Air guns have been around for about 500 years and they are a great alternative to firearms. They can be used as entertainment or for pest control and small game hunting and modern models use one of the three available types of power source: spring-piston, compressed gas, or pneumatic.
Air guns are also used in sportive competitions such as Field Target or the Olympic 10 m Rifle. They are also more powerful than airsoft weapons and use different types of pellets. I felt the need to add this explanation as many people get them confused.
Today I’ll take you on a short trip down memory lane and I’ll talk about the history of the air gun.
The beginnings
The first historical record of an air gun is dated back in 1580 and you can even see it at the Livrustkammaren Museum in Stockholm. This time is also recognized as being the start of the modern air gun.
Still, before it got to what we know today, the first models used a pump to fill the air reservoir. Until the 19th century, people used air guns to shoot large game and they even used them in warfare (take a look at the Girandoni air rifle). These guns supported a .30-.51 caliber and reached a speed of 650 to 1000 feet per second.
Given the time and the fact that firearms weren’t at their best time, air guns were considered superior. For instance, an air gun wasn’t affected by the weather (if the gun power would get wet it was rendered useless), and it was quieter so it wouldn’t disclose the shooter’s position – a feature that made them great for an armed conflict.
Time for Glory
As the air gun proved so effective in the battlefield, both France and Austria had sniper detachments equipped with air rifles. The Austrian forces even developed a weapon that was about 4ft long, weighed 10 pounds, and supported a .51 caliber, called the Girandoni air rifle. The rifle had a tubular magazine and could hold up to 22 rounds. This gun had the power of a modern .45 ACP caliber pistol.
The Modern Times
As the firearms developed, the air rifle lost in terrain, but it’s still used for the level of energy it delivers. During the 1890s, people started using them for competitive target shooting and the sport became quite popular. Even more, over 4,000 associations and clubs were founded during this time all over Great Britain, but Birmingham was the main center.
Today we still use air guns for competitive sports and for hunting and I think it will be a long time before the air gun will be rendered obsolete.
Air guns vs. Airsoft Guns
Many people (especially beginners) tend to consider that airsoft guns and air guns are the same. While there are some similarities in design and in popularity, the two types of guns are very different.
A quick look on goog gun will tell you that airsoft weapons are safe to use in war games and even children can play with them. Well, air guns are a lot more powerful and they use metallic ammunition, not plastic pellets like airsoft models. Because of this, air guns can’t be used to shoot at people or property – they do inflict damage and can be lethal.
You should also know that both types are legal to own in most areas and they are great for practicing your shooting skills and keeping your hobby alive. Still, the history shows us that air guns were the first ones at the table.
The acronym SHTF has gotten quite popular in the past few years.
I remember that it used to be popular to say that your preparations were for fighting off the inevitable Russian or Chinese invasion, sometimes instead the Blue Helmets were mentioned. I’d tend to think Blue Helmets would be a Turkey Shoot, but lets hope it never comes to that.
Now days the common excuse is zombies, that one is prepping for zombies.
I just got back to my home after hurricane Irma. Fortunately my home weathered the storm well, but some of my neighbors have extensive damage to their roofs.
Don’t fall too far into fantasy when you are prepping, there are all manner of real world problems that can cause the proverbial shit to hit the fan.
I know it seems like it’s been forever ago since I did the first part of this review , but a lot has happened. Sorry about the delay for those of you waiting on this.
In the time between these sections I have had a lot of time with this gun. It has taken over duties as my every day CCW piece, replacing the XSE Gov model I carried for the last 11 years. That is how much I have grown to love it and trust it. Believe me, replacing the Colt XSE was not an easy thing to do. Besides the quality and accuracy of that gun, there was a lot of memories and sentimental value that went with it. Maybe that was the final reasons I did put it in semi retirement as a constant carry gun.
While shooting it these months I really appreciate the new dual recoil spring system colt has started using in all of their pistols. No, it’s not some complicated thing if that’s what you are thinking, just a spring in a spring that can be easily taken out for cleaning just like normal. Its the same setup in the M45A1 and Delta Elites. It does really well softening recoil on hotter rounds like the 10mm, and on the light weight frame commander it helps a lot with hot rounds I like to use for carry like the Corbon +P solid copper hollow points.
I fired all my stand by accuracy loads in the commander to test it for groups and one ball round loading just to see,
Groups were fired from a bench with bags, slow fire as is my usual method. I fired five rounds groups other than the 10 round group in upper right using ball. Only did this cause I had a wilson 10 round mag loaded with ball in my pocket when i went to do this. The ranger T load is upper left
These three groups are my carry load in upper left, my back up carry load upper right, which is the winchester DPX . Bottom group is the excellently accurate hornady 185 match semi wadcutters. A load me and a friend have been using for years for the most accurate handload we can come up with.
As requested recently, I have started shooting extended ranges ( for handguns) as part of my standard test and review. This request was made by a reader curious to see what modern handguns could do if needed to shoot beyond distances most think of as normal handgun ranges in the event of active shooter or terrorist attack. The idea being you HAVE TO made a longer shot for some reason, Maybe because the nut bag is wearing a vest that may explode and kill you if you are too close or the bad guy has a rifle and has ballistic advantage over you. Either way, the testing has led to some pretty surprising results. I may be paranoid and crazy but this has made me think it would be wise to start integrating longer shots into regular training to prepare for that potential since modern handguns and ammo are up to the task with a shooter who can milk it.
First I need to say I did shoot at a man shaped paper target at 75 and 100 yards and thought I took pictures of it. Apparently I didn’t because I am an idiot. Even more so because I burned the paper targets to clean up the area at the strip job we shoot longer ranges at. So , trying not to litter means I can’t even go back and get the target.
I did take pictures of the 200 yard target. Luckily. The groups at 100 were so encouraging it made me try 200. Bare in mind, it took me 20 or more rounds to get the right hold on the target, I didn’t just walk back 200 and fire for record. It took some careful hold and fire and see,kinda thing. It is doable though and once I had the hold over figured out, it was repeatable. I used a steel gong to get the range down and after the record target we all took turns hitting the gong at 200. This was a real revelation to a couple of the guy who thought a 45 ACP round from a pistol wouldn’t even travel that far.
I used a 200 yard NRS bullseye rifle target. Twenty rounds were fired and I got 8 rounds in the black. I only managed 14 hits total on the paper in the black and white. Still pretty good I think if I do have to say so myself.
Obviously all shots were from a bench and bags not off hand. But with enough practice I’m sure a man sized target could be hit with a pistol off hand or from some kind of support like using a car hood or truck bed.
Selection of round used would make it harder or easier as well. A hotter and lighter 165 or 185 would shoot flatter than a 230 grain bullet fired from a walmart plinking loading.
Making these longer range testings part of the review process has really got me thinking though. I have in mind to try some 9mm handguns with some of the hotter self defense loads to see what can be done I think the lighter faster round may show some impressive results and a future article will definitely be a test of various handguns and rounds at 100 yards and beyond to see the absolute limit to what you may be able to hit if you really need to.
To wrap up, Colt LWT Commander is super nice and as I said is now my standard carry gun. It’s weight and handling make it a real joy and it’s got all the accuracy I need. It has had 1876 rounds through it this summer of all kinds of ammo with no problems. It has lived up to be everything I asked out of it and more.
Earlier this year I received the Inland/Bond Arms “liberator” derringer pistol. With Inland making a lot of WW2 era guns over the last few years and them teaming up with other companies like Ithaca to make others, it isn’t a surprise the name was brought back as a homage of the old single shot pistol dropped in occupied areas for friendly underground forces to use to get something better.
So now we have a sort of tribute to the idea. You can see the liberator is still quite big for a two shot pistol. Here is is beside a Colt Defender, sub compact 1911. This being the first bond arms pistol I had done more than look at as I walked by a display, I was not prepared for how heavy duty this things are .
Inspecting the piece you can see that they are made very well.
Above is the roll mark and name. A moniker that pays tribute to the original cheaply made junk gun that was a single shot. No doubt the Inland’Bond Arms is made to a much higher standard to say the least.
The wooden grips have a nicely engraved Inland Logo. Though the down side side is , the grips making shooting sustained fire painful. The beauty is, if you fire your two shots, the guns are strong and tough enough to beat some one to death with it.
Attention to detail is impressive on these pistols.
The trigger is as heavy as you probably guessed considering the type of gun this is and what roles its meant to fill. I tried on and off for a few months to really master it off hand. The idea was to get as good as I could with it and fire it like I would if I had to in a life threatening situation. I did manage to keep all the shots on a FBI Q target, at the ranges you would use a gun like this after much practice getting use to it. But that didn’t demonstrate the accuracy of the pistol so i went to the bench and punished my self.
Above is 4 shots of federal HST from 10 yards off the bench. The trigger is tough to master so it takes a lot of concentration to shoot a type group but the gun can be accurate.
This is a 5 shot group at 15 yards from a bench. I would have done just four rounds but I pulled one and though I could do better, so I fired an extra round to make up for it. Easy to get tired with this gun as it is punishing to shoot and the trigger is like bending a nail.
Last we have 10 rounds fired off hand at 15 yards. This was still slow fired. I never could get the hang of doing the two fast shots like the guy on the TV commercials. I squirm at the thought of having to shoot that gun enough to be that good with it.
Bottom line is, the gun is very well made. The company takes pride in these pistols and their skill at making them. You can tell that by a close inspection. While had to shoot fast, they can be accurate. This one showed much potential and if I was the kind of guy who is used to bog bore revolver recoil, I’m sure I could have done better for everyone with it. I’m not though, and the wooden grips and recoil of such a small gun firing full power 45ACP rounds was more than I could take for long period. I do see why the bond arms guns are popular with a lot of people though. They are nostalgic and certainly finely made.
I get asked all the time what lube I use on my AR15s and other guns. I doubt I’m the only one that gets this question. It’s a topic all over the gun forums with people arguing the virtue of their favorites. I don’t usually don’t feel a need jump in this discussion except when the topic turns to bore solvent. I see a lot of people declare hoppes9 the end all be all of bore solvents. Folks. That just ain’t true. I suppose if you just like to swab the bore a little it will work ok for your needs, nut for a real deep true cleaning, you have to use something else. But first let me talk about the lubes I use.
There it is. I could probably end this post right now and say nothing else and I would have said enough. Truth is though, the slip2000 product line is great. It’s not snake oil. its nor cooking oil or whatever. It’s just good stuff. it doesn’t stink, it won’t poison you and it stays put and works. The bore cleaning carbon cleaner solvent with the green color even works well. I like to soak parts in it then tooth brush them clean.
The EWG is a grease as you can see and It is just a thickened version of the lube . It stays in place no matter what. If I’m going out in conditions where I know it’s going to likely really rain or be wet for several days, I slather it on.
I also like to dab some on the inside of a M1911 or other lesser pistol if its a really hot day and we are going to be doing some major round count shooting. The gun can get too hot to hold and it can be 100 outside but this will still be on the gun at the end.
The other lubes are my day to day workhorse lubes. It seems to not be well known, but slip2000 oil is actually a CLP, that combo much beloved by many who are always looking for a magic bullet answer. The truth is, it works really good in that role. Like all CLPs it doesnt do all three things perfectly, but it will lube and protect excellently. And like regular CLP, it will make cleaning much, much easier when you are using it as your main lubricant.
The SLip200EWL 30 is a thicker version of the regular EWL. It stays put and doesn’t spread out and run off like a thinner lube. I like to use it in tight spots and hard to get to areas. I especially like it on my CCW pistol in summer when it gets really hot and I don’t want my clothes ruined. It’s also a great choice for storing your guns away for a few months. It’s not what you would want for years long storage in a back room or underground tin foil bunker, but if you are needing rust prevention for a few months, this is good stuff and it can be left on and used on a weapon without needing wiped off like something much thicker used just for long term storage.
Now here are some lubes I consider my 2nd choice. These are not bad because they are not my first choice. They just do not have the same level of performance in areas I feel are important to my needs. The CLP is a classic, you know what it does. It is toxic though, they tell me anyway, and it is a pretty crappy cleaner in all honesty. Not that I would ever use it for that as long as I have a better choice. But it’s a reliable lube that works even if you need to apply it often.
The other is the classic military lube, LSA. Not a cleaner and a so so long term rust preventive. You can not mix it with other lubes you may have on the gun. so you have to commit to it like a marriage if you are going to use it on a gun. It was developed for the M16 and other automatic weapons I have read in some TMs. It does work really well as a lube only. I have heard it is still in use in military stocks and some really love it. It is getting harder to find though it seems. But if you have a huge back stock of it like me bought over the years its a good 3rd choice. Its mainly the lube I hand out for friends or strangers who come to shoot and aren’t smart enough to have their own lubricant.
Every other lube not mentioned above is all fine and well. I would use any and all of them if you handed it to me when I needed oil but just not what I would pick if I had choice of my favs. Some are snake oil however, and some just are marginally decent but I suppose better than nothing.
Here is something I first read about in Precision Shooting Magazine years ago and though it was a gimmick.
Hey, its legit. BreakFree makes a copy of it you can get at walmart but it’s really not the same. I have tried it and it takes a lot of the breakfree foaming bore cleaner to start to get some where, and to really truly clean you still need a brush and some elbow grease. Thi stuff is the real deal though and I think what the breakfree brand tried to copy. Its pricey but if you are like me and get really lazy sometimes or you are away from home and need to some what clean a bore over night in a hotel room or just need or want to clean during a break in shooting , this is really good.
Now the real cleaners for serious bore cleaning for precision rifles and match rifles there are only 3 I take serious. I have used all three over many years and have absolute faith in them for real bore cleaning.
Butches Bore Shine
TM Solutions
Shooter Choice
Now the first two are almost interchangeable in quality. Third is still great though not quite as good as the other two. TM has the real benefit of having almost no smell
Hoppes9 is not on the list..
Some older military bore solvents can be effective but hard to find and very toxic though.
Now the products that are more specialized but sometimes can be needed.
Sweets 762 solvent. For heavy copper fouling. It is safer than some say. I soaked a blued barrel and SS barrel section in sweets for 6 months one time in the late 90s at my old job site . No damage was done to the barrel steel sections. Though I wouldn’t use it on a chrome bore AR.
JB Bore paste. A very abrasive paste that is very messy and a lot of work but it can clean an old rifle bore that hasn’t seen a rod and patch in 50 years or was owned by an idiot. Don’t go crazy with it because it is abrasive.
Brake Cleaner. What is better than spraying crud off and out of semi autos or anything? Make sure to get the non chlorinated.
There is some other car solvents that I sue but, I am still testing and making sure they are not too damaging to guns and stocks etc before I recomend them publicly to people.
That is about it. That is what I use and recommend. You may and can use whatever else you want but this is just what I use and it has not failed me.
We have been lucky enough to get several of the brand new Gen5 Glock 17’s and Glock 19’s, as the Gen5’s have been highly anticipated. This will be one article in a series on the new Gen5’s. Now that we have them, let’s strip one of the Gen5’s all the way down and look at the new parts.
The new Gen5’s have several unique, redesigned, internal components that are very different from all other Glock’s. You can see it is a 2 pin design, like the old Gen1 and Gen2 Glock’s, with a Gen4 magazine release and stippling. I have completely stripped this Gen5 G19 to give you an idea of what the new internal parts look like. When completely stripping the Gen5, you will notice some of the parts are similar in design to the single stack G42 and G43, just beefed up for the larger Gen5’s. Other parts are totally new and uniquely design for the Gen5 Glock’s. This makes the Gen5’s a completely redesigned Glock, that has very few part compatibility with the Gen1, Gen2, Gen3 and Gen4 models.
Below are the parts that are shared with previous generations. Some of this may change in the future as some parts are on the fence for now. I will list these to get them out of the way.
Throughout this comparison I used parts from a Gen2 G19, a Gen3 RTF2 G17 and a Gen4 G19. While I will not go into a complete tutorial on how to strip your Gen5 Glock down, it is not extremely difficult and you can learn how to properly do it with some quality research.
When stripping the Gen5’s completely down, pay close attention to the parts that are significantly different in their design and placement in the firearm, compared to the previous generation of Glock models. Below are several pictures of a completely stripped Gen5 G19, the new internal parts and part comparisons to some previous generations.
LOWER RECEIVER PARTS
Gen5 G19 Lower Parts
Lower Receiver:
The Gen5 has a completely redesigned Lower Receiver. Only two or three small parts are compatible with previous generations and you will see this below as we detail those parts. The Gen5’s have gone back to a two pin frame, like the Gen1 and Gen2 9mm Glock’s. The most noticeable external changes are the beveled & flared magazine well, and the removal of the finger groves. The stippling is very similar to the Gen4 but the little pyramid stipples feel just a little smaller. The Gen4 replaceable back strap system also appears to be the same.
note: I have seen a few places say the trigger guard has been undercut more, to reduce the (Glock Knuckle) effect that some experience when firing. From what I can tell this is not the case. I cannot see or feel that the undercut has been changed at all, it appears the same compared to all my previous generations.
Frame Pins:
As stated before there are two Pins on the Gen5’s. The Trigger Pin is new and redesigned. The two cut slots in the pin are a-lot shallower and wider than previous generations. It will not work in any other generation. The Rear Trigger Housing Pin is the same as the standard Gen4 Glock pins for the interchangeable back straps.
The Locking Block is a complete redesign. When removed it looks like a Gen3 or Gen4 two pin block. Although it will slide into previous generation frames, the pin holes do not line up.
Locking Block
Ambidextrous Slide Stop Lever:
The Slide Stop Lever is a completely redesigned part. It is thicker and seams more robust than previous generations. The thumb tabs are also angled outwards slightly more.
Ambi Slide Stop Lever
Trigger Mechanism Housing w/ Ejector & Connector:
The Trigger Mechanism Housing (TMH) with Ejector, are very similar to the G43 in design. The TMH is not compatible with the previous generations. The Connector however appears to be the same as all previous generations.
Connector / Trigger Spring / Trigger Mechanism Housing
Trigger Spring:
The Trigger Spring parts, from what I can tell, also appear to be similar in design to the G43, and are not compatible with the previous generations.
Trigger Spring
Trigger Bar:
The Trigger Bar is another completely redesigned part that is not compatible with previous generations. If you have a Glock 19, you will notice that the Gen5 G19 comes with a smooth faced trigger and not the traditional serrated trigger.
Trigger BarTMH / Trigger Bar
Slide Lock & Spring:
The Slide Lock and Slide Lock Spring design is similar to the G43. It is just larger for the Gen5’s. Although the Slide Lock looks almost identical to previous generations, the cutout for the spring at the bottom is wider to accommodate the new coil spring. The Spring is a coiled spring instead of a leaf spring of the previous generations.
Slide Lock & Spring
Magazine Release:
The Magazine Release looks to be a standard Gen4 magazine release. It is just slightly extended and feels more rounded at the edges. It is compatible with the Gen4’s and this mean the Vickers extended Gen4 magazine releases should be good to go in the Gen5.
Magazine Release
Magazines:
Magazines are compatible with all generations. The floor plate has just been reshaped in the very front. The Orange follower is just Orange. It is still the same 9mm #6 follower, so in the future you will probably be able to switch out your black followers to Orange, when the followers become available. The magazine body is also the same.
Magazines with #6 FollowersOrange #6 Follower
SLIDE UPPER PARTS
Gen5 Slide Parts
Slide:
The slide on the Gen5’s has been redesigned of course, with an ambidextrous slide stop cut on the right side and reshaped/contoured muzzle end. The breach face is also different to accommodate the new Firing Pin shape. One thing I found interesting, is the slide is just slightly longer than previous generations at the muzzle end. Less of the barrel and recoil spring is protruding from the slide, compared to previous generations. The recoil spring assembly is actually recessed back into the slide slightly.
G19 (left) G19 (Gen5 right)Gen5 Muzzle
Barrel & Recoil Spring Assembly:
The Barrel is marked with a 5, noting it is a Gen5 barrel. The barrel has traditional (lands and grooves) rifling and does not have the standard Glock OEM Polygonal rifling. This new barrel is the Glock Marksmanship Barrel (GMB). The barrel has a deeper recessed crown and the rifling extends closer to the chamber. For fun I swapped out the barrels on several different G19’s with the Gen5 barrel and I put older barrels in the Gen5 G19. I did not have any assembly or disassembly issues. I would contact or wait for Glock to approve this before attempting to fire any of the barrel swaps. This might be a sign that you can upgrade your previous generation Glock’s with the GMB barrel. That would be a smart move if Glock intended to sell the GMB as an upgraded barrel.
Crown (Gen5 bottom)Recoil Spring Gen5 19
The recoil spring assembly (RSA) on the G19 appears to be a standard Gen4 duel captured recoil spring. The Gen5 G17 RSA looks a little longer. I believe this is due to the Gen5 G17 barrel lug being different than previous generations. The Gen5 G17 has a G19 sized locking lug. The picture below was provided by an AR15.com member.
Gen5 – Gen1 G17 RSAs
Slide Cover Plate:
The Slide Cover Plate is a totally new design to accommodate the new internals. This part is not compatible with any previous generation. The Orange Glock Armorer’s Slide Cover will work for checking your Trigger Bar and TMH connections/tolerances.
Slide Cover Plate (Gen5 right)
Firing Pin Safety:
The Firing Pin Safety is a completely redesigned part, specific to the Gen5’s. Again it can only go in one way. The notch on the left side of Firing Pin Safety faces the Firing Pin. The Firing Pin Safety Spring appears to be the same part as any other generations.
Firing Pin Safety (Gen5 right)
Firing Pin Assembly:
The Firing Pin assembly is very interesting. Some parts are the same as previous generations and others are not. The Spring Cups, Firing Pin Spring and Spacer Sleeve appear to be the same as previous generations . The Firing Pin itself has a redesigned tear drop like rounded tip. The cuts for the Firing Pin Safety connection are also different at the head of the Firing Pin.
The Extractor Depressor Plunger Rod, Depressor Plunger Spring and the Spring Loaded Bearing appear to be identical to previous generations with the Loaded Chamber Extractor. The spring looks slightly different in color and is slightly longer. This may be for added strength and pressure for extraction.
Extractor Depressor Plunger (Gen5 bottom)
Extractor:
The Extractor looks to be similar in design to the previous generations. There are some minor shaping and cut angle differences. Not sure if it is compatible with previous generations but I do not see why it would not be.
Extractor (Gen5 right)
Final Note:
If you are not a Glock Armorer, Gunsmith or you are very unfamiliar with stripping your Glock down; I would not recommend any disassembly past regular field strip maintenance. Most people will have no need to break the firearm down to this level. Hopefully this answered some of the questions on the new parts and the compatibility of parts with the previous generations. If you have any questions or we missed something you wanted to know about, leave a comment or reach out to us on our Facebook Page.
