Kimber K6S Combat Review

So my most recent purchase has been the Kimber K6S 4" Combat DASA. I have been looking at .357 Mag revolvers for quite some time. I looked at the earlier versions of the Kimber K6S 2" and 3" variants.  But, the guns just didn't feel balanced in the hand correctly. Well, when I saw the news in November 2019 of the 4" release with the finger Grove grip I knew this is the one I was looking to get. I put in a special order after I talk with the head of Kimber's marketing to find out when it was being released to the public. That person mentioned that your dealers could put in orders for it now. I was told that it would not arrive until early to middle of March, but to my surprise, I got it on Valentine's day. So, once I got it in hand and felt the trigger pull in both double and single action I knew this was the revolver to get. I have large hands and the grip just melts into your hand. I waited till over the weekend and to go to the range to fire the gun. I tried a couple of different rounds through the gun 38 spl and 357 magnums. I used Brasser Brass 38 spl and Hornady 125 grn hollow points with FTX tipped ammo. I must say the 357 magnums 125 grn will thump your hand really good and put out a good size fireball. I then compared it to 158 grn 357 mags Hornady hollow points and I must say the 158 grn ammo didn't seem to thump the hand webbing as bad as the 125 grn ammo. At 25 feet shooting double action, I was getting 3-5" groups in single action 1-2" groups shooting offhand. The gun shoots very well and comfortably in hand. If you had a lighter version of this gun I think you would have more felt recoil with the same ammo but with a higher point of aim. My aim was a direct holdover and not the typical 6 o'clock hold with the combat sights. These sights were easy to pick up and get on target quickly like any 3 dot sighting system. I can highly recommend this gun to others if they are looking for a comfortable shooting 4" 357 magnum revolver. The price I paid when ordering it was $950, but because it was a special order your price may be lower when you see it on dealer shelves. I have to say this gun is worth that price and built very well. The finish on the gun is brushed stainless steel so the good thing it is less likely to show scratches on the firearm. **The photo was modified to not show the serial number. 

Ruger Mark IV

Ruger Mark IV

Before buying the new Ruger Mark IV I had some questions about the firearm that no one was addressing the videos on the newly release handgun in the stainless steel version of the Target and Hunter models.

Question 1: How do the different models feel in comparison to each other?

Question 2: Is the takedown button, and front sight metal?

Question 3: Is it worth trading in your old firearm in for the same in a newer model?

These may be simple questions but if you already are an owner of a Mark I – III you want to know some of these things. Well, I will give you a very straight and forward answer to these questions.

Question 1: I went to a gun shop and held each of the stainless versions of the new Mark IV in hand between the Target and Hunter models. Even though the Target model was physically lighter I found the Hunter model balance better in the hand and didn’t feel as nose-heavy as the Target model did.

Question 2: Yes they are metal, all the parts listed above I took a magnet to and it stuck to the button and front sight.

Question 3: This is more a question of a personal question thinking do you want to trade in your old gun to get all the new features on the new Ruger Mark IV. My, opinion and is only that is the new pistol is worth the purchase. If you are someone who will not take apart you Mark I-III because you need a hammer to take it apart and put it back together. The new takedown button in and of itself is worth upgrading to the new gun. My personal thought is why not have 2 of the same thing save up the money and keep what you have. If you have a young responsible adult/teenager maybe the older version could be there introduction to owning a firearm. That way you can have time spent with your child and having a target shooting contest.

Review of Ruger Mark IV Hunter Model:

I purchased the new gun from a local gun shop, and I already have the same model in the Mark III Hunter. I have installed a Volquartsen Accurizing  Kit to my Mark III. Comparing the two guns side by side they feel the same in hand as weight and handling. But the difference between the triggers is night and day. I will say that if and when Volquartsen brings out something for the new Mark IV it will be upgraded for the nicer trigger, and remove the magazine disconnect.   I do highly recommend the Mark IV the barrel meeting up with the lower is a tight fit there is no side to side motion. The trigger pull is between 4-5 lb. with my trigger pull scale, there is a little take upon the trigger. The trigger has a clean break with no trigger creep. Shooting the pistol is more accurate than I could ever by I think with this new version that you might be seeing more and more of these guns in competitions. Well, thank you for reading my short and simple review of the new Ruger Mark IV. Also, I do not represent any gun manufacture or retail store, and I was paid for this review of the gun listed.

Khar MK40 Gun Review

Gun Review Khar MK40

The Khar MK40 is the everyday carry gun that I carry in a pocket carry holster made by R. Grizzel. Some people who pocket carry will feel that this gun is too heavy to carry in the pocket. I am someone who does not like to carry inside the waistband at any position on my body. But, because of the public’s perception of seeing someone open carrying, it is always in your best interest to conceal carry your weapon (CCW will be needed in certain areas). Yes, I did say the word ”weapon”. So, many people don’t want to call a gun a weapon but degrade the term to sound not has harsh by calling it a tool. Yes, a gun is a tool for defense but it is still a weapon. People will have their difference of opinions, but this is mine.

The gun specifications can all be found at the Khar Arms website, but what they don’t talk about is the customer services one receives for repairs. Yes, I did send the gun back for repairs but a minor one. The backslide sight came out of place, and I sent it back to Khar. The customer service was great while I sent only the slide back to them I asked them to upgrade the sights on the gun to Trijicon XS big dots. This would have cost me money. To have them install the sights, but they were kind enough since I bought the sights through them and it was already warranty work they installed them for free.

I will say the gun carries very well in the pocket with my custom holster and doesn’t even print what so ever in my pocket. With a good quality belt, I do not even feel the gun in my pocket. Now, this is not a gun that you can pocket carry say in shallow pocketed shorts or jogging pants. I would use a lighter carry gun for that. The reason I prefer this to other pocket guns is that I have a proven cartridge that has excellent ballistic properties. Now, I know there are people that think differently and will argue this point. Yes, there are other good calibers out there too. In reality, my perception of the different calibers will all have some impact on a person, but in a small package gun, I get 1 less than a single stack 9 mm and 1 more than a 45 ACP single stack. There are plenty of other good guns out there like Glock, Smith and Wesson, and etc.

The thing that sold me on this gun was that having around that is snappy already but with the weight of this gun makes it very controllable and does not hurt the hand. The Khar PM9 does hurt my hands because it is lighter in weight and hurts worse than the MK40, and this all because of the gun’s weight.

I have owned a Khar PM9 it’s a good weapon and reliable after the first 200 rounds through the gun. The manufacturer does say that you need to break-in their guns with 200 rounds. Now, shooting some of these guns like the PM9 will not be enjoyable to sit through 200 rounds, but MK40 still requires the same break-in period but I never had an issue with my hands getting tired or hurting after shooting a lot of rounds through the gun.

I will also say that if you have large hands you may feel this gun doesn’t fit properly in your hands. I have large hands and have never had a problem with this but you can help this by putting on rubber grips if you like. I have the factory grips on this and I am happy with these. They do make aftermarket wood grips but require fitting to the gun. If you decide to get the wood grips and you can use a Dremel then you can fit the aftermarket grips yourself.

Over all, I can recommend the gun, but it’s not cheap new is between $600 - 750 NIB. My recommendation is to pick up the one-second hand and you should be able to find them for around $500+ depending on the market area you are in. The nice thing about this gun all the different hollow points I feed through the gun Winchester XPs, Hornady, etc. I have not had any failures or stovepipes with a gun after the break-in period. But the round I have found that follows the original shape specifications of the .40 cal is the Federal Guard Dog. This round is not a magic bullet but the one thing is that it legal in a lot of states, and has a good performance. I do recommend that you check with your local government first before carrying concealed or using hollow points. (I.E. New Jersey) 

Is reloading worth it?

Is reloading worth it?

I currently have been reloading for over 3 years. I started out on another RCBS Rockchucker single-stage and moved up to a Hornady LNL AP press. I reload for several different calibers, but mostly pistol. I use both of my presses for certain operations. Originally, when I was looking to get into reloading the price of ammo wasn’t as bad as buying it today.  But, the cost saving of re-loading was very appealing to me at the time because I was shooting a lot. The thing about reloading is your cost of time worth the price of reloading or just buying ammo. There are several people who have had videos on re-loading that can help anyone looking to get into this hobby.  I will not debate which type of press to go with but I will say only this whatever press you are looking to get into make sure the company stands 100% behinds its warranty.

The companies I have worked with in the past do have good warranties and do not ask questions. Would be RCBS, Hornady, and Dillion. Now, that being said the price of these presses is not cheap if you are looking at the good press. Currently, I have over $1000 invested in my setups.  If you do only a little shooting and want accurate ammo for hunting I would recommend a single-stage type of press. If you do a lot of pistol shooting and need to crank out a lot of rounds I would recommend a Progressive press. Everyone has his or her personal preference for what they like. There are the Dillion camp and others that will tell you to go all Dillion, and vise versa on other platforms.

Do your research and watch lots and I mean lots of videos on youtube to help you understand the basics of reloading. A good reference to look up is the ulitimate reloader’s channel.  This channel was helpful to me when making my decision when getting what I wanted for my progressive press.

One of the biggest questions that come up is how much will I save in reloading? Now this question really depends on what you are planning to reload. There is the cost that you have to look at is your bullets, primers, powder, and brass.

When it comes to bullets lead, plated, or jacketed I recommend you buy them online and not at a local store. Even with shipping, you will get a better deal on bullets from a vendor online than say your local sporting goods store. That being said when getting powder and primers I recommend getting them at your local sporting goods stores. The reason for this is that you have to pay hazard shipping on the product that outweighs buying in small quantities.  Brass cases are animals in their own right if you belong to a gun club or range. You might be able to get your brass for free. If not you can buy them online as once-fired brass. I recommend going to sites that deal with once fired brass solely than buy say from midwayUSA’s once fired brass. You will usually get a better deal, and you might get some extra brass thrown in for free. To figure out how much you will be spending you have to take the cost of everything into account.

Example:

500 Bullets of .40 S&W plated bullets run about $50 - $70.

1lb of pistol powder will cost $18 - $30

100 CCI small pistol primers are around $3.30 - $4

500 Once fired Brass Free - $25

Now take the cist of each item and break it item into its individual cost.

Bullet: $50/500  = .$.10

Powder !lb (7000 grns): $20/7000 = $.003 / grain of powder

Primer: $3.30/100 = $.03

Brass: Free - $.05

Now you take the number of grains you are loading say 6.0 grains of powder.

.003 * 6 = .018

So roughly $.02 per bullet.

Each round will cost between $.18 - $.20 per round to manufacture, and this is not including your time into making the rounds. On a single-stage press you could make 50 rounds per hour realistically, and on a progressive 250 -500 per hour depending on your setup. Now there are other people out there who can probably reload a lot faster than I can but I’m just putting in what I think is reasonable while still reloading safely.

The current price on 10/04/2013 at a major online store for a 100 count of .40 S&W Winchester White box ammo was costing $29 on sale.  You can see that the savings are between $9 - $10, but this is not including your time to actually making the ammo. So you have to take into consideration your time in making ammo. It is a very self-satisfying hobby to get into, but if you don’t think you have the time for a hobby then I would just go out and buy the ammo while you still can. You never know with the way things are going these days if we will be able to purchase ammo at a reasonable price for much longer.

I hope this little blurb can help you in making some decisions on if it is worth you getting into reloading. If you do; I think you will greatly enjoy the hobby. Good luck on your venture if you do decide to get into reloading.

On a side note, there are some common sense things I need to say about reloading. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol while reloading it can lead to you harming yourself or others.

Review of Rossi 462 Snub Nose

Background Information:

My personal background in firearms is I am kind of a latecomer to the world of firearms. I have been shooting and collecting firearms since 2008. I shoot on a regular base and make sure that I shoot everything I own and not let it collect dust. But when I did get into this hobby it was kind like a bad habit that won't go away. You're always wanting the next thing you get your hands on and shoot. I also as part of my hobby I do reload ammo to help keep the cost of shooting down. So in writing this review, I will try to take it from the standpoint from a first-time shooter, and not of an expert.

Purchase:

I recently have had the chance to purchase a Rossi 462 stainless steel revolver. I purchase the gun from a local gun shop in my area and picked it up for $298. When looking for a first-time revolver I looked at several manufacturers from Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Charter Arms. After, looking at the guns I did a lot of research on the different manufactures in people's opinions of the guns on different bulletin boards.

I came to the conclusion that a lot of people out there don't like the Rossi firearm because of reliability issues. Even my local gun shop tried to steer me away from the purchase into a more expensive firearm like the S&W or Ruger. Most of those opinions that I was reading were on the older revolvers and the newest reviews were based on what some else has said. I figured that I would like to form my own opinion on the revolver and decided to purchase the firearm. If I didn't like it or had issues I would sell it and get something else.

First Impression:

When I first picked up the firearm I noticed the firearm fit my large hands very well. I personally do not know but the grips feel like a Hogue style grip I have felt on aftermarket revolvers. A very comfortable and natural position when gripping the firearm. In dry firing the revolver I found that the trigger was stiff and has a hard pull of around 8lb in double-action mode. In single-action mode, it was around 3-5 lb trigger pull. The trigger releases crisply and reset was long compared to other revolvers I have handled like the S&W.In getting my new firearm the first thing I did was to clean it and get all the old junk off of the gun from the factory packing the pistol with.

In my first initial cleaning, I noticed that the cylinder was not swiveling smoothly and figured that it was from the old that was shipped from the Manufacture. After cleaning the trigger felt smoother and the cylinder spun freely.


Range:

The following weekend I took the pistol to the range with other guns I own and proceed to test the gun out. I was shooting Walmart Whitebox ammo to personal defensive loaded that I manufactured. I found the gun to be accurate enough for a self-defensive gun shooting groups standing 2" groups at 10 yards. This gun probably can shoot better than this but this is me shooting not some professional. I tested different types of ammo and the gun didn't have any issues with it. I put about 400 rounds through the gun on its initial outings and did not have any issues. The only issues I found in shooting the gun was with my large hands my middle finger would get knocked hard when shooting +P and .357 mag rounds through the gun. But, this can be reduced my turn your grip in more on the pistol so your finger is square in position on the trigger guard.

Conclusion:

For the S&W and Ruger snobs out there, I enjoyed shooting this revolver and plan on keeping and will update on any issues I find with continued use of the firearm. The gun fits in my front pants pocket well and does not print when using a sticky holster. I think people need to look back into the Rossi revolvers as an alternative to S&W and Ruger.

One thing I will say that S&W has over the Rossi is it has a much better trigger out of the box. But if you want a smoother trigger pull to buy the S&W or take your Rossi to your local gunsmith and have them do a trigger job on the revolver.