still 3/4" longer than an A2. Being tall and fining a rifle with the right length of pull witout fiddling are mutually exclusive).

The BUIS are an A.R.M.S #40l ultra low profile rear, and a DPMS Mangonel front.




I just had a mag and pistol grip handy to take the pic; they aren’t going to be part of the final assembly.


Right now I'm thinking about a MagPul MIAD grip, with the enhanced curved aluminum trigger guard, and the spare bolt and firing pin carrier (with another d-ringed bolt in it so when I lose my extractor I’ve got a backup).


I may end up with a more ergonomic/target oriented grip though; we'll see.

I’m going to finish out the lower with a Chip McCormick drop in trigger (the curved single stage), an ambi safety and mag catch.


Now, onto the fiddly bits...

I don’t like the Mangonel front flipdown. I’m thinking I'm going to change it out for an HK style flipdown like the Samson.

It’s a subjective thing. It looks… untidy maybe? To me, the Mangonel just doesn't look right. Besides I prefer the full ring front sight shroud of the HK style, to the ears of the M-16 style; though that does make sight adjustment more interesting. I love the rear though… Oh and I’m thinking I’m going to put the trijicon dot front sight in. I had one before and I loved it.

I’m also going to pick up one of the hydraulic or pneumatic buffer systems (I haven't decided yet), and a bolt carrier weight, to delay unlock and slow the cyclic rate down; both to avoid bolt batter with hot and heavy loads, and to reduce the doublehump recoil on followthrough.

Oh, and the pneumatic buffers don't "sproing!!!!!"; an intangible, but surprisingly satisfying plus.

Actually, if I had a 28" barrel, I'd guess the weight and hydro buffer might actually increase velocity consistency as well, since they delay unlock, and without them the bullet may not have yet exited the barrel when the bolt starts unlocking (I'm sure it would by the time it finishes though). As it is though with the 24" I don't think it will make any velocity difference.

Oh and since I'm ordering the bolt weight anyway, I think I'll fire-lap the barrel (David Tubb sells both setups).

I’m going to D ring the extractor, for reliability (Theres a little D shaped O ring type thingy you can put under the extractor, around the spring; to increase extraction force and reliability. You can also just put a little o ring in, but the D rings last longer, and don’t really cost much); and with the MIAD I'll always have another spare bolt (with extractor already installed of course) and firing pin; for WHEN, not if, I break and/or jam another extractor and/or firing pin in the middle of something important.

I have experienced the unfortunate mischance of having an AR become a straightpull boltie on more than one occaison when I really would have prefered this not happen. The extractor loses tension and won't extract hot cases from a dirty chamber, getting jerked of the rim by the normal cycling of the bolt (thus requiring manual cycling).

I'd like to avoid that as much as possible in future.

I MAY change out the handguard/float tube for a carbon fiber one I’ve got lying around the shop (black aluminum tubes get VERY hot in long shot strings, especially out in the AZ desert); and obviously I’m going to put my Harris bipod on it (you might have noticed, 24" bull barrels are HEAVY)

I haven’t decided on the optics yet. I’m leaning towards a Leupold Mark 4 or a NightForce; but I may go with IOR. I’m also really impressed with Burriss’s updated XTR line, given that I think it’s 80% of the scope the Leupold is, for 40% of the money. I’m also semi-seriously considering one of ATN’s gigantic objective lense scopes, just for gits and shiggles.



Specifically, I'm thinking of the Leupold 4.5-14x50 IR Mil-Dot in matte black; which streets between $1200 and $1400 depending on where you find it (SWFA is usually pretty close to cheapest).

Night force has the similar 3.5-15x50 NXS, which streets between $1300 and $1400.

IOR has a 4-14x50 IR that runs about $1000 (saw it at the gun show for $800 actually) and looks interesting.

What gets me really thinking about price though, is this Burris 3-12x50 IR Mil-Dot with side focus for $750.


Finally, mostly because I want to try one out, and they're cheap, is the Super Sniper line of scopes from SFWA. Given the fact that they're $300 scopes, the reviews are really very good; everyone says they are incredible values for the money. I think I'll buy one regardless, and use it on another rifle if/when I get a higher end optic for the AR.

I'm not sure if Id want the 10x42 or the 16x42 . I'd probably go with the 10x just for brightness; and because it would be more useful on a shorter range rifle (plus I like sidefocus, and the 16x isn't available with it), but if I'm really happy with the 16x it could easily have a permanent home on the AR. They make a 20x, but power above 16x is pretty much unshootable without a solid benchrest, and this isn't going to just be a bench rifle; plus a 2.1mm exit pupil is pretty small for anything other than bright sunlight.

Oh, and I grabbed a real nice black ballistic nylon drag bag to go with it.

As to performance, I figure 600 yards is about the limit for the gun, with me behind it, from a good rest.

If, using the best quality ammo I can get or build, I can put 10 out of 10 into 16” and 8 out of 10 into 8” at 600 yards on a zero-zero (International Standard Atmosphere, 0 wind, 0 precip) day with this gun from a good position, I’ll be very happy.

If I wanted anything better than that… well I’ve picked the wrong chambering and the wrong gun… though I suppose I could ream it out for one of the tiny magnums…

Oh I suppose if I clamped it into a full mechanical rest I could hold better groups with careful loading… and I may just try that for the hell of it; but I’m more interested in how I shoot it, not how the machine shoots it.

I plan on using this as my ‘yote/varmint gun (yes I know, overstabilized light bullets bad - I don’t like hyperlight bullets for ‘yotes) long range fun gun, and with the right load, my CS/DM gun.

I plan on doing quite a bit of loading for this gun; as I mentioned in my post on loading for rifles.

I figure with some careful handloading, I can push 77gr SMKs to 2850+ fps. .98 oal in a 1-in-8 should shoot (1-in-8 is the minimum for .98, but 1-in-7 is better); and .362bc with an SD of .219, with 1390ftlbs at the muzzle, and if I’m calculating it right a 75” drop at 500yds… That’s half decent; and if the barrel shoots, it should be a .5moa combo.

I’mna start off buying the BlackHills 77gr that I loved with my previous 24” HB AR (also a 1-in-8, but a Lothar Walther barreled upper on a Bushmaster lower), and then load to try and better it.

If the rifle doesn’t shoot with the 77s I’ll go down to the 75gr Hornadys (also loaded by black hills). I like the Hornady 75gr match BTHP a lot actually. It's got a .395bc with .214sd, .94oal; and pushed to 2850fps for 1350ftlbs at the muzzle, it should have 72” drop at 500. Importantly though, it feeds well from the magazine, and the rifle should like it just fine.

My "last resort" 300+ yard load would be the 69gr SMK (again, black hills loads it - .301bc with .196sd pushed to 3000fps for 1380ftlbs at the muzzle, 73” drop at 500); but I'm confident it will shoot the 75gr or 77gr.

My plan for any of these is to buy some Black Hills remans (which are really reasonably priced) and then trying to load myself to beat the performance.

Then of course there's my little experimental 75gr A-Max loads... which honestly I don't expect will do all that well. Oh I'm sure they'll shoot fine, but with such long ballistic tip bullets, I'm expecting feed problems.

Now, the bad news so to speak...

List price on what I picked up this weekend (upper, bolt, carrier, charging handle, buffer tube, stock, drag bag), would have been $1100 plus tax (8.5%) for a grand total of $1,193; but I was out the door for $860 (or $790 without the bag).

Added to the $250 I’ve got into the BUIS, $60 for the bipod (both of which I bought for my LAST varmint AR), and $110 for the lower; and I’m about $1200 into this gun, with another about $500 to go before the optics.

The optics... well... You know that old rule of thumb that your scope is going to cost at least as much as your rifle...

If I were paying retail that'd almost certainly be true; but with sellers like SWFA (who I ALWAYS recommend for everyone buying anything more than a Wal-Mart grade scope by the way. Great prices, and great customer service. I just wish they carried even more product lines - like Night Force for example), the market for medium to high end optics has come down quite a bit in relative price. Sure the very top of the market are still ... significant purchases shall we say... but I'd rather pay $1500 at SWFA than $2500 for the same thing at a high end brick and mortar retailer.

Of course, if the Super Sniper scope works out, who knows; maybe I can build the whole thing in around $2,000 - $2200 ($1700 or so for just the rifle). Otherwise, it should total out somewhere between $2500 and $3200 depending on what scope I pick (a little less than half of that being the scope and rings).

Sounds like a lot of money; and honestly it is; but for a fully custom hand built rifle that should better .5moa (and I really think it will), and optics to match it; that's a bargain. If I were to get Fulton, Wilson, or Baer to build a rifle withe the same basic components and level of quality, it would be $2000 - $2400 for just the rifle.

Of course, this is why I'm only 1/3 of the way done with the gun, after five months. Accuracy and precision cost money, plain and simple. I'f I'd just wanted any'ol AR I could have dropped $800 on a u-build-it shorty from Model 1 or somesuch.

So, my BAG day was a little late, between this and the Hi-Power; but I split the difference between tax day and my birthday, so all is well.

Oh and after handling mine, Mel asked me last night "Ok, now when are you gonna build me one?".

Buy A Gun Day Browning... sorta...

Look, I has me a Hi-Power!

Or rather, I have an FM M95 detective; a licensed Hi-Power, from the fine folks at Fabrica Militar.

The FM Hi-Powers are made on Browning designed tooling, under FN license since 1968; and in fact FN themselves (the fine folks who make Browning labeled guns) have in the past used FM parts for their own South American export mil-spec contract pistols. Additionally, FM parts are approved for use as replacement parts for Hi-Powers in use with various military organizations around the world.

Essentially the FM Hi-Powers are FN Mil-Spec Mark III P35s (the actual model number of the HiPower), with all the major Mark III features (the Mil-spec features, not the prettier commercial ones); unfortunately including the silly mag disconnect (which will be removed posthaste). They are identical to the FN produced models, except that they have three dot sights, they don't have the lightening relief cuts in the slide from the end of the dustcover to the muzzle (which means some closely fitted Hi-Power holsters would not fit); and the quality of surface finish (baked on enamel over parkerizing - again, Mil-Spec) isn't as good as the FN.

Importantly though, all parts are interchangeable (in fact, you can put a detective upper on an FN lower; and there are companies who will sell them to you for about $200).

The Detective is a standard Hi-Power, only 1" shorter. Basically, it's the "Commander" of Hi-Powers. Because of it's shorter length, it features a full length guide rod, and double nested recoil springs.

Generally speaking, those who own, or have reviewed the FM Hi-Powers like them; commenting on them as not quite as good as the FNs, but a good gun, reliable, and great value for the money; which these days is anywhere from $300 to $425. Here's a good review from Gun Blast, and a page from Cruffler on the background of the pistol.

The only problem people have had with the M95s, is with the detectives; and that is one of spring life, and the difficulty of finding replacements. Thankfully, if you know what you're doing, good quality industrial springs are not hard to order; and there's always Wolff and Springco.

Unfortunately I don't think anyone is importing the M95s right now; but there are plenty in surplus dealer hands; and their import status could change; who knows.

I've always really liked the Hi-Power. It's got the perfect balance of grip comfort and magazine capacity (13+1 standard, up to 18+1 with KRD or other extended magazines as shown here). Sure, it's only in 9mm, but I don't dislike 9mm, I just prefer .45, 10mm, .357sig or .40; and I've said many times before, if someone makes a genuine Hi-Power or clone in .45acp I'm so there (yes I know about the CZ9ZB, and no, it's different).

In many ways, Browning himself thought of the Hi-Power as "fixing the issues" that had come up with the 1911 since its introduction: it has a double stack frame, an external extractor, a takedown latch built into the safety (so you dont have to hold the slide back manually to take it down), an ambidextrous safety is customary, and there is no bushing to break or mis-fit (of course there are counterbalancing disadvantages to all of these points in favor of the 1911).

It's also smaller and lighter than the 1911 (as it should be given the much smaller caliber). Here it is up against my Yost Custom Springfield Champion ( a stainless Combat Commander).

I've always really liked the feel in the hand; and the natural point I have with a BHP (Browning Hi Power), though with he detective I find myself aiming a bit high unconsciously.

Importantly, the wife has the same feel and natural point with the gun that I do; whereas with a 1911, though she likes them, she's fighting the size of the gun jsut a little bit (she LOVES her Llama Especial - a .380 1911 clone - and she's really interested in Springfields new EMP, a 191 that's been scaled down for 9mm).

So now, I'm very happy to have examples of both major Brownings pistols designs that have lasted in continuous production (from 1911 and 1935 respectively) 'til today.... as well as just having a nice gun to carry and shoot.

The best part though, was the price. I traded a friend of mine 400 rounds of premium defensive .40, plus some cash; for the pistol with 4 mags (two 13rd Browning factory - actually made by MecGar if I recall correctly - and two 18rd KRD that I intend only for range use).

If taken retail to retail pricing, the ammo is worth more; but given ammoman/midway/CTD pricing it was a very satisfying deal on both our parts. He bought himself a SIG and needed to offset the cost (plus he shot through all the ammo he bought for it on the first day); and I sold my last .40 (actually the same model of SIG he bought) almost two years ago.

This is my main BAG day gun. I didn't have it up last week, because I hadn't picked it up yet; but I had made the deal to be a BAG day gun. We were both just waiting for the gun show this past weekend to make sure we could complete the transaction without anything popping up in the way.

I intend for this gun to be the basis for a simple Hi-Power project gun. New springs, hammer, new slide release and safety, new sights (Novak nights, almost certainly), and a refinish. The trigger is pretty good (excepting the mag disconnect), at about 6lbs and crisp with no noticable stack or creep; and it's a carry gun so I don't think I'll mess with it other than removing the disconnect (which should shorten and soften the takeup and break a little bit without making it sloppy).

In terms of the refinish and any metalwork, I probably wont go for anything flashy, I'm thinking Black-T maybe, or one of the baked epoxy finishes; and probably no beavertail, though I may change my mind on that. The gun (as with all Hi-Powers) desperately needs at the least a bevel on the factory magwell though, if not an extended magwell, because rapid mag changes are a PAIN. Also, it could use some fine checkering, or stippling, on the front and backstrap (though with the Hogues, the front strap doesn't much matter).

Sure, it'll end up being costing a LOT more than I paid for the gun, without honestly adding to much "value" in terms of resale price, but the utility will be there.

Now, who to send it to? Normally I'd only consider three guys: Wayne Novak, Bill Laughridge, and Ted Yost (who's my usual gun smith, considering he's 5 miles from my house, and does incredible work)... only problem is I don't feel like waiting a year or more to get my gun back. So, I'm open to suggestions.

More discussion on this gun and the project ideas later, but for now I'm zonking out for bed.

...Now if only it was in .357 sig.