JM Custom Kydex appendix carry holster review

By

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September 15, 2020

Appendix carry is rapidly becoming the most popular method of concealed carry; today in the JM Custom Kydex Appendix Carry Holster Review we take a look at one of the best options on the market right now.

Contrary to what some people would have you believe, appendix carry isn’t new. There are photos of cowboys on the frontier with guns jammed into their waistband at the exact same position modern day shooters are sticking Glock 19s. It’s a natural position to carry a gun, and works well with the body’s natural range of motion. As appendix carry, or AIWB has gained popularity in the internet age, a lot of companies have jumped in the pool making holsters. But not all holsters are created equal. What sets the JM Custom Kydex appendix carry holster apart from the others?

First, the JM Custom Kydex appendix carry holster is well-made. Anyone who’s ever handled a kydex holster made from cheap material and one made from quality material can instantly tell the difference. The cheapo holster flexes, deforms, and generally feels low quality in the hand. The JM AIWB holster on the other hand is made of high quality material. How high quality? One of my personal holsters survived a 30+ MPH fall off a motorbike with cracking or damage to the holster.

Secondly, the JM Custom Kydex appendix carry holster is comfortable for all day wear. Whenever you show someone your AIWB rig, the first thing they say is “I’d like to see you drive with that.” So I did that, driving 4,344.7 miles with a Ruger GP100 in my JM AIWB holster. At an average speed of 70 mph, that’s just over 60 hours in the car, with an appendix carry holster. My legs started to get cramped up from sitting long before I felt any discomfort from the holster.

Lastly, the JM Custom Kydex appendix carry holster has all the features you’d want. Because you can order your holster made-to-order, you can get whatever options you want. For semi-autos I get a wing claw and pull the dot loops, and for revolvers I get a flat muzzle pad to keep the muzzle from rotating. Both those options make the holster easier to conceal, and more comfortable.

Bottom line, JM Custom makes a great AIWB holster. They’re reasonably priced, starting at $70 before options, although mine usually cost around 80-100, because I like options. Custom products will run at least 6 weeks wait time as well, but I have to say: it’s worth the price and it’s worth the wait. If you’re like me and like special snowflake guns, JM Custom is your go-to.

H&K Lost the Competition to Replace G36

By

Keith Finch

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September 14, 2020

Read first over on Soldier Systems

According to the German language publication Soldat und Technik, the German Army has selected the CG Haenel MK556 carbine to replace the G36. The MK556 is a short-stroke piston design in 5.56mm NATO.

This rather surprising upset may have its roots still in politics. The German government has come down hard on H&K over the G36 scandal and they may still be charging hard over that. But at the same time… they may not. It is possible H&K simply… lost. They didn’t deliver an expected product at a price point the Bundeswehr and German Government wished to purchase.

This ends the service’s multi-year search for a G36 replacement. The program to purchase around 120,000 new rifles began in 2017 and suffered a slight set back in 2019 when testing had to be reaccomplished. The G36 entered service in 1997 and underwent two upgrades during its service.

The MK556 beat out the new Heckler & Koch HK433 which was developed specifically for this tender after the German government told H&K that their existing HK416 (adopted by the German Kommando Spezialkräfte or, Special Forces) was too expensive.

Interestingly enough, Haenel part of the Merkel Group, which is under Tawazun Holding (United Arab Emirates) (Caracal). So the Bundeswehr is essentially getting a lower cost HK416.

Essentially a 416 at non-H&K prices. I do wonder if they will also go M-LOK like the Brits and drop HKey?

I also wonder if this means 433’s for the states? But that’s a big wonder.. more like a high fantasy adventure in my own mind where all kinds of cool equally improbably things happen.

Tax the 2A Away

By

Keith Finch

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September 14, 2020

A “Rights Tax” is not a new tactic. Just as with a “Sin Tax” it is an attempt to limit or eliminate a behavior that the group who levied the tax considers undesirable or to limit a certain group of people (the poor and middle class) from exercising a behavior. The rich folk who can are then a considered a combination of “smart enough” or “important enough” to exercise the behavior and a minority of the population with enough power and positive offsetting traits for it to be an issue best left unspoken about an unaddressed.

There is no single privilege as powerful as money intelligently spent on establishing reputation. We like to throw the term “influencer” around, but the greatest influencer known to man isn’t a YouTube or InstaPersonality of some type. It’s trusted money.

Now, back to the ‘Right’s Tax’, the sin tax to trump all sin taxes.

From the MRCGO:

Owning a Gun May Become Much More Expensive

With the federal courts offering lukewarm protection to the Second Amendment, anti-gun politicians are attempting an end run around legal gun control obstacles through taxes.

Michigan State Representative Cynthia Johnson (D-Detroit) has proposed a 10% excise tax on ammunition, already selling at inflated rates due to scarcity. We can anticipate more firearms related excise tax proposals in the 2021-2022 Michigan Legislative Session.

Firearms dealer licensing and manufacturing fees are increasingly being proposed in many states. And Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has called for a $200 federal registration fee for popular semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 as well as a $200 federal tax stamp for every magazine that could hold more than 10 rounds.

In a September 9, 2020 article, Ammoland reports: “In 1819, Chief Justice John Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court famously wrote: ‘the power to tax involves the power to destroy ….’ This truism has not been lost on firearm prohibitionists, who when unable to ban guns outright have often tried to tax them out of reach of the average citizen.” Read More

The result of such taxes would make legal self-defense, particularly concealed carry, even more unaffordable to many middle class and economically disadvantaged people. History has taught us this will lead to a proliferation in blackmarket sales and corresponding increase in crime.

A sin tax is a basic concept, using financial stress to curb a behavior. We do it for cigarettes and alcohol and while its effectiveness is suspect, its revenue generation is not. Certain states and cities have added that same tax to legal marijuana. Others have added it to guns and ammo.

Using the sin tax, the government can price people out of being able to afford something. Usually by putting it in the, ‘its just not worth that much to me…’ category and then pocketing the money for the general fund. The extra tax on a certain good above and beyond any general sales tax which actively discourages or punishes the use.

Oh sure they can say its going to fund ‘Gun Violence Prevention Efforts’ or ‘The Harm Caused by Firearms in the Community’ but they also say all the lottery money goes to schools… If we don’t have receipts showing every dime going to ER’s, trauma help, and LE then I’m going to call shenanigans and say this is just more general revenue. Directly at the expense of the financially challenged, temporary and long term, these axes cause harm.

But it is seen as ‘acceptable’ to some to tax this particular civil right… because guns. It’s immoral in the highest degree to mandate even a free ID to vote, but we can tack on hundreds of dollars to your right of self defense and vaguely say that it is offsetting the ‘cost’ of gun violence? What about the cost of uninformed voting? #RememberObamaPhone

On the Federal level Joe Biden wants to make magazines over 10 rounds and semi-auto rifles like the AR-15.. the infamously vague ‘assault weapons’, into NFA controlled items with $200 taxes attached to each one. $200 extra for every single PMAG, Surefeed, Lancer and more.

[Sidenote: I bet the morale at ATF, all branches, would improve 66% instantly if we amended the NFA to just cover machine guns and all other firearms were considered Title I and narrowed to a single ‘Firearms’ category. Make everyone’s life easier. Tracking ‘type’ by pistol, rifle, etc would be academic data only, the legal categories would be Firearm (Title I) then Select Fire Firearms and Destructive Devices (Title II).]

BREAKING: Michigan Capitol Commission Debating Gun Ban

By

Keith Finch

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September 14, 2020

Lansing — State Capitol Building, Michigan

After some of the protests that came as a result of 2020 policy decisions, many related to COVID-19 Coronavirus infection prevention decisions, the debate has been opened in the Michigan State Capitol Commission on whether or not to ban firearms from Capitol premises.

You can watch the debate live here.

This recent round of debate on banning firearms comes after armed protesters of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 infection reduction policy entered the Capitol Building in April to make their displeasure known, heard, and felt. They succeeded, perhaps too well and the inevitable happened. Instead of progress on opening businesses the Commission is deciding whether to leave the policy unchanged, ban long guns, or ban firearms outright from the building.

I think we can file this under ‘Unintended but inevitable consequences…’ since we have an anti-2A governor and AG in Mitten State at the moment. Never let a crisis, even an overblown or manufactured one, go to waste as an opportunity to erode firearms freedoms.

Comments to the commission can be left here. As always, those comments should be kept civil and in keeping with good discourse. Any opportunity to see firearms owners in the state as barely controlled nearly off their rockers holligans will be exploited to erode the 2A while polite but firm opposition to a change in policy negatively influencing the 2A rights of Michiganders can only be helpful if there is any help to be had.

Sometimes everyone has made up their mind already when these open, and there is no way to ‘win’. We will see.

The Scalarworks RMR Sync Mount

By

Travis Pike

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September 12, 2020

Optics on shotguns can be a tricky proposition. Shotguns are like handguns in the fact that many will argue an optic isn’t necessary. Most people are wrong about that, at least from a defensive perspective. Optics make everything faster and more precise, and a shotgun is no different. Optics on shotguns are tricky, but Scalarworks has a problem-solving solution through their Sync mounts.

The Scalarworks Sync Mount is a shotgun specific optic’s mount available for the Mossberg 500/590/930 and the Benelli M2/M4/SBE. The Sync mount is also optic’s specific and made to mount the Trijicon RMR or SRO. The Trijicon footprint is quite popular, so the Sync mount will accommodate various optics. I mounted the Holosun 507C v2 over an RMR, and the fit was perfect.

The Sync mount is made from 7075-T6, and when the open bottom RMR is mounted to the mount, the gun has a rock-solid and waterproof fit.

How It’s Different

The Benelli M4 already comes optic’s ready, so you may be asking what the point of the Sync mount is? The Sync mount lowers the optic to the point where it perfectly co-witnesses with the Benelli’s iron sights. A brief glimpse through the rear sight perfectly places the reticle in focus and provides a clear view all the way to the front sight.

The Sync mount positions the optic much lower than most and provides you with a rock-solid cheek weld and a comfortable position in which to use the optic. No more chin or jaw welds to be had here. Most shooters using a Benelli often find the LOP too long for optic’s use, but the Sync mount eliminates that for all Benelli M4 stock types.

The Sync mount is also much lighter than the Benelli optic’s rail. It weighs only .64 of an ounce compared to the Benelli’s 2.71-ounce optic’s mount.

Sync Mount Installation

The Sync Mount also doesn’t use a traditional installation method. On guns like the Benelli, four holes and four screws hold down the optic’s mount. The Sync mount goes in its own direction. The middle two bolts act as anchor points that remain under the mount entirely. This Key Slot mounting system locks the mount down before it’s genuinely connected.

Once the first two bolts are in place, and the Sync mount is locked in, you then add the front and rear bolt, which properly secure everything. This system spreads side-impact over four points, and once in place, there is no shaking or looseness to be found.

Tossing on your optic of choice is relatively simple and takes no time at all. A little Loctite and a turn of the bolts and bam, you are ready to go.

In Action

Zeroing is easy because I know my irons are zeroed for Federal Flitecontrol at 15 yards. I moved the 32 MOA circle down and matched the reticle to the irons, and I was off. The reticle was dead on with my chosen load, and I was a happy shotgunner.

The Scalarworks Sync mount has since been subjected to my wills and whims for shooting during the quarantine. I’ve put hundreds and hundreds of buckshot downrange, and even more birdshot with my newly decked out Benelli M4, and the mount remains secure. None of the bolts have loosened, and the setup is just as tight today as it was on day 1.

I do adore being able to get right behind the optic with a natural cheek weld. It makes shooting the gun much more comfortable and natural feeling. Shooting with a compromised cheek weld is never fun, especially when set against some stress. You’ll find yourself missing the optic and losing your reticle, which results in sacrificed time and frustration.

The Sync mount guarantees that when you jam your cheek to your stock, the reticle will be a part of your vision. Forget spending time trying to find it; spend that time pulling the trigger. Shotguns and optics are tricky because few people have invested the time to do it right. When paired with an excellent red dot optic, a shotgun is faster and inside a shotgun’s effective range, speed is king.

Bead? Ghost Rings? Nah, Red Dot

The red dot gives you the speed of a bead sight with the accuracy of ghost rings. However, this only works when the optic is placed low and in the ready position. The Sync mount gets the red dot nice and low and perfect for shots on the fly. Shotguns rule when it comes to fast snapshots and reactionary shooting, and the Sync perfectly complies with that kind of use. The Scalarworks Sync mount is an excellent addition to your Benelli or Mossberg, and I’m glad the gauge is getting a little attention.

The Virginian

By

DRGO

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September 12, 2020

[Ed: DRGO’s Virginia activist, Dennis Petrocelli, MD, just won’t quit. As all of us must, he is keeping the pressure on Virginia governments that seek to restrict our individual liberties and 2A rights. These were his comments at Tuesday’s public meeting about the Richmond, Virginia ordinance to prohibit firearms anywhere “used by, or . . . adjacent to” a public event (e.g., a demonstration) [my emphases — how near is “adjacent” and who knows when an event “should be permitted” if it wasn’t ?].

President of the City Council, Councilors, and other guests,

My name is Dr. Dennis Petrocelli. I’m a forensic psychiatrist who has studied human violence and aggression for the past 20 years that I’ve worked here in Virginia. I’m asking all councilors to vote in opposition to 2020-184 and I’m happy to quickly go through a few reasons why I’m asking you to do that.

First let me clarify I speak for myself and one particular organization; I do not speak for my employer. I am a member of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a national organization of healthcare providers that debunks mythology about gun control that has masqueraded as public health.

Let me turn my attention now to 2020-184. Mayor Stoney has proposed this as a gun ban, and his stated intention is that by passing this members of the community would feel more secure in public places where there are gatherings that either should or are permitted. This legislation would do none of that and let me cite some reasons for this.

It is well established that criminals do not fear law enforcement–what it is that they fear are potentially armed victims. This has been established by surveys that have been conducted of persons who are incarcerated for violent crimes. With regard to those of us who are law abiding, it has been repeatedly established that the enforcement of law does not make us feel more secure. Fear of crime is only reduced by the presence of security, and it’s important to emphasize that this so-called ban does not provide perimeter security or any measure of security at any event.

Additionally we know that lawful defensive gun usages vastly outweighs criminal uses of guns by at least a hundred to one. There are roughly 500,000 defensive gun uses annually in the United States. It’s also known by FBI data collected in 2018 that armed civilians have often stopped active shooters before law enforcement can arrive. We know that armed civilians who are lawfully armed and properly trained are vital immediate responders who respond prior to the arrival of law enforcement.

Finally, I really need to emphasize that all of your constituents are buying guns in absolutely record numbers. Local gun stores have been picked clean of their inventory and all of those folks are your constituents. I cannot imagine what it will be like for you to go to your constituents who have recently bought guns and explained to them that they’re going to have to keep their guns in a safe and cannot carry them in order to keep themselves safe. Thank you.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Good Evening Members of Richmond City Council and my fellow Richmonders,

I’m Dr. Dennis Petrocelli. I’m a constituent of Ms. Larson and I appreciate your allowing me to address you yet again on this ordinance. Again, I’m asking you to oppose it. I want to add two points to those I made at my previous opportunity to speak, and some of these are in reference to Mayor Stoney’s comments about the purpose of this ordinance.

I’ll remind you that on the last Virginia Citizens Defense League Lobby Day, January 20th, 2020, roughly 20,000 people showed up to the capital armed, and we left the capital cleaner and neater than we found it. None of us committed any offenses whatsoever. There’s no basis in fact for this ordinance supposedly making anyone safer.

The second point I’d like to make is about gun control in general. There isn’t a single piece of gun control legislation in the United States that hasn’t been used toward racist ends. I’m an ex-New Yorker and I can tell you that the New York SAFE ACT is nearly exclusively enforced in Brooklyn and the Bronx. It is not enforced in Westchester, it is not enforced in other counties, and that’s entirely due to demographics. I strongly encourage the city council to think about this and to vote no on this ordinance. I thank you very much for your time.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Chief of Police Smith,

Your comments tonight regarding Mayor Stoney’s proposed ordinance to “ban” guns at and near events that are or should be permitted in Richmond were a shocking affront to the Second Amendment community. At a time when your position, your department, and your brothers and sisters throughout the country are attacked and scrutinized, you chose to stand with the lawless and infringe upon the rights of your law abiding supporters.

This “ban” provides no perimeter security, or any other measure to ensure security. It merely tells responsible citizens that their guns are not welcome, despite the fact that concealed handgun permit holders are among the safest and most law-abiding members of society. It simultaneously informs criminals that participants are unarmed.

You stated that this “ban” was “not an infringement.” It absolutely, unequivocally is. I have a God-given right to bear arms to protect myself and others, and this ordinance prohibits that. The fact that you cannot see this ordinance as an infringement makes it all the more frightening: it is now reasonable to believe that there’s no limit to what your police force is capable of. You will enforce one infringement after the next, eventually losing sight of the Second Amendment altogether. Perhaps you already have.

You stated that your police force would seek “compliance” before implementing “enforcement.” Let’s examine what “seeking compliance” would look like. Police officers, armed with guns would approach citizens armed with guns, and demand that those citizens secure those guns at some unspecified distance from the event, absent any evidence that those citizens had any intention other than to be ready to defend themselves. If there is anything the Second Amendment was designed to prevent, it is exactly this scenario.

In response to my observation that gun control laws have been enforced disproportionately against minorities, you stated that under your leadership it would be enforced fairly. You are our third Chief of Police since the rioting began roughly three months ago; there is little reason to believe that your tenure will endure the duration of this ordinance.

Assurances about enforcement were made before the Supreme Court in the New York Rifle & Pistol Association v New York City case, and several Justices were appropriately troubled that such assurances were meaningless, but that’s all you offer us tonight. Recall that your officers tear gassed protesters before the curfew took place. If your officers literally do not know what time it is, how can we expect them to follow the nuances of enforcement you contemplate?

Events of the past several months prove that immediate responders, that is, lawfully armed citizens, are all the more important when police are diverted by the mayhem of rioters. I’d like to think that the Richmond police exist to uphold the law in the support of the rights of the law-abiding. Instead, you make it clear that you’d happily allow your department to serve as the leading edge of infringement against our rights.

It is deeply troubling that your allegiance to politics is greater than your allegiance to the law. The context of this ordinance is crucial to understand it. This year’s Virginia Citizens Defense League Lobby Day brought 20,000 open-carrying law-abiding citizens to Richmond. No crimes were committed, and we left the Capitol grounds literally cleaner than we found it. This has been the case for many years now, yet you choose to ignore all of this. Therefore, I can only conclude that you are helping the Mayor do our Governor a favor, in return for his recent campaign endorsement. This year the Governor declared the Capitol Grounds an “emergency shelter” and banned guns inside that perimeter. He knows that maneuver won’t stand on appeal, so the Mayor is delivering this ordinance for him. It is as transparent as it is unconstitutional.

Dennis Petrocelli, MD

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–Dr. Dennis Petrocelli is a clinical and forensic psychiatrist who has practiced for nearly 20 years in Virginia. He took up shooting in 2019 for mind-body training and self-defense, and is in the fight for Virginians’ gun rights.

All DRGO articles by Dennis Petrocelli, MD

The Modern Fighting Revolver

By

Caleb Giddings

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September 11, 2020

What is the modern fighting revolver? It’s a topic I’ve visited in the past, but until now lacked the time, resources, and ambition to bring to fruition. In short, it’s a revolver updated and designed with the features that a shooter in 2020 would want on their gun.

The plan for the modern fighting revolver was simple: find a full size revolver that carries more than six rounds, fix the trigger, mount a red dot. The first step is finding the gun, and there aren’t a lot of choices. Keeping the gun to a realistic carry size meant eliminating guns like Ruger’s 8-shot Redhawk or the similarly large Smith & Wesson N-frames, such as the 8-shot Performance Center 327. While those guns are awesome, they’re not the right size for concealed carry. That leaves the seven shot Ruger GP100 and the various 7 shot L-frame S&Ws. While it’s a known fact that I personally am a fan of Ruger revolvers, one of the weaknesses that they have for this project is a lack of suitable mounts for red dots without machining. The final choice was the Smith & Wesson 686+ with a three inch barrel. This balances the gun well between shootability and concealability.

Next up were the grips. The factory stocks on the 686+ are fine if you’re doing range work, but for a full day class they lack surface contact area and friction. That was fixed with an order from VZ Grips, which landed the marvelous round to square butt conversion grips in my lap. These grips change the profile of the grip so it widens at the base, giving the shooter more gun to hang on to, which is ideal for extended shooting sessions.

Fixing the trigger would prove more difficult, but wasn’t impossible after the judicious application of a bucket full of Apex parts. Apex conveniently sells an all in one kit: the Evolution hammer. This hammer converts the gun to DAO, is machined steel instead of MIM, and pre-polished to reduce friction. The kit also has an extended firing pin and two new rebound springs. The lighter spring is the “competition” spring, which is the spring we installed. After dropping the new hammer, firing pin, and rebound spring in, the new trigger is a smooth 12lbs with a fast reset. A little tuning to find out what cracks primers and we might be able to get that under 10lbs in the future.

The last install was the red dot, and again our solution starts with Apex. There aren’t a lot of great revolver red dot mounts on the market. Apex offers a mount for the Aimpoint ACRO, which uses all three of the revolver’s pre-drilled screw holes to secure the mount. That makes it the sturdiest revolver mount that doesn’t require milling, and of course the ACRO mounts up perfectly to it.

I’ll be using this revolver as my primary gun for shooting classes for hopefully the next year, and providing period reports about its durability, accuracy, and any other issues. Oh, and for those wondering how much all this awesome stuff costs? The gun, parts, and dot all together: 1619.88. But no one ever said it was cheap to be this awesome!

19 Years Ago.. Today

By

Keith Finch

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September 11, 2020

I was sitting in a seventh grade classroom on the day I learned, the day I truly learned, that hate had followed mankind into the 21st Century.

It was the day I learned my father could cry. It was the first day I learned evil did exist. That it was real and it killed people for what ever reason it wanted. The 21st Century didn’t leave behind the concept of slaughter just for someone’s origin, their nation, and their heritage.

Nineteen men would take it upon themselves to kill nearly 3,000 people. Just because they were probably American, that they were working in America and traveling in America. September 11th, 2001 proved that mankind had brought their vindictive hatred and grudges with them into the next century… and that it only takes one person to do that.

I knew, as I saw my father crying, as I saw the bodies of people falling from the towers, as I gazed at a TV screen showing flames and smoke and wreckage… as I watched the Towers fall… I cried too and I knew the fight was on, it had been dragged across the year 2000 by evil men with evil intentions and hollow justifications in their hearts. They brought it with them across the line so that anyone could pick it up for any reason to bring violence again and again.

I don’t know why, at twelve years old, I thought the turn of the century was some sort of barrier. I believed that the hatred of the past couldn’t cross the year 2000. This was the Information Age. We had weapons just in case, not because we were inevitably going to war and mankind can’t leave it behind.

I learned that it doesn’t take a nation to make war. The world learned war had changed again, just as it had at the last turn of the century. Mankind can never leave it behind, because it takes the united effort of everyone to do so. If even one person does not, then the effort fails… hatred remains… and war continues.

Nineteen years later, mankind still holds the hate we brought over the century mark even if some of the targets of it have changed.. and I just wish we would put it down. No conditions, no stipulations, no reasons to hang onto the hate. That part of my naive twelve year old self remains, and I’ll keep it. I know the reality, I know there are more fights to come both large and small, for righteous reasons and for selfish ones. I know it, I accept it.

But I can still wish it was done.

Si vis pacem, para bellum

Work for the brighter future.

Never Forget.

No Excuse? The New Surefire XSC

By

Keith Finch

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September 10, 2020

I get a ton of press releases but I was AFK when this one hit (I was actually out buying a WarComp and Mini762) and I have to say… well.. huh.

Surefire appears to have taken a page from the Trijicon book of product development who, I believe, learned from Colt.

What do I mean? “We’re the best, so innovation is bullsh*t” -Colt, Trijicon, and now apparently.. Suerfire Lights

Quick history lesson.

Surefire took a little developmental flak awhile back for the M600DF 1st Gen’s being.. underwhelming. For reference I have two variants of that light and I’m pleased with them. The wide beams make brilliant (pun intended) room lights and I will happily purchase and recommend for purchase the current M600DF’s. The new bendy crazy mount version is pretty cool too (The Scout Pro).

But the market had also wanted a true rifle light, something with throw that would be able to stretch PID more than anything on the market at that time… and Surefire was savvy enough to play into that a little with their ‘1500 lumen’ advertising. This was before throw and candela were looked at more closely than lumen output was. In fact, it was a direct result of Surefire’s underwhelming ‘1500 lumen’ light that people started to question what was “wrong” or at least different about this from the old 1,000 lumen M600.

We received the M600DF as it was, which isn’t a bad light by any means, but it was kinda like Colt coming out with the 6920 again but being proud they put an ambi-safety in it, changed the model of flip-up rear sight they were using, and inexplicably making it a 17.5″ barrel for some reason.

So Modlite and Cloud Defensive came and pretty much ate Surefire’s lunch. The light bearing world got an education on lumens and candela and how you produced different throws for different applications, in a manner parallel to how you set up different firearms for different applications. Cloud produced the OWL, the absolute UNIT of the weapon mounted light world right now. Modlite brought the OKW and PLH, which then evolved quickly into the PLHv2 with feedback, and those lights did what the community had wanted the M600DF to do.

Streamlight quietly upgraded their TLR-1 series to new brighter systems and the M600DF, in my opinion, should have been more along those lines with the rollout. It was a logical progression of the M600 line, not a brilliant (pun intended) new product. Add to that a series of QC and CS issues that made the rounds on the internet and Surefire was beginning to worry us.

The Grand Champion of bright weapon lights and quiet guns.. was suffering from from an aliment we dread in this community.

The XSC is… underwhelming and overpriced.

The XSC is only 350 lumens, 2000 candela, and its more expensive than an X300U.

I’m sure it works, just as I am sure the RMRcc works, but ‘works’ isn’t what people want to see. A flashlight in my pocket also ‘works’. I’m seriously wondering how they thought the market was going to react to a light that looks like a TLR-7A for twice the price and only 70% of the output.

All of that might be forgivable if the light was as bombproof as the X300U’s are (unknown) but there’s one additional piece that sinks the XSC in my mind…

Proprietary. Rechargeable. Battery… and it only lists as shipping with one, no spares are listed on their website as of this writing, and I expect them to be far more expensive than an 18350 rechargeable cell when they do become available. Oh, and add to that the 3.7v proprietary cell only runs the light for 30 minutes. For reference, an 18350 cell (also 3.7v) will run a PLHv2 for 35 minutes at 1,350 lumens and 54,000 candela.. and do so for $20 less… and you get two batteries.

Can that Modlite go on my Hellcat? No it can’t, and you know what.. I don’t care. I wasn’t eagerly looking to spend around $400 to get a light and holster for it on my Hellcat, G48/43X, or P365/365XL. But I could have been convinced it was at least a good idea if the light had offered, in addition to mounting on the little 9mm’s, both

Better output than the TLR-7/7A (500 Lumen/5000 Candela)
Compatibility with a single CR123 cell and/or 18350 rechargeable cell. Batteries I have because they are common.

A competitive price point, much closer to $200 instead being their most expensive conventional light, would also have been a really good idea. And as for batteries, rechargeable cells should come in pairs at minimum and that is truer than ever when your battery is proprietary. Heck, if that drop away battery compartment had been a sleeve for an 18350 and it had run this thing for 120-180 minutes I would probably be on board… but it doesn’t do that.

$329

Seriously.. Remember when the Colt ‘Retro’ rifles were twice the price of the other ones for absolutely no reason other than ‘name recognition’ that was no longer a salable commodity? GAT Daily remembers.

You were absolutely killing it, Surefire… and now you.. killed it. Not every product is going to shake the foundations of the industry or even be that good of an idea in the slightest (rotating quad rail).. But c’mon, lights are your thing! If we weren’t getting lumens we needed something else back, money would have been the home run. This light would probably be a hit at $229.

The Commie-fying of Mulan

By

Dr LateBloomer

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September 10, 2020

598C5595-EFF2-4ADB-BAFA-3DF0D6E79A49 — https://www.quizzbook.xyz/disneys-mulan-memes-boycottmulan-memes/

Can I just say that I loved the first version of Mulan?

Yes it was a cartoon, and yes I was an adult, but I was going through a rough transition in my life at the time. Major parts of the movie spoke to me.

“Look at me. I will never pass for a perfect bride. Or a perfect daughter. Can it be I’m not meant to play this part?” – Yeah, still makes me well up after all these years.

And the part where all her so-called comrades left her to die alone in the snow because she turned out to be an icky girl?

And the part at the end where her father drops all the valuable gifts from the emperor in the dirt, to embrace Mulan and declare “The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter.” Here come the waterworks again…

So yeah, I’m kind of a fan. Despite the fact that the fireworks and cannon she used were the closest things to firearms in the whole movie.

But I have decided that I DON’T want to see the new version. I don’t want to give Disney my money for this. Not because Mushu isn’t in it. Not just because I don’t have Disney+ and don’t want to cough up extra money on top.

It’s because of Disney prostituting themselves to the Chinese Communist Party.

This article in the National Review points out how Disney sucked up to the CCP so that they could film parts of the movie in the region that contains concentration camps for Uyghurs. Nothing like a little genocide by sterilization and reeducation going on next door to add spice to your movie scenery, huh guys?

Now usually I’m not a huge political boycotter. I admittedly haven’t shopped at Dick’s in a couple years, and there are a handful of other business that I don’t give my money to anymore. But this one pushed me over the edge. Between the COVID cover-up, the Hong Kong situation, and now the Uyghur genocide, I’ve had it up to here with commies. I’m done.

What does all this have to do with Guns, Ammo, or Tactical anything? Nothing. And Everything. Because Communism is completely antithetical to the freedom that the Second Amendment ensures. You know what the antidote to genocide is? Guns. Totalitarian regimes HATE civil liberties. And they REALLY hate guns in the hands of free citizens. Communists HATE personal freedoms. But like Disney, Communists LOVE your money.

I for one intend to deprive them of mine.

And I’ll be keeping my guns, thanks.

TEAM WENDY TO BE ACQUIRED BY AVON RUBBER

By

Keith Finch

-

September 9, 2020

CLEVELAND, OH (Sept. 9, 2020) – Team Wendy, LLC (“Team Wendy”), a leading U.S. supplier of exceptional head protection systems for military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and adventure markets, today announced that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Avon Rubber p.l.c. (“Avon”) (LON: AVON) under which its subsidiary Avon Protection Systems, Inc. (“Avon Protection”) will acquire Team Wendy for a cash consideration of $130 million USD on a cash-free and debt-free basis, subject to a normalized level of working capital (the “Acquisition”). Together, Avon Protection and Team Wendy will create a global leader in head protection systems for the military and first responder markets, following Avon’s acquisition of Ceradyne from 3M earlier this year.

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of Avon’s 2021 fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2020. It is subject to Avon shareholder approval, as well as U.S. regulatory approvals and satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

At the close of the transaction, Team Wendy will operate as a subsidiary of Avon from the Company’s current headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. Team Wendy will continue to be led by its Chief Executive Officer Jose Rizo-Patron and its six department directors, who will all remain in their positions.

“Today’s announcement marks an exciting new chapter for Team Wendy that will usher in new opportunities for our employees, our customers and our business partners,” said Jose Rizo-Patron, chief executive officer of Team Wendy. “We remain focused on our vision to save lives by providing the best for anyone wearing a helmet. Avon’s management team shares our vision for the growth and expansion of Team Wendy and, as such, we believe they are the right long-term partner for our customers, employees and other stakeholders.”

Avon Protection is the recognized global leader in respiratory and ballistic protection for the world’s militaries and first responders, with more than 1,200 employees in 12 global locations, around 70 percent of whom are based in the U.S. Avon has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

“The acquisition of Team Wendy is another important strategic step in the transformation of Avon Rubber into a leading provider of life critical personal protection systems,” said Paul McDonald, chief executive officer of Avon. “Team Wendy is a high-quality business with complementary liner and retention system technologies and established positions in Rest of World Military and First Responder helmet markets. Bringing Team Wendy into the same family with our existing Helmets & Armor business establishes Avon Protection as a global leader in Military and First Responder helmets, with an enhanced and broader product portfolio with stronger capabilities and routes to market.”

“We look forward to welcoming Team Wendy into the Avon family and working together to further develop head protection systems that prevent traumatic brain injury and to improve the performance and capability of our customers.”

“Team Wendy was founded to honor the legacy of my late daughter and improve head protection systems to prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss,” said Dan T. Moore, chairman, founder and principal owner of Team Wendy. “My family has always agreed that we would only ever sell Team Wendy if it was to the right partner. In meeting with the Avon leadership team and understanding their vision, it was clear to me that they would honor her legacy and help to drive continued and sustainable growth and innovation.”

About Team Wendy^®

Team Wendy is dedicated to providing exceptional head protection systems designed from the inside out for those who risk their lives every day. Founded in 1997, the Cleveland-based company places a strong focus on the prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in honor of the company’s namesake Wendy Moore, who died tragically from a TBI following a ski accident. As a leading supplier of helmet systems for military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and adventure sports, Team Wendy is steadfast in its dedication to the pursuit of improving head protection research, design and development, bringing more choice, better technology and reliable customer service to the industry. Learn more at www.TeamWendy.com.

About Avon Protection

Avon Protection is an innovative technology group, which designs and produces specialist products and services to maximize the performance and capabilities of its customers. Avon Protection is a leading provider of life-critical personal protection systems with leading positions within the global respiratory and next generation ballistic protection markets for the world’s militaries and first responders.

For further information, please visit www.avon-protection.com.

Bump Stocks… Back?

By

Keith Finch

-

September 9, 2020

On September 4th the United States Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, reopened the Bump Stock ban. More specifically they reopened whether or not the ATF, Attorney General, and DoJ could just declare that bump stocks were machine guns.

The document is only three pages and can be read here. Thanks to Gun.com for reporting it, that is where I read it originally.

What happened?

On appeal, the 10th Circuit vacated their earlier uphold of the decision to ban bump stocks. They specifically are examining and addressing just how much latitude an agency like the ATF has in interpreting vague and old statutes for new technology without it being dictated by Congress. The ATF is continually left hanging by Congress in matters related to the NFA, GCA, and FOPA which leads to an agency more likely to go with wherever the political winds are favoring instead of logical technologically based policy decisions because they cannot pass the buck back to Congress, despite that being the job of Congress.

As we know, the ATF essentially rewrote the definition of machine gun to include bump stocks. This definition was written and passed by Congress (1934 and 1968) and has not been amended by them to include bump stocks. The ATF, with political pressure from both parties and the White House, rewrote it themselves instead. The courts have then upheld the decision to include bump stocks as machine guns so far and held that the government did not need to compensate owners for the mandatory forfeiture of their lawfully owned property. So a non-congressional body made hundreds of thousands of people into felons and would not compensate them financially for doing so. Something strikes me about unlawful seizure in that, but I digress.

I’m actually assuming the ATF expected this challenge, I even believe they expect to lose. But it was, from my perspective, the only way to get pressure off of them after Las Vegas at the time. That immediate gain (then) was seen as worth the hassle down the road (now). Solve the immediate crisis of everybody mad about bump stocks and deal with the next crisis of non-elected agencies rewriting laws at whim instead of Congressional amendments from a Congress that doesn’t actually want to touch gun control when they got there.

Well, we are ‘there’ now.

At issue is not whether or not bump stocks can be declared machine guns, really. They absolutely can. It is whether or not the ATF can do it, and whether they can do it without the federal government compensating owners.

I’ve always maintained that when gun controllers really get serious about bans, they’ll break out the check book. Want to ban AR-15’s right now? Not a snowball’s chance in hell of that working. Want to ban them and pay full MSRP or market value (whichever is higher) adjusted for today? You will see a great increase in compliance and support. Not all mind you, not even half more than likely, but if the gun controllers put money where their mouths were in a serious fashion you would see more.

New Zealand is probably our closest real world example of the efficacy of such a policy, marginally effective at removing firearms at best and chalking it up as ‘any gun taken off the street is one more that can’t be used in a crime…’ instead of focusing on removing criminals. Modern weapons are one of those genies you don’t get to put back in the bottle.

We are twenty years into what is likely to be the most peaceful and prosperous century on the planet, even with all the conflicts that still spring up. Let’s keep that perspective in mind. Bump stocks, crazy folks, and even the mass proliferation of automatic firearms wouldn’t be moving the needle much. As unreasonable as times feel, they have been far more unreasonable in the past.

Civil War casualty numbers by battle. The war killed 2% of the United States population, which would be 6 million people over 4 years today with 18 million people as total casualties.

Imagine 1 in 3 people in the Midwest being dead, wounded, or missing due to the direct actions of Civil War in the time that Trump has been president. Imagine it being about 1 in 20 people across the nation. We live in overall decent times.

But anyway, looks like bump stocks might live again. So we have that going for us. Que the Moms Demanding Demands and stuff.

Zero Tolerance = Zero Accountability

By

Keith Finch

-

September 9, 2020

A Black seventh-grader played with a toy gun during a virtual class. His school called the police.

I urge you to click on the link above and read to WP article as it highlights a ‘challenge’ emerging for parents with kids learning from home. Hide your toy guns. Hide your toy swords. Hide anything that could possibly be seen as a problem by teachers and administrators since their ‘classroom’ now includes whatever space in your house that your children are learning from.

Isaiah Elliot is the young man in the picture above, with his mother and father. He’s a seventh grader. I won’t even go into all the “ADHD” or whatever else they want to over-diagnose. He. Is. A. Seventh Grader. He’s twelve years old and distance learning from home where he has to be glued to a screen doing things he doesn’t want to while all the comforts and toys of his living space are around him.

I’m a professional, I have a home office now that I work from full time for the same reasons that Isaiah can’t go to his classroom. I don’t like sitting here for hours on end, I’m a bit of a disorganized individual and will happily stop a project midway to do something else and come back when it strikes me to, but it is a requirement and sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I’m an adult and I possess the maturity, experience, and rationale to make it work.

I can’t for a moment imagine my twelve-year-old self not being fidgety, not getting up and getting a drink, playing with my gadgets and toys off screen, or any and all of the above. I got in trouble for sneaking Pokemon games to school on more than one occasion, as did all my friends. That is what kids do. I had plenty of toy guns, several airsoft, although that gadget craze hit the states when I was a little older.

Zero Tolerance

Now, obviously weapons and even facsimile weapons in a classroom are something that need to be taken seriously. But here is the rub, ‘Zero Tolerance’ isn’t seriously. It’s an overly simplified and heavy handed catch all policy that allows the ban hammer of authority to crush someone hard for crossing a line. It does not matter the circumstances behind the event, it just matters that the crush happens because a certain single requirement was met.

Can you imagine a better policy to prove to young minds that the circumstances of an event don’t matter to authority? Do you remember the Eagle Scout, Cole Withrow, who forgot his hunting shotgun was in his truck? The Honor Student who did the ‘right thing’ and notified his school faculty that he forgot and had the gun locked in his truck and needed to take it home? Remember how, for doing the ‘right thing’ he was expelled and threatened with felony firearm possession? Remember how there was no way to make an honest harmless mistake because ‘zero tolerance’.

Remember how ‘zero tolerance’ didn’t do a thing to save lives, it just actively ruins them in otherwise innocent situations.

Idiotic Devil’s Advocate: “But, Keith! What if Cole had been there to shoot up the school!?”

So what if he had?

Can you, Mr/Ms IDA, honestly say that the window dressing that is a ‘gun free zone’ policy would change when the school found out they had an active shooter? Precisely, when that active shooter fired their first round or at the earliest when the gun became physically exposed. There was no knowledge of Cole’s shotgun until Cole volunteered that information to do the right thing and secure it away form the school. That would be no different if an active shooter had nefarious intentions instead of Cole’s pure ones, any belief otherwise is wishful Utopian thinking. Betting the safety of the students on noticing a firearm in time to do something about it and that all the stars will align for a good outcome is asininely stupid.

Now ‘zero tolerance’ applies to your home.

Your home has apparently now become school property. We aren’t talking about a kid actively threatening a teacher or other students, even in jest (which happens constantly in case you are ignorant of juvenile behavior). We aren’t talking about a kid bringing an airsoft toy to school (actual school, the school building) to show his friends. We are talking about a child, Isaiah, being suspended five days and having police show up to his door for having his airsoft toy at his home. For having the audacity to be a kid, at home, with his toy gun nearby while he happened to be in a virtual classroom.

Is it too much to ask a teacher to simple ask a student to put their toy down because its classroom time? Too not send the footage for review and call the police for a zero tolerance weapons violation on property the school does not own and control?

If I had children I couldn’t use my office for their remote learning despite it being technologically an ideal place. I work in the gun industry, guess what my office looks like? What if I walked past the video pickup carrying one of the numerous rifles or handguns I work with on a daily basis? Would SWAT descend upon me and my notional family? Would I be charged with bringing an actual weapon into a school zone, while it being my living room or my office?

Zero tolerance is a nightmare of inflexible uncaring bureaucracy that proves only that those in authority do not care about you, the care about the policy. That policy isn’t there to protect you or anyone else, it exists to be enforced. The public servants beholden to the policy cannot exercise discretion or best judgement, they don’t even take care of things ‘in house’ with a non-disciplinary call with the parents. Immediate record, immediate paper trail for weapon violation, immediate stigma.

This all before factoring in the compounding issue of Isaiah’s skin tone and the social, societal, and political implications that brings.

In conclusion. ‘Zero Tolerance’ firearms policies are stupid and short sighted. This is compounded by extending them to distance learning. If your school system has a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy, beware and begin making your displeasure with it known.

Springfield Releases the XD-M Elite 3.8

By

Keith Finch

-

September 8, 2020

The Springfield Armory® XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact packs all the features of the popular Elite line into a CCW-ready package. This new pistol has a compact slide and short, concealable frame with a removable flared magwell for ultra-fast reloads. The Match Enhanced Trigger Assembly (META™) gives you the finest factory trigger available in a polymer-framed pistol. With a magazine capacity of 14+1 (and the ability to employ extended magazines for a full-size grip and 19+1), the XD-M Elite 3.8″ Compact is a concealable defender ready for carry.

3.8” MATCH GRADE BARREL – The XD-M® Elite 3.8″ features a hammer-forged barrel designed to deliver long life and match-grade accuracy when it counts.

14-ROUND MAGAZINE – The XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact pistol’s magazine holds an impressive 14 rounds of 9mm, giving you unparalleled self-defense firepower in a very compact package.

COMPACT FRAME W/ SHORT MAGWELL – Designed for deep-cover concealment, the XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact features a compact grip frame designed to offer maximum capacity — 14+1 — within a minimal footprint. A flared and extended magwell ensures fast reloads.

To facilitate quick reloads, the XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact also features a removable extended and flared “short” magwell. An additional benefit of the removable magwell is that you can quickly convert the pistol from a compact to a full-size frame with a 19+1 capacity. These extended magazines can be purchased separately on our webstore.

CALIBER: 9mm
COLOR: Black
BARREL: 3.8″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish, 1:10
SLIDE: Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish
FRAME: Black Polymer
SIGHTS: Fiber Optic Front, Tactical Rack U-Dot™ Rear
RECOIL SYSTEM: One Piece w/ Full Length Guide Rod
GRIP WIDTH: 1.2″
MAGAZINES: (2) 14-Round
WEIGHT: 27 oz
LENGTH: 6.75″
HEIGHT: 4.58″
MSRP: $559

Shotgun vs PCC for home defense

By

Caleb Giddings

-

September 8, 2020

Pistol caliber carbines, or PCCs are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Shotguns have always been popular, but advances to the platform, especially from Beretta, have once again forced it to the front of people’s minds. We asked: shotgun vs PCC for home defense?

The Shotgun for home defense To answer the question of shotgun vs PCC for home defense, we’re going to break it down into two sections. Looking at the pros and cons of the shotgun, then the pros and cons of the PCC. First, we’ll start with the shotgun, and right off the bat there is a big pro: no individually portable weapon delivers as much destructive power with a single trigger pull as a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot. While researching this article, I look for home defense shootings where a shotgun loaded with buck had didn’t stop the attacker, and I couldn’t find any. In fact, I couldn’t find any HD shootings where a shotgun loaded with buck required a second shot.

Unfortunately, that decisive fight-stopping power comes with a drawback: heavy recoil. The biggest con to shotguns is that they’re hard to shoot, especially for small people. That deficiency is defeated with training, but not everyone is willing to invest the time and effort necessary to master the shotgun. The good news is that if your first shot is a good hit…you probably won’t need a second round.

The gauge loses another point in the shotgun vs PCC for home defense debate because by nature, it has low capacity and is slow to reload. It gets that point back because unless your home is being invaded by ninjas, the odds of you needing to reload your shotgun are so close to zero that they might as well be zero.

The PCC for home defense Now, on to the humble pistol caliber carbine. In this shotgun vs PCC for home defense debate, what does the PCC bring to the table? Well it’s easy to shoot, even for neophytes. Light recoiling carbines are often an excellent choice for home defense, because they enable the shooter to get accurate, fight stopping hits easier than with a handgun. The need for accurate hits is one of the drawbacks of a PCC, because its terminal ballistics are the same as a handgun. Handgun bullets, regardless of caliber, poke little holes in people. To make the PCC an effective tool, the shooter has to be able to put those little holes where they matter. So the PCC definitely loses to the shotgun in terminal ballistics, but it wins user-friendliness.

Where does this leave us? The PCC is easier to shoot and holds more ammo, but the shotgun is more effective at stopping threats. The answer really comes down to “it depends.” An interesting note is that in these times of COVID-19 and civil unrest, the humble pump action shotgun is flying off dealer’s shelves like hotcakes. There’s something that resonates with Americans about shotguns for home protection, and for me it’s also my choice. Of course, I don’t go basic. My home defense gun is a Beretta 1301, which beats the hell out of any PCC.