Ok, so I really haven't done much this past week except for tinker around with my latest attempt for a kydex press and deal with a weird slide rust problem with my P250. I had some time this past week to test out the foam that I bought for my press and after some attempts to form some kydex molds, it was just too squishy. There were some stiffer foam there at the store in Spanish Fork, but for a little more, I can order some closed cell special purpose foam just for kydex stuff. I don't know if that will happen anytime soon because I am all out of kydex material But with this upset, I was able to use the foam to reline my 1911 gun case to fit both my 1911 and P250 snugly. I had previously trashed the old foam because some gun cleaner spilled in it, and the foam was pretty saturated with the stuff.
Speaking of gun cleaner - I picked up some Safariland CLP the other day to clean my P250. Ever since I got my p250 I have noticed that after shooting it, there seemed to be some weird looking blemishes on the slide around the muzzle and around the ejection port. I was shooting some pretty crappy ammo, so I thought that it had to be because of that, but this stuff would not come off. I tried my normal cleaner and that didn't work, so I got the CLP which is supposed to be the best stuff out there (from what I have read and head about). So I got it and it didn't work the greatest at first, but I ended up leaving it soaking over night in a Walmart bag and then scrubbing it with a bronze wire brush (could have been copper, I just don't know).
On a lighter subject, I have started to upgrade my shotgun. My Mossberg 500 hasn't gotten any love for a while; I did take it with me this summer on our trip to Virginia though. Even on vacation, it didn't get to see any of the sights. To make up for this, and for other reasons such as better ergonomics and accessibility, I decided it was time to make a few upgrades - a new stock, fore end, fore grip, and shell side saddle.
Back when I was looking into buying this shotgun, I was looking for something that I could use for home protection. This shotgun is called a Cruiser (not really sure why) and came with a stock and a pistol grip. I love the looks of the pistol grip, but after a bad experience involving some magnum slugs and a split upper lip, the pistol grip is gathering dust in a drawer somewhere. With the stock installed, I have noticed that I have a hard time shouldering the gun and being able to comfortably use the pump mechanism. I have to reach to get a firm grip on it, and sometimes I end up holding on to the area behind the fore end. This is all because the stock has a very long length of pull (LOP) meaning the length of the stock. The original Mossberg synthetic stock that comes on their shotguns has a 14" LOP and it is too long for me. To change this, I am looking into an m-4 style adjustable stock. They do make shorter solid stocks, but I want one that is adjustable. I haven;t heard good things about the ATI stocks, so I am leaning more toward a Blackhawk! Knoxx stock. They are pretty solid and not to hard on the wallet. There are two versions, one that includes a recoil reducing system and the other that does not. The latter is half the price of the recoil reducing one and I have heard that the recoil system can fail and slap you in the face each time you shoot. Because of that I am going with the less expensive one. I can handle the recoil so this won't be a problem.
With a new stock, I can easily grip the fore end, and with that, an upgraded fore end will allow for a new fore grip and better control over the pump arm. I recently purchased a new fore end on eBay which should be coming today or tomorrow (hopefully today). It is a full length tri-rail with lots of room for added accessories, such as a new fore grip. I was a little bit concerned when ordering, because Mossberg had changed some things with their pump arms in 2008, so most of the aftermarket stuff is made for their pre-2008 models. Luckily I figured out that I had a pre-2008, so my new fore end will fit. Once installed, I will have a great platform to mount a Magpul AFG fore grip. The AFG stands for Angled Fore Grip, and it quite uniquely shaped. With this mounted, it will give a better grip on the pump arm and in turn better control while shooting and reloading. There are two versions of this, the first one with is larger and the second one which is more streamlined, and I am leaning more toward the first version, just because the larger size will help control the more violent movements of a shotgun.
The last upgrade is a shell side saddle. A side saddle is a mounting plate that attaches to the receiver of the shotgun on the opposite side of the ejection port that holds 6 shotgun shells. While looking very cool, it makes 6 shells easily accessible for reloading and not having to carry extras in a pocket of bag. the shells are held in place with tabs and are very visible if you are carrying different types of shells (slugs, buckshot, target loads, bird shot, etc). Because this is a home defense shotgun, I will probably carry two different types, buckshot and low recoil slugs, and with this side saddle, I can tell the difference between the two and load what is necessary.
The great thing about upgrading a shotgun is that the upgrades are generally inexpensive. Most of the upgrades that I am doing are less than 30 dollars each, which the stock being a little bit more. Definitely do-able for someone on a budget. Pictures to follow once all of this is completed.
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