JC57

I have a one (as you can probably guess by my avatar image). Gen 4 bought new in 2010. I like the pistol; I like the round. No problems, no complaints. I added a drop-in 9mm conversion barrel and some factory 9mm magazines. Helps when ammo supply is spotty.

I don't own any rifles that use magazines. For pistols I like to have 3 or 4 per gun.

My reason was purely ammo availability for practice.  At the time I bought the gun, we were in the middle of one of the big ammo panics and it was hard to come by.  I could find .40 but not 9 or 45.  So I figured I'd go for a 2-for-1 deal, in case later on 9mm was available but .40 was not.   I can shoot the .40 about the same as 9mm out of the full-sized Glock.  By that I mean that the bullets go where I aim the gun, with no particular difference in accuracy or speed of followup shots.   In the smaller frame, I opted for a Glock 26 in 9mm.  That's the one I carry if I carry a semi-auto.  By the time I added that one, ammo availability was back to more or less normal and for that size of a gun, 9mm is plenty for me.   The only reason I picked the Storm Lake over the Lone Wolf was that I didn't like the black logo on the top of the chamber in the LW barrels, which was all there was at the time.  So for an extra $10 or so I got the SL which has an engraved but not blackened logo.  A minor issue, certainly, but that was why.   The Storm Lake barrel was a straight drop-in with no fitment required for my gun.  I can swap them out at the range in a couple of minutes.  Makes for cheaper practice sessions.

I don't have a Glock 23, but I have a Storm Lake conversion barrel for my Glock 22.  Drops in, no other modifications needed, other than some G17 mags.  Never had any problems with it.   It's not a carry gun for me and I leave it with the factory barrel except at the range.  However, for functioning and accuracy I would have no worries carrying it with the 9mm barrel and mags in it if I were so inclined.

Couple years ago I bought a S&W 642 that came with a factory trigger job through Davidson's.  Definitely made a big difference - prior to that gun I had never much cared for J-frames.  They still have both the 642 and 442 available with that configuration.  Adds about $60 to the out-the-door price.

I have a Storm Lake 9mm conversion barrel for my Glock 22 Gen 4.  Only things I have to swap out are the barrel and the mags.  I have never had a problem with it.  It just drops in and works.

G22 and G26 Gen 4s here, no problems.

I got pulled over today for speeding, Memphis PD.  Officer approached, told me why he stopped me, asked for my license, I gave it to him.  He wrote me a ticket, I signed it.  He was very polite and cordial.  As was I.  He apologized for detaining me a bit longer than needed, because his computer was slow, so I guess they ran a check on me.  I didn't hand him my HCP, he didn't ask about it.  I wasn't armed, but the topic never came up.   First time I've been stopped since about 2001 or so, guess I was due for a reminder.   Top notch professional behavior on the part of the officer.  My error for speeding.  He did his job.  No problems, no drama.  Weird, eh?

My preference is for revolvers.  In semi-autos, I like striker or DAO.

I don't know what speed I am paying for, but according to that speed test I am getting about 15 down and 5 up.

Yes, they are producing new 642s both with and without the internal lock.  The going rate seems to be about $400 for either model, before taxes and fees.   103810 is the SKU# for the no-lock version, 163810 is the SKU# with the internal lock.

Kahr PM9.  Because I want a pocketable 9mm and don't have one.

Pretty much going to keep carrying my Victorinox Cadet. :)

I had a Colt Agent from that era which had a similar issue - it was that the barrel wasn't perfectly tight in the frame.  The bullet passing through the rifling would cause the barrel to rotate just a little with each shot, and the ejector shroud would rotate enough so that it pressed against the ejector rod.  I could shoot all 6 rounds (though the sight picture would drift off to the side) but then couldn't open the cylinder because the shroud had grabbed the rod.   I ended up trading it to a gun dealer along with some cash (told him about the problem) for a S&W Model 66-1 2.5" back in 1980.  Great little gun, other than the loose barrel.  Still have the Smith.

  Same here.  I have no problem showing ID, filling in a form with my name and address, and signing and dating it, verifying that on whatever day, I purchased the gun (make, model, serial number listed) from the seller (name, address listed) for a specific dollar amount.   If ever sell a gun to someone, those would be the conditions on the sale, stated up front.  If both parties don't agree to that, then there won't be a sale.  If a seller won't provide a bill of sale, showing the gun info, date, sale price, and his or her name, then I won't buy.

Same issue with the rear sights on my 45 UC pro.  Also, the sights are pretty much dead on (bullet goes where the front sight white dot is) when the top of the rear sight is aligned with the top of front blade.  The dots may not be perfectly lined up at that point.   I've toyed with the idea of getting some SIG sights for it, and perhaps going with different SIG sight heights to raise the point of impact (higher numbers raise the POI - I believe the stock sights on the Bersas are #8 front and #8 rear).

In a DA/SA pistol, after you fire the first round double-action, the gun is cocked and in single action mode.  If you don't want to shoot the next round, you need a safe way of lowering the hammer.  That's that the decocker is for.  It drops the hammer while blocking it from striking the firing pin.   Your only other choice would be to lower it with your thumb after having first pulled the trigger to release the sear.  If your thumb slips, it goes bang and you get to try your luck again since it will be cocked in SA mode again.  And there will be a hole in whatever it was pointed at when you failed to lower the hammer manually.   You can safely leave the decocker in the down (fire) position all of the time, relying on the DA trigger pull, safe handling procedures, and a holster that covers the trigger guard.  I have the Bersa Thunder UC45 Pro (same gun, .45 ACP, a little fatter in the grip and no finger grooves).  When I carry it, I leave the decocker off, ready to fire when I pull the trigger.  Just like I carry revolvers and striker-fired pistols.

I've had two Bersa Thunder 380s (the regular ones, not the CC model).  I still have one of them.  They both fed and fired any .380 ammo I tried with them reliably - round nose FMJ, flat-nose hard cast lead, JHPs, regular pressure and Buffalo Bore's "+P", including factory reloads I bought at the range.   The only exception was some Sellier & Bellot FMJ that I bought 4 boxes of in 2010.  I got a very consistent failure to feed on the 5th or 6th round from every mag of that stuff, with BOTH pistols..  I am chalking that up to a bad ammo batch from S&B.  I still have 25 rounds of it left.  I find it useful for practicing clearing jams. :)   I shot hundreds of rounds of Mag-Tech, Winchester, PMC, Buffalo Bore, Aguila, a couple of others I can't recall at the moment.  Never a hiccup.   I don't think they are an inherently unreliable brand, sounds like you may have gotten a bad sample.  Their repair centers should be able to fix you up.  Eagle Imports is pretty solid about standing behind their products.

I have the .45 ACP version of that pistol.  The finish on the slide of the matte black models is nothing to write home about.  It shoots bullets where I aim it.  The controls (other than the mag release) are ambidextrous and easy to operate.  It is based on the Walther P-88.  The sights are compatible with SIG sights if you want to ever change them or add tritium sights.   I haven't had any problems with mine. The .45 version is about the same general size as a Glock 19.   If you like DA/SA and are on a budget then it should be a decent gun for you.   I also have the Bersa Thunder 380 and really like that little gun, even though I am not a big fan of that caliber in general.

I have a Storm Lake 9mm conversion barrel for my Glock 22 Gen4.  That plus some factory G17 mags is all I needed to shoot 9mms in it.  Was 100% reliable from the first shot.  I don't recall the specific ammo I used but it was likely 124 gr of some sort, probably the Remington/UMC stuff that comes in a box of 250.

I usually pocket carry a J-frame S&W using a DeSantis Nemesis.  It may very well look like I have a gun in my pocket.  But really more just looks like I have a lump in my pocket.  Could be a fat wallet, could be a big cell phone.  Nobody notices, nobody cares, nobody gives it a second look.   If they did, what would it matter?  I have a permit.  I only carry where it is legal and not prohibited by signage.  Since open carry is legal here with the permit, then I'm not breaking any laws by "printing."   If I feel like carrying on my belt, I usually go for a Glock 26 and just leave my shirt untucked.  I suppose if you looked you'd notice I had an odd asymmetrical bulge on that side of my body.  Again, I really don't care.  It's not out in the open, so someone would have to be looking for it, or know what it is when they noticed it.  Just really not an issue for me.

Well I would notice (being both a gun owner and former policeman) if I happened to be looking at you and spotted it.  Because I own tuckable IWB holsters too, and know what that clip signifies.  I believe most people in casual contact would never notice.   Now other people in the workplace, which is not the same as people at the supermarket, tend to notice things about you a bit more, and be more nosey in general about your business.  So you might get someone who makes a comment about it, but it is unlikely that they would automatically know what it was.  These days with big cell phones and personal audio players it might not get a second glance.

I sent in my renewal form the day after it arrived some time in mid Feb.  I don't remember the exact turnaround but it was very fast.  I got the temp letter in the mail in what seemed like under 2 weeks, and the actual card showed up very shortly thereafter.  Expiration of the old one wasn't until May so everything went really quickly.

If I ever sell my Glock 22, it will be without the original case and paperwork.  Had a break-in several years ago and someone stole (along with many other things) the (empty) factory Glock case with my bill of sale, cleaning rods, and Gen 4 backstraps.  Luckily for me, the gun, mags, mag-loader, and even the original fired casing in the manila envelope were not in the case, and I still have those.

Yes, I've experienced a home invasion first hand.  You definitely want to be able to arm yourself very quickly.  I didn't say I couldn't get a loaded functioning gun in my hands in seconds, I said I don't leave one in the nightstand. :)