I recently traveled to sunny Destin, Florida, to attend a Pistol Red Dot Course with War Hogg Tactical. War Hogg Tactical is owned by Rick Hogg, a 29-year Army Special Operations veteran and current traveling firearm instructor. If you have ever played Far Cry 5, you will see that he’s the guy who actually trained a dog to retrieve a rifle for the game. The course was great, but we aren’t talking about the course much today. Instead, we are talking about the Firearms Training Notebook.
Every student received a copy of the Firearms Training Notebook, and throughout the course, almost everything we did was recorded in that notebook. I’m a big fan of the idea of a training notebook. I’ve been using a simple notebook for years to record various portions of my training. In the past, I’ve used a notebook to record the basics of a drill, and it all started with gathering information for firearm reviews.
I quickly found that I was referencing notebooks to find times for drills, accuracy results, and how far I could take a firearm out and shoot it accurately. My notebooks became quite handy. I was pleasantly surprised to see I’m not the only one who uses or preaches about using a notebook.
The Firearms Training Notebook – Notes for Nerds
My simple little notebook had no structure or organization to it. I just jotted crap into it and called it a day. I typically labeled the drill and times but not much else. It’s a mess. The Firearms Training Notebook provided a standardized means to record data. Not just the drill but the distance, the splits, the par time, the shots fired, and more.
The idea behind the book and keeping a training journal is simple. It allows you to track progress and examine data. You can get a lot of data from a string of fire. For example, as we trained with Rick, I observed that my splits were slowest at the beginning of the drill. It was as if I didn’t have the confidence to make those first two shots quick and got faster as my confidence grew throughout those drills.
This told me to stop being slow and start pulling that damn trigger as soon as it was on target. You could pick all sorts of data from varying strings of fire if you are looking for it. Maybe you’re slower shooting a target to the right than to the left? Maybe you can pinpoint the exact speed at which you begin to lose accuracy when you start going fast.
The data tells a story, and if you use the data, you can figure out how to self-diagnose your shooting problems and potentially fix them. This allows you to get a little better every time you go and train. It can save you ammo and time by helping you figure out what you’re doing wrong and how it’s affecting you.
Inside the Firearms Training Notebook
The book itself mainly consists of pages of blank tables. The tables feature a setup section and a notes section as well. You can record the drill name, the range, and the shots fired and have plenty of room to record your times. You have several blank slots, and the tables are adaptable to nearly any drill. It’s simple and effective at recording data for reference.
The Firearms Training Notebook contains a page for the War Hogg self-evaluation drill and numerous QR codes to take you to various drills you can take to the range and try yourself, as well as QR codes for printable targets. The book is simple but handy. It provides all the instructions you need to use the book, and it’s pretty easy to figure out. It’s small and easily fits into a back pocket or range bag with ease.
The men behind the book include Rick Hogg and fellow firearm instructor Mark Kelley of Kelley Defense. Both men have nearly 70 years of experience and train a variety of police, military, and civilians. I was impressed with the Red Dot course and the Firearms Training Notebook.
If you want one, check out War Hogg’s website, and you can order one. It’s a training tool most people will overlook, but one that’s immensely valuable for both live fire and dry fire training. It’s also a cheap tool within the world of firearms and well worth the investment.
The year was 1965, and for police officers, the long gun of choice was the shotgun. This was the era of six guns in .38 Special and pump shotguns in 12 gauge. We’re talking wood and blued steel. High Standard was one of many companies competing for law enforcement contracts, and their Ad Men came up with a brilliant idea. Publish a pamphlet for Law Enforcement called the Practical Shotgun Course.
The Practical Shotgun Course was not just a guide but a strategic tool. It provided basic information on shotgun usage and a course of fire for police training. The pamphlet was a means to educate police agencies about the importance of the right gun and a little training and, of course, to subtly promote High-Standard shotguns as the best riot guns available.
High Standard’s marketing ploy seemed to have paid off. They went on to publish three pamphlets, starting with the original Practical Shotgun Course in 1965, followed by a Supplement to that guide in the same year, and a second edition of the first pamphlet three years later. Fortunately, these valuable resources were preserved as PDFs, and I stumbled upon them, realizing their potential for a blast to the past article.
The Practical Shotgun Course 1st Edition
I won’t go line for line through the pamphlets, but I will pick some basic things that amuse or impress me.
The article quickly explains why the riot gun works. There isn’t any information that’s egregious or too out of date. I found the fourth reason why police should pick the riot gun funny. It states that little practice is needed to retain skill. That’s a joke and a half. Shotguns take work and practice to use.
The safety aspect is covered, and the same safety rules and practices are used today. When we dived into shooting tips, I was impressed. The Practical Shotgun Course advises using an aggressive boxer-like stance with the body leaning forward to help fight recoil. There is no bladed stance mentioned here. The information on mounting and aiming the gun still rings true to this day.
Finally, we get into the actual Practical Shotgun Course. The course uses five targets that are numbered and set up in a staggered arrangement at least 15 yards wide. There are four stages listed.
The course shows an officer shooting from behind cover. The course instructor is supposed to tell the officer which numbered targets to engage and in what order.
At 25 yards, the shooter will aim and fire five shots at the target numbers provided by the instructor.
Stage 4 – 15 Yards – 5 Rounds Fired – 00 Buckshot – From the Hip
At 25 yards, the shooter will hold the gun at hip level and fire five shots at the target numbers provided by the instructor.
The pamphlet mentions trying to accomplish the entire course of fire in two and a half minutes as an extra challenge. No pass/fail standards are mentioned, and scoring isn’t any more specific than hitting the target.
I like that the instructor dictates the targets engaged. This keeps the student thinking. I do think hip-firing the shotgun at 15 yards is silly. At 3 yards, sure, but at 15 yards, you don’t have an excuse not to aim.
The Supplement
The Practical Shotgun Course Supplement acts solely as an advertisement for High-Standard shotguns and accessories. There is no training or shooting tips. We are told why High Standards are the best riot guns. We get a one-page explanation of non-specific ammo types.
From there, we get various law enforcement products an agency can adopt with their High-Standard shotguns. These include locking car mounts, non-lethal grenade launchers, and riot control devices, including a bayonet.
The Second Edition
The Second Edition of the Practical Shotgun Course came out in 1968. It’s almost identical to the first for the most part. What changed was High Standard adding the semi-auto bullpup Model 10 shotgun to their catalog. Radical described how different the Model 10 was from other shotguns.
This guide acts like a manual to show police how to carry the gun, aim it, hip fire it, load it, etc. It also discusses the benefits of the Model 10 and its integrated light. According to High Standard, it’s the ultimate police shotgun. It’s easy to carry, concealable for stakeout and even works well with bicycle cops.
The Modern World
These pamphlets are well put together, easy to read and the pictures make sure even Jarheads like me understand what I’m looking at. I would love to see a gun company do this more often, but it seems unlikely in the modern age. These are excellent little reads and offer you a view of 1960s shotguns and policing.
George Kellgren has always been one of the more creative forces in gun design. Sure, some of the designs are a bit silly, but he’s also been quick to adopt new technologies. He jumped on the polymer frame firearm early. He didn’t beat HK or Glock, but in 1984, the predecessor to the TEC-9, the KG-9, used a polymer frame. Prior to KelTec, he founded a company known as Grendel, and Grendel is where we see a lot of Kellgren’s ideas come to life. For example, the Grendel P-12 and the early P-10 series.
Enter Grendel
Early on, KelTec gained recognition for its series of affordable, double-action-only, polymer-frame concealed carry pistols. Notably, the PF-9 and PF-11 became the flagships of KelTec. The PF-9, in particular, was a trailblazer as one of the earliest single-stack 9mm handguns on the market. These were not Kellgren’s first forays into polymer-frame DAO guns. The Grendel P-10 and P-12, which preceded them, were the precursors to these game-changing designs.
With the Grendel P-10, Kellgren designed a double-action-only .380 ACP pistol with a fixed magazine. The gun was loaded via stripper clips through the top. As you’d expect, this wasn’t a popular gun in the 1980s and early 1990s. He created a sequel called the P-12. The P-12 featured a removable 11-round magazine. With one in the chamber, it held 12 rounds.
I’ve never seen a P-10 in person, but I acquired a dirt-cheap P-12. In fact, the P-12 I purchased had a broken magazine, and the price for a replacement off eBay was half as much as the gun itself. Kellgren’s choice of the name Grendel was likely just a play on the last four letters of his name, but it’s an appropriate name.
The P-12 – An Ugly One
Much like the fabled Grendel of old, the P-12 is butt ugly. Using Zytel for the grip was new for the time, and while it seems to hold up, there needs to be more to keep the gun from looking cheap. In general, they cut costs in tons of ways. The sights are milled as part of the slide. The magazine feels fragile with its thin plastic design.
The gun lacks a traditional American magazine release. We also don’t have your typical European release. The release is not technically heel-mounted but acts as a heel-mounted magazine release. Instead, the magazine release is a lever that sits inside the grip. The grip completely hides it and it doesn’t extend below the grip.
The only other control we have is the slide release. It’s oddly large for such a small gun. The large shelf is easy to hit to send the slide back home. Up front, we have a massive trigger guard that still offers you barely any room for your actual trigger finger. The size allows for a very long double-action trigger pull.
Grendel and the P-12
In the era of the P-12, the typical low-profile handgun was a snubnose revolver. That’s the market Grendel chased. Early marketing brochures compared the Grendel P-12 to a revolver. It compared the double action design as similar to a revolver but offering twice the ammo.
They leaned on the polymer frame and lightweight design as well as photos of it beside a revolver, aiming to show its compact design while completely ignoring how much wider the P-12 is than a typical revolver. The gun weighs only 13 ounces unloaded and 17 ounces loaded. The barrel is 3 inches long, and the overall length is 5.3 inches. It’s well over an inch wide and, side by side with a P365, reveals how thick the P-12 really was.
A very rare model came with a threaded barrel and what looks to be a compensator. Outside of a Guns International listing and a terrible photo on a forum, I can’t find any other information on the gun. A magazine baseplate allowed you to mount a light to the bottom of your gun.
Beowulf and Grendel
I don’t shoot this gun much because if it breaks, it breaks. However, I can’t spend 40 bucks on an ancient mag and not give it a try. The gun uses a direct blowback operating system, but unlike most .380 blowback guns, it’s not brutal. The thick as a Snicker grip helps dissipate a lot of that recoil and makes the gun substantially easier to control.
The sights suck. They are super small and have zero contrast. They are fast to find and would limit you to close-range shooting. That, and the double action only trigger, doesn’t help a whole lot, either. The DAO trigger isn’t terrible. It’s a 12-pound trigger, and it’s fairly smooth but long. I was surprised by how well the gun shot.
Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t shoot great, but it was way better than I thought it would be. It cycled the whole 11-round magazine without a problem three times in a row. After that, I tapped out to end on a good note. The Grendel P-12 isn’t a great pistol, but it’s not a terrible one. I’ve most certainly shot worse guns.
I’m capable of admitting when I’m wrong. I’m often happy to be wrong because it gives me room to learn. A little while back, I wrote an article on the Ribeyrolles 1918 and declared it the first assault rifle. Was I right? Well, it turns out there is no right, and there is an argument about which gun is truly the first assault rifle. The argument revolves around three guns that could potentially wear the title. Let’s dig into these three potential ‘assault rifles,’ and you can pick which one you believe is the first assault rifle.
Introducing the Early Assault Rifles
France, America, and Russia each get an entry into this list. Of the three, it seems like only the French entry was trying to make an assault rifle, even if the term and concept hadn’t been born yet. The U.S. and Russian entries were attempts to fill other gaps in a rapidly changing world.
The French have the aforementioned Ribeyrolles 1918, the Americans have the Winchester-Burton Machine Rifle, and the Russians have the Federov Avtomat. We’ll start in order of production and examine the pros and cons of each gun and how they fit the assault rifle concept.
As we understand it, an assault rifle is a selective-fire weapon that feeds from a removable magazine and fires an intermediate caliber.
Fedorov Avtomat
The Russians built the Fedorov Avtomat to act as an automatic rifle in World War I. Automatic rifles were man-portable machine guns. The machine guns of the era were too big and too heavy to be moved easily, so automatic rifles became the infantry choice for fire and maneuver. The rifle was designed in 1915, and an order for 5,000 was placed in 1917. However, only 100 were produced before the Russian Empire fell. The gun’s production resumed in 1920, and the weapon was well-liked by soldiers.
What makes the Fedorov Avtomat the potential father of modern assault rifles? It offers soldiers a selective fire option for semi-auto or full-auto fire. The Fedorov Avtomat is a short recoil-operated firearm fed from a 25-round detachable magazine. The rifle chambers a 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka cartridge.
The cartridge is where the best argument that the Fedorov Avtomat is not an assault rifle. It’s certainly less powerful than most full-powered rifle rounds, but it’s also more powerful than most intermediate rifle rounds. The Fedorov Avtomat is a big gun with a 20-inch barrel and an overall weight of 11 pounds. It’s big and hefty, but for 1915, it did offer impressive firepower.
Winchester-Burton Machine Rifle
The Winchester-Burton Machine Rifle, or the Burton Model 1917, comes from Winchester and Winchester engineer Frank Burton. The Burton Model 1917 was designed as an anti-aircraft gun that an aircraft observer could fire. These observers were the passengers on WWI-era planes. The Burton gun never got too far off the ground because the development of synchronized machine guns rendered it unnecessary.
As far as assault rifles go, the Burton M1917 has an interesting argument for being the first. The gun used a selective fire mechanism and fed from a top-mounted box magazine. The gun has two magazines but only feeds from one at a time. Reloading in an aircraft is difficult, so being able to swap it quickly for a secondary magazine was quite handy. The gun fired the .351 WSl cartridge, which is widely considered to be an intermediate cartridge.
The Winchester-Burton Machine Rifle fits the assault rifle definition well but does have some quirks. It’s an open bolt gun, and assault rifles are typically closed-bolt weapons. The gun had a long 25-inch barrel, and the various design quirks made it useful for plane-to-plane fighting but not so much for ground troops. The Winchester-Burton Machine Rifle was never adopted and only exists in prototype form.
Ribeyrolles 1918
The Ribeyrolles 1918 was designed by the same company behind the WWI-era Chauchat Machine rifle. It came from the mind of Paul Ribeyrolles, and the intent was to produce a lightweight rifle that’s short and handy for fighting behind submachine gun range but below true rifle range. The gun was tested by the French but was seen as unreliable, and the French only wanted submachine guns and full-powered rifles.
The Ribeyrolles 1918 used a selective fire system with a three-position selector to swap between safe, full auto, and semi-auto. The gun fired a modified .351 WSL cartridge known as the 8x33m cartridge. The weapon is fed from a 25-round box magazine. Another interesting feature that points toward assault rifles is the bayonet lug.
There aren’t a ton of reasons why the Ribeyrolles 1918 wouldn’t be considered an assault rifle. The gun had a bipod, pointing it toward a light support weapon. The Ribeyrolles 1918 seems to be the only gun designed to be an assault rifle instead of anything else.
Assault Rifles and The Past
The world wasn’t ready for the assault rifle concept. The men in charge were obsessed with full-powered battle rifles supported by submachine guns and machine rifles. It’s interesting to picture what the First World War would have been like with guns like the Ribeyrolles 1918 or Burton rifle. More importantly, what would WWII have looked like? We’ll never know, but we can wage a world war across the internet on who had the first assault rifle. I still think the French win, but what do you think?
Assault shotgun sounds like a term made up by a politician from the northeast, but there was a time when the term meant something—or kind of meant something. The DoD and later the Joint Service Small Arms Program would try for years to achieve a select-fire shotgun that would be the ultimate close-quarters weapon. The reasons why such a weapon was needed were a bit murky, but we know it started in Vietnam. This is where we can find the origin of the military’s use of full-auto shotguns.
Assault Shotguns And Running in the Jungle
I’ve never had to participate in jungle warfare, and I’m thankful for that. Seeing photos of the Vietnam jungle makes me feel claustrophobic. The combat was surprisingly close, but the enemy was tough to see. Thick jungle seems like a total nightmare to fight in. Shotguns became fairly valuable tools for jungle combat.
In the context of jungle combat, a variety of shotguns and ammunition were fielded, including the Ithaca 37s, Remington 870s, Winchester Model 12s, and even the Winchester Model 1897s. The choice of ammunition was equally diverse, ranging from nine pellet 00 buckshot to twenty-seven pellet No. 4 buckshot.
The ability to discharge multiple pellets with a single trigger pull significantly increased the hit potential in the dense jungle. The military had long focused on this concept of multi-projectile firing, as evidenced by its decades-long Project Salvo.
The newly formed SEALs, in particular, wanted more shotgun firepower. This led to the development of the Remington 7188, which might be the first assault shotgun. It’s a selective-fire Remington 100 fed from a seven-round tube. Several variants were made, and the SEALs reportedly liked the idea but found the recoil to be too intense.
A seven-round burst would quickly empty the gun, and reloading it would take more than a moment due to the tube-fed design. This led to the request for a more modern full-auto shotgun. Shotgun fan and Naval Surface Warfare Center engineer Carroll Childers took up the task. Childers had previously designed a mag-fed Remington 870 and brought that same idea to something called the Special Operations Weapon, or SOW.
The SOW – A True Assault Shotgun
Carroll Childers was clearly a creative man. The SOW used a blow-forward operation and was full auto only. The gun had a cyclic rate of 200 rounds per minute and was fed from a top-mounted 10-round magazine. The SOW lacked a stock and instead had a forward and aft pistol grip. The gun was designed to be fired from the hip.
At first, that sounds silly, but it makes a bit more sense when you stop to think about it. First, the low cyclic rate helped make the gun controllable, or at least not as uncontrollable. The top-mounted magazines were necessary because 12-gauge ammo is bulky, and an under-mounted magazine would be obtrusive, difficult to wield, and probably difficult to load into the gun.
I’ve used 10-round mags for the VR-80, and it’s not easy. Being hip-fired likely made sense because the gun’s full auto recoil would carry it off target if aimed from the shoulder. It also helped keep the gun more compact, which might be a big selling point for troops in the jungle. Sadly, we never got to know if the idea worked because funding had been pulled before it could be fielded.
In an ambush situation, you could very quickly put down a lot of lead, and that is one of the keys to breaking an ambush. That role is the only one I’ve ever seen a purpose for the assault shotgun concept.
RHINO and CAWS
Years later, the newly formed Joint Service Small Arms Program(JSSAP) was making a mess of the XM9 program, and the American military decided that it needed a more modern combat shotgun. They tapped Childers, and the Navy led the program. It went from SOW to RHINO. RHINO stood for Repeating Hand-held Improved Non-Rifled Ordnance.
They didn’t just want an assault shotgun; they wanted a platform that could fire a wide variety of munitions. This included buckshot, flechettes, signal flares, explosive rounds, and even tear gas rounds. Not much happened in terms of development, and the name went from RHINO to Multipurpose Individual Weapon and finally to Combat Shotgun.
With each name change, the purpose became more obscure. Finally, they decided they didn’t want a multipurpose weapon, just a shotgun. The name finally landed on the Close Assault Weapon System. The CAWS system would be the final incarnation of the assault shotgun program.
The CAWS went the furthest. HK and AAI developed competing guns. HK used a bullpup design, and AAI used something more akin to an M16. S&W developed the AS or Assault Shotgun, and a little company called Pan Associates planned to enter a gun that didn’t quite exist into the competition. The contest called for a noncommercial proprietary 12 gauge cartridge, and HK and Olin teamed up to win the contest.
The HK CAWS remained in a testing period for years, and eventually, the program was canceled.
The End of the Assault Shotgun
By the end of the program, the purpose was so muddied and unclear that it was bound to fail. Who needed a select-fire, box-mag-fed shotgun? Yes, hindsight is 20/20, but even as a shotgun nut, I could look at the program with foresight and see that it’s silly. Sure, a special-purpose shotgun design for close combat in the jungle makes sense to a degree, but with the advent and popularity of light machine guns, it becomes a little less necessary. The SEALs didn’t have a SAW in the 60s. Shotguns are niche weapons in warfare, and a full auto option just doesn’t make sense these days.
Sadly, the CAWS, Pancor Jackhammer, AA-12, and others will live only in later 1990s video games and FPS Russia videos.
Concealed carriers gravitate to tactical clothing brands: 5.11, Vertx, Viktos, etc. The good news? You don’t have to relegate yourself to just jeans made by tactical pants companies.
Jeans Worthy of Replacing Tactical Denim
The denim market has exploded over the last few years, and the direct-to-consumer model has made feature-rich pants more available than ever.
Each brand was ranked out of 10 points each in comfort, fit, style, durability, and value, with bonus points added for variety of colors (1/4 point per color). 50 total points were possible before the bonus is factored in.
J-Frame, K-Frame, LMNOP frames, what does it mean? Smith & Wesson has standardized its various frame sizes under different alphabetical initials. This standardized naming method has become almost universal amongst revolver enthusiasts. Colt, Taurus, Ruger, and the like won’t ever call their revolvers K-Frames or J-Frames, but the enthusiasts will. These frame sizes constantly reference revolver sizes, but what do they mean? Are you up to date on S&W frame sizes? If not, you come to the right spot.
M-Frame
The M-Frame series is one of S&W’s forgotten frame sizes. This tiny frame design was their smallest hand-ejector model produced from 1902 to 1922. They sold this seven-shot .22 S&W Long rimfire revolver as the LadySmith. This was the only M frame produced, but the Ladysmith title lived on and has graced both semi-autos and J-frame revolvers.
(Live Auctioneers)
I-Frame
I-Frames were the earliest frame sizes. In fact, I-frame guns existed before they were called I-Frames. This frame size is bigger than an M and smaller than a J. This was the first hand ejector produced by S&W from 1896 to 1960. These revolvers chambered cartridges like .32 S&W, .38 S&W, and .22 long rifle.
(Heritage Auctions)
J-Frame
J-frames dominate the concealed carry market for revolvers. They are slightly larger than I-frames, were introduced in 1950, and remain in production. The little J-frame has seen its fair share of calibers, with the most common being .38 Special. This frame size has numerous variants with different materials ranging from steel to polymer. It’s likely the most popular frame size produced these days.
C-Frame
Another forgotten frame size is the C-frame. This experimental revolver size was designed to compete directly with the Colt Detective special. It had a six-shot capacity and used a J-frame combined with a K-frame cylinder to provide a compact, six-shot revolver. This frame size was produced in 1973 as the Model 73, and only 5,000 were produced. Due to safety concerns, they were destroyed, and only roughly 20 are left.
(S&W Forum)
K-Frame
The K-Frame is the famous medium-frame revolver size. These guns began production in 1899 as the M&P guns. The K-frame became the duty-sized revolvers for generations of police officers. The most popular chambering is the .38 Special. Calibers like .22 LR and .22 Magnum are also popular, and target models in .32 S&W Long were created. S&W produced .357 K-frames, but they weren’t designed for long-term use with the powerful magnum cartridge.
(Rock Island Armory)
L-Frame
L-frame revolvers were developed due to law enforcement’s demand for a more stout and sturdy duty revolver that could handle a full diet of .357 Magnum cartridges. The L-frame is larger than the K-frame but still falls into the medium-sized frame designation. These beefed-up frames accommodate powerful .357 magnum loads, and their slightly larger design allows for seven shot cylinders for .357 Magnum and are strong enough to handle .44 Magnum.
N-Frame
S&W produced the N-frame size to accommodate larger bore .44 and .45 calibers. This frame size was introduced in 1935 and remains in production. The big guns could handle six shots of .44 Magnum and .45 Colt and were the first guns to handle the .357 Magnum. They are known for their large grips and heavy design but also for being stout and durable. Their large frame sizes allow for up to 8 rounds of .357 Magnum or six rounds of big bore cartridges like .44 Magnum.
X-Frame
X Frame is where big got even bigger. When S&W got into the .460 S&W Magnum and .500 S&W Magnum cartridges, they had to build an even bigger frame. These were introduced in 2003 and are absolutely massive guns that chamber massive rounds. The X-Frame series are some of the largest production revolvers in the world. They are used almost exclusively for hunting and causing lifelong wrist pain.
Z-Frame
The Z-frame is a weirdo. The only Z-frame is the S&W Governor, a 410 revolver. It features the grip from a K-frame but a massive frame to accommodate 3-inch .410 shotgun shells. It’s a six-shot revolver and stands out due to its length, which is more than its overall frame size.
Getting In Frame
Why each letter is used and why they aren’t in alphabetical order is lost to me. It admittedly does seem somewhat random. Now you know which letter means what, and hopefully, you’ve even picked up a little S&W history along the way. Personally, if you can, pick up an I frame in .32. They are joyous guns to shoot. What’s your favorite frame size?
Is your training preventing you from actually getting better? I guess that would depend on what you mean by “better.” Are you finding balance in your training?
If you’re chasing the sub-2-second Bill Drill but haven’t had a medical class or read up on deadly force law in the last couple of years, is that really the best use of your time?
If you’ve got a match coming up, then maybe. If, however, you’re just the average citizen defender, it may benefit you to broaden your capabilities a bit.
It’s easy to fixate on the measurable performance metrics. Measurability provides both instant feedback and quantifiable growth. It’s far more difficult to gauge your proficiency with your verbal agility or social dexterity. There’s no score or par time for those things.
It’s also so easy to rabbit-hole on the defensive practices as a whole that you inadvertently neglect other aspects of your life. Dedication and commitment are admirable, but don’t let the defensive lifestyle monopolize your life to the point that you forget to be a friend, spouse, parent, etc.
All of this should enable us to live life to the fullest. We should not live in such a risk-averse bubble that we prioritize control and security over experiences.
Let’s start this by saying this is not investment advice. You should never take investment advice from a website that writes about guns—especially from me. I know very little about investing, and my portfolio is all about slowly getting rich through the S&P 500, a good IRA, and CDs while interest rates are high. However, today, I want to propose the idea of investing in gun stocks not as necessarily a means to make money but as a way to significantly contribute to the fight for gun rights.
As far as gun rights go, things are looking good. Like DJ Khaled, all we do is win. This winning in courts and even public opinion is due to the folks at gun rights groups like the GOA, SAF, and even the NRA. Believe it or not, the NRA helped fund a chunk of the brace ban litigation and, last time I checked, paid for half of it. We fight in the courts and even in the court of public opinion, but are we losing ground elsewhere?
The other side, the anti-civil rights side, has been losing left and right. But when you lose, you tend to either give up or get creative. On the other side, they certainly haven’t given up. They’re still in the fight. They’ve gotten creative. They attack firearms from different angles. They attack advertising, use zoning regulations, and use the ATF to kill FFLs for minor paperwork issues. These groups even use organized efforts to attack firearm companies monetarily.
Gun Stocks and The Campaign To Unload
An organization called the Campaign to Unload is a scheme that encourages people and organizations of all sizes to divest from firearms and ammo companies. In fact, it encourages people to divest from any company that has anything to do with firearms. Here is what they say:
Campaign to Unload seeks to end gun violence with a bold new strategy. United with social justice activists and more than 50 organizations, we are hitting back at irresponsible gunmakers where it hurts: their sources of funding. With the help of student activists, the faith community, and civil rights leaders, we continue to grow our movement and fight for safer communities.
This new approach has caught the attention of MSNBC, Huffington Post, New Republic, Boston Globe, and many others, who have called the movement “the new front in the war on gun violence.”
They are fighting on a front I haven’t seen anyone on the firearm side even consider. If we want to preserve our civil rights, we have to fight the anti-civil rights groups at every front. This brings us back to gun stocks. Is purchasing shares of the few public ammo and gun companies a worthwhile way to combat things like Campaign to Unload?
Campaign to Unload has scored some wins. They got the California State Teachers Retirement System to divest from guns, as well as other pension funds in New York and Philly.
Beyond the Campaign to Unload
The Campaign to Unload is focused on divesting, but the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment is a group that’s taken a different approach. They work to purchase firearm stocks in large numbers so they can have a say in how firearm companies are run.
They push shareholder initiatives to get gun companies to change how they do business. So far, they haven’t been successful. Another group, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, aims to do the same thing: purchase gun stocks to achieve some manner of control over how the business is run.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been some successes. The largest shareholder of S&W, the ominous and somewhat terrifying Blackrock Inc., demanded that the company answer for the risk that its products cause. Admittedly, a company as large as Blackrock can own 9% of S&W and seem tough to conquer.
Luckily, S&W does own the majority of its company. Still, if every person purchased one share every time they purchased a S&W weapon, it could ideally make a difference.
American Gun Stocks
There aren’t a lot of companies that are public. I’m not a huge stock guy, so there might be more, but in searching, I found that S&W, Ruger, Olin, Vista Outdoor, and Ammo Inc. are all public. The price varies, but currently, S&W stock is trending pretty low.
At 15ish dollars a share (subject to change), it’s not a hefty investment. I purchased some, but this isn’t an investment advice. I don’t think my few shares will ever make me rich, but I see it as a small way to stand up to anti-gun groups looking to wage war on our civil rights via financial means. In an era where we fight for braces, 80 percent lowers, against AWbs, and more, we have to consider the financial side of this fight.
Then again, maybe buying ammo is a better investment.
CAVEAT: This was originally filmed in 2022, before I was aware of Taurus’ increase in QC and production methods. As such, I no longer view them as a bottom-tier firearm.
Understanding the Rule When Buying Guns & Suits
There’s all sorts of buying rules:
Live on X% of your income.
The ring should cost two month’s salary.
Spend as much on the scope as you do on the rifle.
Every hobby has its guidelines on how people should spend their money.
I found that clothing is one arena where people don’t necessarily understand WHY certain things cost more or less. Most of the time, you hear the excuse, “Well you’re just paying for the label”
Sometimes that’s true. ESPECIALLY with well-known fashion brands that people want to show off. I’m looking at you, Gucci, Prada, YSL, and Armani.
With that said, there’s differences in material and build quality between cheap department store suits & a well made garment from a tailor just the same way as there’s differences between Hi Point and Heckler & Koch.
I break it down into a few simple categories, to try and contextualize what you’re really getting for your money, and keep things relevant and relatable.
Optics and handguns are like peanut butter and chocolate. They just go together. Small handguns, big handguns, competition guns, self-defense guns, every handgun is improved by a red dot. On small, concealable handguns, the Shield RMSc footprint rules, but until very recently, we were limited to open emitter optics. Open emitters are mostly fine, but an enclosed design delivers more reliability, and Holosun has finally checked that box with the EPS Carry.
The EPS Carry uses a creative design to allow an enclosed emitter optic to fit a Shield RMSc footprint. The design places the rear window directly in front of the points where the bolts secure the optic to the gun. It’s clever, and Holosun found a creative way to cram an enclosed red dot into a very small space. I mounted mine to my favorite automatic carry gun, a SIG P365XL.
The Holosun EPS – More Than One
Holosun, much like SIG, offers a range of options with the EPS Carry. The EPS Carry is slightly smaller than the larger EPS and comes in various models. There’s the MRS model with multiple reticles and a solar panel, models with 2 MOA reticles, and models with 6 MOA reticles. I opted for the EPS Carry Green 6, a green reticle with a 6 MOA dot. This model doesn’t have a solar panel, making it a simpler, more affordable option.
The Holosun EPS Carry comes with some of Holosun’s most desirable features. These include a side-loading battery and large adjustment buttons for easy use. The turrets are placed in a location identical to the 407K series. The system boasts an impressive battery life of 50K hours, and Holosun’s shake-awake design automatically shuts the optic off after ten minutes of no movement.
Once the optic detects movement, it springs back to life at the last setting used. The shake-awake design is programmable. It can be turned off, set up to 12 hours, and user-programmable. Ten minutes is fine. The EPS Carry series features the Holosun Super LED design, which makes the brights brighter and dimmer for NVG use.
Through the Looking Glass
The Holosun EPS Carry provides a clear set of glass. Holosun has redesigned its glass to provide an overall clearer design and uses aspherical glass lenses with zero distortion. That’s what they claim, and my eyes can’t detect any specific level of distortion. The dot is most certainly a step up from my old 407K.
It’s crisper and clearer. The dot is a perfectly round 6 MOA design. I was downright impressed by the dot. I typically use a smaller dot, but the 6 MOA design was eye-catching and easy to see in various lighting conditions. According to Holosun, the EPS Carry sits low enough to work with most stock iron sights. Being able to cowitness is valuable, but sadly, that doesn’t work with the P365. However, it does seem to work with the Hellcat series of pistols.
Throwing Lead With the Holosun EPS
With the optic mounted, secured, and ready to rock and roll, I hit the range. I use a 25-yard zero with my handguns. I start at 15 yards, zero, then back up to 25 yards and rezero. In my two zeroes, I got a feel for the turrets. They provide both tactile and audible feedback. I can feel those little clicks, and the feedback makes it easy to know what each click does.
I zeroed in quickly and got A-zone hits at 25 yards rapidly and easily. At 25 yards, the dot was like cheating. I could ring a ten-inch gong, and with the right timing, I could make the gong swing and stop. If I trotted my butt back to 50 yards, I could hit a steel IPSC target over and over. It’s addictive to hear the ding.
To get my steps in, I trotted back to close range and tried my hand at a Bill drill from concealment. The dot was easy and quick to find. The window is small, but if you can master your presentation, you won’t have a problem finding the dot. Tracking the dot between shots was also very easy; I could keep it moving easily.
I fired the weapon and optic in various positions and situations. I took it behind cover, in the prone position, with one hand, and more. There wasn’t a weak spot I could find with the EPS Carry. A 6 MOA dot is big, but it’s not big enough to obscure the target, especially at self-defense ranges. The Holosun EPS is a worthy successor to the 407K on my P365.
The New Standard
In the past, Holosun was considered an optics company that clones other designs. The EPS shows they are growing, changing, and adapting to new needs. The EPS Carry is the best micro-sized optic on the market.
Six months ago, I did a dry run of my concealed draw to first shot times with the PHLster Enigma from under a tucked-in concealment garment.
Concealed Draw to First Shot
Given that I was wearing my Duluth joggers in that video, some people were concerned that actual pants would have a more restrictive waistband that would significantly impact the draw times.
So I ventured out to Big Tex Ordnance’s new range facility to put it on the clock and see for myself.
And the results were….
The same. There’s no appreciable difference between draw to first shot with a tucked shirt vs. untucked.
The only thing that had a major impact on things was when I added the additional layer of the jacket.
Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, recently spoke out against a public health advisory issued by the Surgeon General. In a Twitter post, he called the move unconstitutional and wrote, “We will not comply. Florida will always reject the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional power grabs.”
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared firearm violence a public health crisis on Tuesday, June 25th, which incited a quick backlash by gun rights advocates. NRA Director Randy Kozuch released a statement, “This is an extension of the Biden Administration’s war on law-abiding gun owners.”
(Surgeon General)
Governor DeSantis issued his statement on June 27th. In the Surgeon General’s announcement, he stated, “Firearm violence is a public health crisis. Our failure to address it is a moral crisis.”
The Surgeon General’s advisory called for universal background checks, required secure firearm storage, and a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use. There was a call to “create safer conditions in public places related to firearm use and carry.”
The Surgeon General Report – More Than Words?
It’s worth noting that a public health advisory is not a law and does not create any administrative policies regarding firearms. It’s not binding in any way. In reality, it’s nothing more than the Surgeon General taking a political stance against American Civil Rights.
What is worth noting is that current gun control efforts are focused on administrative means to strip citizens of their gun rights. Lawmakers are not creating gun control laws but using dictates and executive orders to enforce gun control. The administrative war on firearms isn’t new, but in recent years, the use of administrative policies has increased drastically.
(Photo by P.E. Fitch)
One of the most brazen uses of this administrative war on gun rights was President Trump’s bumpstock ban. Since then, the Biden administration has attempted to use administrative efforts to ban 80% frames and lowers, pistol braces, and to prevent private gun sales. This represents a terrifying use of administrative power that circumvents Congress.
While the statement from the Surgeon General isn’t binding, it could potentially help set the stage for future administrative gun control efforts. This time, the focus could be on using public health laws to create administrative rules that greatly affect gun owners. While political pundits may see Gov. DeSantis’s rejection of the advisory as unnecessary, I believe things like this should be fought from the very beginning.
It’s like a fire. You do not allow it to grow into an uncontrollable blaze; you use your resources to stomp it out before it can cause any damage.
Reading Into the Advisory
The Advisory from the Surgeon General is chock full of anti-gun talking points and language. It uses terms like “assault weapons” to mislead to the extent that it’s a downright lie. In reality, rifles like the AR-15 are very rarely used in crime. According to FBI statistics, hands and feet are used more often than rifles of any kind.
Terms like large-capacity magazines are also strategically used to deceive and mislead. What’s a standard capacity magazine? The term large-capacity, when used by anti-gun advocates like the surgeon general, simply means standard capacity. They don’t specify a standard capacity, so they can always lower the capacity.
If they get ten, they’ll go for seven. They’ll ask for five if they get a restriction to seven rounds. The language used is purposeful, and anti-civil rights advocates have mastered the art of deceitful language. More state and local governments should take a stand against anti-firearms administrative rulings, assignments, boards, rules, etc. Put the fire out early and ensure their constituents are able to retain their constitutional rights.
S&W Triple Lock: A colored pencil drawing of the historic Smith & Wesson Triple Lock N-Frame revolver.
Lorin Michki is a talented artist, printmaker, and illustrator who’s been making a name for himself over the past few years as the unofficial-official “court artist” of the tactical community. I specifically use that moniker because the majority of his works chronicle many of today’s influential firearms trends, like double-stack 1911/2011 pistols, the Beretta 1301 shotgun, or AR-15s with modern accouterments. Likewise, he’s created many works that feature fictional characters in cult-classic films typically enjoyed by most “gun-guys.”
Michki also does an excellent job honoring the classics, as many of his compositions consist of classic firearms like the original 1911 pistol, the P.08 Luger, or classic Smith & Wesson/Colt revolvers. Other works have a more humorous nature and are rooted in Internet meme culture, while some can be more serious. As a classically trained artist, Michki is skilled in portraiture and has experience working with other mediums like oil paints. He accepts commissions for both firearms art and art beyond firearms.
The Rise Of DrawnFire Art
Michki’s background in art stems from his high school days, where he spent time in his father’s tattoo shop, improving his drawing skills. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in college, where he earned an art degree. Much of his time during his college years was also spent teaching art and drawing to other students as an adjunct instructor.
Around this time frame, Michki bought his first handgun, a .357 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk revolver, at the age of 21. Slowly, he grew more into his newfound hobby and interest. Like many of us, this also meant spending his free time watching firearms videos on YouTube and posting about them in assorted Facebook groups.
It wasn’t long before he began drawing and sketching gun-related artwork and sharing it for fun online.
Lorin Michki’s Debuting Works
The first two prints Michki sold in the mid 2010s after serendipitously sharing them on social media by chance.
Through chance, after posting two drawings in a group, another member of that group messaged him and offered Michki cash to purchase them. This first transaction would turn out to be the catalyst that set things in motion for Michki and his company, DrawnFire. The first patron turned into a second, then a third, and so on, until Michki began creating his works of art in his spare time away from his day jobs.
During the early days, he was able to turn his talents into a side hustle. Through his excellent work, the amount of patrons requesting commissions kept growing. These days, he works full time as an artist and makes his living through his commission work and the sale of his prints online.
The name DrawnFire is a combination of his original name, “Draw and Fire,“ which references his artistic ability to draw and his love of shooting. This name was eventually shortened to DrawnFire. It still carries its original meaning but is also a play on the act of drawing and shooting [a handgun from a holster].
Artistic Tools And Style
Michki is talented with several artistic mediums, including ink and pen, colored pencils, watercolor, and even oil paints. He favors the Japanese Sakura Micron black ink pen and Prismacolor colored pencils.
For much of his works, his go-to is the high-end BFK Rives paper of French origin. The best way to describe BFK Rives paper to a gun-centric audience is by likening it to a rifle powder like Varget. The way Varget is the powder of choice across the board for rifle cartridge reloaders, the same holds true of BFK Rives paper for artists and printmakers.
The majority of the work he sells is made mostly with colored pencils or pen and ink. As mentioned previously, Michki’s subject matter includes firearms, the characters depicted in classic “gun-guy” movies, historical figures, mythical figures, grim figures, and even memetic figures. There are even some thematically appropriate surrealist pieces amongst his work.
In addition, much of his works depict American military and law enforcement personnel. These works, especially, are reminiscent of the artwork of the late Dick Kramer. During a phone call with Michki, I asked him if Kramer was a direct influence, as it wouldn’t be an unreasonable assumption to make. It turns out that while Kramer’s work wasn’t a direct influence on Michki’s work, they became friends until Kramer’s passing in 2022.
Selected Works And Gallery
Below are a few selected works created by Michki that highlight a range of drawing styles with his preferred mediums like pen and ink, colored pencil, and watercolor. Frankly, the selected works below are only a few and cannot showcase the entire spectrum of his talent. They’re here primarily to exemplify the diversity of his work, maybe not thematically but certainly from a technical perspective.
From top to bottom:
G-Men: A testament to Michki’s skills with a pen. To show the entire spectrum of light and shadow in this noir-themed composition, he uses an important pen and ink technique called stippling. The shadows on the rounds of the slide and frame of that Colt Model Of 1911 are exquisite.
Hamer Of Justice: In this portrait of legendary lawman Frank Hamer, Michki similarly demonstrates mastery of another pen-and-ink technique called hatching [and cross-hatching]. Whereas stippling makes for a “smoother” image, hatching comes off as grainier and gritty, which perfectly captures the look and feel of Hamer on horseback as an old-school Texas Ranger.
100 Years: In colored pencil, 100 Years depicts the original Colt 1911 pistol—the first model to enter military service—next to the USMC Colt M45A1—the last 1911 version to serve in the US Military.
Roland Special Variation 2: Another monochrome work that predominantly uses pen and ink stippling to illustrate the Roland Special Glock 19—a modified 9mm Glock 19 with an aftermarket KKM Precision barrel and compensator and a Trijicon RMR reflex sight. The Roland Special was a forerunner in the category of compensated tactical pistols with slide-mounted optics.
Jack: Lorin Michki painted this watercolor portrait of Jack Clemons upon learning of his passing. The proceeds from the sale of these portraits are earmarked directly for Jack’s family.
Enduring Toward Morning: This Lorin Michki original was inspired by End Of The Trail, a sculpture of a weary Native American man and his tired horse. Instead of the threadbare blanket and spear, the Native American man in Michki’s version holds a scoped Barrett MK22 MRAD rifle.
G-MenThe Hamer Of Justice100 YearsRoland Special Variation 2JackEnduring Toward Morning
The Takeaway
Lorin Michki is an American artist whose work is important to the world of American firearms. Much of his work depicts historically significant and classic firearms or historical events alike. This strikes a chord with me as a writer because being aware of and respecting the history of our gun culture is important. It not only helps us understand how and where we came from, but where we’re going in the future.
Similarly, Michki’s work captures many enigmatic aspects of today’s contemporary gun culture. You can find it in his works of modern Glocks and 2011 pistols adorned with modern tactical lights and slide-mounted reflex optics. Ditto for any of his features with modern AR-15 carbines and bolt-action rifles with the latest in riflescopes and bipods.
In a sense, Lorin Michki reminds me of noted Western artist Frederic Remington. Remington was born in 1861 and is best known for his work that captures the American West with depictions of cattle, horses, cowboys, bandits and Native Americans. Remington was alive during this raucous period of American history and was able to capture it in his work as it happened.
This is exactly how I feel about Michki’s work with those contemporary firearms themes as well. One day, time will pass us, too, and take everything. Only our art, photography, videos, and writings will remain. Tempus Fugit.
Support the Arts
Michki plys his craft as an artist to make a living from the sales of his prints, and the works his patrons commission him to carry out. He normally stays in contact with his fans and patrons through his social media channels, on Facebook and Instagram. His Etsy shop is probably the best place to view his artwork and purchase it, of course.
The best way to reach him to commission a work of art is via his email (drawnfireart@gmail.com).
