Hickok45 On The GP-100 In .44 Special

Ruger recently released the GP-100 in a five-shot, .44 Special version. It was one of the firearms I had wanted to shoot at the SHOT Show before life intruded. The cartridge itself seems interesting and I had hoped to try out the world's greatest dentist's Ruger Redhawk with that cartridge today but it is raining.

Hickok45 just released a video today reviewing this fine revolver. Given the way it shoots, I'd love to have one and have been seriously considering buying one. It won't be this month as my everyday driver needed new brakes plus new tie rod joints which just shot my gun buying budget. The kid in me objects but the adult in me realizes that being able to stop and steer the car is more important than a new shiny GP-100 in .44 Special.

Hickok45 On The Kimber K6S Revolver

I got to shoot prototypes of the Kimber 6KS revolver in January at the SHOT Show's Media Day. It is a very nice revolver and is very smooth. One thing I noticed about it is that it took only a half of a trigger pull to advance the cylinder and cock the hammer. In other words, nothing on the gun is moving during the last half of your trigger pull but your finger and the trigger.

I didn't realize that Kimber had finally released this revolver. I thought they had sent the prototypes back to do a bit more work before going into production with it. That was the impression I got from Grant Cunningham who had consulted on the design. Hickok45 noted that he obtained this test gun courtesy of Bud's Guns so I am making the assumption that this is a production gun.

Great To See A Detective Special Reviewed

Colt hasn't been making the Detective Special since the latter part of the 1990s. Still there are a lot of old ones hanging around. Heck, one is even in my gun safe.

Hickok45 did a review of an earlier edition Detective Special in .32 Colt NP that was published today. He did a good job on it. He is absolutely correct about the Colt trigger and stacking. It really does stack when shooting it double-action.

You have to wonder how much it would cost to make one of these revolvers nowadays. Probably too much to be economically viable.

Useful Information (Of A Sort)

Most of us will never get the change to shoot a sawed-off shotgun or SBR like an Uzi. However, if we do get the chance, this short video from Hickok45 might just save our finger tips.

An Interesting Review Of The Glock 41

Almost lost in all the hoopla over Glock introducing a single stack .380 ACP pistol was their other introduction at the SHOT Show - the Glock 41. This new pistol is a long-slide Glock along the lines of the Glock 34 and 35 but in .45 ACP. Greg Hickok in his review below refers to it being "practical-tactical" in that is could both be used for competition and for self-defense.

The reason I'm posting the review by Greg aka Hickok45 is that it is one of the best reviews of this new pistol that I've seen. I think the Glock 41 will probably sell well and give other double-stack .45s a run for their money. I don't know if I'd trade my 1911s for it but I might add it to the gun collection.

Just In Time For Halloween

If you are a fan of the YouTube videos of Greg Hickok aka Hickok45, then you know in addition to his marvelous gun reviews he has a thing about pumpkins. He shoots them, he blows them up, he knives them, he mows over them, he bashes them with a baseball bat, etc. You get the picture.

Now someone has taken four years of Hickok45 killing pumpkins and done a mashup of it. I didn't know there were that many ways to kill a pumpkin!

As to my favorite way to kill a pumpkin, it will always remain eating it as in a pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Just Because..

I'm posting this just because it entertained me. I love Greg Hickok aka Hickok45's YouTube videos and this one is no exception. Who among us wouldn't want to shoot a Sten submachine gun? I know ammo is in short supply but I'd scrounge the "ammo bunker" to find enough 9mm to go shooting for an afternoon with the Sten.





While you can't legally make and register a new Sten under the NFA with the ATF thanks to the Hughes Amendment, full blueprints are available. If we ever enter a TEOTWAWKI (or the new acronym, WROL) period, I have no doubt that a competent machinist with a decent workshop including a milling machine could make one.

Below is an animation of the Sten firing. You can see that it is an open bolt, blowback operated, firing mechanism.

Neutrality Through Marksmanship

Greg Hickok - Hickock45 on YouTube - just did an excellent overview of the Swedish M96 Mauser and the 6.5x55 cartridge. This is a rifle and round that I really like. My very first rifle purchased with my C&R license was a Swedish M38 Mauser made by Husqvarna. Over time my collection of Swedish Mausers has expanded to the point where I'm only missing the M94.

Greg goes through some of the history of the M96, compares it side-by-side to the German K98, and then provides some shooting demonstration of the rifle. For those that think the 6.5x55 round is a bit light for big game, it has taken many an "elk" (or moose as we call them) in Sweden.




The title of this post comes from Doug Bowser's excellent guide to all the Swedish Mausers and the Ag/M42 Ljungman. The book which had long been out of stock is now available from Empire Arms. If you have a Swedish Mauser or want one, I can highly recommend this book.

Hickok45 Tests Out Joe Biden's Advice...Kinda

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 on YouTube - decided to test out Vice-President Joe Biden's advice that a double barrel shotgun is the best thing for home defense. He compared its ease of use and effectiveness to the AR-15 with a standard capacity magazine. Greg didn't fire through a door or shoot into the air as Mr. Biden famously suggested.

Greg decided, unsurprisingly, that the AR-15 would be his choice for home defense. It has less recoil, it is easier to reload in a stressful situation, it provides more rounds of ammunition, and it would be more effective against multiple attackers as in many home invasions. The double barrel shotgun, by contrast, would have significantly more recoil, requires aiming - not mere pointing - to be accurate, has limited capacity, and would be prone to difficult reloads in stressful situations like when facing home invaders or other intruders.




One of the objections that some might raise to the AR-15 as compared to the double barrel shotgun is the issue of over-penetration. Olympic Arms conducted tests on this and also examined other studies comparing penetration of the .223 versus typical handgun and shotgun rounds. They found that the 5.56/.223 55 grain HP tended to break apart in drywall. The results of another test are shown here. This test used five different .223 rounds. Like all things, it comes down to the choice of ammo.

Good Advice For Newbies

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 on YouTube - has some good advice for new shooters on how not to shoot a semi-auto pistol. I'm glad he's doing videos like this as they are needed.

At my company's regional meeting that I mentioned yesterday, I spoke with at least two of my colleagues who were considering getting their first firearm. One of these colleagues also said his dad, a NRA-hating retired college professor, was also considering buying a gun for the house. My point is that there are a lot of new shooters out there who could use this type of info.

Magazine Versus Clip

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 on YouTube - has come out with a short video showing the differences between a clip and a magazine. You wish this would be required viewing for every journalist or politicians who decides to opine about banning "high capacity assault clips" in the wake of the Newtown shootings. As Greg says in the video, he doesn't know of any clips that hold more than 10 rounds.

This would also be a good video to share with your newbie shooter friends who may have rushed out to buy a firearm for the first time in the last month or so. It will help them learn the correct terminology and feel a little less like a neophyte.

Now For The Real AK Cleaning Video

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 - had people going with his spoof video on cleaning an AK-47/AK-74. Now he has released the real video below on cleaning an AK.

One thing Greg makes clear in this video is that you are often dealing with corrosive ammo. He refers to using Windex but prefers using Ballistol. I've used Windex myself in the past but anything that dissolve the corrosive salts will work. If I remember correctly, the British had a special funnel for pouring boiling soapy water down the barrels of their Enfield rifles which would work as well.

What It Takes To Keep An AK Running

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 - has a new YouTube video out on how to clean an AK-47/AK-74 and keep it running. It is a short video but contains good info - in a funny sort of way!

Hickok45 On The Savage 99

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 - reviews the Savage 99 and the .300 Savage cartridge. I don't own any lever actions but I have been enamored of the Savage 99 and Savage 1899 for a long time now. It is probably because it is different from other lever guns and it is available in a number of calibers that aren't traditionally found in lever actions. The internal rotary magazine allowed the Savage 99 to use spitzer bullets. Thus, you can find the now-discontinued Savage 99 in such calibers as the .243 Winchester, the .308 Winchester, and the .22-250 Remington.

As all collectors say at one time or another - one of these days.... 

Hickok45 On The MagLula UpLula

I have a MagLula UpLula and just love it. It really saves your thumbs when trying to load double-stack pistol magazines.

I also have their loaders for the AR-15 and the AK. They will load a mag as fast as you can put the cartridges in it. They also can unload mags just as fast.

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 - just posted a new YouTube video showing how fast and easy it works. Like Greg, I wasn't sent one by MagLula but love it nonetheless. However, if they want to send me one for the FAL, I wouldn't turn it down!

Hickok45 On The Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 - wrings out a Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle in his latest video. He rings the gong at 230 yards with the iron sights only!

The only criticism I might have of this video is that he needed to try the rifle with optics. Col. Jeff Cooper designed the Scout Rifle to use both iron and optical sights.

Hickok On Sight Adjustment

Greg Hickok is not only fun to watch but educational. In his latest video, he discusses the basics of sight adjustment for pistols.

Sick Of Yard Work? Tired Of That Old Mower?

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 - has the solution! Just shoot the damn thing with an AK-47!

Video Guide To Smith & Wesson Revolver Frame Sizes

Greg Hickok - Hickok45 - has put together a video guide to the various frame sizes of Smith & Wesson revolvers. This is a really good explanation of the differences in size of these revolvers and what they can stand up to - and it is delivered in Greg's signature style.

Life Is Good

As Greg Hickok aka Hickok45 said at the end of this video, "Life is good!" Having participated in the LuckyGunner Blogger Shoot, I couldn't agree more. Greg and his son John shot more machine guns than I did but I think we all had a great time.