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March 31, 2008

Here' my brand spanking new, yet unfired M&P 357, with five loaded mags ready to go to the range.

In case you've never seen one, here's what a left-handed pistol looks like, after I turned the mag release button around.

Here's 15+1 from the M&P 357 aimed at center mass at 47 yards. A bit low, but at least they're all in the blue in the gut, not bad.

Here's 15 more from the M&P 357 aimed at the head at 47 yards, including a few extras from another mag aimed a bit higher at center mass.

Now here's 12 from my Steyr M357-A1 at 47 yards, aimed low at the gut/crotch.

Enough of that 47-yard stuff! Time for the Rooster Cogburn Drill at 10 yards, M&P in right hand, M357-A1 in the left.

Here's the Rooster Cogburn drill target, plus a few extra holes from a third mag.

Here's back to good ol' two-handed lefty shooting at 10 yards, one M357-A1 mag at the head, one M&P mag at center mass and another M&P mag in the gut.

Here's the five pistols that bickered themselves into this trip to the range. From left, S&W M&P 357, Steyr M357-A1, Steyr M9-A1, CZ75 SP01 Custom and S&W 22A-1. All they left at the end of the day was a bunch of empty mags and empty ammo boxes.

The purchase of Baddest Tactical Pistol No. 4: Steyr M9-A1 wiped out my pistol fund, but then along came my income tax refund so I immediately started my search for Baddest Tactical Pistol No. 5.

I decided I was long overdue in getting a fully ambidextrous pistol since many of the newer models have ambi slide stops and mag releases and some have dual safeties as well.

I'm a lefty and all of my previous nine pistols are basically right-hand models.

Baddest Pistol No. 5 candidates

First full ambi pistol that caught my eye was a .357 Sig, my second favorite caliber to 10mm. The FNP 357 Sig finally surfaced, at least it's the first time I'd seen one for sale, at Bud's Gun Shop in fabulous downtown Paris, Ky., a big gunshop in a small town with some of the best prices and selection I've seen in online sales. Bud's Gun Shop had them for $487 delivered in Matte Stainless or Matte Black.

Bud's also had another new model, the Sig P250, a fully ambi design which initially is only available as a compact 9mm, though 357 Sig and .45 are promised by summer with interchangeable slides and frames. Bud's had the P250C in 9mm for $575.

I considered a Sig 226 357, but it's not ambi and costs quite a bit more unless you get a "Certified Pre-Owned" model or discontinued models with no rail.

But Bud's had a P226 357 "CPO" for $500 or a P226 9mm CPO for $500, or the 226 9mm model used by the SEALS and other feds for $575, also a "CPO."

I also considered the Smith & Wesson M&P, which is also finally available in .357 Sig with ambi slide stops and reversible mag release button. The M&P 357 without the mag "safety lock" was listed at Bud's for $501, but it was out of stock when I first saw it.

If I could find an M&P 357, it would come down to it vs. the FN 357. I liked both about equally well, based on what I've read. Hadn't handled or shot either.

Only other 357 Sigs I considered are Glock 31 or 32 but I'm just not a big fan of the Glock grip angle. My G29 10mm has a modified grip angle to 1911-ergo.

I'd love another 10mm, but the choice is even more limited than 357 Sig, so that moved it out of contention this round.

I'm not averse to 9mm but I already have three, small: Kel-Tec PF-9; medium: Steyr M9-A1; and large, CZ75 SP01 Custom.

I also want another hi-cap .45 ACP, an ambi model, to add to my 1911 Llama wide-frame, which is not ambi and will never be due to the limited or nonexistent choice of after-market parts, such as an ambi safety.

Of course, I wouldn't be having this discussion if a Steyr S357-A1 subcompact was available, or any other new Steyr M or S or even "L" models in .357 Sig, 10mm or .45 ACP.

But those choices are either somewhere in the unknown future in Steyr's plans or nonexistent, too.

So in the here and now, my dear wife graciously agreed I can blow $600 of our tax refund on a pistol.

I also will soon have another $550 or so from the sale of my Walther P22 and a small cache in my pistol fund to add another new pistol, most likely a full-size 10mm or a hi-cap, ambi .45 ACP, as Baddest Tactical Pistol 6.

The winner for Baddest Pistol No. 5 is...

So, the winner is...the S&W M&P 357 without the magazine "safety lock" which came back in stock at Bud's just in time for the arrival of our tax refund check.

Perhaps finding the M&P 357 without the magazine safety lock was the deal maker. Hate those mag safety locks.

If you drop a mag while changing in the middle of an altercation, even if you've got a round in the pipe, it's useless.

One more reason we need to shoot all the lawyers on the first day of the revolution.

The M&P is also DAO with a pretty good trigger, according to reviews, while the FNP 357 is DA/SA with a fairly heavy DA pull and a good SA pull.

For carry, I prefer a DAO with a good trigger, so I went with the M&P over the FNP.

Also found and ordered three extra mags at Midway, St. Patrick's Day sale price of $30 each.

Wasn't a hard choice at all, price was right, $501, ambi slide locks and easily reversible mag release, no gunsmith required; 4.25" barrel, 15-rd. mags, what's not to like?

So my very first totally ambi pistol is in .357 Sig, my second favorite pistol caliber to 10mm. So far as I know, nobody makes an ambi 10mm, but .357 Sig is not a big stepdown in caliber.

The Easter holiday slowed delivery by a few days, but I picked the little darling up from my local FFL on March 25. Decided to call her Minnie Pearl, or just MP for short.

I turned the mag-release button around for my lefty self after a few minutes of fumbling around (I'm a mechanical klutz. If I can do it, anybody can.)

I also put the large palm-swell on the grip with no problems at all. Feels mighty fine, just right for my big mitts.

I'm not gonna know to act being able to reload without changing hands from left to right, not to mention being able to reach the slide-lock release button with my left hand, too.

I've been amphibious or ambiguous for so long I may have forgotten how to be just plain ol' left-handed.

Got a coupon from S&W for two free mags plus a $50 cash rebate along with the pistol so I'll end up with seven mags, two with the pistol and three extra I got at Midway on sale.

And with the rebate I'll end up with less than $475 in the pistol, which I think is a pretty sweet deal.

Got my Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge out and she measures an average of 5 lbs., 6 oz.; which is just a shade under both my Steyr MA1s by 4 oz., M357-A1 is 5 lbs., 10.5 oz.; M9-A1 is 5 lbs., 10.0 oz.

I may not do a thing to the trigger, though it is tunable if I want to.

Standard 3-dot Novak sights, no magazine safety lock. Let's go shooting!

Weather forecast for Saturday is good so it's range trip time. Yet to be determined is how many other pistols are going out to play with Miss Minnie Pearl.

I know M357-A1 goes for sure and I do believe I feel another Rooster Cogburn drill coming on.

Can you tell that I'm a happy camper? Happiness is a pair of 357 Sigs!

March 29 range report

For some reason, when I got set up at the range today to try my new S&W M&P 357, I decided to start off at 47 yards.

The table I used is on the front of a pad and if you shoot from the back of the pad, you have 50 yards, but 47 seemed far enough. Was it ever.

I started off with 15+1 from the M&P, sitting using the table for a rest, slow fire, aiming at center mass.

I was pleasantly surprised to find all 16 within center mass of a full-size man target.

Then I tried again at the same distance shooting at the head. Only eight in the head out of 15, but about the same spread as the first mag, so not bad.

I then compared my Steyr M357-A1 with 12 aimed low at the gut/crotch, same distance. About the same pattern with all within the body. Not bad.

Enough of that 47-yard stuff! Time for the Rooster Cogburn Drill at 10 yards, M&P in right hand, M357-A1 in the left. What a hoot!

Happy is the word, indeed. It was so much fun, I did it twice.

And besides that, it might just possibly be a useful drill.

Who knows when you might get into a shootout with Ned Pepper and his gang and need two guns?

Well, maybe not very likely, but it is good practice for weak hand and one hand shooting.

And it was during the one-hand drill when I really noticed the difference between the M357-A1 and the M&P with the M&P definitely proving to be the "softer shooter" of the two.

It was like shooting 9mm vs. 357, which I did a couple of months ago with the "Pair of Aces" Rooster drill.

Put about 125 rds. through the M&P with absolutely no problems. Trigger very similar to the MA1s.

Of course, after shooting the two MA1s and the M&P, seemed all I had to do to make the CZ75 SP01 Custom's 2.5-lb. trigger trip was just think about it. That custom CZ trigger spoils you.

Shooting impression is the M&P is a softer shooting pistol than my M357-A1, which surprised me.

Only difference between the two is the M&P is a quarter-inch longer at 4.25" barrel vs. 4" barrel, so perhaps that extra mass for the slide makes a difference in felt recoil.

Then after shooting both 357s, dropping down to 9mm felt like shooting .22.

A great start for the M&P, don't seen how it could have been better. As the French cop said to Bogey, this looks like the start of a beautiful relationship with my second 357 Sig.

Only problem is keeping this beast fed along with the rest of my hungry pistols.

I ran through 200 rds. of .357 Sig with the M&P and my Steyr M357-A1, plus another 200 rds. of 9mm in my Steyr M9-A1 and CZ75 SP01 Custom. I don't want to do the math but let's just say it's upward of $100 for 400 rds. and three hours of fun.

But what's a fella to do with 10 pistols?

Every time I start packing the range bag, my "harem" starts up this awful fussing and moanin' and bickering and crying, like a bunch of jealous girls.

"It's my turn!" "No, it's my turn!" "Take me!" "No, take me!" "No fair, she got to go last time, it's my turn!" "Aw, c'mon, there's room for one more!"

I just can't get out the door with less than half the harem and they're all hungry *itches! And once you get 'em to the range, you just gotta feed the whole bunch to keep 'em happy.

I need some more web work just to keep up with the ammo bills.