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
Every so often certain techniques seem to swap around in the shooting community. Almost like this week the Surgeon General says that salt is good for you, where last week salt was bad for you. The whole stock in or stock fully extended thing seems to follow it pretty closely. Continue reading
A tactically appropriate, legally acceptable deadly force response doesn’t necessarily “look right.” Imagine a courtroom (an LEO is being sued under Federal law for “excessive force,” or a non-sworn alleging self-defense is being prosecuted for murder or manslaughter), where you hear some or all of this: “Members of the jury. You heard from several eyewitnesses in this case. They uniformly told you they observed the defendant shoot the victim X times . . look around as if to see if anyone was watching, and then duck behind a wall . . . stash the partially empty pistol magazine . . . put a fresh one into the pistol . . . and reengage the wounded and flailing victim with Y additional shot(s) to the (body part) .” A bit concerned that even with the extensive explanation of experts, the above would seem excessive (shot count), unreasonable (reloading, reengaging), and/or sinister (scanning, taking cover) to a judge or jury? Even when the shooting is unquestionably “good”? I am. 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
Hornady Practice 55gr Ammunition in .223, shot alongside Black Hills Mk262 for comparison. Test platform is a LaRue Tactical Stealth upper receiver atop an LMT lower receiver with Geissele SSA trigger group.
Demand for ammunition is as high as it has ever been, and in response, the big three have been cranking out cartridges as fast as they can. Many folks have reported a noticeable decline in quality control, noting function issues, or degradation in accuracy. Winchester “white box” and Federal XM bulk packs have been a staple of mine for training for a long time, and while quality has been generally pretty good overall, this seems to have been variable over the years. A while back, my good friend, Gunsite Instructor Giles Stock turned me onto a loading that Hornady had put together specifically for law enforcement agencies looking for high quality training ammunition at a reasonable cost. Continue reading
The Pinblock Pro from 87 Industries allows a home armorer to drill and pin their own AR15 gas blocks with a vise and hand drill.
For a working gun, I am a big proponent of pinning the gas block to the barrel. Yes, there are excellent factory guns, such as those offered by LaRue Tactical, that attach the gas block via set screw. Having been at the LaRue shop more than once, I can say that their QC methods are better than 99% of anyone slapping together rifles in their garage. I have not seen a LaRue OBR or Stealth come apart at the gas block, but I have seen gas blocks on other rifles work their way loose on the range. These days, gas blocks are typically hidden underneath an extended hand guard and checking the set screws for tightness is not easy. Suffice it to say, for a gun that I am building myself, I want my gas blocks pinned.
[Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial]
From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website (here):
The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.” . . .
The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.
On behalf of Hilton, Tim, and all of the MSW contributing authors, I ask that you please take a minute pause today to quietly say “thank you” to the families of those who died in service to the people of this great nation.
No brother in battle left behind. No veteran or casualty of battle forgotten.
Be safe, today and always.
The Joe Watson HiTS Knife is a collaboration between knifemaker and former Army Infantryman Joe Watson and noted tactical trainer, author, and former Police Officer Darryl Bolke. To really understand the HiTS Knife you need to know the history behind it.
Enter Darryl Bolke, AKA DB. Anyone in the tactical knife community will recognize “DB” as one of Strider Knives bread and butter fixed blades. Based on his experience on the job, DB wanted a knife that could fit in the 5×8 trauma plate pocket of his concealable vest so it is not viewable or accessible by anyone but him.
A licensed Airsoft M&P from Airsoft GI alongside a customized 1911 frame with Simunition conversion kit, also customized with full dehorn, dovetailed sights, and refinish. The 1911 conversion kit is built on an actual Colt slide. It comes in at around $500 and that is before any of the above listed modifications.
Just the mention of the word “airsoft” and it will evoke images of an overweight mama’s boy fully covered in Multicam nylon manufactured and imported from your favorite third world country. In this article, it is my aim to critically examine whether or not the airsoft pistol has any place in serious training, or if it must permanently be relegated to a spot in an adolescent’s toy closet.
I write this post as a result of reading a recent news story about a parent in New Hampshire carrying a concealed handgun while waiting near a school to pick up his child (story here). From that story: “A federal law, Gun-Free Schools Zone Act, prohibits people from carrying a loaded gun, even if that person is properly licensed, within 1,000 feet of a public or parochial school.” Nope, not the law. Continue reading
theChive.com is one of my favorite sites to visit and lower my stress levels. Check it out. It’s a good way to “Lighten Up”.
Here at MSW, we pride ourselves in providing blunt, no-nonsense information regarding training and equipment in the context of law enforcement, military or civilian self-defense. And make no mistake, this is serious business. We understand that giving the wrong advice when it comes to life saving equipment or training could result in loss of life or limb. And, admittedly, I would be lying if I did not say that both Hilton and I have been accused of coming across a bit on the serious side in our online personas. That said, over the years, I have learned that life is too short to be deadly serious all the time, or get wrapped around the axle over minutiae that really doesn’t matter. Continue reading
Recently, I’ve been shooting some drills from concealment with various pistols from the Glock 9mm family. My thinking over the years on a defensive pistol is that it should be one that fits a couple of simple criteria: a pistol that is reliable, and one that you’ll carry every day. For some, a Ruger LCP fits the bill. A Ruger in the pocket always beats a custom M1911 in the car when it comes down to needing it now. However, I’ve always advocated carrying the most gun that you can comfortably carry. Some will say there is an “average” gun fight (IE 1-3 feet, 1-3 Seconds, 1-3 rounds fired). I feel that there is no such thing as “average” and if I can perform these tasks at 25 yards at speed, the close in stuff is a chip shot. However, merely banging away at contact distance doesn’t equate to hitting stuff at distance if it becomes a lifesaving requirement. But, that is a conversation for another day. Continue reading
A sample oak of square range targets with face and multiple threat overlays from ID Target Systems.
We have come a long way since the B-27 target, a staple used in law enforcement qualifications since what seems like the beginning of time. Fortunately, we have evolved past that target that features unrealistic targeting zones that reinforce bad habits in shot placement. Before I go any further, I feel the need to mention that I use different targets for different goals. For building specific technical skills, I will use simple targets such as a bullseye, round or square plates, etc., These targets aren’t designed to simulate a tactical application, but rather, evaluate whether or not I meet a particular accuracy standard. For “tactical” type training, I prefer targets that feature scoring zones located in realistic areas such as the ocular cavity or high thoracic chest. No more shooting at the navel to get 10 points. Here, we will be discussing targets for tactical type training. Continue reading
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just shy of 10 years since the sunset of the “Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994” and we are in the Golden Age of the shooting sports. Nevermind that the onerous 10 year ban on arbitrarily specified rifles and magazines did nothing to make Americans more safe, we still find ourselves in a public relations war with those who would reinstate a similar law. Just last year, the industry was scrambling to meet demand as customers were paying $5000 for a Colt 6920 or $1800 for a case of .223 Remingtom ammunition, under fear of looming, sweeping bans on rifles and handguns. 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