He put forth his ideas in his book, “The County Sheriff, America's Last Hope.” Copies of the book may be ordered from www.sheriffmack.com or by writing to: PO Box 971, Pima, AZ 85543.
He believes fervently and instinctively that the freedom that is Americans' by right is being taken away from them and the Constitution is being gradually eroded. To counteract this trend, he has formed a group called “USA 1-911.” The name was chosen because members believe the country is in a top priority emergency situation.
He has pledged his life to the cause of freedom. He said, “I am dedicated to saving my country. This has consumed my life.”
His goal is to spread his message to every peace officer and citizen in the nation, especially the sheriffs. To reach that goal, he has appeared on TV shows, radio talk shows, on his Web site and YouTube, at Freedom Rallies and has spoken to hundreds of ordinary people gathered in small rooms across the country.
Mack, a fifth generation Arizonan, graduated from Eastern Arizona College and Brigham Young University with a degree in Latin American Studies and Sociology.
He spent 11 years with the Provo, Utah, Police Department, then moved back to Arizona to run for Graham County Sheriff in 1988. He served two terms. While in office, he graduated from the FBI Academy but did not become an agent. Read more
“You know, the NRA doesn’t spend that much money,’’ said Bloomberg during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press’’ program yesterday. “If you want to beat the NRA you have to go out and get your message out, and it costs money to do that.’’
NRA President Wayne LaPierre didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bloomberg has already contributed about $2.9 million to “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.’’ The organization of 450 city chiefs, founded in 2006 by Bloomberg and Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, lobbied to persuade the Senate to defeat a measure that would have allowed gun owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines. Read more
Note: Kevin Michalowski is the Editor of Gun Digest and Tactical Gear magazines.
If you own an AR-15 or happen to carry an M-16 or M-4 in some far-off dusty place, you also very likely have a pouch full of gadgets you use to clean and maintain that rifle. Well, now Gerber has taken all those important tools and put them together in one place in the eFECT Military Maintenance Tool.
The eFECT (Field Expedient Cleaning Tool) was developed for the distinct purpose of maintaining military style weapons. Built for the M16A/M4 it incorporates components that make field maintenance of a weapon faster and more precise.
It is compatible and interchangeable with Otis Breech-to-Muzzle components. Just unscrew the pick and you can screw in any of the Otis components. I like this because you can hook the Otis cable to the eFECT and pull the cleaning jag through the bore.
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The eFECT features all locking tools including a front sight adjustment tool that rotates for use with four- or five-pin sights. There is a carbon scraper, pin punch, and flat driver. Otis brush and curved pick and the whole unit drops into a ballistic nylon ACU Molle carrying pouch.
I was confused as to how the locking levers worked, for about a minute, but that was just operator error. Pull the levers straight back away from the tool and the tool is unlocked. Any other attempt to move the levers in a different direction proves how tough the Gerber tool is.
The handle panels are polymer and each of the tools are blackened steel and they give you all you need to conduct field maintenance on your rifle. Granted, you won't be changing a gas tube or swapping out a buttstock with this tool, but like the name says, this is a field expedient cleaning tool. If you need to keep your AR style rifle running, this tool will make that job very easy.
Now for the downside. Gerber may not have anticipated just how popular this little baby really is. I've noticed that the eFECT is on backorder from most of the places that regularly sell one. MSRP is about $130, but I have seen them listed for $80 at some outlets. But expect a delay in shipping.
The contents of the package splayed about next to the mag well vise block and fire control-less receiver.
Installing a new AR-15 trigger can make a world of difference. Several companies make great aftermarket AR parts. Let's look at some.
As we all know, the AR-15 has become “America’s rifle” in more ways than one. In its latest incarnations, it continues to serve on in our armed forces. As has been shown in this column on more than one occasion, this rifle has spawned an entire host of products to improve performance, ergonomics, or just to make it look cooler.
Most owners would agree that one aspect of this firearm that needs the most improvement is the fire control system. In other words, folks want a better trigger.
While the triggers on most factory rifles work, they tend to be heavy, creepy, often gritty, and exhibit a fair amount of take-up and overtravel. The creep, long take-up, and grittiness can be ascribed to the sear engagement; the more sear engagement there is the longer it will take the trigger to “break” (take up), and poorly polished surfaces will cause the grittiness.
Overtravel is the distance the trigger moves backwards after it breaks. Trigger pull weights are almost entirely a function of the hammer spring power, which forces the hammer’s sear engagement surface against the sear. A more powerful spring will increase the trigger pull. A more powerful trigger return spring will also have some effect on the pull weight, but it’s minor compared to the effect from the hammer spring.
Like all the other systems on the gun, there are aftermarket parts — really good ones — to improve your trigger function. In fact, several manufacturers use these triggers as OEM parts in some of their product offerings. A number of two-stage systems are available, including modular units, from Jard, Jewell, Chip McCormick, Geissele, Timney, and from several of the rifle manufacturers. Single-stage trigger units are available from Jard, Chip McCormick, and JP Enterprises. (I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that the reader knows the difference between a single stage and a two-stage trigger).
The setup covered in this column is the unit from JP Enterprises. It’s the single-stage trigger kit I have the most experience with and one that is very, very good. JP offers a kit that includes only the trigger with spring, another that includes and entire fire control package with hammer, springs, disconnector, and anti-walk pins. It also offers a modular fire control unit that drops into the empty hole in a lower receiver with an adjustable selector/safety included.
One reason to write about this package is it’s often installed incorrectly — to be more precise, not correctly enough. The kits come with an extensive instruction sheet and installation CD that are more than adequate for the beginner. But I’m going to replicate this installation more concisely, touching on the “not so correct” points.
The first step in the adjustment process. The overtravel screw. Hammer would be cocked for this step but is up for illustration purposes. Note the blood red hammer spring and bright yellow trigger return spring.
Let’s Get Started
Get a magazine well vise block from Brownells and put it in your vise. The first thing to do with the parts is to separate and degrease them thoroughly, particularly the screw threads on the trigger. Clean out your lower, as there’s no sense installing a super-cool trigger and other stuff if you don’t bother to clear the housing of filth.
Put a small dab of red Loctite on two of the trigger pin screws. Screw these onto one end of each of the trigger/hammer pins. Make sure the pins will fit in your receiver; they’re slightly oversized and may be a very tight fit. (In rare cases, if the pins will not slide in or gently tap in with a plastic mallet, then the holes will have to be reamed.)
You’ll likely have to knock the very top corner tip off the safety engagement surface on the back end of the trigger in order to clear the selector as you push the trigger down into the receiver. Take the trigger, place the trigger return spring on it, and insert it into the receiver.
Here’s where it helps greatly to have two simple tools: Buy two extra firing pins and grind or cut the tips off. These make a perfect “slave pins” for installation and are inexpensive. Use them to retain the trigger and hammer in the receiver during the installation process.
Hammer Springs 101
Important point: Thanks to poor advice given on the internet, it’s become popular to make a lighter trigger pull by reversing the hammer spring on the hammer so it’s installed backwards.
This doesn’t work. Springs are designed to work in one direction. By putting the hammer spring on backward (it’s easily done), the spring force is inconsistent: The hammer will not always fall with enough force to ignite the primer because the spring isn’t building up and releasing the energy it was designed to produce.
The JP kits come with your choice of three different hammer spring strengths. Yellow is three pounds, red is 3.5 pounds, and gray is 4.5 pounds. The yellow is most often used for match or varmint setups, red for match (enhanced reliability) and duty use, and gray for duty and DCM matches.
Adjust, Adjust, Adjust
Once the trigger and hammer are installed, you can add the overtravel adjustment screw. Cock the hammer. Take the shorter of the two small headless screws, dab a bit of red Loctite on it (don’t skimp, you can always wipe off the excess), and screw it in all the way.
Place your least favorite thumb in front of the hammer to prevent the hammer from hitting the receiver. Then hold the trigger back and unscrew the screw until the hammer falls. Do this a couple of times and then go just a teeny bit farther. There should be just the tiniest bit of trigger jiggle, with no interference with the hammer once the trigger is pulled.
If you’re holding the trigger back and you hear a slight scraping noise when you rotate the hammer, you don’t have enough overtravel.
Unscrew it a tiny bit more until the scraping goes away. If there’s more than a tiny jiggle, you’ve got too much. This is why you do it a few times — to “feel” it out. It’s easier than it sounds. Just go to release and add a small bit more. If you’re one of those clowns who actually likes lots of overtravel, then by all means, turn the screw out to your heart’s content.
Now set the sear adjustment screw. With the hammer cocked and red Loctite on the remaining headless screw, turn the screw in until the hammer falls on your thumb. Back it out a bit, recock the hammer, and do it again. Repeat five more times. The bent leg of the hex wrench gives a good clock measurement for this task.
Once you’re sure you know where the trigger breaks — say, 6 o’clock from your vantage point — back the screw out one full turn. Then screw it one-quarter turn back in and stop. This will give you three quarters of a turn of sear engagement.
For safety reasons, don’t reduce this. You’ll find that this is more than adequate and is about one millionth the engagement of a standard factory trigger.
The author illustrates the correct and only reliable orientations that the hammer and trigger springs are to be installed. Also visible is the polished edge of the trigger pin hole on the trigger.
Connect the Disconnector
Now install the hammer pin. Take the disconnector and insert it into its slot on the trigger. If you’re lucky, the whole assembly will work perfectly now. For those of you not so blessed, we now need to time or “fit” the disconnector.
This is arguably the most important piece of the fire control unit. It keeps the gun from slam firing, not firing, and doubling. It happens to be very cheap and easy to replace if you screw this up, as it is also the same part that everyone uses in their semi-auto ARs.
The usual fitting issue involves the disconnector hook on the hammer. It almost always has too much engagement so the trigger won’t reset when it is released.
The solution is very simple. Take the disconnector back out and stone off the tip of the hook on the disconnector a bit at a time until the interference is just barely there. When the hammer is being cocked it should just nick the disconnector. This will give maximum disconnector engagement with the minimal amount of trigger reset.
When you stone that hook on the disconnector, it will slowly become a facet instead of a point. That’s okay, just keep that flat parallel with the trigger pin hole in the disconnector. It’s kind of like finding the North Star by following the imaginary line extending down from the rightmost two stars in the big dipper. Just extend the imaginary line through the center of the hole.
Now put the selector on safe. You can’t do it, can you? You need to take the trigger back out and slowly grind down the safety pad extending from the back of the trigger until, when cocked, the selector will engage on safe with miniscule to no trigger jiggle when safed. The selector should be able to go about halfway to safe when the unit is uncocked.
When this is done, insert the trigger pin, and top the two pins off with their final screws, each with a dab of blue Loctite. This will allow you to get them out later with minor effort, yet will keep the screws from backing out on their own.
Testing the Result
With your thumb in place, cock and fire the trigger multiple times, each time holding the trigger back until the hammer is recocked. Releasing the trigger should then release the hammer from the disconnector, allowing the trigger to fully reset.
If the hammer falls on the block when the trigger is released, then somewhere along the way you took too much material off the front of the disconnector. To remedy this, slowly remove material from the bottom of the nose — that pointy thing on the front of the disconnector — until it will properly engage. The trigger when released should come to rest precisely as the hammer is released from the disconnector.
Once you have that perfect, cock the hammer with the trigger held back to engage the disconnector. Now flick the hammer by pulling it further back and releasing it. The disconnector should catch it. If it doesn’t, try increasing the disconnector hold on the hammer by stoning the nose.
If this doesn’t work, send the whole shebang to JP to have them do it. JP has special triggers held in reserve to fit in receivers with this issue.
The trigger pull should be extremely crisp, light and have no discernable take up or creep. Remember that this is a single stage trigger and will break quickly and cleanly, and has a remarkably short reset.
You may have noticed that there is a lot “take this part out, adjust it, and put it back in” action going on here. If you’re a gunsmith, you should be used to this, and it should be no problem. If you’re not a gunsmith, do it anyway. This is a fire control unit that is designed to be adjusted to your desired settings (safety first overall) and then left alone.
Going in after the fact to change something, other than springs, pretty much involves redoing it. Do it right the first time. Be sure to watch the video. I like to see things done before I actually do them myself.
After initial safety testing, let the Loctite set overnight. Finally, the safety fit can be avoided by using JP’s adjustable selector. Just fit the trigger parts and set the safety with the set screws in the adjustable selector. It saves lots of time.
Go Shoot It
I used to think that standard triggers were not too bad. Not anymore. For the cost of a big sharp-edged free-float Picatinny handguard tube, you can refine the feel of your rifle to a far better result, and improve your accuracy with this JP trigger kit.
“The law will take effect in early January…A task force is reviewing its potential impact and will make recommendations this fall.
“Corzine and gun-control advocates argue that roughly a quarter of what they call ‘crime guns’ recovered in New Jersey come from within the state. It’s not clear how many of those came from the type of multiple purchases that Corzine wants to stop … Critics say the law would impinge on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens in New Jersey, which already has some of the most strict gun laws in the nation.”
Said Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, “Trying to reduce gun crime by rationing guns to law-abiding citizens is as absurd as trying to reduce drunk driving by rationing cars to non-drinkers.”
President Obama's call for the Senate to ratify a hemispheric small-firearms treaty dominated his last visit to Mexico, but in the four months since, both the treaty pledge and the drug violence that prompted it have dropped off the radar – a victim of Congress' full schedule and gun politics.
That means on Sunday Mr. Obama will go with an empty hand to Mexico, which blames the U.S. for many of the weapons used by drug cartels that have violently thwarted a crackdown by Mexican authorities.
And even though Mr. Obama and his administration have accepted that blame, prospects are dim for passage of the treaty, which calls on countries to license gun manufacturers and try to control illicit trafficking in firearms, ammunition and explosives.
The chief U.S. negotiator for the 1997 treaty, known by its Spanish acronym of CIFTA, says it was written specifically to avoid forcing the U.S. to change its laws, and says it does not give any other country a say over what is legal or illegal in the U.S. – and that gun-rights groups were even involved in writing parts of the treaty.
But the National Rifle Association now claims CIFTA could hurt hunters and says U.S. Second Amendment interests should not be controlled by an international treaty. Key senators such as Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat whose gun-rights credentials may be crucial to his winning re-election next year, was cool to Mr. Obama's call for ratification in April, and a spokesman said nothing has changed since. Read more
For Thweatt and his board, the decision was pure mathematics.
The school, which sits in the middle of a prairie, was too far from law enforcement for police to come in time to fend off would-be attackers. The students and staff would be safer if on-site, trained staff members were equipped to handle a crisis at a moment’s notice, they decided.
Thweatt had already installed a $100,000 state-of-the-art security system in the school. Now, arming certain unnamed school staff members by allowing them to strap a firearm under their clothing was the final flourish.
In the year since that historic decision, a gun was never brandished or fired at the school. There were no problems, Thweatt said.
However, one week after school began, police busted a methamphetamine lab set up in an abandoned house that sat 50 feet from the school property.
A deputy had peered inside and “saw something in the walls and windows and called for backup,” Thweatt said. “They made it to the abandoned house in 15 minutes. We had figured it would take 18 to 20 minutes in a typical situation.”
Had that been an armed intruder at his school, response time would have been too slow.
“We’re the first responders. We have to be,” Thweatt said. “We don’t have 5 minutes. We don’t have 10 minutes. We would have had 20 minutes of hell” if attackers had targeted the school.
Harrold students, who grew up on ranches and in the middle of the North Texas gun culture, were unperturbed by the school district’s new gun policy. Read more
Old Barn Auction held a summer firearms sale June 26-27 in Findlay, Ohio. Several hundred people attended the show with half the bids coming in by phone. Along with the surge in gun sales as a result of the presidential election, organizers suggested that people are more comfortable investing in collectible antiques than they are investing in the turbulent financial industry. Total sales for the auction came to $628,177.50. Old Barn's next auction will be held in late October.
Highlights of the sale included:
Henry U.S. Purchased Rifle – SN#3686 This gun is U. S. Inspected, 1 of 1200 issued to the 1st District of Columbia Cavalry in 1864, it has matching numbers on the barrel, frame, buttstock, butt plate and even the screws in the butt plate – the rifle was shipped and received by the D.C. cavalry in March 1864, some time in 1864 the gun was lost, or captured by the confederates and issued to one of their soldiers who engraved his name S.R. Heckman, and the date 1864 on the side of the receiver S.R. Heckman, during the Civil War served in 3 Confederate Units, Co. E. 136th Infantry Co. D. 146th Infantry and Co. D. Virginia Reserves Infantry. He was born 1821 and died 1903, buried Mt. Cavalry Cemetery Tremont City, Virginia, included is a book The Historic Henry Rifle by Wiley Sword with much information on Henrys – the rifle is in very good to fine condition $34000
Flintlock Indian Trade Fowling Gun with Dragon Side Plate, converted to percussion, 36 5/8” barrel, lock marked with setting Fox within a circle “Hollis” marked behind hammer, brass hardware 1/2” upper tang broken off – a rare gun $3000
Plus: Henry Rifle, 44 Rimfire, 24” barrel, Brass frame is a dark mustard color SN#9112, barrel is dark gray and smooth with lettering clear, stock has a few minor dents & dings, but nothing major, sling is from the period, overall the gun is very good and appears all original $24000
Browning “Olympian” Grade Bolt Action Rifle – 243 caliber, SN#987188 Beautiful extra fine checkering with floral carving outline, mountain lion engraved on floor plate, Leupold 2 x 7 Vari-Xscope – excellent $4500
Alderfer
Alderfer Auction held a firearms sale on July 20 in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Strong turnout and sales culminated in solid gun prices. Highlights of the sale:
Smith & Wesson 27 double action revolver. Cal. 357 Mag. 8 1/4″ bbl. SN S210495. Blued finish with checkered walnut grips. Excellent. $632.50
Smith & Wesson 629-1 double action revolver. Cal. 44 Mag. 8 1/2″ bbl. SN AFB7694. Stainless steel finish with checkered walnut grips. Excellent. $687.50
Smith & Wesson 60 double action revolver. Cal. 38. 2″ bbl. SN AYP7044. Stainless steel finish with custom ivory-style grips, firearm is highly engraved. In factory box with manual and factory grips. Excellent. $990.00
Colt Single Action Army single action revolver. Cal. 32 WCF. 4 1/2″ bbl. SN 334809. Reblued finish on metal with bone style grips. Very good. (C&R) $1,045.00
Colt Woodsman Match Target Model semi-automatic pistol. Cal. 22. 6 5/8″ bbl. SN MT9932. Blued finish with walnut target grips. Target Sights. Very Good. $1,243.00
Wildey semi-automatic pistol. Cal. 45 Win Mag. 8 1/2″ bbl. SN 45-1526. Stainless steel finish with checkered walnut grips, adjustable rear sight, adjustable gas regulator. In factory box with manual and 2 magazines. Excellent. $1,356.00
Browning Superposed over/under double barrel shotgun. 12 ga. 26″ bbls. SN 8553. Blued finish with steel receiver, checkered walnut stock and forend, double triggers, auto ejectors and rubber butt plate. Very good. $880.00
AH Fox Sterlingworth side by side double barrel shotgun. 12 ga. 30″ bbls. SN 73236. Blued finish, case colored receiver, checkered walnut stock and forend. Very good. (C&R) $1,210.00
Semper & Krieghoff drilling. 16 ga./7.8mm. 26″ bbls. SN 12333. Reblued finish with case colored receiver, checkered walnut stock and forend with raised cheek piece has minor handling marks, plastic butt plate. Stock has had a large piece broken off which has been repaired. Good. (C&R) $990.00
Buy the gun collectors' ultimate reference – The Standard Catalog of Firearms!
In writing of his early interest in Gun Digest, Dan Shideler — the publication's newest editor — reflects:
“Gun Digest literally needs no introduction,” writing in his article A book for All Ages: Gun Digest. “In the long-gone Indiana of the 1960s, my brother and I eagerly awaited the day when our father would bring home the new edition of Gun Digest. When it came, we read it for weeks on end, eventually reducing it to coverless tatters. Dad called it ‘the greatest bathroom book of all time.' My brother and I called it pure gold. Think of it — where else could you find articles on virtually any firearms-related topic, all written by the greatest gunwriters who ever put pen to paper?”
Now Gun Digest is proud to introduce the Six-Decade Digital Collection — a 3-DVD set containing all 65 years, 1944 through 2009 — in fully-searchable PDF format. The 3-DVD set contains a digital menu, allowing you to navigate by year to the edition you want to open. And each issue contains a linked Table of Contents and bookmarks that allow you to browse easily to articles or the vast reference sections of the book.
Featured on these three DVDs is firearms content from all 65 annual editions of Gun Digest –– from the rare 1944 1st edition to the 2009 edition. From the great gunwriters of the past such as Elmer Keith and Jack O’Connor to today’s leading authorities.
Each disc on the Gun Digest DVD contains a digital menu, allowing you to click to the edition you want to read.
Nearly all of these editions are out of print and are very rare and difficult to find. For the first time ever they are available through this exclusive DVD set.
Product Snapshot:
– Thousands of articles and gun reviews, reports from the field and practical how-to instructions for serious shooters.
– Information from the nation’s top dealers, manufacturers and firearms distributors dating back to 1944.
– Access a rich repository — your own digital gun book library — of gun and accessory information and technical data on guns, including ballistics charts.
– An easy-to-use format that lets you find what you’re looking for — fast.
Bonus Interview with Gun Digest Editor Dan Shideler
Q: You're the new editor of Gun Digest, and have written that your interest in the book goes back to your youth. What's your reaction — as a life-long fan of Gun Digest — about the release of this historic 3-DVD set, containing all 65 editions?
Shideler: This groundbreaking DVD set is our response to the thousands of Gun Digest readers who have requested back copies and reprints over the years.
Gun Digest Editor Dan Shideler
Unlike many of its competitors who have come and gone, Gun Digest is much more than an illustrated gun catalog: it's the shooter's first, best source of gun-related history, scholarship, information and entertainment.
Like MGM Studios, Gun Digest can boast “More Stars Than There Are in the Heavens.” Since 1944, Gun Digest has been the home of the greatest gunwriters of all time, such as Elmer Keith, Jack O'Connor, Chas. Askins, Lucian Cary, George Nonte, John Taffin, and countless others. We're particularly proud of the fact that Larry Sterret and J. B. Wood — both of whom wrote for Gun Digest when it was edited by our “patron saint,” John T. Amber — are still writing for Gun Digest today.
In these days when so much gun-related writing is no more than thinly-veiled advertising for this or that new product, Gun Digest was, and is, a truly independent voice, a resource that shooters have trusted for more than six decades.
For everyone who remembers Gun Digest as the shooter's greatest “Wish Book,” this three-DVD set is an absolute must.
You might also be interested in:
Gun Digest 2010, 64th Edition
Stay on top of what's happening in the ever-changing world of firearms. Gun Digest 2010 is your #1 source for:
– Test-fire reports from the field – Illustrated firearms catalog with current arms & accessories – New product reports and feature articles – Arms trade directory – find dealers quickly and easily – BONUS DVD included giving you a “sneak peek” into the dealers-only annual SHOT Show
Gun Digest 2010 brings together into one easy-to-use resource the details found in many manufacturers' catalogs, product reviews from the top gun writers and authoritative articles from leading industry experts. This is what has made it “the world's greatest gun book” for 65 years strong.
PORT RICHMOND – August 9, 2009 (WPVI) — A pizza shop owner in Philadelphia fought back when a man tried to rob him at gunpoint.
The attempted robbery happened inside Tony's Place pizza shop on the 2900 block of Frankford Avenue in the city's Port Richmond section.
Police say an armed gunman walked into the pizza shop at 11:45 Saturday night demanding money, but the owner pulled out his own gun and shot the robber in the back.
All the Democrats in attendance voted for Sotomayor, while nine Republicans joined their ranks.
The Republican Senators who voted for Sotomayor were: Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Christopher Bond of Missouri, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, Mel Martinez of Florida, George Voinovich of Ohio and Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine.
Many Democrat Senators campaigned on a pro-Second Amendment platform, yet voted to confirm a nominee who does not believe you have a fundamental right to self defense or an individual right to possess a firearm.
Placing the prerogatives of President Obama over their constitutional “Advice and Consent” duty, many so-called pro-gun Senators reneged on their promises to voters that they would support the individual right to keep and bear arms.
The common refrain heard in the Senate before the vote was: “The President deserves his pick.”
Of course, Senator Barrack Obama did not hold that view in 2006, when he opposed President Bush’s pick of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Then-Senator Obama said:
There are some who believe that the President, having won the election, should have the complete authority to appoint his nominee, and the Senate should only examine whether or not the Justice is intellectually capable and an all-around nice guy. That once you get beyond intellect and personal character, there should be no further question whether the judge should be confirmed.
I disagree with this view. I believe firmly that the Constitution calls for the Senate to advise and consent. I believe that it calls for meaningful advice and consent that includes an examination of a judge's philosophy, ideology, and record.
Thankfully, we are seeing more and more Senators stand up to Obama’s radical agenda. You will remember that GOA encouraged you to lobby other gun groups so that gun owners across the country could speak with a unified voice in opposition to Judge Sotomayor. Read more
Bond, R-Mo., decried the effects of partisanship “infecting” the political system and said that nothing had emerged in Senate hearings that cast doubt on her capacity to serve on the high court.
If Republicans want conservative justices, he said, then they need to work harder to win presidential elections.
Here is a text of Bond’s remarks delivered before Sotomayor’s confirmation:
“Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States.
“Few positions carry more honor, or solemn duty, than becoming a Justice of the highest court of the greatest democracy.
“Few duties carry more honor, or solemn responsibility, than giving advice and consent on who should become a Justice on the highest court of the greatest democracy.
“The walls of that Supreme Court form the vessel that holds the great protections of our liberty.
“Those black robes give life to the Constitution’s freedoms and the flourishing of our ideas and beliefs.” Read more
Sotomayor’s nomination was opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). In a July 23, 2009 letter to senate leaders, Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President, and Chris Cox, Vice President and Executive Director of the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action, noted that,
“From the outset, the National Rifle Association respected the confirmation process and hoped for mainstream answers to bedrock questions. Unfortunately, Judge Sotomayor's judicial record and testimony during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings clearly demonstrate a hostile view of the Second Amendment and the fundamental right of self-defense guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.”
That hostility was found in various judicial rulings. For example,
“Judge Sotomayor was a member of the panel in the case of United States v. Sanchez-Villar, where (in a summary opinion) the Second Circuit dismissed a Second Amendment challenge to New York State's pistol licensing law. That panel, in a terse footnote, cited a previous Second Circuit case to claim, ‘the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right.’”
LaPierre and Cox’s letter concluded, “We believe any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self defense should not serve on any court, much less the highest court in the land. Given the importance of this issue, the vote on Judge Sotomayor's confirmation will be considered in NRA's future candidate evaluations.”
Team S&W Shooter Julie Golowski using a 9mm M&P at the 2006 Production Nationals
I am an avid USPSA shooter. I was turned off by the technology race and began shooting and ended up spending alot of money building Limited pistols!
In recent years, such mundane matters as putting my daughter through college and graduate school, needing a new car and – groan! – buying a house, have put a severe crimp in my “fun funds.” Because of this I began looking for a less expensive means of pursuing my favorite sport. Enter Production Division … USPSA created Production Division for those persons who wanted to compete with basically factory, stock (read, “inexpensive”) pistols.
Besides restricting magazine capacity to 10 rounds, there are strict limitations as to what modifications can be made to the pistol (e.g.: internal polishing and detailing of parts, changing the sights,etc.) and the rules mandated that only pistols using DA/SA, DAO or Safe Action type triggers were permitted. Unlike Open, Limited and Limited Ten divisions, Production did away with the Major/Minor power factor (P.F.) controversy for ammunition by specifying that only Minor P.F. was needed to compete.
This had the result of making the readily available, and inexpensive, 9mm Parabellum cartridge the overwhelming choice among Production shooters. Over the past few years I have used several different pistols in Production division and, while all have proven suitable for the sport, most lacked that “something” that I considered necessary for competition.
Last year I obtained a 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P pistol which, until recently, spent most of its time as my “night stand” gun. The M&P is Smith’s newest addition to their extensive line of semi-auto pistols and is possibly the best one they have produced so far.
Since its introduction, the M&P has been examined extensively in gun magazines and I don’t feel it is necessary to repeat the technical nitty-gritty here. Suffice it to say that the M&P is a polymer framed pistol that uses integral steel rails to strengthen the frame and provide rigidity that improves accuracy and functional reliability. It features a double-action-only (DAO) type trigger, multiple internal safety devices, accepts high-capacity magazines and features an ergonomically-shaped grip with interchangeable inserts (S&W calls them “palm swells”) that allow the shooter to fit the pistol to their particular hand size.
Interchangeable “palm swells” are offered for the M&P to custom fit to your hand.
It is available in 9mm Para, 357 SIG, 40 S&W and 45 ACP, in both standard and compact versions. I found my M&P a very shootable pistol and, as these things tend to happen, began ruminating upon the idea of using it in competition. With this in mind, I approached my good friend, fellow action pistol shooter, and part time gunsmith, Lin Webb. Lin has built several competition pistols for me and when I asked him if he could work his magic on the M&P he responded rather guardedly “Well…I haven’t done a trigger job on one of them before and, as far as I know, neither has anyone else. I guess someone has to be the first? Leave it with me.”
I did. After some time had passed, Lin called and told me “I think I’ve figured out how to smooth out the trigger and get the let-off a bit lighter.” The following month, a rather cryptic e-mail arrived from my erstwhile ‘smithin forming me that “….I believe it will work. I’m almost done.”
A few weeks later a follow-up message arrived “Yup, it works. I’ve taken first place Production with it in two matches so far. You’re not going to believe the trigger!”
Smoothing Out the M&P Trigger
Needless to say, my anxiety level was steadily rising and I could not wait to get my hands on my M&P. I asked Lin if he would tell the readers in his own words how he accomplished this. No one has ever been able to accuse him of being the taciturn type, so he elaborated thus:
The HiViz front sight has the fiber optic rod encased in high-impact polymer to protect it from damage. Its brightness greatly enhances fast target acquisition and accuracy.
1 Make sure the pistol is unloaded and remove any and all ammo from the same area as the pistol you are working on. 1.1 Make dad-gum sure the gun is unloaded, with no ammo in the same area you are working in.
2 The M&P, like any other semi-auto on the market today, has’ way too much take-up and overtravel as it comes from the factory. Remove the slide, and pull the trigger to the rear and note where the trigger bar engages the sear. If your pistol has the magazine safety, you must hold the mag safety lever up to see this function, so you may as well insert an empty magazine so you’ll only need two hands instead of three.
If your gun does not have the mag safety lever, you must pull the sear deactivation lever back up in order to see the trigger bar move in its normal operating position. Just be sure to return the deactivation lever to the ‘down’ position before reassembly.
3 Once you’ve got it in your head where and how the trigger bar contacts the sear, proceed to remove the sear housing block. Use the correct size pin punch or roll pin punch and remove the pin from the frame. Be sure to support the frame from the bottom so the pin can clear the frame as it is driven out.
The pin can be removed from either direction. Then lift the sear housing out of the frame. You can use the same punch you used to remove the pin to pry the sear housing block out of the frame. When you get the sear housing about half-way up, pull the trigger to the rear to take tension off the trigger bar. Continue to lift upon the sear housing, and then it will slide right off the rear of the trigger bar. On older model M&Ps, the ejector will practically fall off the side of the sear housing. This is OK, but on newer models, it will be staked on pretty tightly, so don’t bother to remove it.
4 Locate the sear pin, and push it out. It will come out easily and from either direction. Be sure to keep the sear housing in the upright position as you remove the pin, and then remove the sear itself. Again, be sure to keep the housing upright so the sear spring and plunger stay in place because if they fall out, they are a pain to get back in. Use a small piece of leather or wood to clamp the sear in a small vise. Make sure the contact point with the trigger bar is facing up. Using a small fine cut mill file, start cutting the rounded portion of the sear where the trigger bar makes contact. Cut SLOWLY at a 45-degree angle, and remove about 20 percent of this contact point. Finish with a fine cut stone to polish the surface, and then finish by slightly rounding the edges for a smooth “compound” type finish. Then polish the trigger bar where it contacts the sear to a fine mirror-like finish. Remember to go slowly, and don’t remove any metal from the trigger bar, just polish only. You might want to put the gun back together at this point to test it out to see where you are.
Just this little bit of work will greatly improve the pull.
5 For a further reduced trigger pull weight, remove the sear again and look at the rear of the sear. You’ll see a hump where the sear engages the striker and pulls it to the rear during trigger pull. Polish the rear of the sear with a polishing wheel, and also the top flat portion of the sear where the tang of the striker rides across during re-set. Be sure to keep the two surfaces at right angles to each other. In other words, don’t round off this edge. Keep it at 90 degrees to eachother. Polishing with an aggressive jeweler’s polishing compound works quite well.
You can also use a Dremel polishing wheel to speed this process, but go slowly. This will remove metal faster than you think.You can remove the striker now and polish the tang of the striker where it makes contact with the sear. Polish only here, DO NOT remove any metal. To remove the striker, push down on the striker sleeve, just like brand “G” and push the end cap off, while holding your thumb over the striker to keep it from flying into the next room, and remove the striker.
6 To remove the “crunchiness” from the trigger pull, now is the time to do this while the striker is removed. Wrap the slide in several wraps of cloth or use a large piece of leather, and clamp it in a vise with just the rear sight area clear of the vise jaws. Loosen the set screw in the rear sight.
Using a brass drift punch, tap the rear sight out from left to right. Don’t be afraid to whack it, as some rear sights are tough to remove. Nylon punches give too much, and steel punches will mar the sight. Use a brass punch with nice square edges. If yours is not, straighten it up with a file first. When the sight is almost out, look for the firing pin safety block spring cap and spring underneath the rear sight. Hold your finger over this cap as you continue to tap the sight out.
Hold onto to the cap to keep it from flying into the next county. Remember, the striker must be OUT of the gun to be able to do this. Remove the firing pin safety block from the frame.
7 Using a 3/32” pin punch, place the firing pin safety block on the end of the punch. Hold the firing pin block at a 45-degree angle to a 3M polishing wheel and polish the head of the safety block but do not remove any metal from these two areas of the trigger bar. Clean the hole where the firing pin block goes and lube it with a good quality gun lube. Put the firing pin block back in, along with the small spring.
Start the rear sight into the dovetail from right to left. Place the spring cap on top of the spring and press it into place. While holding it there, tap the rear sight back over this assembly to hold it in place. Don’t let go until the rear sight has almost covered the cap or it will fly out. NOTE: This procedure is very tricky, but go slow and you can do it. Some rear sights are easier to get out and back in than others on the same model gun, so don’t be afraid to whack the hell out of it with a brass punch to get it to move. Brass marks can be easily removed with 0000 steel wool.
8 There is one last thing you can do for the ultimate M&P trigger job. Obtain a Glock trigger return spring and replace the stock M&P trigger spring with this spring. Be sure to place the open end of the spring on the trigger bar in the UP position. The end that goes on the trigger pin must be slightly enlarged to fit over the M&P trigger pin, but it can be done.
Use a pin punch of the proper size as a guide to align the pin hole and spring as you tap the trigger pin back in. If you have done everything as I have described it, you will have a much improved trigger pull over the stock configuration. If you shoot a lot of USPSA or IDPA matches, your scores will definitely improve. There are several M&P trigger jobs described on the Internet now, and they are very much like I have described it here, however, you must have some familiarity with the M&P to perform these modifications correctly.
It isn’t as easy as some would have you believe. I have found out that the 45-caliber M&P differs slightly from the 9mm, 40S&W, and the 357 SIG calibers. The firing pin is different, the angles on the trigger and sear are different, and pretty much everything as far as a trigger job goes is different, so take your time on the 45s. Again, go slow, and don’t remove too much. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, then you will be way ahead of the game to send your gun out to some of the shops that advertise M&P trigger jobs on the Internet.
Since working on Paul’s pistol, I’ve done about two dozen M&P trigger jobs without any failure, and no safety parts violations, but they were T&E guns and they were not returned to the general shooting public. Most all of these guns broke the trigger pull gauge at around 3 pounds, and were smooth as silk.
If you feel like it, and have the confidence, give it a try. You might want to purchase a spare sear, safety block, and trigger bar from Smith & Wesson just in case you mess something up. That way you can put stock parts back in and get the gun back up and shooting again.
Getting the Pistol Back
As I make no pretense whatsoever to being technically minded, I will have to take what Lin said at face value. But I can tell you this: once I finally retrieved my M&P from Mr. Webb’s clutches, and got a chance to try it, I was most impressed. The trigger take-up was so light and smooth as to be almost unnoticeable; the let-off was a crisp 2.5 pounds while reset distance was less than a half-inch. During rapid fire drills it almost felt as if I was shooting a single-action pistol.
In fact, after getting my M&P back, the only changes I made to it were to install a HiViz fiber optic front sight and use a marker pen to blacken out the white dots on the rear sight. Aside from the trigger return spring and front sight replacement it remains a 100-percent stock pistol and thus abides by USPSA rules to the letter!
Being the M&P has fixed sights I experimented with various brands of factory and handloaded ammo and eventually settled on Cor-Bon’s 9mm 147-grain Performance Match ammunition for serious competition shooting. I have used this ammo in several pistols over the years and it has proven to be the most accurate 9mm load I have ever shot.
My handload consists of a Berry’s 147-grain plated bullet over 3.6 grains of TiteGroup. Both provide 100-percent functioning, shoot close enough to point out to 25 yards to keep me happy, produce low levels of recoil and make Minor P.F. with a bit to spare.
I also experimented with a number of holsters and mag pouches and settled on a Comp-Tac Belt Holster and Belt feed magazine pouches. The former holds the M&P at just the right height and angle for a fast acquisition and smooth draw while the latter rig holds four spare magazines in a staggered row allowing a fast, secure grip on each to ensure fast and smooth reloads. Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to practice very much with my M&P before the next match but, despite the trepidation I felt at competing with a pistol I had little experience with, I finished 2nd Place overall in Limited Division and 1st Place in B Class.
And while I like to think that my personal skill had a little something to do with it, a good measure of the credit must go to Lin’s excellent trigger job and the accuracy, reliability and ergonomics that were built into the M&P at the factory. The M&P has served as my regular Production pistol for several months now and my positive opinion of it continues to grow. As Humphrey Bogart said at the end of his classic film Casablanca,“….I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
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