On November 1, 2012, MagPul Industries began shipping the latest generation of the PMAG, the polymer magazine that has completely redefined the polymer magazine for the M16/AR15 platform. MagPul cites various upgrades, including an improved polymer compound that is reportedly stronger and more durable than ever. Here are some of the obvious differences I observed between the two magazines. Continue reading
An extremely popular accessory born from competition is the “tactical compensator”. As mentioned in my previous blog post on the BattleComp, in the past I had shied away from compensators for anything but competition because of the excessive side blast and flash that goes along with them. I remember a recent class where I was shooting next to a student with a rifle equipped with a SureFire MB556. While an efficient comp, I felt like I was being punched in the face every time he pressed the trigger.
“Ball and Dummy” Drills Have Been Around for Over A Hundred Years For A Very Good Reason – They Work!
These venerable drills have lasted because of their effectiveness and have bridged the mainstream transition from revolver to semi auto pistol. I have a Police manual from the 1930’s that describes the drills in detail, so while Col. Cooper may have brought the elements of marksmanship and trigger drills to the masses, he certainly didn’t invent them. The problem with skip loading is that most shooters have not been instructed on how to do it properly, and with a modern service pistol, ignorant skip loading quickly degenerates into a sloppy failure to fire malfunction clearance drill. The beautiful thing about proper skip loading is that it can help stretch your ammo budget and range sessions while making novice shooters good and good shooters even better.
This year at the Pro Am Steel Match, Cliff Walsh from Top Shot Season 3 (and 10-8 Performance sponsored shooter) introduced me to the Brass Monkey Performance (BMP) Competition Belt. For years I have been using various “tactical” belts for training and competition, such as the excellent Instructor Belt from The Wilderness. But when a seasoned competitor like Cliff makes a suggestion, I tend to listen.
BMP’s competition belt uses the same concept as a duty belt system used by cops everywhere. An inner belt goes through the pant loops and then an outer belt with all the gear is secured to the inner belt. Traditional “Sam Brown” belts in law enforcement use small fasteners known as “keepers” to secure the outer belt to the inner one. BMP’s competition belt uses hook and loop velcro to secure the two belts together. BMP uses some sticky grade velcro as the belts will not come apart from each other until you absolutely want them to. Continue reading
Noveske Model N4 Flared Forged Lower with Bravo Company’s Gunfighter Grip, Troy VTAC rail, Aimpoint T-1 in LaRue Tactical mount, VLTOR Stock, and BFG VCAS Sling. Super versatile setup.
K-9 Officer S. Sharpe with the BFG RED Sling Swivel attached to a Centurion Arms 12.0 FSB rail.
Most everyone is familiar with Blue Force Gear’s Vickers Combat Application Sling, which has become one of the industry standards for two-point adjustable slings. But that is not the only sling product they offer. Blue Force Gear continues to innovate, and offers a full line of sling options to fit each user’s needs. A couple months ago, I ordered the new Rapid Emergency Detachment sling swivel, which is designed to allow the user to rapidly and easily remove the sling should he need to. This swivel is works in conjunction with common push-button sling swivel sockets used by many quality manufacturers today.
The swivel replaces the common push-button release and replaces it with a pull knob at the end of a short stainless steel cable coated in black nylon. This allows the user to rapidly release the sling should he need to get out of the sling in a hurry. The knob shape is designed to be anti-snag so that the chance of accidental release is minimized. Continue reading
There is a new name to the list of those doing quality grip reductions on Glock frames – Lew Gosnell. I met Lew through our association with Gunsite, where Lew also teaches when he’s not doing his full-time job as a police supervisor.
I recently participated in an EAG Tactical low light Carbine 2 course in Texas. I was running my LaRue Texas RangAR .308 rifle that is the subject of a future print media article. I needed to get a 7.62 x51 specific chest rig. I contacted the folks at First Spear to see what they had that would meet my needs for a lightweight chest rig. Ronnie Fowlkes recommended the SHOCK 6/12 rig. I ordered it along with a pistol magazine pouch for my HK P30. The Multicam rig was delivered quickly and I immediately noticed that it was very lightweight. This may be in part because of the 6/12 panels, which get rid of a lot of the heavy PALS webbing. While I was a little skeptical about the 6/12 attachments, there were zero issues in class and no movement.
Above: My Tie-Breaker Stage at the 2012 Pro Am Match in Frostproof, FL
Recently, we have received comments from various readers expressing that competition is impractical or unrealistic training for combat. If you are expecting a gunfight to be the same as shooting an IDPA or IPSC match, we at MSW wholeheartedly agree. However, there are valuable lessons to be learned through competition. The first is the development of mechanical skill. While there are certainly other facets to prevailing in a gunfight, one cannot argue that quickly and efficiently manipulating the gun and putting rounds on target would not be beneficial in a deadly force encounter.
One of the lessons Hilton and I learned this year after the Pro Am match was the importance of practicing target to target transitions. This year’s match had quite a few stages in which shooters were forced to transition between targets of varying difficulty. The tendency is to engage a target too fast after engaging an easy (large or close range) target, or take too much time on a close range target after making a more technical shot. Continue reading
MagPul Gen M3 PMAGs are in for testing. Good times.
by Nick Kim. Used with permission.
In the Wild West someone said to have “lead poisoning” usually died of a gunshot wound, although some actually probably did die of illness caused from excessive exposure to lead. (Annie Oakley, so they say). While it would be extraordinary today for a frequent shooter or instructor to die of illness caused by long term exposure to the heavy metals associated with ammunition, the serious inhalation and contact hazards associated with shooting, handling ammunition components, and cleaning of firearms can and should nevertheless be minimized. This is especially critical if you or someone in the household is pregnant or have children in your home. Continue reading
With more guns and gear available in this color, tan has proven it is still “the new black.”
Apex Tactical’s long awaited Failure Resistant Extractor for the Glock Gen 4 is now available for ordering from their web store. Many shooters who have bought Glocks within the last few years have discovered their Glocks are ejecting cases erratically or even malfunctioning with stovepipe type malfunctions. My personal Glock 17 RTF worked fine for about 1000 rounds and suddenly began to fail to eject every 100 rounds or so. It was quite frustrating.
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I received a prototype extractor from Apex a while back, which improved the consistency of ejection and extraction of all the Glocks in which I dropped it in. This fix from Apex was able to do what countless other “fixes” from the Internet Peanut Gallery could not. In fact, it worked so well, my Glock was able to reliably extract and eject cases without a magazine inserted in the gun. This is something Glocks have never been able to do from the factory.
Note that this version is specifically for Gen 4 Glocks only, and a Gen 3 version will be coming along soon.
Source: Apex Tactical
Next Level Training’s Latest SIRT Model with Green Slide
Most of our readers know that we are big proponents of Next Level Training’s SIRT Pistol. Using this innovative training tool for dry practice and integrating it into live fire training has yielded tremendous results in terms of speed and accuracy.
The latest addition to Next Level Training’s product line is the “Homo Coprophagus Somnambulus” or Zombie model. Despite the bright green slide and timely marketing, this model is extremely practical: it combines the economical polymer slide of the Performer model with the versatile green laser indicator found in the top of the line 110 PRO Model, which can be used outdoors in bright daylight conditions. With an introductory price of $289, Next Level Training has effectively lowered the barrier to entry for anyone serious about pistol training.
Remember that our readers are eligible for a 10% discount by entering “10-8” in the coupon code box at checkout. Active/retired Law Enforcement or Military should contact me directly for an even more generous discount.