There is a post on the Tactical Shooting Forums right now that is giving the XD quite a thrashing.  The problem seems to be long term reliability.  I personally don’t have many rounds logged behind an XD so I can’t add to the discussion.  If you have had any types of issues,  you might want to follow-up on this post.  Springfield is a good company that should want to stand behind its work.  Perhaps they will change some policies about repair if enough people complain.

The crux of the issue surrounds “factory fit” parts.  This is the worst thing in the world for most of the shooting community.  Some manufacturers practice this on certain parts that they will not sell to gunsmiths or individuals.  Sounds great except they stroke you for shipping both ways.

I recently had this with a Ruger part.  The part adds tension to the cylinder release.  It looks like a small screw and cost $1.50.  Guess what?  Factory fit.  The only real problem was that the tech I was talking to couldn’t even find it on their schematic.  I had to pull up the manual off of their website to show him.  I guess I’m not qualified to fit a $1.50 part that the factory can’t even find.  Thank you Numrich for having obsolete parts like this.

By the way, you can get all the Glock parts you ever wanted.

If you are interested in getting your a Ruger SP101, S&W J-Frame, or Taurus trigger job, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Cutting coils isn’t always the way to go.  Cutting the coils on a factory spring may sound like a great idea, but it isn’t always the way to go.  I was taught, and still believe, that replacement springs are a better option.  With Wolff manufacturing some great spring kits, you can achieve reliable ignition with a reduced power spring kit.
• A spring kit is the answer.  If you are looking for a trigger job, you need to do a little more than a spring kit.  Spring kits reduce poundage, but they won’t help the geometry of your factory trigger.
• Toothpaste is a great $.25 trigger job.  This is kind of like a sugar pill.  You can put it in the gun, pull the trigger a thousand times and tell yourself you have a great trigger when in reality you have just pulled the trigger a thousand times.  Obviously as a gun breaks in the parts wear against each other and the bearing surfaces mate better.

The ultimate question is whether or not you want a trigger job or a better feeling trigger.  For many shooters a spring kit is all that’s required.  They can do it themselves and be perfectly happy.  That satisfies most, but not those who have ever had custom work done on their guns.  If you ever get a good trigger job, you will want that feeling on all your guns.  It is quite addictive.

Mossy Creek Training is one step closer to offering the TN Handgun Permit Class that will qualify you to obtain a CCW permit.  We hope to have a class scheduled by the end of next week for June.

Price for the class is $110 which includes all materials you need for the TN Handgun Permit Class as well as the NRA Basic Pistol Course.  We have decided to offer both simultaneously.

If you are looking for a class to pass you through to your permit, you will need to seek out somewhere else.  We are interested in training people in the Basic Pistol course which gives you the skills necessary to become a great shooter.

You won’t find Rambo teaching our classes.  We are not interested in sounding Tactical, or even Tacticool.  We want you to be a proficient shooter who has the confidence to handle your firearm safely.  What you will find are some of the best instructors around today.

Classes will run a full 8 hours.  When you finish you will have obtained an NRA Basic Pistol Course certification and your Handgun Permit Certificate.

Need to start at the very beginning?  Try our NRA First Steps Course.  You don’t need to own a firearm to attend.  Everything is provided for you.  Cost of the course is $75.

If you need a specific course date, please feel free to email us at training@mossycreekcustom.com

One of the newest adventures I have had recently has been to work on starting a company that will go hand in hand with MCC.  Mossy Creek Arms has been developed to offer something a little different in the AR-15 market.  Saturday we were able to put the first gun together, and it is awesome.  I want to remind you these are not your standard run of the mill guns.  These guns are come from our shop in Nashville with loads of features you won’t see standard anywhere else.

For instance we are only using the Magpul line of stocks and pistol grips on our guns.  Magpul magazines come factory standard.  Our guns come standard with Backup sights.

Want it to be different than factory, all you have to do is call.  We are in the business of making the gun fit the shooter, not the other way around.

By the way for those of you who want to “Do it Yourself, Not By Yourself,” why not come and build your own rifle from one in our shop.  This allows you to customize before it ever leaves the shop and gives you complete control over design.

Be looking for the Model 1542 to debut at a cookout soon.  Those who come to the cookout will be able to run one of the guns and receive a discount at the time of purchase.

Congratulations to F. Gonzalez who was the recipient of the first ever MCC free work giveaway.  He has received a free Taurus Judge Trigger Job.

We will continue to giveaway free work as time permits and our interest in a particular item pops up.  The way it works is that the first person to contact us about it and send the gun wins.  We provide the work, you provide shipping and pay for any parts.

We will be coming up with something again soon so stay tuned to the Free section of the blog.

I had the privilege of shooting a Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum today.  It was the first time that I had ever been around the cartridge.  The gun came in for the SP101 package, and I have to say I am really impressed.  As I was talking to the owner of the gun today, he mentioned that the lower recoil and 6th shot had sold him on the gun.  Both of those attributes make it a great cartridge to consider if you are wanting a solid revolver for CCW.

I think I have mentioned how I am a recoil sissy.  I don’t like anything magnum because I generally don’t enjoy getting pounded by the gun all day at that range.  Last time I checked, I was supposed to enjoy my days at the range, and if I am shooting anything too hot, I get slap happy on the trigger which sends my groups into shotgun pattern style.  The .327 Federal Magnum is a great hybrid for someone like me.  The recoil blast didn’t send particles flying all around me, and it didn’t deafen me either.

I love the Ruger SP101 platform because it makes shooting a 38 special a dream.  The gun was built well to absorb recoil.  It easily handles the .327.  In fact, I would love to fire this round in a scandium S&W because it would be a great combination.

As usual ammo can be a problem with anything new or a little outside the box right now, but you do have several choices.  The gun can also fire the 32 H&R Magnum and 32 Smith and Wesson Longs. So you might find some ammo hidden away in the storage bin if you have some of grandpa’s vintage firearms in your collection.  Either way you will have a good time checking out this latest offering from Federal and Ruger.

A birthday is an interesting event in your life.  Is it something to celebrate or be sad about?  A mile marker or a countdown?  If you want to take away some of the sting from another year past, you should try to commemorate it with a new gun.

For the first time today I had a customer come to the shop to pick up his birthday present that his WIFE picked out for him all the while keeping it a complete secret.  Go ahead and applaud a female who will buy a pistol for her man.  By the way, you should know that she is not a shooter, and actually intimidated by guns.  Nevertheless she pursued her husband’s passion and made his day.  Here’s how it went down.

Several months ago, his wife asked for a recommendation on a pistol for her husband.  We went over all the particulars, and I was able to casually bring up pistols to him one day to make sure we got him something he would be really excited about.  We decided she would make monthly installments and bring him to the shop to fill out the 4473 on his actual birthday.  Today was a great day for him, and for her because she was certain that he was going to be stoked.

If you are a guy who always wants your wife to get you a gun, but she never will, make a little scrap book of magazine articles or pictures from the internet that will show here exactly what you like.  While trying not to bore spouse to death, talk to her about what you like.  Every husband and wife should know the basics about each others hobbies and interests.  Take a day twice a year to go to a gun show or gun shop together.  You will be surprised what might happen if you take a few minutes to educate those around you about your sport.  You might find they end up understanding you a little better because of it.

If you are the spouse of a gun nut you need one important skill that alludes most of us; listening.  Pay attention.  Your husband will give you subtle hints all year long about the things that he is interested in having in his safe.  Write them down and log it away for the special day.

By the way, this is something that you won’t find if you are hung up on having the best deal all the time.  Gunbroker and big box shop if you must, but they can’t help your spouse like a local shop that you are known in as a regular.

Today was spent helping several families recover from total losses.  I don’t know what I learned today, except that flood insurance is a great idea.  Without it, you won’t get any help from  your insurance company.  It is great to see our church and community backing each other up.  In fact our church is going to be a Red Cross relief center for the end of the week.  If you need a hot meal and shower you can come by.  If you are local please spread the word.

Check out MicroExplosion’s post today for a cool post and perspective on all of this.  I will be gunsmithing over the next few days to catch up for all of you who are waiting.  I am being told that the ranges I have access to will be good to go by the end of the week.  Thanks again for your patience.

The last two days have been crazy.  We received 18 inches of rain!  2 out of 3 interstates were closed in the city.  Houses were destroyed, and many lives were forever changed by the flood of 2010.

I want to thank you for your support and prayers during these times.  Our shop, home and family are all safe, as are any items we have in our possession right now for custom work.  The only casualty of this mess was my cell phone.  Please email me if you need anything.

We will be behind on work for about 3-4 days.  It is not because we were directly affected by the water, but there is literally no where to go.  Our private use range is not reachable, our public range is closed and the indoor ranges were not reachable because of flooding.  We have tried to contact all of you to let you know this in person, but obviously that is a large task.  If you ordered anything through the website, please be patient.  Everything was shipped out at the end of last week.  If you have not received your stuff by Friday, please let me know.  We will get you squared away.

A final thought; As I was helping a neighbor get his house dry, I was reminded about how temporary all of these things are.  It doesn’t seem like it sometimes because we work so hard for the things we have, therefore we place great value on them.  The truth of it is that it can all be gone in the morning.  What will last through eternity are relationships.  “Don’t store up treasure on earth where moth and rust (and water) destroy, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”  The italics are mine, but it seems appropriate tonight.

For now we are grateful for the relationships we have with our family, neighbors, and you our customers.  Thanks for helping us do what is so fun for all of us.  We will continue to do a little underwater gunsmithing until the water recedes.