Current Production Guns

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE OF TEDDY JACOBSON


I have decided to write this commentary without a script after being so disgusted in what I see in current production handguns at this point in time. It just makes me sick to see how most everyone has cheapened their handguns to the point of sacrificing what ever quality they ever had for the almighty "BENJAMIN FRANKLIN". It just makes absolutely no sense to me at all. I have to start somewhere, so I will first start with the 1911 pistol that America is still in love with after almost 100 years.


It just boggles my mind when these BS artists that shoot a great deal get in a Pink Rubber Ducky Chat Room and tell you what to buy because they think they know so much. They could not find their A** with both hands. One guy will tell you to buy a Dan Wesson and how great they are, another guy will tell you to by a Phillipino gun as they are great for the money and another know it all will come along and tell you to buy an STI pistol and they have no clue what quality is or was or what it could be. They flat out just do not know anything about internal workmanship.


First of all let me tell you that CZ has bought Dan Wesson. I have been in the inside of almost (not all) every brand of 1911 that has been made and all these companies have gone to MIM parts which means Metal Injection Molded and its powdered steel that is solidified into a part, that just sums it up in a nutshell. MIM parts are very hard but if there is an air bubble they will break. Buying a 2000 or 3000 dollar 1911 production handgun does not mean you are getting a better gun, it means that the marketing genuises have suceeded in their attempt to influence you into believing their BS. High dollar advertising does work and speaks for itself. In Brooklyn there was always a famous saying that was, MONEY TALKS AND BS WALKS. Nothing has ever changed.


Let me explain a few things so you clearly understand. When you buy a stainless steel (SS) handgun that does not mean the entire gun is SS, in fact in most cases the only thing that is SS is the frame and the slide and maybe the barrel. The rest of the accessories that look like SS are actually chrome plated carbon steel. SS guns do rust depending on the grade they are using, the content of chromium determines how rust proof they are. All the internals are "USUALLY" carbon steel and in current production guns most are using MIM parts as in the Kimbers. This is the actual way of life for us. I have worked on many STI 1911 pistols and I personally would never want to own one. Virgil Tripp who makes COBRA magazines has a specific magazine for an STI pistol so that is sits higher in the magazine well when locked in place. I have seen a great deal of feeding problems with these pistols and using the correct COBRA magazine will eliminate most problems www.trippresearch.com
check out Virgils website.


The very best current production 1911 pistol for the money is with out a doubt the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec. "IT IS WHAT I IS" There is no reason to add all the bells and whistles because it will not help you. There is no reason to use a full length guide rod or a tight bushing because you think its better. I know whats best far better than most of you and if you start to get fancy with tight parts you will lose the reliability of the legendary status the basic 1911 pistol has been so famous for. KEEP IT SIMPLE, GET FANCY AND IT WILL NOT WORK. Always remember if things are snug when the steel is cold, when it gets hot metal expands and your pistol will jam because of the tight tolerences. You do not believe me then do what you want. Go to any defensive school where there are a lot of shooters and see for yourself which pistols jam all the time. I am sincerely trying to save you a great deal of aggravation. For about $389.00 no one makes a better 1911 at this point in time than the SA Mil-Spec pistol. The average wannabbee smith can not get a better frame to slide fit than the Mil-Spec as it comes in the box. That is the truth whether you want to believe it or not.


I do not like all the internals of the SA Mil-Spec but I know what to replace within reason. I am using Stainless Steel Hammer springs and stainless steel magazine catch springs just like the NAVY SEALS are using and for a recoil spring I use a 16 lb. Conventionally wound spring that is made of Chrome Silicon Alloy wire and it does not get any better than that. The new Colt pistols I have seen are good basic steel but I still see loose front sights and loose plunger tubes and you would think after 90 years they would get it right but sadly they have a ways to go. If Colt had their act together there would be no Springfield Armory or Kimber or Sig 1911 or SW 1911 or DW 1911 or any of them. Colt could have had the market sewed up for years if they had better quality control. It was theres to lose and they did just that.


Its really hard to find good components at this point in time as most companies are switching over to MIM parts for a greater margin of profit. Buying an EDM wire cut hammer has its drawbacks but its too involved for me to explain it now. My good friend Stephen Camp has fired about 2000 rounds out of his SA Mil-Spec with parts I sent him and to this day the gun has never missed a beat. Not one malfunction. It is a daily carry gun and the sear is a very good one that we installed at a price of about $30.00 just for the better sear that I recut mating it with a straight spur wide hammer which has hammer hooks that are EXACTLY 90 DEGREES, which I cut by hand with a stone. This is about all I will say right now about a 1911 pistol and I will move on to other handguns in order to help educate you. I suggest all of you read Stephen Camps excellent articles at www.hipowersandhandguns.com


I want to touch briefly on the Beretta 92 fs pistols. They are now being sold with plastic triggers and plastic guide rods. I disagree with this decision that Beretta has made to cheapen their pistols, its all about money. Look at the decocker lever on the slide of the brand new models and put a magnet on it, surprise, its plastic. At least the one I saw recentely was. Talk with the Border Patrol agents that are using the Beretta 96 and see what they say about their carry guns. This is the kind of education you can really learn by and not the chat rooms. Ask the people that carry one every day for protection of life and property, do not take my word for it.


You want to know about the CALIBER WARS THAT ARE RAVAGING THE CHAT ROOMS. Just call your local Pathologist or Coroner and ask him to tell you what he sees. Listen to people like that, do not take my word for it. I will never forget when I was in the Miami School of Medicine to do some Electrical work, I counted 27 autopsy tables, I would rather not tell you any more about that place as I spent a good week there. Calibers are not as important as BULLET PLACEMENT AND THE SELECTION OF THE PROJECTILE YOU ARE CARRYING. The rest is all BS. Speer Gold dot ammunition has now captured 70% of the law enforcement market.


So you want to buy a new Sig Sauer Pistol, they are still a very dependable handgun. They now use mostly MIM parts. Like I said before most every company is only interested in Mr. Franklin. I own one older Sig 228 and I like it and it is far better than anything in the current Sig line. I just keep the 228 as a sample as I am a south paw and prefer an HK P7 or a Glock pistol. This is still a right handed world. Sig Sauer is the only company that I know of that still uses the reset spring design and it usually works well but I suggest that you Sig owners buy extra reset springs for your specific model from the factory. There is not a thing wrong with the twisted wire recoil spring that all Sig pistols have been using for years.


HK pistols are as popular as ever being used by law enforcement agencies all over with good results. My favorite handgun on this planet is the P& M8 but sadly it is now out of production and if you own one do not sell it. I have "NEVER" seen a P7 jam at any point in time. My friend Marc at ISMI Gunsprings 800 773 1940 is going to start making various springs for the P7 that will be made out of Chrome Silicon Alloy wire, so if you have an interest please call him as the more requests he gets he will realize the demand and give it priority. Marc is a one person operation and he can only do so much. He is by far one of the sharpest people I have ever discussed springs with in serious detail. Most of the serious military and Law enforcement people are using the HK USP in various calibers.


I have found that the 40 caliber cartridge is taking its toll on all the various makes of handguns. I will never buy another 40 caliber for myself. I am a Glock person, I think the Glock 19 is the very best carry Glock you can buy. For me it has been accurate and flawless. At this point in time I carry a Glock 27 but as soon as Lou Alessi finishes my new holster I will switch off to carrying my Glock 19. I will ask Steve Camp which ammunition he thinks I should carry as he does extensive testing of all kinds of ammo. I just had Virgil Tripp hard chrome my Glock 19 slide. I am going to air brush a very high dollar ceramic coating on my Glock barrel and see how it holds up. Its not easy to use the Ceramics I have as they are a 2 part method and it does require some knowledge of a specific procedure.


There is an awful lot more that I want to tell you about current production handguns but I can not do it in one commentary as its too over whelming. I will get into other handguns including the Ruger semi auto's and all revolvers at a later date. I even want to talk about current production flashlights as they are far superior today than ever before.
ALL OF MY COMMENTARIES ARE MY PERSONAL OPINION AND MY PERSONAL VIEWPOINT BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE SINCE 1970.
THESE OTHER KNOW IT ALLS CAN NOT MAKE THAT STATEMENT AS I WORK AND UNDERSTAND THE INTERNAL ACTIONS ON OVER 100 DIFFERENT MODELS OF HANDGUNS. THEY BASICALLY ARE STILL FIGHTING THE 1911 WAR AND STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO INSTALL THE SLIDE STOP WITH OUT SCRATCHING THE FRAME.


Thank you all for the nice emails you have sent me and I will answer all of them.


Teddy