Yes, I purchased an “EBP” – an “Evil Black Pistol”! Last Friday and Saturday, the days immediately after Thanksgiving, were the first “tax-free firearms” holidays in South Carolina (and the country, as far as we know). The bill, put into law over Governor Sanford’s veto earlier this year (Mark Sanford is solidly “pro-gun”; he is also “fiscal hawk” and doesn’t support “tax-free” anything; he’d rather lower taxes across the board), was dubbed the “Second Amendment Recognition Act”, to show the state’s support for our right to keep and bear arms. I love living in South Carolina!!!
So, wanting to take advantage of this, and having the “boss’s” permission to do so, I went to several local gun stores to check out their wares. I decided on a gun I did not have in my collection; from a manufacturer I did not have represented, one I could use for concealed-carry, and one that I thought might be a target “high on the banning list” of the future Obama administration. I picked a Glock – specifically the G27, which is their sub-compact version in .40 S&W.
I have fired Glock’s before, and though they are interesting, they are not my cup of tea. For concealed carry I favor the Para-Ordnance P12.45 in colder weather and a PPK clone by FEG when the temperature is warmer and a concealed weapon is more difficult to hide. I have another .40 S&W – a Springfield XD, but it is a “tactical length”, with a five-inch barrel; too long and large to carry most of the year (though I have carried a 1911A1 concealed at times). I thought a “shorty-40” would be a good combination – and I already have dies and reloading components for it, so buying one got me a Glock for my collection, another option for a concealed carry piece in a potent caliber, and didn’t force me to feed a new caliber. A “win” all the way around – especially after saving about $40 in tax!
The trigger on Glocks are still new to me, though the XD’s trigger is similar (it should be – it is pretty much a pure copy!). I decided to take this to the range this week to make sure it functioned properly. I was a bit apprehensive, as my hands are too big to fit the grip, and my pinky rests under the floor plate of the magazine at the bottom of the gun. The .40 in such a small and relatively light package does let you know it is there, but recoil was really no problem. I guess shooting .45 ACP’s, .44 Magnums and stout .45 Colts puts things into perspective for one!
I was amazed that my first shot hit just a hair off the “x” in a silhouette at the combat line. Turns out the sights were regulated darn near point of aim – at least for the load I was using. I decided to give it something of a “torture test” – shooting 180-grain truncated cone lead bullets from Ultramax. These are reloads – but not by me. I figured if it would feed those, it would feed pretty much anything. It fed them perfectly; not a single jam during the whole session.
A quick 50 rounds later, everything has solidly in the bull’s eye, 9 or 8 rings – with most being in the 9’s. These were “relatively” rapid-fire strings (as fast as I could reasonably do and not get booted off the firing line as the indoor range has a “no rapid fire” policy, and there were others shooting that day). Combat reloads, and really a test of defensive shooting. I was impressed. The most difficult thing was loading the magazines – which was a bear, even with the supplied loading tool. My understanding though is this will get easier as the springs in the magazines relax a bit. I have them loaded up right now in the safe trying to accomplish just that.
Well, you eye-candy fanatics, you’ve waited long enough. I have no pictures of the range or target; it was indoors and the light is not the best (which is good for CCW practice). But here is my new “EBP”:
It came with the hard case, two 9-round magazines, the magazine loader, unopened owners manual, and a spent casing (for states dumb enough to require this). All in all I am rather pleased, and look forward to breaking in this bad boy further. I know – I know – it is not a lever-gun, or a single-action. I beg forgiveness and understanding!
P.S. – Part two of this range report is coming shortly!
