Gun Reviews | myUtahCCW.com

EAA Witness Full Size Polymer 9mm Review

The Good
I took to the Gun Range to today to contact a quick and dirty review of the EAA Witness 9mm Polymer framed Semi-Automatic. EAA has a real winner with this firearm! For a gun that is ~$400, you get a nice feel in the hand, decent trigger pull and comfortable shooting. As you can see from the photos below, this shot well enough at about 25 feet.

The Bad
Two things: (1) Magazines are not widely available and when I have found them, they are rather pricey. (2) the slide doesn’t give a lot of grip for pulling. The slide is a little short from where it touches the frame to the top of the firearm. Pulling the slide is not impossible, it’s just a noticeable difference compared to most modern handguns.

. 08 Apr 10 | Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (0)

Urban Camo Duracoat Custom Paint from Crusader Weaponry

Getting Started

I have to admit that I’m a sucker for good action movies…and that’s how this whole Urban Camo Duracoat thing got started. I must have been in Iraq when the movie “Shooter” came out and missed it in the theaters. My brother-in-law introduced me to the movie a while ago and I loved the camo jobs on all of the rifles there. That’s when I started looking into how to do a quality camo job on my AR. Several friends and forum discussions led me to believe that Duracoat is the best option. Duracoat is available in several colors, doesn’t interfere with the operation of the firearm and lasts a lifetime. There appear to be several options out there to Duracoat a rifle by yourself. After researching how much work it was to paint a rifle, I realized that I wanted to find a professional to do the work for me. I neither have the time nor the patience to learn the art of Duracoating.

Joe with Crusader Weaponry

This is where Joe Chetwood with Crusader Weaponry came in - Joe has a blog with updates about what he’s doing at gundoctor.wordpress.com. I was doing some research on UtahConcealedCarry.com and saw that one member recommended his work. I made contact with Joe about the rifle job I wanted and you can see the result below. Needless to say, I’m very happy with the final product! From start to finish, Joe professionally assisted me in selecting the colors, the camo job and even worked with a last minute change in both colors and design. Some people in the gun community are short-tempered and think they know everything…well, Joe does know just about everything but doesn’t make the average consumer feel like a dummy - something I look for! Joe responded to emails quickly and always had a helpful answer. It’s a big deal to paint your favorite rifle with a lifetime, custom paint job and Joe made the process super easy. Thanks Joe! Here’s how the thing turned out.

Slideshow of Duracoat Urban Camo Job

Click for full size photos

Youtube Presentation

The Photographer
Brad, with Brad Ovard Photography, helped immensely in the photography and preparation of this post. Brad is the most professional photographer that I have ever worked with and highly recommend his work! Thanks Brad!

GUN REVIEW: Sig P229 chambered in .357 SIG

What I love about this gun!

Ever since day 1, I have thoroughly enjoyed shooting this firearm. Everything about the SIG P229 feels nice in my hands. I found a great deal on this firearm for $500. First of all, it’s chambered in .357 SIG, which is not all that popular in my neck of the woods. This firearm barely had any use and had been well taken care of. It had the original manufacturer’s grease in several spots. At first, I had a difficult time reloading the .357 SIG because my size die was a little off. Once I figured out the problem, it’s been smooth sailing ever since. I’ve only ever shot 124 gr bullets from this thing but it eats up everything that I throw at it. I’ve got a nice IWB Kydex holster that makes concealing this a breeze. I also have a De Santis leather holster that works well with a jacket. I could use another couple of magazines but have not yet stomached the $40 price tag. I’ve got too many other things that I’m interested in. All in all, I’m so happy with this SIG (which was my first ever) that I’ve decided to buy the P239.

Here are the specs from SIG SAUER about this firearm:

. 29 Mar 10 | Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (0)

Concealed Carry Instructor’s Review of the Marlin 795

So I just went to the desert to try out my new Marlin 795. I picked this little guy up because I wanted the most accurate .22 for the money. I know that I were to go with the Ruger 10/22, I’d end up spending as much on it as I did my sniper rifle. Seemed sort of silly for just a .22. Marlin has a rebate on this rifle for $25 off the original price…still waiting for that to show up in the mail. First I needed to sight in the scope. Just for kicks, I shot 10 rounds of Federal bulk pack. Here’s the result at 25 yards.

Marlin 795 .22 LR Accuracy at 25 yards

I’m pretty sure that those two up top were more my mistake than the firearm’s problem. I was just shooting off the bed rail on my truck.

I also brought some pennies that I had taped up on a cardboard target. A friend said that the .22 probably wouldn’t punch a hole through the penny. This is also at 25 yards.

Accuracy of the Marlin 795 .22 at a penny 25 yards away

The scope I selected is the Bushnell rimfire 3×9 for $30. All in all, I’m rather happy with the accuracy of this rifle. Several people have complained about the trigger pull. I concur that it’s not nearly as nice as my Remington 700 out of the box. There appear to be a lot of folks that have done an aftermarket trigger job on these guys…more to come on that. What do you think? Have you shot one of these?

. 22 Feb 10 | General CCW Topics, Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (0)

Dillon 650 reloader setup

I love reloading! I love it so much, that I thought I would share how I’ve got my Dillon 650 setup. I looked and looked and felt like I got the best deal for my money with the 650. I know it’s not the cheapest machine out there but you get a lot of features plus the amazing Dillon warranty. My good buddy has the 550 and he has loaded lots of rounds on his machine…it’s quite a workhorse. After loading several thousand rounds though, he wishes that he would have picked up at least the 650.

Setup: It didn’t take too long to setup the machine right out of the box. The instructions from Dillon on the 650 are easy enough to follow. Later on I did have a small snag with the primer loading disc but Dillon customer service was only a phone call away. That’s another nice thing about going with a Dillon, they have great customer service!

The Auto Case Feeder: I didn’t realize when I first bought the 650 that the machine is truly designed to be used with the the automatic case feeder. That’s one area where the Dillon website could be improved. Maybe some video of how the machine is used and some of it’s different configurations. So I bought the case feeder and have loved it ever since. My buddy with the 550 has to load a case in each time. The case feeder loads new brass with each pull of the handle. In a later post, I show the machine in action. Right now, I’m in the middle of a caliber conversion. The

Reloading bench and work space: I’m sort of in a small workspace (as you can see from the photo) and had to get rather creative to make everything fit in the 40+ inches width I had to work with. I built the entire bench with the light for $50. I got a couple of pieces of 2″x6″ and a board of MDF and used some old varnish that I had sitting around. Here’s how it all looked when I finished.

Organization:

As a very wise person said to me years ago, “organization is the key to success.” Having some type of, on-the-wall organization system has been crucial to my setup - especially given the small area I have to work with. If you didn’t already know this about reloading, but there are literally hundreds of small things that can magically disappear in the exact moment that you need them. It’s surprising how important one small piece can frustrate your entire reloading process. Here’s the organization pack I picked up from Harbor Freight, which I then placed on wall behind my bench.

The Bench Drawer:

As I was building the bench, I realized that I could get just a little more space if I added a couple of hinges and cut the wood to form a drawer.

I did the same thing on the bottom side as well. The drawer on the filled with brass (I think I bought too much) and the left side has bullets and primers.

Tool Heads:

Suffice it say for now that the tool head is what holds the dies in place (the half moon looking pieces). I HIGHLY recommend that with each set of dies that you pick up, you should buy an additional tool head. Since I didn’t really want the dies or the decapping pins to get damaged, I built this rather inexpensive PVC pipe tool head holder.

Reloading Bench Tool Head setup

. 18 Sep 09 | General CCW Topics, Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (2)

Great Concealed Carry for Women

Model 442 Revolver

Smith and Wesson Model 442 Revolver Concealed Carry for Women

Right off, the thing I like most about this 38 Special +P revolver is that it’s hammer-less. Even when I’ve been out shooting my revolver, I sometimes get it stuck on my clothes when unholstering. So if you’ve got this concealed in a purse or hand bag, you’re less likely to catch the hammer on something. That would be terrible if you pack around your Utah Concealed Carry for all that time and then, when you have to use it, it gets stuck and then you drop it or something.

Another great feature about this S&W is that it only weighs 15oz unloaded. The air-weight feature from S&W has been and will continue to be an industry leader.

Other information that might be useful:
This revolver is Double Action Only
It Shoots the 38 special round as well as the more powerful round called the 38 Special +P
It has a synthetic grip
The cylinder has a 5 round capacity
Sells for around $450

. 06 Jan 09 | Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (0)

Best FFL for your Utah CCW

Many people ask me what I think about getting a firearm off of the internet. I think you can pick up a great gun online for a super deal. So how do you go about it? Well, first of all you need to find a Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder. Once you’ve got your FFL lined up, you can pick up that Utah Concealed Carry that you’ve looking for. Every FFL has a different price to do a transfer and can run as much as $65. For your Utah CCW, I highly recommend going with the same guy that has helped me out on numerous occasions. His name is Blake and he’s with Denali Firearms. Here’s his information. You can pick up guns online and have them sent to his place to do the transfer. Just call any gun shop and ask them what they charge and I can almost assuredly gurantee that they’ll charge more than Blake. So give him a call with all of your gun needs! He can also special order lots of other guns that you might be looking for. So don’t fight with the guys at the gun store, call Denali and they’ll take care of you!

. 18 Nov 08 | Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (0)

5 Best CCW revolvers

MyUtahCCW’s top 5 revolvers for your Utah Concealed Carry (lowest price on up)

Most people coming here, looking to get their Utah CCW permit are also looking to save some money before getting their first revolver. So this is why the revolvers are organized in order of price.

#1: Rossi 357 2in Revolver

REVIEW:

While Rossi isn’t the most common name in Concealed Carry Revolvers, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of this Utah CCW revolver. No fancy bells and whistles on this bad boy, but for the price you can’t go wrong. Here’s a little video of a 357 Rossi.

#2 Taurus 357 2 in Concealed Carry Revolver

Review:

Taurus is a little better name and you’ll add a stainless steel finish for this Utah CCW revolver. You won’t be upset with the quality and the features of this revolver.

#3 Ruger 2.25 in Revolver

Review: Rugers have a little better reputation than the the Taurus version of this Utah CCW revolver. I think that their reputation is well deserved. With many more features than the other revolvers, you’ll be pleased with the longevity and strong character of these revolvers. Great little Gun!

Specs

#4 S&W 357 Scandian

Review: The most amazing thing about this Utah Concealed Carry Revolver is it’s light weight. Your bullets probably weigh more than this revolver. With this S&W and the one below, you’ll get a great name and a great gun! Wow, these look nice!

#5 S&W

Sorry about this video…it’s the best I could find for the S&W’s. The action starts at about 1 min…hang in there.

. 03 Nov 08 | Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (0)

Best safe for your Utah Concealed Carry

So I’ve been considering getting a new safe for my Utah Concealed Carry. If I can get my wife to go along with it, I think I’ll go with the Canon Executive Safe from Costco. Wow, I can’t believe the deal! 30 cubic feet for only $1000. A Costco membership pays for itself in this purchase. First, here’s a look at a more economical choice.

Small size safe for your Utah CCW

Great under the bed safe for your Utah CCW

First is the GunVault safe for you to use for your Utah Concealed Carry. You can pick this up from Cabelas for $299. The coolest thing about this safe is that you open it by merely placing your finger into the groves. You can also have multiple users for this safe. And if that isn’t enough for you, the safe also keeps track of who opens the safe. That way, you can have more than one Utah Concealed Carry Permit holders have access to the safe. This is a great safe for under your bed.

How about something of a larger size?

This safe weighs in at around 600lbs and only costs $1000. I can’t believe the deal on this great safe for your Utah CCW. Canon offers an unheard of lifetime warranty that many other safes can’t compete with. If $1000 isn’t good enough for you, this also comes with shipping and delivery. Here’s some of the features:

Antique Matte Black and silk-screened logo
Heavy 12-gauge, unibody construction
High security type 1 electronic lock
Massive 1” composite door with 1” active locking bolts
Brass-plated handle
Sure Fire multiple re-lockers
True lock internal hinges
Extra-hard, Rockwell-rated hard-plate
Fully adjustable design
Upholstered shelving and inside walls
Easy-out firearm rack
Holds up to 28 firearms
Predrilled bottom for bolting to floor
Predrilled dehumidifier hole
UL listed residential security protection
30 Cubic Feet
Dimensions (includes handle & dial):
36″ W x 22″ D x 60″ H
Inside dimensions:
34″ W x 20″ D x 58″ H
Weight: 600 lbs.
Warranty: In-home, lifetime safe repair warranty that covers fire and burglary

Wow, this is a deal.

How about a premium safe?

Ok, now if you’re looking for the most premier and want something classy, Cabelas has a great deal on one of their ambassador series safes.

Here’s another view:

Here’s some features about this safe:

Lifetime warranty
four layers of fire board
keypad or manual locks
UL-listed for home security

Now, I have to say that this safe is nice! Wow, classy! If you want something a little bit more, I think you’ll like this safe. Prices vary, so check out Cabela’s website.

. 22 Oct 08 | Gun Reviews | Read on | Comments (0)

Concealed Carry Review of Walther PPS

Wow! Take a look at this amazing Concealed Carry for your Utah CCW. This is amazing! I love Walther’s slogan: More conceal, less carry. Check out all of the features:

Ambidextrous Magazine Release
Two Magazine Sizes (Third Optional)
Loaded Chamber & Cocking Indicators
Small & Large Backstrap
Trigger Safety
Internal Striker Safety
Walther QuickSafe™ Safety

So why would you want this for your Utah Concealed Carry? This Utah CCW is less than one inch width (.91) and weighs 19oz. The adjustable pistol grips are super for changing the pistol to your hand. The adjustable back strap also acts as a safety feature (pull it off and it won’t work). You can pick this up in a .40 or 9mm.

How about for my Utah Concealed Carry?

The low profile and light weight of this pistol make this an excellent choice for your Utah CCW. You can pick this up for around $650. You probably won’t love how this pistol fires, but you’ll love the comfort and portability of this firearm. Can’t go wrong with this pistol for you Utah Concealed Carry. Compare the small profile of this concealed carry to the Walther PPK chambered in .380 ACP.