So, I've been wondering if the Indiana mall shooting has caused anyone here to reevaluate their choice of EDC. Seeing the amazing feat by Elijah Dickens, who stopped the shooter from 40 yards, landing 8/10 shots in 15 seconds, I had to ask myself: "Can I achieve that with my current EDC, should the situation demand it?". The answer is no.
I like my hellcat, it's small, handy, and comfortable. Nonetheless, the weird horseshoe sights combined with the small sight radius make precision shooting at longer ranges a difficult proposition. To add to that, the recoil is snappy, I can't control it well enough to rapid fire accurately at anything past 3-5 yards.
The simple fact of the matter is that in pursuing a EDC that maximized concealability and comfort, I had severely compromised on shooting performance. Even at the time I began carrying my hellcat, I understood this to some extent–it's a no-brainer that micro compacts aren't going to handle as well as their larger, more substantial counterparts–but the shooting in Indiana really made me stop and consider whether or not the trade-off was truly worth it.
In the end, I decided to trade the hellcat out for something larger. Not too long ago, I asked here about aftermarket upgrades for the Beretta 92FS. At the time, I was intending to build a competition gun, or more likely, a fun range toy. Having made up my mind to change over to a new carry gun, I instead chose my 92F compact as the focus for my upgrades, with the intention to make it into the best EDC possible, with an emphasis on shooting performance over comfort. Here's what I have so far:
- Swapped the factory trigger bar with LTT to shorten SA reset
- Replaced the factory 20lb hammer spring with a 13lb to reduce DA pull weight
- Replaced the factory hammer with a Wilson Combat Deluxe to reduce take-up and minimize chances for light primer strikes
- Replaced the factory safety with a Wilson Combat low profile left side only safety, to decrease profile and minimize the chance of accidental safety actuation while holstered
- Replaced the factory mag release with a Beretta oversized checkered mag release to allow me to actuate it without changing my grip
- Replaced the factory steel trigger with a Beretta checkered trigger, because I found it too slick/slippery when my hands were wet.
- Replaced the factory rear "snowman" sights that came standard on 80s 92s with the Wilson Combat U-notch sights
- Replaced the trigger spring with a chrome-silicon one to improve durability
- Installed a shock buffer to reduce frame-fatigue
- Replaced the factory hammer spring end cap roll pin with a tension pin to allow for easier, punch-free disassembly
- Swapped out the flat head grip screws with hex screws because fuck flatheads.
Still to be done:
- Do a detail strip and polish metal-on-metal contact points, most notably the sear, hammer, hammer strut, trigger bar underside
- Install a Wilson Combat hammer spring mag guide end cap. I already purchased one, but there's fitment issues I need to sort out
- Install a Wilson Combat flat wire recoil spring. Again, I purchased one already, but it's internal diameter is smaller than the diameter of my guide rod. I think they sent me a 1911 recoil spring or something.
- Install a Mcarbo light sear and firing pin spring
- Potentially add grip tape to a few spots on the frame to improve recoil control
- Shoot a few hundred rounds to break in the new parts
I also purchased a couple of magazine sleeves to allow 17 round mags to fit flush with the compact frame. Has anyone else recently undergone, or is in the process of undergoing a change to their EDC?
