1. Springfield Armory announced the XDs 9mm at SHOT 2013. Interestingly enough, Rob Leatham said the 9mm is actually heavier than the 45cal version due to the thicker barrel. You’d think it would be opposite.
   Guns America Coverage of the 2013 SHOT Show Springfield XDs 9mm

2. I received an email from Ruger today discussing the need for us to protect our rights as firearm owners. It has a  lot of good info and links to contact your representatives so please give it a visit.
   Ruger – Protect Your Rights

People on both sides throw around statistics based on their political agenda, however the truth of the matter is that law abiding firearm owners are the only ones that will be affected by any legislation on gun ownership. There are over 300,000,000 firearms in this country… basically enough to give every citizen one. Banning firearms is not the answer. I don’t have the exact answer but I do know that banning anything won’t fix squat.

1. I would completely support a more rigorous background check when trying to purchase a firearm. I think they should include anything psychologically related because it would seem that the animals that go on these shooting sprees have mental problems too numerous to count.
2. Don’t touch the 2nd Amendment. It’s our God-given right to bear arms in the United States. I’ll be damned if that right will be taken away because of a handful of people.
3. Banning “assault rifles” and hi-cap magazines won’t solve anything. If I can’t carry 1 30 round mag, I could easily carry 3 10 rounds — pointless argument… and this will only affect law-abiding people.
4. The gun shops around me have been absolutely crazy after the shooting because of people fearing a possible ban or heavy legislation. That proves to me that there’s a large desire to maintain firearm ownership in the U.S. Also, with it being such a large industry, imagine the impact it would have on the already weak economy.

The most powerful ally that gun owners have is the National Rifle Association yet they’re made up of only 4 million members. That’s right, FOUR MILLION. That is completely unreal to me considering how many people support our rights to bear arms in the U.S. The NRA should easily have 40,000,000 if not a lot more. People say the NRA has a lot of power, imagine the fight they could fight if they had more members.

Joining the NRA is not a huge commitment of money, in fact you can join for $35 (sometimes less if you find a deal through a partner). You get a subscription to a choice of great magazines and you’re helping support our biggest supporter in Washington.

I’m a member and if you support gun rights and aren’t a member, you should join right now. I don’t get anything out of the link below other than knowing more people will support the efforts of the NRA.

JOIN THE NRA

Anyways, I’m planning on taking pics of the fall leaves coming up so hopefully that will add some content.

Check out the Guns & Ammo video below:

Pair this ammo with a Walther P22 and you have a great plinking gun.

Doraldo’s
http://www.doraldosrestaurant.com/

Maurizio’s
http://mauriziositalianrestaurant.com/

Carrabba’s
http://www.carrabbas.com/restaurant/locations/VA/Williamsburg/Williamsburg/

The Library Tavern
http://www.allmenus.com/va/williamsburg/55512-the-library-tavern/menu/

Buon Amici
http://www.buonamiciwilliamsburg.com/

Green Leafe
http://www.greenleafe.com
If you love cheese sticks, then you have to go to Green Leafe. They have the best (and largest) cheese sticks I’ve ever had.

Black Angus Grille
http://www.blackangusgrille.com/

Pierce’s BBQ
http://www.pierces.com/

I’ll be updating this post as I find new ones to list.

Shot Show has come and gone (technically today is the last day) and as usual, there were a lot of interesting products announced. The most exciting product to me however, is the new Springfield XDs single stack pistol series. It will be available in .45ACP at launch with 9mm and 40cal following soon after. After reviewing the specs, it appears as though I may have a new CCW to get. The dimensions are great, it carries 6 rounds (5+1) of .45ACP and weighs in at 29oz (which is pretty heavy, but that should reduce the recoil felt when shooting). I already see people are complaining about the capacity. Do you really need more than 5+1 of .45ACP in a concealed weapon? If you do, then maybe you should reconsider your surroundings.

Specs:

Caliber – .45 ACP
Capacity – 5 + 1 Rds
Weight – 29 oz.
Barrel – Melonite ® with a Fully Supported Ramp
Sights – Steel Dovetail Rear, Fiber Optic Front
Slide – Forged Steel
Frame – Black Polymer
Magazines -  2 Stainless Steel Single Stack
Overall Height  with Magazine – 4.4″
Overall Length – 6.3″
Overall Width – 1″

A Shot Show video with Rob Leatham stated the price should be in the same ballpark as the XD and XDm. I would certainly hope that it falls in less than the XDm but a little more than the XD. Ideally, I think it should be around the $550-575 mark. I assume that the 9mm and 40cal versions will be slightly smaller in their dimensions as .45ACP counterparts are always slightly larger.

It’s supposed to hit dealers sometime in March. Looks like March will be an expensive month, XDs and an iPad 3.

For more info and a photo gallery, check out the XDs site at http://www.xdspistol.com/.

Looking at the data above and considering that this gun is for pocket carry, lets tally up the numbers.

Overall Length Winner: Kahr CM9
Overall Height Winner: Kahr CM9
Overall Width Winner: Tie between Nano and CM9
Barrel Length Winner: Kahr CM9 (shortest barrel)
Sight Radius Winner: No real winner here since the Kahr is unknown.
Capacity Winner: Glock 26
Weight Winner: Kahr CM9
MSRP Winner: Beretta Nano

Keep in mind the following, the Glock 26 isn’t technically a pocket gun, but it’s a popular option. Shorter sizes also don’t necessarily mean a better gun, in fact shorter barrels lead to less accuracy. All that said, if you look at the numbers the winner is clearly the Kahr CM9, however the differences are slight for the most part. I own a Kahr CM9 and love the size, so in my mind the Beretta Nano will also be a great addition for my pocket carry gun collection.

The market has seen a lot of pistols in this category lately to include the Keltec PF9, Ruger LC9, Kahr PM/CM 9, Sig Sauer P290 to name a few. Beretta’s decision to get into the pocket 9mm is great news as it gives us another option and helps keep the competition strong. If you’re familiar with the Sig Sauer P250 series pistols, then you’ll understand how the Nano works. The gun is made modular which allows the owner to swap out the frame to varying sizes. The serialized component is the sub-frame (chassis) which allows you to use different barrels, slides and frames without changing the serial number of the gun. This is great as they’ll most likely have different size grips for it to accommodate various shooters hand sizes.

The frame is made of a fiberglass reinforced polymer frame which should hold up well to use. One of my biggest pet peeves with polymer guns is that some polymers scratch if you look at them wrong so hopefully their polymer will be resilient to wear.

Here are the tech specs for the gun:

Caliber: 9mm
Model No: JMN9S15
Overall Length: 5.63”
Overall Height: 4.17”
Overall Width: .90”
Barrel Length: 3.07”
Sight Radius: 4.92”
Sights: 3-Dot Low Profile
Frame Chassis: Stainless Steel Insert
Grip Frame: Technopolymer
Slide Material: 4140
Slide Finish: Pronox
Capacity: 6 + 1 Rounds
Weight Unloaded: 17.67 oz
MSRP: $475

Some additional info courtesy of Guns & Ammo regarding the Nano:

- No pulling trigger for disassembly
- Completely snag free design
- Totally ambidextrous
- No external slide lock
- Different frame sizes
- Sub-chassis .40 cal capable
- Frame employs modern thermoplastic technology through the use of fiberglass reinforced technopolymer

With the MSRP at $475, hopefully we’ll see them under $400 on the market. I can’t wait to get mine.

For more info, click here.