ken_mays

I put them on carry guns and I like to buy factory models with optic cuts whenever possible. I would also like have one or two set up for competition as well, but honestly, the USPSA carry optics division is meant for just these kinds of guns anyway. I don't have much appetite for getting one mounted on a .40 or 9mm 2011.

Saw one yesterday for over $1000 and had a good laugh. The slide looks like gloss black Krylon wearing off. I like my 365 but this one’s ridiculous IMO.

If you can’t bring yourself to pay USGI prices, and just want something to shoot, you might consider the new Kahr / Auto Ordnance or a used Plainfield. Universal carbines run the gamut from OK to junk. The earlier models are better when they were still using lots of surplus parts. I’d avoid the later ones, mostly identifiable by the cutout on the operating rod. I personally avoid all of the Universal guns on principle but times being what they are, I might reconsider if I came across one cheap enough.

Already been tried and largely abandoned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×25mm_Dillon

Trying to go the budget route on a slide mounted dot isn’t wise. Anything that cheap is going to have problems sooner or later. Something like a Vortex Venom is about as low as I’d go, and if you don’t like it, you will still be able to get your money back out of it.

Staccato and Nighthawk are two 2011 builders, at present, that come with optic cuts from the factory. The slide can also be milled, but due to the narrow profile, an adapter plate is needed.

You could also look at a 2011 or Para clone in 10mm. Rock Island makes the only Para clone that I would take a chance on, at this time. The benefit with these is that there is an infinite variety of springs weights that you can swap to tune your gun to your favorite load.

Keep in mind that one useful role for the iron sights is to help orient the slide so that you can help find the dot. You hear a lot of people saying that a proper presentation will fix all problems with finding the dot, but that's not taking into account off hand or nonstandard positions. In other words, a repeatable, consistent presentation isn't something that can always be relied upon.

They ship USPS Priority Mail, so with the current logjam in the post office, it spent as much time getting back to me as it did getting there and cut.

JaegerWerks. Sent this off last December and got it back after a 2-week turnaround. $125

That's good; I wonder how it looks with a HS507 since those rise a little higher than RMRs. @NickinTN Can I ask what LGS you saw the PDPs in?

That's a pretty good price, I handled one with a $700 tag on it. I'm a fan of the PPQ and I'll definitely pick a PDP up. I've followed their other optic ready models but felt they were too expensive and not quite what I wanted. The PDP fixes that. The trigger was, if anything, lighter than the PPQ. The grip texture was better than the PPQ without being obnoxiously rough for a CCW. It would have been nice for them to include RDS-ready high sights in the box, if not necessarily installed.

What I've done in the past is taken a belt sander or bench grinder to a 1/16" punch. Keep it spinning against the wheel or belt as you take material off. Often you don't need to take off very much at all, and it doesn't have to be perfect. It also helps to shorten most 1/16" punches to the minimum length you need, in order to help avoid bending or breaking.

I agree... not only is the area itself thin, but the sharp square cuts where it joins the slide invite stress risers and cracks. In actual use I'm not sure how much of a problem it really is, unless you happen to drop the slide just right onto concrete. The Glock slides I've seen crack have always been at the left rear corner of the ejection port, which is another sharp corner. I notice on the Gen 5s they've put a bit of a bevel or radius there.

I've owned the P365 for a couple of years. I was impressed with the way it fit my hand, and how it shot like a much larger gun without the snap traditionally associated with subcompact 9mms. I recently picked up a Hellcat as well. However, it was not nearly as good IMO. While the trigger was a bit shorter in travel, the gun grip itself was just that much fatter and the shape of the trigger made it noticeably more unpleasant to shoot than the P365. In particular, it was not always easy to get the perfect position of the trigger finger on the trigger to depress the safety finger all the way. The recoil was also sharper, which didn't make much sense given the more massive slide. I did seem to note that the recoil spring assembly was lighter on the Hellcat than on the P365. I can say the accuracy and sights were good, and I experienced no reliability with the 7 or 8 mags that I shot through it before my trigger finger was too numb to continue. However, I couldn't wait to get rid of it and I soon did.

That’s not American Loan on Poplar you’re talking about, is it? I’ve used them for transfers from time to time.

I bought one of these a few years ago and though it's large, that isn't a problem for me. No problem at all seeing .22 hits at 100 yards, haven't tested it much further except to look at Jupiter and Saturn. It's about as long as my forearm, from elbow to fingertip. https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-52250-Ultima-Spotting-Scope/dp/B0002CTZ70/

You can see in the photo below that a corner of metal has broken off above the extractor.

The only thing special about the Detonics mags are the custom length, IIRC. Standard 1911 mags will work but won't fit flush to the frame. The recoil assembly was the other special thing about these, getting the right springs to replace them can be a challenge. The reason for the odd cut on the slide is that the designer intended the gun to be carried hammer down, so provisions were made to make thumb cocking quick and easy. Apparently it's also not uncommon for the piece of metal above the extractor at the rear of the slide to crack off, I've seen photos of two guns that happened to. There is currently a really nice example on the shelf at Arms Fair in Memphis for about $850. Looks to be a later model, or one that had some custom work done. Black/OD Cerakote and checkering. I've thought about picking it up but haven't successfully talked myself into it.

Something like a S&W M&P AR .22 rifle. Not only are they fun in their own right, but they're a useful trainer for the AR platform.

One thing to be aware of if you reload, especially lead coated bullets. The 509 has a very short throat and unless you seat the bullets fairly deeply in the case, say 1.080" or 1.090", they simply won't chamber. And deepening the throat with a reamer is a no-go because of the nitride finish.

Newly acquired M&P. Accuracy is on par with my other 2.0s, that is to say, excellent.

This week, I should be getting back a CZ P-07 slide that I'd sent to Jaegerwerks a couple weeks ago, to be milled for the RMR/Holosun cut. If you have Glocks, you have more options and I think buying an aftermarket slide with the cut already done is the way to go. It allows you to try out a RDS without modifying your factory slide or making unrecoverable investments. Just be sure that the slide you buy is compatible with your frame; for instance, most of the slides I've seen have been for Gen 3 Glocks.

I used to order a lot from Brownells and Midway. About 5-10 years ago, their selection went downhill and the shipping duration went up. Before then, I could order something Monday and usually have it by Thursday. Over the past 2 years I found myself ordering a lot less because even if they had it in stock (and Brownells was bad about this), it would take at least 10 days to arrive... and that was before the current panic state. At some point in there, Midway also stopped giving discounts to C&R FFL holders as well, which didn't help.

I've always found the Midwest Industries handguards to be good quality and priced reasonably. I have several of them on different length rifles. I tend to favor the free float handguards, but installation does require removal of the front sight base as well as the barrel nut. From top to bottom in the photo below: UTG Pro, Midwest carbine length, and Midwest mid-length. The UTG brand as a whole has a reputation for being junk, but the UTG Pro stuff is a cut above that. I bought the rifle with it installed by the previous owner and so far it's hasn't given me any problems. I wouldn't recommend it, but I also wouldn't NOT recommend it.