I had a fellow in a class back in the spring who showed up in head to toe multicam. He wore a shemagh, a plate carrier, Oakley gloves, and Salomon boots. He carried a state of the art LWRCi rifle, complete with BAD lever, 45 degree sights, EoTech and magnifier.
He had a very narrow stance, and when he fired more than a couple shots in a string, he would begin to rock back throwing his shots out of the 3×5 card at seven yards during rapid strings. Continue reading
Bushmaster . 308 ORC MOE Carbine. Nikon 1-4 Scope with Nikon P Series Mount. Magpul M3 PMags, Vltor Scout Mount with Surefire G2 Light, HST Sling, MDFA Kydex FDE .308 Mag Pouch.
Having been a long time user (37 years) of the M-16/AR-15 family in 5.56, I decided that it was time I tried one in the caliber that the weapon was originally designed for .308. I’m a proponent of 30 caliber weapons and the .308 and 30-06 are my favorites. While the 5.56/.223 work well within certain situations, I wanted a more versatile caliber, with the ability to penetrate barriers as well as one that has more effect on target in a defensive situation. We also have large animals here in Maine and the 5.56 is somewhat lacking in it’s ability to address those situations.(Ever have to shoot an injured Moose?) Continue reading
Last week, I was out at the SIG Academy teaching a class when one of my friends who is one of their engineers showed up with all kinds of cool stuff.
One of these items was a suppressed SIG MCX in 300 Blackout. I didn’t have a lot of time due to teaching, but I ran enough ammo through it to say without a doubt…….wow. Continue reading
Springfield TRP 1911 with MDFA Kydex Carry Gear
Just so nobody thinks we’ve abandoned the 1911 here at MSW, here’s a quick peek at my Springfield Armory TRP. I recently bought her LNIB. Continue reading
“Sorry folks, the park is closed….Moose out front should have told you” John Candy-“National Lampoons Vacation”.
The words of John Candy’s character kind of sum up my advice on the most of the “should I do XYZ for my home defense gun”. The fact is I only give advice on suppressors for home defense because there are thousands of variables. I can’t say with any kind of authority what might be right for your situation. Using suppressors doesn’t seem to be a one sized fits all. Juries and prosecutors might view a suppressed rifle in a deadly force incident one way in one location, and another way some place else. What I can do is give some things to think about, and the individual can decide for themselves based upon their situation and their needs. Continue reading
I like painted guns. I like to use my guns. A good combination? Depends on the paint. Continue reading
A couple of years ago, I purchased a Smith and Wesson VTAC M&P15 from a coworker. It became one of my favorite rifles pretty quickly. The rifle was spec’d by Kyle Lamb, head dude in charge over at Viking Tactics and is street ready.
A few months ago, I walked into my local gun shop and they had a VTAC 2 in stock. I handled the rifle, and after some internal debate, I became the new owner of the VTAC 2. Continue reading
I am a new guy when it comes to muzzle brakes. I’ve spent my career shooting “whatever” came on the end of the rifle. And that “whatever” has always came in the form of a good old fashion A2 flash hider. Continue reading
Do an internet search of the first five words of this post’s title. You will get enough distinct hits for days of reading, as a hundred or more (in the first thousand or so) appear to contain substantive material worthy of consideration. In short, longstanding advice — from homicide investigators, prosecutors, defense lawyers, gun writers, bloggers, the self-defense firearms community, and those who actually consult and testify as experts in criminal and civil trials — urges (prudently) leaving a defensive handgun factory box stock, to avoid adverse consequences in a legal proceeding. Critics of such advice note (correctly) a near dearth of anecdotal trial reports and published appellate decisions suggesting there are adverse legal ramifications on account of modification to or installation of a non-factory standard replacement part (NFSRP) into a defensive handgun. So, are there legal ramifications or not? Yes, there can be. Are they adverse? Perhaps. Should one then automatically forgo a useful, desirable, and common handgun modification or NFSRP? Probably not. Continue reading
Battle Tested Equipment trigger installed in a Spikes lower with Badger Ordnance selector.
Walking around shot show this year I happened to stumble upon a company I hadn’t heard of before. Battle Tested Equipment offers AR accessories made in the USA and designed with function over form in mind. Their products aren’t shiny, gold, or polished and are built to last and be used hard. Which for me at least draws my attention much more then a new organic coating designed for the outside of the space shuttle, dipping something in multi cam, or having a guy with an amazing tactical beard tell me about it on Youtube. After playing with some of their accessories I ended up picking up their charging handle and single stage trigger to try out. Continue reading
At a recent LE patrol rifle qualification, I stood behind the line, and observed something I guess I’ve known for a while now. The basic patrol officer hangs way too much crap on their patrol rifles, and most of the time, all this stuff they hang on it, doesn’t equate to better accuracy down range.
Hear what I am saying prior to sharpening those pitchforks, and lighting the torches.
Patrol is the backbone of policing in the United States. They are the true first responders. No call is the same, no situation is the same. They have to be prepared for just about everything at any time. I get that. And things such as a good sling, a white light, and a QUALITY Red Dot sight are helpful. Continue reading
Too many people focus on reducing group size or speeding up their shooting by purchasing gadgets and less by training.
The firearms industry is driven by the aftermarket, not necessarily the weapon manufacturers themselves. Through advertising, aftermarket manufacturers convince the average shooter that they “need” every trinket and gizmo to make themselves a better shooter. This seems to be a never ending battle I have with people, convincing them which is more important, the software or hardware. Continue reading
Glocks tend to run great out of the box. They are reliable, and accurate. I have a friend who shoots a lot of 3 gun and IDPA with a completely stock Glock 17 with the plastic sights, and does it well. Some folks like to simply change out of the plastic “filler” sights that come stock, for aftermarket sights such as 10-8’s.
I like my Glocks a bit more modified. Above is a brand new Gen4 G19 that is a recent acquisition. The gun shot great out of the box, but there are changes that I like to make for my own benefit. Continue reading
Last week, I ordered several of the Firepower Base Pads for the Glock and M-16 magazines from Taran Tactical Innovations. For those who aren’t familiar with the competition world, Taran Butler is one of the biggest names in USPSA, holding such titles as USPSA National Tactical Champion, and more IDPA, Steel Challenge, and IPSC titles than I can count. Just before SHOT Show, Taran Tactical’s new Magpul Firepower Base Pad caught my attention. It adds less than an inch of length to the magazine but adds five rounds of capacity to the 30-round box. Since I was ordering stuff anyway, I also added a couple of the Glock Base Pads to my cart. A few days later, I had a box waiting for me in the mail.
You can never have too much ammunition. At least, that is the mentality of many users that wish to strap on as much ammunition to their rifle as possible. While I typically like to have my carbine as light as possible, there are legitimate reasons to attach a spare magazine to the gun. I have seen many different ways to accomplish this, and some are better than others. But before we go into the options, let’s look at whether or not you need to have a spare magazine attached to the rifle. Continue reading