Kevin Jaillett – Western Shooter

A Pair of Deuces – Kimber Conversion kit vs. GSG1911-22

At the shot show this winter I was able to spend some time with German Sport Guns (GSG) new 1911-22. ATI has been importing these and other GSG offerings over the past few years. My last experience with GSG was with their GSG-5, which is a highly reliable and accurate rendering of the famous HK MP5 series of weapons. Since the GSG-5 was introduced, they have followed with an AK-47 variant in .22 long rifle, and now a 1911 chambered in .22 long rifle.

Over the past 15 years I have had some experience with 1911’s and .22 conversion kits, and my impressions were not favorable. The few times I was able to test the conversion kits were nothing short of disappointment. They were picky about ammunition choices. Bulk ammo rarely cycled properly. CCI mini mag’s worked better, but the high cost of this ammo was enough to keep me from buying a conversion kit.

As fate would have it, ATI sent me a GSG-1911-22 this summer for evaluation. Fate also decided that if one is good, two is better. A very short time after the GSG 1911 arrived, I wound up trading for a Kimber Custom .45 1911 with a Kimber .22 conversion kit included. I soon realized the opportunity to test the guns against each other. Continue reading A Pair of Deuces – Kimber Conversion kit vs. GSG1911-22

Lyman 1200 DPS3 Automatic Powder Dispenser – Review

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the average life expectancy of a human being is 78.3 years. I am nearly half way there. I was introduced to the joys of firearms when I was a young lad, by a neighbor who spent some time on the Air Force pistol team. I was introduced to two truths, one obvious, and one that was somewhat of a limit to my fun.

The obvious truth was that pulling the trigger and making noise was a lot of fun. I spent a good deal of time behind his old S&W .38 special, and when I switched to the 10/22, I earned the comment “think your Rambo don’t ya?” Soon enough, I was learning the proper way to fire a 1911.

The second truth was that the ammunition must be purchased, or handmade. I knew that ammunition for the .22 was cheap, as I had free reign to reload that 10 round cylindrical magazine and blast away with little regard to pinpoint accuracy. When I shot the pistols, the whole dynamic changed. When I was about 11 years old I was asked to help with the reloading process. I can say that I remember the process to be excruciatingly boring. How could it possibly take Continue reading Lyman 1200 DPS3 Automatic Powder Dispenser – Review

Savage MKII Mako, Tac 65, and Aguila Subsonic .22lr

A while back I decided that a suppressed .22lr would be a fun addition to my collection. Not being one to settle for the bare minimums, I decided to build a well thought out package that would be as quiet as possible, pleasing to the eye, and accurate as well. There are a pile of .22 rifle and pistol makers, a much smaller pile of .22lr suppressor makers, and just a few producers of subsonic .22 ammo.

For the rifle, I had to choose from a bolt action or semi automatic. As being quiet as possible is a factor in my decision making, I choose to buy a bolt action. Semi automatic .22’s are plenty accurate, but are not nearly as quiet due to the excessive noise that the bolt creates while cycling. This reduced the available number of rifles to choose from Continue reading Savage MKII Mako, Tac 65, and Aguila Subsonic .22lr