We are pleased to announce that we are an official distributor for IWI USA and will be carrying the full line of Tavor carbines as well as Uzi pistols.
Recently, the estimable Max Rodriguez approved me as a new, occasional guest writer here on the KGI blog. It’s an honor to join these ranks, and I hope to live up to the high standard of professionalism and interesting content contributed by the regulars. And as is good manners, I felt it proper to introduce myself and offer a little background and context to my decision to join the team here on the KGI blog.
Like Kevin Budig, the foremost question in my mind is “What can I possibly offer that would be worth reading?” I come from a long, proud tradition of service to God and country, but unlike the preceding generations of Kennedy men in my family, I have not served in the armed forces. This is a point of occasional heartache for me, but as is so often the case, life happened while I was busy making plans. In due time, I’ve found other ways to serve, such as volunteering in the community and learning basic life-saving skills (which, sadly, have been utilized on multiple occasions). I believe that Americans are at their best when it’s all on the line, and in any difficult situation, it is my only hope to have prepared and done enough to uphold the tradition of courage and grit that lives in each American heart.
In my years on earth, I’ve been first on the scene at several vehicle accidents and personal injury situations. On another occasion, the actions of a dangerous man put me in the position of making the decision to end a human life if necessary; to my unending relief, the situation was resolved without lethal incident. Each of these events remains fresh and visceral in my mind, reminding me daily that duty to one’s fellow man will call at the most unexpected time. Fortunately, my parents were strict about drilling into me the basic tenets of first aid and crisis management. But even more than that, it was important to them that I develop a “bulletproof mind” – a mind, as so eloquently defined by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, which “can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.” Thus far, I have been able to pay their expectations forward.
To that end, it is my goal to contribute to this forum the perspective and feedback of an Average Joe. KGI offers a vast array of firearms, tools, and kit that are designed for the express purpose of defending and preserving life. While I cannot offer the point-of-view afforded an operator or professional who is “in the trenches” each day, I can provide insight into the mindset of the garden-variety citizen who, in all likelihood, will be unexpectedly called upon as first responder to an emergency. And perhaps in my own small way, I can use this platform to build relationships and connect the resources of the professional sheepdogs to the men and women who must be properly equipped to address any crisis in their daily lives. From the bottom of my heart, my thanks for this opportunity go out to Max, the team at KGI, and the writers whose work will assuredly overshadow my own.
It was 1930 when the U.S. military put the call out for a light, robust, mid-range, high capacity shoulder weapon to issue to troops other than front line infantry. Support personnel, administration, R.E.M.F.s’, crew served weapons, etc. Even though the initial request was ignored, it came to light once again in 1940.
The general specifications went out to 25 manufacturers for their input and test units. It seems, if you examine the history, that Winchester had the lock all along together with their .30 rimless cartridge.
ICBM ballistics, yet a very effective mid-range round. By crunch time in 1941, 11 manufacturers had submitted blueprints and evaluation weapons. As expected, it was Winchester who’s small, .30 carbine walked away with the contract as they were developing the .30 cartridge. Many of the designs were rejected on the spot, others were given time to modify & improve their initial submissions. Especially promising was a Garand inspired design submitted by Springfield Armory. Still when the dust settled, Winchester’s simple, easy to maintain, light carbine was accepted.
As the 1st recruits can attest, the original issued weapons were known officially as the M1942 .30 semi-automatic, gas operated carbine (This is my weapon, this is my gun). The gas operated short piston, rotating bolt design (similar to Ruger’s Mini series) was simple & easy to maintain. Stoppages were few & far between. The M1 soon became a favorite of troops, especially at 5.5 lbs & 30 rnd box magazine rather than the 9.5 lb, 8 rnd capacity of the Garand. A 10 mile hump can easily prove this out. Even through the diminished stopping power of the 110gr .30 cartridge traveling at 1.950 fps vs. the Garand’s .30 round traveling at 2,800 fps, troops enjoyed the ease of handling, light weight, & fast reload.
The little carbine was a primary weapon from WWII through the early years of Vietnam. Perhaps one of the most prolific shoulder arms next to the Kalashnikov family of weapons. To this day it is still popular in it’s original form as well as the shortened, pistol grip Iver Johnson “Enforcer” model. It is still made in many countries and continues to be issued to military & police around the world as an auxiliary long-arm.
During the heyday of the M1, it was manufactured by such diverse companies such as:
National Postal Meter
IBM
General Signal (General Motors)
Saginaw Steering Gear (GM)
Inland Manufacturing (GM)
Singer
Rock-Ola Juke Box
Quality HardwareRochester Defense
Underwood
Winchester
Rochester Defense
Standard Products
By the time the M1 was phased out from U.S. service in the late 60’s, there were several variants:
M1 .30 Carbine, semi-auto.
M1A1 .30 Carbine: semi-auto, folding skeleton stock for airborne troops.
M2 .30 Carbine, select fire by means of a selector, modified sear, hammer & fire control group housing.
M3/T3 .30 Carbine. Essentially an M2 but fitted with optical attachment points for both standard optics as well As the new light-gathering starlight scope.
Only some 2,100 M3/T3 carbines were produced compared to about 5,123,000 M1s’ & M2s’
Of interesting note is that when Brit troops began seeing the little M1, they demanded a more compact and light primary weapon. The result was the Lee Enfield Mod. 5 with it’s 10 rnd magazine & 18.7” barrel & rubber ecoil pad compared to the Model 4’s 25” barrel along with a weight reduction of 3 lbs.
For those of you from the land of the obscure reference, you might wish to compare the M1 to the German Gewehr 43 pictured below. I’ll leave it to you to come up with your own assumptions.
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Email me directly or through KGI, I’ll be happy to address any inquires.
Meanwhile, if you suddenly Have an attack of the “gotta haves”, contact or go over to KGI…tell ‘em I sent you…!
It’s the small things that count…add enhanced reliability to your 1911.
When tuning either a client’s or one of my 1911′s for street reliability, I always add these minor, yet often overlooked aspects:
If you’ve never noticed, full length recoil spring guides are always finely satin finished. I always make it a point to polish-out to #1000. This goes for the inside of the reverse plug. The smooth contact surfaces assure no binding and increased cycle speed.
Same goes for the bbl. & inside of the bushing. Smooth is nice…smooth is good.
On fresh bbl’s or close tolerance bbl/bushing fits, I always bevel the top side of the bushing. You can cut and polish a generous 45 deg relief, blending it gently to the inside top end. Even just breaking the sharp top edge will keep a heated-up bbl from snagging on the sharp 90 deg cut. I also polish-out any rough surfaces from the frame & slide rails, polish the mainspring plunger sides, and interior of the mainspring housing, follower, follower paddle (lesser followers have a casting sprue), rear of follower that contacts the sear spring, top & bottom of the trigger, and stirrup.
Many shooters pay no attention to their magazines, which are magnets for dust & dirt.Regularly disassemble your mags’ and clean thoroughly. If you experience mag related malfunctions, play it safe…throw it away and get a new high-quality mag. I prefer those made by Kimber, & Wilson.
Many believe that they can adjust the sear spring without thought or knowledge of it’s function – WRONG- The sear spring controls 3 functions:
Trigger pull & return
Beavertail tension
Disconnector tension & reset. This is a vital safety issue. LEAVE THE SEAR SPRING ALONE. If you have an uncontrollable urge to mess with it, take a nap, then order a new Wolf or Wilson performance replacement. Play with the disconnector leaf and you’ll end-up with “hammer fall” and beside shooting yourself in the foot, your 1911 will go full uncontrollable auto. This is a bad thing.
If you find yourself failing to chamber HP rounds, carefully polish the factory machine marks from the feed ramp, gently relieve & polish the sides of the chamber, the chamber itself with a properly sized rotary tool bob, and install the next pressure recoil spring & add a Shok-Buff. Factory recoil springs are 16-18 lbs for full size and 23 lbs for the Officers. This is based upon 230 gr. NATO ammo. Step it up to the next compression weight.
*Note that if you are not absolutely competent to do any of this work, or have any hesitation, have a pro do the work. Send or walk your precious 1911 to KGI. We’ll make sure the work is 100% and tested.
During your detail cleaning, don’t forget to clean & lube the plunger tube and if needed, gently polish the plunger tips..just a touch to the wheel. Also check to make certain the tube is staked tightly and the tunnel ends are not distorted in any way.
Yeah…S/S is pretty and corrosion resistant, but due to the decreased carbon content, it is also malleable. Switch to tool steel extractors and firing pins. Regarding extractors, you may need to adjust the tension. After all, it’s just a spring with a claw end. Leave that to a pro who can tune it to your firearm and load.
A complete full function test is imperative. 100 rnds with no stoppages, no dented brass, reliable slide-stop & thumb safety function, free falling empty mags, & check for hammer push-off on an EMPTY chamber. Note that 1911 push off is almost always due to broken or butchered fire control components or hacking away at the hammer hooks in an effort to reduce or crisp up the trigger pull. Stock hammer hook height is .018 This is a modification that should NEVER be attemkpted except by an experienced ‘smith or armorer. I’ve only seen it on one horribly chopped 1911. But then again, I’ve had a S&W 29 revolver with a nightmare, amateur stoning job go full auto.
Tim Moran and Jared Dyer discuss a custom rifle build
We at Knesek Guns would like to extend a personal thank you to all of our customers for making this one of the best years yet – we are pleased to have your business and continued support!
Larry Knesek II and Anna Knesek
“The volume of orders our customers have been placing and the number of repeat customers has been a great encouragement to all of our staff and has definitely helped along with our current facility improvements. Q2 has been very strong as well, and we’re quite eager to continue growing the numbers before moving into 2013.”
KGI has picked up a variety of new lines and product types – the current offerings has more than doubled in the past 6 months and has welcomed many new customers to it’s client list.
Knesek Guns, Inc. (KGI), a leading firearms distribution company based in Van Buren, Arkansas has announced the creation of a new management structure which is designed to expand upon its current core strengths as a global firearms, munitions and defense articles company. Effective July 25, 2011, Mr. Tyler Barham has been placed in the position of Director of Operations of KGI. Mr. Barham’s appointment as Director of Operations is the cornerstone of a management realignment at KGI that will focus the company on future growth and expansion to serve clients worldwide.
Tyler Barham
KGI hopes to welcome new customers as well as continue to build upon its relationships with current clientele. Currently, KGI serves a variety of entities ranging from individual consumers to an established network of dealers, distributors and government facilities.
During the past 9 years, KGI has grown into a dynamic and innovative company in the defense article field. “As Director of Operations, Tyler will bring a new vision to guide KGI in the years ahead as well as assist in the maintenance of our leadership in the ever-changing firearms industry” said Max Rodriguez, director of Business Development for KGI.
Prior to his selection as KGI’s Director of Operations, Barham spent the past six years managing several locations within the communications field and more recently has begun his own practice as a private consultant. The realigned senior management team includes leaders of KGI’s functional service teams that focus on specific client sectors.
KGI was founded in April of 2003 by Mr. Larry R. Knesek, to serve clients as a premier international distributor of fine firearms. Mr. Knesek owns, operates, and consults several companies in various fields worldwide.
It was 1930 when the U.S. military put the call out for a light, robust, mid-range, high capacity shoulder weapon to issue to troops other than front line infantry. Support personnel, administration, R.E.M.F.s’, crew served weapons, etc. Even though the initial request was ignored, it came to light once again in 1940.
