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8 Firearm Accessories You Should Definitely Look Into
Ever since mankind began building weapons, customization was part of the deal. Whether it was incorporating the horn of a deer into a Bronze Age dagger or casting a blade of pure gold for King Tutankhamen; it is a tradition to make a weapon unique whether to improve it or to simply identify who it belongs to.
Today this is most obvious with the handgun. There are numerous accessories on the market that make handguns easier to shoot, more comfortable to carry, or simply a little more unique than the next one.
A new handgun usually feels perfect at the point of sale. However, after a few days of shooting, carrying and even handling the gun; the feel of the grip might not be right, or perform as well as advertised. Perhaps the salesman offered a model without night sights to lower the cost and improve the sale? Maybe the grips or the 30 lpi checkering do not feel as comfortable while the pistol is recoiling in the hand? It could be that the stainless steel finish has no character.
For whatever the reason, the following is a list of the 8 most common handgun accessories and in some cases, necessities for a handgun shooter.
Grips
Most handguns are sold with regular, factory issues grips that perform their intended function, but could be improved. Hands come in all shapes and sizes, what works well in a large man's hand may be too big for a petite woman shooter. Aftermarket grip makers such as Hogue offer an array of grips for the most common models of handguns to change this dynamic.
Other handguns such as xxxx pistols and single action revolvers are true works of art and seem to deserve a custom touch that can be accomplished by aftermarket grips of exotic hardwoods, space-age micarta and even fossilized mammoth ivory. Some shooters and collectors take this concept further by having artists scrimshaw their grips or inlay their initials in precious metal.
Grips can be the easiest way to customize a handgun, in most cases the shooter simply removes a few screws and replaces the panels. In very few instances the grips may require final fitting to the pistol.
Magazines
In the case of semiautomatic pistols, magazines are a vital component. However, manufacturers save the consumer money by shipping pistols with relatively few magazines. Two seems to be the average, but a gun coming with a single magazine is not an uncommon occurrence.
Most firearms instructors recommend at least 5 serviceable mags for each gun. Most of the time, pistol magazines are available from the manufacturer who made the pistol, but as in the case with aftermarket grips, there is a legion of aftermarket magazine companies.
As a vital component to the pistol, aftermarket magazines need to be of the highest quality. Cheap magazines often use cheap springs which can prevent proper feeding of the pistol or bodies that are out of spec that do not fit correctly. Try to buy magazines made by the mfgr. of the firearm whenever possible, or at least use aftermarket companies with well-deserved reputations.
Tactical Lights
Most modern pistols are built with an integral rail mount beneath the barrel. This mount is most often used for placement of a tactical light, or tac light. A tac light is a lightweight high-intensity flashlight built to withstand the trauma of recoil while it is attached to a firearm.
The tactical light mounted on the handgun allows you to aim with both hands, while also directing the light toward your target simultaneously. This has a two-fold purpose of identification and momentarily disorienting the target.
The recommended brightness for a tactical flashlight should be 100 lumens or greater. A good light should have a good tactical on /off switch so that it can be manipulated with the press of a finger without fumbling.
Tactical lights are powered by lithium batteries which have a long shelf life, but must be checked at regular intervals to ensure they are working after they are placed in the light. When purchasing a tactical light, it is recommended to purchase spare batteries.
Sights
Gun sights can take many forms. Some shooters are perfectly happy with fixed black non-glare factory iron sights. Other shooters demand night sights for low-light shooting or micro-adjustable sights for target work. Red dot sights and even medium-range scopes can be found on handguns as well.
Very few aftermarket sights can be installed by the end-user. Front and rear dovetail mounts make this an easier task than in the past, but still require a specialized tool to remove and install and for good reason. If sights are not fitted tightly and correctly, they can fall from the gun under recoil.
Replacing sights: whether they are tritium filled night sights, micro adjustable target sights or of the telescopic kind can be an expensive accessory.
However, if it helps the shooter in quicker target acquisition or being able to obtain a sight picture in low-light conditions; they are worth the expense, particularly if not offered as an option by the manufacturer.
Lasers
Laser sights have come a long way since shooters and fans of action movies first saw one in the xxxx film, The Terminator. Over the years they have turned into smaller, less expensive, more accurate and more durable.
Fans of lasers point to the intimidation factor of a red dot appearing on a bad guy's chest and taking the fight out of him immediately. While this is debatable, lasers do have their purpose in a shooter's arsenal.
Laser sights are beneficial from the stand point of shooters finding themselves in a defensive situation behind cover or concealment while exchanging fire with an attacker. If a positive "sight picture" cannot be obtained, the shooter can use the laser to aim without exposing himself to gunfire.
SWAT teams and military units often employ lasers in dynamic entries from behind a protective shield or when visibility may be obscured by dust or smoke.
From a training standpoint, lasers can show errors to a shooter or the instructor such as shaky hands or improper breathing techniques. Some instructors advocate new shooters using a laser to develop solid fundamentals with regard to sight alignment quicker than traditional methods.
Modern lasers can take many forms. Crimson Trace Grips build their lasers into the grips of many popular handgun models and make versions for pistols without grip panels such as Glocks.
Lasers from LaserMax replace the guide rod of many semiautomatic pistols, requiring no external modifications to the pistol.
Lasers can be installed on the accessory rails of pistols equipped with them and have been incorporated into tactical lights meant for the same rail, giving the shooter the best of both worlds in one package.
Range Bags
Visiting the shooting range entails a lot of equipment. In addition to guns and boxes of ammunition, shooters need at a minimum hearing protection, eye protection and paper targets.
A more experienced shooter will bring along anything else that is needed such as target patches, a stout cleaning rod (for removing a stuck case or other obstruction), a notebook (to record progress), a staple gun (to fasten targets more effectively to the stands), sight black (to make a sharper sight picture), tools for adjusting sights, cleaning kits and possibly a first aid kit.
The best way to tote this gear is in a quality range bag.
Some range bags have pockets to accommodate gun pouches or rugs. If a pistol is not supplied with a hard storage case in which to store the pistol, these can be purchased as well to keep the firearm secure when travelling to and from the range.
Holsters
If a handgun is purchased for carrying, whether for personal defense on a daily basis, use in competition, or as a backup piece while hunting; a holster is vital. Holsters allow shooters to carry handguns in a safe and secure manner.
A holster purchase should require as much thought as a pistol purchase. Holsters come in numerous varieties for different ways to carry.
Examples of various holster styles include: Inside the Waistband (IWB), Outside the Waistband, Shoulder Holsters/Rigs, Ankle Holsters/Rigs and Drop-Leg Holsters.
Holsters can be made of various materials with leather, kydex and nylon, being the most popular. A shooter should evaluate what their holster needs are from a carry method point of view as well as a material perspective.
Cleaning Kit
In order to keep any firearm reliable and in good condition, it is necessary to clean it. Lead residue in the barrel can lead to an unsafe condition if the shooter does not clean the bore and switches to jacketed ammunition as chamber pressures can increase to dangerous levels.
Likewise if a handgun is exposed to the elements or perspiration without proper cleaning, corrosion can set in.
Cleaning kits are made to be caliber specific and come with wire brushes, eyelets and cleaning patches to aid gun owners in cleaning their guns.
The better cleaning kits on the market are manufactured by Hoppes, Otis, Winchester and KleenBore; but these but a few of the many that are out there.