Are You OnPoint?

On Point Firearms received this communiqué from Fabrique Nationale last week and thought our clients might be interested in the information.  Apparently, there has been some confusion and bad advice given to some law enforcement agencies regarding which type of 5.7×28mm ammunition they should use in their weapons.  Here’s what FNH USA said:

“SS190 Duty Round (BATFE RESTRICTED to LE only) - This is the recommended duty round for all weapons (P-90, PS-90 and FsN).

SS198 LF Training/Duty Round (FNH Restricted to LE through LE distributors) - This is now the recommended training round for LE agencies. Its velocity is the closest to the SS190 and therefore no sight adjustment is necessary. The SS198 LF can also be used as a duty round for individual officers who cannot obtain SS190 through their department.

SS195 LF Sporting Round - This round will continue to be the optimum round for the FsN handgun for commercial sales. It will still work as a LE training round, but be aware that it does not travel as fast as the SS190 or SS198. So, there may be trajectory/impact issues on target.

SS197 Sporting Round - This round will continue to be the optimum round for the PS-90 carbine. PLEASE NOTE: The SS197 will not reliably cycle a P-90 sub-machine gun and should not be used as a training/duty round for the P-90 or FsN. It can be used a training/duty round for the PS-90 although we cannot guarantee it will be effective against body armor.  It can be used commercially in the FsN but the pistol will have to have the sight adjusted up to accommodate the lower velocity.

SS191 Tracer (BATFE RESTRICTED to LE only)

SB193 Sub-Sonic (BATFE RESTRICTED to LE only) - For use in P-90’s with suppressors.

Five-seveN Pistol - For Law Enforcement, only use the SS190 as the duty round. The SS198 LF round should be used as a training round in this pistol. The SS198 can also be used as a duty round for individual officers. The SS197 sporting round is not very effective out of this pistol and because of its slower velocity the rear sight has to be elevated to a point that the sight adjustment screw may fall out. The SS195 can also be used as a training round if needed.

For commercial use the SS195 is the optimum round for the FsN pistol. The SS197 can also be used as a commercial round in this pistol.

P-90 Sub-Machine Gun - Only use the SS190 Duty Round and SS198 Training Round in this weapon from here forward. Departments can also use the SB193 and SS191 ammo if they choose. AGAIN, the SS197 will not cycle this weapon in full automatic fire.

PS-90 Carbine - For Law Enforcement, only the SS190 should be used as the duty round. The SS198 can be used as a duty round but we cannot guarantee it will defeat body armor. The SS198 can also be used as a training round. The SS195 can be used as a training round, but again be aware that it does not travel as fast as the SS190 or SS198 so there may be trajectory/impact issues on target. The SS197 can be used as a duty/training round but we cannot guarantee it will defeat body armor.

For commercial use the SS197 is the optimum round and is very effective in gelatin tests out of the PS-90. The SS195 can also be used as a commercial round.”

I hope you found this information moderately interesting.  If not, I apologize for wasting several minutes of your life.  Have a good week and stay On Point!

– Evan

When Heckler & Koch engineered a next generation pistol to compete for the Joint Combat Pistol program, an ill-fated US Military contract, the company enlisted the help of Hollywood for its new ergonomic grip design. Warner Bros. is proud to present the next sequel in the USP saga: the new Batman grip HK45. Joking aside, the new HK45 and P30 series are forward-thinking designs—perhaps too forward-thinking for their own good.

I’ve had considerable trigger time on the new HK45, HK45C, and P30. In fact, HK sent On Point Firearms one of the only HK45 military prototypes in the country last year. With the help of our friend, Erik at Rican Havoc Productions, we produced this video for Heckler & Koch USA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ybRq9Empk

For years, I’ve been a USP shooter. So, I’ve come to expect quality, reliability, accuracy, and beautiful design from all things HK. However, I’m not ready to sell off my stable of USP pistols and “upgrade” to the new HK45/P30 weapons system yet. Why? It’s the law of diminishing returns, my friends. For more money, you’re not necessarily getting more “gun”.Indeed, the new ergonomic “Batman” grip found on the HK45 and P30 is very comfortable and its interchangeable back straps (and side straps on the P30) make fitting these pistols to smaller hands easy. But, the original USP line was already designed to fit most hands and was considered a highly ergonomic pistol for its day. In fact, most pistols are designed specifically for male shooters of average size. That’s logical as it appeals to the majority of shooters, not just the outliers with puny hands or freakishly large ones. The HK45 is a full size pistol that shoots .45acp. Make no mistake: this is a man’s gun– designed not for concealment, but specifically as a candidate for the military’s Joint Combat Pistol program. The P30 blends form and function very well and the grip is a major improvement over the standard USP 9mm. The HK45C grip is very similar to the one found on the current USP Compact line, albeit with interchangeable back straps. But are these new grips such an improvement that shooters should absorb switching costs to bring this into their gun wardrobe?The slides on the new HK45, HK45C, and P30 feature a smooth profile and front serrations, to boot. That’s nice, but serrations could’ve been easily integrated into the USP line. Surprisingly, some users have even experienced problems with the HE finish (see thread on HKPro). If this claim is true, it would seem the Hostile Environment finish has changed– and not for the better. Perhaps “Hostile Environment” is now defined as your local shooting range: slightly dusty—hint of cigarette smoke and gunpowder in the air.

Atop the slide sit factory night sights on all three models. I expected Trijicon or Meprolight to come standard on an expensive German import. Instead, you get yellow glow paint. Service life: unknown.

The trigger is all USP. No improvement here. So if you buy an HK45, HK45C, or P30, invest quickly in a Wolf 10lb hammer spring and bring that heavy DA pull down to size. There’s a new cutout in the trigger guard of the HK45 and P30 that seems like it would be an aesthetically pleasing feature. Unfortunately, it rubs your finger while shooting—becoming an irritation. The magazine release, albeit extended, is not as easy to operate as the one found on the original USP line. Wisely, the HK45C was saved from both of these “improvements.”

The O-ring barrel on the HK45 and HK45C improves accuracy, but it’s a feature already found on the USP Tactical and Compact Tactical— models coming in at similar price points, but sporting threaded barrels and a match trigger (in the case of the full size Tactical.) Thankfully, fans of the “can” will be able to purchase models with threaded barrels shortly—satisfying their need to “go quiet.”

The final insult is magazine capacity. At 10rds, the HK45 is a step backwards compared with the 12+1 standard capacity found on the USP .45. Look around at other full size forty-fives from Springfield Armory, Glock, Smith & Wesson, and FN. Clearly, 12+1 is the industry standard. Why should shooters paying a premium price expect anything less from Heckler & Koch—one of the finest monikers you can find stamped on your slide? Fortunately, the P30 is no slouch in this area. It sports an ample 15-round capacity and has a more low profile form factor than its predecessor. The HK45C and classic USP Compact .45 benefit from the ability to use 10-round magazines from the new HK45, so not all is doom and gloom.

The HK45, HK45C, and P30 represent the future of Heckler & Koch pistols. Is that a good thing? Each of my USP pistols has years of service life left in them. Spare parts and magazines are easy to come by. So, there’s no need to switch platforms for a few cosmetic improvements. Are the new HK45 and P30 series good guns? No, they’re GREAT guns. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge proponent of Heckler & Koch products. I highly recommend them to my friends and clients. However, this is my opinion on the HK45: Buy one if you’re a die-hard HK aficionado. Otherwise, a USP .45 in your holster will serve you well for years to come. Regarding the P30: If you don’t already own a USP full size or compact 9mm, surely this is the one to get. It’s the best of both worlds. Compact and slim enough for concealed carry, but with enough firepower and barrel length for home defense, competition, or range duty. As for the HK45C: Wait for the threaded barrel version to hit the streets. That’ll make it an excellent upgrade from USP Compact Tactical.

Have a good one and stay On Point!

– Evan

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When it comes to lubrication of a firearm, there are as many different opinions as there are brands available. Quite frankly, it is dizzying enough to give the average shooter a headache. There are more and more solvents, greases, and all-in-one solutions coming out each year it seems. One might ask “Why the need for all these different products?” The simple answer is that there is a market for them. People are constantly looking for the latest and greatest wonder products to properly maintain their firearms. Of course, firearms cleaning and lubrication isn’t new, and there are plenty of antique weapons out there that are in great shape. They didn’t maintain their appearance and integrity with the latest and greatest product. Simple, proper cleaning and lubrication seems to be of utmost importance, with the products coming in at a distant second. This raises the question: what really works?

There are different products for different uses. Solvents help to dissolve copper and/or lead buildup and fouling caused by gunpowder ignition, and preservative “protectants” are used to prevent the firearm from corrosion caused by humidity. Lubricants are usually only good for eliminating friction on metal-to-metal contact parts of the firearm. Then, there are the all-in-one products that usually bear the name CLP, which stands for Cleaner, Lubricant, and “Protectant”. If the CLP type products exist, why bother with the others? Well, for starters, most people find that the CLP type products are good at achieving all three goals, but they don’t particularly excel at any one job. In sum, these products work well, but you may find a cleaning or lubrication situation where the CLP products just won’t get the job done. One such situation is a barrel with excessive copper fouling. This copper sticks to the rifling of the barrel, and can adversely affect accuracy. In this case, you really need to use a proper solvent to clean this up. Another example would be a high caliber firearm such as the Garand or the M1A/M14 type rifle. These rifles have a vigorous cycling action and subject the metal to extremely high temperatures. In these cases, grease is the proper lubricant, as liquid oil will either be flung off or dry up rapidly. Finally, if you intend to store a firearm for a very long time, you’ll need an appropriate “protectant”, as changes in temperature and the resultant humidity can destroy a firearm over time. Fair enough, but what do WE think works?

The folks at On Point stand by Break Free CLP as the CLP of choice. It meets the Military’s standards, is fairly cheap, and is effective to use, provided you don’t have any serious cleaning issues at hand. When used properly, your firearm will be reasonably clean and lubricated properly. When it comes to cleaning copper and powder fouling, we’ve found that both Hoppes #9 and Gunslick Copper-Klenz are extremely helpful. Most will tell you that Hoppes #9 has a pretty offensive odor, whereas Copper-Klenz is odorless, so the Gunslick Copper-Klenz product gets the nod. When something more than oil is needed, Tetra gun grease has always served us well. Unlike oil, it stays put for a long time, continuing to do its job. Some guns tend to operate better with either more or less lubrication, and we advise that you refer to the owner’s manual of that particular firearm to find out what is best. Unfortunately, we can’t comment on “protectant” products, because our firearms don’t sit around in storage, they get brought out to the shooting range!

There are many newer products out there at various price points. Are some of them more effective than what we use and recommend? That’s quite possible, but in using the previously mentioned products, we’ve not had any need or desire to try out the next generation of wonder products.

– Erik

I admit to being skeptical about the new Sig Sauer P250– the firm’s modular pistol that allows users to easily swap calibers and change form factors. How will the shooting community receive the polymer pistol built in Exeter, New Hampshire? Will it gain traction in the industry or suffer the same fate as its SigPro brethren? Inquiring minds want to know, so here’s my take on the P250.

The P250’s design is feature rich: factory night sights, 16rd magazines (9mm), Nitron and stainless steel finishes, ergonomic grips, and a crisp 5.5lb trigger pull make this latest offering from Sig Sauer attractive to shooters at all levels. Its fire control module is a slick piece of engineering and is easy to remove and maintain. Thanks for the use of polymer, the price point is also significantly lower than traditional Sig models. The interchangeability of the system allows you to find the perfect grip style for you hand, choose between full size, compact, and subcompact frames, and switch calibers on the fly (9mm, .40sw, .357sig, and .45acp.)

Accuracy and “To Hell and Back” reliability are par for the course for Sig Sauer pistols. That’s to be expected. However, many clients have expressed concern for the fit and finish coming out of Exeter lately. We can all remember the issues that plagued the first generation of GSR 1911 pistols. Many jokes were made at the expense of the pistolsmith who evidently needed to “McLearn how to make a 1911.” The Sig Mosquito enjoyed a rough start, having seen poor reliability and accuracy sour the opinion of even the most die-hard Sig aficionados. Even the legendary Sig Sauer assault rifle, the venerable 550, experienced problems when the Americans in New Hampshire released their version: the SIG556.

For a time, it seemed like everything that Exeter stamped its name on was cursed. To be fair, some of these failures can be attributed to “growing pains.” It’s no secret that Sig Sauer, formerly Sigarms, has won its unfair share of government contracts over the past few years. Exeter was forced to increase production and customer service, dealer support, and quality control suffered. Thankfully, it looks like the new P250 is a bellwether that things have turned around for Sig.

The company claims the new P250 weapons platform will be the end all, be all, granddaddy of all handguns– designed for the high speed/low drag, operator who wants to shoot bad guys with a compact 9mm for breakfast and a full-size .45acp for dinner. For lunch, we’re thinking Arby’s… and a subcompact .40sw.

On the contrary… the user that will enjoy the greatest return on investment will be the novice shooter– perhaps buying their first handgun, and most likely a woman. Is the P250 a girl’s gun? Not necessarily. But, the P250’s simple manual of arms makes it easy for a beginner to learn proper firearms handling techniques. It’s easy to take apart and clean. The slide is easier to rack than most comparable handguns and the trigger pull is relatively light— important features for female shooters. It’s important to point out that the P250’s trigger is light, but it doesn’t have a short reset. In fact, it’s closer to the reset you’d find on a traditional double action revolver.

The modular design is great for entry-level shooters. They can start out with a compact 9mm, equally well suited for a day at the range, home defense, or concealed carry—a jack-of-all-trades. When they decide they want to try IPSC or IDPA style competitions, they can upgrade to a full size .45acp platform without breaking the bank. When they want something smaller to fit in their pocket, they can purchase the subcompact conversion kit. This is the value proposition for the Sig Sauer P250: it saves you money in the long run and you’ll be a better shooter at the end of the day.

Sig Sauer has a winner in its new P250 series. Barring some unforeseen corporate meltdown or act of God, we should see these pistols selling briskly for many years to come. Try one out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Have a good week and stay On Point.

– Evan

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