The VG6 Gamma AR9 – PCC Muzzle Device Perfected
I’m not sure if I’m a handgun/shotgun/PCC guy because I enjoy shooting them or if it’s because access to any range beyond 100 yards is tough in my neck of the woods. Either way, the majority of my shooting involves either 9mm or 12 gauge. Recently that’s been a little time with my Aero EPC and the VG6 Gamma AR9 muzzle device.
VG6 Precision makes a number of muzzle devices that have focused on the AR 15 and AR 10 series as well as the AK series of firearms. Compared to the rest of their lineup, the VG6 Gamma AR9 muzzle device is rather new. It’s also seemingly one of the more practical choices on the market.
The VG6 Gamma and PCC Muzzle Devices
PCCs are interesting, especially when it comes to PCC muzzle devices. Commercial PCCs aren’t necessarily seen as the tactical choice for home defense. At least not so much as the AR 15. In terms of muzzle devices, the most efficient for a PCC or subgun is suppressors. PCCs can be ultra-small and very easily suppressed. Subsonic pistol ammo is super easy to find, and the extra length of a suppressor doesn’t make a big difference on a subgun or PCC with a 5-inch barrel.
Suppressors aren’t for everyone, so what other options do PCCs offer? Pistol caliber carbines are popular in the competitive market, and a lot of the PCC muzzle devices out there are designed for competition. That means muzzle devices like the JP Enterprises JPTC-9mm dominate. They’re great muzzle devices but not perfect for the tactical application of PCCs.
If you can’t or don’t want to go the suppressor route, what are you left with? Well, that’s where the VG6 Gamma AR9 comes in. Unlike other muzzle devices, it’s not several inches long, it’s not super wide, and it doesn’t weigh 4 or 5 ounces.
In fact, it’s only 1.75 inches long, which is the exact same length as the A2 style AR 15 flash suppressor. Weight wise it’s not exactly tipping the scales at 2.1 ounces. The VG6 Gamma delivers a small, short, and brutally efficient muzzle device.
Keep It Simple
With only 1.75 inches to work with, VG6 Precision went wild. They fit it in as many ports as possible in this little thing. It’s a combination device that blends both a compensator and muzzle device into one small, lightweight package.
The VG6 Gamma AR9 features two big side ports for recoil reduction. Across the top, we have seven small ports that act as a compensator to drive the muzzle rise down. The top ports are interesting. Lots of compensators aren’t shy about muzzle flash, but VG6 Precision seemed to acknowledge that a muzzle device for tactical applications needs to limit muzzle flash.
The ports at the top are very long and oblong and very much like the ports from an A2 flash hider. It’s extremely well thought out, and if you want to toss one on a defensive PCC, it would be right at home.
If you wanted to use it for competition, well, you wouldn’t be too far off either.
Throwing Lead
With my Aero EPC equipped with a VG6 Gamma AR9, I hit the range with a load of 115-grain rounds, some 124 +P NATO loads, and some 147-grain subsonic loads. Attaching the VG6 Gamma doesn’t take much time, and it attaches against a crush washer just like any other muzzle device for AR 15s.
I hit the range running and paid special attention to the way my dot moved between shots. With the 115 grain stuff, there wasn’t a lot of difference between the recoil and muzzle rise from a bare barrel. However, once we jumped into the 124-grain +P loads and the 147-grain loads, we saw a significant difference in recoil and muzzle rise.
The VG6 Gamma AR9 took a lot of sting out of these rounds. The 124 +P loads were tamed like pussy cats, and I’d say they are par with standard 115-grain FMJs. The muzzle rise, in particular, is cut significantly, and the red dot barely moves between shots. Less muzzle rise and less recoil mean faster follow-up shots and easier target transitions.
Triple and double taps are an absolute breeze. I can land three of them side by side in the A zone of an IPSC headshot box in less than 2 seconds from the low ready. The little device makes a huge difference. Do you know how direct blowback 9mm PCCs recoil almost like a 5.56 round?
Say No To Sting
Well, with the VG6 Gamma AR9, this isn’t true anymore. It feels like a9mm rifle should. This means it’s flat shooting, soft recoiling, and a breeze to handle. I’m moving my son from a rimfire round to centerfire, and the EPC equipped with the VG6 Gamma has been the go-to platform for doing that. It makes the transition from rimfire to centerfire safe and easy. Plus, he feels like the AR-style EPC is a little more Fortnite than the wood-stocked Ruger 10/22.
The VG6 Gamma takes some serious sting out of your PCC. Sure it’s made for an AR-type 9mm rifle, but if you have a 1/2×28 threaded PCC, then the VG6 will fit perfectly on your weapon. Check it out, and it’s small, short, and quite capable. VG6 Precision did a fantastic job of providing a modern, compact, lightweight muzzle device that works and works well.
The Ghost of Ukraine – Men, Myths, and Legends
Sunday we talked about the current events in Ukraine. The first modern war covered in modern states from the perspective of Social Media sharing technology. It is wild, 2001 and 2003 were the most communicative and current events conflicts to prior to this but were before the Social Media communications revolution.
The first social era media war, the first near peer war we’ve seen since the Falkland Islands campaign. There is more raw and fragmented information with ability to share it at speeds never previously imagined.
It’s been confirmed at this point, for instance, that the ‘Snake Island 13’ who had been alleged to have been killed in the shelling of Snake Island by Russian Naval forces were instead captured. Which tactically makes way more sense. That doesn’t change the attitude the troops displayed to the Russians, but it does change how the legend proceeds. They are POWs, not martyrs. But Ukrainian president hailed them as martyrs and now that will have to be walked back. Unless information changes again. Which it could.
The Ghost of Kyiv for instance. Nobody knows if that is or was remotely real, I heard yesterday they were shot down. I don’t know if it was ever real to begin with. But it is a legend worth the name. A confirmed ACE in a day against the allegedly unstoppable weight of Russia.
The modern result
This campaign is far from concluded, but the image of uncheckable Russian power project has been severely damaged as the tiny by comparison Ukraine hold them off day after day. The Russian forces needed a quick a decisive strike and leave where they came off as looking like the simply hit Ukraine in the face, told them how it was going to go, and then settled whatever borders were their end goal. Instead Russia keeps getting hit by a far more tenacious scrapper, instead of going down with one solid blow Ukraine keeps hitting back hard and Russia can’t get its arms up well enough to not get hit.
The ground forces are literally running out of gas and if exchange rates and casualty numbers are close to accurate the Ukrainians are making the Russian ground forces pay for their stay. A real WarBnB.
After Action
The AAR’s on this one are going to make for very long analysis and will give us our latest and best look into truly modern warfare. Not high tech vs. low tech counter insurgency which is what the Western Powers have been most spun up on and not one tinpot vs. another like several of the local fights ongoing in the Middle East. Modern warfare got very rough, very destructive live test in Ukraine and modern militaries need to be paying close attention.
Gunday Brunch 41: Ukraine, the Ghost of Kyiv, and Free AK-74s
The boys are talking about the only piece of news worth talking about, and that’s the ongoing war in Ukraine. Please note, this was recorded on Friday the 25th so if something insane has happened that we don’t talk about, our bad.
Shooting the State of Georgia Shotgun Qualification
You know I love a good excuse to shoot shotguns. Most recently, I stumbled across a shotgun qualification from the state of Georgia. My northerly neighbors seem to publish a number of their firearm quals, and at first sight, I knew I needed to jump on the Georgia shotgun qual. I looked it over, loaded up my range bag, and hit the range on a fine Saturday morning.
What You’ll Need
The Georgia shotgun qual is a relatively short course of fire with three different stages of fire and various strings of fire. The round count is somewhat low like most shotgun quals and most shotgun engagements. What we need ammo wise is:
4 Shotgun Slugs
6 Rounds of Buckshot
2 Rounds of Handgun Ammo
You’ll need a shotgun, and you’ll need a holstered handgun as well. Shooters will need two targets, preferably human-sized. The state of Georgia uses SQT A-1 targets, but you need a target with a head and body portion. I used the VTAC targets for my run. You’ll also need something to act as cover. I used a PTSB-Lite barrier and a small table to elevate it. Also, a shot timer is kind of a must-have.
Shooting the Georgia Shotgun Qual
Before shooting, the manual, which you can find here, encourages you to pattern your weapon, and I strongly agree. Pattern your shotgun! It’s critical to your success. Also, since this involves slugs, make sure you know where they are going.
Stage 1
Range – 25 Yards
Ammo – 2 Slugs (In magazine tube, chamber empty)
Time – 4 Seconds Per Iteration
At 25 yards, the shooters will start outside of cover, and on the shot timer’s go signal, you’ll move beyond cover, ready the shotgun, pie around the right side of cover, and shoot the right target all in four seconds.
You’ll repeat this drill once more, but this time you’ll pie around the left corner of cover and engage the left target.
Four seconds isn’t a ton of time to move behind cover, pie around cover, and engage a target. It can be done without a ton of difficulty, but you’ll feel the pressure of the timer. You need to engage the threat zone accurately, and I went for chest shots. I’m not cocky enough to try headshots at this range. The Georgia Shotgun qual doesn’t require a headshot at this range.
Stage 2
Range – 15 yards
Ammo – 4 Buckshot – 2 slugs
Time – String 1 Eight seconds / String 2 Six seconds
At 15 yards, we are well within buckshot range and in the range that shotguns dominate at. Load four rounds into the magazine tube and keep the magazine empty. You’ll be outside of cover first, and at the beep, you’ll dive behind cover and pie around cover.
As you see the two targets, you’ll engage each target with two rounds, and you’ll need to do so in eight seconds. The time is a little more generous here. Eight seconds is more than enough at close range with a shotgun. Challenge yourself a bit more and see if you can do the whole thing in six seconds.
After you run the gun dry port, load one slug into the chamber and a second slug into the magazine tube. The Georgia shotgun qual calls for an instructor to issue the order, but I’m sure you can figure it out solo. This is not timed, but go fast if you can.
For string two, you’ll start behind cover. At the fire command, lean out from behind cover and palace slugs into the brain housing group of each target. Six seconds isn’t super generous, but not overly challenging either. If you can do it in four seconds, you’ll feel the time constraint.
Stage 3
Range – 7 yards
Ammo – 2 Buckshot 2 Handgun
Time – Six Seconds
Although the manual lists this as stage four, I assume it’s just due to the Georgia public education system. Anywho, scoot it on up to the seven-yard line. Now we are in a range where a shotgun does more than dominate. It reigns supreme as the battle-ax of CQB.
At the seven-yard line, you port load one round into the chamber and a second into the magazine tube. Assume the low ready position. You got six seconds, and on the command fire, you’ll engage each target with the shotgun. Once the shotgun’s empty, you’ll need to drop it and then draw your handgun and engage each target with one round.
Six seconds is still somewhat generous. At seven yards, it’s tough to mess up and miss, so accuracy isn’t a major issue. However, if you gum up the draw, you’ll find yourself tight for time. I do love that this part of the qual calls for a transition. Shotguns are low-capacity weapons, and if you run dry, they are slow to reload.
Having solid transition skills with a shotgun is a must for duty use.
Scoring The Qual
Here’s what the manual says on scoring the Georgia Shotgun qual.
Slugs and handgun rounds will be scored as two (2) points each for “A” zone (center
mass/central area) hits and 1 point each for hits outside the “A” zone, but still within the scoring area of the two (2) silhouettes. Total possible (maximum) points for four slugs and two handgun rounds will be 12 points.
“00” buckshot will be scored as 1 point for each pellet hit within the scoring area of the (2)
targets, without regard to whether the hits are in the “A” zone (center mass/central area) or the remainder of the silhouettes’ scoring area. Total possible points for the eight pellet buckshot load is 48 points. Total possible points for the nine pellet buckshot load is 54 points.
Maximum Raw Score: 60 (8 pellet buckshot)
66 (9 pellet buckshot)
Minimum Qualifying Score: 48 = 80% (8 pellet buckshot)
53 = 80% (9 pellet buckshot)
My Thoughts
I’d tighten down the times on stages 2 and 3, just hair. They are a little loose. I will give Georgia credit, and the times are nowhere near as generous as other quals out there. They have a lot of good stuff in this qual, but I would implement port, and tactical reloads under time and as part of the drills.
Keeping the shotgun topped off and ready is critical to its employment, and doing so under time can be tricky. Overall, it’s a good piece of training and if you’re a shotgun nerd, give it a spin.
Ukraine Memes – Because we need it
The situation in Ukraine is only into its second full day and this happens to be the first war that we are not only watching in real time, but form the perspective of people watching this happen on their own streets.
This isn’t a war correspondent embedded with coalition forces being protected, to a degree, and seeing what the unit they are tagged in with is seeing. These are videos from citizens and soldiers on the ground, on both sides in in many cases, who are still accessing the internet and uploading events to the internet in as close to real time as we’ve ever had.
This is a lady watching as a fixed wing 4th generation fighter hits a target right next to her house and it shakes the world. This is a ballsy as hell Ukrainian grandmother telling the Russian who is currently occupying her street corner to take these sunflower seeds for his pocket so that when he dies, he’ll grow the Ukrainian national flower.
The hell that is war, modern war between two actually mechanized powers, is visiting the streets of a modernized European power and displacing people who are used to WiFi and continuous power and all the modern conveniences we take for absolute granted every single day. For them, that safety of the modern world has come to an end. Safety is a fragile thing, subjective and fleeting. It takes very little force to turn the safety of everyone getting along into the danger of warfare come to your streets. Ukraine shows us it happens to more than just “the third world”
But we can do nothing for Ukraine by simply being morose. Which makes this the first serious war to include memes an interesting look at how we communicate in the 21st Century. The meme has become so globally accepted as a method of communication that governments, even governments at war, are using them.
They are an international cultural norm now.
Take it away, Brandon.
