Beretta Jetfire and a Side of Gravy

Okay, I'm going to be honest here.  That title has almost nothing to do with this post.  But I liked the sound of it so I went with it.

The title would've been more fitting if this was an in depth post about the Beretta 950 Jetfire (something that I plan on doing "some day").  After all, I love my Jetfire.  Have it with me most of the time, even in a few dreams where I used my trusty Jetfire to fight zombies, and one time, ghosts.  So yeah, it's a well loved gun.  And I'll get into the nitty-gritty "one day".  I promise.  But in the meanwhile, here is the meat and potatoes of this post.
      

The Beretta Jetfire in .25 ACP comes standard with an 8-round magazine.  Pictured is a nice example made by Mec-Gar.  I have a few Mec-Gars.  They work nicely.  No complaints.  Mec-Gar makes fine stuff.  But yesterday I found this monstrosity on GunBroker.

It's a 15 round magazine for the Beretta Jetfire!!  15 rounds!!  Geez, that sucker is literary going to stick out like a sore thumb and probably look something like this:

That is a Glock 19 with a 33 round magazine.  Looks silly, but it gets the job done.  The picture is a screenshot from the TV show, Jericho.  Swiped it from IMFDB which is a cool site to browse if you wanted to know, for example, what gun Eddie Murphy used in Beverly Hills Cop (Browning Hi-Power, by the way).

So yeah.  A 15 round magazine will look ugly and silly, and may lead to slide bite or hammer bite (the Jetfire bites if you don't position your fingers properly).  It may cause reliability issues.

But in spite of all that, I'm planning on getting one.  It's too weird not to try it.  

Well, that's it for today's episode.  Meat and potatoes: Done.   

UPDATE: (11/01/13) Ordered one today from GunBroker.

Going to Hell in a Hand Basket

This is my inaugural You Kids Stay Off My Lawn...Geez The World Is Going To Hell In A Hand Basket post.

If you couldn't tell from this post, I'm a fan of the old six-shooters made by JP Sauer & Sohn (imported by Hawes).  And I recently won an auction for a Western Marshal in .22lr.  It will be my first JP Sauer six-shooter (and 2nd six-shooter overall).  Since I was trying to get a feel for their prices, I've been watching every Hawes/Sauer auction on Gunbroker for the past month.  Most examples in good to very good condition have been selling between $280-$340.

This is a big part of the appeal for me.  Being able to collect quality pieces at fair prices.  It's one of the few guns made by JP Sauer that I can afford.  (Don't believe me?  Check out the prices for their double barrel shotguns or drilling guns.)  That said, I'm watching this one auction that ends in an hour.  It started at a penny.  It's now at $680!!  Six hundred and eighty dollars!! 

                             http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=370543006
Unsure if the Hawes Montana Marshals were made out of gold or something, I did a quick google search.  But didn't find anything out of the ordinary.  Most people paid around the same price as the Western Marshal.  So yeah, what the hell?  I have no idea, but that gun is going for almost $700.

Going to hell in a hand basket.  No doubt about it.     

45 ACP vs. 45 GAP (Let's Get Ready To Rumble)

I hope you heard Michael Buffer's voice when you read "let's get ready to rumble".  And yes, I borrowed a "versus" screen graphic from Street Fighter II Turbo.  But enough about things I liked in the '90s.  On with the show. 

I'd read about .45 GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol) in passing and thought, "Oh, that's weird."  After all, we already had the .45 Long Colt for cowboy six-shooters and the trusty .45 ACP round that we all know and love in our 1911s.  If you wanted to get "exotic," there was the .45 Auto Rim for your 1917 revolvers.  So yeah, my thoughts would usually end with, ".45 GAP?  Why bother?" 

And that's where my opinion on the GAP remained until a month ago.  Not that I have the money now (since I'm getting that JP Sauer/Hawes six-shooter) but I was (and will be) in the market for a Springfield XD Tactical with a 5'' barrel. 

Why a 5'' barrel?  If you're shooting .45s, a 5'' barrel just feels right.  Why the Springfield XD?  Firstly, I love the safety features (the XD has both a grip safety and a trigger safety).  Secondly, my friend has one in .45 ACP and I loved shooting it.  Very accurate gun!  I was blasting cans right and left!  And lastly, I'd like a better open carry gun.  Nothing against my Smith & Wesson Md. 65 but I'd like something that holds more ammo.  If the zombie apocalypse comes around, I don't want to be fumbling with a speed loader after six shots.

So long story long, I was looking for one in .45 ACP.  I found one new in box for $499.  Not a bad price at all.  Then I found one like-new in box for $370 (pictured below).

Looked perfect.  Not shot too much.  The catch?  This one was in .45 GAP.  I was pretty set on getting an XD in .45 ACP, but the difference in price was too much to ignore.  So I researched the GAP.  Here's what I fried up found out.   

Knockdown Factor: Wikipedia had a decent lowdown on the round.  The GAP is shorter than the ACP, but the ballistics were similar.  Good enough for four different law enforcement agencies to use in their duty guns.  Advantage: DRAW 
Ammo Cost: MidwayUSA gave me a price point for ammo ranging from $25.99 (Magtech/230gr/50rds/OUT OF STOCK) to $31.49 (Federal American Eagle/185gr/50rds/IN STOCK).  .45 ACP usually goes for around $20/50rds so .45 GAP would cost more in the long run if buying commercial.  And the "exoticness" of the GAP means good luck finding it in stock at your local Walmart or Meijers.  Advantage: .45 ACP 
XD Magazine Capacity: Last, but not least, was magazine capacity.  An XD in .45 ACP holds 13+1.  The .45 GAP version only hold 10+1.  Advantage: .45 ACP              

So long story even longer but thankfully wrapping up soon, I think I'll spend $499 and get the one I wanted all along.  It holds more ammo, uses cheaper and more commonly available ammo, and the ammo will be interchangeable with any other firearms I eventually get in .45 ACP (that's right, I'm looking at you, Colt 1911 and you, Marlin Camp Carbine).

So yeah, .45 ACP wins.  Shoryuken!    

      

Hawes Western Six-shooter (made in West Germany by JP Sauer & Sohn)

Let's get to the skinny.  Last night I won an auction on GunBroker for this fine looking firearm.

It's a Hawes Western Marshal in .22lr.  Never heard of Hawes?  It's okay.  Hawes was the importer.  JP Sauer & Sohn made it--the same Sauer & Sohn that partnered with SIG to become SIG SAUER--and hopefully you've heard of SIG SAUER.  If not, you've got some googling to do.

These cowboy six-shooters are faithful reproductions of the famous Colt Single Action Army so it's the same size (unlike the scaled down Ruger Single Six).  And like the original SAA, it also lacks any safety features so DO NOT carry this gun with a round under the hammer.  It could fire if dropped.  If you are dead set on wearing one on your hip, make sure the hammer is resting on a empty chamber.  These six-shooters were available in .22lr/.22mag, .357mag, .45Colt, and .44mag.  From what I've read, the Hawes/Sauer & Sohn six-shooters are well made, good shooters, but thankfully lack collector value right now.  "Thankfully" because I plan on collecting all the calibers.  Yes, ALL OF THEM!!!  One in .44mag is pretty high on my wishlist.   

Mine is like-new in box which is pretty cool because these guns were made in the late 60's/early 70's.  Needless to say, this gun will never see the inside of a holster.  I'm a little nervous about shooting it since I'd hate to scratch it up.  But the best part about collecting guns is shooting them, and that's what I intend to do with this one.  Expect some follow up posts once I get it and have a chance to shoot it.

Hawes Western Marshal by JP Sauer & Sohn.  What's not to like?                    

Kentucky Fried Firearms Is Now On Blogger!

Well, Kentucky Fried Firearms is on blogger now.  I hosted the old site through Weebley, but the format wasn't as user-friendly (i.e. I am lazy).  So here I am.

I've got some ideas for some new features including:

Range Report: It would involve finding and trying out new ranges, posting some pics, cost info, that kind of stuff.  Which basically evolved from my need to find a good outdoor range since Canoe Creek Ranch closed in Lancaster KY (RIP Canoe Creek...loved that place).

Guns I Want To Buy: The guns I want to buy, why, and the specs.

Reloading Stuff: Posts about reloading.

And basically anything else firearm related that I want to blog about.  We could call it Any Other Weapons (AOW) just like the Class III classification, but let's be honest, I'll probably never remember to call it AOW.  So don't expect it or you'll be disappointed.

Okay, that's it for the features.  Now about me:

I'm a law abiding gun collector on a budget.  Pro-2nd Amendment.  Member of the NRA.  FFL 03 Curio & Relic licensee.  Reloader.  And I firmly believe there is nothing better than blasting soda cans at an outdoor shooting range.  Nuff said.