Home | Site Map | Intro | Net Portfolio | Photos | Journalist | Features | Bible Q&A
Webwork Rates | Contact | Resume | Photoj Sites | PhotoJ Q&A | Saved | Guests

See all my social commentary columns, Bible Questions and Answers columns or feature articles with photos.

March 22, 2008

Here's my Steyr M357-A1 at left and the new Steyr M9-A1 at right.

The purchase of Baddest Tactical Pistol (Revolver) No. 3 left me with a bit of cash left in my pistol fund, about $350, due to the sale of the Colt Huntsman .22LR pistol, which mostly financed the purchase of my S&W Model 21-4 .44 Special revolver.

Normally $350 in cash won't buy much of a pistol, new or used, unless you just luck up on a good used pistol.

Normally. But since the fire sale of the U.S. inventory of Steyr-Mannlicher pistols and rifles back in early 2007 when the company changed owners, there's been some incredible bargains available.

CDNN Sports of Abilene, Texas, one of the industry's biggest gun retailers, bought all the Steyr-Mannlicher U.S. inventory then and has since been unloading pistols and rifles for nearly half price.

Steyr pistols have been the best-kept secret in the gun industry for a long time, but thousands of members of Gun Nuts 'R' Us have taken advantage of this CDNN fire sale and the membership of our Steyr forum, Steyrclub.com, has grown exponentially in the past year.

It was a four-pistol range day, new Steyr M9-A1, M357-A1, also brand-new never-fired S&W Model 21-4 .44 Special wheel gun and two new mags to try for my Llama IX-C .45 ACP. Here's the lineup, the M9-A1 is wearing the Desert Tan Hogue grip, the M357-A1 is in basic black, as usual.

So for $339 plus shipping and FFL transfer fee, I could get a brand spanking new Steyr M9-A1 as a bookend to match my Steyr M357-A1, which I bought in November 2006 for more than $500.

As they say, it's a no-brainer. So I gave CDNN a call and got the best bargain going in the gun industry.

My new Steyr M9-A1 arrived Jan. 31 and here's my report I filed at Steyrclub.com.

Pair of Aces

I forgot to order a Hogue Handall Grip for the M9-A1 like the black one on my M357-A1. So I asked the gun dealer where I had it shipped if he had a Hogue Handall? Yep, but only one in OD Green.

I started to say no without even looking at it, but he pulled it out and I held my tongue. It's actually more Dark Earth or whatever they're calling Iraq/Afghan sand colors. It's a pretty close match to the color of the slide, so I bought it to give it a try.

Here's my son, shooting the M9-A1 with a big chew of tobacco in his cheek.

With a little bit of hairspray and a lot of tugging, I got it on and I think I'll keep it. Gives me a visual check on which one of the twins is the 357 Sig and which one is the 9mm.

More good news. I got my Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge out and my new M9-A1 just slightly edges out my M357-A1 by half an ounce lighter!

And this is stock out of the box, while my M357-A1 has Big Taco's trigger smoothing magic plus around 1,000 rounds or more downrange.

The M9-A1 measures an average of 10 pulls at 5 lbs., 10.0 oz. while the M357-A1 measures an average of 5 lbs., 10.5 oz. Not a bad start. Range trip Saturday.

I plan to do the Rooster Cogburn drill once again, M357-A1 in one hand and M9-A1 in the other. I did it last spring with my M357-A1 and M40-A1. Most fun I've had in a while.

Feb. 2 Range Trip

As planned, I did the Rooster Cogburn drill once again, M357-A1 in one hand and M9-A1 in the other.

And here's yours truly doing my Rooster Cogburn imitation, M357-A1 in the right hand, M9-A1 in the left. Got that Rooster gut thing going, too.

Tried out the Canned Heat ammo in 357 Sig from Georgia Arms in the M357-A1. Hot stuff! I could really tell the difference between right hand and left! That Canned Heat is way hotter than Winchester White Box or any other FMJ or TMJ load I've shot so far.

Only bobble of the day was one of the two new mags I got from CDNN for my M357-A1 may have caused two FTE's on the Rooster drill. Need to open up all of my Steyr mags and count the spring leaves to see if I got any of those dad-blasted Clinton-ban 10 rd. springs.

Both the new mags for the Llama worked without a hiccup, one 14-rd. and one 20-rd. which sticks out from the grip just a bit. It makes a fine backup mag for carry as by the time you've exhausted 14 rounds of .45 ACP, you most definitely won't be "concealed" anymore and the secret will be out for everybody who's not stone deaf or stone dead.

And I got Logan signed up to join the 4-H shooting team next Saturday and bought him a military surplus Romanian .22LR match rifle.

As if I needed an excuse to go to the range, I'll now be there at least two Saturdays a month helping out with my grandson's team in .22 rifle and shotgun shooting.

Sometimes us grandparents just have to reach down deep and make big sacrifices for our grandkids!