IDPA just introduced the CCP division which is just a modified BUG division which was announced a while back, instead of the sought after Optics division. I don’t understand that decision. Instead of being a thought leader in the concealed carry space, they opted to make a minor change to their rules to make BUG a legitimate division.
Why can’t they do better?
With the popularity of Reflex / red dot sights these days many members are questioning why this isn’t a valid configuration for IDPA? Most people have RDS sights on their home defense guns, and on-body RDS carry is getting more and more popular. I can only see benefit for the club and the organization if they introduced the Optics division. It will invigorate the sport, stimulate the economy and boost their membership.
They can even help drive what kind of products that manufacturers create for the concealed carry market because it is being tested competitively.
This could be a symptom of a bigger problem related to the old-boys-club mentality of the gun community. The community has always been slow to adopt new things and new technologies. Example, the Internet, Online commerce, Social Media, Video and new technology for guns.
They need to be daring and move at the speed of the Internet or be left behind.
I live in Duvall, a small “historic” and quaint city just outside of Redmond. I live perhaps a little bit out of the main drag but the city name is in my address. I can’t renew my CPL from the local Police Department where it was issued in the first place. They said I had to go to a King County Community Service Center. Well, closest one is in Bothell which doesn’t open on all days, so that means I have to drive to the next closest one 20mins away in Shoreline. While at the facility, the deputy said that they don’t renew CPLs and that I have to get it renewed at the King County Sheriff Offices in SEATTLE.
So, I live in Duvall, but I can’t renew my CPL in my city or anywhere else in the county for that matter, but I have travel an hour to Seattle to do it.
Just received two kydex holsters from a local Kydex holster company called KRounds. I would have to say, of all the kydex/kydex-like holster companies in the US, this has the most passionate and talented holster makers that I’ve come across. Dave, who’s their EVP of production and design has 13 years of experience in this industry. You can watch the PowerFactor Show’s interview with Dave here :
Back to the holsters, the first one I ordered is a KRounds In-and-Out holster that’s a pancake style OWB holster and can be converted into a IWB. I ordered this for my Glock 17 with a TLR-1 Light. The packaging is one of the nicest I’ve seen. The plastic is thick and durable.
Look at how flush it sits on the belt, very tight and close to my fat body 🙂
I should record a video review to let you guys see / hear the lockup when the gun goes “home” in the holster. It fits like a glove. Dave is very proud of his designs that uses multiple lockup points so distribute the locking load, resulting in a very firm fit. This also reduces the amount of wear on the finish of the gun because the gun has no opportunity to move around in the holster.
The In-and-Out model also comes with S hooks (?) that you can install to make it a IWB holster. I haven’t tried this yet but I can imagine it will fit just fine.
Here’s the shot of my Glock 17 with the TLR-1 light.
I’m definitely liking this holster more than my Raven Concealment straight drop one that’s pretty loose.
The 2nd holster is one of their KRounds latest designs. A Dual-Pivot Appendix Carry holster. I’m not a fan of appendix carry, but I must admit, I have always been intrigued at this carry method and wanted to take this opportunity to give it a shot. I ordered one that fits my current carry gun, a H&K P7M8. (yes I know, snobbish!)
Krounds is one of those Kydex companies that not only ship and stock items, they can make a Kydex holster for ANY gun you want. They take it as a challenge to be able to mold Kydex into a fabulous holster for their customers.
I was surprised at how small this holster is. It’s just barely bigger than the gun itself, which is a good thing coz you don’t want a big hunk of metal in the space where you’ve already got something big 😉
here’s how it looks worn on my belt. Not too bad, slightly more uncomfortable than a traditional on the hip IWB which I’m used to but I’m going to give it a try.
What’s unique about this holster, is the dual-pivot technology, which allows the holster to pivot out from your body so you can holster the gun before tucking it under your belt. Alleviating the fear of holstering a hot gun into your groin.
The pivot also allows the gun to shift around in your pants as you sit down or get up, moving it away to make it more comfortable. Very unique and such a great idea don’t you think?
I’m still not very sure about this style of carry, but I’m going to continue doing it for at least a month and will report back.
The M&P 9 Shield has been very well received. I’ve seen so many people talking and expounding on it’s conceal ability. The only problem I’ve heard is the safety is too small and hard to engage. It’s not as easy to engage like the M&P 9s or 1911 thumb safeties.
Here’s Falia talking about her experience with the gun.
If you don’t like the safety, what options are there? S&W is supposedly going to release a new version that does not have a safety, but here’s a very simple instructional video showing you how to remove the manual safety. Obviously doing so will put you in all kinds of legal hurt if you actually have to use the gun one day, but if you don’t give a damn, it might help.
The better option of course is for someone like Apex Tactical to manufacture a slightly bigger extended safety lever that’s slightly thicker and longer. If I had some CAD skills I’d totally design it but I don’t. so here’s hoping they’ll make one quick.
Shot the first ever BUG (Back-Up Gun) Championships setup by NWPPA this weekend. It was a really fun event where all shooters must adhere to the BUG rules as stipulated by IDPA in the rule book. The match comprised of 14 short five-round stages. I wish there were longer stages with the ability to reload but were restricted because the current IDPA rules did not have any provision for allowing reloads or stages longer than five-rounds.
I won the match by half a second and took Overall Champion with a score of 69.18 seconds. I shot it with my Kimber CDP Ultra Elite II which falls under the CDP Division as well as being compliant as a BUG gun.
As you can see from the results, there is no provision for the BUG division in the scoring software, so we tried to identify what IDPA division the gun would probably fit in and lump everyone else into ESR-UNC as a catch all for unidentified BUG guns.
Unfortunately we weren’t allow to take video, so I can’t show you guys the match. I hope one day they’ll lift the ban so we can show how much fun some of these matches are and help to grow the sport.
here are some pictures I took :
hang on to buzz with strong hand and engage targets with weak only.
Me and my fun squad. It’s the people that make these matches so good to shoot at.
That’s all I had to lug around with me! As compared to my HUGE CED bag that I carry with me to the other matches. I’m all about shooting light from now on.
Rick, the Match Director kicking off the event.
It has been a while since I’ve shot such a fun match. I hope IDPA HQ and the Tiger Teams would change the BUG Rules to allow reloads and stages longer than 5 rounds so we can shoot stages that are more dynamic.
I ordered this holster six months ago almost and it wasn’t after some “chasing”, I managed to get them to deliver it. I’m sure their business is booming and they have a long backlog, but six months is just too long for me.
The quality of the holster is good, except for their belt straps. It feels flimsy and is very soft. I’d prefer if there was something harder. There might be some value to it being soft, time will tell I guess.
The gun fits perfectly and slides in and out very nicely I must add. You can feel the quality construction of the holster.
I got the holster for my M&P 9mm with a Streamlight TLR-1 weapon light. Here it is on my belt :
Holster is a little fat and a little “loose” on my belt, unlike a hybrid holster like a Crossbreed. This one keeps the gun riding a little high up so the grip portion flops around my belt. I would have preferred it to ride a little lower and tighter to my body.
Here’s a great blog post about taking your personal safety into consideration and stepping up to owning a gun. Written from a single woman’s perspective. Thoroughly good read and full of relevant information.
In my previous post, I talked about the different ways that I’ve found to feel safer in my home and community. One of those ways was purchasing a gun. This is, of course, a very personal decision. It is not a decision you should rush into.
If the answer is yes, then you should consider it. If not, just don’t. I would highly recommend a book called The Cornered Cat. This book is from a woman’s perspective of owning a gun, and many considerations you should make.
Been wanting to be part of the cool-kids tacticool community by moving away from the Glock to the S&W M&P series of polymer pistols. Lots of great feedback about the gun, seen it being used in both IDPA and USPSA a ton. Also worked on a few guns for friends but never found a good deal until recently.
Picked up an almost new S&W M&P 9mm Fullsize (not the pro) with the box and 3 magazines. The grip is one of the best in the market, it’s extremely ergonomic unlike the other plastic fantastic guns (maybe except for the XD and the HK P30)
It also came with TruGlo Tritium Green/Yellow sights installed which I think are fabulous for self defense use.
Don’t think I’ll be shooting this in competition anytime soon, will still to my revolver and Open gun for the next season. The M&P comes with a less than desirable trigger as I’ve mentioned in the past blog post so a few upgrades are in store.
Here’s a short video review of my new Kimber CDP Elite II Ultra carry gun. This is a fantastic, small and very reliable carry gun that’s chambered in 45 ACP. Takes 7 rounds in the magazine that fits into it’s small Officer sized aluminum frame.
It shoots well, is very reliable and feels great to carry. The completely dehorned (Carry Melt) treatment makes the gun feel much smaller than it looks. I carry this in a Crossbreed Supertuck Shorty and the combination makes it so comfortable to wear I don’t ever want to take it out.
I also took some footage of me shooting the gun in Slow Fire at targets 15 yards away, Rapid fire with reload from 5 yards away and out to 200 yards at a steel man-sized target. All of these done standing off-hand (unsupported). You’ll see that the gun is plenty accurate for one this small with a 3” barrel.
Gunbot! 