Wynn's Mag-Na-Ported P40 BLOG updated

[JFootin]

I ordered a bunch of stuff while I was at it, including one of the Looper Kydex-reinforced gunbelts...

Let me know how you like the Blade-Tech Looper belt.

[wyntrout]

I really think those danged actuator pins in the followers are a major part of the diving problems. They protrude, drag, and push the follower to the right while down in the tube!

As long as they still actuate the slide lock sufficiently, the pins could all be rounded and smoothed a bit... reducing the drag on the follower several times while loading the magazines, and later when using the danged things.

Wynn

[wyntrout]

I sure will. I hope it reduces the belt tension required to keep my shorts from heading towards my knees!

Wynn

[JFootin]

I ordered a bunch of stuff while I was at it, including one of the Looper Kydex-reinforced gunbelts... in brown. I'm going to splurge and do it right... get real support for CCW.

Let me know how you like the Blade-Tech Looper belt.

I sure will. I hope it reduces the belt tension required to keep my shorts from heading towards my knees!

Wynn

Thanks Wynn! LOL! I certainly hope so!

I have always worn my belt tight, so I have a waist line between my hips and my love handles. My trouble is that even my thick 1 1/2" leather belt is flexible and lets the gun be pushed out by the love handle. I am hoping that Kydex reinforced belt will keep the gun tighter against my body. It's a nice looking belt, not too thick and priced about 1/2 what other reinforced gun belts cost (Re: High Noon Rock Steady, Gunner's Alley Gun Belts). The only thing I'll miss is the Gunner's Alley belt can be ordered with 7 holes 3/4" apart instead of the standard 5 holes 1" apart. I am trying to lose weight and always seem to be in between 2 of the 1" spaced holes. I haven't found any other gun belt offered with that option, although I imagine some of the small makers might do it if asked.

[wyntrout]

Wynn's BLOG Entry:

I only wear a belt when I leave the house. Up until I got my first polymer Kahr January 2010, I wore shorts with elastic waistband and drawstrings. I could get by with those for a while, but on my next big Landsend order of shorts... two orders, I bought half with the elastic waistband and belt loops and half without the elastic and with belt loops. I mostly wear the first. I rotate the shorts wearing each the same amount and when they start getting too worn, I watch for sales at Landsend. I like their deck shorts or plain front Chino-type shorts with the shortest inseam... now 6". They used to have 4 1/2" a decade or so ago. I've always hated the long half-pants they switched to... the basketball players and for swimsuits! The swimwear is ridiculous! Who needs an extra foot to foot and a half of wet material blocking the rays and weighing you down?!

My main wardrobe consists of about 30 pairs of shorts and about three times that many polos and T-shirts. I usually wear a pocket polo and shorts, and even in the Winter, while in Colorado, I wear my shirts un-tucked, though I do wear a long-sleeved polo sometimes, still un-tucked. I'm hot-natured.

I got rid of all of my non-CCW capable shirts this past Spring and went on a buying spree for polos and Tees voluminous enough for CCW... without major shrinkage, either. I bought 50 to 70 shirts... Landsend, LL Bean, Cabela's, Portsmans Guide, and Eddie Bauer... all on sale and decent no-tax prices, often with free shipping. I also hit the local stores and outlets for "deals". I had to return most of the ones to Penneys... shrunk badly... even tried the Tall Large sized ones, because regular ones got too short after washing/drying... and wider!

I got bundles of tees from Cabela's and Sportsmans Guide that were too narrow... all large... Dickies being the worst... like body socks... form-fitting... not pretty... <sigh>.

I think the best deals were the Pocket Polos from Cabela's for $11.99 on sale... got a dozen large ones... huge. I really think a medium would have worked with them, but I would rather them be too large than too small!

Anyhow, I can't wait to try the gun belt, and I hope it really lasts. Most of the sub $20 belts I buy at Walmart are lacquered and crack like crazy... looking like crap. I expect even good leather to stretch and sag, so I have high hopes for the Kydex reinforcement.

Wynn

[wyntrout]

Wow! Say what you will about Kahr Shop shipping, but they are pretty fast! I ordered some stuff Saturday the 24th and just got it by USPS Priority about 20 minutes ago! I got my new Looper Kydex reinforced belt. I'm considering treating it with mink oil or saddle soap. Any suggestions?

I also got one more slide lock spring than I ordered, which more than makes up for the front, chisel-pointed extractor pin, instead of the BACK pin that I ordered... no biggie there, though... spare parts.

I just finished a small project of turning three K9 plastic base-plated 7-round 9mm magazines into 6-round metal flush-fitting base-plated ones for CCW with my "new" P40. I filed and sanded the metal pins in the followers to lessen drag on the tubes and worked on widening, as needed, the tops of the tubes where there was any binding with the .40S&W rounds. One was fine... the larger rounds fell through to the feed lips fine, but two required some "stretching" using wooden shims cut to fit inside. I used the battery post stretcher as a small hammer since it wouldn't fit inside the tube. I had figured I would use it between two splints to force them apart from the outside, but hammering them in worked fine.

I loaded them up with ammo and cycled them as quickly and vigorously as I could with a gloved slide-holding hand... NO PROBLEMS... and the slide locked back on empty.



http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...Conversion.jpg

I don't use the K9 for CCW, but I'm sure these mags will still work in it. It's my TV chair close-at-hand weapon loaded with an 8-round extended grip mag and two spares at hand for reloads. It has NS and CT Laser grips.

My Blazer FMJ is out for delivery and should be here any minute. Then I plan to head for the range.

I was going to return those 1" by 1/8" O-rings for slightly smaller ones, but remembering the one pinch I had before, I decided to put one on each of the metal-based mags. I put the metal bases on after the pictures were made. They arrived just after I completed the "conversions".

Waiting on UPS now!

Wynn

[gb6491]

Nice post Wynn, I look forward to a range report.
Regards,
Greg

[wyntrout]

Thanks, Greg... still waiting on UPS... could come any time between about 10am and 5PM. It looks like the later today. I guess I could get dressed... and dangit, print up some more targets... forgot that!

One of these days I need to get back to my .45 magazine tests... for the PM45 and the S.A. Champion. I've gotten sidetracked many times and just haven't gotten back to those. Then I've been spending a lot of time on this P40, but it's fun, too... more so than doing the house repairs and renovations I SHOULD have done long ago!

Wynn

[wyntrout]

Yee Haa! The ammo just arrived and I ran out to save the poor lady carrying it through the swarms of mosquitoes! They've sprayed twice at night the last 4-5 days and those SUCKERS swarm you when you go out the front door. The 32-pound box of ammo prevented them from "carrying" me off!

Well, go to get busy now.

Wynn

[JFootin]

I got my new Looper Kydex reinforced belt. I'm considering treating it with mink oil or saddle soap. Any suggestions?

Wynn

Wynn,

I wouldn't treat that belt with anything. You might mess it up. It is already treated with protecting finish. Consult with Blade-Tech before you put anything on it. Weren't there care instructions packed with it?

[wyntrout]

Well, I'm back and still pumped up. Had to go by Lowe's and get some smaller O-rings... the ones I had were too loose and fat... no comments.

The factory .40 mags were great. The Blazer 165-grain FMJ was fine and I had a lot of fun. I shot 3 boxes of Blazers and most of one of MFS and 3 magazines of 165-grain Gold Dots through my one 6-round metal base-plated magazine with 6+1 loaded for function testing with carry ammo... perfect. This baby is ready for CCW... the 9mm mags not so much. The 1/8" thick O-rings were too big, causing pressure to pop the mags out... did several times causing FTF... slide lock backs as the magazines slipped down. One follower had the front part of the skirt break off... weak, I guess, and filing/sanding a bit on the metal actuator pins maybe didn't help it, either.

I'll post some pix of targets... had some good ones... and flashes of the Blazers... later, though, got to order and go pick up pizza for supper.

A very good day, though, and I was really feeling good when I left the range... got to punch the accelerator a few good times on my van and was playing my 60/70's music... "Horse With No Name" blaring as I was entering traffic under full V8 acceleration... Yee Haa!

I had better get going. More later.

Wynn S.E.G.!

[wyntrout]

Here's the link to the Album of today's testing... flashes and targets and other stuff. Pix of my Looper Kydex-Reinforced gun belt from Kahr Shop... $49.95. Pix of magazines and O-rings, etc. Haven't uploaded the pix of the Gold Dot flashes. Already have some of those.

http://s1134.photobucket.com/albums/...ain%20Blazers/

Let me post this before I wipe it out AGAIN!

Wynn

[wyntrout]

Okay. Now a few pictures of the Blazer ammo firing. I got the rightmost lane at the range where it's darker. I also get bombarded by the brass from my neighbor to the left.








Next an early target. On the left targets I tried double taps... kind of close together, but was my best attempt at that.

[wyntrout]

I shot three mags full in the next three pictures, one on each target.



Better:


2nd mag's group circled, then mag 3:


I rang the target out to 15 yards and sprinkled the letter sized sheet a bit... all but 2 on the sheet... good for me.


This pistol is really accurate... more than I. Many times I would start with one round at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines... dead center, sprinkle around, then put another on top of the first round.

Wynn

[wyntrout]

I took the O-ring off my CCW magazine... 6-rounder with metal base plate... then loaded 6+1 three times for reliability with my chosen defense ammo Speer 165-gr Gold Dots. I can sure tell when I switch to those... more thump!

Magazine#6 three refills:







I feel confident that I can hit the bad guy COM a few times, if Murphy doesn't "help" too much.

This pistol is ready for CCW. The only problems I had could be attributed to the FAT O-rings that didn't allow the magazines using them to seat well. Those were the 9mm "conversions" to .40S&W and the 6-round metal-based .40 that I put an O-ring on.
The latter was flawless without the O-ring.

Wynn