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Longtooth, you may not want to read this, as it involves a Gl.. Gal.. G-G-G... a Block. In fact, it involves two things I thought I'd never deal with; I also have an avowed dislike for the .40 S&W caliber. It's a good round, I just don't like it.

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I've been having problems with small parts rusting on my carry 1911. While the frame and slide of the Kimber Eclipse are stainless, and haven't even offered to rust, the barrel and the hammer have not fared so well. My persperation is quite potent. I've been keeping them sprayed down with a light coating of GunSheath, which works for about four to five hours. After that, it's rust-time again.
Well, sometime last week I popped in at a local pawn shop, just to "browse the shelves," and saw a G.. Ga... a Block. Just out of pique, I asked to handle it. It was a Model 27.

Now, I Don't Like the Blocks. They're soul-less, they're ugly, and I've never been able to get one to fit my hand properly. Imagine my surprise when this little Block just snugged into my hand with no problems. I'm accustomed to just the very feel of that polymer frame causing my hand to complain of discomfort. This one didn't do that; I guess the sub-compact frame just fits my hand better than the Block 19s I've fired in the past.
Then I looked at the caliber. Eep. It's a .40 - my hand was already starting to ache in anticipation of extremely snappy recoil. I handed the pistol back, and went home.

I sweated on that poor Kimber all weekend long. No rust, but that was niggling at the back of my mind, "I don't care if a Block rusts, but I don't want the Red Death on my good gun."

I went back and got the Block today. After 250 rounds of ball and hollowpoint, I had not one single failure. Biggest surprise of all to me though is this - I have only a minor ache in my left palm from recoil. The dratted Tupperware Gun is actually comfortable to shoot!

So. Not only do I now have a plastic pistol, but it's in a caliber I said I'd never get, and I'm actually finding I like it despite myself.

I feel so dirty. I think I need to fire 500 rounds from a Colt now to cleanse myself.

And another one joins the dark side. Welcome, my son!

WELCOME!

They all send a projectile from point A to point B for the most part its just does it feel good in your hand and is to ugly to be proud of.

The Block as you call it ain't too bad to look at not the prettiest gun in the world but OK and they say very dependable.

Thane,
It is really allright for you young guys to like the plastic guns.
I am too old.
Sides that, when it cools a little you'll return. I am sure.

llwatson wrote:And another one joins the dark side. Welcome, my son!

Not so sure it can be considered "joining the dark side" as I plan to switch back to the Kimber as soon as it's cool enough that I don't need to chug 5 gallons of water a day just to avoid dehydration. (Slight hyperbole there - I don't really need more than 3 gallons per day)

I'm also not likely to get any more Blocks, but I'm definitely prone to coon-fingering 1911s, which have been known to come home with me...

Frankly, if I could get away with it, I'd ditch the Block and carry my Springfield Champion (lightly customized by yours truly), but with summer already here, it's just too hot to wear effective cover garments for that pistol (and work frowns heavily on CCW, so effective and total concealment is a must). My options are either the Kimber Ultra Eclipse or the Block, and the Block won't rust as easily. A pity, as I'm somewhat proud of that Springfield and the shade-tree gunsmithing I've gotten away with on it (mainly a new ambidextrous safety and a light action job). It's every bit as reliable as the Kimber and as reliable as this Block seems to be.

longtooth wrote:Thane,
It is really allright for you young guys to like the plastic guns.
I am too old.
Sides that, when it cools a little you'll return. I am sure.

Much appreciated, LT.

And you're absolutely correct. Once eggs stop frying on the sidewalk, I'll be strapping Browning's greatest pistol back on again.

I remember the summers there.
Played 3rd base for the Eastwood Troopers.
Come on October.

longtooth wrote:Thane,
It is really allright for you young guys to like the plastic guns.
I am too old.
Sides that, when it cools a little you'll return. I am sure.

Yup!

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I have a 23 and a 27 and the 27 seems to have less recoil than the 23. It may be due to the different spring and rod that the 27 has.

Thane wrote: Now, I Don't Like the Blocks. They're soul-less, they're ugly....

Don't feel too bad. Remember, it's concealed carry. No one has to know. Your secret is safe with us.

longtooth wrote:I remember the summers there.
Played 3rd base for the Eastwood Troopers.
Come on October.

Longtooth, you're a former El Pasoan? Huh.

It's still not topped 100 yet, instead maxing out around 98-99. ...I still sweat as though it were 120 outside.

We'll see how long it takes for me to sweat through the tennifer finish on this Block.

I too was always a Glock naysayer. Always thought they were ugly, and unsafe. I was educated a while back after getting to spend some extensive time at the range with a couple and at the work bench disassembling them.

They are a very simple and absolutely reliable weapon. They are also very accurate as well. Although I wouldn't care to own a 40 *cough* over hyped *cough* I do own a real 40 caliber with my G29 10mm .

Anyway, I'll give them respect as they are a great CCW gun. Durable, reliable, accurate, and a no brainer to use.

I love my 1911, but I gotta give the Glocks their due.

Thane wrote:

longtooth wrote:I remember the summers there.
Played 3rd base for the Eastwood Troopers.
Come on October.

Longtooth, you're a former El Pasoan? Huh.

It's still not topped 100 yet, instead maxing out around 98-99. ...I still sweat as though it were 120 outside.

We'll see how long it takes for me to sweat through the tennifer finish on this Block.

Yes sir. My Dad was transfered out there for less than a yr when he worked for Globe Discount Tire Co.
Eastwood High Baseball team & played 3rd base. That is the only place I ever got thrown out of a game. Really dont miss the desert. Like the piney woods. If I had my choice of any other place to live it would be the hill country.
I still remember when you & your Mom called after my cancer surgery.
Hope to meet you some day.
LT.

Well, the Block 27 made it through another 120 rounds today: 50 "Green Box" Remington hollowpoint, 50 WWB, and 20 Hornady XTPs. No jams, again.

I have noticed a disturbing tendency for my shots to "drift" downwards, and have identified the problem - the trigger. I am accustomed to a 1911 trigger that just pulls straight back, but the Block has a hinged trigger. This "transition" isn't all that natural to me; I end up pulling successive shots further and further down, if I'm not careful. Probably also has something to do with the different grip angle.

The good news is that once I master this pistol, it will put every round into the same hole for me. It already performed this trick a few times today, but my trigger control ain't good enough yet to do it every time (or even three times out of five).

The sights are of the adjustable type, and they're quite good. Sight acquisition is just as easy as with my Kimber (although maintaining sight picture through trigger squeeze is a LOT easier with the .45).

The Block carries nicely; it's easy to "forget" it's there. However, after today's practice session with it, I just had to get out the old Springfield, and remind my hand what a "real gun" felt like, instead of Tupperware.

All-in-all, it's a good, quality pistol, that, with practice, I believe I can depend on. I'd still prefer carrying my 1911s, but this will do until winter hits again; I'm certainly not undergunned.