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Rampage Killing in Nova Scotia, 16 Dead.

By
Keith Finch
-
Image via Google Search... couldn't see across Huron today so...

Late Sunday, Canadian News outlets reported a spree killing in the rural community of Nova Scotia.

The police said the killing spree, which began in the town of Portapique on Saturday night, ended about 12 hours later at a gas station about 22 miles away in Enfield, north of Halifax, where the gunman died. The police would not elaborate on how he died, though witnesses told local news outlets that they heard gunfire leading up to his death. – NYT

It is one of the worst slayings in Canadian history and the details are still murky. Currently, the prevailing information seems to indicate that this started as a deliberate directed killing of one or more of the victims and then later became random.

One of the slain is a veteran RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Officer. A motive for the rampage shooting was not immediately clear. Officials said Mr. Wortman, a denturist from Nova Scotia, had a relationship to some of the victims and was not known to the police. They said one line of investigation would be whether the coronavirus pandemic had anything to do with the killing spree.

If COVID-19 stresses were a factor in the slaying it could be a dark precursor to other potential acts. As reserves run out and relief from the government proves too little or too late the potential for violence rises from its baseline.

Everyone’s potential, en masse, and equally so, everyone’s risk of victimization when an individual or group hits a tipping point and goes over it. Violence is a natural visceral reaction to induced stresses and even within civil societies it will happen. We cannot legislate it from existence or simply will that risk away, our mitigation must consist of civil efforts toward our fellows and realistic preparation and acknowledgement of the risks involved.

Politcos the world over (I should say ‘First World’ over) will argue this is a problem with people owning guns who shouldn’t. They won’t point to the fact that Mr. Wortman was, “not known to police” which equates to not having a criminal record or even a history of negative interactions with law enforcement.

That it is impossible to predict future behavior, only guess based on past behavior and assumed future stimuli is something they like to gloss over. If you’re thinking, “Keith, that’s a pretty sketchy guess.” you would be correct, far too many variables.

Conversely certain people will point to it as proof that weapons cannot be left in the hands of ordinary untrained citizens. Conveniently, this ignoring all the instances where government abused their monopoly on force. Even if such people acknowledge that governments have abused their authority, “in the past” they do so with a self assured arrogance that their government would never do such a thing… in the next breathe they may also call *insert least favorite politician* ” literally Hitler” so it baffles me which government they have this absolute faith in.

Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, the officer responsible for criminal investigations for the Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the episode began on Saturday night when the police were called to a home, where they discovered dead bodies inside and outside the residence.

He said a suspect was nowhere to be found. Over the next 12 hours, the police pursued Mr. Wortman across the province.

Commissioner Lucki said the crime scene stretched over a 50 kilometer, or 31-mile, area.

Chief Leather said Mr. Wortman appeared to be dressed as a police officer and was driving a vehicle made to resemble an R.C.M.P. car. The authorities said that Mr. Wortman then switched vehicles and was seen driving a silver Chevrolet Tracker in the Milford area. – NYT

The reports seem to indicate Wortman was using a deception, predicated on that force monopoly, to evade capture and continue his attack. This may indicate prior planning from before the current crisis, this may indicate it has nothing to do with the current global pandemic. This is, in partiality, evidence that supports a possible terrorist act.

However it also may just have been a convenient means of escape and evasion after the initial killings, those which were socially linked to him in some manner. The variables for a violence permutation are vast. It’s like a slot machine at a casino, but with even more reals and those reals can interact with other machines reals. There are a nearly endless series of combinations that result in nothing overt and that happens over, and over, and over again but someone still hits that sequence resulting in an event.

The chief said the bodies of victims were discovered in multiple locations and that several structures were set on fire.

Lee Bergerman, the assistant commissioner, appearing visibly shaken at a news conference on Sunday, said the killing spree would haunt Nova Scotia.

“Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia and will remain etched in the minds of many for years to come,” she said. – NYT

When the combination of factors strikes and someone snaps it is tragic and terrifying, however we as first-worlders have a terrible tendency to apply a variation of NIMBY to traumatic and catastrophic events of every degree. Despite knowing, academically at least, that these events occur we still socially inoculate ourselves into a stupor of believing it is always on TV and ‘somewhere else.’

During the manhunt, the authorities warned residents that Mr. Wortman was armed and dangerous, and told them to stay inside.

Frightened residents locked their doors and many hid in their basements — and stayed there overnight — as news of the shooting spread through the close-knit community.

Did they take any other precautions, I wonder? Far be it from me to suggest that a governing authority figure actively endorse necessary force to prevent a man on a killing spree from adding you and your family to the body and injury count.

In July 2018, a man wielding a gun in Toronto walked down a busy street and randomly shot two people and injured 13, before killing himself.

One year earlier, in late January, Canada was deeply shaken when a political science student entered a mosque in Quebec City during prayers, killing six people and wounding many more.

One of the worst mass shootings in recent Canadian history occurred on Dec. 6, 1989: Fourteen women were killed in a violent anti-feminist attack at the École Polytechnique engineering school in Montreal. Fourteen others were injured, and the gunman killed himself.

But wait? Canadian style gun control efforts are supposedly so efficient that bad things only happen in the much more populous United States… that just so happens to have a lot of tightly packed urban spaces, a diverse group of cultures that don’t always get along, and an active market for certain illicit trades which reward organized crime with profit… but no, I’m sure because we only make people do a background check at gun stores and deny anyone with any felony, domestic violence, substance abuse, or mental illness from purchasing that is why bad things happen in the United States only.

Except all the other places bad things happen. NIMBY, right? Some weird form of denial NIMBY.

To the people of Nova Scotia, the community rocked by this event and who now must recover, we mourn with you.

To the politicians and groups who will use this to push farcical solutions, promises that, “we can do better” that you cannot deliver on and know it, and who will talk through the bodies to score political points by telling everyone how bad the bad thing was in order to drum up support for whichever pet snakeoil law that wouldn’t have stopped it to begin with…

Fuck you. Let the community grieve and bury their dead with dignity. Be honest, for once, and leave you empty unenforceable promises in the dust bin where they belong.

Why should you dry fire?

By
Caleb Giddings
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Dry fire, or dry practice as it’s sometimes called, is one of the best and most affordable ways to get better at shooting. Why you should dry fire is because there’s not better place to drill down on fundamental and complex shooting skills than in dry fire.

In this video, we go through a simple dry fire session where I work some basic skills in the comfort of my own home. When we’re looking at why you should dry fire, we first need to establish some basic safety rules. We need this because we’re handing guns and pulling the triggers on these guns. The first rule I have for dry fire is that I’m in a room with no live ammo whatsoever. I make sure that whatever setting I’m doing my training in has been sterilized of live ammo. The next rule I have is backstop – even though my gun “isn’t loaded” I still dry fire in a safe direction. Safe direction means one that will stop a bullet, or one where the bullet won’t hit anything. A good example of a safe direction is a brick fireplace, or if you live on a 300 acre ranch, your backyard.

Now that we’ve got some safety rules, let’s look at why you should dry fire. The foremost is that it’s the perfect place to build non-shooting skills. Things like drawing the gun into your eye line, the perfect stance, and reloads are all skills that are important to shooting, but aren’t specifically shooting skills. When I was training to win a FAST Coin, I spent a week practicing defeating the retention on my Safariland SLS holster. Dry practice is the perfect place to focus on tiny skills like that.

Another reason why you should dry fire is because in that sterile environment, it’s the only place where you can execute the fundamentals of marksmanship flawlessly. On the range, with the sun beating down on you and recoil existing, you’ll never do a perfect trigger pull. In dry fire, you can have the perfect trigger press and see its effect on your sights. You learn more about your trigger pull when the gun doesn’t move than you do during live fire.

These are a few of the reasons why you should dry practice. Suffice to say, it is one of the most important, and affordable ways to develop your performance based shooting skills.

245 Years Ago The British Empire Came For Them…

By
Keith Finch
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April 19th, 1775, is the date most widely regarded as the first official battle of the American Revolution. “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” a title not exclusive to the battle, fired in Concord, marked the first fight where the British were beaten.

Fighting had occured in Lexington earlier in the day, 8 Colonist Minutemen were killed for one British minor injury. The “shot” heard around the world wasn’t the first fired in anger, it was the first that set Imperial Great Britain back. It was an American Colonist victory and a British defeat.

Unexpected.

They were coming for our guns, so we shot them.

That’s a sentiment, unfortunately, not as far from the forefront of our minds as it comfortably should be… you know, since we Constitutionally Enshrined the bearing of weapons as a natural inalienable human right.

In a COVID-19 world where restrictions and recommendations from healthcare workers and the government vary from cautious to ridiculous, ‘don’t use a motorboat but a paddle boat or canoe is ok’ for example…

No, seriously.

Under the governor’s revised “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order 2020-42, physical outdoor activity, such as kayaking, canoeing and sailing, remains permissible. However, the use of a motorboat, jet ski or similar watercraft (includes gas and electric motors) is not permitted for the duration of the Executive Order, which is currently set to expire at 11:59 p.m. April 30. Prohibition on the use of motorized watercraft is reflected in the governor’s Frequently Asked Questions document that explains and interprets Executive Order 2020-42.

So staying away from each other on motorized watercraft, bad. You’ll get the Rona! Staying away from each other on non-motorized watercraft good because… physical activity?

Instead of writing something sensible like, ‘Outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, biking, boating, are permitted but not in a gathering of more than 10. Social distancing needs to be maintained between individuals and groups. Groups should remain as small as possible, keep distance, and anyone showing symptoms or who has a known exposure should not participate until their 14 day isolate quarantine is through for virus incubation and/or they have recovered. Please follow medical provider instructions.’

Nope, governments across the nation have taken it upon themselves to make lists of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ activities that don’t seem to stand up under scrutiny of any sort. They contain confusing and contradictory measures that often seem to slip into the realms of “social justice” best practices or whatever said governor feels they like.

They do not make efforts to be reasonable or minimally disruptive, which would also have the benefit of showing respect for individual rights and be clearer and understandable. That is half the problem with the current crop of restrictions, the double speak undermines their urgency.

In response people are… unhappy.

Image from Lansing via The Independent.

What happens when your instructions don’t make sense on top of severely hurting your small businesses and laid off workers? Who are having all kinds of trouble getting the promised relief out of the tax pool, the promised exchange for shutting down was that Government was footing brunt of the bill… something that might get interesting come 2020 tax season.

People get sick of it.

Now, Detroit area has a high infection rate (thanks New York, glad we could share), but what people have noticed is that instead of a measured and considered use of their emergency powers governments have used it to do all kinds of things.

Like gun control things. Remember all that noise in Virginia? Remember the sanctuary counties and boogaloo memes?

Governor Northam got through and signed them into law, to the adjulations of his Bloomberg funded congressional body. 7 of 8, including Universal Background Checks (which we know are anything but) and Extreme Risk Protection Orders. That’s right, you can be red flagged in Virginia now and extrajudicially punished and have your property seized. Way to go Commonwealth law makers, keep up that treading on during a national medical crisis. This is certainly the best time to push through such controversial and arguably constitutionally prohibited agenda items, while all the opposition is distracted in quarantine.

And now, with rumors that California may “indefinitely suspend” firearm sales there are serious legal fights on deck that we must be engaged in. If not, they aren’t going to stay legal fights… They didn’t 245 years ago.

Now, all things being fair. Let me address a quick word to the folks doing the civil disobedience thing. Key word is civil, don’t devolve into a roving pack of assholes to give the politicos who have their heads firmly lodged in their own any legitimate arguments. Even as we make our displeasure known and highlight that COVID-19 is not the only problem the states and nation are facing, be civil about it all.

Putting pressure on our representation to unjam critical relief, to clarify directives, and to balance the necessity of curbing a nasty virus with the other real threats of financial ruin. I am genuinely curious if enough data exists to determine the number of people who will be killed by the economic hault, I doubt it since we’re having a damn hard time getting COVID numbers right with sloppy record keeping. Sloppy data won’t help anyone in fighting another infection, it may even make it harder.

Happy Monday, Readers.

PMC 223 Bronze

By
Keith Finch
-

PMC 223 Bronze is one of the most popular .223 Remington loads on the commercial market for good reason. It works. Widener’s, on behalf of PMC, reached out to ask if I wanted to do a review.

Obviously, I said yes, since here it is. But like I say in the video this was a puzzling review.

Now, I recognize that my knowledge and understanding in the world of firearms and related ancillaries is borderline encyclopedic (if those encyclopedias were scattered around on the table in the wrong order) but PMC is one of the most recognizable commercial ammunition sources in the nation. Their branding makes them stand out. They are recognizable by name, packaging color, and by consistent performance from their ammunition.

So I’ve just naturally assumed that PMC 223 Bronze is like… like unleaded gasoline, but leaded and for firearms. It isn’t fancy high performance fuel, it just works. It does what you want it to, makes your rifle run. The outside package claims 2900 fps and gives a trajectory chart. While that is all well and good, they don’t give atmospherics, or barrel length and twist rate, or optical height so… not super useful. But with the insane variety of rifles, carbines, firearms, and ‘pistols’ that take 5.56/.223 you would need a multi-page spreadsheet to begin to cover your bases.

But that’s not what PMC 223 Bronze is for. PMC 223 Bronze is a high volume working round. It’s meant to be shot a lot, enmass, in just about any 5.56/.223 platform, and for high round count training and practice.

Is it “accurate?” Yes, but not match grade. That isn’t it’s job.

Is it consistent? Yes, plenty consistent for that high volume training. I have not nor will I go out and batch/lot test it for mean, median, and extreme high/low velocities or grouping. That isn’t it’s job. It’s job is to be training fuel and its good at that job. Buying into a quality training ammunition, or a few quality training ammunition(s) that deliver enough of everything to fuel good training is crucial to building and maintaining the shooting skills. PMC 223 Bronze has always delivered that.

PMC Bronze 223 ammo from Wideners

Beretta 92 Compact Review

By
Caleb Giddings
-

Today we’re keeping it simple with a Beretta 92 Compact review. This is one of my favorite carry guns, and one I used to win the Missouri State IDPA Carry Gun championship in 2019. There are a lot of things to like about this gun, and not much to dislike. It’s accurate, reliable, easy to carry, and with some mods it is super easy to shoot well.

I have to admit right off the bat that this Beretta 92 Compact review isn’t unbiased. It’s a well-known fact that I like Berettas, especially the 92 series guns, so it’s no surprise I like the 92 Compact as well. It’s like someone took a 92FS and put it in the dryer on hot and it shrunk down to a reasonably sized carry gun. I can still get a full firing grip on it, but the slightly shorter barrel and slightly shorter grip do make it easier to conceal.

Some recommended changes to make the gun even better for carry: slim grips and a bobbed hammer. I did both of those mods to this gun, and also changed out some internal springs in favor of Wilson Combat springs. The advantage to the Wilson Combat springs is they reduce the trigger pull while maintaining reliability in the gun. During the Beretta 92 Compact review, I discovered that it was very accurate with Federal 147gr FMJ.

If I had one complaint about the Beretta 92 Compact, it’s that Beretta doesn’t make them often enough. They’re imported from Italy, and they do limited runs each year, so once they’re gone for a year, they’re hard to find. But the good news is that Beretta’s new 92X lineup has a Compact. You can get it with or without a rail, and the new guns have a replaceable front sight, more ergonomic grip, and they got rid of the stupid pinkie extension magazines.

Once the Beretta 92 Compact review was wrapped up, my final verdict on the pistol shouldn’t a surprise. I think it’s great, I think everyone should buy one, and regularly used mine as a carry gun.

The 590 Retrograde – Trench Gun 2020

By
Travis Pike
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You can’t beat a classic. A shotgun outfitted with wood furniture is a real American classic, I mean, as long as it’s made in America. Mossberg must have realized the market for tactical shotguns outfitted with black polymer furniture is big but crowded. Last year they released the Retrograde series, which took the Mossberg 590A1 and Mossberg 500 and released them in more classic configurations. This year they expanded the line with the gun we got now, a standard Mossberg 590 Retrograde.

The 590A1 is a sweet gun for sure, but it’s a heavy gun, and the 590A1 is an expensive gun too. The Mossberg 500 Retrograde is also a sweet gun, its light and small, but is a plain jane five-shot shotgun. If you want to Goldilocks it and want a gun that’s just right, the Mossberg 590 Retrograde might be the sweet spot for you.

The 590 Retrograde lacks the heavy-walled barrel and ghost ring iron sights and goes with a standard profile barrel and a bead front sight. It keeps the eight-shot tube, the heat shield, and a bayonet mount. It’s a little lighter, especially on the front side of the weapon. It’s also a good bit cheaper with a $573 MSRP versus the 590A1’s $900+ MSRP.

The 590 Retrograde – 2020’s Social Distancing 12 Gauge

Topping off the 590 Retrograde with a bayonet makes it well suited for the trenches of 2020. Speaking of trenches, what does a shotgun with wood furniture, a heat shield, and a bayonet remind you of? If you said Winchester 1897, then you and I are on the same page.

Unfortunately, it has a disconnector, so you can’t pump lead into the Kaiser’s troopers at a pump-action cyclic rate. You can beat them to death with an American made walnut stock. Speaking of, the furniture is gorgeous. It looks fantastic and is finished with a dark coating that’s gorgeous.

The stock has a checkered pistol grip, and the pump is a honeycomb style design that reeks of classic American shotgun.

The gun has a matte blue, which is also a new finish for the Retrograde series. The 590A1 is parkerized, and the Mossberg 500 is a rich blueing. The heat shield is parkerized but matches the look well. The finish seems a bit weak, especially on the magazine tube. It’s already beginning to rub away where the pump moves.

Retro Ergos

The Mossberg 590 Retrograde changes no controls because the Mossberg 500 series controls have always been the same. It’s inherently retro, and the reason it’s never changed is that it never needed to.

The safety is Mossberg’s always brilliant tang design that’s ambidextrous and placed absolutely perfectly for quick and easy use. The action release is situated right behind the trigger guard is easy to reach for both left and right-handed shooters.

The length of pull is an excellent 13.87 inches. Mossberg makes some models with these crazy 14.5-inch LOP stocks that are ridiculous even for my massive frame. 13.87 inches is likely going to be a bit long for some smaller shooters. You should know that before you go with a Retrograde shotgun because changing the stock defeats the purpose.

A big reason why a lot of shooters like Remington’s over Mossbergs is due to the Mossberg pump slop. It admittedly moves and wiggles a bit more than necessary. The action itself is a little gritty and bumps and jumps along the way. That’s the standard Mossberg pump, and it’s a minor complaint that in no way affects the function of the shotgun.

Retro Shotgun, Modern Shooting

The Mossberg 590 Retrograde is a fun gun to shoot. All shotguns are fun, but the wood, the heat shield, and the bayonet you must add to the end of the weapon give it a classic look and feel. It’s like LARPing with a tactical rifle, except your gun is from the 1970s at the earliest.

The 590 Retrograde is a defensive or tactical shotgun, and I shot it that way. The gun is quite light for a combat shotgun, and it can be driven between each target without you the shooter getting a shoulder workout. It weighs 7.25 pounds and balances well with the thinner barrel.

The 20-inch barrel is a little long, and an 18.5-inch model exists. That extra 1.5 inches of barrel does give you the eight-shot tube, though. The bead sight is ideally suited for speed and buckshot. It’s a bright gold thats quick and easy to see and get on target. Speed is a necessity with a shotgun, and a bead means speed.

The Retro Bead

A bead also means your long-range slug shooting capability will suffer. Past 50 yards and your slug accuracy will be questionable. The 590 receiver is tapped for an optic’s rail if you want to add a high tech option to a Retrograde shotgun.

The texture of the pistol grip and honeycomb pump is excellent for using the Rob Haught push-pull method for recoil control. You can dig in deep to both the pump and stock and fight the recoil very well. I like to work the pump using the recoil from the last round, and the honeycomb stock also gives you positive control over the pump when running it rearwards.

The 590 Retrograde comes with a built-in recoil pad that gives you a little cushion for recoil control. The recoil pad is very soft and does an excellent job of soaking up recoil. It’s also very well textured and sticks to the shoulder very well.

It’s an American made pump-action shotgun so yeah its damn reliable. The shotgun serves up buckshot brilliantly. It has a cylinder choke bore and gives a decent defensive spread. Of course, different ammo patterns differently. Basic buckshot gives you an approximate 10 to 12-inch pattern on average at 15 yards. FliteControl and Hornady Black produce a much tighter pattern that’s about the size of a fist at 15 yards.

Who is the 590 Retrograde for?

It’s most certainly for shotgun nerds like me. It’s also for the tactical hipster, which I also am. This 590 is a solid defensive shotgun that offers you a novel look and feel. The wood furniture may not be tactical, but it doesn’t have to be. If you want Magpul furniture, then buy the Magpul model and tac it out. If you appreciate a classic shotgun with a classic look and feel, but also want a good defensive shotgun, then this is a gun for you.

Should you want a shotgun for defensive purposes but want one to play with, then the Retrograde is also a perfect gun. It’s stylish, funs to shoot, and gives you that boomstick feel.

Some Notes on Offset Aiming Systems

By
Keith Finch
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SCAR rifles heavily kitted with optic and rail upgrades
SCAR 16 and 17 Rifles wearing SIG Tango6T Optics

You’ve seen them on competition guns. You’ve seen them in video games. And now we’re starting to see them on general issue systems for the U.S Military (M110A1 SDMR).

Offset aiming systems are a natural extension of “backup” aiming systems, like BUIS. It’s an extension from top mounted dots too, those have been seen on optics like Marine Corps SDO’s and a variety of precision optic systems. The option has become so well regarded that several replacement ring pieces exist to hard mount the popular microdots to the mounts.

The advantages of an offset dot or irons, over BUIS or a top mounted dot, center partially around the optic height over bore offset. An offset aiming solution, whether irons or dot, can be given a nearly identical height from the barrel that the primary optic has. This means that your eye can find the offset aiming system at roughly the same height off of the stock that it finds the primary optic. Finding your aiming systems on the same “plane” greatly simplifies the body mechanics involved with using them, you don’t have two ‘levels’ to learn for placing your head and eye.

Now, with the mechanics advantages established for offset aiming systems, let’s a look at the principle operational consideration. I will call it Off Axis Barrel Optical Alignment.

Off Axis Barrel Optical Alignment

A rifle barrel is designed to operate, ideally, on a level plane and with its aiming system directly vertically above it. This configuration works with the slight upward angle built into firearm barrels, done for centuries at this point, to give them greater range and an advantageous ballistic trajectory.

In short, the sights (all conventional top mounted sights and optics) look across the path of the barrel so the bullet breaks the sight plane twice. Once on the way up and shortly out of the barrel, close to the shooter, and once on the way back down as gravity pulls the round down in its trajectory arc.

This advantageous exploitation of physics works best when the rifle is held vertically aligned and perpendicular to the earth, the rifle isn’t tilted left or right and is on a flat range. If the rifle is tilted forward (down) or backward (up) the effective range/trajectory arc is influenced. This is most notable at greater distances and extreme angles, however the shot will still break the sight plane twice.

Now we are using an optical system that isn’t vertically aligned to the barrel. This means that the barrels angle, which the primary optic is taking advantage of, is not aligned to the secondary aiming system. This will mean the shot you take, any shot, will only break the sight plane once. The second time the round would break the sight plane, it will be off axis from the sights. If you tilt the rifle left (like I do) for your offset dot or iron sights, the shot will drift further and further left the further down range it goes.

Add to this, most offset optics are purposely zeroed at extreme short distances, 10-15 yards/meters. Taking advantage of the offset optic’s noninterference with the primary optic it can be actively used with the primary optic instead of as a backup only if the primary fails. This short zero distance increases the severity of the angles involved.

The result…

3x 5 shot groups. A zeroing group, a confirmation group, and a group fired with the offset RMR (top left) that has a 15 yard zero.

Notice in the picture, my primary optic is zeroed for point of aim/point of impact at 50 yards. My offset Trijicon HRS RMR is zeroed for point of aim/point of impact at 15 yards, a very short distance and one that puts the SCAR 16’s barrel at a very sharp (relatively speaking) angle both upward and left at a 35 degree angle with the Arisaka mount.

When I use the HRS at 50 yards with its 15 yard zero there is a notable displacement of my rounds. This displacement, especially leftward since gravity will bring the round back down, is going to increase as the range does.

It’s something a user needs to be aware of. But someone behind the rifle must also be aware of using the primary optic at an angle too, so this “problem” isn’t actually a problem since we know we are inducing it and can account for it. We’ve been doing similar things since WWII when off center optics were added to a variety of rifle systems, there would always be a point where the line of sight and the trajectory crossed only once with these.

But illustratively, the offset optic works incredibly well and has acceptable practical displacement with a short range zero. Especially when the primary optic is specifically zeroed to take over at 50 yards and beyond. The offset can be used further out, but a shooter would do well to actively shoot at distance and gain a physical appreciation for those distances and their displacement.

But the offset shown in the image is the maximum I will experience 0-50 yards, more than effective enough for rapid center mass shots at those close distances.

Offset is the best of all things “backup”

  • They can be used without removing the primary optic. This means in the event of a catastrophic failure of the primary optic. The user doesn’t have to strip the primary with tools or QD mount lever systems to bring the other optic into use. Just tilt the rifle.
  • They allow for a close POA/POI zero separate from the primary optic, making it effectively part of the primary optic suite for extremely close shots as well as being a ready backup optical system to take over if a primary fails. It is more easily useable and more actively useable than any other backup sight system. This adds the crucial aspect that it can be trained with as part of the whole rifle system without compromising the primary optic’s zero.

Is it necessary?

No.

It is useful, though. Very useful.

With the reliability of modern high grade optics, LPVO’s, ACOGs, and red dots alike, the need for backup systems is in an actively arguable state. I’m a firm believer in backup irons and I don’t believe that will change. My SCARs both have 3 sight systems right now, a primary, an close zero offset, and the factory irons as the final backup.

Anyone who enjoys redundant and overlapping useful systems, this fits the niche nicely.

Andrew Cuomo: Trading Lives for His Pride

By
DRGO
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(from tug44.org)

On March 23, 2020, Remington Arms Co. CEO Ken D’Arcy wrote a letter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, offering Remington’s services in the effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.  While Governor Cuomo was declaring Remington a “non-essential” business, causing the Ilion, NY plant to shutter its operations and lay off workers for at least a month, President Trump was refining his executive orders specifically to include the firearms industry as “essential, critical infra-structure.”

No matter. This did not dissuade D’Arcy from wanting to donate, to the state and the nation, the services of the oldest firearms manufacturer in the country.  Here are excerpts from D’Arcy’s letter:

“The Remington plant in Ilion now has approximately one million square feet of unused and available manufacturing space.  We would be honored to donate our facility to the production of ventilators, surgical masks, hospital beds or any other products mission-critical to the war on corona virus.  Ventilators are essential to winning this new kind of war and Remington stands ready to enlist in wartime production. . . Remington products have served in every U.S. military conflict for 200 years. And while the corona virus is a new type of war, we’re not sitting this one out. . . [W]e’re standing by ready, willing and able to support in any way we can.  It would be an honor for our company to donate space for the manufacture of mission-critical products, such as the production of ventilators, surgical masks, hospital beds or any other products deemed necessary.”

While Governor Cuomo is all over the media, literally begging for help every day, the letter from Remington has gone unanswered.  More alarmingly, nary a peep from the mainstream media about the obvious question. Let me frame it for anyone in the media pool of Cuomo sycophants who might bring themselves to ask it:

“Governor Cuomo, over two weeks ago, Ken D’Arcy, the CEO of Remington, the oldest firearms manufacturer in the country, headquartered in New York, offered to donate a million square feet of their manufacturing space and said, quote: ‘We’re standing ready, willing and able to support in any way we can.’ As of today, sir, you have failed even to respond to Remington, yet you’re continually begging for help while Remington is begging to help. Can you tell us why you have ignored their offer?”

Here we are, 17 days out from D’Arcy’s letter and the media remains silent on this tragic absurdity. It is colluding with Cuomo in his bigotry that “people like that have no place in New York.”

If you had any doubt about the media and its anti-firearms agenda, this example should prove the depth of its antagonism.  Fake news isn’t just purposeful misinformation. It is also failing to do the job of holding the powerful to account.

It is criminal to deny help for New Yorkers based on vitriolic, personal sentiment. But like too many rulers, Andrew Cuomo does first what promotes his political future, and last what is right for the people he was elected to serve.

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—Bob Kingsley is a private investigator and writer from New York. He is a Life Member of the NRA, a certified handgun instructor and an educator for the program, “Refuse to be a Victim.” He blogs at BobKingsley.com.

All DRGO articles by Bob Kingsley.

The Truth about Drive-Thru Gun Stores

By
Keith Finch
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Some anti-gun mainstream outlets got wind of the ATF guidance and freaked right the f@$% out. They did, I saw more than one “blood in the streets!!!” headline to the announcement from the ATF on COVID-19 guidelines for FFL’s

That is what the announcement actually was. It was what the ATF would and would not consider legal “on premises” transfers of a firearm for a Federal Firearm Licensee.

For a quick run down. Here was the guidance in the email.

  1. An FFL may carry out the requested activities through a drive-up or walk-up window or doorway where the customer is on the licensee’s property on the exterior of the brick-and-mortar structure at the address listed on the license.
  2. An FFL may also carry out the requested activities from a temporary table or booth located in a parking lot or other exterior location on the licensee’s property at the address listed on the license, but any such activities must occur in a location where the licensee has the authority to permit ATF’s entry for inspection purposes. Whether the FFL has the authority to permit such entry, and whether a location constitutes the FFL’s property, is likely to be a fact-specific inquiry. An FFL carrying out the requested activities from an exterior table or booth should maintain its inventory and records securely in the interior of the brick-and-mortar structure and ensure that the records of each firearms transaction are stored in the interior.
  3. An FFL may not carry out the requested activities from a nearby space that is not located on the licensee’s property at the address listed on the license, unless such activities are at a qualified in-state gun show or event, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 923(j) and 27 C.F.R. § 478.100, or other provision of federal law.
  4. An FFL may conduct non-over-the-counter firearm sales to unlicensed in-state residents who are exempt from NICS requirements in accordance with 18 U.S.C. § 922(c), 27 § C.F.R. 478.96, and ATF Procedure 2013-2.

And here was the portion that made FFL holder’s chuckle and the anti-gunners flip lids.

An FFL may carry out the requested activities through a drive-up or walk-up window or doorway…

Drive-thru gun stores!

Right?

That’s what they’re saying, no more background checks and paperwork just, “I’d like an Aero Precision with an extra large PMAG and an Aimpoint, please. Side of Sig.”

Here’s your #11, would you like to add two pies for a dollar?

What they conveniently gloss over, that all the FFL’s know and will abide by, was the second part of that sentence.

where the customer is on the licensee’s property on the exterior of the brick-and-mortar structure at the address listed on the license.

Fun fact: I, a licensee, can only transfer to you, non-licensee John/Jane McPublic, on my listed licensed property. The only exception to that rule is if I am at a listed and endorsed gun show location. If a “gun show loophole” exists, it is that, it is that I, the licensee, can conduct business at the gun show like it was my normal address… with all the paperwork and NICS checks required.

I must conduct business at my place of business. I must do all the required paperwork and witness all required items on form 4473’s, ATF Form 4’s, etc. I must, unless the individual is NICS exempt, conduct a background check before transfer of any firearm. I must deny transfers in all the normal circumstances where a transfer must be denied based on 4473 or a NICS result.

The ATF just clarified that, because of COVID-19 “The Rona”, I can use a drive-thru window in the unlikely event that I have one and it would still count as being transferred on premises. I can also set up a table outside so that a little shop keeps the traffic out of it and have people wait back as I deal with one person at a time in my parking lot. I could also let one person at a time into my store. Set up “by appointment” meetings at my store. Or operate in any manner on my premises that conforms with local COVID-19 guidelines of social distancing.

The ATF didn’t green light a gunstore drive-thru with dollar menu. They’re simply clarifying what can occur by physical location and still be in compliance with federal rules for transfers. I cannot transfer a firearm to someone from my home, it must be my business address. Even if I complete every other step, do NICS, or even if it is an NFA item transfer cleared by the ATF, it still must complete at the licensed address.

Them’s the rules.

So chill your reactionary psuedointellectual selves, my good folks. Brady background checks are still in place. Nothing about the legalities of purchasing a firearm from a retailer have changed, just a clarification of what a location can consider as ‘on premise’ for the purposes of complying with the rulebook.

Pre Tension in the Sig P320

By
Anna Martinez
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Like the pistol or not, that “out of battery issue” on the gun, is not an issue at all.

It’s supposed to do that RomanTech..

Three years after the Army adopted the SIG P320, adding to the guns attraction, we are still seeing videos of customers stating that the gun has out of battery firing issues.

What is pre tension?

Military.com

What people are seeing on the P320s is that during dry fire the operator will rack the slide. As they pull the trigger they will see the slide move forward going “fully” into battery. Seeing this movement causes the operator to think that the gun was never in battery to begin with. They also think that it fired out of battery, when in all reality, it was in battery before that movement after the trigger is pulled.

Pre tension is basically ensuring a tighter fit between slide and barrel. A lot would say it helps with accuracy due to the tolerance stacking.

If you want nerd out on the inside of the slide, here is a good thread.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/handguns/P320_Pretension___information_sharing/14-173444/

Functioning

I say again, let the gun work as a gun. When dry firing, the pre tension is seen the most due to adding the human factor to it. When operators are riding the slide and not allowing the slide to rack with the same cycling speed it would with a live round going off, it is going to show the pre tensioning aspect more. During normal cycling during firing, and a loaded magazine inserted, you won’t see it.

Whether you agree that it helps with accuracy in pistols or not, stop spreading bad information that the gun is malfunctioning.

Clip vs Magazine

By
Caleb Giddings
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Why does clip vs magazine even matter? We all know the correct terminology, and it seems we often correct people not to make sure they’re using correct phrases, but rather to shame them for not knowing that “everyone” should know.

There are certainly times when it is appropriate to use the correct, precise terminology about guns. But, if we’re using precise terminology to gatekeep other people from a firearms experience, it has a net negative effect. If a first time gun owner asks about what kind of clips to get for his new Glock, don’t be a dick, help him buy some magazines. You might want to politely correct him later, but right then and there at the point of interaction, it’s not proper, and it makes you look like a jerk. Another great example of a bad time to be pedantic is when you’re interacting online with strangers. The whole “assault rifle” issue is a perfect example. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve seen someone say that “assault rifles” should be banned, and the first 100 comments are all from people correcting them saying “well assault rifle isn’t a real thing” or something along those lines. That’s why the longer I do this, I don’t think “clip vs magazine” matters at all.

Are there times when precise language is appropriate? Of course. The best time I can think of is when you’re engaging with fellow enthusiasts that are either seeking more skill, or already on your level. Your peer group, as it were. When I teach classes, whether civilian or military, I focus on using precise, correct terminology for everything, because I’m getting paid to instruct. A classroom environment is not the place for colloquial language, and it’s the perfect opportunity to give educational information such as the difference between clip vs magazine.

The goal for all of us is to still be able to shoot well into our old age, and pass our love for shooting on to our children, right? We don’t preserve the shooting sports by gatekeeping people or being pedantic. We preserve them, and grow them, by opening our arms to people, and educating them when it’s appropriate.

The XD-m Elite Precision – Run n’ Gun

By
Travis Pike
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I’m going to be honest, I have zero experience with XD series firearms outside of the Hellcat, which is at best half an XD. Springfield offered to send me one of the new XD-m Elite series, and I chose the Precision model thinking heck let’s try something new. The XD-m Elite Precision is the big boy of the group and features a 5.25-inch barrel. It’s built to be a competition style pistol and is outfitted as such.

The XD-m Elite Precision is outfitted with a fully adjustable rear sight, a high visibility front sight, ambidextrous controls, and a large magazine well. The magazine well is removable if you aren’t a fan of such things. The XD-m Elite Precision also has a lightening cut on the top of the slide. This reduces the bulk of the slide, and therefore felt recoil.

Not only is this my first experience with an XD series pistol, but also with a competition-ready pistol. That drew my interest to the XD-m Elite Precision, a chance to try new things. The Elite series is divided into four different guns. The competition model you see here, an OSP Tactical model, as well as two smaller models for concealed carry.

Ergonomics of the XD-m Elite Precision

The XD-m Elite Precision is pretty well laid out. The ambidextrous controls are certainly a perk for lefties. The grip texture and slide serrations are both deep and natural to get a grip with. The grip angle feels comfortable, and the more substantial grip does an excellent job of accommodating both hands. The slight overhang on the grip’s frame allows for a high grip and protects your hand from slide bite. As a guy with big hands, the gun fits it very well.

The downside is those same big hands have big thumbs that pin down the slide lock and keep it from working. This happens with nearly every handgun I shoot outside of the CZ P09/P07 and most full-sized 1911s. It sucks, but I’ve learned how to train around it.

Down and Dirty with the XD-m Elite Precision

The XD-m Elite Precision is a big gun, far from concealed carry capable, and this is from a guy who carries a big gun most of the time. The XD-m Elite Precision model weighs 30 ounces and is chambered in 9mm. As you’d imagine, this big gun has a very high capacity and comes with three 22 round magazines. Each magazine is outfitted with a large base pad that makes it easy to draw from magazine pouches and gives them plenty of protection for bouncing off the ground during reloads.

The XD-m Elite Precision’s big ole magwell is a welcome addition. The magwell funnel does do a helluva job of making your reloads quicker, especially if you fumble a bit or are more focused downrange. The most significant difference was reloading on the move. I learned two things, a magazine well like this makes a massive difference in reloading on the move, and I suck at reloading on the move.

The high visibility front sight is quick and easy to pick up and made tracking the sight throughout my presentation from the holster easy to do in various light conditions. When it comes to transitioning between targets, the bright front sight is also easy to track. I’ve also been working on cadence drills quite a bit, and the front sight is not that hard to track as you fire. It’s not as easy to track as the front sight on the Nighthawk Fire Hawk, but not bad for a stock handgun.

Range Time

At the same time I was testing this gun I was testing the new Mantis X10 Elite, and this gun got lots of reps with both dry fire and live fire. This may have given me a big of an advantage when it came to shooting for accuracy. On top of that, the gun also has a long sight radius and precise sights, so being accurate is inherently built into the weapon.

The gun shoots like a laser. I started at 15 yards and dropped T zone shots into a Sage Dynamics target with absolute ease. Backing off the 25 yards and headshots were still doable. Better yet, rather rapid headshots were easy to accomplish at this range. I stopped shooting at headshot targets and moved to 50 yards with a 10-inch rifle gong as my target. Ding, ding, ding was a ubiquitous sound. I heard it more than I missed. At my worst, I would miss about half the time.

Gettin’ META

The Springfield META trigger system is a big help when it comes to accurate shooting. This new trigger system is light and crisp with a short pull. The stock trigger is flat-faced and very comfortable.

When it comes to more dynamic shooting, the XD-m Elite Precision holds up. Double taps, failure to stop drills, and box drills are all well within this guns wheelhouse. The lightweight slide, the massive grip, and 30-ounce weight make the gun very easy to control and reduces recoil and muzzle flip significantly. My double taps on the failure to stop drills were almost always nearly on top of each other

Shooting this gun and seeing how effortlessly you can shoot well with it makes it hard to go back to a standard carry gun. The weapon is controllable, accurate, and easy to shoot. Target transitions are rapid and accurate, and the control the gun offers gives you the ability to ‘shoot them to the ground.’

Running and Gunning

I’ve tried to get a lot more practice than usual with this Pandemic shutdown. As part of my training, I’ve been practicing reloading on the move as well as shooting on the move, and I’ve been doing it with the XD-m Elite Precision. This is the perfect gun for me to start practicing these skills with.

It’s big and easy to control, and you can build the fundamentals with a gun like this before moving to a smaller carry gun. Think of it like gun training wheels. It helps you learn the fundamentals of these movements without being overly clumsy.

The magazines also seem to take a good amount of abuse without malfunction. I live on a sandhill, and that means most of my yard is basically beach sand. The magazines met that sand time and time again and never seemed to falter or gum up.

Just to see how much faster the magwell funnel design can make, I compared the XD-m Elite Precision with a standard full-sized striker-fired handgun. On average, there was a time difference of .2 of a second. That doesn’t like much until you are behind the gun and against the clock, then it’s a lifetime.

Downsides

My two complaints are the slide lock, which stays pinned down by my big thumbs while firing the weapon. Additionally, I’m not a huge fan of the grip safety. I thought the Hellcat was wise to get rid of it. Some people like it, but it’s not a feature I want on my guns.

All In All

The Springfield XD-m Elite Precision model is also a very affordable firearm, at least for an out of the box competition piece. The MSRP is only $653, and that puts it squarely in the realm of an affordable competition gun. Give it a peek here, and check out the other Elite series models while you are at it.

The Twilight Zone

By
DRGO
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(from unboxingthebizarre.wordpress.com)

Imagine if you will, a small gun club in upstate New York, over 100 years old, quick to cow to government decree and comfortable censoring its own members and anyone else who disagrees.

Wait, an American gun club, super-submissive to questionable governmental edicts, embracing the muzzling of speech and censoring its members?  I thought the general position of the “gun culture” was anti-government, anti-edict, and general apprehension of authority?

The leadership at this Binghamton rifle club apparently needs a reminder from Thomas Jefferson who told us that,  “Government is best which governs the least because its people discipline themselves.”

Apparently not so here.  I am an eighteen-year member and I questioned the decision that closed the club to all activity due to the Corona virus outbreak.  While I understood and supported suspending activities that congregated people in close groups, my point was that individuals could safely use the facility while practicing appropriate social distancing.

The club has 24/7 access and I posited that surely 3-5 members could occupy  a 12-lane shooting range in 3,000 square feet of space while keeping distancing protocols.  I reasoned that members could decide for themselves the risks, just as they do at the grocery store, pharmacy or hardware store.  President Trump later reinforced this by specifically adding shooting ranges to the list of critical pandemic infrastructure that should remain open.

At first, I lobbied club leadership privately via email to re-open the club.  When my concerns went unresolved, I reasoned that perhaps other club members felt as I did.  To find out, I posted my correspondence with leadership on the club’s Facebook page in the effort to engage the 600 plus members and get their feedback.  The club quickly took down my posts.

Flabbergasted, I posted a picture of the club with the words “Frozen by Fear” photo shopped onto the building.  The club took down the photo and blocked me from posting to my own club’s Facebook page.  Then a friend of mine posted an inquiry asking what happened to my posts and he too was blocked.

Rod Serling, the creator of the popular 1960’s Twilight Zone TV series was born in Binghamton.  What a coincident that the story of our rifle club now feels like a twilight zone episode. Who would have thought that a 105 year-old rifle club could morph itself into a warped mentality that believes censorship and compliance with extra-Constitutional edicts is the right way to lead?

I wonderhow many other gun clubs and organizations traditionally thought of as “conservative” are likewise losing their way?  Might the Coronavirus epidemic be providing a beta testing laboratory [or just “an opportunity”] for those in positions of power to see just how far the American people can be pushed?

Conservative Americans, especially those of us focused on the Second Amendment, should maintain a healthy skepticism towards government.  Voltaire made this point when he said, “It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.”

Hopefully, my gun club is not a canary in the coal mine for the trajectory of political philosophy in our nation.  We must assert ourselves as citizens, not subjects, and heed Thomas Jefferson, who said “A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take all that you have.”

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—Bob Kingsley is a private investigator and writer from New York. He is a Life Member of the NRA, a certified handgun instructor and an educator for the program, “Refuse to be a Victim.” He blogs at BobKingsley.com.

All DRGO articles by Bob Kingsley.

NEW VORTEX® STRIKE EAGLE® 1-6×24 AND 1-8×24

By
Keith Finch
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BARNEVELD, Wis. The updated Strike Eagle® 1-6×24 and 1-8×24 offer the tactical solution value-minded shooters have been craving to adapt to any tactical situation.

Built around the new AR-BDC3 reticle—an updated design that makes ranging distances and holdovers simpler and more intuitive, with references out to 650 yards—the new Strike Eagle® also features a thread-in throw lever for rapid adjustments. It’s an LPVO that can take you from close quarters to way down range, and it’s optimized for the .223 and .556 platforms, making it perfect for the modern tactical rifle.

You still get all the features that made the original Strike Eagle® such a powerful tool across a wide variety of scenarios. A glass-etched reticle means not only is the reticle extremely crisp and precise, you still have a point of aim without power. And, when the Strike Eagle® is powered up, the illuminated reticle provides precise aiming in low-light conditions.

Plus, we’ve updated the Strike Eagle’s® design, making for a cleaner, sleeker profile. It’s beauty on the outside, all beast on the inside, and ready to take your AR farther.

MSRP:
$399.99 – Strike Eagle® 1-6×24 (MOA) 
$499.99 – Strike Eagle® 1-8×24 (MOA)

For a list of specifications, frequently asked questions and high-resolution images, check out the Vortex New Product Portal. For more information, visit www.VortexOptics.com and be sure to follow Vortex Optics on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. 
About Vortex Optics: About Vortex® Optics: American owned, veteran-owned, Wisconsin-based Vortex® Optics designs, engineers, produces, and distributes a complete line of premium sport optics, accessories, and apparel. Dedicated to providing unrivaled customer service and exceptional quality, Vortex® backs its products with the unconditional, transferrable, lifetime VIP Warranty. Built on over 30 years of experience in the optics industry, Vortex® has emerged as a leader in the optics market.

AUG Autopsy – What got blocked in the mud?

By
Keith Finch
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What happened within in parameters of InRange’s mud test?

As Ian and Karl take the AUG apart you can see a couple things. The first is that the barrel, gas piston system, and trigger group are all pretty clean. Mud didn’t ingress into any of those parts. But where it did ingress was the charging handle operation rod channel and enough onto the surfaces of the bolt carrier that weapon locked down.

Again the likelihood that you, while carrying a rifle like the AUG, take a dive into mud like that is… well as likely or unlikely as conditions you are in allow. But it shows the potential weak point and environmental conditions that can take advantage of that weak point, so a user must be aware of them

The “autopsy” also illustrates the likelihood of getting the rifle back into working condition on the fly. Unfortunately, in the case of the AUG, it is unlikely with that much ingress slowing down and gumming up working parts. But that illustrates what a user must do, that under certain conditions maintenance must be performed. A deep clean and lubrication will bring the rifle back into service. A parts survey might be necessary to assure function, similar to if solid debris got into an open AR action and around the gas tube, gas key, or into the chamber.

Rifles have limits. Knowing the limits and fixes for any particular platform are a crucial part of choosing to run it. AK’s, AR’s, SCAR’s, AUG’s, it doesn’t matter. Learn it, objectively, and run it.

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