Virginia Firearms Training Courses: Green Ops LPVO

By

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August 30, 2021

Virginia is home to a large number of government and military entities that are consistently looking for on-site training courses to keep their skills sharp. It is also a state that offers a heavy amount of competitive shooter matches. In certain locations, it can be hard to find a close in proximity company that offers valuable training and can be a quick day trip. Thankfully, Green Ops is located in the Northern Virginia (NoVa) area, and also has a team in the Texas area.

Green Ops is “a veteran owned and operated consulting company that has been offering specialized firearms & security training since 2005”. They offer both one and two days courses at outdoor ranges and have a multitude of instructors that specialize in everything to competition shooting with pistol and rifle, precision long gun, medical, concealed carry, and combatives. “What it takes to be a capable citizen for the modern times today” -Chris A, Green Ops Instructor.

“Because of our diverse background we can take that student who has a different shooting injury that cant perform the same way everyone else does and teach that student how to work around injuries or other limiting factors that they may have.” -Mike Green, Founder of Green Ops

These instructors have a wide array of knowledge due to many coming from the special forces community and most if not all instructors shooting competitively.

The course on the schedule that I want to highlight is their Low Power Variable Optic class. LPVO’s get lost in the middle sometimes as far as training and knowledge goes. An AR with a properly mounted LPVO and an operator that knows what their doing is a very capable firearm. In this course you will be learning zero considerations, holds, and how to manipulate your firearm both in CQB applications and to distance, about 700 yards, and in multiple different shooting positions. The instructors will be from the special operations community that have used and taught these techniques both in the states and abroad. It is a one day course that is held in Rixeyville, VA on Sept 18th. “The culminating exercise is a 2-man live fire exercise that requires running and gunning”

https://www.green-ops.com/low-power-variable-optics-8-hrs

The LPVO course has been held before and received great feedback. See a video from the previous class HERE.

From an instructor about the LPVO class..“you’ll get to really gain some confidence in shooting with an LPVO from CQB to long distances (0-700 meters) because you’ll get to shoot at all of those distances and receive immediate target feedback.”

The history of the LPVO will be taught as well as holds and data.

Students will have the opportunity to shoot at steel past 600yds.

To learn more about the course and sign up, click HERE.

To learn more about Green Ops and the founder click HERE.

To learn more about the instructors click HERE.

To see other courses offered and the Green Ops Schedule click HERE

Green Ops also offers private classes in both indoor ranges and outdoor ranges.

If you’d like to host Green Ops you just need a range and a certain number of paying students.

HERE is a link to their weekly podcasts as well, where instructors give away their tips and tricks for various firearm related skills and subjects. This can be streamed on Podbean by searching “Green Ops” or the Green Ops Website.

Gunday Brunch 17: Russian ammo ban!

By

David R

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August 29, 2021

The State Department has banned imports of Russian made firearms and ammo. Does this mean that all steel cased ammo is going away? Is this the first step in a dastardly plan to take away all the garbage ammo the poors use?

no.

The PL350: Newest Modlite Body

By

Keith Finch

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August 27, 2021

The Modlite PL350 is the latest/greatest new emitter and illumination system for handguns (and long guns should you so choose) that has graced the market.

The light has been a long time in development and offers a few things others like the X300U do not.

Exterior charging of the 18350 style battery cells is one such advantage, the ability to ‘plug your gun in’ or at least the light unattached is one that allows for more proactive power management since it is fewer steps to change and check power.

The amount of steps in a process does matter to how likely we are to do that process, making it a plug in puts it on the same difficulty of charging your phone rather than the disassembly process of a battery change out that was standard on lights.

The second advantage is the interchangeable emitter heads, making the light configurable based upon need. The PL350 can best be thought of as a control body with selectable emitters, the PLHv2 and the OKW being their native ones. While most users will probably choose a PLHv2 for a pistol light, if one is used on a long gun an OKW may make sense or using the increased candela of the OKW around bright headlights and other interfering light sources depending upon the users environment.

It’s a versatile addition, works with a few holsters like Safarilands, and has a few more already out in the wild from companies like PHLster.

Do you need it if you already have an X300 or TLR-1? Probably not.

Is is certainly worth considering as a next light or if you are looking to acquire lights of certain performance requirements and easy of user? Absolutely.

What’s Inside the Cannae Mystery Box?

By

Travis Pike

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August 27, 2021

If you follow any kind of tactical or gear pages on social media, the algorithm will eventually send you advertisements from Cannae Pro Gear. If you’ve seen them, then you remember them. Their advertising is basically memes, pop culture references, and the goats. It’s typically pretty funny, and they often release a variety of ‘mystery boxes’ that allows them to get rid of closeout gear. I purchased a Cannae Mystery Box after they released a 15% off code, and I figured, heck, let’s see what the fuss is about.

The offer I purchased is no longer available, but it was essentially the chance to get one of three different tiers. Basically, it stack ranked like Pokemon. We could get a common, uncommon, or rare. The common Cannae mystery box came with two backpacks, the uncommon comes with a backpack and swag, and the rare comes with a premium backpack and swag.

The backpacks were obviously the main thing, and Cannae included five different potential bags in their mystery box. Three different bags for the common tier and two more expensive bags for the uncommon and rare. It’s simple, and I figured I’d be happy with the common tier packs, so I squeezed some cash out of my wallet and hit the go button.

Breaking Open the Cannae Mystery Box

Cannae wasted no time getting my package out the door and in my hands. It shipped quickly and was in my greedy hands less than five days later. I popped out my Benchmade and got to slicing and dicing. I stripped the box opened, and I won’t lie, I see the appeal of mystery boxes. Prior to the delivery, I assumed I’d get the common tier.

However, every so often, the idea would creep into my mind, what if I got the uncommon or rare tier. That’d be a sweet gig, right? I got the same idea as I cut the bulky Cannae mystery box open. As the tape gave way, I popped it open and was hit with a common tier set of packs. Well, that’s okay. Two bags for less than 50 bucks isn’t a bad deal.

What was disappointing was that I got two of the same bag. I received two Sarcina Explorer bags. Albeit they are different colors, but still I had never considered I would get two of the same bag. In all fairness, nothing said I wouldn’t get two of the same bag, but I didn’t consider it.

Into the Sarcina Explorer.

With my Cannae Mystery Box no longer being a mystery, I started exploring the bags. Lord knows the last thing I need is another bag, but I can always find a purpose, right? With three kids going to school, one or two of them might be packing the most over-engineered book bag ever.

The Sarcina Explorer looks really nice, and I appreciate the design. It mixes a lot of old-school cool with some more modern touches. The roll-over top looks good and is relatively stylish. The old-school appearance also looks as far from tactical as possible. No MOLLE, no webbing, no tactical giveaways that scream I carry a gun.

What we get is a compact 17-liter bag that sports one big bag and a few small pockets and pouches. The main pouch has a rear laptop/tablet pouch and an internal mesh pouch that can be zipped up to secure and organize goodies.

External pouches include one somewhat large pouch with an internal organizer for lights, pens, small notebooks, candy bars, or whatever. Above that pocket sits a zippered pocket perfect for sunglasses, cell phones, and beyond. It’s a generous pocket that’s covered by the flap. On each side, we also get a water bottle pouch for hydration on the go.

Wear and Tear

After ripping open my Cannae Mystery Box, I began using the bags. Mostly as EDC bags to carry my laptop, gym clothes, etc., to work and beyond. The rear of the packs is heavily padded and quite comfortable. The thick shoulder straps also deliver an outstanding degree of comfort as well.

The various pockets make it easy to organize and carry my electronics, chargers, hard drives, headphones, external batteries, and beyond. Nothing’s ever a big mass of mess since it’s so easily organized. The small 17L sized pack makes things nice and easy to load up and load out.

The Cannae Mystery box might have disappointedly delivered two of the same bag, but I decided to turn lemons into lemonade. It’s hurricane season here in glorious Florida, and I live on the coast. Having a bug-out bag of sorts makes a lot of sense. When you have a family of five, having two bags makes even more sense.

I’ve since stocked both the Sarcina Explorers with hurricane-ready gear, including ponchos, flashlights, energy bars, water bottles, etc. All the basics I can use in a grab and evacuate with if necessary. The bags are the right size for kids to carry and supplement my main bug-out bag quite well.

Another?

Will I purchase another Cannae Mystery Box? I honestly don’t know. The gear inside is good, the price point is tough to beat, but I also didn’t care for getting two of the same thing. Especially since I’m pretty flush with various bags or all different sizes, that’s not to say I won’t buy from Cannae again. I mean, the Goat shirt and Insurgent baseball T appeal to me a fair bit. Until then, check out the gear, it’s well made, and the closeout stuff is affordable.

Carrying a baby and a gun

By

Caleb Giddings

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August 27, 2021

One of the most common reasons that new gun owners in 2020 identified for buying a gun was for family/home protection, a sentiment that makes a lot of sense to me. I have a small child, and one of his favorite things is to be carried around in his Tula (not the ammo brand) carrier. It’s basically a backpack that allows me to go hands free and tote a toddler around.

Now, I’ll be frank – since I left Miami, the odds of me needing to shoot someone have decreased significantly. 99.9% of the “threats” I’m likely to encounter on my walks now can be solved with a large helping of MUC from ECQC or the forbidden breath spray from POM. But I still carry because I am not an optimist, and because if, on the very small chance that I had a problem that was a gun problem, I’d die of embarrassment if I wasn’t strapped. So, I’ve had to come up with a solution on how to carry a gun when I’m also carrying a toddler.

So let’s go over the gear I’m carrying in this photo. In addition to the Apple Watch (gotta get them steps in), I am rocking a Tula Toddler Carrier to hold my most precious cargo in. I didn’t pick this carrier, my wife did, but apparently it’s one of the best carriers on the market, and it actually works really well for how I carry a gun at the appendix position. I also suspect that you could count the number of Tula users who also carry a gun and have solved this problem on one hand, but that’s not the point. This particular carrier uses a wide lap band with a plastic click in buckle for support, not unlike a duty belt, and then a smaller clip that goes across the chest to connect the shoulder straps.

Now let’s talk about how I’m carrying, and it should come as no surprise to anyone who’s familiar with me, or my content, that I’m rocking a wheelgun in a Phlster Enigma in this photo. Attached to my Enigma is a Dark Star Gear LCR Apollo, and jammed into that Apollo was, at the time, a 3 inch LCRx in 38 Special. The LCRx has been replaced with a standard LCR in 327 Federal, but the Enigma and holster remain the same. Here’s how this set up works to allow me access to the gun while wearing the Tula carrier.

Put the Enigma on, then put shorts/pants/silkies over the Enigma.
Buckle the Tula waist belt low around the holster, in the same location you’d want your belt to be if you were using a traditional belt/holster set up.
Untuck your shirt from the Tula waist belt and let it hang over the gun and the belt, making sure the waist belt is cinched down nice and tight.
Add toddler
Vamos!

When I realized I could treat the belt on the Tula the same as I would a regular gun belt, everything fell into place. With this set-up, accessing the gun is exactly the same as it would be if I wasn’t wearing a child on my back. Lift shirt with support hand, draw, present gun. Piece of cake. The lightbulb moment was when I was in my car one day and looked at how I wear my shirt over my seatbelt so I can draw easily from the seated position. I did that with the baby carrier, and suddenly my access issue was fixed.

This method does also work with a traditional belt/holster set up, however I’ve found that the belt does add a little bit of extra bulk that can be eliminated by using the Phlster Enigma. With Enigma, an LCR, and this Tula baby carrier, I’ve successfully carried a gun/toddler combo for well over 4 miles with no issues. I do respect that this is a highly gear dependent solution, and I have not experimented with other carriers or carry positions. I carry appendix and I have a Tula carrier, so that was the solution I needed to solve for. Hopefully this guide will help you solve for x in your own carry situation.

Shotgun Misinformation, Legends, and Lies and How To Fix It

By

Travis Pike

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August 26, 2021

The world of shotguns is one full of bullcrap. Lots of fuddlore and bad information floating around on social media, on forums, on Youtube, and beyond. It’s a good reason why shotguns are the red-headed stepchild of the gun world. Luckily, guys like Tim Chandler, Ashton Ray, Rob, and Matt Haught are all changing that perception with good information. With that said, today, we are going to be debunking the five things you might be doing wrong with a shotgun and discuss some shotgun misinformation.

Shotgun Misinformation?

There is tons of bad information about shotguns. I’m part of a Facebook group all about defensive shotguns, and the amount of shotgun misinformation out there is awe inspiring. Sadly, a lot of this information filters down to new gun owners who might use social media to learn new things about their firearms. So we are going to lend our voices to the side of good information and try to mitigate some of the bad information, and give you some solid advice on using a shotgun.

Using Birdshot for Home Defense

This is my biggest pet peeve and the worst piece of shotgun misinformation out there. Using something designed for tiny animals to defend your home with is insane. Birdshot doesn’t even kill birds a lot of the time and merely knocks them out of the air and requires a wring of the neck.

Birdshot obviously doesn’t penetrate deeply into human flesh, and while a point-blank blast will certainly put someone down, why are you letting them get that close? Do you want the effective range of a spear in a home defense scenario? People often scream about over-penetration, and birdshot won’t penetrate walls.

If penetration is an issue, then use a AR 15 in 5.56. It’s less likely to over-penetrate than an effective shotgun round. Also, if you are worried about over-penetration, I have one simple trick for you!

Don’t miss!

If you want a simple solution for your home defense shotgun, then get Federal Flitecontrol 8 pellet 00 buckshot. If that’s not available, then look at Hornady Critical Defense with the versatile wad.

How You Use the Bead

This is less about shotgun misinformation and more about poor training habits. If you’ve been around shotguns long enough, you’ve likely seen someone advise you to aim for the belly to hit the target in the chest when using a bead sight.

This advice comes from people teaching people shotguns who have never been properly trained with shotguns. Bead sights aren’t tough to use but do require a correct sight picture. You want to align the bead with the rear of the receiver with nothing more than the bead showing in your sight picture.

If you are looking over the top of the bead and seeing the top of the barrel and receiver, you have an incorrect sight picture. Get lower, more behind the stock a bit, and you should only see the bead and the rear of the receiver.

Getting Stocked

Shotgun stocks are almost universally too long. Shotguns with long length of pulls make it tough to square up to a target and to comfortably shoot a shotgun. This isn’t shotgun misinformation, but it’s often something many people don’t understand about their guns. Shotgun manufacturers love long lengths of pulls, and this comes from the sporting world of shotguns and hasn’t left the tactical world.

If possible, find a shotgun with a LOP shorter than 14 inches. I’m a big guy, and 13.5 suits me well, but I’ve heard that most ordinary people fit well behind a 12.5-inch LOP. The Magpul SGA stock and Flash-5 stocks have removable inserts for a customizable fit. Youth stocks from Hogue also offer a shorter length of pull than most standard stocks.

Of course, if you’re handy with tools, you can always trim it yourself.

Mitigating Recoil

Whenever someone remarks that recoil is a downside of shotguns, I point them to Rob Haught. His push/pull technique tames the shotguns, and its effect on recoil is well beyond what fancy stocks and low recoil ammo can do. It’s simple to use, and you push forward with your non-dominant hand and pull rearward with your dominant hand.

It sounds easy, but it takes some practice. You generally have to drive the gun with the non-dominant hand, and that takes practice. Working with the technique in dry fire and you’ll find a rhythm to tense up, fire, work the action of a pump gun and repeat.

The old pull it into your shoulder and grit is an old piece of shotgun misinformation that should be retired.

Not Trusting Semi-Autos

“Semi-autos jam” is the common cry of the man or woman who don’t trust semi-auto shotguns. There was a time when semi-auto shotguns were very much hit or miss, but that time has largely passed. Semi-auto shotguns have improved significantly, and you don’t have to spend several thousand dollars to get a good one.

Mossberg 930s are quite affordable, as are Stoegers, and both enjoy good reputations for quality and reliability. Even cheap semi-auto shotguns seem to runway better than they used to. I’ve handled 300 dollar semi-autos that eat everything.

I’m not advising you to purchase the cheapest semi-auto, but you certainly don’t have to buy a Beretta 1301 or Benelli M4. (Although it’d be a lot cooler if you did.)

Shuck Shuck

Shotguns rule. The repeating claymore can be a very viable weapon for home defense and duty use. It has its intricacies and irregularities but let’s call that part of its charm. The shotgun is not an egalitarian weapon and doesn’t suit all shooters, but if you can handle the gauge, it will deliver. Hopefully, we’ve cleared some bad habits, shotgun misinformation and made the weapon a little easier to understand.

Faux EOTech’s

By

Keith Finch

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August 25, 2021

Most of us have seen the Amazon.com specials for the a $78 gunsight of clearly dubious origins… Some of us have bought them, with full knowledge of what they were just to see what the weird chinese clones were like. But faux products hurt real companies as consumers fail to acknowledge what they bought was a knock-off or vendors lied to their customers (a common thing in the Amazon/Facebook ads).

EOTech has implemented efforts to combat counterfeiting of their Ann Arbor originated and inspected optics so that customers who want to run EOTech are actually running EOTech.

EOTECH’s Aggressive Pursuit to Confront Counterfeit Sales

Ann Arbor, MI (August 25, 2021) – Counterfeiting impacts everyone! EOTECH®, the world-leading holographic weapons sight manufacturer, is fighting back against counterfeiting rings at all levels. They have launched an aggressive campaign targeting those who create and sell illegal copies of EOTECH’s iconic military-grade holographic weapons sight systems.

EOTECH takes counterfeit prevention extremely seriously. Why? Because not only do these forgeries impact their business—and the business of their authorized dealers—but more importantly operators’ safety.

“Stopping fakes at the source is a critical step in curbing counterfeiting. EOTECH produces an extremely rugged, technically unique holographic sight that can’t be duplicated by counterfeiters. The EOTECH brand stands for reliability, durability and the safety of our operators whether it be soldiers, officers or general users,” said Lisa Kemp, Director of Marketing. “EOTECH partners and end-users can rest assured that we will actively pursue counterfeit operations to quickly shut them down.”

Authentic EOTECH holographic sighting technology is nearly impossible to replicate. Unfortunately, numerous imitation EOTECH products have been discovered, including LED-based products attempting to pass as high-tech holographic sights. One such counterfeit reseller is JC Airsoft, which sold fake EOTECH HWS products for deep discounts. With cooperation from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), EOTECH fought to shut down this activity. Through these efforts, EOTECH reached a 6-figure settlement with JC Airsoft for various HWS counterfeit violations.

An explosion of online sales links with reproduction HWS products adds to consumer confusion. Shoppers are lured to these online stores by their shockingly low prices. EOTECH closely monitors online sales and blocks unauthorized items, from websites such as Alibaba, Aliexpress, Amazon, Facebook, eBay, and other online outlets.

EOTECH understands it is difficult for consumers to spot a fake. Counterfeiters go so far as to reproduce EOTECH registered trademarks and packaging! To that end, EOTECH has created a counterfeit detection resource page on their website (https://www.eotechinc.com/help-center/counterfeit-detection) to assist consumers in making an informed purchase. On the page, consumers and EOTECH dealers can learn about counterfeit EOTECH sights through photo illustrations comparing genuine and counterfeit sights, plus tips for identifying a forgery.

Counterfeiting affects everyone and EOTECH is committed to go the extra mile to stop it.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, EOTECH® designs, manufactures and markets the original Holographic Weapon Sight (HWS), and designs and distributes Vudu® rifle optics, thermal and night vision systems, and laser devices. EOTECH’s full line of professional-grade optics is trusted by the world’s tier-one professionals to deliver unparalleled speed, accuracy, and reliability. Since 1996, EOTECH Holographic Weapon Sights (HWS) have been designed, developed and manufactured in the US. In 2016, EOTECH expanded its optics line by introducing the Vudu line of premium magnified optics designed to cater to the most sophisticated of users.Our exacting standards demand continued focus on product quality, not quantity, ensuring that the highest specifications are not only met, but exceeded. Every optic manufactured is treated as if it will be the one that will face a life and death situation. When there are zero margins for error, there is only one clear choice – EOTECH.

For more information, please visit WWW.EOTECHINC.COM

Gear Review: Real Avid AR15 tool

By

Caleb Giddings

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August 25, 2021

Serious shooters are always looking for a multitool that they can toss in their range bag that will accomplish a broad set of requirements. The Real Avid AR15 tool might just be the one tool to rule them all.

Backstory: I bought the Real Avid AR15 tool with my own money; I was on military orders and realized I had left my multitool and M4 front sight post tool at home, so I figured “sure I’ll drop 80 bucks on this thing.” Given the number of times I’ve used this tool since then, it has more than paid for itself. Interestingly, I have never used it on an AR15 or M4 carbine, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

The Real AVID AR15 tool comes with quite a few tools on it. It has spring loaded pliers, a decent knife blade, a screwdriver/bit set with 5 double sided bits, and then some AR specific scrapers and threaded attachments for cleaning rods and the like. It also comes with a combination M4/M16 front sight tool that doesn’t attach to the AR15 tool itself, but rides along in the coyote tan MOLLE pouch in a little side pocket. When I’m working in my part time job as an Air Force Combat Arms instructor, that pouch stays threaded on my belt for easy access, because I do end up using the tool quite a bit.

Real Avid AR15 tool with pliers deployed

Not counting the front sight tool, which I use constantly, the order of frequency that I use the attachments on the Real Avid AR15 tool goes: 1) screwdriver/bits, 2) pliers, 3) knife, 4) I’ve never used anything else. The screwdriver and it’s bits are honestly the most useful part of this tool for general shooting activities, because it comes with three flatheads that fit all the screws on an S&W revolver, a Phillips head, several torx heads including one that fits Aimpoint ACROs, and four hex heads which cover the most common hex screws I’ll interface with. The screwdriver head locks in two positions, one at 90 degrees relative to the grip for better leverage, and one in a straight line with the grip to fit into tighter spaces.

The pliers on the Real Avid AR15 tool are a nice touch, because they’re spring loaded. When the tool is open, they naturally want to stay open, which makes using them with one hand while you’re trying to juggle a gun or an ammo crate a lot easier. Probably my only grip about the pliers is that while you can deploy them with one hand, it’s a much easier task if you use both hands to bring them into play. I like being able to have the pliers easily deployed with one hand, something I can do very simply with my SOG multitool. However, the Real Avid pliers are a lot stronger and more comfortable to hold than my SOG, so if I need to do…plier shit, they would be my go-to.

I have used the actual Real Avid AR15 tool on Ruger revolvers, S&W revolvers, Beretta APXs, Beretta 92s, and pretty much every other gun I own. I’ve used it to open packages, break down ammo crates, home repairs, tear down stages at matches, and pretty much anything else you’d need a multitool for. In the years I’ve had this, I’ve honestly found it to be pretty useful, definitely enough that it has justified the 80 dollar price tag I paid for it. The biggest benefit for me as a revolver shooter is that it has entirely replaced the small toolkit I used to carry in my range bag. If my gun goes down during a match and I can’t fix it at the safe table using the Real Avid AR15 tool, it’s going to require my full tool kit and work bench. If you’ve been looking for a good multitool that will perform a variety of tasks pretty well, definitely check the Real Avid AR15 tool out.

Review: ‘The AR-15 Controversy’ by Dennis Chapman

By

DRGO

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August 25, 2021

(from amazon.com)

Dennis Chapman, an attorney by trade and retired Army infantry colonel who served in Somalia and Iraq, became frustrated by the assumptions activists make about this nearly ideal civilian rifle. He began examining those assumptions, collecting his observations and his findings, intending to write a law review article summarizing them. He did, in the Belmont Law Review (‘Firearms Chimera: The Counter Productive Campaign to Ban the AR-15 Rifle’) but realized the subject was vaster than the 36 pages he could publish there.

The AR-15 Controversy: Semiautomatic Rifles and the Second Amendment is the result. Since the main (and too much intended) confusion is with the military’s M16 series rifles, Chapman’s professional experience gives him credibility that politically motivated gun phobes can never have. I’ve not referenced any of the below information or studies, because you’ll find those details in Chapman’s hundreds of footnotes, page by page.

AR-15s are, simply, the current peak of the art and craft of the semi-automatic long rifle. This is a timely moment in history to get in our hands the full story of the AR, and how its value fits ours.

As we know, semi-automatic firearms loaded with multiple rounds have been in existence since the 1600’s. Rifled barrels have been around since before the American Revolution. Stocks (“hand guards”, “barrel shrouds”) have always been used to provide secure a grip that keeps hands off hot barrels. “Pistol grips”, obviously, have existed as long as handguns have been made and their application to rifles, like adjustable stocks, make them easier to manage for all sizes and shapes of shooters. In other words, all but one of the hated features of the “ARmalite “style rifles are entirely innocent and represent the logical progression of good firearm design.

The single feature that discriminates between Chapman’s “professional” military assault rifle and his modern civilian one is automatic firing (pressing the trigger once and holding it to fire multiple shots). Currently marketed civilian firearms don’t do this. Bayonet mounts have detractors, but as no one has ever been charged with assault or murder by fixed bayonet, they scarcely count.

Exaggeration and lies are common stratagems of anti-gun activists; for example, claiming the AR-15 can “spray” bullets at a rate of 700 rounds per minute. Chapman’s discussion of this issue is illuminating. That’s the theoretical maximum rate for fully automatic fire (not the AR-15), but over one minute even the AR-15/M16 mechanism can only be trusted to push rounds through at a rate of 150-200 rounds. Meanwhile, the AR-15’s semi-automatic action (otherwise identical to the AR-16’s) limits fire to about 60 rounds per minute. And either one’s sustained rate of fire tops out at 12-15 rounds per minute, or the heat generated will ruin first, accuracy and, next, the rifle.

Excitable hoplophobes target “Large Capacity Magazines” (meaning to them, more than 10-rounds’ capacity) for extinction along with these dread “assault rifles”. And while a number of mass killers have used magazines of greater than 10 rounds in AR’s or pistols, the majority have gotten by without them. With all due respect to those who have been lost, less than 1% of shooting victims fall to mass shooters, so this can’t be said to be a huge public policy problem, particularly since they typically happen by surprise in supposed “gun-free zones”.

Studies Chapman quotes show that inexperienced shooters can fire 20 rounds from a single magazine only 2 seconds faster (12.3) than from two 10 round magazines (14.6). 2.3 seconds for an amateur to change a magazine and charge an AR (there is no difference for experienced shooters) does not aid the intended victims. Mass shooters take longer than 2 seconds on average between shots anyway. And the faster anyone fires, the less accurate they are.

Chapman reviews many court cases, ones we’ve heard of and plenty we haven’t. An interesting element is the tug of war between those who think the Second Amendment protects only arms for militias (therefore, actual weapons of war?!) and those who abide by Heller and McDonald in accepting the legal protection of civilian ownership of firearms in common use. This absolutely includes handguns, the most common firearms by far used in crime and necessarily must, due to their popularity, AR-style semi-automatic rifles.

He points out research that shows that revolvers are used in equal proportion to magazine-fed handguns in crime. Assailants using revolvers do fire fewer rounds than those using handguns—2 or 3, compared to 3 or 4. That doesn’t make nearly the difference that having extra rounds in your handgun does when defending yourself and yours. And defend ourselves Americans do: that bastion of progressive polling, Pew Research, learned in 2017 that 17% of gun owners report having had to defend themselves with firearms. Out of over 130 million gun owners that’s . . . a heckofa lot.

Dennis Chapman has done a remarkable job collating everything one can imagine about the function, reasons for and value of the 20 million plus AR model rifles that American’s prefer to every other type now. They are the do-it-all, easy-to-operate, all-American firearm that haters hate and normal Americans normally use. In addition to enabling the natural right of self-defense (“The Primary Use of All Arms”) and their unimpeachable protection under the Second Amendment, facts about them matter. They won’t convince the fear-mongers, but can speak to those with rational, open minds.

Chapman has done a great service by putting all this together in one reference. My only disappointment is the lack of an index, which would make this a powerful tool for those of us who work in the 2A trenches day by day. However, the Table of Contents is unusually extensive, and chapters have lots of sub-headings, which can give one a good idea where to look for what information. All in all, the depth of Chapman’s research and the quality of his presentation is comparable to the work of David Koppel and Stephen Halbrook. Excellent company indeed.

The genial visage seen on the back cover has quite a brain behind it. Thank you, Colonel Chapman, Esquire, for using it on our behalf!

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— DRGO Editor Robert B. Young, MD is a psychiatrist practicing in Pittsford, NY, an associate clinical professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

All DRGO articles by Robert B. Young, MD

NRA Cancels Houston 2021 Annual Meeting

By

Keith Finch

-

August 24, 2021

With the Delta Variant COVID causing restrictions nationwide, the NRA have officially announced the cancelation of the NRA Annual Meeting (NRAAM).

This would have been the first major show for vendors since SHOT 2020. With its loss manufacturers will now continue to use the digital show spaces and social media to try and showcase their new and emerging products.

The NRAAM is also the voting time for the NRA Board, with this suspension the voting field will look much narrower as the NRA will and must hold a voters meeting at some point for the election.

For the public, this means less shiny new cool things in one place for the enjoyment and consumption. For the NRA, this means a much narrower participation this year.

Here is the official notice,

They will try again in May 2022 for a public gathering. In the meantime, stay with us here at GAT Daily as we hear about the shiny goodness you all love and crave.

I wasn’t keen on giving up my Labor Day when they announced this one anyway.

Mossberg 940

By

BullShooters

-

August 24, 2021

In 2018, the pump gun juggernaut decided to take another swing at the semi auto shotgun market when it set out to build an upgraded gun that would offer real advantages over the competition yet remain reasonably priced and true to Mossberg’s blue-collar brand. For this they hired arguably the world’s greatest all-around shooter in history, Jerry Miculek, and who better to consult? Since 2012 he’d used a 930–albeit heavily modified–to win multiple 3-Gun championships. In doing so, he knew two things: First, the 930 would provide a solid platform on which to build an outstanding new gun. Secondly, with his experience in a realm where one jam means losing valuable seconds and a winner’s check, Miculek knew just what modifications were needed. What spawned was Mossberg’s totally renovated Model 940.

In 2021 Mossberg invited JJ on a hunt with the 940 Pro Field for a Gould’s turkey–the remaining turkey JJ needed for his World Slam. Watch the video for a truncated version of the hunt and a full review of the gun.

Read the full article in WildFowl Magazine.

The Glock 43X – Built for Comfort

By

Travis Pike

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August 24, 2021

Glock is a behemoth that moves slow. The simplistic Glock pistols have long ruled the market for duty, home defense, and concealed carry. They weren’t the first polymer frame, striker-fired pistol, but they undoubtedly define the genre. Today we are looking at one of the newest Glock pistols on the market, the Glock 43X.

The Glock 43X and Glock 48 seem to be a response to the advent and popularity of guns like the SIG P365 and Springfield Hellcat. Concealed carriers now seem to be unsatisfied with a gun that holds less than ten rounds. Both of these firearms would use 10 round, single-stack magazines. The main difference between the two guns was the barrel and slide length.

The Glock 48 gave users something some folks have wanted for a very long time. It’s essentially a single stack Glock 19 and thins out the chunky Glock platform for a more compact firearm that’s easier to carry IWB. The Glock 48 sported a slightly longer barrel, and the longer barrel allows the gun to be Canada legal.

The Glock 43X is simply a Glock 43 with a longer grip. So what’s the point of this little gun? I sought to find that out and see how the new G43X keeps up with Glock’s near spotless reputation.

Glock 43X vs. Glock 43

I did not like the Glock 43. The Glock 43 was one of the latest guns to the market of 9mm single stacks. It was a subcompact Glock pistol that held six rounds of 9mm and promised Glock’s reliability in a pocket pistol platform. Well, it was a reliable pistol, but I can’t say much more than that. For me, the Glock 43 had some nasty slide bite that made firing it uncomfortable and downright painful.

My big hands swallowed the gun, and I never felt like I could get a grip on the little guy. With every shot, it felt like the Glock 43 was trying to escape. The Glock 43X took the Glock 43 and stretched the grip to accommodate people like me with our massive hands. On top of that, Glock took a note from the Gen 5 guns and add the tiniest beavertail to eliminate slide bite.

After firing a few hundred rounds of ammo, I can certainly say that I would gladly choose the Glock 43X over the Glock 43 in every situation you’d toss at me. But that doesn’t answer the question, what’s the point?

Glock lengthened the grip but kept the same barrel length. The grip is the portion we struggle most to conceal with IWB and AIWB carry. Well, maybe the problem is focusing on IWB and AIWB carry. The Glock 43X’s pig nose makes it perfect for OWB carry.

With OWB, the longer barrel of the gun can make it harder to conceal. The shorter Glock 43X provides a rather comfortable carrying gun for the OWB enthusiast. I think the gun works perfectly for that role.

A Dash Of Ergonomics

It’s still just a Glock, so the ergonomics haven’t changed much. If you’ve ever fired a Glock, you’ll feel at home with the Glock 43X. The Glock 43X fits wonderfully in hand. The thin but long grip ensures my big paws get a grip on the dang thing. The new Glock Gen 5 texturing is nice and sticks to the hand without being rough.

You can ride high on the gun, and that little beavertail keeps your hand from getting too high and getting bit. The slide has both front and rear slide serrations that are deep enough for an easy grip, and cycling the action is easy for hands both weak and strong.

Like all Glocks, my thumb forwards grip pins down the slide lock and makes it rather ineffective. Most guns outside of CZ pistols do this for me. With my thumb pinning down the slide lock, the slide doesn’t lock to the rear when the last round is fired. As such, reloads take a hair longer.

The magazine release could certainly be larger, but it works perfectly fine for a concealed carry pistol.

Range Use

Glock sights have always sucked. Everyone replaces them, right? Well, it seems like Glock knows that and doesn’t seem to put much QC in mounting the stock sights. I’ve noticed this over several different Glock pistols, and the Glock 43X is no different. The rear sight is not evenly placed on the gun and sticks a little more to the right than being centered.

I didn’t notice until I moved back to 25 yards and kept missing wide. I applied some Kentucky windage and started scoring hits on steel without a problem. It was then I noticed the rear sight was off a hair. Speaking of accuracy, the gun shoots straight and consistently once I compensated for the rear sight issues.

At 25 yards, I rang and danged a 25% IPSC target back and forth with ease. The Glock Marksman barrel seems to do its job rather well.

Recoil was easy to control due to the fact I could get my hands on the big grip without a problem. This extended well to one-handed shooting and make this little CCW a very comfortable-to-shoot weapon. The beavertail does its job, and my hands remain bite-free.

Like any Glock, you know the gun runs. Reliability isn’t a problem at all, and the gun ate even the crappiest ammo I have, which is Winchester USA Forged. This dry ammo is absolute garbage, but the Glock 43X ate it all. I plinked along with some brass-cased 124-grain +P loads, and while the gun bucked a bit more, it never failed to fire, eject, and reload the chamber.

Getting Glocked

The Glock 43X is a weapon made for comfort, it seems. It works well for OWB carry and also seems to work well for carry in general. The big grip ensures you get a handful of guns and makes it easy and very comfortable to shoot. The shorter barrel pokes and prods are less than the longer barrel Glock 48 when carried AIWB or IWB. It might not be for everyone, but comfort is as comfort does. A lot of people won’t carry if their gun isn’t comfortable to carry. As such, there is certainly a market for guns that specialize in comfortable carry.

XS Sights Partners with Ferkinghoff International for European Distribution

By

Keith Finch

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August 23, 2021

Fort Worth, TX (August 23, 2021) – XS^® Sights is pleased to announce its partnership with Ferkinghoff International for distribution of XS products throughout Europe. XS’s tritium day/night sights are excellent upgrades for hunting and tactical sport shooting and military and law enforcement agencies looking to increase the visibility of their sights in low light. XS’s popular ghost ring sights for lever action rifles and shotgun ghost ring sights for hunting applications will also be available through Ferkinghoff.

“Our goal has always been to expand to the European Union. After nearly two years of exploring potential partners, Ferkinghoff International stood out as an outstanding choice,” said Tanya Gorin, Vice President of Sales for XS Sights. “Ferkinghoff’s customer-centric values and passion for the firearms industry align perfectly as an extension of Team XS. We are thrilled to work with another like-minded, family-owned business to bring XS into the EU market.”

Over the years, Ferkinghoff International has grown from a small German retail business into a major European distributor, specializing in bringing U.S. products to the European firearms community.

“We are exceptionally happy for the opportunity to partner with XS Sights,” said Andrea Ferkinghoff, CEO of Ferkinghoff International. “The proud Texan family-owned business with its proven sighting solutions is an outstanding partner to supply innovative sights, rails, and accessories of the highest quality to the EU market. Moreover, the family values, attention to detail, and great American craftsmanship reflect everything we can wish for in a fruitful partnership.”

About Ferkinghoff International

Ferkinghoff International is a family-owned German business at the forefront of distributing U.S.-made products for the hunting, shooting and outdoors industries to the European market. Today, there are more than 8,000 different products in the portfolio, and the Ferkinghoff dealer network covers the majority of European countries.

About XS Sights

XS Sights manufactures the fastest sights in any light. From concept and design to creation, XS utilizes tritium, photoluminescent materials, and 25 years of sight manufacturing expertise to create highly visible and durable sights for personal defense, military, and hunting applications. American Made. Texas Proud.

All XS Sights are backed by a 10-year, No Questions Asked Warranty and XS’s 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee.

For more information, visit www.xssights.com.

New Lumens: The MODLITE PL350

By

Keith Finch

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August 23, 2021

Today is the day.

MODLITE’s PL350 is released onto the internet and the scramble begins. If you didn’t snag one from an online retailer grab a waitlist spot and be patient.

Holsters are out too. PHLster has a Floodlight ready.

What’s new?

External charging. You can finally plug your gun in like your phone to charge the light with the 18350 cells.

Interchangeable light heads. The new PL350 uses the established lights from the handheld and rifle mounted systems in a format that works very similarly to the Surefire X300U’s.

So, like your PLHv2? (like I do) then that can be your pistol light. Prefer the OKW? That can be your pistol light. They utilize the same emitters which eliminates the whack-a-mole style model and emitter hunt that older lights sometimes forced upon the end users.

Personally the PLHv2 is my do all light of choice, so when I inevitably order a PL350 it will join the PLHv2 collection.

Happy hunting, get your lumens.

Comp Expo Report: Vortex Optics

By

Anna Martinez

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August 23, 2021

Vortex Optics unveiled their new Razor® HD LHT 4.5-22×50 FFP Riflescope. Built to be a rugged hunting scope yet the lightest in its class at 21.7 oz, it can be used to get your prize winning doe or still win you a precision rifle match.

The predecessor, Razor HD LHT 3-15×42, is still a quality lightweight hunting scope. Weighing in at 19.1 oz and featuring the HSR-5i reticle it is a great mid range hunting scope. Where it can fall short, personal preference as always, is in the magnification capabilities, the reticle, and it being second focal plane. The HSR-5i reticle in the 3-15×42 features zero wind holds on the reticle, while in the new 4.5-22 the XLR-2 gives you those holds. The illumination within the reticle on the SFP illuminates only the center dot, while the new FFP 4.5-22 illuminates the primary vertical and horizontal stadia.

I played with the new Razor HD LHT 4.5-22x50FFP Scope at the Comp Expo as it was mounted on a tripod and a Vortex Optics gun. We did some inclined shooting and engaged targets past 500m. The glass was on point with other Vortex glass that I’m used to and the turrets moved easily but with positive engagement.

Features That Stand Out

First Focal Plane for easy and quick engagements.

The scope is very light for the capabilites of it, being 21.7 oz overall weight.

This scope features a capped windage turret. This means that the windage turret will only be able to be adjusted if the cap is removed and the turret turned for adjustment. This ensures the windage won’t adjust if bumped. Huge for hunters due to leaning their gun against things or packing it onto a site.

The elevation turret allows it to be locked and unlocked.

The scope comes with Vortex’s RevStop Zero ring. With this installed the scope has the ability to get to max 11 MRAD.
Pro tip, due to this scope not having an indicator for being a whole revolution up or not, installing the RevStop allows you to go back to zero and stopping your turns. Therefore you will know when you are back at zero or a revolution up.

For low light hunting engagements the new Vortex HD LHT features 10 brightness adjustments. These brightness options will illuminate the primary vertical and horizontal stadia.

The reticle for the LHT is very streamlined and not messy. The wind holds within the reticle only display the numbers 4. Meaning, the wind dots are less messy due to not having as many numbers taking up glass space. Quick and easy wind holds.

The magnification throw lever is very low profile to the scope yet still allows your fingers to easily grab it and turn it. The magnification adjustment ring turns very smoothly.

Parrallax is 25-infinity

Isaiah about to begin a NRL Hunter stage with the new Vortex Razor HD LHT

Specs

MSRP: $1,999.99
Magnification: 4.5-22x
Objective Lens Diameter: 50 mm
Eye Relief: 4.0 inches
Field of View: 23.5-4.7 ft/100yds
Tube Size: 30 mm
Elevation Turret Style: Locking – Exposed
Windage Turret Style: Capped
Elevation Adjustment Graduation: 1/4 MOA
Windage Adjustment Graduation: 1/4 MOA
Elevation Travel Per Rotation: 15 MOA
Windage Travel Per Rotation: 15 MOA
Max Elevation Adjustment: 75 MOA
Max Windage Adjustment: 45 MOA
Parallax Setting: 25 yards to infinity
Length: 13.3 inches
Weight : 21.7 oz

Precision Rifle Shooting with the Razor® HD LHT 4.5-22×50

Over the weekend myself and Isaiah Curtis of Curtis Custom Weapons shot the NRL Hunter Grand Slam. The NRL Hunter series entails having a rifle that weighs under 16lbs so weight is crucial. Using the lightweight 21.7oz allowed him to stay well under the 16 lb limit. During this match Isaiah ran the Vortex Razor HD LHT 4.5-22×50. He finished with a 72.60% in the Open Heavy division. These hunter matches include engagements out to 1000 yds. Isaiah proved that this “hunting scope” also has the capabilities of performing well in precision rifle matches.

Isaiah, a shooter and hunter, also had some prior time with the scope before the match and stated this..

“It’s crisp and clear and won’t break the bank– Isaiah Curtis

Isaiah shooting a stage with the new Vortex Razor HD LHT

PSA: Vortex Optics has its own in/lb Torque Wrench which includes all the bits needed to properly install a scope…or whatever else you need. $149.99

If you’d like to know the differences between all three types of LHT..because it can be confusing..see below.