Category: All About Guns
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Minute of Mae: Frommer Stop
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The S&W Combat Magnum Model 66
I love steel frame guns, one of my all-time favorites being the P226. I love the way a metal grip feels in my hand and how it conforms and greets me. It’s cold, unflinching, and I see why people resisted the change to polymer guns for so long. Striker-fired guns have become the norm, and they almost universally feature polymer frames. Every so often, a metal-framed, striker-fired pistol comes to be. Color me surprised when SIG released the SIG P320 AXG Scorpion and granted a metal frame to the P320 lineup.
AXG stands for Alloy XSeries Grip and infuses the P320 with a little metal frame madness. Scorpion is a moniker SIG uses for a certain series of custom pistols. Essentially it means the gun is FDE and features Scorpion grips, among a bevy of other small improvements. SIG has recently opened up a Custom Works shop, and the P320 AXG is the first gun to come out of that custom shop.
From the start, the gun just oozes quality. SIG provides a very nice, Italian-made negrini case. Inside is the gun, three magazines, a challenge coin, all nestled in custom-cut foam. The package is absolutely gorgeous. The foam allows you to remove sections to accommodate the gun with an optic and muzzle device as well. It’s a nice package for a very nice gun.
P320 AXG – Features
The SIG P320 AXG Scorpion might be SIG”s first Custom Works gun, but I can already say it won’t be their last. You don’t make a gun this nice and call it quits. Outside of the new AXG grip module, we get a very nice pistol complete with all the bells and whistles you expect. The slide is optic cut with SIG’s latest design to accommodate SIG optics, Trijicon pattern optics, and the Leupold Delta Point series.
The trigger is a flat-faced, lightened, and refined Legion trigger that’s absolutely wonderful. SIG incorporates an ambidextrous slide lock and reversible magazine release. The weapon comes in the ‘Carry’ configuration. SIG’s Carry configuration is a compact slide nestled on a full-sized grip module.
That grip module packs a Picatinny rail for all your accessory needs. Like all P320s, the FCU can be removed, and users can swap grip modules. I have an S300 and an X Series compact grip module. I’ve moved the gun to and fro when I feel like it. I also come back to the AXG grip due to the metal design and supreme comfort it provides.
If you’ve ever handled a P226, you know what to expect here. The grip fits wonderfully with a single undercut to the trigger guard. In the rear, we see an extended beavertail. Assuming a nice high grip on the gun provides good control, and these two features allow for that. The G10 grip panels are highly textured, as are the front and rear of the grip.
Love At First Pew
Do I believe in love at first sight? No, not necessarily, but I do believe in love at first pew. I instantly fell in love with the SIG P320 AXG at the range. From the first short and light trigger pull to the last. It reminded me of why I fell in love with metal frames and continues to reinforce that love.
Let’s start with accuracy cause that’s what tickled me the most. Starting at 25 yards, I worked gongs from 4 to 8 inches in size without a miss. The XRAY3 iron sights are very easy to see and focus on. This makes tracking them between shots simple. I just look for that big green insert and get back on target.
I did quickly add a red dot from SIG to the gun, the ROMEO1PRO, and saw my range increase even more. At 50 yards, I had no issues hitting a ten-inch gong and effectively removing life force from my steel IPSC target. Hearing all those dings with a pistol at 50 yards brought joy to my heart. The sights help, the grip helps, but the trigger is the workhorse here.
It’s short, light, and sweet. I can keep my sight picture throughout the entire trigger pull without issue.
Controlled Chaos
Hitting your target quickly and more than once is a keen capability to have in a fighting pistol. The big full-sized grip of the P320 AXG made controlling the weapon easy. The extra ounces and unrelenting steel make the gun very easy to control, and 9mm recoil isn’t known for its snap anyway.
The trigger has a short reset, so getting set up for the next break is intuitive and makes those double taps addicting and good fun. The P320 AXG conforms well to my hand and lets me choke up nice and high on the gun. Keeping the gun on target while feeding it a healthy dose of lead isn’t going to be a challenge. I shot the 10-10-10 drill clean in seven seconds with the P320 AXG and felt quite proud of myself.
A quick shift of the thumb finds the big round magazine release and lets you dump an old mag for a fresh one without complaint. The magazine has very a slight bevel to it, and slamming that new mag home feels easy. As usual, the SIG slide lock continually gets caught under my thumb and renders it useless, so I’ve learned to rack with every reload.
Metal Frame Madness
I’m a fan of the P320 AXG. It eats whatever I feed it and sends those little 9mm pills downrange exactly where I want them. The gun barks and bites with ease and looks good doing it. The metal frame certainly adds some ounces, so it becomes a little less carry-friendly, but a good belt and a good holster will help that.
SIG’s first Custom Works gun is a winner, and I hope to see them keep producing high-quality guns out of their latest little shop. The P320 remains one of the most customizable platforms on the market, so it’s an easy pick for custom guns. In a couple of weeks, the steel challenge match is on, and I can’t wait to see how the P320 AXG holds up in competition.
Now it seems that California is continuing to close venues to gun shows, even those that bring in revenue to the sites on which they are held.
here is a popular saying “As California goes, so goes the nation.” While it certainly doesn’t always hold true—especially where the Second Amendment is involved, the Golden State could be one step closer to banning gun shows. This week, California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed into a law a suite of gun safety bills.
Among these was a bill that makes it illegal to sell guns or ammunition on property run by the 32nd District Agricultural Association, notably Costa Mesa’s Orange County (O.C.) Fair & Event Center. SB 264 as originally introduced by state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) had called for banning firearm sales on all state-owned properties, but it was later amended to only apply to the O.C. fairgrounds. However, it still ends all gun shows at the site. Since 1995, those gun shows have brought in $7 million in revenue for the fairgrounds.
On Monday, Min called the bill’s passage a major “first step” in reducing gun violence in Orange County. Min and his team were reportedly “caught off guard” when SB 264 was amended by the Assembly Appropriations Committee to apply only to the O.C. fairgrounds, but the state senator vowed to revisit a statewide ban in the future.
“The state should not be profiting off of what is essentially blood money,” Min told The Los Angeles Times, and also suggested that legal gun shows are places where alleged under-the-table deals and the purchase of parts for unlicensed ghost guns have taken place. “I think that’s an important moral line to draw in the sand right now.”
The End of California Gun Shows?
Gov. Newsom, who recently fended off a highly-contested and high-profile recall vote, had previously signed into law measures that ended gun sales at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego County and San Mateo County’s Cow Palace. Gun control advocates have said Newsom favors a statewide ban.
The efforts to ban gun shows in California aren’t exactly new and actually began in the late 1990s when Los Angeles County adopted a law that banned the sale of firearms and ammunition on its property, specifically the Fairplex, the county fairgrounds in Pomona, California, about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
Now it seems that California is continuing to close venues to gun shows, even those that bring in revenue to the sites. However, Min said other events could fill the void, such as a “Sustainability Decathlon,” which could bring in fresh proceeds to the fairgrounds.
“I think there are plenty of ways to make up revenue,” Min also told The Los Angeles Times. “But, then again, that’s not my job. My job is to make laws, and I believe a vast majority of people in the district I represent do not want gun shows at the O.C. fairgrounds.”
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.
————————————————————————————— Its seems to be the mantra of California – ” Somewhere, some how, somebody is having fun and we gotta stop it!” Or “A New Business? Lets destroy it by taxing it & regulating it to death. Unless it is one of our favored interests” Grumpy
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RE-BORN RE-VOLVER BY DAVE ANDERSON
Dave’s “barn-find” S&W Model 13 was rough on the outside but minty inside, where it counts.
The revolver had been gathering dust on the display shelf, unwanted and unappreciated. It was one of a group of police trade-ins purchased by my local gun shop, the Sportsman’s Loft. It was a S&W Model 13 .357 with 3″ barrel and round butt. The 13 and its stainless steel version, Model 65, appeared some 40 years ago. They served a generation of plainclothes law enforcement officers, and were the choice of agencies such as the FBI.
They were replaced not by better revolvers, but by auto pistols. The 13/65 revolvers were the last of their type, and arguably the best — elegantly simple, reliable, an ideal balance of size, weight, accuracy, controllable recoil and power.
So, why was this example languishing on the shelf? It looked terrible, with worn finish, surface rust, even some pitting. Most potential buyers took one look, shuddered and moved on to something prettier. I was about to do the same when I noticed the side plate screws were in perfect condition. Whatever else it had suffered, at least no one had attacked it with an ill-fitting screwdriver.
When Chris handed it to me, inspection showed the chambers and bore were immaculate, with not a trace of rust or pitting. The holes in the frame for the firing pin and cylinder-locking bolt were unworn and perfectly round. The cylinder stop notches showed no indication of peening. There was no indication of flame cutting. With the cylinder closed there was barely detectable rotational play and no perceptible fore-and-aft play. Both single and double action, the cylinder carried up properly. I was holding a practically new revolver; it was just uglier than a flat tire in a mud hole. I told Chris to start the paperwork.
After a visit to Robar for restoration work, custom grips from Ahrends and a holster
from Haugen, the 13 looks snappy and works as well as it looks. Elegant, we say.
Robarizing
Initially, the plan was to ship it to S&W for refinishing. A trip to the range altered my plans. It shot .357 Magnum Black Hills 125-gr. JHPs (at a chronographed 1,350 fps) into 2″ groups almost exactly to point of aim at 25 yards. It balanced and handled beautifully. For a bit over $300 with tax, it was close to an ideal carry gun. All it needed was a tough, rust-resistant finish. I rethought about it all.
Robar Industries specializes in metal finishes. Many Robar customers make medical, automotive and aeronautical products and Robar uses their space-age finishing ability to coat their products with a variety of finishes. Robar owner Robbie Barkmann mentioned recently that firearms work is about 11 percent of the business. It’s an important 11 percent, though, because Robbie is one of a shooter, an enthusiast and us. When he emigrated here from South Africa long ago, it was as one of the first instructors working with Jeff Cooper at the new Gunsite facility. Robbie knows guns and he can really shoot.
Robar offers several finishes, of which my favorite is NP3. This ingenious finish combines electroless nickel with a slippery compound called PTFE, commercially known by the trademark Teflon. It is tough, rust-resistant, provides natural lubricity, cleans up easily and looks good. I requested a recent variation called NP3 Plus, providing increased rust resistance.
Robar also provides a wide range of firearm services, such as sight installation, frame stippling, fitting match barrels and full-house handgun, rifle and shotgun packages. For a modest additional charge ($85/hour, and they do a lot in an hour) Robar can polish a worn-looking gun. They can’t accomplish miracles, and a really neglected gun may have rust pits too deep to polish out. On my gun the transformation was absolutely astounding. I could hardly believe it was the same revolver.
A Tidy Package
The revolver really needed high quality accessories to match the Robar workmanship. I ordered a set of his frame-length Boot Grips from Kim Ahrends. From the wood page I selected the silver-black “Dymondwood” laminate to go with the new finish. The grips proved to be exactly what I wanted. They fit the frame perfectly, provide a secure and comfortable hold, conceal well under a light jacket and look terrific. Ahrends is well known for his superb line of 1911-style grips. S&W fans should know of his excellent revolver grips, both the Tactical and Retro lines. Ahrends provides many wood choices and truly exceptional workmanship.
The work of Jerry Evans of Haugen Handgun Leather is no stranger to Handgunner’s pages. Jerry supplied a pancake-style concealment holster in black leather, with lining, adding a thumb break and an embossed floral pattern. It’s beautifully made and very comfortable.
Robbie’s before and after photos show the transformation better than any words. The slick NP3 Plus finish on internal parts makes an already good action even smoother. The smooth finish makes cleaning a breeze too.
Clint Smith is fond of saying: “Wheelguns are real guns.” He’s right, you know.
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