East Coast Precision Gas Gun Series Options: Quantified Performance Gas Gun Match

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February 23, 2022

“We wanted to bring a community together that offered more to both competitors and sponsors than currently available.”-Quantified Performance

About Quantified Performance, LLC

QP is a different type of group. The owners of Quantified Performance are not just match directors, they are Veterans that have worked hard to truly change the viewpoint on capabilities of the marksman and the AR platform. Both in the military and civilan world, these guys give shooters the knowledge and platform to work on their skillset while also enabling them to show it off to companies within the competitive industry.

Before many of their matches they have given shooters the opportunity to attend a class lead by experienced shooters to ensure everyone is sighted in and can successfully shoot a match. They also give shooters a platform that allows companies to see what these shooters are bringing to the table that may give shooters business and shooting opportunities in the future.

As far as running a match goes, QP has attended many gas gun matches but within a different series. Once that series was shut down and they began hosting their own matches, QP quickly became the name when it came to gas gun matches. They know how to properly run a match that is both challenging but realistic.

Follow Quantified Performance

Membership

“When the series we were competing in was eliminated, we began running our own matches. These matches combined with our members group have consistently exceeded our initial expectations. We are continuing to build the community and bringing more benefits to our members every week.”-QP

Bringing more benefits to members is what makes this company special. Joining their patreon tiers gives members access to consulting opportunities or if you want to just get started within the shooting community, educational tiers.

Also joining Patreon and following QP allows you, a shooter, to have first input on changes that are being made and show QP what you want as a competitor.

More info on their Patreon

The Range, Quantico Shooting Club

For the first time ever QP matches will now be held at the Quantico Shooting Club (QPS) in Quantico, Virginia. This range has the ability to shoot out to 1k and includes props on the range. Mind you, there has been Courses of Fire during QP matches that have gotten up to 1,000 yds so this is a great spot for the series.

Here is their Instagram and some other matches that they offer.

The Quantico Shooting Club is a Chapter 501C Non-Profit organization operating on Marine Corps Base Quantico. Club membership is open to active duty and retired service members, Department of Defense personel and their families as well as civilians in the surrounding community, with the aim to promote exemplary marksmanship among all eligible members and their guests. They teach small arms firing techniques and marksmanship training methods as well as encourage small arms competition among civilians, military organizations and DoD personnel. Pictured are some of the ranges used by the Club.

Divisions

From the official rule book

Chapter 2-Divisions
This match is divided into three Divisions: Open, Practical Precision, and General Purpose. All
shooters must declare the Division in which they will be competing prior to firing the first round
of the match. All divisions shoot the same course of fire on the same targets. Match Officials
may request at any point during a match that a competitor fire their rifle through chronograph.
If the projectile exceeds the Open Division 3,232 f/s speed limit (+32 f/s for environmental
factors and equipment discrepancies), the shooter will receive an automatic match DQ.

The following details govern each of the three divisions and categories:
2.1 Open Division. This division is intended to provide a competitive atmosphere for rifle systems that
are purpose-built for mid-to-long range competitive events.
2.1.1 Barrels in excess of 20.5 inches, as measured from the face of the closed bolt to the face of
the muzzle will automatically classify as “Open Division”. Suppressors, flash hiders, and brakes
DO NOT count toward the overall barrel length. There is no minimum barrel length requirement.
2.1.2 No limit to magazine capacity
2.1.3 May not exceed a caliber of .30 inches or a velocity of 3,200 ft/s. Violation of the caliber or
velocity limits will result in a match DQ.

2.2 Practical Precision Division. This division is intended to provide a competitive atmosphere for midto-long range rifles that are appropriate for real-world use, specifically service and department issued
rifle systems (and similar). Failing to meet the constraints of the division will result in the competitor
being moved to “Open Division”.
2.2.1 Barrels must be less than 20.5 inches, as measured from the face of the closed bolt to the
face of the muzzle. Suppressors, flash hiders, and brakes DO NOT count toward the overall
barrel length.
2.2.2 Magazine capacity is limited to 20 rounds.
2.2.3 Will not exceed a caliber of .30 inches or a velocity of 3,000 ft/s.

2.3 General Purpose Division. This division is intended to encompass practical rifles and carbines with
general purpose optics that are not purpose-built for a competitive edge in mid-to-long range
application. Failing to meet the constraints of the division will result in the competitor being moved to
“Practical Precision” or “Open” divisions, as applicable.
2.3.1 Barrels must be less than 18.5 inches, as measured from the face of the closed bolt to the
face of the muzzle. Suppressors, flash hiders, and brakes DO NOT count toward the overall
barrel length.
2.3.2 Available maximum magnification of 8.5x, per verified optical performance, or
manufacturer marking on optic, verified by manufacturer specification per model, whichever is
higher. Variable power optics with higher than 8.5x may be used with the provision that the
lowest power available is 1.5x or below. The addition of a secondary optic does not qualify as
meeting the 1.5x or below criteria.
2.3.2 No limit to magazine capacity.
2.3.3 Will not exceed a caliber of .30 inches or a velocity of 2,900 ft/s.

Rules

To see the official Rule book click Here. This includes full descriptions of skills stages and a personal letter to RO’s.

To sign up, Practiscore Link

https://quantifiedperformance.com/performance-improvements/match-prep-some-thoughts-on-how-to-move-up-the-in-the-standings/

The Benelli SuperNova – An Italian Kind of Shotgun

By

Travis Pike

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February 23, 2022

Remington and Mossberg rule the world regarding pump-action shotguns. Seriously, these beastly cannons have long ruled the pump shotgun market. However, neither gun has changed much in the decades since they were produced. Benelli might be known for their semi-auto shotguns, but the pump-action SuperNova deserves a look. Mossberg and Remington haven’t done much to change their old designs, but Benelli took the pump action to new levels.

The Benelli SuperNova implemented a variety of features we don’t see on those classic American pump actions. This includes a polymer receiver and trigger guard, a magazine disconnect on the pump, and the foresight to make the capacity easily expanded. I’m sad I waited this long to get my hands on a SuperNova and only did so because of a screaming good price.

Benelli is often synonymous with expensive. However, the SuperNova is a very affordable pump-action shotgun competitively priced with the same offerings from Mossberg and Remington. In fact, mine was priced a little lower than the 590 on the rack, so I grabbed it and decided to let’s see what a Benelli pump gun can do.

Inside and Outside of the SuperNova

There are a dozen different configurations of the SuperNova. I went with the tactical model with the standard field stock. It’s outfitted with the standard 18.5-inch barrel and four round magazine tube. A pair of ghost ring sights sit across the top of the receiver, and the overall length is 39.75 inches.

On the outside, it doesn’t look a whole lot different. It appears to be a pretty typical pump-action shotgun. Once you start handling the weapon, you see a few differences. For one, the loading and ejection chambers are huge. The SuperNova chambers 12 gauge shells up to 3.5 inches!

The receiver and trigger guard are polymer with an internal steel frame. The trigger guard is absolutely massive. Benelli made the Ghost Ring sights easily adjustable, and they can be very precise for slug use. A big button on the bottom of the pump allows you to eject a shell from the chamber without dragging one out of the magazine tube.

This makes slug select drills an absolute breeze, or for tactical use, you can swap from buck to breaching or to another specialized round.

The Ergonomics Of the SuperNova

This might be the first shotgun I know of with a reversible safety. It’s a nice little feature for lefties. The pump release sits in front of the trigger guard and allows you to activate it with either hand easily. The huge trigger guard will accommodate gloves for those stuck in states with real winter.

The SuperNova comes with a shim kit that allows you to easily adjust the height and cast of the stock. I found it perfect out of the box, but different sized shooters might want to make it easier to use the sights via these shims.

The shotgun’s fairly light, at least on average with most standard tactical guns, but lighter than most 3.5-inch guns. Additionally, the forend is super long and easy to grip regardless of your size. Benelli puts together impressive guns, and the SuperNova is no different.

Unfortunately, the 14 ⅜ inch length of pull makes the gun longer than necessary and a little less enjoyable to shoot.

Hitting the Range

Are you using 3.5-inch shells for home defense? It’s not likely, but Benelli built the gun to use them, and that offers you a few advantages for defensive or tactical use. First, 3.5-inch loads deliver some serious recoil, and Benelli built the SuperNova to be comfy. The stock uses Benelli’s Comfortech recoil reducing stock design to tame that recoil. You can also install an optional mercury weight to help reduce recoil.

Those huge ejection and loading ports make it a lot easier to load those short 2.75 inch shells. Topping off your tube or popping an emergency reload in the port is simple and quick. I might never need the 3.5-inch potential, but I love what it entails.

The SuperNova recoils mildly, at least compared to other pump-action shotguns, and delivers a smooth shooting experience. The pump-action glides rearward quickly, and the rotating bolt helps push the pump back. Cycling the action takes no time and effort and keeps things running fast and hard.

I fired two shots in under two seconds with buckshot onto the chest of a man-sized target. Laying down fast follow-up shots is fairly simple, especially for a pump-action shotgun.

Rotate It

That rotating bolt tosses those hulks out of the way with ease in a consistent manner. It’d be tough to get one stuck in the chamber with a bolt that applies two different forces to the ejection of the shell. Benelli’s SuperNova is super reliable, and even the cheapest buckshot I fired didn’t get hung up in the gun.

Those ghost ring sights make directing slugs easy. I didn’t fire many, but I sighted in with three at 50 yards and rang steel repeatedly. Ghost rings get touted for slug use a lot, but loads like Federal FliteControl benefit greatly from ghost ring sights as well. Those loads offer a longer effective range and benefit from adjustable ghost ring sights.

The SuperNova ghost ring sights are wide and open. You can get them up and on target easily and quickly. Speed matters in CQB, and these sights embrace speed as well as precision. If you don’t like the sights, the receiver is tapped and mounted for an optic rail.

Going Super

The SuperNova doesn’t offer you the same massive aftermarket as the Remington or Mossberg options, and sure you might need to be creative to get the proper accessories in place. However, there are a number of options to outfit the weapon with a light and magazine extension and even a stock option or two.

If you want something a little more modern in the pump gun world, the SuperNova has you covered.

Sauer Introduces 270th Anniversary Collection of Limited Edition Rifles

By

Keith Finch

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February 22, 2022

San Antonio, Texas (February 22, 2022) – Blaser Group is pleased to introduce J.P. Sauer and Sohn’s 270^th Anniversary Collection of rifles. Only 10 sets of this special limited-edition collection were made and only one set is available for sale here in the United States. The set includes four rifles – a Sauer 100, Sauer 101, and Sauer 404 all chambered in .270 caliber and a Sauer 303 in .308 caliber. Designed for timeless elegance, maximum precision and consistent quality with the most modern materials and technology available, these rifles feature beautiful wood stocks (grade 5 in the Sauer 100 and grade 7 in the S101, S303 and S404) and Sauer’s 270^th anniversary logo in black and gold on the custom grip cap featuring the “Wild Man with a Club”.

“These elegant and accurate Sauer rifles represent 270 years of craftsmanship from Germany’s oldest hunting rifle manufacturer, and they are rare with only 10 sets made for the entire world,” said Jason Evans, CEO of Blaser Group. “We are now offering set number three for sale here in the United States.”

For more information, visit sauer.de/en/270-years/anniversary-rifles/

About Blaser Group
The Blaser Group is the official U.S. importer for iconic German firearms brands Blaser, Mauser and J.P. Sauer; English gunmaker John Rigby & Co.; Minox optics and Liemke Thermal Optics. Established in 2006, the company which is based in San Antonio, Texas works with distributors, wholesalers, and over two hundred authorized Blaser Group dealers across all North American states, with this figure continually growing. Today the Blaser Group’s industry-leading product portfolio includes bolt-action, combination rifles and over-and-under shotguns designed specifically for game hunters and competitive target shooters. Its custom shop offers exclusive engravings, design work and custom finishing for bespoke guns. With recent innovations, Blaser Group has gone on to expand its product portfolio into cutting-edge optics and accessory lines. For more information about the company and product lines, visit: blaser-group.com.

Over-Prepared is Better Than Dead

By

Dr LateBloomer

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February 22, 2022

A news article I saw this weekend triggered all of my parental and pediatric horror and sorrow. I hadn’t seen the news when it actually happened back in August. The article was just an update. But I couldn’t “not” write about this once I knew about it.

The short version is that back in August a California family of mom, dad, 1 year-old baby and their dog went for a hike on a known marked trail in the Sierra National Forest. They never came home. Their bodies were found on the trail a mile and a half from their car. It was eventually determined that they died of dehydration and heat exposure.

I cannot imagine the horror of this family as they realized what was happening to them, and the anxiety of their families at home as they waited for news. The cell phone calls for help didn’t go through and help did not arrive. I am especially heartbroken about the baby. It is hard enough to grasp when grown adults make decisions that result in their own deaths. But a baby and even the dog …

I do not want to place blame on people who are not alive to defend or explain their actions, but this certainly seems as if a tragic lesson should be drawn for the rest of us. They were ”only” 1.5 miles from their car on a marked public trail. They took pictures along the way. And yet they are all dead.

It looks like the family started their fatal hike early in the morning when the temperatures at the trailhead were only in the 70’s. But by early afternoon that day it was reported that temperature on the south facing slope where their bodies were found was 107-109 degrees.

Reports back in October determined that the family died of dehydration and heat exposure. This article said that there was a back pack with an empty water bladder that could hold 85 ounces. Nobody knows if that bladder was full or not when they started out. But even if it was, that was only a little over 2.5 quarts of water for two adults, a baby, and a dog when temperatures ranged near 109 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s all so sad.

Contrast this tragic situation with a meme that went around the other year. I don’t know who this guy is, but it chapped me then, and it chaps me now. Apparently everyone on the internet thought it was funny but me.

Why the derision against being prepared? Sure, we all know “that guy” – the gear guy who always has more stuff than he seems to need. But why the snide remarks and the snap judgements about someone you don’t even know? How do you know that the guy with two hiking sticks doesn’t have a disability? Double knee replacements? Severe arthritis? We don’t. But it’s fun to laugh at him for having more gear than “we” think he needs. The thing is – “that guy” may well have survived the hike that this tragic family did not.

I don’t pretend to be an outdoor survival expert. (Hello I don’t even know how to use a compass yet, remember?) But I will claim to be an expert level worrier. If I am leaving the house for almost any reason the big three that cross my mind are: What if I get cold? What if I get hungry? and What if I get thirsty? Followed in no particular order by What if I have to pee? What if I break down? What if I have to walk? and What if the apocalypse breaks loose while I’m getting Chinese take-out? Thus I carry “stuff” in my car. Remember my piece about a get home bag awhile ago? I need to inspect and update that bag soon too.

But if the stuff you need is in your car and not on your person (Going for a hike for instance), then you can be SOL fast if you can’t get back to your car. That’s apparently what happened to this poor family. They didn’t have what they needed WITH them at the time.

The wide swings in temperature on this public hiking trail and the tragic outcome are a reminder that we all need to plan for the unexpected when outdoors. We need to do some research on an area before setting out. We also need to let go of what other people might think of our gear and preparation. The haters aren’t going to be there to help us out of a bad situation.

Weather

Know what the weather is usually like at ALL times of day where you are going. Know if the area is prone to sudden thunderstorms, freak blizzards or flash flooding. Know whether there is cell service or not. Have an alternate plan for getting help. Or maybe just don’t go that day if the weather could be iffy.

I bailed on a trip to the family property the other month because the temps were going to be in the single digits. I knew that with those temps the windchills would be below zero and the wind often blows hard up there. Why should I risk frostbite just to change some game cam batteries? That would be stupid. So I just didn’t go.

This applies to your daily commute as well. Don’t just assume that “someone” will have cleared the roads. Consider staying home. Have alternate routes in mind and carry food, water, and supplies in your car. There were hundreds of Virginia drivers last month who wished they had.

Water

While on an outing, carry more water than you think you will need. Most people walk around in daily life minimally hydrated as it is. If you then stress that system you quickly get failure in the form of dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and death. Sure, water is heavy. But that will give you more incentive to actually drink it to lighten your load. If you don’t have to pee, you aren’t drinking enough.

Terrain

Be aware of the terrain that you will be covering. Is there a steep slope near the end when you could be tired? The risk of injury is greater when we are fatigued, dehydrated, disoriented, or otherwise less alert. Is the whole return loop “uphill”? Be aware of how terrain will affect how much time it takes to complete your route and plan accordingly.

Are there cliffs or steep drop-offs on the map? How many people make the news because they fell to their deaths trying to take a selfie? Know ahead of time what you are going to encounter, watch your footing, and don’t be stupid. This is another reason I want to improve my map reading skills. I want to be more aware of elevation changes and potential danger BEFORE I go.

Know Your Limits

People tend to think that the outdoors is like a Disney theme park where the rides only “seem” scary, but you are protected at all times. I would like to remind those people that even at Disney a toddler was killed by an alligator at a lake beach a few years ago.

In addition to the theme park mentality, people tend to overestimate their own endurance and capabilities. But the natural world is not a video game. There are real dangers for the unaware, unprepared, or cavalier. There often seems to be a “swagger” when it comes to people in the outdoors. Everyone thinks they’re Jeremiah Johnson. No one wants to be the one who bails or says they are turning back. No one wants to be thought a “pussy”. But better to be thought pusillanimous than to be dead.

Discretion is still the better part of valor. Be prepared. Plan ahead. Stay alive.

Shameless SCAR 17 Plug It Shoots, Fast and Accurate

By

Keith Finch

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February 21, 2022

Josh and Henry at 9-Hole do a speed run with a SCAR 17 on their practical accuracy course. It takes them about a minute and a half to clear targets.

The rest of the video is the breakdown of the shooting itself. It’s 30 minutes of good discussion on on rifle, the ammo, the environment, and how everything involved blends together into a shot.

Why is this important?

Because shooting is a process.

A gun alone won’t make for tight groups and fast splits. Neither will a round, an optic, a trigger, or anything else. Building the whole gun into an effective system, one to aid you in your shot process, is the key combined building yourself into a shooter that can take advantage of that aided shot process.

We’ve seen what optics can do in a vacuum. The improvements to amatuer shooters’ scores and times are obvious and dramatic. Teaching the whole integrated system produces the best results.

That takes knowing your gun, and why you built it up the way you did. That takes knowing how to take advantage of the gear you put on your gun and knowing how to read the basics of your environment. All those combine into a swift and accurate shot process that lands rounds where you need them. Letting any element of those slip will result in slop, the more slop the less accuracy and speed.

“Grouping”

This post came about for two reasons. The first was my like of the video.

The second was an answer to an inquiry I answered out in the interwebz.

A shooter came wondering about their groupings in a Facebook group. But they weren’t set up for groupings. They weren’t set up to run a solid evaluation on groupings. They just put optic on target and squeezed the trigger (which, to be fair, is the system you’re building).

But they didn’t isolate for factors, they threw it all into the pot and sent it and then wanted to compare it to more isolated results. Apples to oranges comparison.

You know the type, you’ve seen them in comments and forums.

“Hey, I put a reflex optic onto a rifle and shot some sketchtastic ammo. My groups are kinda… meh… is that normal?”

Yes, that is exactly the equation you set the rifle up for. With a sketchy send it setup if you’re keeping it minute of target you’re doing alright. You have not isolated the accuracy factors to start judging various items as problematic, there are simply too many that could be the problem to say any one of them is the problem. They are probably all the problem with a less than stellar performance out of a rifle.

The rifle in question isn’t known for spectacular accuracy, but it is overly maligned for the wrong reasons too. People like to jump onto internet trending “common knowledge” instead of working to isolate factors and work within a system. Someone will show an 8-10″ group on a target with trash grade ammunition, a maxed brightness dot, and unable to break a shot off the rifle without jerking it, and blame the rifle.

They’ll contrast that with a different rifle, often that others shot better, under much better data collection conditions, and say one or the other system is superior or inferior. Apples to oranges comparisons.

Anyway, the long, the short, and the middle of it is that this video is a great explanation of all the environmental and shooter conditions that go into making a good system. It also creates an environment where it becomes easy to diagnose errors and thereby much easier to correct those errors. That is crucial state for building and refining a system, and knowing its role and limits.

East Coast Precision Gas Gun Series Options: The IWI Gas Gun Challenge 2022

By

Anna Martinez

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February 21, 2022

Located at the New Holland Pistol and Rifle Club (NHPRC) in Gap, Pennsylvania, the Isreal Weapon Industries (IWI) Gas Gun Challenge gives shooters the opportunity to shoot out to 700 yds with their gas gun off of props, modified prone, and some build your own position stages.

Sponsorship

With IWI being the title sponsor for this match series and a ton of other LARGE companies coming on to support this is looking to be a very successful year. Not only do sponsors allow the Match Director to have some added equipment to run their match well, but they also can help fill the prize table. This is a great place for newer shooters to have the oppourtunity to see or hopefully grab some equipment they need to be successful on their precision journey. Thank you to the sponsors listed below to help make the east coast matches a success.

Isreal Weapon Systems Title Sponsor, Magpul, Vortex, Timney, True North Concepts, Coltac, Warne, Kestrel, Keystone Munitions, Patriot Valley Arms

Note: This series used to be sponsored by Giessele so when searching you may see “Giessele Gas Gun Challenge” that is this match however those are previous years and now it is IWI Gas Gun Challenge 2022.

Credit New Holland Pistol and Rifle Club

The Rules and Classes

2022 IWI Gas Gun Series (OPEN/DMR/RECCE)

Entry Fee: $30.00

Shooter sign-in 8:00 am

Safety Brief 8:30 am

This Competition is designed for the AR or other Semi-Auto rifles.

Open Division (Sniper Class Rifle):

Open Division rifles will not exceed .30 caliber or velocity over 3,200 fps. No other restrictions in this class.

DMR Division (Designated Marksman Rifle):
Intended to allow competitors the opportunity to compete using traditional military and law enforcement gas guns in caliber .223/5.56 or .308/7.62×51. This promotes Active Duty military and law enforcement competitors use of their Service and Department issued rifles.

RECCE Division (Light Reconnaissance Rifle):
Intended to allow competitors the opportunity to compete using traditional military and law enforcement gas guns in caliber .223/5.56. This promotes Active Duty military and law enforcement competitors use of their Service and Department issued rifles.

The courses of fire range from 100 to 700 yards. The stages have restricted round counts and time limits. Stages may require pistols – this will be promoted prior to the match. The stages typically require safe movement, non-standard firing positions, moving targets and varying distances.

Targets are steel, moving and reactive.

Since this is a sponsored series, prizes are awarded at matches to shooters in each class, with expensive prizes awarded by raffle for attending shooters.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Robin Gilmore, Match Director – Robin@RobinGilmore.com

To see this information and match date list click here

Pistols

Pistol marksmanship does not grace the precision shooting platform very often so the fact that the IWI Gas Gun matches will throw pistol shooting in is huge. There won’t be a lot, and some details are still to be made public such as available points and such, however according to the rules “There are no restrictions on pistol or pistol sights as long as it is safe to operate”. So bring what you have and the ammo to shoot it. Also, there will be no drawing from the holster.

For specifics watch the IWI gas gun social media closer to individual matches.

New Shooters

The first match will be the Pro/Am which allows new shooters to experience the match and be coached by pros. It is a great way to begin. The match fees are only a 30 dollar entry fee and registration is open on the practiscore link as we speak. If the match is full, you can try emailing the Match Director or come as a Range Officer which is still a great way to see how to attack the match.

P.S. There may be some pistol stages which a lot of precision series don’t include currently.

To sign up click, Match Practiscore. For more information follow their Instagram and Facebook Page and Group.

Recent updates from the MD

“- Sign up for all the matches will be handled through Practicescore. The link is in our Bio and we will post the link when each monthly matches opens.
– Round count is roughly 100 rifle and 25 pistol +/- 10%. Clearly bring more, but for planning purposes this what you’ll need.
-Shooter brief at 8 am, hot at 9am
We go cold for 1 hour during lunch. At which time pizza and water/soda are brought in for you as the shooter. We schedule this time into the match because we feel building a strong community is key to ensuring our freedoms in this country, state, and city. During this time we encourage you to build camaraderie with others, discuss techniques and gear, and get ready for the second half of the match. Also keep in mind many of our sponsors are there both to shoot and speak with you directly.
– This is a BRAGGING RIGHTS MATCH/Series with some prizes.
– The series consist of 7 total matches with a finale which is the 7th match. – To qualify for the series the shooter must shoot a minimum of 3 matches along with RO’ing one match. Giving back to the sport is just as if not more important than participating. Without the volunteers no shooting sport could make it happen. – Clearly you can shoot all 6 matches and RO one. At which point we would take your highest 3 scores. – Shooters may elect to not participate in the series and just shoot all 7 matches. These shooters just will not qualify for the series. However you might regret that one as there are some solid prizes dedicated to the series prize table.
– Trophies will be awarded to those who are in the series and EARN them
– As stated above shooters from our amazing sponsors may be there. Use this time as an advantage to discuss gear or maybe improvements you can see.
– Keystone Munitions (thanks Jeremy and team) will be on site as well. They will have product onsite for you as competitors at a discount. Please keep in mind they are also shooters so respect them while the match is live.
– Loaner rifles are being built. IWI Zions 5.56, Timney Triggers, Vortex Optics 5-25 MIL, and Keystone Munitions. Rifles will be zeroed at 100 yards and a data card will be provided for that rifle. There are only a handful of these rifles so first come first serve. They are NEW shooters who want to come out and see what this match and shooting discipline all about. You will still pay for the match, but there is no extra charge for using these rifles. You only get this one time. After that it’s on you the shooter to purchase the products and come out.”

Happy shooting gas gunners! Show what those cartridges and gas guns are capable of.

A Gang Shootout and Lessons Learned

By

Travis Pike

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February 21, 2022

Recently a video captured by CCTV in Puerto Rico showed a brutal gang shootout. I warn you against watching because it’s quite graphic. The parties involved seem to all be involved in the ‘life,’ and according to most reports, it was criminals shooting criminals. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t be a learning experience for the defensive-minded civilian. These men found themselves ambushed, and the tactics they used to fight back were appalling.

Let’s use this as a learning experience in what not to do to survive an ambush. The first lesson we can learn is that criminals don’t follow gun laws! Surprisingly, the criminals, in this case, used machine guns. They use what appeared to be modified Glocks, but not Glock 80 percent kits, and potentially an AK pistol of some type modified to automatic fire. However, we all knew that going into this article, so let’s focus on the defensive lessons learned from this gang shootout.

The Gang Shootout and Lessons Learned

Don’t Be a Criminal

When you break down gun violence statistics in the United States, it’s actually statistically rare to be the victim of a shooting if you are not a criminal. Criminals tend to get in shootouts more than the normal public, and unsurprisingly tend to get shot more often. Don’t be a criminal is the first lesson learned from this gang shootout.

More so than that, don’t be in stupid places, at stupid times, with stupid people. This occurred at a birthday party, and there were likely plenty of civilians on the scene. We see one older guy barely survive the event. Even if you aren’t a criminal, it’s wise to avoid criminal gatherings and criminals in general. As we saw, the shooters in this scenario weren’t surgical shooters. They sprayed and prayed, and even when you aren’t a target, you could easily be collateral damage.

Get Out of the Kill Zone

Once the ambush pops off, we see guys go down wounded and stay in the kill zone. We see an unwounded gang member stay in the kill zone and engage the threat as it seemingly leaves. Fighting through an ambush is one way to do it, but you should never stay in the kill zone. Get out of the kill zone and behind cover.

Escape the situation as soon as possible unless you have machine guns, grenade launchers, and a supporting squad. This gang shootout had none of that. They had men dying in an alley and trying to fight when they should’ve been focused on evacing.

The one gang member who wasn’t taken out in the initial ambush pursues the attackers who are leaving in a vehicle. He fires his handgun haphazardly, and out of nowhere, another vehicle opens fire. He didn’t have a full grip on the situation and charged into a gunfire tornado.

Use Cover

The lone, uninjured gang member eventually retreated under fire but didn’t evacuate the kill zone. Instead, he fired back, trying to hide behind the thin skin of a car. He seemed to think it would be cover, but he stands behind the thin-skinned design.

The only portion of cover the car would provide is the engine block. He remains behind the thin panel portions of the vehicles and pays for it when he gets hit and collapses to the ground. As the gang shootout continues, we see some of the guys on the ground keep shooting, but they seem to have no effect on the enemy and remain out of cover and in the kill zone.

If you have to engage and can’t escape, then use cover that stops bullets. A car’s engine block can do that. Make sure you stick behind cover as much as possible and make yourself a teeny tiny target.

Aim Your Firearm (Drop the beer)

During the gang shootout, one of the members engaging doesn’t seem to aim. He does the classic homie hold, tilting his gun sideways and using one hand to fire. He’s carrying a beer and doesn’t seem to prioritize dropping it. If he had, he could assume a two-handed hold and actually aim.

If he aimed during the gang shootout, he might have had some effect on the threat.

Don’t Play Dead

At the end of the gang shootout, the ambushers close the distances and fire dozens of rounds into the bodies of their opponents. They fire bursts of full-auto fire into the bodies. Some of these guys seemed to be playing dead, and guess what? It doesn’t work. Always try to escape and fight. Playing dead isn’t a tactic that should be considered until all other avenues have been sealed off. If they come to clean up and push through their objective, you need to act in a way to deal with that.

Bam, Boom, Pew

The video is brutal, violent, not safe for work, and not safe for life, to be honest. However, it might be worth watching from an educational perspective, although if you’re squeamish, stay away. Education can come from a number of avenues, even if they’re from less than savory lifestyles.

Train Your Brain: The Defensive Mindset

By

Taylor Kauffman

-

February 21, 2022

We have all heard the tough guy phrases. “I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.” “Don’t tread on me.” “I’ll be your huckleberry.” While I find some comedy in most of these phrases, I also find concern. Most people don’t give the act of lethal force more thought than it takes to say these “cool guy” cliches. As responsible gun owners, this is a mentality we need to change.

After the birth of my first child, I had a significant shift in perspective when it comes to self defense and defense of others. I decided that in order to be successful in a self defense encounter I would need to develop parameters, or define the things that would bring me to use lethal force. Essentially, thought about what acts would bring me to actually pull the trigger.

The Good Samaritan

As Americans, we have built quite the reputation for defending the defenseless. We have sent soldiers to fight tyrants and dictators thousands of miles from home because we are tough enough to stop them. We stop criminals during robberies and mass causality events because we can.

But should you?

This is a question we each need to ask ourselves. When push comes to shove, is risking an end to your own life worth it? Your kids growing up parentless, your spouse in the breadline?

On Killing

A book I read recently regarding lethal self defense was “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning To Kill In War And Society” by Lt. Col Dave Grossman. This book discusses many things from, as the name would suggest, the psychology of killing to the different methods we have conditioned ourselves to be capable of committing acts of extreme violence.

One topic the author brought forth in this book was the inherent resistance humans have to killing their own species. While we have hunted and fished species to extinction, humans don’t like to kill one other. We are adverse to it in a way other species casually accept as normal.

So can you? Have you really thought about the act of defending yourself even if it means someone else dies? Have you thought about what your mother and father, sister and brother, and spouse and children will think of you?

Methods to Madness

While it may seem like I am discouraging you against enacting your God-given rights to self defense, it is actually the opposite. I encourage every man and woman to do everything in their power to not be a victim. We simply need to take the proper steps to ensure it.

We, as individual responsible citizens, should be sitting down and thinking about these things. We need to develop boundaries that nobody can cross. We need to develop a plan of what to do if/when someone crosses them. We need to scrutinize our plan until it’s as flawless as we can make it.

We need to talk to our loved ones. We need to talk to our friends. We need to see where they stand on the topic of lethal force to better understand where we will stand in the aftermath. We do not live in a social vacuum so we must plan like it.

We need to visualize ourselves in these potentially deadly situations. Go through each motion we intend on making. Find our own weaknesses so that others don’t exploit them.

And then we need to practice until we can’t get it wrong.

Gunday Brunch 40: Keep them Gun Legs Runnin’

By

David R

-

February 20, 2022

Alright so in this video we do talk about the settlement that the now defunct Remington Outdoor Company’s insurance carriers agreed to with the Sandy Hook family, but then it goes ENTIRELY off the rails and we talk about our favorite gun industry advertiser and their unhinged series of ads that can only be referred to as the EAA Gun Legs

5 Things to Know About Weapon Mounted Lights

By

Keith Finch

-

February 18, 2022

I think there are more than 5, folks. People like numbers and lists. Its the science of reading and media consumption. But now that you’re here, let’s talk about weapon mounted lights.

Are they necessary? What should you look for in one? What do all those damnable looms and candles (lumens and candela) mean?

Do you need a weapon mounted light?

Yes*

*For any firearm used in the home protection role.

A weapon mounted light is a crucial piece of gear in one critical individual role, home protection. We can debate the merits and necessity of one on a concealed carry gun based on environmental factors, but the home protection environment unequivocally calls for a light.

That WML is the single most critical thing you can add to that firearm to assure that it can do what you need it to do. It is more important than deciding on an optic, sling (where applicable), suppression, new sights, all of it. The light gets added first for home defense?

Why?

Indoors is always a light reduced environment, light tends to be temporary and artificially provided. In order to identify and separate threats and non-threats, an on demand light source needs to be at hand. If the sun is out and there’s plenty of windows, you’re good. If you’re at a spot near a light switch for the room you’re searching, you’re also good. But if neither of those environmentally dependent conveniences are at hand, you need to bring your own light source with you.

At home I assume I will be away from control of a light source. I am more likely to be inside a given room, and therefore not near the switches which tend to be at the entrance, and I am also likely to need it in darker conditions rather than daylight. Darkness because of shade on my property, the room location, or the time of day.

Having the light gives me all the options, not having the light limits them.

Whose light do I get?

Streamlight. Surefire. Modlight. Cloud Defensive.

Supporting and compatible/interchangeable accessories from Arisaka and, my favorite, Reptilia.

“But what about…”

I cannot recommend any others at this point. Nightstick is looking promising on the limited information I have, but a new light company seems to invade my ad algorithm every 3-5 days claiming they are the best. Bold claims, overwhelmingly unfounded.

Those four brands ride on serious work guns, carried by serious people, who’ve put serious hours into making sure these lights did what they needed them to do. These were not merely ‘checking the box’ from a sales rep telling a supply section/armorer/chief they needed this item.

Which one?

Depends.

If it is for a pistol, you get the pistol light. If you need it to fit a holster you pick the pistol light that fits the holster you need.

Long guns grant you more options and more selective control. For interior I still want to focus on lights that do interior illumination well first. Distance is a happy bonus, but I need to light up a room before my light needs to allow me to see 300 yards.

The same logic goes for long distance infrared and other NVG specialty items. Cool, and if you’ve got a system awesome, I’ll throw on tubes and play with lasers at any invitation to do so. But my light needs to cover the gun’s main job first.

My home defense guns are white light rigs. Far simpler to use. Far simpler to explain in a courtroom too, should that become necessary.

Momentary or Constant On?

Simple.

If I can have it, I want both.

A momentary light’s greatest weakness is recoil, the user is likely to bounce off a control if it isn’t placed properly. There are also several situations and tasks where one might want light on for a longer period of time, a constant on option makes that easier and less fatiguing.

“What about stro…?”

No.

Strobe is dumb.

I cannot fathom why people keep asking for their tactical lights to have a built in rave mode. This isn’t a survival light where you’re looking to use it to draw the eyes of people to you, it is for you to search and positively ID. Those two tasks are accomplished best with an uninterrupted stream of information to your eyeballs. No fast, continuous changes in light levels. No rave mode.

Which Switch?

This is more a long gun topic than a handgun one. There are a few options on handgun lights, like Phlster’s ARC, but for the most part you have the original native switch option and it will fit what you need. It is part of the reason you picked that pistol light, the native switch is what you wanted.

For long guns you’re looking at a greater variety of options.

Click-Cap

Strengths:

Offers the best environmental seal and durability
Simple and small
Momentary and constant on
It is clicky – for those fidgety types

Limitations:

Light must be placed near the support hand for control
Not easily used off-hand, non-ambidextrous

Tape Switch, Momentary

Strengths:

Offers options for light/control offset, allowing for much greater flexibility in placing the light
Easy to place controls accessible to either hand, ambidextrous/off-hand friendly

Limitations:

Momentary only, must keep pressure on the switch to keep the light on
- Recoil may cause light interruption
- Long duration illumination likely to cause hand fatigue
Environmentally more vulnerable
- Tape switches make lights more susceptible to moisture than a more completely sealed system
- Cords are vulnerable to snagging, being pulled off/out, and breaking against gear or an environmental hazard

Tape Switch, Momentary and Constant On

Strengths:

Offers options for light/control offset, allowing for much greater flexibility in placing the light
Easy to place accessible to either hand, ambidextrous/off-hand friendly
Is also clicky, ambidextrously

Limitations:

Environmentally more vulnerable
- Tape switches make lights more susceptible to moisture than a more sealed system offered by the cap
- Cords are vulnerable to snagging, being pulled off/out, and breaking against gear or an environmental hazard

Tape Switch plus Click Cap

Modlite, Surefire, and Cloud Defensive parts all playing nicely together. Luminescent Harmony!

Strengths:

Offers momentary and constant on at the light, and the flexible control additions of the chosen tape switch
Easy to place accessible to either hand, ambidextrous/off-hand friendly
Potentially double the clicky

Limitations:

Still environmentally more vulnerable, but less so if the tape switch fails and the cap will still function the light
To use the cap control, light placement may be more limited or activation of the light may be more complicated depending upon placement

The Lumen Wars, Redux

I’ll state openly that opinions on this vary. How bright is bright enough and it there a ‘too bright’ you should avoid for home defense?

300/5000 is my minimum spec on a defensive light, Lumens/Candela. That is the spec on the Streamlight TLR-VIR II, which was built as the MHS handgun light.

The throw is what you’re going to be concerning yourself with in home protection. Does it light up the room so you can see and search? Lumens, whether 750, or 1200, or whatever, aren’t going to be as useful to you as having a beam pattern that helps you see corners faster and break into the shadows. An 800 lumen light that lets you assess corners swiftly is more useful to you here than a 1500 lumen light with a superb hotspot but poor spill that won’t hit corners.

My personal 3 favorite lights for interiors are the M600DF from Surefire, the PLHv2 from Modlite, and the X300U from Surefire.

They have the beam patterns and brightness I want for searching. I like the Surefire’s for dedicated house guns and I like the Modlite for when I want some distance included too. Dedicated distance lights are another discussion, but the answer (at least one of them) is Modlite OKW.

Is there a ‘too bright’ light? We can hypothetically chase our tails on this one by talking about bright surfaces and mirrors, or accept the fact that you probably know where your own mirrors are. Or even that you aren’t instantly comically blinded by hitting a bright wall with a light.

There are lights that aren’t suited to indoor use, but that is mostly due to their throw design and not their ‘brightness’. The throw is designed for distance. It focuses a tight hot spot to reach out, not to spill and search a wide arc.

So…

So pick yourself a light.

Mount it right.

Then take a nighttime, white light shooting course.

The GS Extreme 2.0 Earbuds – Self Defense Buds

By

Travis Pike

-

February 18, 2022

I’ve always been more of an ear-muffs kind of guy at the range. Earbuds always tended to fall out, or I’d lose them, or the sound quality sucked. The guys at Axil asked me to give their latest GS Extreme 2.0 earbuds a try, and I agreed, not approaching them with much confidence. After a few weeks of use, I’m quite impressed with their performance, and they’ve become more than my first choice for use at the range.

Basics and Breakdown of the GS Extreme 2.0

These are electronic earbuds that provide you with three different products in one. First, they are noise isolation headphones that can effectively reduce loud noises by 29dBs when used as directed, and with foam tips, you get 19 dB of noise reduction With or without battery power. While these things are electronic, they don’t need battery power to effectively provide hearing protection.

With battery power, you do get a few more features, well, a buttload more. Like electronic ear muffs, you get hearing enhancement. The hearing enhancement shuts off when a noise reaches 85dB and blocks all noise in fractions of a second. The GS Extreme 2.0 earbuds also act as wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Those two features can even work independently of each other as well. I mean completely independently. I can shut off the enhancement or Bluetooth and use one without the other. That’s why I’m calling these my self-defense earbuds.

Self-Defense Earbuds?

I like to work out. Part of that is running and rucking. My son aims to join the middle school basketball team, so we’ve been running daily. I love listening to music while I work out, but I hate losing my situational awareness. While the GS Extreme 2.0 Earbuds are meant for the range, they work damn well for a run.

The noise enhancement allows me to maintain my situational awareness and the Bluetooth design allows Biggie and Cradle of Filth to serenade me on my run. I can adjust the volume of the music independently from the volume of my hearing enhancement. My head stays on a swivel, and I can run fast and far. Well, I can do one or the other.

Headphones and earbuds made for shooting are super well known for having a high degree of audio quality. However, the GS Extreme 2.0 earbuds do something different, a lot different. The Bluetooth sound quality is off the charts good. They aren’t a compromise in sound quality by any means.

I can hear Ghostface Killah perfectly. The external sound that’s enhanced isn’t as crisp, but it’s clear, and I can have conversations without issue, and hear vehicles approaching, animals in the brush, or a potential threat approaching.

Battery life is 8 hours when using a combination of hearing enhancement and audio. It’s nine hours when using audio-only and 25 hours using hearing enhancement only. Recharging is easy, and you plug it into a USB cord and let it rip.

At the Range

Yeah, they let me play music provide me with great situational awareness, but how do they function at their intended purpose? Do the GS Extreme 2.0 headphones protect your ears from the loud and frequent gunfire? Yep, they sure as heck do. Handguns, rifles, shotguns, and even rifle caliber pistols don’t offer much resistance to the GS Extreme 2.0 earbuds.

The main test for these would be the famed Draco, and under the intensity of a short-barreled 7.62×39, they preserved. Meaning my ears weren’t ringing or even discomforted as I lit off some 7.62 from that fireball breathing barrel.

I never felt half concussed due to gunfire, even with multiple shooters and muzzle brakes occupying the line. I appreciated that when it came to rifles and shotguns, my face could obtain a good cheek weld while I shoot. Muff can’t provide that same level of comfort when shoulders a long gun.

The GS Extreme 2.0 headphones also offered the ability to tailor and bend the end pieces to fit you. One size fits all shouldn’t apply to your head, and hear it doesn’t. The stiff rubber pieces allow me to conform the headphones to my ears. This ensures they remain comfy and, more importantly, in place. I hate when I have to constantly adjust my earbuds, and with these, I don’t have that issue.

Controlling Chaos

Each side features a little control hub. These allow you to adjust the Bluetooth or hearing enhancement on the fly. You can do so without looking, and I think the use of two hubs is absolutely a good idea. I couldn’t imagine shoving this many controls onto one hub or trying to make a mess of long and short presses to control the device.

Adjusting the volume or turning either on or off doesn’t require you to remove the headphones, and you can navigate the buttons by feel alone. This tops off an already great set of earbuds. The fact is they are a multi-use tool, at least to me. I take them to the range, I take them on runs, and I even take them on planes to listen to music, podcasts, and the like.

Axil’s made a comfy, well-made, easy to use, and protective set of earbuds that you can check out right here.

The P365 now in .380 ACP!

By

Keith Finch

-

February 17, 2022

One of the most popular high capacity micros is now available in the more gentle recoil .380 ACP. While 9mm is considered the standard for defensive firearms, data continues to show that putting bullets where they need to be put out of concealed pistol is your make or break factor. If the 9mm in the small frame of the P365 jumped and bucked too much for a user but the frame itself was comfortable, there’s a well established additional option.

.380 ACP, also called 9mm Kurz or 9mm Short, cuts 2mm of case length and some projectile mass off of the standard 9×19. It was a favored European police pistol round in the 1920’s and 30’s and maintained a strong following into the 21st century when it came to chambering concealment pistols.

It fell a out of favor when 9mm micros got big and it has always cost a little more, but the benefits of the lighter recoiling cartridge in small frames remains. The S&W .380EZ is extremely popular and I suspect the P365 in .380 is going to have its own comfortable niche because, more than anything, it will be a comfortable firearm to shoot and carry.

NEWINGTON, N.H., (February 17, 2022) – SIG SAUER is pleased to bring a new caliber to the award winning P365 series of pistols. The long awaited P365 chambered in 380 is finally here – creating a new, softer shooting experience for an easier handling micro-compact option for everyday carry.

“The SIG SAUER P365 is the most popular concealed carry pistol on the market today. We have shipped millions of these pistols and until now it has only been available in one caliber,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. “The P365-380 uses the same grip module and fire control unit as the legacy P365 with a lightened slide, a 380 barrel, and a lighter recoil spring making it easier to rack for an overall exceptionally smooth handling experience. This pistol was designed for everyone but is an ideal option for shooters with smaller hands, as well as those who find the manipulation and recoil management of larger caliber pistols challenging.”

The SIG SAUER P365-380 is a striker fired pistol chambered in 380 with a 10+1 capacity. This micro-compact pistol features a modular polymer grip module, optic-ready stainless-steel slide with Nitron finish, a curved striker trigger, and dovetail SIGLITE night sights. The P365-380 is also available with a manual safety and ships with (2) ten-round magazines.

P365-380:

Caliber: 380 AUTO

Overall length: 5.8 inches

Overall height: 4.2 inches

Overall width: 1.0 inches (1.1 inches w/manual safety)

Barrel length: 3.1 inches

Sight Radius: 4.9 inches

Weight (w/magazine): 15.7 oz.

The SIG SAUER P365-380 is now shipping and available at retailers. To learn more about the P365-380 or watch the product video with Phil Strader, Director, Product Management visit sigsauer.com.

Dickies for Women

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

February 17, 2022

Are you a mature or “plus size” woman who struggles to find jeans/pants that suit her needs? I am, or I “was”.

But I have found a brand with consistent sizing and features that I appreciate. You may not think of this brand when contemplating women’s fashion. But that’s just it – I’m after function, not fashion. That brand is Dickies.

Most people think of Dickies as a men’s blue collar brand. That is partially true since the company has been manufacturing workwear since 1918 and is even bigger than Carhart. But while it’s true that Dickies makes a lot of work wear, the type of work may range from outdoor farm and mechanical work, to hospital/healthcare scrubs, to even casual office wear, and their line is not men-only.

I first found Dickies at SHOT show several years ago when I decided to try out their women’s line of tactical pants for shooting matches. Unfortunately that line no longer exists. Dickies was taken over by VF Corp in 2017, not too long after I wrote that blog post, and they made some changes. Despite the changes however, I continue to be pleased with the fit of Dickies line for women.

Since it can be difficult for we women to find jeans and outdoor wear – especially those of us who have a bit more “real estate” in our bodily portfolios – I decided to write about Dickies again and give them a little more plus-size love.

In years past I had to shop in-person for jeans because the fit was so variable from brand to brand, and even within a brand. But the pandemic being what it was, I basically stopped clothes -shopping in person for two years. When I found myself in need of some new pants this year I wanted to order online and decided to see if Dickies still fit me as well as the tac pants I got a few years ago. The short answer is yes – yes they do. Their 18W still fits me like it did in 2016.

I now own two pairs of Dickies camo jeans, three pairs of regular jeans, and two pairs of khakis for work. These were not provided to me for product endorsement, I bought them for myself with my own cash. I just really, really like them. Allow me to go over the points about these pants that make me happiest.

Size range

The first thing I like is what I mentioned above – the size range. Now, obviously what is “currently available” is going to vary depending upon the season the of the year and what they have in stock. But when I have shopped online I saw women’s plus sizes from 16W to 24W. That’s better than I have seen in some other brands, and that alone makes me repeat customer.

Real pockets

Raise your hand if you are a woman who actually USES her pants pockets. Yeah, me too. I stopped carrying a purse decades ago. My wallet goes in my front pocket with a chapstick, my keys hang on a carabiner from a belt loop, and a cloth hanky goes in the back pocket. Companies who put microscopic/vestigial pockets in their clothing for women should be boiled in their own pudding, IMO.

These Dickies jeans do not suffer from such shortsightedness. I have largeish hands for a woman, and I can easily get down inside my front pockets.

Butt coverage

Pants companies seem to forget where plus size women often carry their Plus-i-tude. Adequate rear coverage is essential, especially for camo pants. I do NOT want to be sitting in a blind and feeling the frost where the sun don’t shine. If I try on pants (especially outdoor wear) I always do a deep knee bend first. If that maneuver causes me to feel a draft in the caboose, the pants go right back on the rack. These Dickies passed that test too. And no, I’m not going to show you a photo.

Flexible fabrics

Related to the above, flexible fabrics go a long way to making sure I can crouch down in the weeds, scramble over logs, and otherwise perform the duties that I am outdoors for in the first place. And besides the outdoors, as a pediatrician I often need my khakis to allow me to crouch down to knee level or even kneel on the floor to examine a recalcitrant toddler. I am limited enough by the performance of my own joints, I do not want to have my motion further limited by my gear. Stretch fabrics for the win.

Camo option

And here we come to the cherry on the top of this Dickies Sundae. I was recently delighted to find that they offer a camo cargo pant option in womens plus sizes. Now, this is not a licensed camo pattern for those who are unnaturally attached to their Mossy Oak bedsheets and underwear and who don’t mind paying extra for the licensing. But it is camo enough for my needs. I am old, fat, and arthritic enough that the game can hear me coming if I am on a stalk – they don’t need to see me to bust me. It doesn’t matter what camo pattern I’m wearing. I mostly sit in a blind in the dark – thus wearing camo only because I feel I’m somehow obligated to. If you hunt turkey, ducks, etc, your mileage may vary, but for squirrels and dove and such this ought to be fine. I would rather wear a no-name pattern that actually fits me than a name brand that doesn’t even cover my caboose. Heck, my grandfather hunted in red and black plaid.

This model of cargo pants is made of the flexible fabric I mentioned above, is a “relaxed fit”, and has side cargo pockets and flaps over the back packets. Plenty of space to stick my beef jerky and homemade fruit leather snacks in case I get hungry while I’m checking my game cams.

So there you have it – the reasons I spend my money with this company. If you already have a favorite fit and brand loyalty you like, great. But if you are still searching, you may want to check out Dickies for women.

Review: Springfield Saint Pistol

By

V. Caldwell

-

February 17, 2022

As a writer and reviewer I try to give every firearm a fair shake. Some are not right for me, but may fit the best choice for others. I have not been enthusiastic concerning the AR-15 pistol. I prefer a rifle for accuracy, hit potential, and wound ballistics. Just the same the AR pistol is a viable firearm for several circumstances.

My question was just how good is the AR pistol and should I adopt it? Perhaps my opinion is worth weighing against those with more experience. My outlook is fresh. I am not young and could the AR-15 pistol convince me to put aside, as an example, my trusted 12 gauge autoloading shotgun for home defense? Or does lighter weight and easy handling make it a better choice than the Springfield Saint rifle?

I have considerable experience with the Springfield Saint 5.56mm rifle and also the Springfield Victor .308 rifle. Each exhibits high quality and have been quite accurate. The Springfield Saint pistol is well made and exhibits excellent workmanship.

The Saint is delivered in a soft case with a 30 round Magpul magazine. The pistol is also delivered with a stabilizing brace. This is a good deal all around as arm braces are quite expensive for quality examples. The SB Tactical brand is as good as it gets in an arm brace.

The 10.5 inch barrel AR pistols are common but the Springfield Saint pistol is supplied with a Melonite coated 7.5 inch barrel. Barrel twist is one turn in seven inches. The bolt carrier is properly fitted with well staked gas keys and is also Melonite coated.

The trigger is coated in Nickle Boron. The trigger is ok for a factory AR-15 trigger, mil-spec weight. Trigger compression is 7.0 pounds from the factory. All controls are crisp and solid.

The grip fits most hands well and the handguard offers a good grip. An interesting addition is a blast diverter extending some 1.25 inches from the handguard. AR-15 pistols have a lot of blast from the short barrel, lots of powder expecting more barrel to burn within. I did not have another pistol to compare this one to, but the blast diverter seems effective. Just the blast is stout, particularly in an indoor range.

When considering handling the AR pistol you have to consider its factory attributes to use it quickly and decisively, likely at short range. In order to upgrade the pistol’s performance I added a few upgrades. One is the Magpul bolt release. Sure I could get by without it but this little device makes speed loading much more certain – and a bit faster. I also upgraded the trigger. The Patriot Ordnance Factory flats trigger offers a crisp 4.5lb trigger action. This is a superlative trigger with a solid reputation. I added anti-walk pins – probably not needed but never a bad idea in my opinion.

The Springfield Saint pistol demanded a viable red dot sight. The Vortex Strikefire isn’t the most expensive optic but not the cheapest either. It is in a spot where most of us may afford a credible and effective red dot.

I like the wide range of brightness settings. An important point is that range work and the best settings wont be the best settings for home defense. Don’t have the red dot set so bright that it washes out the threat and you cannot see the threat clearly. The Venom is compact enough and offers good adjustment. Either a red dot or a green dot setting may be used. Battery life is excellent. Windage and elevation is easily set. Mounting is simple enough, mount the red dot sight on the rails, press forward and down, and tighten it up.

The Springfield Saint with Vortex optic and P.O.F. trigger is a very nice shooting set up.

Beginning at low ready and firing rapidly at man sized targets at 10, 15, and 25 yards the pistol comes on target quickly and offers excellent hit probability. The trigger’s crisp compression and rapid reset is a big plus. Firing with both eyes open and looking through the red dot sight I simply ate the targets up. Head shoots are easy- aim, compress the trigger, and you have a hit. Hit potential is high. I have a good amount of AR-15 rifle experience and this transferred well to the Springfield Saint. This is quite simply a formidable combination. I also added a Vortex magnifier. This magnifier is designed to offer magnification to the red dot at longer range. With zero magnification and a wide field of view the red dot sight is ideal for fast combat shooting with both eyes open. The Magnifier is probably the one option I did not need. It would be necessary for engaging targets much past 50 yards and certainly past 75 yards for most shooters.

After considerable firing, practice, and thought, I believe the AR-15 pistol is superior to the AR-15 rifle for home defense and for use in close quarters. The AR-15 pistol is an easy piece to use well. Ammunition performance is good for home defense. The likelihood of overpenetration with the 5.56mm cartridge is slim. The key to limiting over penetration is of course hitting the target.

I have always enjoyed excellent results with Black Hills Ammunition. I used several loads during this test program. Accuracy is good to excellent. As an example – and while it is sometimes a struggle to properly bench rest an AR-15 pistol- I have fired several 1.5 inch three shot 50 yard groups. Ammunition performance is concerning. As an example the Black Hills 60 grain JSP breaks 2104 fps from the Springfield Saint’s 7.5 inch barrel. This is nearly 750 fps less than the 16 inch barrel carbine. This severely limits the pistol’s lethality at ranges of 50 yards or more. Just the same- for close quarters use the AR-15 pistol seems viable. Will it replace my AR-15 rifle or my shotguns? No but this is certainly a front line firearm in my scheme of things.

Springfield Armory SAINT Pistol Specifications

Action: Semi-Auto, Direct-Impingement Gas System
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
Overall Length: 26.5″
Barrel Length: 7.5″
Weight: 5 lbs., 8 oz.
Magazine Capacity: 30 rounds
Sights: Top Picatinny Rail allows optical sight and iron sights.

The FN 509 LS Edge – A Corn Fed 509

By

Travis Pike

-

February 17, 2022

FN’s handguns are criminally underrated. FN produced what’s largely accepted to be the first optic’s ready factory handgun. The FNX and FNS were great little guns that never got the appreciation they deserved. However, that changed with the FN 509. FN threw their full force behind the gun and have produced a number of variants, including the typical size variations, as well as a tactical model, and now we got the big one, the FN 509 LS Edge.

The LS Edge Is a Big Boy

This gun takes things to 11 size-wise. The LS Edge extends the barrel length to five inches and the overall length to 8.2 inches with a weight of 31 ounces. The LS Edge ain’t no little tike and is intended for the home defense, military, and competitive market. Is it concealable? Not easily, but anything is concealable with the right holster, belt, and garment. The LS Edge slides into the Phlster Floodlight without issue.

A long slide does a lot for you. Sure, it eeks out a little extra velocity, but more importantly, it provides a longer sight radius, which measures out to 6.7 inches. Plus, more barrel and more slide can help enhance control.

The full-length grip and suppressor height sights grant the gun a 5.9-inch height overall. Since it’s not afraid to be big, the grip width is 1.35 inches.

If you’re unfamiliar with the FN 509 series of pistols, let’s break that down. The 509 series started life as an entry into the Army’s modular handgun contest. Like most entries, it was a polymer frame striker-fired, 9mm pistol that utilizes a double-stack magazine. Pretty standard, and the weapon performed well enough that Brinks adopted the pistol, and recently so did the LAPD.

Features Galore

FN created the LS Edge to be the top-of-the-line 509 series pistol. They took a 509 and gave it a custom shop-style workover that results in a fantastic firearm that’s chock full of features. First, it’s optic ready, and I mean truly optics ready. FN installed a system that allows the user to utilize dang near any optic they want, from Vortex to Trijicon. On top of that, the LS Edge wears suppressor height sights from the factory.

The front sight is super thin, with a high visibility green insert. The rear sight is blacked out, and the two contrast off each other well.

The optic’s plate contains a pair of wings that do two things. They protect the tall rear sight and offer a platform to cock the weapon off of belts, tables, or whatever else makes you feel like John Wick. The slide sports eight lightening cuts to reduce weight and improve balance.

The frame rocks the typical rail, as well as ambidextrous slide locks, a reversible magazine release, and a flat-faced trigger. The grip sports a super aggressive grip texture, and at the bottom, a slight magazine funnel to speed up reloads. Like most modern pistols, a set of interchangeable backstraps allow you to adjust the grip for size and shape.

Going Far

I tested the LS Edge for accuracy as it came, with just the iron sights. That thin, high visibility front sight works very well at long range. It falls between the wide U-shaped rear sight with plenty of visibility remaining. It’s well suited for both long and close-range shooting. I started with a 10-inch gong at 15 yards and continually moved rearwards in five-yard increments.

It wasn’t until I hit 55 yards that I missed more than I hit. This was slow fire with iron sights, and the weapon performed like a champ. I got giddy hitting that 10-inch gong over and over. The thin front sight allowed me to keep seeing the target as I moved further and further from the target.

Getting Close

For some faster, more combative shooting, I started blasting away for speed at 5, 10, and 15 yards at target, both large and small. I ran some of my favorite combative drills, including the failure to stop drill, the box drill, and even the old school El Presidente.

Those bright green front sight and all the space it has between sides of the rear sight make it fast to align well enough for close-range shooting. After a few practice runs, I scored El Pres runs in right around seven seconds with clean accuracy into the A-zone of a target.

Those same sights made the LS Edge quite easy to shoot small targets and small circles. Running Dot Torture and iHack feels easy with these sights. The flat-faced trigger helps a fair bit. It’s not the smoothest trigger. The take-up is gritty, but the trigger break is clean, and the wall presents just a slight hump before firing. The reset is short and tight, with a tactile and audible noise.

Controlling the Thunder

Big guns are always easy to control, and the LS Edge is no different. When you go full-sized with a 9mm, you never have to worry about recoil or muzzle rise. FN’s selected cuts lightened the slide, and this helped with felt recoil reduction. Does it have a major effect? I’m not sure, but the LS Edge has very little recoil and complete controllability.

The big long slide and the high vis sights make it easy to track, and those follow-up shots can be quite quick and always on target.

Well, almost always, I’m far from a perfect shooter. However, the LS Edge makes shooting easy, if that makes sense. Bigger guns tend to do that, and XL-sized 9mm guns like the LS Edge do it well.

A variety of ammo wasn’t at my disposal, but I had plenty of brass-cased Global Ordnance 9mm for disposal, along with some older SIG JHPs I rotated out of my carry gun. The cheapest ammo I had was some Blazer aluminum. The gun didn’t seem to care what round I fired. It just ate and ate without complaint. Kinda like me at a Chinese buffet.

Big, Bad, and Classy

The LS Edge provided 509 fans with a high-end, half-custom gun that’s chock full of features. The LS Edge does come with that custom price point with an MSRP of $1,569 dollars. That might be a tough pill for some to swallow, but it’s out of the box, ready for home defense and competition use.