Beretta Urika

Today I tried to place an order for a Beretta Urika Optima 12 gauge shotgun. I am planning on getting the Hardwood camo finish with a 26″ barrel. After I faxed my order to my Beretta USA rep he sent me an email suggesting I wait for the Urika 2 which will be available in approximately March 1. There are a few changes to the new model and it is a little cheaper, so I don’t know what I’m going to do. I did decide against getting the Xtrema 2 though, I don’t really need a shotgun that can shoot the 3.5″ shells. I’ll turn this into a review after I get the Urika and have the opportunity to shoot it some. Everyone is telling me that this will make a fine do-it-all shotgun though so I have high hopes for it (I believe the MSRP is like $1100, but Zander’s might have it cheaper)

Update 1/22/2007: I’ve been trading emails with my Beretta rep for the last couple of weeks and have now decided to wait on purchasing this gun. It turns out that the Urika 2 with the camo or synthetic finish is cheaper than the original Urika, Beretta’s official word is “we are going after this market”. The only problem is that the camo guns won’t be available until much later this year but the wood guns should be available by turkey season. Hopefully my rep will let me know when the Urika goes on super blow-out sale so I can get one of those at a fantastic price.

Walther P99 and Glock 21

Over the last week I visited the local pistol range a couple of times. During these visits I decided to rent a few guns that I don’t generally have the chance to shoot. Among these rentals were a couple of Sig Sauers 9mm and .45 ACP(not sure which models), a Walther P99 9mm, and a Glock 21 .45 ACP. I did this because I am trying to decide which pistol I want to purchase next. Right now I’m planning on a Springfield Armory XD in 9mm or .45 ACP.

I wasn’t very impressed with the Sig 9mm, it shot low. I realize this was probably my fault since I am a beginning shooter. Also I had just put 150+ rounds through my Mark 3. After the Sig I tried the Walther P99 9mm; I liked it a lot! It’s pretty light and has sharp recoil but the gun feels good in my hands, so the recoil is manageable. I was much more accurate with the P99 than I was with the Sig but I may have just been used to the sharper recoil of the 9mm’s over my 22. I’ve also put 50-100 rounds through the XD 9mm and I really enjoyed it. Right now I may pick up the P99 a year or two after I purchase an XD. Also, the P99 is somewhat pricey I believe $650+ MSRP.

Now for the .45’s; the Sig I shot was nice. It’s a reasonably heavy, metal framed gun so the recoil is well controlled. Accuracy was good (for me). I wasn’t impressed to the point of being ready to buy one but if I found one at a good price I wouldn’t pass it up. I was surprised by the Glock 21, I’ve shot the Glock 19 9mm and didn’t like it at all. It’s lighter and doesn’t handle recoil as well as the XD 9mm. The 21 on-the-other hand shot great. The gun has a large grip and fills my hands perfectly. I think it’s heavier than the 19 as well so recoil was negligible. This is a gun I would consider getting after I get an XD and 1911.

Please remember I am not a firearms expert, I’ve only been shooting for a few months. So if I’ve made any mistakes please notify me of them. These are simply my opinions.

Ruger Mark 3

A few months back I purchased a Ruger Mark 3 .22 caliber semi-auto handgun with a bull barrel. All of my coworkers were telling me how much I was going to enjoy the gun and they are right! I’ve put about 500 rounds through it so far and I have loved each one. The recoil is light and ammo is cheap so it’s easy to shoot for long periods of time. My only complaint is that the holes that a .22 caliber bullet leaves in the target are so small it’s hard to see where you hit. To counteract that problem I purchased a low-end spotting scope. It’s a Barska 20x-60x 60mm, I get a great deal through my employer on these and a review on this scope may come in the future. Mark 3 magazines run around $15 so pick up several, also I would suggest getting a thumb-saver. You don’t need one since these magazines are easy to load but it does help. I can post a link to the thumb-saver if someone asks.

I’m not an experienced shooter but the Mark 3 has proved to be a great starter gun. Easy to learn the basic mechanics of firearm cleaning, maintenance, and shooting. Make sure to purchase quality cleaning supplies and tools when working on a firearm. This will protect the gun which is truly an investment. I had a low-quality nylon brush that I used once with Hoppe’s #9 Bore cleaner and the stupid brush corroded on me, obviously it was no-longer usable. I believe that brush has since been discontinued by the manufacturer. I also had a Tipton brass brush which is too large for the barrel. Finally I bought some patches meant for .22 caliber guns and they were too big, I had to cut them down to fit. Depending on the manufacturer you may want to buy patches for a .17 caliber gun.

I would suggest this gun for anyone wanting a small caliber handgun or just starting with shooting sports. Ruger also makes a Mark 3 with a grip angle similar to that of a 1911, the Mark 3 22/45. I’ve not shot this gun but my manager has one and likes it.

I plan to purchase Springfield XDs in 9mm and 45ACP, a Taurus revolver in .38 special, Remington 700 .30-06, and Beretta Xtrema2 KO 12 gauge. In the future I may pick up a 1911 (brand TBD), a Ruger Super Redhawk .480, and maybe a Stoeger over-and-under. I will review each one as I become familiar with them. My next review will be on a Ruger 10/22 that I bought at Wal-mart last month, expect my review in March, probably.

Ruger Mark 3 magazines at MidwayUSA

Trouble Sleeping and Tranquil Moments Sound Therapy System

So I’ve been having trouble sleeping for the last few months. I can usually fall asleep relatively fast but I don’t get quality sleep. I’m not sure why this problem started but I think it has something to do with stress brought on by my ex, but that’s better left for another post. I’ve been trying different things to try and resolve this problem, like reading (bores the hell out of me), listening to relaxing music (helped but not much), and exercising (helped some but not enough). Last night I decided to buy a sleep machine, it’s a device that plays relaxing sounds (water running, rain, etc.). A friend of mine has one of these machines and loved it, her sound machine was OK but the sound quality was terrible. So I did a little research and found the Tranquil Moments® device from Brookstone for $99. It got good ratings on Amazon so we’ll see how good it actually is.

2 Days later: I got the machine today, I’ve checked it out some and listened to the sounds but have yet to really try it out. I will update this post when I have something to add.

2 Weeks later: I really like this little device. I wouldn’t say that it is a cure-all but I am definitely sleeping better and waking up more rested. I’ve only used two of the 12 sounds so far Summer Nights and Rain (I think). I like Summer Nights because it reminds me of when I was little and slept with the windows in my room open. All of the sounds are great background noise and help keep you from mentally focusing on words or music like you would with songs. The sounds quality is surprisingly good too, but you should expect that for $99. The lights on the device are pretty bright but I haven’t messed with the dimming feature yet, I just lay the device face down on my table. So after two weeks is it worth the price? I don’t know yet, I’d like to say yes but it’s still to early. If you are thinking about purchasing one go ahead and do it, as long as the money couldn’t be better used elsewhere.

About 1 Month: I still like it and use it every night. I don’t even think about it anymore, turning it on is just part of my routine now, just like turning on my alarm. I’ve definitely been sleeping better which has drastically improved my productivity at work. Of course, I’m more active now as well which plays a much bigger role. This thing really helps on those nights when you wake up at 4am and you are having trouble getting back to sleep; I’ve had a few of those nights lately. I can comfortably say the cost of this machine was worth it for me, if simply for the sound quality.

This post is quickly becoming the most viewed post on my blog.  I didn’t realize how popular product reviews would be.   I’ll try and include reviews of other products I pick up. 

Also I’d love to hear what you have to say if you’ve tried this device, or if my post helps you to decide whether or not to ourchase the device.

One last thing, I’ll be updating this post as time progresses.