Tag Archives: 9mm

Deals, Industry News

Battle Ready International selling 9mm BUL 1911s

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It’s been a long time in coming, but Battle Ready International has updated their website and is now selling BUL Classic 1911s in 9mm. They seem to have them in Commander and Government lengths, but not the oh-so-sexy Ultra / Officer length (or at least those aren’t up on the website). After having handled an Ultra-X, I am a real believer in compact 1911s, and hope they’ll get on that soon.

I also see BUL Cherokee Compacts with threaded barrels now, which may prove a good option for someone looking for a nice, easy-to-suppress Israeli firearm.

Reviews

IMI 115gr 9×19 FMJ and EX-STAR Ammo Review

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You may not be aware of this, but ammo has gotten pretty cheap these days – almost the cheapest I’ve seen it since 2008. You can get quality brass-cased 9mm ammo for 20c a round, and steel-cased 5.56×45 is not far behind. As long as you’re not into .22lr, this is a good time to be shooting.

Wideners has been selling IMI 115gr 9mm FMJ ammo for under 20c a round (edit: sold out now), and IMI 115gr 9mm EX-STAR JHP for 22c a round. While I’m not a purist about shooting Israeli ammo through my Israeli guns, I’m always down for some good ammo. I ordered a couple cases. Here’s what I found…

Continue reading IMI 115gr 9×19 FMJ and EX-STAR Ammo Review →

Research, Reviews

Upgrading the BUL M-5

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I recently reviewed a gen 1 BUL M5 in 9mm, and suffice it to say, I think it’s one of the best double-stack 1911 options on the market if you can find magazines for it (which I did, finally).

But, mine was a stock gun, and I’ve never really owned a proper race gun. So, I decided that I could take a chance on a handgun I paid $400 for (not to mention it being a bit of a mutt with a Springfield-marked frame), and decided to do some modifications to it to bring it up to competition standards. It was an adventure, and I have some tips to share.

Continue reading Upgrading the BUL M-5 →

Deals

Deal Alert: BUL Storm Compact on Gunbroker

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A relatively new seller on Gunbroker has offered up a pair of BUL Storm Compact handguns. I bought one of them, but there’s still at least one more up for sale. The seller appears to be affiliated with Century in some fashion. (Pro-tip: if you see Fairfax, VT as the seller’s location on Gunbroker, the seller is probably some sort of Century Arms affiliate).

There were supposedly only 300 of these guns made, and it is even less clear how many made it to the USA, since they appear to have been imported piecemeal by Century Arms. The Storm Compact is essentially a TA-90 “Combat Compact” clone (technically, it’s just “Compact”, but I add “Combat” because it has a frame safety). This gets you a small frame and a 3.75″ barrel – about the same as a compact Jericho, but a quarter inch longer. This is nothing terribly special from a design standpoint, but the rarity factor makes it worthy of consideration. (Remember that the Mossad Compact was not made in Israel!)

I assume the BUL Storm Compact will have the same magazine incompatibility issues that plagued the BUL Storm that I reviewed, but I’ll keep you posted once I’ve had a chance to look over mine.

Reviews

The BUL Storm

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Historically, BUL Transmark’s third pistol line was the BUL Storm. Arguably, it’s the least known line of their pistols in the US, excepting perhaps the new SAS line (which hasn’t gotten very much play in the US yet). The Storm is a straight-out Tanfoglio TZ-75 clone, which is a slightly modified clone of the CZ-75.

Clever readers will note that this is pretty much the same situation as the Jericho, which is a clone of the Tanfoglio as well. What do I think of the Storm versus the Jericho? Read on.

Continue reading The BUL Storm →

Research

BUL M-5 Mags and Parts Source

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A recurrent “theme” (read: whine) I’ve had about BUL handguns is that the magazine and parts situation is somewhat dire, especially on the 9mm side. On a tip, I did find someone who stocks BUL M-5 magazines and parts. Ask for Lou at All America Sales (870-544-2809). He was able to source some stuff for me that I had a lot of difficulty finding otherwise, and his prices were quite reasonable (to the point where I was wondering if he wasn’t getting out of sourcing these parts to begin with).

I am in the process of upgrading my M-5 using those parts, and should have an article on that process soon.

Research

More on the Sirkis SQP

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I bought a copy of the Guns Handgun Annual 1985 article on the Sirkis SQP in the hopes of learning more about it. I was not disappointed!

The article confirms that it was indeed a squeeze-cock gun (versus just a front grip safety). OAL was to be seven inches, with a barrel just a tad under four inches (so, more like the Walther PP than the PPK). The action was direct blowback, much like the SD9, but this version had a bolt hold open. Caliber was 9mm with a 9 round capacity. The grips were supposedly rubber instead of plastic.

Perhaps more intriguingly, there were plans for tritium night sights and a 22lr kit. The article also claims that the SQP and SD9 were in production simultaneously. I find this hard to believe, since I think Interarms would have imported some back when they got in the SD9.