Photo of the Day: Robar Glock

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On our recent visit to Phoenix (AZ) for our 1911 Armorer’s Course, we had the pleasure of visiting with Freddie Blish and Robbie Barrkman of Robar Guns. Known for his extremely durable firearm finishes and Glock modifications, we took a look at one of his creations. This custom Glock is built on a Robar slide, Robar match barrel, and modified Glock frame with grip reduction, texturing, and beavertail. The slide is machined for the Trijicon RMR with suppressor height BUIS. The trigger work is superb with minimal take-up and a clean break.

I had not been all that excited about custom Glocks as it goes against my Glock philosophy, but these guns made me change my mind. I have a custom slide on order, and as soon as my G17 frame arrives, I will be sending it off to Robar. The texturing is especially nice, as it offers a grippy surface without being abrasive. The grip reduction removes the finger grooves and the high cut underneath the trigger guard improves the ergonomics more than I would have expected.

As expected, the slide is coated in PolyT2 and barrel is coated with the ultra slick NP3 for great corrosion resistance and enhanced lubricity.

Visit robarguns.com for more information.

Photo of the Day: Student M45A1

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It is now officially Day Two of the 10-8 Consulting 1911 Armorer’s Course. One of our intrepid students brought their fairly rare MARSOC M45A1 to class to work on. It has already been through a high round count pistol course, and belongs to an educated end user who knows how to keep his 1911s running. It was no surprise it passed all our function tests with flying colors.

REVIEW: Green Eyes and Black Rifles by Kyle Lamb

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I made a Brownell’s order last week. I ordered  some Aervoe camouflage paint, and three Viking Tactics padded slings.  Well, the tricky marketing department at Brownell’s baited me with “those who purchased this also like this” type deal.  It was for the book “Green Eyes and Black Rifles- Warriors Guide to the Combat Carbine” by SGM Kyle Lamb, US Army (Ret.).  Having both poor self control for shiny things, and an American Express with virtually no limit, it was the perfect storm for an impulse buy.  So I clicked “Add to cart” and my order was on the way.  I forgot about ordering the book until I got back into town last night. Continue reading →

Back Up Iron Sights: Do You Need Them?

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The MagPul MBUS front and rear sights are inexpensive and functional for almost all purposes.

There was a time when optics were not nearly as dependable as they are today. Nowadays, non-magnified sights such as the Aimpoint Comp M3, M4 and T-1 have battery lives more easily measured in years than hours. The durability of modern optics have also improved to the point where in hundreds of thousands of rounds fired downrange, I have yet to see an Aimpoint fail (though I have heard of it from trusted sources.) But, that does go to show that even though it happens, it is a fairly rare event. I have seen iron sights get damaged or knocked out of adjustment more often than an Aimpoint lose zero or stop working.

So, do back-up iron sights (BUIS) still have a place on your carbine? Over the past decade, despite the tedious process of zeroing the RDS and backup irons, I have yet to need to deploy them. Not to say I will never need them, but with the cost of many quality sights sets exceeding $200, outfitting every training gun I build can get expensive. I have had great success with the MagPul MBUS sights. They hold zero inside of 100 yards, and for a CQB gun they are an excellent choice. For a dedicated range gun, I may just go without the BUIS.

The point is this: examine the purpose for which the gun you are setting up, and don’t just accessorize based on what your friends on Facebook tell you. If you’re building a precision or 7.62 caliber rifle for extended ranges, perhaps a set of quality iron sights like the offset Knights or Troy Industries flip ups will be worth the additional cost. For most purposes, the Magpul MBUS is the most economical and functional solution. And don’t feel bad not running one at all on a range-only gun unless you have a specific training purpose for it.

REVIEW: TangoDown Glock Gen4 Magazine Catch

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TangoDown magazine catch for Gen4 Glocks. Inset: factory Glock mag catch for comparison.

Glocks are pretty much ready to go right out of the box, especially if you opted for a set of steel sights. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t improve on “Perfection.” After a set of 10-8 sights, one of my favorite modifications has been the Vickers Tactical magazine catch produced by TangoDown. They are available for the small and large frame guns, and are available for all generations of Glock pistols.

Looking at the Gen4 factory magazine catch, there is a pronounced sweet spot near the front of the magazine catch button, much like the Gen3 factory catches. The Gen4 magazine catch is wider, and not too hard to release, but there is room for some improvement. The Vickers/TangoDown catch widens the sweet spot and the serrations are placed near the rear of the catch to reduce the reach distance for the shooter’s thumb. The catch itself is made of the same robust material as the factory catch; no cheap, soft plastic here. A flat blade screwdriver and five minutes is all you’ll need to remove the old catch and install the new one.

Will this one accessory turn you into a ghetto gunfighter? No. But it may add a few percentage points to the consistency of your reloads (as it did mine), and in this game, I’ll take every point I can get.

SOURCE: TangoDown

PS. The catch is now available in the Glock factory black or tan/FDE color.

First Look: Safariland’s 5197/5198 Range Series Holster

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At SHOT 2013, I got a look at Safariland’s latest “Range Series” holsters. These are designed to compete with the myriad of open top style Kydex range holsters popular with competitive shooters, and it is by no accident that these holsters are IDPA approved. It’s relieving to see these are not cheap injection molded holsters, but rather, thermo-formed Kydex. Like most holsters in this class, a tensioning screw adjusts the level of retention. The pistol seats into the holster with a distinct click thanks to the detent in the trigger guard. The belt attachment is secured to the holster via the familiar three hole pattern compatible with Safariland’s modular belt attachments. The Range Series holsters can be purchased with a paddle or belt loop attachment. Continue reading →

AR15/M4 Gas Block: The Simplest Option

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A common and popular modification to M4/AR15 platform these days is to install a narrow diameter tube style free-float rail (or any other long rail) system to replace the stock hand guards. If you are buying a new upper receiver, it is fairly simple to specify a low profile gas block. However, if you are starting with a service grade carbine like the excellent Colt 6920, you are going to have a standard A-frame type front sight base. What to do? Continue reading →

Precision Rifle Series: Building Real World Skills Through Competition

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Who doesn’t love the smell of gunpowder in the morning?

Are you a law enforcement officer, military service member, hunter, or just a casual shooter who is interested in increasing their ability to hit targets at distances greater then 200 meters? Now, what if I told you, you could do this with a great group of people in a fun, safe environment, on some of the best ranges in the country, and have the chance to take home a prize?  Interested now?

Well, let me introduce you to the world of tactical precision rifle matches. Unlike F-class or other precision rifle disciplines in tactical precision rifle matches, you will engage targets at varying distances from positions outside of only prone or off a bench, while wearing your needed gear, most times while under both a clock and physical stress. Modeled after many law enforcement and military sniper competitions, it gives civilians the opportunity to safely test their skills against one another in varying scenarios across the country. It is fairly inexpensive to take part in and welcomes young and old, male and female, sponsored and amateur shooters shoot side by side in this quickly growing sport. Continue reading →

Problem Solving and Risk Management: Questions and Concerns

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Are we teaching our students to plow through the problems head first or to apply problem solving skills to avoid, evade or at least mitigate the circumstances of an armed encounter?

I am given a lot of latitude where I teach.  I would like to think that I have earned the trust they show in me.  As such, I try very hard to avoid making stupid mistakes.  I also try very hard to teach my students to fight with their minds first.  Lately, I find myself wondering if “we” as instructors are doing justice to our students.  Are we teaching them to think and solve problems while mitigating risk or are we teaching good techniques applied without thought?

Case in point:  I recently wrote a new class for civilians that is all about protective shooting.  After all, if a person stops to think about it, carrying a concealed weapon is really about protection.  It only stands to reason that we should be teaching protective shooting techniques.  The class was your basic teach, demonstrate, do, drill style on day one.  However, on day two I took them all to a new training area and set them all up with Sims guns.  This is where some serious training scars came to the surface. Continue reading →

ROBAR/10-8/MSW GLOCK17-PART 3

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Robar/10-8/MSW/Glock 17 External Modifications.

This part of my review will feature the external modifications preformed by Robar on the project Glock 17. The modifications include refinishing the slide in PolyT2 Gunmetal Gray. Forward cocking serrations to match the factory rear serrations. Tri-Fit Backstrap System with 3 interchangeable backstraps. Rounded and textured triggerguard. High Grip Modification. Small Beavertail. Full Grip Texturing. Fitting a 10-8 Front Tritium Sight and a 10-8 .156 Rear Sight.

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REVIEW: Multitasker Series 3 M4 Multitool

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The Multitasker Series multitool is one of the most popular firearm oriented multitools on the market, and for good reason. It is the Swiss Army Knife of multitools and contains nearly everything you need to maintain most common modern weapon systems used today. Hilton and I have been using the Series 2 tool for quite a bit, and found that it is not only handy on M4s, it is a great tool for performing many maintenance tasks on Glocks, M&Ps and even 1911s. Not long ago, the Series 3 tool was released, which incorporates a few features the designer felt was missing from earlier generations.

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Colt Reliability Out of the Box?

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We test fire 10 Colt 1911 pistols right out of the box without so much as lubrication.

Here at MSW, we get the question all the time: what is the best 1911 to get for out of the box reliability? Hilton and I have felt that recent production Colts probably did the best job in this regard. Last year at a 1911 class in Los Angeles, Jason Davis brought a brand new Colt 1911 to the class and shot the entire class, without any malfunctions, including the 1911 Extractor Test. This year, I brought a brand new Colt Rail Gun to our Seattle 1911 Armorer’s Course and it also passed all our function tests with flying colors. My good buddy and Factory Colt 1911/M16 Armorer Instructor Dean Caputo and I came up with an idea: What if we tested 10 random brand new, out of the box Colt Government Models and see how they ran? We agreed we wouldn’t even lubricate the guns. So not long ago, we did just that and here’s what happened:

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The Liberator – Discreet AR-15 Gun Case

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I recently swapped out my old truck for a new model.  Nothing all that exciting there except that I have had to re-fit all of my weapons and equipment in the new truck.  One thing that always drove me crazy about the old truck was the way I mounted my AR style rifle.  I had it in a roof rack over the back seat.  It was out of the way and secure, but nearly impossible to grab in an emergency.  It also stood out like a red dress at a funeral if you looked into the cab of the truck.  Because of this I opted to find a more suitable solution for what is, for me personally, required equipment in my truck.  Remember, it is not paranoid, it is prepared.

The Liberator easily fits my 16″ AR style rifle with Aimpoint red dot and Surefire X300 Ultra.

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