The Virginiad . . . . .

By

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January 25, 2020

(from alamy.com)

[Ed: The fight for our rights is coming to a peak in Richmond. Monday January 20 is going to be the end of the beginning, and far from beginning of the end. To all who will be there—Thank you! Our man in Virginia, Dennis Petrocelli, has been a big part of the action and will be at the Capital with 2A allies from all over the country. Here, he describes how important this battle is and how it began, in the only proper form for an historic . . . epic.]

.

An embattled Governor

tried to revive his career

with a slate of “gun control” bills

that would do nothing to relieve

the atrocities they claim to address.

The Republican assembly

dismissed these in Special Session

after the Democrats

refused to consider crime or mental health.

Seeing an opportunity,

Billionaire Bloomberg bought the mid-term election

and the Democrats brought back all those bills, and more.

They changed the rules about guns

and falsel y blamed the police.

But the NRA attracted 1000 gun owners

To lobby their legislators nonetheless;

and pieces of plastic

triggered the confiscationists.

Afraid that the VCDL rally

might dwarf the NRA event,

the Governor illegally deemed the Capitol grounds a “shelter”,

and used emergency powers he doesn’t have to ban guns.

He associated innocent rhetoric

with Charlottesville rhetoric,

and deemed a peaceful gathering,

not even a protest, but an “emergency”.

All the while he and his cronies

threatened confiscation, the National Guard, and the US Military.

He accused VCDL of “unleashing”

something it could not control,

when in fact he unleashed

previously silent patriots

who put facts and rights

above emotions and tyranny.

– – – To Be Continued – – –

.

Virginia welcomes all who come in peace to show the Virginia General Assembly that there is no place for Bloomberg’s and the Democrats’ anti-Constitutional infringement and confiscation agenda in Virginia, nor will its spread to other states be tolerated. Come if you can, donate as you can, and stay vigilant about the state of your inalienable rights wherever you live.

.

–Dennis Petrocelli, MD 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

SHOT SHOW 2020: Post Show Part 1

By

Keith Finch

-

January 25, 2020

It’s been a trip… Lucky for this Editor I have writers who were dedicated to showing you all the fun little gadgets and gizmos while I was in… meetings

Lots of meetings…

Some of the meetings were a little ridiculous

But that said here’s the first synopsis of the things I did find!

2020 was the year of the optics.

Holosun launched and teased a number of new dots! Updated variants of the 507 including a micro K variant for little pistols, the 509 (an ACRO competitor), and tease of a new inline dot that will co-witness with regular sights.

Also that giant thing above.

Vortex has the clear winner in LPVO circles with the Razor Gen III, and they have thrown the gauntlet to the rest of the market.

Other companies in the space are also producing highly anticipated products including US Optics and their ‘Range Ready’ relaunch of the Warsport LVOA’s with optics included. Meopta’s Optika5 and Optika6 lines are in the pipe and…

And then there was the Geissele… and honestly that is the most underwhelming Geissele product I’ve ever seen. It’s years behind the market at this point being both SFP and mediocre bright.

2020 Year of Steel

Walther Q4, Sig P210 Carry, Colt Python, and yes… even the Springfield Ronin. Steel frame guns are strong this year and I’m looking forward to shooting as many as I can get in the holster because… well they just freakin’ shoot! I love metal frame guns for how smooth they shoot eat recoil and the Walther especially might end up as a new carry option with that trigger in that phenomenally comfortable frame.

2020 With More Retro Revivals!

Robinson Armament, a company that has been quietly making a neat little AR alternative since the SCAR competition days, came out swinging with a revival of their own. The Stoner 63, their M96 rifle, is coming back this year! And that’s just pure awesome. Like the AR-180 that Brownells revived the Stoner 63 has this deep lore in gun guru circles. It’s part of the ‘Old Magic’ and that we love and thought naw gone.

At present this will be a limited run of ‘about 200’ guns based on inventory. But their may be more.

And that’s what I’ve got right now readers, time to hop a plane. My phone, pockets, and any other place I could stash notes is full of work to come!

Onward!

Glock 44 is a True Member of the Family

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 24, 2020

It took me ‘til Friday, but I want to talk about the Glock 44.

I admit I was initially a little “meh” when I heard about this new Glock .22LR caliber pistol. I figured that the market was flooded with .22 iterations from other companies. I was afraid this would be just more of the same.

But then I shot the Glock 44 on Range Day. Boy, was I wrong!

The Glock 44 is sized like a Glock 19 Gen 5. Everything about this gun is pure Glock (I should know – I own three of them). The trigger is the same, the slide racks the same, the grip is the same, the sights are the same. This is not some bastardized “make-do” version just so it would be .22 cal. This pistol has been thoughtfully engineered and is simply … a Glock. Which is about the highest praise I can give it as Glock fan – seriously. This is no wolf in sheep’s clothing. This is obviously a member of the family and “one of us”.

Given all that, this would be a fantastic training pistol for when you don’t want to spend big bucks on your regular ammo for practice. The magazine drops the same, the sight picture is the same, and unlike a lot of .22LR’s – it cycles reliably. So your mag change drills, sight picture acquisition, and virtually everything except the recoil will be the same as your centerfire Glock for practice purposes.

Likewise this would be a fantastic pistol with which to introduce new shooters to the sport, as it provides a familiar platform when they are ready to transition to a higher caliber. Everything but the recoil and filled magazine weight will be the same when they are ready to move up. Even if they don’t choose to move up – they are still shooting a Glock and can use Glock-size holsters.

Once you have a new shooter accustomed, this would be a great way to introduce something like Steel Challenge to a new shooter. Rimfire on steel is a great reinforcement tool for newer shooters. Plus they get to mix and mingle and meet new friends who shoot.

Put simply – this is a great “gateway gun” for beginners, but for seasoned shooters – have I mentioned that the Glock 44 will accept a suppressor?

Glock 44. Get one. I am. You can thank me later.

DC Project Paints SHOT Show Teal

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 24, 2020

878A208B-830C-49BF-9797-9DB3E3E1FFB8 — From Fiocchi Ammunition on Facebook

The chants of “Education! NOT! Legislation!” rang through the show floor on Thursday of SHOT week as dozens of teal-shirted women rallied in support of the Second Amendment and the DC Project.

Founded by Pro shooter and retired police officer Dianna Muller in 2015, the DC Project is a nonpartisan grassroots movement aimed at engaging and educating legislators in Washington DC about Second Amendment rights and Second Amendment supporters.

Goals

The DC Project aims to present the female face and everyday citizen face of the American firearms owner. The refrain these women hear again and again is “You don’t LOOK like gun people”. The DC Project wants each woman’s lawmakers to know that firearms ownership has no “profile”. Members come from all walks of life and all political persuasions, but they are united in their support for the Second Amendment.

Now in its fifth year, the DC Project will be expanding its efforts this year to include participation on the state legislative level. Events in Virginia have illustrated just how critical engagement is at the state and local level and the DC Project wants to encourage participation and engagement at all levels of government – wherever Second Amendment rights may be threatened. Pro-active engagement can also help reinforce and expand existing rights and keep them from being eroded in the first place.

Press Conference

At their press conference on Tuesday of SHOT Week, founder Dianna Muller, Pennsylvania delegate Kelly Ann Pidgeon, and Ohio delegate Amanda Suffecool discussed the goals of the organization and ways to donate/provide financial assistance. With organizations like the “Demanding Mommies” getting deep-pocket support from the Bloomberg machine, these women are up against formidable financial resources when trying to counter the anti-gun message.

#turnSHOTteal

The SHOT Week rally at the Fiocchi Booth Thursday was the DC Project’s effort to #turnSHOTteal and counter the images of red-shirted Moms Demand groups. Thursday’s group photo showing a swarm of women gun enthusiasts in teal-colored shirts was a powerful statement about the strength and numbers of Second Amendment supporters – especially among women. The mantra of “Education NOT Legislation” is sure to continue ringing in the ears of SHOT-goers, but the momentum needs to be carried through the rest of the year.

Support

There are several ways you can support the DC Project:

-Become a member or delegate

-Make a direct financial donation – it costs about $1000 to send a delegate to DC to meet with her legislators during the annual event. Sponsoring a delegate is a direct and much appreciated method of support.

-Donating high-value fundraiser auction items

-Attending or sponsoring the annual 3-Gun match fundraiser.

Tax deductibility

The DC project Foundation is a 501(c)4 organization and contributions are not tax deductible, but they HAVE now partnered with REALIZEfac, a 501(c)3 Nonprofit group. Contact the DC Project for details on how you can offer your support, or simply donate online.

Let’s help ensure that every Moms Demand red shirt will be met with a DC Project teal shirt – Every.Durn.Time.

SHOT Show – KelTec Sub2000 CQB Suppressed!

By

Travis Pike

-

January 23, 2020

The number of integrally suppressed rifles is far too low. I think it’s a great way to get a compact suppressed rifle without the need for two stamps. Instead of paying for an SBR stamp and a suppressor stamp, you have a fixed suppressor and pay for one stamp. A few small and innovative companies have done it like Yankee Hill Machine, but KelTec hit us with a sleeper gun. The new KelTec Sub2000 CQB is an integrally suppressed 9mm rifle.

The Sub2000 is famous for being a PCC before PCCs were popular. Also, it folds in half and takes Glock mags. Other variants also take other magazine platforms, but the Glock model is the most important. The new CQB features not only a suppressor built into the barrel but actual optics capability.

The problem with the Sub2000 was the gun folded in half, and the optic got in the way. These days you can unlatch a tab and rotate the handguard. This gets the optic out of the way and allows you to fold the gun properly.

The Sub2000 CQB seems to be a super quiet gun from as far as I can tell. Range Day makes it tricky to tell if a gun is suppressed or not when a 7.5-inch full auto AR is ripping away a few booths down. In those rare moments where a bit of silence met the time I pulled the trigger, it seemed to be very pleasant.

The extra weight of the suppressor seemed to make the gun even easier to handle. The muzzle didn’t seem to move at all between shots. The Sub2000 CQB was super pleasant to shoot and a genuine surprise to me.

Suppress It!

We need more integrally suppressed guns in this world. I’m glad KelTec is giving us one of the more exciting models to date. The MSRP appears to be $995. A deluxe model equipped with light, laser, and red dot selling for in the 1,500 dollar ballpark. Don’t forget to budget in the stamp.

The integral suppressor does make the KelTec Sub2000 CQB one of the smaller 9mm carbines. Even if you compared it to even an SBR with a standard suppressor. It’d be a neat and very handy home defense weapon for sure.

Federal Hydra-Shok Deep in .380

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 23, 2020

Those of us who like little back-up guns even for our primary weapon, sometimes have trouble finding a defensive round in .380 Auto that is anything more than barely adequate. I love my little Glock 42. I got it the year it came out, and even shot IDPA BUG Nationals with it one year. But as proficient with it as I am, there’s still the issue of having a good defensive round for these very concealable and shootable little guns.

There are a ton of people -both male and female -who love the .380 Shield EZ. And this year Walther has a new .380 carry gun called the CCP M2, which is a nice little gun in it’s own right.

Point being that .380 is a more and more popular carry caliber for either a back-up gun, or a primary for those who are recoil sensitive, or even just because it’s your summer-wear caliber. If you’ve been in that boat with me – never fear. Federal Ammunition has filled the gap with a new addition to the Hydra-Shok Deep lineup.

This addition is the FIRST expanding .380 round to meet the FBI recommendations for penetration through bare gel and heavy clothing (12 inches minimum). It is a 99 grain load according to the press release, and is a new achievement in this caliber. It’s so new in fact that their web page hasn’t even been updated yet.

This .380 Auto defensive round is due to ship from Federal in Spring 2020, and as soon as they ship me some, I’ll be happy to put it through its paces, so stay tuned!

DeSantis Holsters for the Shield 9 EZ

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 23, 2020

9512BCAF-E085-4229-98A1-5908124F843A — The Mini Scabbard

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after eleven years in the gun community, it is – if you don’t know, ASK!!!

So that’s exactly what I did today.

Close on the heels of my decision to make an S&W Shield 9EZ my next carry gun, I decided that I needed to start looking at holsters. Where better to do that than at SHOT Show?

Enter Christina at DeSantis Gunhide. I asked her what her holster recommendations would be for a woman carrying the new Shield 9EZ. She showed me several options, including inside and outside the waistband models, with a belt and without, and made of leather or ballistic nylon.

These choices are not necessarily specific for women, but are the “less bulky” options that most women prefer. It doesn’t mean that guys won’t find them useful too. I am passing that information along right away with a quick and dirty floor report while it’s still fresh in my mind. Also so that the info will still be here in black and white when I go shopping and I can refer back to this article (because I’m starting to get SHOT brain and can’t even remember what I had for lunch).

For those of you not familiar, DeSantis Holsters started over 40 years ago as a kitchen table operation. Though the family business has now expanded into a worldwide concern serving law enforcement and military from all over, each holster is still built and shipped in the good ole’ U.S. of A.

The options Christina found for me are as follows:

Mini Scabbard

This is a OWB molded leather holster which is belt-mounted. It is available in either black or tan saddle leather and is the prettiest of the bunch, in my opinion. I really like the warmth of the tan leather. I guess holsters aren’t supposed to be “warm”-looking, but if it’s gonna be on my body regularly then I get to choose, right?

Inside Heat

This is a minimalistic molded leather IWB holster which is only available in black. The Inside Heat has a powder coated spring clip to hook it to your belt or waistband. This one still has that classic leather look that I love, but in black.

Pro-Stealth

This option is black ballistic nylon and is a cooler option for warmer months. It has a band to hold an additional magazine, and the clip can be switched to the other side for left sided carry.

Tuck-This II

This option is also constructed of the more breatheable ballistic nylon but is a tuckable IWB. Like the Pro-Stealth, this holster also includes a band for an extra magazine. The highlight for this one is that the clip is adjustable for cant, in addition to being able to switch it to the other side, so this option is probably the most “flexible” of the four options for positions of wear.

So, there are four more options for carry that I bet you didn’t even know you had! I’m so glad I stopped by the DeSantis booth. I like all of these holsters for different reasons, and I’m going to have a hard time choosing. I may have to buy more than one! I’ll try to get a more in-depth article written – with better photos – after I make a choice and use it awhile. But first things first – I still have to buy the gun when I get home!

Aero Precision PCC – Pistol Caliber Performance

By

Travis Pike

-

January 22, 2020

Aero Precision is one of my favorite AR 15 companies. They make a great product and do it at an excellent price point. The new PCC is a AR 15 based platform that’s designed off of the Aero Precision M4E1. This isn’t just a converted AR 15, but a purpose-built design that just uses the AR 15 as it’s basis. The PCC is brand new, in fact, the guys at Aero said they haven’t even finalized the name yet. I stopped by their booth at SHOT Show and took a peek at the new pistol caliber carbine rifles and pistols. They had numerous models, including full-sized rifles, micro-sized pistols, and even SBR variants.

What Makes the Aero PCC Different?

One of the big things is the magazine release. It’s extended quite a bit to make mag changes quick and easy with the weapon. This was a purpose-built deal to make the Aero PCC a bit faster for PCC multi-gun or USPSA matches. The extended latch makes it easy to reach with the trigger finger of the firing hand.

The gun has a last round bolt hold-open device that is built into the upper receiver. If you already have a lower the upper will give you that capability. The MSRP is 249.99 for both the upper and lower receiver. Both parts will be sold separately as well. The receiver kits do have a few proprietary parts, but those are all included when you purchase the receivers. The Aero PCC will be available as a builders kit as well.

The Aero PCC takes Glock magazines and the builder’s kits will be compatible with a few different calibers depending on where you go for bolts and parts. The PCC will be released at the end of the First Quarter, and hopefully, they’ll have a better name than Aero PCC.

My Opinion

For what’s its worth I found myself quite attracted to the Aero PCC. Thre are a lot of PCCs out there, especially in the AR realm, but the Aero model is gorgeous. I also have a lot of trust in Aero Precision and the gun’s feel and look rock-solid. I’m excited to get my hands on one and see just how awesome it is.

TrueTimber Inflatable Hunting Blind

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 22, 2020

F864CFC3-7AF8-485C-B251-AF591DD779C3 — Squeeze their beams :-)

TrueTimber is offering an innovative new option in ground blinds at SHOT 2020. Rather than using a hub and fiberglass poles, this new line uses inflatable tubes for the support structure.

Inflatable “beams” provide support instead of fiberglass poles.

At first glance one would think that air-filled tubes would make the structure flimsy, but this design is anything but. This design actually makes the blind flexible and better able to bounce back from insults such as heavy snow, where lesser poles merely snap.

The poles, or “beams” consist of an inflatable (and patchable and replaceable) air bladder contained within a tough, zippered outer shell. The set comes with two patches. If you have an oops in the field the blind will be repairable on site. Not true of fiberglass poles.

The support structure of the larger version includes a “Rim” around the middle underneath the windows which creates a lower “rest” for a rifle. Being a short female this lower window and rest seemed to be just my speed (err, height?)

The blind folds up into its own daypack and includes a hand pump. This makes the blind extremely portable and easy to set-up, even for one person. TrueTimber claims the set-up process can be completed in two minutes. As a gal who usually hunts by herself, this is a huge draw for me.

Press packs weren’t available the day I was there, but I am informed that this blind will come in two sizes to start — a 1-2man (woman), and a 3-ish man. I am 5’ 4” and was able to stand up even in the smaller version on Range Day. The larger version on the show floor was taller yet.

TrueTimber says there will be two types of fabric available at different price points and different levels of UV resistance. Price points are projected to be between $150 and $250 – depending on size and fabric, and release is expected in mid- 2020.

9 Shield EZ M2.0 Brings More Punch to the EZ Line

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 21, 2020

One of the new pistols that I’ve been anxious to try since its release last month is the Smith & Wesson Shield EZ in 9mm. S&W released the EZ in .380 a couple years ago and it was quite well-received, so it’s not a surprise that they have upgraded this format into a larger caliber.

Having personally struggled last year with some hand/wrist inflammatory issues, I know what it’s like to try to rack a slide — and then have to let go and use swear words in pain. Things are better now on medication, but I was eager to try this iteration of the EZ so that even if I have another flare I might not have to sit out pistol competition this year, or “go bare” in the carry department.

I found that the slide of the Shield 9 EZ was indeed lighter to manipulate than some traditional 9 mm handguns. The internal hammer fired action allowed the trigger pull to be crisp and not too heavy.

The 8-round magazines have load assist tabs, making life easier for those with dexterity issues there as well.

This Shield comes equipped with white dot sights, a grip safety, reversible magazine release, and ships with two eight round magazines.

This 9 Shield EZ is available with and without a manual thumb safety (I prefer without), and is also available with a Crimson Trace laser.

The S&W rep also informed me that he expects that the 9EZ will soon be released in a Performance Center version as the 380EZ version has, including features such as a factory ported barrel and slide, Hi-Viz sights, and Performance Center action and trigger work. I kinda like the looks of it and am willing to wait until that version comes to market, but I definitely want one of these 9 EZs for my new carry gun!

Well Done Virginians!

By

Keith Finch

-

January 21, 2020

The Virginia Rally was a smashing success! Most notably because nothing… absolutely nothing… was smashed, burned, flipped, defecated upon, or any other such nonsense.

One arrest was reported of a woman wearing a facemask who didn’t remove it for police. That’s it, no fights, gunfire, blood in the streets, just folks tired of having Northram shove gun control.

Attendance, on the low end estimate, was 22,000 and while pictures can be misleadingly shot they show incredible shoulder to shoulder protesters peacefully assembled. The rally was a success.

Mossberg 940 JM Pro – Making a Great Gun Even Better

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 21, 2020

DC78189D-6574-442C-A487-0CE3E1774BF3 — Emptying a box of shells is a pleasure with this gun.

Mossberg has been making shotguns since sorta forever, but they are certainly not resting on their laurels. This year they have introduced a new semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun with competition and speed in mind. Building on the extremely successful 930 JM Pro line, Mossberg now offers the 940 JM Pro, and just as with the 930 JM, they did it with modifications and design input from shooting icon Jerry Miculek and women’s shooting icon, daughter Lena Miculek.

I haven’t shot 3-Gun in several years now, but I was anxious to try out this latest iteration of Mossberg’s speedy shotty. SHOT Range Day provided just such an opportunity.

Oversized bolt release and charging handle.

As you can see from the photos the gun comes “stock” with enhancements you used to have to pay for aftermarket. The bolt release button is huge and easily accessible, as is the oversized charging handle. I was able to load rounds through the loading port smoothly and easily – and without pinching my thumb, or losing a nail!

This gun cycled smoothly and super fast. They’ve tinkered with the gas system to speed things up – a feature I was noticing on range day. Engaging steel is faster than it used to be. But to really appreciate that you have to watch a video of Jerry running that gun. Holy Cow!

The biggest new feature from my point of view though is that the stock has spacers for an adjustable length of pull. This allows fit adjustments for women and junior shooters who may have been previously relegated to using a 20 ga youth model instead. Shims also allow for drop and cast adjustments. These features were not available on the 930 series, which is what has kept me from this line previously, despite the otherwise great design.

Another advantage to the redesigned gas system is that it allows for less fouling and thus less frequent cleaning for the lazy like me. (they claim 1500 rounds!) They have also enlarged and smoothed up the loading port to allow for those who have the dexterity for quad-loading (not me, I can barely manage twins – ha!). The orange follower helps for quick confirmation of a cleared gun on a completed stage. In addition to the previously mentioned large bolt release button and charging handle, there is a fiber optic front sight, and Briley chokes to complete the competition-ready package.

For those who are looking for other than competition purposes, the 940 JM pro also comes with a camo pattern stock, suitable for more hunt-worthy pursuits. You’d have to put a plug in that nice big magazine, but then you’d have a dual-use competition/hunting gun that way – which sometimes helps when you are trying to talk yourself into a new firearm purchase. I personally would not need much convincing. This gun speaks for itself!

The Laugo Alien – It is Out of This World

By

Travis Pike

-

January 20, 2020

As I sit drinking my local craft beers and wearing my Dixxon Flannel I reflect on the fact that I’m a gun hipster. A tactical hipster if you will. That leads me to love CZ’s firearms and similar designs. The Laugo Alien (a gun that’s at least as Sci-Fi looking at the Kriss Vector) isn’t a CZ, but it reminds me of CZs through and through. It as a very low bore axis, in fact, it’s a crazy low bore axis. The bore axis is basically in line with your wrist.

Bore axis is one of those things that most people don’t understand. It takes a very low bore axis to achieve any kind of recoil and muzzle rise reduction. The Laugo Alien is one of the few pistols where the bore axis is low enough to make a difference. When you take such a low bore axis and combine it with a caliber like 9mm you have what could be considered one of the easiest shooting guns ever made.

The recoil and muzzle rise reducing effects don’t stop there. In fact, the muzzle rise and recoil are also mitigated by the gas-operated recoil system. Much Line Hans Gruber’s famed HK P7 this gun has a gas piston that retards recoil and makes the gun extremely soft shooting. Add in the weight of a metal frame and slide and you have a gun that barely moves between shots.

From Out of This World

The Laugo Alien isn’t exactly new, but it’s new to the US. Lancer, the company that makes my favorite AR magazines, will be the US distributor. The gun will be hitting the shelves soon and it does pack a ton of features into a very modern pistol.

The upper portion of the slide can be swapped to accommodate an MRDS upper slide or a slide with a section of 1913 Picatinny rail. This allows for a level of modularity we haven’t seen with handguns before it.

The Laugo Alien proved to be one of the most controllable, easy handling guns I’ve ever fired. It makes a 9mm feel like a 22 Magnum. The gun hardly moves round after round. It’s most evident when you have a miniature red dot attached to the gun. You hardly see that little dot move.

The Laugo Alien – Premium Grade Guns

Holy crap, everything about this gun exudes quality. I wish I could put more rounds downrange at range day. The gun doesn’t just barely move, but the ergonomics are spot on. The Laugo Alien handles like a champ. It feels like a high-end premium-grade gun because it is.

The trigger is absolutely outstanding. The trigger took me by surprise when firing my first shot and I was blown away. This thing is absolutely brilliant. The grip is comfortable, the recoil is nil and the trigger is brilliant. Don’t consider this a full review, but if you asked what I thought about this gun I’d have nothing but positives so far. Hopefully, we can review a Laugo Alien soon and have a full range report.

The Springfield Saint Edge PDW

By

Travis Pike

-

January 20, 2020

Let’s make it smaller. Smaller and smaller and smaller seems to be the current predisposition of the gun community and industry. The Saint Edge PDW is a perfect example of that. PDW ARs have existed before. The Saint Edge PDW is one of the first production guns from a big AR company in the PDW format. The Edge PDW isn’t just a super short AR but seems to be a well-thought-out design.

Going Short

To be honest, after handling the Aero M16A4 clone with its wonderful full stock and 20-inch barrel it’s hard to go back to a short-barreled AR 15. They tend to be rough, concussive, and full of bright muzzle flash. They simply aren’t comfortable compared to the classic 20-inch barreled AR. One simple fact remains, the shorter the barrel the rougher an AR can be. The 5.56/223 is designed to be fired from a 20-inch barrel, so when you trim it down to a 5.5-inch barrel like the Edge PDW you expect it to get rough.

That’s just a trade-off of having a short barrel. However, to be fair the Edge PDW seems to mitigate a bit of the effect of a super short barrel. The first key to the gun’s easy handling at Range Day seems to be the weight of billeted receivers. The gun’s overall somewhat hefty nature lends itself to easy handling. It’s not as light as you’d expect, but it’s not heavy either.

The best feature that lends itself to making the gun comfortable is the linear compensator at the end of the barrel. It directs gas, muzzle flash, and concussion forward of the shooter. It’s not pleasant if you’re downrange, but I doubt that is the biggest problem you have at that time.

Topping off the Edge PDW

To top off the Edge PDW you have a number of different features. First is a specialized grip for PDW sized guns. This Reptilia grip is designed for short-barreled rifles and works well in that regard. The Edge PDW is a mere 18.75 inches overall and this specific grip is comfortable for guns this small.

The PDW pistol brace is a Maxim Defense model and it’s largely accepted by the firearms community as the best PDW brace out there. The gun is also topped with actual sights. For some reason gun companies, these days seem to hate including sights onto their guns, but Springfield bucks the trend with spring-loaded, all-metal, flip-up iron sights on all of the Saint series rifles and pistols.

The Edge PDW comes with a short M-Lok rail system and a hand stop which you’ll need for safety reasons with such a short gun.

I had minimal time with the Edge PDW, but I found it to be a very capable, easy handling, and fun shooting rifle style pistol. Stay tuned because I hope to have an Edge PDW in for full review soon.

Blow-up Your Hunting Season with Umarex

By

Dr LateBloomer

-

January 20, 2020

Tired of short rifle hunting seasons? Don’t really want to try a compound bow or crossbow for archery season? Umarex may have an answer for you!

The compressed air shooting market has gone crazy in the past decade or so, and unsurprisingly this is now spilling over into “Air Archery”.

Umarex has introduced the AirSaber and the AirJavelin – Two different sized “air bows” – or air rifles which shoot an arrow projectile instead of a pellet.

I got to shoot both of these fun air guns at Range Day, and it was a hoot!

The workings of the AirSaber will be familiar to rifle hunters – stock, bolt action, scope, trigger, etc. It runs on compressed air either from a cylinder or a hand pump. I’m told that Umarex is working on their own home compressor (which would be easier than keeping a cylinder around) and I’ll be able to take a look at that at the booth tomorrow.

The AirSaber is designed for large game. Powered by 3625 psi of compressed air, it has a velocity of 450 ft/sec and 169 fpe, which is plenty of kinetic energy to ethically take a deer. The AirSaber has a price point significantly cheaper than a quality crossbow, too – starting at $369.99 – and it is available now.

The AirJavelin is smaller, and designed for shorter-range targets and smaller game. The AirJavelin uses 88 gram CO2 cartridges and is aiming at family adventures, with a pistol grip and fully adjustable stock for the smaller people in your family. The rail allows for attaching a red dot. It comes with three arrows and an MSRP of $169.99. The AirJavelin is expected to be available the end of this month.

Shooting the AirSaber was simple and cool. I placed the arrow down the muzzle onto the holder, cocked the gun with the bolt action, released the safety, found my target in the scope and pulled the trigger. There was a little puffing noise, no recoil, and the arrow hit right where I aimed it! Easy Peasy!

When I handled the AirJavelin, it weighed next to nothing – I’m not kidding. Though it had the workings of a firearm, I could lift it with a finger or two and there was virtually no noise and no recoil. This is definitely a tool you could use to introduce your kids to safe gun handling and a way to keep the little ones involved who don’t yet have the strength to draw back a regular bow.

The AirJavelin runs off a CO2 cartridge.

Did it go off? I didn’t feel anything. Zero recoil.

Every state game commission has embraced the air archery concept for hunting predators, but there are still a few holdouts for large game like deer, so check your local game law. But if you are lucky enough to live in one of the permissive states, the AirSaber and AirJavelin from Umarex may give you new, exciting, non-firearm options for your hunting season!