380 Lineup, Thank You
I just received the May 2023 issue. Nice as usual. I would very much like to see the new Ruger Security-380 Lite Rack together with the Ruger 380 Max and S&W 380 Bodyguard, all compared to each other. — Abraham
Hey Abraham: I’ve forwarded your note to the staff for development. Thanks for the lineup. — Todd Woodard
Re “Downrange,” May 2023
Hooray, I managed to set up my online access. I would love to see review article(s) on some 17 HMR rifles. Want to consider some choices for prairie dogs. — Cal
Hey Cal: You got it. Ping me back if you have some specific models in mind. Of course, anyone else can weigh in. — tw
Re “Drop-In Glock Triggers: Apex, OverWatch, Timney Compared,” January 2023
Todd, hello. If you don’t recommend any of the tested Glock drop in triggers for EDC, then why don’t you test some triggers that would be acceptable? The test could include EDC replacement barrels and EDC replacement sights for a Glock. Thank you and have a great day. — EDK
Hey EDK: We did recommend two of the Glock triggers in the January 2023 issue. Of the Apex Enhancement Trigger & Trigger Bar, we said, “The Apex trigger performed well, and at less than $100, we feel this is a Best Buy. If you want to get into a flat-face trigger but not spend a lot of money, we recommend you try the Apex Enhancement trigger.” We also recommended the OverWatch Precision TAC Trigger, $135, saying of it, “Our Team Said: We liked this trigger and feel it is a good investment. We fired our best averages and time with this trigger, compared to the Apex trigger.” We graded the Timney Alpha Competition Series Alpha Glock 3-4, $150, as an A product, but we just thought it was too light for EDC. — tw
I found the article on the Timney trigger upgrade to be timely because I had recently purchased a Glock 19 Gen 5 9mm. I like everything about the Glock pistols except the triggers. I immediately ordered the replacement assembly and had it installed. What an amazing difference it made. I never carry with a chambered cartridge, so I’m not concerned with the light trigger pull. Next order will be a similar assembly for my Glock 21SF 45 cal. I wouldn’t be without it. — J.S.
Hey J.S.: Good solution to a troublesome problem. As we figured, some readers would want to try the Timney in their Glocks. — tw
Re “22 LR Rifles: We Evaluate Four Good Shooters Head to Head,” April 2023
In your April 2023 issue you tested a CZ 457 Varmint MTR, a Ruger American Rimfire Long Range Target, a Savage B22 Precision Rifle, and a sporter version of the Browning T-Bolt. You awarded the Browning a B for being slightly less accurate with SK Match ammo. You noted that, “whereas our other three samples … sport heavier barrels … the T-Bolt is long, slim, and designed to be carried afield.” You then note Browning offers several versions of the T-Bolt. Therein lies the apples vs. oranges fallacy. Browning offers a heavy barrel T-Bolt Target model plus at least one labeled Varmint/Target. It’s reasonable to predict that a target gun will be more accurate than a lighter-barreled sporter. Why didn’t you use their Target model for comparison against the others? You recently tested some 9mm handguns along with a 380 ACP, then downgraded the 380 for being less potent. You should re-examine the fundamentals of comparative testing before pitting one gun against others when you can reasonably predict the outcome before firing the first round. — David
David, on the contrary. We often test firearms that vary in some way from others in a test — lighter, cheaper, less cosmetically pleasing, etc. — as you note. We’ve learned over time that oranges will occasionally beat out apples, with valuable insights for buyers. The T-Bolt review was valuable to several other readers because they didn’t want a target gun, but the T-Bolt was in the ballpark as far as accuracy as the others, but at a big weight premium (1.7 pounds lighter). On the 380 vs. 9mm handguns, there was also a new round, the 30 Super Carry. We preferred the power range of the 9mm Luger over the others. Still do. — tw
Reader Results with SIG Sauer P322
Hi Todd, I’m a long-time subscriber, and I really enjoy your magazine. I don’t know if you plan on testing the recently introduced SIG Sauer P322 chambered in 22 LR, but I’ll share my experience with the pistol.
In early January 2023, I read some YouTube reviews of the pistol, which were all positive. The SIG P322 is hammer fired, and the reviews indicated that it was fun to shoot, had a good trigger pull, was well made, came with a small red-dot sight installed, included two 20-round magazines, and was easy to field-strip for cleaning.
I bought a P322 on January 12, 2023, at a local gun store. I then went to my local gun club indoor range to test-fire the gun. I tried 10 rounds of CCI Mini-Mag 40-grain CPRN ammo. Five rounds did not fire due to light primer strikes — the firing-pin impressions on the base of the cases were barely visible. I called SIG Sauer customer service and asked to return the gun for service. Their advice was to clean and lubricate the pistol because it had preservative grease on the internal parts that could inhibit proper function. I cleaned and lubricated the pistol per their instructions and returned to the range with a variety of ammo, including Aguila, CCI, Federal, PMC, Remington, and Winchester. Of 81 rounds tested, there were 18 no fires due to light strikes, and again the firing-pin impressions were barely visible. SIG customer service furnished a return shipping label, and I sent the pistol to the New Hampshire factory for service. I received the gun back 10 days later.
The service order showed they replaced the mainspring and barrel, adjusted the hammer strut seat, and lubricated the pistol. After the service, they tested the pistol with Aguila 40-grain and CCI Clean 40-grain ammo, and it fired without malfunction.
I then took the pistol to my gun-club range and tested it with 20 rounds of CCI Mini-Mag 40-grain RNCP, 10 rounds of Federal GM Hi Velocity Match 40-grain lead, 20 rounds of Remington Thunderbolt 40-grain lead, and 10 rounds of Remington SV 40-grain lead with good results. One round of the Remington SV did not fire the first time, but that was ammo related. All the other ammo in the pistol functioned flawlessly. I was disappointed that I initially had function issues with a factory-new pistol, but SIG Sauer really stepped up here and repaired the pistol very quickly at no cost to me. — Paul
Hey Paul: Thanks for giving us an early insight into the P322. We’ll be on the lookout for those problems. — tw
