Category Archives: Gun Reviews

Quick Review of the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield vs the Ruger LC9 and M&P 9C

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Smith & Wesson announced the M&P Shield 9mm at last week’s NRA convention in St Louis.  It is a single-stack 9mm similar in size to the Ruger LC9.  It ships with a flush (7) and 1 round extended (8)  mag.  It has a small manual safety.

We were fortunate to get a chance to test shoot the M&P Shield and what follows is a quick range report based on shooting it against the Ruger LC9 and M&P 9 Compact for comparison. Shooting was done by two shooters (Virgil & Sarah) and limited to a few magazines from each at ~15 feet distance offhand.

Shared impressions:

  • The Shield is made to similar fit and finish to it’s bigger M&P brethren which is to say very well
  • While the Palm Swell isn’t adjustable, it feels great in the hand and makes the grip feel much larger than the LC9, even though they’re about the same
  • The Shield trigger pull is very similar to the M&P 9C and much better than the LC9
  • The Shield is a bit heavier than the LC9, but not enough worry about
  • At a $449.00 MSRP Price Point, these are a great buy
Both shooters shot 1 mag from each pistol on a practice target to ‘warm up’ and get a basic sense of trigger pull, recoil, and sights.  They then shot 5 shot ‘groups’ for each.

Virgil's Target

Virgil’s Review:

The M&P Shield shot like an M&P  – which is outstanding in such a small package.  As you can see in the target above, group size for the Shield and 9C were quite comparable compact.  The trigger difference really shows vs the LC9 which takes much more practice to master (as shown in the vertical stringing).  The Shield reminded me a lot of the Glock 36, about my favorite and best shooting compact 45, and if Glock made a single stack 9, I would expect it to shoot like the Shield.  Felt recoil was a bit higher than the M&P 9C but not appreciable.  The LC9, being lighter, had more recoil and ‘flip’ than either S&W.

Sarah's Target

Sarah’s Review:
If you look at the red circle between the center and right target, you can see why I’m not a huge LC9 fan.  Somewhere below those two holes is a 3rd shot.  These were aimed at the center target.  The combination of long, heavy trigger and small sights make the LC9 hard to shoot without a lot of practice.
The Shield shot very well.  The 1st magazine for ‘score’ was 5 shots from the extended mag on the left target.  All of these grouped just under the centerline.  I then shot 3 shots from the flush mag into the same target – the 3 holes above the centerline.  I then switched to the right target with the M&P 9C and finished with a final 5 shots into the center target with the Shield and the extended mag.  I really liked the larger sights on the Shield vs the LC9 and the palm swell grip.
Shooter “Bios”:
Virgil & Sarah are the driving force behind Ranger Firearms & Mercantile, LLC – striving to make it Northwest Florida’s best & friendliest gun store.
Virgil has been shooting recreationally since his youth.  A Jack of All Trades but Master of None, he has shot a wide range of firearms over the years and dabbled in NRA High Power, IDPA, Steel Challenge, USPSA, Cowboy Action, and Muzzle Loader competition shooting when time permits.  Most at home behind the sights of a modern “Black” and traditional “Black Powder” rifles, he’s been working hard on improving his pistol skills.
Sarah is ever the good sport in trying new things.  She did her 1st competition (a Steel Challenge match) last year and has gravitated towards the Springfield XD-9 as her go-to semi-auto, although she’s started to hear the siren song of match-grade 1911’s.  No slouch in the rifle world, Sarah shoots them all from 22’s to AR-15’s and up and is the proud owner of a new flintlock rifle for the rendezvous circuit.

Range Time with the CZ75 BD

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Cz75

The CZ75 is one of the classics of modern pistol design.  It has seen extensive use throughout Europe as a military and police pistol since it's release in the mid-70's.  It has been copied extensively since by other companies.

Highlights include the internal style slide and low bore axis – providing easy recoil control.  Most are all steel or steel w/alloy frames for strength.  Actions depend on the specific gun model, but most are double action / single action and have smooth trigger pull.  In 9mm, nominal magazine capacity is 15 rounds.

The CZ pictured is a used CZ75 BD (decocker version) that we have in stock.  As the target shows, it shot to point of aim with a mix of S&B and Winchester 115g and 124g 9mm ammo during a recent range day.  If you're looking for a good buy on a used CZ, this one is available for $369.00 w/1 15rnd magazine.  Additional magazines are in stock for $25.00 each. 

Uncommon Mosins Part II

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Last week, we received another crate of 20 Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifles imported by PW Arms.  This turned out to have one of the most unique mixes of uncommon 91/30 markings we’ve had to date. In the previous post, we showed the MO marked double date Mosins in the batch.

Double dates are always neat to find, but East German marked are even rarer.  For some perspective, last year Ranger handled hundreds of Mosins with perhaps 10-15 double date rifles.  Over the last 10 years, we’ve looked at thousands of Mosins and collected 2 East German marked rifles – a 91/30 and a M44.  East German Mosins are identified by a large ‘1’ or ‘2’ in a triangle.  The ‘1’s appear to be much more common.
What a surprise then to find 5 East German marked rifles all in the same crate!  Below are pictures of 4 of the 5.
They include:
Izzy Ex-Dragoon 1925
Tula with a partially scrubbed receiver
Izzy 1929 with a 4-digit serial number
Tula 1932
Dscf0935 Dscf0932 Dscf0933 Dscf0934

See the full gallery on Posterous

Interesting Mosin 91/30’s Part I

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Last week, we received another crate of 20 Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifles imported by PW Arms.  This turned out to have one of the most unique mixes of uncommon 91/30 markings we've had to date.

This post shows the two MO marked double date rifles plus a bonus round receiver double date we received from Century Arms recently.  

The double dates are as follows:
Tula 1929 / 52
Izzy Ex-Dragoon 1927 / 53
Tula 1940 / 45 round receiver

Check out Part II for a more remarkable find.

Dscf0931 Dscf0929 Dscf0930

See the full gallery on Posterous

Shooting the FN-49

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The Belgian FN-49 was a transitional semi-auto rifle released as it’s name implies in 1949.  The design actually pre-dated WWII but was unbuilt due to the German invasion of Belgium.  It utilizes a piston-driven tilting bolt later refined and used in the ubiquitous FN-FAL which is still under production.

It was produced under contract for many countries and calibers including 7×57 Mauser (Argentina, Chile), 8×57 Mauser (Egypt), and 30-06 (Luxemburg).  Many of the 7×57 models were later rechambered to 7.62 NATO (308 Win).  The 30-06 chambering is generally considered the ‘best’ which makes Luxemburg rifles command a premium, increased by the fact that this was also the smallest contract.  The Egyptian FN-49’s are the most common in the US.
The photo shows 2 Luxemburg FN-49’s that we’ve had in the store this year.  As the video shows, recoil is pretty mild given the gas driven action and full size/weight of the rifle.  We used surplus Greek 30-06 ball ammo for our shooting.  With all 30-06 gas rifles including Garands, M1A’s, and the FN-49, care should be taken to use appropriate ammunition to avoid damage.  Bullets should be in the 147-168g weight with medium speed powders.  If in doubt, Hornady and others make ‘Garand’ specific loads that ensure proper functioning and pressure levels in these historic guns.

Shooting the Zouve Rifle

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The Remington Zouve rifle was one of the 1st true rifles used during the Civil War (having a thicker and shorter barrel than a rifle musket).  A 58 caliber, it shoots the same 500 grain Minie ball as the more common Springfield and Enfields.

Here Sarah shoots a replica Zouve using real black powder and Minie ball cast from a Lee mold that we carry at the store. Recoil is surprisingly light due to the weight of the rifle.