11 June 03

Notes from the IALEFI Conference in Orlando, FL:

S&W had a strong presence at the vendor's show today and last night.

The SIGMA pistol is still in the product line and will remain. It is now their "low-cost" pistol.

The P99 is now offered in the "Revolver Trigger"mode, the "Glock Trigger" mode (called the "QA"), and the "Manual Decocking" mode. The "Glock Trigger" mode is nice, but, on all models, the trigger still starts too far forward for those with small hands.

They tell me that some departments who have purchased the manual-decocking version of the P99 are now making the act of manual decocking optional! Officers are given the option of never decocking. That moves the trigger into a permanent, rear position, solving the trigger-too-far-forward problem, but, in my opinion, not giving the officer sufficient control over the trigger. Time will tell.

The P99 system is now available in a single-column 45ACP. Grip and pistol are comfortable. Nice gun in that caliber.

A magazine safety does not come with the P99, but is available as an option. Most are already familiar with my opinion of magazine safeties.

Because of its light weight, recoil is sharp on the P99 in 40S&W.

S&W's 1911 is a nice gun. Feeds Cor-Bon PowerBall like hardball. I'm going to have to get one!

I finally had the opportunity to get my hands on an "X-Frame" revolver in 500 S&W and shoot it. A monstrosity (albeit an elegant one)!

I also had the opportunity to use the new SIG self-decocking trigger system (mounted on a 229). It has no name yet, but we all liked it. Pull weight is a consistent, smooth, seven pounds and short. Hammer spur is gone. It can be used in conjunction with either a regular or a short trigger. Vast improvement over SIG's existing self-decocking ("flat revolver") system. I'll have one soon.

Cor-Bon PowerBall in 45ACP, 40S&W, and 9mm fed flawlessly in all pistols present. This is the best round to use in just about any pistol. High speed, unimpaired functioning, adequate penetration, consistent and spectacular expansion, no plugging of the hollow cavity with clothing, benign appearance. Nothing not to like!

FN is now making the Hi-Power in the "SFS" trigger system. In this system, after a round is chambered, the operator manually pushes the hammer spur forward. The hammer spur actually disconnects from the hammer itself, so the gun is still "cocked." It just doesn't look that way. When one needs to shoot, pushing the manual safety down "recocks" the hammer (reconnects the hammer spur to the hammer itself). It a clever, cosmetic feature, designed to mollify those uninformed few who might see a cocked hammer and perceive a hazard. Friend, Bill Laughridge used to offer this system as an option on Hi-Powers. Now, FN offers it from the factory. The downside is that it always takes two hands to reholster.

The Beretta (pistol cartridge) rifle, called the CX4, is streamlined, comfortable, and handy. Unfortunately, the crossbolt manual safety is misplaced and impossible to use without compromising one's grasp on the gun, and the forend gets too hot to grasp under rapid fire. The rifle only takes Beretta pistol magazines, another mistake. Ruger made the same mistake with their pistol-caliber rifles, by only making them to accept Ruger pistol magazines. If both the Beretta CX4 and the Ruger rifles accepted Glock magazines, they couldn't make them fast enough!

Remington is now marketing their M7600 pump rifle as a police carbine. The caliber on display was 308. It will have a hard time competing with the DSA/FAL, but it is cheap by comparison.

An Israeli company is producing the "Corner Shot," which is an elaborate, self-contained device that holds a Glock pistol in the front and enables the operator to look at a television monitor in the rear as he peers around corners. Clever, but it has a sizable learning curve and it is expensive. In addition, it is a real hazard on the range, since the operator can inadvertently point the muzzle sideways before he knows it, and the sideways recoil is a strange sensation! I witnessed several occasions where students inadvertently pointed the gun sideways down the firing line!

Beamhit, represented by the always exuberant (and my good friend) Brian Felter, has greatly expanded their product line. They are now competing with more expensive video simulators. It is a clever system on which many mechanical skills can be trained in, all in a non-shooting environment.

Snail Systems displayed their "flowing water" bullet trap. It's a conventional, steel escalator trap with a constant, downward flow of water over the impact area. The effect is that incoming bullets never actually hit the steel. Instead, they hit the water and hydroplane upward and into the snail chamber for final deenergizeation. Dust is eliminated, as is noise and wear and tear on the steel itself. For a heavy use range, it is a great idea.

Advanced Training Systems is now making dense, rubber sheeting for range walls and, in some cases, impact areas. Made from recycled tires, it is inexpensive and long lasting. It can even be used for knockdown targets.

Lasermax had a nice display. The unit fits completely inside a Glock, SIG, 1911, and Beretta. I used it in conjunction with a partner (who also had one). I found that the laser can actually be a nonverbal form of communication with a partner. If one of us lasers a suspect, the partner can see and knows to laser the second suspect. I may have to soften my opinion of lasers on pistols.

The Prism video simulator was on display. Excellent but expensive. The system is now available in an IMAX format, with screens on the sides and back, forcing the student to look all around.

I used a rifle with an EO sight on several Prism scenarios. I dialed down the brightness of the illuminated aiming point, perceiving it as too bright. However, seconds later, when I was under stress, it became obvious that the aiming point was not bright enough! Next time, I'll know to make it brighter than I think necessary.

I noticed that the EO System encouraged me to shoot too fast. I had to make myself slow down.

More later.

/John