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The IWI ARCA Rail: Changing Your Gas Gun to ARCA

ARCA, originally named Arca-Swiss but now everyone in the firearms industry just says ARCA, is the name of the game these days when it comes to precision shooting. Everyone is looking to change their rails, bipods, and binos to be ARCA compatible due to adjustability. It mainly started in the bolt gun world, however with the Gas Gun Precision world heating up there began a need for ARCA compatible rails.

Shooters started, at first. to install their own ARCA rail on the bottom of their existing MLOK or Picatinny handguard. With that though comes more parts that can loosen up. Shooters needed a full ARCA rail, not just an attachment. Along came IWI’s full AR-15 ARCA Handguard.

What is ARCA?

The easiest way to explain ARCA is to think of it as another attachment system such as 1913 Picatinny or M-LOK. All accessories need to be compatible with that style of attachment system and each attachment system has its advantages and disadvantages correct? Same with ARCA.

The history of the original Arca-Swiss first started in the camera industry in the 90’s by a company named Arca-Swiss. It is an easy way to mount their camera to a tripod and be able to adjust it. To learn more about that history Precision Camera Works lays it out pretty well. Although still widely used in the camera industry, the firearms industry saw it’s advantages and started using it in our world pretty recently due to a company called Really Right Stuff (RRS). They now set the standard of ARCA as a 1.5″ dovetail.

ARCA is mainly a quick release clamping system. Due to the system just using tension to the 1.5″ dovetail, it is an easy off by unscrewing a knob, and easy adjust by unscrewing a knob and sliding the item back and forth without losing the entire piece. No more having to use an Allen wrench to throw accessories on.

Options for the AR platform

ARCA Attachment

A lot of chassis in the bolt gun world now have ARCA built into the entire stock or chassis. However in the gas gun world that is not the case due to running with the AR platform. This means that rails will be Picatinny, M-LOK, or Key-Mod. To get around this shooters will simply install an ARCA rail to the bottom of their current rail system. The drawbacks of that is that will all of the stress put on that piece during use, such as pushing into the bipod that is attached to the ARCA, hitting the bipod on things, improper install, the rail can often come loose. You also often lose rail space with an attachment due to it needing to be attached to the rail in a certain spot. An integrated ARCA rail into the handguard allows for the entire bottom to be ARCA.

Area 419 offers many ARCA accessories including bipod modifications for ARCA. They also offer these rails if you do not have a fully integrated ARCA handguard and just want to throw a rail on. Photo: AREA419

ARCA Handguard

The other option is a handguard that has the ARCA built into it, just like a bolt gun chassis can. This means no loose extra parts and all of that stress is now transferred to your entire rail to handle. Sadly, not many companies are offering this in the AR world yet, until…Isreal Weapon Industries (IWI) working closely with Cross Machine and Tool (CMT).

IWI now offers both a 15.5″ and 17″ ARCA compatible handguard. The rail still offers your standard M-LOK slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock however on the bottom of the rail is the shaped ARCA 1.5″ dovetail.

IWI ARCA Handguard

Many rails today require the user to lose all M-LOK sections and other attachment points along the bottom of the rail in order to attach a separate ARCA section. Now being fully integrated into the rail, the Z15ARCA17 gives the shooter confidence in the ARCA’s durability that it cannot come loose during hard usage. The ARCA Swiss design gives the shooter the unique ability to quickly adjust configurations of accessories such as tripods, bipods, and supportive shooting bags on the rifle and to remain secure during firing and movement.-IWI

This is the fully integrated ARCA handguard from IWI. Notice the ability to attach it to your tripod via the ARCA clamping system. Also notice the ability to move the bipod back and forth for different match stages/situations. The ARCA section is machined into the rail, not a separate piece. Photo: IWI

Features/Specs

Price: $249.99

  • Magpul M-LOK slots at 3, 6, 9 o’clock and upper and lower 45’s
  • Full length top Picatinny Rail
  • Machined steel barrel nut
  • Handguard built out of 6061-T6 aluminum
  • Offered in 15.5″ and 17″
  • Made in the USA

Installation

The handguard package includes

  • 17″ Rail with full length top Picatinny rail
  • IWI steel barrel nut
  • IWI barrel nut wrench
  • Mounting hardware
This is how the handguard is shipped. The screws and locking bar are loosely placed inside the rail to ensure that they aren’t lost and show how it should be installed. The wrench attachment is on the right.

The IWI website gives you the suggested torque values as well which is a much appreciated thing due to not all companies providing that information.

Suggested Torque:

  • Barrel nut: 45 foot pounds
  • Rail screws: 45 inch pounds

Side bar: The fact that companies don’t provide torque values or an instructional how to install video is bad business practice in my opinion. To give a good review and have a good experience with a product it needs to be installed correctly. If someone doesn’t konw how to properly install a companies product and then just wings it and later it becomes loose or breaks, that user now thinks that the product is trash when actually it just eneded to be installed correctly. Hey firearms companies…MAKE INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLING YOUR PRODUCTS EASIER TO FIND.

Tools Needed

  • Ft lb Torque Wrench w/ IWI barrel wrench attachment
  • In lb Torque Wrench w/ common bits

Install was pretty easy. In my case, I had to remove my KAC URX4 Rail. After the previous rail is removed clean the threads on your existing receiver and clean the new barrel nut at the same time. After everything is clean, regrease your receiver extension. Now, slide the barrel back into the receiver and start threading your new IWI barrel nut on until finger tight. Now, ensure that the dimple on the wrench is placed all the way into the hole that is machined into the barrel nut and apply evenly/up and down pressure of 45 ft lbs of torque. Do not over-torque, this rail was tested and designed with this amount of torque, don’t change it up.

This is the barrel nut that comes with the IWI ARCA handguard. Ensure that it is clean before install and that the attachment dimple is fully seated into the dimple hole before applying torque ensuring that the wrench doesn’t slip.
I used the Wheeler F.A.T. Stix to torque the handguard screws. 45 in lbs.

Now that the barrel nut is tight install your gas tube and block. Now, time for the handguard. Slip the handguard over the barrel nut and line up to your receiver. You will see that the nut has slots for the handguard screws. The handguard comes in the package with the screws and mounting bar installed so just follow that format. Screws go in from the right side of the handguard. Feel free to apply your loc-tite/vibratite of choice. I used loctite 248. Now apply 45 in lbs of torque and bam, you are done. Don’t forget to install your flashhider/comp..

A close up of the fully integrated ARCA bottom of the handguard. It is a strong and flat mounting surface for your ARCA compatible accessories and equipment such as your bipod and tripod.

To Purchase

Go to IWI.US to purchase.

The Primary Arms 5.56/.308 MicroPrism – Mini but Mighty

I feel like we are slipping backward in the world of rifles. Not in a bad way, but do you remember in 2012 when everyone was obsessed with super lightweight builds? Then we all embraced LPVOs, robust slings, and meaty stocks, and the weights went up. It seems like the new generation is bringing the weight back to more manageable levels. One company helping us in the optics world is Primary Arms. The MicroPrism series from Primary Arms is taking prism optics to a new level. 

Admittedly prisms haven’t been super popular these days. LPVOs offer the best of both worlds, and prisms seemingly couldn’t compete. I think the MicroPrisms from Primary Arms are pushing the prism forward. The small size of the optic combined with the fixed 3X magnification gives it a desirable combination of features. 

Size-wise, the Primary Arms MicroPrism is about the size of a compact red dot. It’s a hair bigger than something like the Aimpoint T-2. It weighs 7.95 ounces, and that’s it. This tiny little optic still gives you some decent magnification but lives up to the name MicroPrism. Primary Arms produces the optic for 5.56/.308 caliber guns and .300 Blackout/7.62x39mm rifles. 

Opening Up the MicroPrism 

Primary Arms packages the MicroPrism with everything you need to get the optic up and running on your firearm of choice. This includes not only a mount but an adjustable mount. You can change the height and add a cantilever mount to help with eye relief. While most prism sights are designed for AR-type firearms, these can be used on all manner of firearms. 

We get the battery and the wrenches necessary to install it, as well as a battery to power it all up. The optic has 13 brightness levels, with the first three being night vision compatible. The reticle is a version of the ACSS Raptor design, which varies slightly depending on your caliber choice. 

The MSRP of the optics is a pleasant 319.99. 

At the Range With the MicroPrism 

The big exposed turrets provide easy adjustments, and anything from a flathead screwdriver to a cartridge rim can be used to make adjustments. The click value is a ¼ MOA. I can’t complain and haven’t been a fan of the use of 1 MOA click on magnified optics. CoughVortexCough. 

Zeroing was easy, and the clicks were both tactile and audible. It clicks nicely and makes zeroing easy. It didn’t take much to go from high right to dead on, even at 100 yards. The eye relief is tight but not as tight as my old ACOG. You get 2.7 inches to play with, and it’s not insufferable. 

The reticle is very crisp and clear, nice and easy to see. The illumination can get quite bright. Bright enough to use in the middle of the day without issue. You can look up at the clear blue sky, and the reticle remains bright and clear. That reticle does offer you a bullet drop compensator out to 600 yards with the 5.56 variant of the gun. 

The big chevron is super easy to see and get on target. I do a bit of a lollipop-style zero, with the tip of my chevron being the exact point of aim and point of impact at 100 yards. Any shots I need to take between 100 and 300 yards can use the chevron. Anything below requires me to use the bullet drop compensator. This type of reticle limits your barrel length and ammo options, but they do make shooting at various ranges much easier. 

Up Close and Personal 

Primary Arms makes a secondary mount that allows you to run an offset red dot for close-range shooting. This is a bit more intuitive than the alternative. The alternative to using an offset red dot is using an occluded shooting method…even though your optic isn’t occluded. 

Open both eyes and focus with your non-dominant eye on the target. This takes some practice and isn’t 100% precise, but it allows you to put rapidly fired rounds into the torso of a target quickly and efficiently. I wouldn’t try to take a headshot with it, but in CQB, you can make it work. The MicroPrism has a very bright reticle, and that does make this close-range shooting method a bit easier. 

Within 25 yards, I could use the occluded shooting method with the MicroPrism to ring a 10-inch gong repeatedly. 

Ring a Ding 

The view through the MicroPrism is surprisingly clear for a tiny little optic. It’s perfectly clear out to 300 yards. Impressively so, to be honest. Beyond that, and it gets a little less clear, but out to 450 yards, I could still fairly well and could see a big man-sized target as long as it’s not camouflaged or trying to hide. 

Primary Arms has knocked it out of the park with the MicroPrism. The tiny, 3X prism packs a mighty big punch for its price and size. Dare I say Primary Arms made prism optics cool again? 

Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro OSP

When it comes to the slimmer 9mm striker fired polymer pistols, I do not have any particular favorite, nor have I really shot anything else besides a stock Glock 48 and the original M&P Shield. For the most part, it’s fair to say that all sub-compact striker fired 9mm pistols tend to be on the snappier side of felt recoil due to their smaller size and more diminutive weights; as result, they require a more assertive shooting grip. But recently I got to help a friend take his brand new Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro OSP on its maiden voyage at a local indoor range.

Hellcat Pro OSP First Impressions

The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro is a 9mm Luger chambered striker fired semi automatic pistol originally made in Croatia. As a member of the Springfield Armory Hellcat product line, the Pro version specifically differs by virtue of its slightly larger frame, a longer barrel (3.7 inches vs 3.0 inches), accessory rail and the fact that it ships with 15 round magazines. Its slide is also optics ready from the factory, and it ships with a footprint for sights like Springfield’s own Hex Wasp or the Shield RMS-C (four lugs, two screws). Looking over the whole package, Springfield Armory is blurring the threshold between a sub-compact pistol and the slightly larger “Glock 19” form-factor pistols. The Hellcat Pro’s dimensions clearly stop at that margin allowing shooters to get the benefits and handling of those slightly larger pistols while remaining extremely easy to carry–with a total capacity of 15 + 1. Although the Pro is the largest member of the Hellcat family, this pistol is still only one inch wide. The Hellcat Pro’s closest rivals in terms of form and function are going to be the two larger members of the SIG-Sauer P365 family: The P365 XL and the P365 X-Macro. In my geographic area, the Hellcat Pro has a real world retail price at most gun shops and big box sporting goods stores of about $600 dollars not including tax.

For my normal sized hands, the Hellcat Pro’s grip did not feel too small, and the grip’s contouring is certainly geared towards every day carry and it seems like the Croatians did their homework on it. I was able to comfortably build a two-handed freestyle grip. Mild texturing that feels fairly grippy without being overly coarse or sharp wraps this grip, and it lacks any finger grooves. Like other modern striker guns in its class, the fact that such a pistol uses a magazine that crams 15 rounds of 9mm Luger into such a compact package is still something I marvel at. The pistol ships in in a small soft sided foam case and includes two magazines.

Detail shot of the standard night sights that come with the Hellcat Pro

At a glance my single favorite thing about this pistol in particular are its factory night sights. The front sight is a thick and has a luminescent eye-grabbing laser yellow ring that surrounds a vial of tritium. The rear sight is a very generous U-notch with a white outline. Lining up the sights takes little effort and these make a lot of sense on carry gun. I have a minor reservation about the white outline of the rear sight. I think it is too busy, can be distracting to the eye and completely unnecessary. I found that when using either target focused or a front sight focused shooting technique, the white outline simply did not add anything. If I were to own and carry one of these pistols, I would personally use a permanent market to cover up this outline.

The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro On The Firing Line

During our impromptu range session, we christened this new Hellcat Pro with three boxes of 115 grain 9mm CCI Blazer range ammo. I’m very comfortable using this cartridge across pistols and find it to provide very reasonable accuracy. Again, due to its smaller overall size and weight, the relatively mild Blazer round starts to feel somewhat warmer when fired from this pistol. It is not a big deal and it is only part of the territory of slimline 9mm pistols optimized for carry. At least it is easier to shoot than an Airweight J-frame! The Springfield Hellcat Pro’s trigger break is very reasonable and easy to manage; it does not have any spongy feeling or creep. I took some shots at 3, 5, and 7 yards just to get a feel for things. At one point, I decided to hang a clean target with an NRA B-8 sized ring and have the indoor range’s pulley system move it all the way back to their 25 yard line. I must admit that the result of my 10 round group at 25 yards using “range ammo” and a pistol I had never handled or fired before impressed me. More so because the Hellcat Pro’s night sights are great for defensive carry and shooting scenarios but are not necessarily ideal for precision shooting. Honestly, the Pro’s “shootability” is what prompted this review.

I am probably the least-skilled shooter that contributes to this publication, but I am damn happy with 8 out 10 touching the repair center and the three bullseyes.

The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro And Its Rivals

My review only covers first impressions and 3 boxes (150 rounds) of shooting should not be considered in-depth. This specific pistol appears to be extremely competitive against its SIG-Sauer P365 rivals, the XL and X-Macro versions. I’ve never shot any P365 so I cannot comment, but compared against a stock Glock 48, the stock Hellcat Pro not only comes with better sights and a better feeling trigger, not to mention the five extra rounds of magazine capacity and the fact that it includes an accessory rail. From a general real world retail price standpoint, this pistol is competes against the the P365 XL and the Glock 48, maybe with a marginally higher price. Compared to the real world retail price of the P365 X-Macro There are many holster companies that support this specific Hellcat variant. One of my favorite, Dark Star Gear, is currently developing an Apollo holster shell that is compatible with the Hellcat Pro’s slight larger frame.

The Halfbreed CCK-02 Tanto – A Modern Fighting Knife

I’m not a knife guy. Well, I’m not one of those knife guys. I’m a man who can appreciate a good knife but isn’t going to wax poetically about folded steel katanas. With that in mind, I appreciate the idea of the fighting knife, both historic and modern. Modern fighting knives are very niche items and are more or less designed for extreme close-quarters combat and to create distance. That’s the purpose of the Halfbreed Blades CCK-02. 

Halfbreed Blades is an Australian company that produces a variety of knives, including fixed and folders. This also included tomahawks and other fun things. Australia is the last level of real life, so I’m betting they appreciate a good knife. Admittedly Crocodile Dundee wouldn’t be quite so impressed with the CCK-02, but I sure am. 

CCK-02 Specifications 

The CCK-02 is a compact, fixed-blade knife with a 3.94-inch blade with an overall length of 7.79 inches. The blade .23 inches wide and .55 inches thick. It’s a big chunky boy. It weighs 6.45 ounces in total and features a retention finger hole at the back of the handle. 

The blade features a tanto shape designed to capitalize on penetrating capability. Halfbreed blades added a Teflon finish to protect the blade, and a set of G10 inserts are attached to the grip. 

The steel is a K110 D2. This is, unsurprisingly, an Australian steel. It’s an extremely high-quality steel that is tough and strong. It’s made to last and does a great job of resisting corrosion. The CCK-02 also capable of becoming razor sharp, and from the factory, it’s scary sharp. 

Design and Purpose of the CCK-02 

CCK stands for Compact Clearance Knife, and it falls into the same category as knives like the Benchmade SOCP and KA-BAR TBI. It’s designed for situations where you end up going hands-on unexpectedly. Maybe you’re a Marine at a checkpoint overseas, and someone lunges for your gun. This knife is close at hand and allows aid Marine to stab, slash and disconnect from the weapon grabber. 

It creates clearance and space for your compatriots to aid you or for you to use a firearm. The CCK-02 is designed to be easily mounted to your belt or plate carrier and offers a rapid, easy-to-draw option for emergency melee combat. 

In 2022 that’s the purpose of a bladed instrument. We aren’t clearing trenches and dealing with much hand-to-hand combat. We are shooting missiles at tanks that are under a bridge without damaging the bridge. Melee combat is rare and often a total surprise. 

The CCK-02 is designed to be used in an ice pick grip, and the retention ring ensures a good and proper draw when entangled with somebody who needs stabbing. The big heavy blade with a tanto tip allows for deep penetration through wavy clothes or even light web gear. This isn’t the knife you use to open MREs but to open people. 

The handle features a slight spur that identifies the side of the blade that is edged. Halfbreed calls this a live edge identifier, and it gives you tactile assurance of which side the blade sits on. The top of the ring features a slight concave to grant space for your thumb to help with downward force. Inside the ring is plenty of room to keep your finger from being jammed into the ring when you apply that downward force. 

Sheath and Mounts 

The Halfbreed CCK-02 comes with an injection-molded polymer sheath with two attachments. It comes with a MOLLE mount as well as a TEK LOK-style belt mount. The sheath offers passive retention that’s not exceptionally tight. I’d prefer the sheath to have a little more retention…but I’m not actually going to find myself at that checkpoint dealing with a local grabbing my rifle. 

At least, I hope I’m not. 

Slice and Dice 

The Halfbreed CCK-02 is a cool knife that’s well-made, and as far as modern fighting knives go, it’s plenty practical. The Halfbreed Knives CCK-02 is not a cheap knife and certainly not practical for everyone. If you appreciate fighting knives like me, it’s one worth tossing in the collection. 

XS Sights Introduces Lever Rails for Henry Big Boy Carbines

Fort Worth, Texas (December 19, 2022) – XS® Sights is pleased to introduce new Lever Rails for Henry Big Boy carbines chambered in .357 Magnum (HN-6001R-N) and .44 Magnum (HN-6002R-N).

The XS Sights Lever Rails are machined from aircraft-grade aluminum and hard coat anodized to provide a lightweight mounting system that is tough enough for a lifetime of service. The rail bolts on to round barrel models of the Henry Big Boy – no gunsmithing required – for a quick, do-it-yourself upgrade. Machined to Mil-Std 1913 Picatinny specifications, the XS Lever Rail extends from the rear of the receiver to the front sight dovetail cut to allow mounting of any optic – red dot, scout scope, or low-powered variable optic (LPVO) – giving you the most versatile mounting platform available.

The XS Sights Lever Rails for the Henry Big Boy carbines are designed for carbines with steel receivers and round barrels. Due to differences in barrel contour, the rails and sights are caliber specific.

The XS Lever Rail will not fit carbines with brass receivers, and it will not fit carbines with octagonal barrels.

Retail Price: $72.00

For more information, visit www.xssights.com.

About XS Sights

XS Sights is known for making the fastest sights in any light. For more than 25 years, the XS team has created some of the most innovative sights on the market today for pistols, rifles and shotguns. Whether used for personal defense or hunting, these sights are designed and built to be the absolute best for their specific purpose. American Made. Texas Proud. 2A Strong.

Options for Women Sized Gloves, both for the Range and Winter

Let’s face it, women are different than men. In more ways than just the size of their hands..ha.

Editor’s Note: I snort laughed too, its ok.

Women have smaller hands yet the firearm industry is still very behind on ensuring that each range glove that comes out also has smaller female sizing. Many times even the small size listed for men is still too big for us. Below are the options that I have found and used to cover these little trigger pullers.

Note: This may be a small list because I am only sharing the ones that I have personal experience with. I will not recommend something that I personally haven’t tried. Especially when it comes to handling firearms. Even so though, this short list shows how behind the industry is as well..

Daily Range Use

When buying PIG gloves I highly recommend following their sizing guide as they can get TIGHT. Which is good, but it needs to be comfortable. For the Women’s Glove I went with XS due to it being my main shooting glove and wanting it tight. For the Utility Glove I went with Small due to wanting more room and using it for work more so instead of shooting.

Both gloves feature a thumb and pointer finger material that is compatible with touch screen devices (and actually works) and has a bar tacked loop to hang the gloves off of your pants when not in use.

Photo: SKDTac.com

PIG (FDT) Charlie – Women’s Glove

Price: $44.95
Sizing: Xsmall, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge
Colors: Black, Coyote Brown, Carbon Grey, Multicam, Ranger Green, Multicam Black

PIG (FDT) Echo – Women’s Utility Glove

Photo: SKDTac.com

Price:$29.95
Sizing: Xsmall, Small, Medium, Large, XLarge
Colors: Black, Coyote Brown, Carbon Grey, Multicam, Ranger Green, Multicam Black

The only downside with both of these gloves are that they don’t come up the forearm and wrist much to protect from hot brass. That can be fixed with separate sleeves or long sleeved shirt though.

Forearms can be protected by throwing on separate sleeves which you can always keep in your pack.

Remember, FOLLOW THE SIZING GUIDE HERE BEFORE PURCHASING.

Winter

Women’s Arete II GORE-TEX Gloves

Price: $99.00
Size: Small, Medium, Large
Colors: Black, Red/Tan

These gloves are the best I’ve had when it comes to winter gloves. They come with a Merino liner that is easily to slip on and can be dawned separate of the main glove. They have shown to be waterproof and VERY warm. Coming from a company like Outdoor Research I expect nothing less. OR has a very full line of Women’s gloves specifically which made them a top contender.

Photo: Outdoor Research

Hand Muffs

When looking for warm shooting gloves I’d recommend instead looking for a hand muff. Instead of having big clunky gloves or freezing your hands by having to take them off every time you want to shoot, just dawn your normal shooting gloves and in between shooting iterations throw your hands into a muff.

Most muffs come with a belt that will attach to the waist. Many hunters use muffs, and more shooters are starting to jump on that train. It can be spun to be in the rear of you not to get in the way or the front if you are sitting and waiting. Many types of muffs also have a pocket in which you can throw hand warmers in, both the shake kind and battery.

If you’re sitting in a deer stand spin the muff to be in front. If walking around your backyard in slippers (me) or shooting a match, spin to your rear to keep it out of the way. It’ll keep your butt warm too.

Sitka Incinerator Muff

This muff is super soft and lightweight, but bigger than others on the market. I myself like the size because it keeps my butt warm when I spin it to my backside. I haven’t had to use handwarmers inside of it yet. It is on Amazon prime for the same price.

Price:$139.00
Size: One Size Fits All

Photo: Sitkagear.com

The CDM Delta Wave – The Best Mossberg Safety

The Mossberg safety reigns supreme when it comes to shotgun safeties. The tang safety design is my absolute favorite, and it draws me to the Mossberg design. The standard Mossberg safety is pretty dang nice, but it could be better. Anyone who has put themselves against a timer and tried to perform has likely missed something. I have certainly missed the Mossberg safety when attempting to go fast, and to help prevent that, I’ve purchased a few Mossberg extended safeties to try out. The first is the CDM Delta Wave

This is the one that caught my eye because it is absolutely massive! It’s huge and looks impossible to miss. The wave design is certainly much bigger than your standard Mossberg safety. It features a lot of ribbing and edges that promise to catch your thumb as you activate or deactivate your weapon’s safety. 

Installing the CDM Delta Wave 

The one thing I hate about the Mossberg safety is how hard it is to remove. They really don’t want you to swap the safety. It’s a hassle that often ends up destroying the screw holding the original in. That was the hardest part of the installation. Once I finally got that thing removed, the CDM Delta Wave dropped on without issue. 

An Allen head bolt holds the safety in place, so installation is easy. The safety comes cut with two small pits to allow the user to position the safety in one of two different positions that vary just slightly to make the reach a little easier for you. I used the further position, and it was super easy to reach with my thumb with my stock. 

The CDM Delta Wave In Action 

Look at the two. I think it’s immediately clear that the CDM Delta Wave works. It’s huge! This massive thing is almost impossible to miss. Your thumb sits in the middle, and you have plenty of purchase to move the safety forward and backward with ease. The design is absolutely outstanding. 

You can utilize the CDM Delta Wave safety from any forward or aft angle. You don’t have to keep your thumb positioned in the middle of the safety and can use the extremes of the safety. On occasion, my finger will sometime glance over the top of a stock Mossberg safety, but that doesn’t happen here. 

It’s as if the safety doesn’t allow it. It appears to be near twice the width of the stock safety, so even when you are in a hurry, your thumb can find an edge to disable the safety. I ran a few timed drills, and even when moving as fast as I could, my thumb had no problems finding the safety and disabling it. 

The action is tactile and audible in terms of feedback. That loud click is heard and felt, and you know if the gun is safe or on fire regardless of your situation. 

Yay Or Nay 

Of course, it’s pretty easy to see which route I’m going to take here. The CDM Delta Wave Mossberg safety is a brilliant piece of kit. It was a mere 15 bucks and worth every single cent. CDM has knocked it out of the park with this piece. 

Gunday Brunch 81: Gifts for Gun Guys and Girls

No really, Caleb is locked in a dungeon in Bainbridge, GA right now prepping Taurus for SHOT Show, and he’s also writing this description while high on cold meds.

The Call of Duty Red Dot

We all know the red dot I’m talking about, right? The generic, most common red dot to ever exist. “Made” by every crap tier red dot company and sold for a few bucks on Amazon. They’ve been labeled by Pinty, Feyachi, Tru Glo, and more. It’s the most generic dot out there, and I’ve always called it the Call of Duty red dot. It first popped up in the collective consciousness due to Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, the original one released in 2007. 

According to legend, the creators of Call of Duty 4 used airsoft guns to model the guns in the game. Alongside that, they likely used airsoft optics, and this is quite popular in that field. It’s cheap and easily accessible. Hell, my local Walmart sells some version of this thing. It’s likely that’s how the optic got into our collective consciousness. I always assumed it was a generic red dot because that’s all it’s ever been to me. 

Yet, I wondered if the red dot had an origin story. Where did the original come from? Was it always crap? I dived in to find out the origin of the Call of Duty red dot. It seems appropriate with the release of the latest Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. 

The Origins of the Call Of Duty Red Dot 

Oddly enough, it was tough to find an official source. I didn’t know what to search for. Typing in ‘Call of Duty Red Dot’ reveals a ton of video game websites and YouTube videos on the game, not the actual optics. Believe it or not, I started looking about six months ago. It wasn’t until I was mindlessly scrolling through Reddit this summer that I stumbled across my answer. 

There is a subreddit called PlebianAR. It’s where they mock ARs with poorly placed optics, crap-tier equipment, and guns that often don’t make sense. It’s not a nice place, but it can be entertaining and apparently educational. That’s where I found a post asking about the same question I had. 

On PlebianAR, anything with this optic is automatically plebe, so it’s familiar to the users. It was in this post that someone pointed out that all these crappy, generic optics were a copy of an early red dot called an Ultradot Pan AV. Ultradot produced the original Call of Duty optic decades ago. 

The Ultradot Answer 

Ultradot is a Japanese company who have been producing red dots for 37 years or so. They still produce optics and are all very similar and simple. They aim at the competition and hunting market. The Call of Duty red dot was never intended for special ops use. However, it laid the blueprint for all the cheap clones to follow. 

The large window with minimal support, the multi-reticle design, the integral mount, everything is there. Unlike the cheap clones, the Ultradot Pan AV is a reputable dot. It provides a clear lens and a bright and crisp red dot, and it will hold zero over heavy use. It’s clearly designed to provide a heads-up display with minimal vision blocking at the cost of durability. The optics were popular in the competition circle, and numerous champions used them, so that’s worth mentioning.

The Ultradot Pan AV is still produced and sold to this day, so if you want the OG Call of Duty optic and don’t want a piece of crap, well, here you go. 

A Matter of Perspective Part 3

“Your micro isn’t everybody’s macro”

This is a favorite expression of friend and mentor Cecil Burch of Immediate Action Combatives.

Without putting words in his mouth, my understanding is that this comment is born out of people’s tendency to view things through the lens of their own experience and use that to determine viability and validity, whether that be a technique, piece of equipment, or lifestyle choice.

This is going to be a short series on my observations of that saying’s applicability in various segments of the gun world.

I will preface this by saying that these articles are not intended as any sort of hit piece or critique of any specific individual, merely my observations having spent time in various segments of the defensive space, as well as seeing how some ideas are received by folks outside of the self defense community. 

My hope is to help bridge some perceived communications gaps that result in people talking past one another, to facilitate the transfer of the best possible information in the easiest possible manner.

GUN GUY MICRO ISN’T EVERYBODY’S MACRO:

There’s different flavors of “gun guy”. You hear a lot of epithets thrown around like “Fudd”, “Timmy”, “Gamer”, and the like, but I think that Prof. David Yamane quantifies it pretty well:

You’ve got Gun Culture 1.0 where people grew up with firearms as a part of daily life as much for sport or sustenance as defense against criminal violence.

Gun Culture 2.0 are the ones that may not have been the recipient of a .22 or .410 on their 6th birthday. Their childhood exposure to firearms may have been limited to non-existent. As adults they’ve felt compelled to pursue firearms as a means of protection.

The major thing that these two groups have in common, at least to some degree, is the acceptance of firearms ownership as logical, sensible, and relatively normal.

Especially given that gun ownership at large is vilified within certain segments of society, it’s not uncommon for gun owners/carriers to socialize and associate primarily with other gun owners. The challenge is that this creates a subculture that has definitions of “normal” and “acceptable” that don’t necessarily resonate with those outside their circle.

This, in and of itself, isn’t really a problem. After all, society is made up of lots of differing viewpoints. The challenge lies in the absolute incredulity that many gun owners/carriers have that people don’t see gun ownership as normal.

This issue is further compounded by the fact that all too often, when met with opposition, the 2A community likes to drape itself in this cloak of righteousness, and simply rebut critics with uncompelling talking points like “The Constitution is my carry permit” or “Shall not be infringed!”.

While they may be technically correct, they’re tactically ineffective. Zealotry, regardless of the actual position, does nothing but polarize the issue, and make the proponents seem unreasonable/unapproachable.

If someone’s having an interaction with a person that isn’t a staunch supporter of gun ownership, labeling them as a sheep or a coward does nothing to make the armed lifestyle more appealing or relatable.

While you’re likely never going to change the mind of someone who is adamantly anti-gun, the hardline ideologies will serve to alienate people who are otherwise gun-agnostic or possibly gun-curious.

If there’s an interaction with someone who’s managed to get this far in their life without being the victim of a violent crime, or otherwise experiencing something that would drive them to gun culture, trying to bully or shame them into ignoring the past 30+ years of their experience isn’t an effective way to build allies.

I don’t carry a gun out of fear, so why try and scare others into seeing things my way?

Missed Parts 1 & 2? Read them here and here.

GalPal Upland Hunt 2022

The bird flushed seemingly 6 feet in front of my face before choosing a direction and altitude of escape. I was somewhat startled at the proximity and flinch/ducked to let the chukar get past me, before pivoting counterclockwise to the rear and shouldering my pawnshop Mossberg. The first shot of high brass 20 gauge number six pellet hit the mark and the bird faltered. 

As it fell the dogs were already speeding toward their goal, so I raised the muzzle as I shucked the action. Hmm, really? Wait, What? The next shell from the magazine had somehow gotten spun around and jammed in the receiver. Despite the best efforts of three people, it was unrecoverable in the field and thus ended my GalPal Upland Hunt for 2022. Fortunately that turned out to be the last bird anyway as no more flushed on our last fifty yard sweep with the dogs.

That Saturday at On Point Outfitters was a gorgeous fall day with blue sky, sunshine, and temps in the mid to high fifties. We couldn’t have had a better day if we had bribed The Almighty for it. It was just wonderful! To top off the weather, my pal Mim and I had a field, guide, and dogs all to ourselves due to some cancellations for the event. The other four women in our group went with their guide to another part of the property, so it was just us two for all those birds. I had a little initial trepidation as I only brought that little pawnshop 20 gauge.

But I needn’t have feared. I was so thrilled and proud of the performance that Mim and I turned in. We were whacking birds left and right! I think we only let two get away all morning. It was quite the rewarding experience and our guide called us “dead-eyes” LOL.

The event that I’m speaking of is an annual group of “GalPals” hunt organized by Ann Marie Foster of Calibered Events. I’ve lost track of how many years we’ve been doing this – maybe seven? But it is always a great weekend. We stay in a rented cabin, play boardgames, drink wine, eat food that everyone brings, hang out, enjoy the outdoors — and hunt for pheasants and chukars. I took a year off for the C-disease because I was worried about exposing everyone else in the house if I was unknowingly incubating from office exposure. But other than that I look forward to this retreat every year.

The GalPals for 2022 with just some of our birds. The rest were already cleaned.

It is so important to me to have contact with other women hunters. The support (especially when starting later in life) is invaluable. My first bird hunt ever in my life was with Ann Marie about seven years ago, and I wouldn’t have done it at all if it wasn’t a group of only women – I was that intimidated. But that feeling quickly dissipated as I was warmly welcomed into a world of laughs, learning, support, and camaraderie.

But back to my gun problem…

Remember that I took this little gun to the Ladies Shotgun Salon in the summer? Well, after I enjoyed that experience so much with this gun, I decided to take the pawnshop Mossberg 500  20 gauge youth model along for actual hunt experience. It performed beautifully all morning – from the warm-ups on the wobble trap to downing several birds on our guided hunt. It isn’t my “primary” shotgun, but I’ve still put probably 1000 rounds through this gun since I bought it, and never had a problem until that day. So it had to be a a fluke of operator error – short stroking, rapid position change, or something.

The writer warming up on the Wobble Trap

All the way home I hoped the problem could be remedied, because this little gun has become my new favorite. Although I started out on 12 gauge some ten years ago and still enjoy it very much, I love how I’m not as sore at the end of the day with the 20 gauge. Plus, upland birds don’t require quite as much oomph as say geese or 3 gun.

I have to say that I’ve become a convert to the Mossberg 500. I have several shotguns – including a couple Benellis – but I find myself gravitating toward the ones with the safety on the tang.  Push button safeties force me to feel around with my trigger finger and I don’t like it one bit. I hate the idea of using my trigger finger for anything except the trigger. To me, dedicated fingers are safer because they offer fewer opportunities for motor mistakes. The index finger is for the trigger and the thumb is for the safety and “Never the Twain Shall Meet”. This is what works for me, YMMV. On top of that, I’m becoming a shuck-shuck addict. It just “feels right”. Don’t ask me to explain that, because I can’t.

When I got home I texted the friend who helped me with the rifle build a few years ago. His garage is gunsmithing heaven and he got the shell out in two minutes flat. (Yay!) Malfunction solved. I’m virtually positive it was my rapidly raising the gun while shucking that caused the backward rotation of the shell. I’ll have to take it to the range and play around some more now. But I’m glad there didn’t seem to be anything permanently wrong, because this is a fun little gun.

Despite my malfunction, this experience was another illustration for me that the shooting sports don’t need to be out of reach for the average person who wants to try. You don’t need a fancy-schmancy shotgun. I had a blast and great success with a $200 pawnshop gun, my father’s old upland vest, and of course a circle of fun gal pals! Who could ask for more?

The Army’s Lever Action Bazooka

Lever Action Bazooka isn’t a term I ever thought I would need to write. If you’re like me, you picture something crossed between a bazooka and a Winchester. Sadly, that’s not what the M25 Lever Action Bazooka looks like. It’s a monstrous contraption that uses an unconventional lever action design. I first came across it thanks to Osprey Publishing’s book called Bazooka. The book doesn’t have much information, but the manual for the M25 is available online and provides a bit more insight. 

The M25 Bazooka was designed to help increase the Army’s anti-tank capabilities. The original Bazooka utilized 2.36-inch rockets, and the Army wanted something bigger. They moved to 3.5-inch rockets with the M20 Super Bazooka. Alongside the M20, they developed the M25 as a magazine-fed, lever-action repeating rocket launcher. 

The Lever Action Bazooka 

Tanks are mean, vicious creatures, and they deserve to be knocked out. Infantry tank killers are force multipliers. Firing one rocket and then reloading was a bit of a slow process. Thus a repeating option would allow multiple hits on a single target or hits on multiple targets in quick succession. Shooting a rocket is an event filled with noise, flash, and even disruption of the ground around you into a big ball of dust. 

If you miss or fail to land a good killing shot, your position is revealed, and you’ve likely gained the attention of both the tank and infantry forces. In other terms, you’re gonna have a bad time. A multishot, repeating rocket launcher allowed you to engage targets rapidly, and theoretically, if an A-gunner kept you loaded, you could keep hitting a target with rockets until it was done. 

That was the idea at the time. The M25 and M20 shared numerous features, including the same sights, trigger, and barrel. They both broke down into smaller components for transport purposes and shared the same 3.5-inch rockets. 

The M25 Lever Action Bazooka was a tripod-mounted weapon that used a three-round, hopper-type magazine. The users could mount the magazine or even feed the weapon individually. The shooter had an operating lever that levered forward and up and then rearward and down to feed rockets. Since the entirety of the rocket left the Bazooka, there was nothing to eject. 

The M25 lever action bazooka seemed like a natural extension into modern, armored warfare. After World War 2 and in Korea, tank-busting weapons were in high demand. 

So What Happened? 

The M25 Lever Action Bazooka was a big weapon. Part of the original charm of the M1 rocket launcher was its man-portable weight. That allowed your average grunt to kill a tank without breaking too much of a sweat. The M25 weighed a hundred pounds in total. This took it out of the man-portable category and made it a true crew-served weapon. Factor in the weight of the ammo, and this gun was effectively stationary in terms of infantry use. 

Maybe it didn’t work or never occurred to the Army, but it seems like the M25 would be perfectly mounted to a Jeep with a gunner. Now your jeep has an effective armor killer and need not fear tanks as much, although maybe they preferred recoilless rifles on their jeeps. Admittedly those were more powerful but not as rapidly firing as the M25. 

Another issue was that the feeding mechanism was fragile and prone to breaking. Even the manual has sections advising against rough handling. If you ever wanted an example of the disconnect between engineers and users, it’s a manual telling infantryman to be gentle with a weapon. 

Somewhere around 1,500 M25 lever action bazookas were made. It’s unknown if these were ever used in Korea. It is known they weren’t around for long and were discontinued quite quickly. It’s sad because how often do you get to type lever action bazooka? 

Slamfire – The Bumpfire of Shotguns

As a shotgun nerd, one of the more annoying aspects of being a shotgun nerd is other shotgun fans. You know the types, the birdshot for home defense, and the sound of the pump will scare them off! Those types. If you are around those types and the talk of trench guns or classic shotguns like the Model 12 or Ithaca 37 comes up, the idea of slamfire gets tossed around. 

The idea is that it’s a crazy effective feature on a shotgun. Whenever I talk about modern replicas of the 1897 or Ithaca 37, someone has to come in asking, “Does It sLaMfIrE?” Most of the time, no, but slamfire is pretty stupid. Yep, I said, it’s the bump fire of pump shotguns. Like bump fire, it can be fun, but also, like bump fire, it’s practically useless. 

But Slamfire in the Trenches! 

The Winchester M1897 gives this mythical reputation for trench warfare. Without a doubt, it was an effective weapon for close-quarters combat. Sure, the Kaiser also protested the use of shotguns, but near the end of the war, he was protesting everything he could. The Winchester M1897 was never issued in great numbers and wasn’t a weapon that changed the course of the war. 

Was slamfire used in the trenches? Probably not. It’s not a very efficient mode of operation for aimed fire. If it was used, it wasn’t an effective technique by any means. Even the Army’s manual on the M1897 states that. 

“CAUTION: During these operations, the finger should remain outside the trigger guard. Reciprocation of the slide handle should be full and smart to ensure extraction of the shell, cocking of the hammer, complete locking of the breech bolt, and blocking of the action slide. Slamming of the mechanism, however, should be avoided. When the gun is being fired as a repeater, all pressure should be removed from trigger while operating.” 

Why Is Slamfire Useless 

What’s a major downside of shotguns? Recoil. That’s a big reason why so many people really don’t like shotguns. They recoil quite a bit, and fully powered loads require recoil control. When you slamfire a shotgun, you are giving up an important part of that recoil control. The most effective way to mitigate shotgun recoil is to use the push/pull method. 

You push forward on the pump and pull rearward on the stock. This stretches the gun for lack of a better term. When you slamfire, you can never establish a good firing position or proper recoil control. Much like firing a machine pistol, you’ll be inching upward with every shot and off target more and more. 

The idea behind slamfire is the same as the idea that shotguns fire a wall of lead with every shot, so the more lead you get out, the better. In reality, it’s not really any faster than a shotgun with a disconnect. I own three shotguns that can slamfire, and they don’t outperform a modern pump action like a 590A1 because they can slamfire. They actually underperform when slam firing. 

It’s a lot easier to put multiple shots on one or more targets, not slam firing than it is slam firing. 

Dangerous Tactics 

Would you ever bump fire for home defense? No, because it’s dangerous unreliable, and hard to control. Slamfire is the same. It’s silly and fun but not effective and dangerous when you have to account for every pellet you fire. 

A Harris Bipod Mod That You Didn’t Know Existed

The Problem

Bipods are often about tension. Tension in the legs ensuring that they don’t collapse under the weight of the gun. Tension in the locking of the legs ensuring that they stay tall. Then, tension in the cant of the bipod ensuring that the gun stays level. Currently in the S/Swivel Series of Harris bipods there is a plastic wheel in the rear of the bipod that adjusts the tension of the swivel. Meaning, if you turn it one way, it tightens it up allowing less movement, if you loosen it it allows the gun to cant freely to each side. While the wheel has ridges for finger grip, it isn’t really ergonomically friendly, especially on the clock. In comes the locking handle.

On the left, the new swivel locking lever after a dusty gas gun match. On the right, the old style wheel. This wheel now has a larger plastic wheel that you will see on the market. The lever is still the way to go though.

The Harris Swivel Bipod Locking Handle

Instead of a wheel, the locking handle is a normal L-shaped lever that allows you to simply push it to the left or the right to adjust tension. It is cheap and easy to install and will save the shooter a lot of time and frustration.

The cheapest I have found it is on Short Action Precision’s website for $15.00 however Harris Bipods offers it and Midway USA.

This is what my current Harris BRMS 6-9 Short Swivel Bipod looks like. Due to wanting a Harris on my precision gas gun that has an IWI ARCA rail, I took off the normal clamping style Harris lock and installed the Area 419 ARCA plate, and the Swivel Lock Lever.

Installation

Tools Needed: Ratchet with 1/4in socket and a 3mm allen.

The install is very simple. It is as easy as removing a nut and replacing with an a screw.

These are the parts that will be removed and reinstalled during the lever install. Some of these parts were also removed due to installing an Area 419 ARCA plate on my Harris BRMS 6-9 Short Swivel Bipod. This wheel is the newer style tensioning wheel.

Below is a video from Short Action Precision going over the install.

Note: The video below shows the nut instead of the wheel. They are the same installation instructions though between the plastic ridged wheel and nut.

Sen. Lamar: Memphis Not Ready

TN Sen London Lamar (D) stands in front of her office
Photo Credit: Sen London Lamar Twitter Account

https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-politics/democratic-lawmaker-wants-to-roll-back-permitless-carry-in-davidson-shelby-counties/?utm_source=t.co&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=referral

Democrat Sen. London Lamar, pictured above, announced in late November that she was introducing a bill to reinstate handgun licensing requirements in Tennessee, but oddly, only for two particular counties. Describing these enumerated counties as “…hav(ing) demonstrated that they are not ready to handle the wide free range of guns, with so many of the crime challenges and the violent crime we have had in our cities…”, she proposes that eliminating permitless carry will have a positive impact on violent crime.

Firstly, lets dispense with the obvious issue with Sen. Lamar’s proposal: Permitless carry doesn’t facilitate violent crime. People who are willing to commit homicide were never dissuaded from doing so by a gun permitting scheme. If the prospect of a felony murder charge wasn’t enough to dissuade someone from their chosen task, something tells us that an additional lesser charge for carrying unlawfully wasn’t going to tip the scales. The sooner we dispense with this fantasy that laws (and by extension law enforcement) are proactive, rather than reactive, the sooner we can address issues from the reality in which we live.

Secondly, has it occurred to no one else that Davidson and Shelby counties are home not only to Memphis and Nashville, but the majority of the People Of Color in the state? Gun control’s history is liberally leavened with paternalist racism, but it’s rarely spelled out so clearly. Sen. Lamar likely has the best of intentions, but could do with some introspection before blatantly declaring that the black people of her home state aren’t responsibly enough to be capable of legal firearm ownership. There are plenty of ways to address violent crime in urban areas without a blanket statement in the form of legislation declaring their incapacity for living within the law, and they start with investing in the communities most affected by violence, and reducing the causative factors. Guns are the symptom end of the problem, and treating symptoms may make you feel better, but it fails to address the disease.