Candle Stove Experiments

By

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December 23, 2022

Remember the piece about the 3-wick emergency candle stove I devised the other month? Well, the cooking experiments have been ongoing ever since with some surprising results.

I’ll reiterate that this isn’t a rig for a family of five. But if you are only feeding yourself, or your spouse can have a candle stove for themselves, it works surprisingly well as an emergency food and water heating device.

Through various experiments I’ve determined that success is very pan/container dependent, as well as food volume dependent.

I tried actually “cooking” a meal for several hours in a small cast iron covered pot, but though the food got quite hot, it didn’t quite boil enough to be throughly cooked, and I had to finish it off on the actual stove. I would need to try about half that volume next time.

I then tried frying an egg with an actual small frying pan, but discovered that not only was the pan too large and smothered the candle flames for lack of airflow, it also “wasted” too much heat in heating the pan itself rather than the food.

But the experiments continued. I next tried a small aluminum disposable pie pan I found in my cupboard from the last time I bought a store made pie (I am not a hoarder). I was able to fry one egg sunny-side up in butter in that pan! And the couple strips of bacon I tried worked as well! But it was the only pan of its size that I owned and I had to use aluminum foil as a lid to keep the heat in while the food cooked.

So off to the internet I went, and found 6-inch disposable aluminum cake pans which were a little deeper than the pie plate, but still thin enough to conduct the heat directly to the food. With these pans I was able to fry a couple strips of bacon and two powdered eggs, as well as heat to bubbling a small can of beanie weenies from my emergency supply! I even managed ramen noodles, though I started the water to heat in the kettle like an hour ahead of time before pouring it over the noodles and putting the pan back on the flame for a few minutes. It still worked like a charm.

This rig definitely needs a lid on the pan in order to maximize heat retention. So since these foil disposables came in packs of ten, I took one of the spares, punched two holes in the bottom and threaded a foil twist tie through them to make an improvised pot lid with handle. It has worked marvelously.

Though these pans are disposable and quite thin, I have used the initial ones several times already and they have survived a soak in the sink as well as a trip through the dishwasher. But if you are short on water, they ARE disposable. For that matter it may be possible to create a multilayer “pot” out of just heavy duty foil, which would truly be disposable to save water in an emergency. I’ll have to try that next.

The bottom line from these experiments so far is – if you have an electric stove that would be useless in a power outage, although you should certainly have something like chafing fuel or an indoor-rated butane burner in reserve for when it’s not grilling weather, this 3-wick candle stove DOES work, is cheap to operate, is safe to use indoors, and also safe to store in a closet or apartment (unlike some commercial fuels). It’s something to think about. 3-wick candles might even be on sale after Christmas!

The Frozen Chosen, Part 2.

By

Keith Finch

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December 23, 2022

Once again Mike is attempting to set the internet ablaze, by freezing guns in blocks of ice.

These frozen rifle tests are interesting extreme data points, they show vulnerabilities in a weapon that exist under a severe and artificial condition. If your rifle “fails” this test, it doesn’t equate to being a bad rifle. You freeze a machine, it tends to stop working. The rifles that have done well frozen often fail in other extremes. How sealed away the action is often makes or breaks this one.

What does it show us if most rifles fail?

Maintenance needs.

If you take a cold swim with your gear, what do you have to do to keep your gear running once you’ve seen to your own needs? That’s a valid question on any weapon. The AR may do very well, but what if you’ve got the SAW?

The long and the short of this is, if the rifle failed frozen, that’s very much expected of a machine. We need to know though, so we know what to do if a weapon freezes hard. It is part of knowing the systems you are working with. How do you get your rifle working again? Are your electronics okay? How is your sustainment gear? What needs to be worked on so you don’t get caught in a spot worse than frozen already.

For many rifles it is going to be “break ’em down”. Open them up and get that ice out. Warm them, if you can. Work the actions clear. Cold weather lubricant and shut them back up. Nothing is going to be “nah, its fine” if the rifle is that iced.

The Oddball Barrett M82A2

By

Travis Pike

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December 22, 2022

The Barrett .50 BMG wasn’t the first anti-material rifle, but it was the first American-made, semi-automatic .50 BMG rifle. Ronnie Barrett was a madman who ended up designing one of the most successful anti-material rifles ever made. It’s fielded by multiple military forces, including the United States. The original M82 has seen numerous improvements and changes and currently goes by the M107. Between the original M82 and the M107 sits an oddball known as the M82A2.

The M82A2 was created at the behest of the US Military as a shoulder-fired variant of the M82. It’s unknown exactly how many were made, but some estimates claim only ten were produced or at least tested by the US Military. Since you’ve likely never heard of it, you are right in assuming the Barrett M82A2 went nowhere.

The Barrett M82A2 – What the Hell Is It?

How do you make a rifle that weighs over 30 pounds and is almost five feet long shoulder-fired? That’s the million-dollar question. I know someone out there is thinking, wait, you can fire the M82 from the shoulder! I’ve seen Jerry Miculek do it! Sure, you can fire the weapon from the shoulder, but it’s not exactly easy or accurate. It might be fun, but it’s not something your average soldier would ever do.

To make this mighty weapon shoulder-fireable, Barrett did some mad science and bullpupped the M82. The resulting gun was the M82A2. It’s not your traditional bullpup in layout. The magazine is in front of the firing arm, and right behind the magazine sits the stock that goes against your shoulder. You still have a lot of rifle above and behind the stock, and much like a recoilless rifle, the rest of the gun sits behind you.

Up front, we have the trigger and pistol grip, as well as a second forward pistol to help increase control. Right above the trigger sits a scope rail, and an optic is absolutely necessary. The M82A2 shifted the weight and balance of the weapon to allow the shooter to manhandle the gun without it being overtly awkward or unbalanced.

Now instead of having all of the weight in front of your shoulder, a good bit of it is behind and under you. While odd looking, the Barrett M82A2 accomplished its goal of being a shoulder-fired .50 BMG rifle.

What’s the Point?

The mission of the M82A2 isn’t exactly known. There is some speculation that it is a cheap anti-helicopter weapon. It is at least cheap when compared to something like a Stinger missile system. Soldiers could engage low-flying aircraft with fairly effective fire. Of course, helicopters are fast-moving, and this idea relies on something hovering more than flying.

The military didn’t speculate it had to be a bullpup design. They just wanted a more portable system that could be used in a wider variety of situations. The M82A2 could have been a squad-level anti-material weapon for engaging everything from vehicles to dug-in positions. It would be much easier to carry and shoot than the M82 and other variants of the Barrett rifles.

It hasn’t been revealed what the exact purpose of the weapon was, but we do know it was not adopted or taken beyond the prototype stage. Brandon “the AK Guy” Herrara is one of the few people who own one, and his video gives you a good idea of how the weapon handles. Barrett seemingly met their goal.

On the Way Out

The Barett M82A2 wasn’t successful but did pop up in some pop culture. It was in Jurassic Park 3 and has a cameo in the Chuck Norris feature Top Dog. I knew it from Metal Gear Solid Four. Other than that, this rare .50 BMG is pretty much vaporware these days. It’s a neat idea but not a successful one.

How To Build A Field Improvised Shooting Rest

By

Travis Pike

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December 22, 2022

Another day, another fun fieldcraft activity. At least it’s fun to me. Today we are going to build a field improvised shooting rest. Did you go to the field without a bipod or shooting stick and find yourself needing a little extra support? Maybe you are stuck in the defense in the woods of Camp Lejeune and are looking for a way to improve your position. That’s where this rest comes in.

What You’ll Need For Your Field Improvised Shooting Rest

You won’t need much to build our field improvised shooting rest. In fact, all you need from civilization is some 550 cord.

Three feet can usually build a prone height-supported position. You need to find a few decent-sized limbs or a limb that’s a few feet tall. It should be at least 1.5 inches thick. You’ll need three-foot length pieces for a prone height field improvised shooting rest.

Building Your Field Improvised Shooting Rest

Gather your sticks and choose two that look thick and supportive. Grab your 550 cord and begin wrapping the sticks together in an X shape. This forms the anchor of your field improvised shooting rest. Have the 550 cord go around, over, and through as you bind. Make sure the binding is super tight, and you have a layer over the top axis of the X. This will keep the legs from collapsing and bending together.

The binding has to be tight, or it will not support the weight of the weapon when its tasked to once you have a rugged, tight, and strong X grab your third stick. You will attach the final stick to the bottom of the X. It needs to be bound very tight to provide support and prevent collapse. Go around the bottom of the stick and through the top of X once more. Once it’s tight, take your tail and tie it to any of the limbs.

Once it’s tied together, rest your rifle on the support and see if your field improvised shooting rest can support the weight. If it cannot, your sticks are likely not bound tight enough. Retighten it until it can support the weight of the weapon without collapsing. Your next test will be shooting with it. The heavier the recoil, the tighter your binding needs to be.

With an AR in 5.56, it’s no big deal. A .300 WinMag Remington 700 might have something else to say about it. This rest and is a disposable item that will wear out quickly. Don’t expect it to last forever. You may need to tighten the binding and watch for collapse occasionally.

Size and Height

You can always build it taller to support a weapon outside of the prone position. Heck, if you get big enough limbs, you can make it tall enough to sit with your gun rested.

The taller the support, the stronger the binding and limbs have to be. If it’s sitting height, you might need some surprisingly dense wood and a fair bit of binding material.

Sizing it just right for your weapon and situation is wise. It’s perfect for hunting on the ground or fighting in Ukraine. Knowing how to build a field improvised shooting rest is a very simple skill to have and a very handy one to have. Knowledge weighs nothing, and I find outdoor arts and crafts fun, and hopefully, you enjoy it as well.

The IWI ARCA Rail: Changing Your Gas Gun to ARCA

By

Anna Martinez

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December 21, 2022

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.

This during the IWI Gas Gun Challenge. I am using my old KAC URX rail. I do not have the ability to move the bipod quickly between positions due to the M-LOK mounting system.

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

By

Travis Pike

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December 21, 2022

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

By

P.E. Fitch

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December 20, 2022

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

By

Travis Pike

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December 20, 2022

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

By

Keith Finch

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December 19, 2022

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

By

Anna Martinez

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December 19, 2022

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.

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

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.

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

The CDM Delta Wave – The Best Mossberg Safety

By

Travis Pike

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December 19, 2022

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

By

David R

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December 18, 2022

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

By

Travis Pike

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December 17, 2022

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

By

The Suited Shootist

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December 17, 2022

“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

By

Dr LateBloomer

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December 16, 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?