Federal 9mm 115-grain +P+ 9BPLE and a Glock 26 at 5-Star Firearms in Zion, Illinois 03/18/2019

This is my preferred carry load for the Glock-26.  Once upon a time the 9BPLE was colloquially known in some gun-circles as the Illinois State Police Load.  ISP was the first major USA law enforcement agency to transition from revolvers to semi-auto pistols.  The 9mm S&W Model 39 was the first issued ISP duty semi-auto and initially had problems feeding hollowpoint ammo ... the 9mm ball ammo fed well but did not have much of a reputation for stopping murderous miscreants any more reliably than did the .38 special.  Federal's ammunition designers came up with a standard pressure 115-grain hollowpoint (Federal 9BP) that proved to feed reliably but it occasionally failed to expand in tissue.  The higher pressure of the 9BPLE load provided the added velocity needed for the bullet to reliably expand, making it a widely recognized high-percentage stopper for the dire situations that patrolman often faced.

I covered the "+P+" and "FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT USE ONLY" designations in an earlier post HERE.  

CLICK HERE to view professional-quality ballistic reviews of the Federal 9BP and the Federal 9BPLE.

==========

The Glock 26 pictured above is the gun that I used for my initial Illinois concealed carry qualification (just under 5-years-ago) and I have not had it to the range since (shame on me).  I haven't carried it very often since I purchased the Glock 43.  It is still an old friend, an easy pistol to shoot; it is accurate and reliable; the standard 10-round magazines make reloads easy to manage at each of the 3 distances mandated for the 30-round qualification.  I have a concealed-carry-license renewal coming up shortly; this pistol will again see me through.  The range session that I wrote about farther down the page was just a dress rehearsal for my as yet unscheduled official qualification session (which will likely be sometime in May).  

Except for the thickness, the 10-round Glock 26 has the same overall dimensions as the 6-round Glock 43.  The grip length on both pistols feels awkward (to me) especially in the palm area of the hand. Because of my preference for +P loads, I need the pinky-finger magazine extensions on both the G26 and G43 to help me manage the extra recoil-generated "jumpiness".   Boot-gripped J-frame S&W revolvers feel better in my hand but the mini-Glocks are noticeably easier for me to shoot; it's nice to do a range session and not have my arthritic hand torture me for a couple weeks afterwards; handgun shooting is a repetitive stress that can aggravate old hand and wrist injuries.

==============

Target set at 15-feet (5-yards)

Yeah, that photo pretty much shows how my old eyes sees the target.

My left eye is better than my right eye so I shoot cross-dominant.   In the photo above, my first 10-rounds have been fired at the target;  can you see the bullet holes?  Black targets always seem hard for me to work with.  Sooooo we'll have to wheel in the target to see how I did.  

Okay.  First 10-rounds were good enough at 15-feet ... 

==========

Target set at 21-feet (7-yards)

For the most part at this distance, even though I could not see the bullet holes appearing with each shot, everything seemed in harmony with me, the G26, and the chosen ammo.  It was pure fun until I got arrogant and increased my shooting speed ...  that's when I felt myself starting to fight the extra recoil from the 9BPLE.

Yep, just as I thought.  The first 7-rounds fired at 21-feet were okey-dokey then I pushed 3-rounds down LOW.  The pair of rounds that are marked in yellow were still in the scoring zone but the round marked in red is a MISS.  If a bullet-hole is not in the numbers it does not count in Illinois; if I put 30-rounds in the head of the silhouette during a qualification I just wasted time and ammo, my score is ZERO.  21-rounds out of the required total 30-rounds fired (10-rounds each distance) must land somewhere on or inside the 7-ring of the target.

==========

Target set at 30-feet (10-yards)

Final phase of this qualification drill, only 10-rounds to go.  Okay, let's see if I can regain my marginal mojo.  FOCUS, BREATHE, SQUEEZE, RESET;  FOCUS, BREATHE, SQUEEZE, RESET 

Only a single round (marked in yellow) of the 10-rounds fired at 30-feet was outside the 9-ring; the other rounds clustered in with the bulk of the others.

For this exercise session, of the required 30-rounds, 29-rounds were in the scoring rings ... BUT there are some instructors who do not like making judgement calls about how many bullets went through a ragged hole; if the instructor believes that 21-rounds did not go inside the scoring rings then it is a reshoot ...

Some instructors are adamant about counting only "distinguishable holes"... if this practice session was the real deal with such an instructor, all shooters in the class likely would have received directions beforehand to "SPREAD THEM OUT!"

==========

This was one of my better days and I had 25-rounds of ammo and a miniature target left in the bag ... so I decided to have some fun and push into my zones of suckiness.

Mini-Target set at 45-feet (15-yards)

Above is the target after 5-rounds.

==========

Above is the target after 15-rounds

=========

Above is the target after 25-rounds

Were all 25-rounds "on paper?"

well ... let's see ... hmmm
7 of the "distinguishable holes" were outside of the scoring rings.

12 of the "distinguishable holes" were inside the scoring rings.

I'm confident that I could argue that at least 4-rounds made the "ragged hole" inside the 8-ring.

That leaves 2-rounds unaccounted for ...
The zone of suckiness wins again.

55-rounds total for the day
Good fun.

My first shooting range session for year 2020 was Monday 01/06/2020 at 5 Star Firearms in Zion, Il; I have long needed to proof-test some 12-round factory mags for my Glock 26

(3 very thin wire-ties strung together serve as an empty-chamber flag)

Glock makes 12-round mags for the G26; I have accumulated 7 of them but (until now) never got around to doing live fire with any of them. Initially, it is a pain in the ass to get the full amount of ammo into these mags; patience is required; load as many rounds as the mag will take and let it sit for a while (days / weeks / whatever) then strip the rounds from the mag and reload; repeat as needed.  The spring on these mags requires some exercise before taking the full dozen. I found that a mag-loader is not requisite but it does help.

--------------------------------

The G26 original flat bottom 10-round mag is on the right.  The middle mag is an original but with an after-market "pinky finger" extension.  The mag on the left is the factory Glock 26 12-round mag; it is designed to give a bit more of a grip to the shooter as well as offering a couple of extra rounds.

----------------------------

I haven't been shooting since September 9th of last year (just under 4 months ago) so I was looking forward to some trigger time to shake some of the mental and physical cobwebs loose. Nothing fancy was attempted; just a typical strong side reasonable facsimile of a Modified Weaver stance.  Each of the 6 targets on the above sheet received the contents of a single preloaded magazine (12-rounds).

The top pair of targets were fired at 15-feet (5-yards) (4.57-meters).
The middle pair of targets were fired at 21-feet (7-yards) (6.40-meters).
The bottom pair of targets were fired at 30-feet (10-yards) (9.14-meters).

The targets on the left were fired cross-dominant (right handed using my better left eye).
The targets on the right were fired using my natural dominance (right handed but with my less acute right eye).

The targets are 10'' across the outer red edge to edge.
........................  8.5'' across the outer white edge to edge.
......................... 7.5'' across the blue edge to edge.
......................... 1.5'' across the white center 10-ring.
......................... 0.75'' across the dead center X-ring for the true Zen Masters of Blasters among us.

-----------------------------------

Well, that was fun enough and I still had 1 full mag and 1 target left.  Sooooo I decided to proof a pair of the now empty mags with 12-rounds each of some hollow point personal defense ammo.

--------------------------

I rolled the final target out to 36-feet (12-yards) (10.97-meters) and attempted 12-rounds to the head with the final mag of ball ammo; I missed the noggin 3 times and neck-shot the target with the balance of that magazine; not a very good showing.  I decided it was a higher percentage option for me at this distance to attempt to center punch the target with the 24-rounds of +P+ ammo.  

108 rounds of ammo were fired during this range session.

7 x 12-round mags of 115gr (NON+P) Aguila FMJ

2 x 12-round mags of my G26 carry load, Federal's erstwhile 115gr 9BPLE +P+ hollow points

All of the mags passed.

I reloaded the 2 magazines that I also proofed with the hollow points; each with 12-rounds of the 9BPLE; one of them is to reside inside the pistol (after the requisite post range time cleaning) and the other is to be the concealed carry reload.  

It was great to be back at the range but my arthritic right hand has returned to constant aching.

Hat tip to 5 Star Firearms of Zion, Illinois.  Thanks for being there for us. 

------------------------------

First Shooting Range Session of 2017

Nigh exactly 5-months ago (7/31/2016) was the last time I did a range session with my gen-4 Glock 19.  Yep, it has been a bit of a long while since I last practiced with this pistol, but overall I was happy with my performance on this first range session of the brand new year.  I discovered decades ago that I'm not anywhere near world class with any firearm even on my very best of days.  More important than how I did with the pistol during this session is the fact that I HAD FUN!  Yeah baby, this was all for ME!  Truth be told, I was actually the second best shooter at the entire range while I was there ... but then the only other shooter left ...

Anyhow, the yellow duct tape on the silhouette gives my funky old eyes something easy to target.  Ball ammo usually pokes a nice round hole through the duct tape and that makes it easy for me to see at a distance where my shots are landing; the smaller, raggedy hole that ball ammo punches through paper is very hard for me to see and doesn't provide the "instant feedback" that I desire. 

Except where noted otherwise, all ammo used was Federal RTP9115 115gr FMJ target ammo.

On the target above:
Head = 15-rounds @ 15-feet
High chest = 15-rounds @ 21-feet
Center mass = 15-rounds @ 30-feet (Federal 9BPLE +P+ 115gr JHP carry ammo)

On the target below:
Same as on the target above, except 16-rounds were fired at each distance (a round in the chamber plus a full magazine)

The entire session lasted under an hour.  A total of 93-rounds were fired.

Colt .38 Super Series 80 Stainless

Is the .38 Super in fact superb? Some people think so. My humble opinion is that it is pretty darn good.

Click here to visit SuperDude at 38super.net. His site is under construction but the active areas already hold a wealth of information. When finished, it will probably be the premier site on the web for information on the .38 Super.
I picked this gun up on Friday of last week and have not yet found the time or the ammo to take it to the range and shake it down. Being a good little scout, I did do a field strip, cleaned, and lubed it. This pistol may well be the last gun I ever purchase. The hobby has grown old; sometimes it is tiring. We all know how expensive gun collecting and recreational shooting can be. Whether you shoot them or not, guns need periodic maintenance and proper storage. Another reason the hobby has gown stale is that none of the new wonder-guns excites me. Everything is a mutant clone of something else; nothing under the sun is new. None has any elegance; they are all plain and ugly.

Why end my collection with the .38 Super Government Model? It closes a circle for me. It was among the first of the many pistols I truly lusted after but it was a purchase that, over the years, I kept pushing away in favor of something else. When I first fired one, it was like holding magic in my hand, it had 9MM recoil in a full size 1911A1 frame. After that initiation, I would borrow or rent a range owned .38 Super Colt 1911A1 whenever I had the chance. Some guns fit some people better than others; the .38 Super Colt fits me well. Why did I not buy a Government Model in 9x19MM? They are hard to find, I never fired one, and something about a 9x19MM in a Colt 1911A1 just seems unnatural. Why did I not consider the .38 Super in a different platform? Colt introduced the .38 Super in the Colt Government Model back in 1929 and that pistol is where the cartridge belongs. I have several Government Models in .45ACP, one in 10MM, and all are carbon steel. I have long wanted to add a stainless .38 Super to the rack; my quest is now complete. I am whole. I like the 9X19MM very much, but I like it most in my SIG and Glocks. Do I believe the .38 Super to be superior to the 9X19MM +P loads? If I ignore those wonderfully edgy Corbon loads, I would have to say they are pretty much equal.

I hope this pistol is typical of what is coming from Colt Manufacturing today. It is well cut and fitted. The last two Colt Government models I bought factory new (several years ago) had poorly staked plunger tubes among other quality problems. Everything on this gun is as it should be. The plastic carrying case is of very good quality, and I was surprised to find a spare magazine included. The pistol’s trigger is very good, especially considering that this is a Series 80 pistol.

This gun will remain stock. As long as it feeds reliably, there will no tune-up; there will be no fancy sights or grips, no trigger job, nothing at all. With practice, I have confidence I will shoot better with this gun than I do with any of my large bore 1911s. The arthritis in my right hand is beginning to tax my abilities. My time for the .38 Super is now.

There is not a plethora of tactical ammunition available in .38 Super, but the Winchester 125 Grain Silvertip should be everything I need. Corbon’s standard .38 Super 115 Grain jacketed hollowpoint should be no less effective than the vaunted Federal 9BPLE 9MM +P+ police load, and on paper Corbon’s .38 Super 125-grain DPX load looks to be nothing short of imposing.

For me, this will be a utility gun rather than a collector’s piece. Stainless steel will resist corrosion from perspiration better than does carbon steel. I find that matt stainless is much easier for me to hang onto than polished stainless; I find it to be less slippery. The standard nine round single stack magazine is politically correct; a round in the chamber cocked and locked gives me ten.

SIG-239

EDIT:  I sold this pistol in late June of 2016; I'm getting older and need to reduce my gun inventory for estate reasons.  It is hard to say goodbye to a darn good gun.

-----


Most of my readily available home defense guns are .38 caliber revolvers, but three semi-automatic pistols also are on my top tier; the largest of those pistols is the compact Sig P239 9MM with Siglite night sights.

If I need to tuck it into my waistband, a Don Hume H715 clip holster is my choice. If I choose open carry, or semi-open carry with a shirttail or jacket hiding the gun, I use a Fobus Evolution paddle holster. Both holsters are very fast to put on and take off.

For personal defense, the 115-grain Federal 9BPLE +P+ load is my first choice for 9MM pistols, followed by the 124-grain +P Speer Gold Dot. I have enough of each to last the rest of my natural life.

The Sig P239 and the Glock-26 are as small as I care to go with a 9MM pistol, and they would be as large as I personally would choose for concealed carry if it were legal to do so in Illinois. I own both and only marginally prefer the Sig to the Glock.

Federal 9BP at Cheaper Than Dirt

Standard pressure (NON +P or +P+) 9MM 115 grain hollowpoint

There are rumors that some police departments still issue this old load which is somewhat surprising, it goes all the way back to the beginnings of law enforcement transitioning from revolvers to semi-auto pistols. The 9BP earned a reputation as a decent stopper that would feed in finicky pistols. Every time I think that this particular load is forever gone, I find a batch for sale by one of the major suppliers. Since selling all of my finicky 9MM pistols, I haven’t had a real need for this load so I usually take a pass when I see it available; I am well stocked with its successor, the +P+ 9BPLE. Recently I had a hankering to return a small batch of it to the ammo raft so I scored 500 rounds from Cheaper Than Dirt a couple of days ago. As of this moment, 9BP is still listed in stock but the supply probably won’t last too much longer. Grab yourself some.

Click here for a classic Stephen A. Camp article about the 9BP and the Browning Hi Power.

.