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Blaser Shooters Win Multiple Titles at the 2019 World English Sporting Championship – Cory Kruse is Crowned Champion

By
Keith Finch
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San Antonio, Texas (August 22, 2019) – Blaser-sponsored shooter Cory Kruse from Willis, Texas was crowned champion of the 2019 World English Sporting Championship on Sunday, August 11 at Northbrook Sports Club in Hainesville, Illinois, securing his first World English Sporting title with his Blaser F3 shotgun.

The three-day competition, hosted by the National Sporting Clays Association, saw 880 competitors take to the three courses to shoot 200 English sporting targets, with the top 12 competitors securing a place in the Sunday super final.

Kruse, an oil field service company sales consultant, finished with an impressive leading score of 181ex200 by shooting 61 on the red course, 60 on white and 60 on blue, two targets ahead of his competition. Despite leading scores of 23ex25 in the super final by fellow Americans Joseph Fanizzi and Wendell Cherry, Kruse’s score of 21ex25 was enough to hold pole position, finishing with a combined score of 202 to take the world title.

For Team Blaser, it didn’t end there.  Bill McGuire from Tennessee claimed the World Veteran Champion title shooting a Blaser F3 with a score of 164ex200, four points ahead of the field.   Mike Wilgus from Washington scooped the Preliminary Champion and 5-Stand World Champion titles with his Blaser F3 on respective scores of 98ex100 and 96ex100.

Commenting on the win and his new World title, Cory said: “I’ve been close a few times. I bagged a silver in 2008 but finally tagged a gold! What a cool tournament and I obviously really enjoyed the targets. They were exactly what I enjoy shooting and feel challenged to shoot. I was very entertained and scared at the same time. My gun performed flawlessly. This, my friends, is why Blaser is the best. Great products and they offer the best customer service going.”

Mike Wilgus added: “It felt great to win the preliminary event on Thursday with a 98ex100. I even had the pleasure of shooting with my 12-year-old daughter Kayla. Winning the 5-stand World title meant a lot to me, and I’m very pleased with my results. We also came home with USA Team gold, which makes me very proud.”

Blaser CEO Jason Evans concluded: “What an incredible week it has been for Blaser shooters at the World English Championships at Northbrook Sports Club. With so many of our shooters claiming the top spots on the world stage, it just goes to show what you can achieve with sheer skill, determination and a shotgun you can rely on. We are incredibly proud of our shooters who continue to amaze us with their talent and incredible sportsmanship. Well done Team Blaser!”

About Blaser USA Inc.

Blaser USA Inc. is the official US importer for iconic German firearms brands Blaser, Mauser and J.P. Sauer, and English gunmaker John Rigby & Co. Established in 2007, the company which is based in San Antonio, Texas works with over 200 authorized Blaser dealers across all North American states, with this figure continually growing. Today Blaser USA’s industry-leading product portfolio includes bolt-action, combination rifles and over-and-under shotguns designed specifically for game hunters and competitive target shooters. Its custom shop offers exclusive engravings, design work and custom finishing for bespoke guns. With recent innovations, Blaser has gone on to expand its product portfolio into cutting edge optics and accessory lines. For more information about the company and product lines, visit: www.blaser-usa.com.

SUPPRESSORS, BEYOND THE MYTH

By
The Armory Life
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Springfield armory xdm with suppressor also called silencer

There are few items in the firearms world with as much mystique and wonder as the modern day suppressor. These handy devices have seen an astronomical increase in interest as people begin to discover all of the benefits of owning and using a suppressor on their firearms. The first step in this conversation about suppressors is to get a quick look at how these little gems work.

When we press the trigger the gun fires and a chain of events is set into motion. The fired round produces hot and pressurized gases that force the bullet down the barrel. Once they launch the round out of the barrel they escape into the open and in doing so experience a dramatic change in environment which causes the explosive sound we hear. Suppressors work by chambering and controlling those gases to more efficiently funnel them and cool them before they leave the gun.

The suppressor is composed of several parts depending on the brand and design, but essentially all share some common parts. The main body or expansion chamber is composed of a series of baffles that efficiently funnel, cool, and spread out the gasses to reduce their noise once they do reach the outside. The number and design of the baffles is often a trademarked item as each company looks to find the holy grail of silence. The end result of this gas pinball action is a quieter shot with reduced recoil.

Contrary to popular belief, suppressors do not completely eliminate the sound of a weapon being fired. Some do an exceptional job but they are in no way truly silencers. The funny thing about that is that the ATF in the NFA division actually list suppressors as “silencers.” Why they do so is not known to me, but my guess is that it was a term in common use when laws were written and it simply stuck. Suppressors are also commonly referred to as “cans” because of their design. The ultimate goal of a suppressor is to make the weapon “hearing safe.” This means the sound is controlled and diminished to the point that hearing protection is not required. In some guns this is easy and made easier by the use of subsonic ammunition. Others, however, will never reach that level, but the percussion of the shots are less spleen damaging.

Read On

LAPD AND LASD EQUIP 180 SWAT OFFICERS WITH TEAM WENDY® HELMETS

By
Keith Finch
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lapd team wendy

Elite Los Angeles Tactical Teams Purchase EXFIL® Ballistic SL

CLEVELAND, OH (Aug. 22, 2019) – Two of the best tactical teams in the U.S. have chosen Cleveland-based Team Wendy® as their ballistic helmet provider.

Team Wendy, which researches and develops high-quality headborne systems from the inside out, announced Thursday that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) purchased the company’s EXFIL® Ballistic SL helmet. LAPD bought 85 black helmets for its SWAT team, and LASD ordered 95 helmets in ranger green for its Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB).

LAPD’s SWAT team rescues dozens of hostages and manages 120-plus high-risk warrants and approximately 100 barricaded suspect cases per year. It responds to barricade or hostage incidents where the suspect is believed to be armed or an extreme threat to public safety. Typical situations include the presence of weapons, suspected gang activity and heavily fortified locations.

LASD is the largest sheriff’s department in the world. The Special Enforcement Bureau, newly equipped with Team Wendy helmets, is a full-time unit of tactical paramedics and rescue specialists, including a canine detail and a special weapons team. It works hand-in-hand with the department’s arson/explosives and hazardous materials details and coordinates security for visiting dignitaries and politicians, including the United States President and Vice President. SEB responds to an estimated 200-300 tactical operations every year, including barricaded suspects, high-risk warrants and hostage situations.

Team Wendy CEO Jose Rizo-Patron said the company exists for the sole purpose of protecting officers like these.

“The men and women of the LAPD and LASD put their lives on the line every day and we take pride in knowing we play a role in their safety,” he said. “This is why we do what we do.”

Joe Nagy, who works with law enforcement agencies around the country on behalf of Team Wendy, said the EXFIL Ballistic SL is built to do exactly what these agencies need.

“We spent a long time engineering this helmet so it would perform at a high caliber,” he said.

The EXFIL Ballistic SL is the fifth helmet in Team Wendy’s EXFIL line. It has a complete system weight of 2.2 pounds, meets a ballistic rating of NIJ Level III-A (according to NIJ STD 0106.01/0108.01) and exceeds ACH blunt impact protection requirements. It features the newer, lighter EXFIL Rail 3.0 for more efficient accessory mounting and the boltless CAM FIT™ Retention System for individualized fit and superior weight distribution.

Team Wendy EXFIL Ballistic SL level III-A rated

LAPD and LASD join Orange County Sheriff’s Office and more than 20 other law enforcement agencies in southern California that wear Team Wendy helmet systems.

ABOUT TEAM WENDY®

Team Wendy is a family-owned company dedicated to providing exceptional head protection systems designed from the inside out for those who risk their lives every day. Founded in 1997, our Cleveland-based company places a strong focus on the prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in honor of the company’s namesake Wendy Moore, who died tragically from a TBI following a ski accident.

As a leading supplier of helmet systems for military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and adventure sports, Team Wendy is steadfast in our dedication to the pursuit of improving head protection research, design and development, bringing more choice, better technology and reliable customer service to the industry.

Team Wendy was recognized as a winner of the Cleveland Top Workplaces 2019 award by The Plain Dealer and was also named one of NorthCoast 99’s Best Places to Work in Northeast Ohio in 2016.

Learn more at www.TeamWendy.com.

Needing a “Get Home Bag”

By
Dr LateBloomer
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I had a good reminder this weekend why it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected. Because the unexpected isn’t always the Zombie Apocalypse. Sometimes the unexpected sneaks up on mossy little feet and grabs your car by the tires instead.

I was at an outdoor wedding under a tent in a field, in an unfamiliar area two hours from home. I had planned to return home in the early evening when the festivities started to die down. It was a lovely celebration, but I was tired, so while everyone else was watching the fireworks I took my leave. The field however, had other plans.

I wasn’t familiar with the field and there were people and campers and pick-ups everywhere which I was trying to pick a path through with my AWD wagon. It was dusk and I couldn’t see very well in the gathering darkness. I chose what looked like a clear path through – and drove right into a boggy patch I couldn’t see and got stuck! There was a reason that area was clear of other vehicles – D’oh!

After some pointed swear words, I got out of the car and squished over to some by-standers to see if they had a tow-rope. One little boy ran up and said he would go get his daddy to help me. I thanked him and squished back to the car to get my purse and phone – skirt hiked up and one sandal being sucked off in the process. It wasn’t a mud-hole so much as a classic bog. There was soft moss on my bare foot but about an ankle’s worth of water, and even with AWD, my car just couldn’t get any traction.

Long story short, the little guy’s daddy gave me a ride back up to the wedding tent in his side-by side, and after the fireworks I found the bride and groom (the only people I knew). They changed clothes and between some other people and the groom with his big pick-up, they got my car out. 

One of the morals to the story is that if you don’t drive a big 4WD yourself, you should know some people who do. And also, if you need help, don’t ask a guy in a suit and a BMW – ask the guy in cargo shorts and a side-by-side. They assured me that though I was mortified at getting myself stuck, I wasn’t the first and likely would not be the last person who got mired in that spot during events there.

It was getting late, so instead of heading two hours home, I drove my mud splattered pride to a hotel instead. I had a bag in the back of my car – leftover from hunting season – that contained a change of clothes, so I didn’t have to sleep in my muddy skirt and I even had clean underwear!

I was thankful for my own forethought however limited it was. I was also grateful obviously for the intervention of friends – both those I knew and those I didn’t. Even the lady at the hotel at 1030 pm had a smile on her face.

One item I didn’t have and wished I did was a belt. The second thing was spare shoes. The bag had been originally thrown in the back of the car during hunting season with the assumption that I would already be wearing a belt and boots, and might just need to change out of wet clothes. That was fine – right up until I was at an outdoor wedding in maxi skirt and sandals.

What I did have were wool socks, cargo pants, a t-shirt, a fleece, and clean underwear. I had a shirt to sleep in and clean clothes to wear home in the morning, which did wonders for my morale. I looked a little odd at the hotel free breakfast wearing rolled-up cargo pants and muddy sandals, but there are worse problems in the world. And it was the Super 8, sooo…

Later, I started thinking about the what-ifs. (Actually, I laid awake for a couple hours that night stewing about it) What if I had been alone when I got stuck with no help immediately available? What if I had to spend the night in the car until I could rouse a tow truck? I had some water in my insulated cup, and I had a blanket in the car, but it would have been a hungry night. I certainly couldn’t have walked for miles in those sandals. They were flats and fairly sensible, but they weren’t sneakers or hiking boots.

As soon as I got home I set about building myself a new, more deliberate “Get Home Bag”. I started with one of my kids’ old school backpacks that I still had lying around. I salvaged it out of the basement a few years ago and found yet another life for the thing. As a side note, say what you might about LLBean, but this was one of their school backpacks from about 15 years ago, which not only survived a couple years of middle school until it wasn’t cool anymore, but also a few trips through the washing machine, and even range bag duty in the Arizona desert for a class a few years ago.

I decided to use this daypack – even though I own other more tactical or camo options – because I didn’t want any casual observer of my car to think this dusky purple bag with the ink stains was anything worth stealing.

In addition to the pants, wool socks, t-shirt, fleece, and underwear that I already had packed, I added:

-Toothbrush and sugarless mint gum (in place of toothpaste)

-Wet wipes

-Belt

-Ball cap

-Old sneakers for walking

-Plastic bag for wet clothes

-Reflective tarp for warmth and shelter

-Flashlight and headlamp 

-Protein bar – I’m going to add an MRE too

-Empty water bottle with a gallon jug in the car

-Bandana

-Pocketknife

-A couple big brass quilting-type safety pins – (I keep these in my travel toiletry bag too. They don’t rust, and can be used to make emergency repairs to clothing, or hold a blanket around your shoulders in an emergency situation.)

I also always keep a first aid bag in the car separately. I may come up with a few more things as I go along, but that’s my preliminary packing list.

The preliminary packing list

All of this additional stuff will give me a little more piece of mind for next time. This bag is still more of an “Oh Sh*t” bag than a true Bug Out Bag though. I’m not exactly planning to hike for three days to my secret lair while shooting hundreds of rounds at the hordes. But in truth the opportunities for life to give you “Oh Sh*t” moments are legion, whereas the likelihood of an actual apocalypse – as much as folks like to talk about it – is hopefully very small.

If I can step up onto my soapbox for just one more minute – I’d like to say that I think it is particularly important for women to have a bag like this in their cars. Men have “Oh Sh*t” moments too, but women are more likely to be wearing flimsy clothing and horrifyingly unsuitable footwear when “Oh Sh*t” happens. I learned that lesson personally. I wasn’t truly stranded this time and the weather was cooperative. But who knows about next time? I want to be ready – even if it’s only for another wedding.

US Rifle M14 to 500yds: Practical Accuracy – 9-Hole Reviews

By
Keith Finch
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The M14 has received a fair share of criticism in the online gun community in the last few years. Some of that coming from this very source. I and many have pointed out that the M14 was a misplaced rifle for its time. The US Service Rifle was already obsolescent when it was fielded, ignoring many of the hard learned lessons of ground troops for the sake of US Military institutional inertia.

The current production Springfield M1A is the descendant of the M14. It’s a popular rifle while also being maligned. The M14’s short service history did the M1A no favors but it developed a legendary cult reputation. Every alleged Vietnam Veteran I came across also allegedly threw their M16 into the woods in order to get an M14 instead. Little mention of the M14’s own problems, like warping stocks and uncontrollable full-auto fire, make it into the cookie cutter narrative. I suspect the majority were lying.

Well I am of the opinion that the M1A’s overly hyped reputation, due to nostalgia and it being gobbled up for GWOT, had a pendulum backswing that pushed too far the other direction. It went from the golden boy US battle rifle that it never really was to literally the worst thing ever which it also is not.

The M1A is what it is and does what it does as well as it does. Watch the 9-Hole review video, it clears the course with iron sights in 24 rounds, pretty good. InRange is doing a series right now where the M1A shows up too and it does respectably.

So the answer, as usual, is that the M1A really sits somewhere in the middle when it comes to .308 battle rifles. I still want a National Match, like the one shot in the video, just because. It doesn’t have to be the best to be fun to own.

M1A Scout Squad an 18 inch barrel variant semi-auto of the M14

Sportsman’s Box

By
248 Shooter
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Sportsman’s Box!

GiRSAN MC28SA-T Pistol via EAA

By
248 Shooter
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Desert Tech MDR UPDATED VIDEO (Halo Battle Rifle? Probably) – Garand Thumb

By
Keith Finch
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The Desert Tech MDR had issues.

Had, it appears, is the operative word. Reports on the innovative Desert Tech bullpup have shown that the cycling issues and gas system problems on the early rifles, well documented by early users, seem to have been taken care of by the team at DT. Desert Tech is known for their incredibly built bullpup bolt action rifles and the problems with the MDR couldn’t stand if they wanted their reputation to survive and, most importantly, satisfied customers.

The MDR, for those wondering, is the Micro Dynamic Rifle and was built for “future defense needs” as a concept.

MDR in flat dark earth from desert tech available in 308 and 5.56
Image via Desert Tech

A highly configurable ambidextrous combat rifle usable in 7.62x51mm/.308 Win base case configurations, which does open up several future calibers like 6.5 Creedmoor and .260, as well as 5.56x45mm and its derivatives like .300 BLK.

Heavy emphasis was placed on the rifle’s ambidexterity. From front to back, starting at the charging handle, the controls are meant for left and right handed shooters ease of use. The charging handle can be used to lock the bolt back HK roller-lock style and is non-reciprocating.

The magazine release and safety are also ambidextrous and placed to be familiar to AR rifle users. An additional magazine release is placed behind the pistol grip on the MDR at the front of the magazine well, similar to the original Tavor SAR. This magazine release is disabled in the 5.56 configuration due to the necessary conversion parts, but in .308 it provides a third point of control. The bolt release is positioned behind the magazine well to use with the shooters thumb easily from either side.

The ejection is the final, and probably most important, ambidextrous feature on the rifle. The ejectors are tied to the port covers and depending on which side you place the covers determines the ejection of the rifle. They also forward ejects spent cases making switching shoulders much less of a problem when compared against most bullpup designs, especially the older services rifles out of Europe.

Enjoy the video on lunch. It’s a long one.

Does the Secret Service Know Something We Should?

By
DRGO
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(from gta5-mods.com)

On this July 9th the U.S. Secret Service released a report on mass attacks.  Here are the key findings, followed by my analysis:

  • One-third of the attackers who terrorized schools, houses of worship or businesses nationwide last year had a history of serious domestic violence, two-thirds had mental health issues, and nearly all had made threatening or concerning communications that worried others before they struck.
  • Most attackers were male, ranging in age from 15 to 64.  The domestic violence history often included serious violence.  While 67% had mental health issues, only 44% had a diagnosis or known treatment for the issue.
  • As for motive, more than half of the attackers had a grievance against a spouse or family member, or a personal or workplace dispute.  Also, 22% had no known motive.  In nearly half the cases, the attacker apparently selected the target in advance.

From the Associated Press on the PBS News Hour July 19, 2019:

“Lina Alathari [head of the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center] and her colleagues want communities to be aware of concerning behavior and these trends so officials have something to look out for.  We want the community to know that prevention is everyone’s responsibility, not just law enforcement. The Secret Service is tasked with researching, training, and sharing information on the prevention of targeted violence, using the agency’s knowledge gleaned from years of watching possible targets that may or may not be out to assassinate the president.  Alathari said her team is working on a new report on school shootings and how to prevent them, and investigating attacks to try to figure out why someone didn’t follow through.” 

For decades I have been tracking mass murders; thus, I am not surprised by these findings. These are my observations.

First is the disturbing fact that 67% of attackers had a mental illness, but only 44% had previously been diagnosed. Almost none of us with mental illnesses commit violence, but the fact that most mass killers do is striking. But committing psychiatrically ill people to treatment is difficult under our evolved civil rights standards and the mental health system does not currently have the resources to treat everyone who needs it.

Second, whenever I hear of a mass shooting, such as the one that took place at a Chicago hospital November 18 last year or at a plant in Aurora, Illinois this February 15, I immediately suspect a relationship dispute (Chicago) or a workplace dispute (Aurora).  And almost invariably, the security at the sites of such shootings proved to be inadequate.

Third, there are warning signs leading up to such shootings that are frequently known to many people, but are not communicated to authorities. The mounting pressure to install “red flag laws” in every state is a misbegotten response to this problem. All the laws necessary to report concerns and for authorities to act are on the books already.

I know: I am a retired licensed clinical social worker, and carried out the Civil Detention Laws of Illinois and Missouri for 9 years. As such, I was able to hospitalize persons involuntarily for a 96-hour period, if they met the criteria of having a mental illness, and being at imminent risk of harming self or others.

Fourth, even when they are communicated, there is too often a breakdown in communication between various systems, i.e., law enforcement, mental health, schools, etc., and therefore in their responses. (Ref: the Parkland shooting.)

All these factors must be addressed if we are to reduce the prevalence of mass shooting attacks in our country. The most serious mental illness tend to strike in adolescence or the early twenties. These are the ages in which alienated, isolated young men are at the highest risk of committing violence anyway.

You’ll notice I did not suggest any new restrictions on firearms. Most mass shooters obtain their weapons through family or by passing background checks and buying them in the marketplace. The few who don’t, didn’t need to bother. Neither category of murderers would be the least bit impeded by universal background checks, the panacea offered by fools and anti-gun politicos.

It’s a paradox. There are no easy answers—yet the answers are already available for those to use who are more serious about intervening to protect the public than about looking “correct” themselves.

.

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— Warren Lind is a retired licensed clinical social worker and former security officer who writes extensively about crime, survival, and self-defense.  He is a member of too many pro-2A organizations to list.

All DRGO articles by Warren Lind

Springfield XD-S Mod.2 9MM

By
248 Shooter
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From Springfield Armory’s acclaimed line of XD-S Mod.2® comes their newest, most concealable offering yet. The XD-S Mod.2® in 9mm is a less than one-inch wide pinnacle of reliability. 25K rounds without a stoppage and an integral grip safety for total peace of mind when carrying.

The XD-S Mod.2® ships with two stainless steel magazines: a 7-round mag with a pinkie rest and additional flush floor plate for carry and one 9-round extended magazine – perfect for home defense. An 8-round extended magazine is also available for purchase.

Available in models with Tritium, Fiber Optic, and Viridian Laser.

XD-S MOD.2® 9MM W/ TRITIUM – XDSG9339BT

  • Caliber 9mm
  • MSRP $586
  • Barrel 3.3″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite®
  • Sights Ameriglo Pro-Glo Tritium Front / Tactical Rack Rear
  • Frame Black Polymer w/ Enhanced Grip Texture
  • Slide Steel, Melonite®
  • Recoil System Dual Captive Recoil Spring w/ Full Length Guide Rod
  • Length 6.3″
  • Height 4.3″ – 4.85″ w/ Extended Magazine
  • Width .975″
  • Magazines (1) 7-Round w/ Pinkie Extension, (1) 9-Round Extended & (1) Flush Plate
  • Weight 21.5 oz w/ Flush Magazine – 22.5 oz w/ Extended Magazine

XD-S MOD.2® 9MM W/ FIBER OPTIC – XDSG9339B

  • Caliber 9mm
  • MSRP $524
  • Barrel 3.3″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite®
  • Sights Fiber Optic Front, Tactical Rack Rear
  • Frame Black Polymer w/ Enhanced Grip Texture
  • Slide Steel, Melonite®
  • Recoil System Dual Captive Recoil Spring w/ Full Length Guide Rod
  • Length 6.3″
  • Height 4.3″ – 4.85″ w/ Extended Magazine
  • Width .975″
  • Magazines (1) 7-Round w/ Pinkie Extension, (1) 9-Round Extended & (1) Flush Plate
  • Weight 21.5 oz w/ Flush Magazine – 22.5 oz w/ Extended Magazine

XD-S MOD.2® 9MM W/ VIRIDIAN LASER – XDSG9339BVR

  • Caliber 9mm
  • MSRP $555
  • Barrel 3.3″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite®
  • Sights Fiber Optic Front / Tactical Rack Rear / Viridian Red Laser
  • Frame Black Polymer w/ Enhanced Grip Texture
  • Slide Steel, Melonite®
  • Recoil System Dual Captive Recoil Spring w/ Full Length Guide Rod
  • Length 6.3″
  • Height 4.3″ – 4.85″ w/ Extended Magazine
  • Width .975″
  • Magazines (1) 7-Round w/ Pinkie Extension, (1) 9-Round Extended & (1) Flush Plate
  • Weight 21.5 oz w/ Flush Magazine – 22.5 oz w/ Extended Magazine

XD Defenders Series Price

By
248 Shooter
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Springfield Armory is offering incredible deals on their Defenders Series XD’s, both the 9mm 4” Service Model and the 9mm 3” Sub-Compact. This limited-time sales event is designed to encourage new shooters to purchase their first firearm, and to drive customers looking for a good value to invest in the Springfield Armory brand. You’ll also receive a Defenders Series Certificate and an invitation to join The Defenders, an online community of enthusiasts who will receive exclusive offers, giveaways, and discounts.

M1A SHOOT OFF – 6.5 CREEDMOOR VS 308

By
The Armory Life
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m1a shoot off 6.5 and 308

A Self-Defense Precision Rifle (SDPR) should have a number of qualities, the highest of which is pinpoint accuracy at realistic ranges (max distance you can ID a threat). As a survivalist, I consider a realistic range for a self-defense rifle to be a good deal less than what one would suppose the operational ranges of a military sniper would be.

Requirements

My standard for a precision rifle is 1 Minute of Angle (MOA is approximately 1 inch at 100 yards, e.g. 200 yards = 2 inches) groups at any realistic range. Beyond precision, attributes of a SDPR would be reliability, durable design, and comfortably ergonomic. All of these features are embodied in the Springfield Armory Loaded M1A, and at a reasonable price.

The Rifles

I have owned a 7.62×51 NATO caliber Loaded M1A for the last 14 years. It now has had 1260 rounds through its stainless, medium weight, National Match barrel. It consistently produced one half MOA groups with Match ammo.

I was sent a 6.5 Creedmoor Loaded M1A for a comparison shoot. Except for the caliber, the Archangel stock/Springfield scope mount the 6.5CM came with, and the Sightron 6.5-20x scope I put on the 6.5CM for the shoot, both rifles are the same. I was sent a couple hundred rounds of 7.62N and 6.5CM Norma Match ammo for this comparison. The 7.62N is the 168gr Match bullet, and the 6.5CM uses the 130gr Match bullet.

Read On

SecureIt Fast Box

By
Dr LateBloomer
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I’ve been wanting some quick access storage for a long gun for several years. I wanted secure bedroom storage for a shotgun or AR, and obviously neither of those fit into my biometric pistol safe. Frustrating. Though my children are grown and gone now, my day job as a pediatrician makes me acutely aware of the need for secure storage for firearms in the home. Grandchildren may show up eventually and I want to be prepared.

Up to this point I have been “making do” with a long gun case secured to the under -bed frame with a combination cable lock. Secure, but not so quick-access. After watching the safe storage products slowly evolving at SHOT Show for the past few years, I finally pulled the trigger on what I wanted. I ordered a SecureIt Fast Box 47

The Fastbox 47 is a light weight keypad combination safe designed to be flat mounted under-bed, or in a vertical mount (as in a closet), or even vehicle mounted. I wanted to do a bed mount because I didn’t want to put any holes in my walls. I own my own home, but I hate wall holes. This can be an issue for apartment dwellers and other renters as well. 

The Fast Box has a four-button combination keypad, which is what I wanted for middle-of-the-night access. I didn’t want to be fumbling around for a key in the dark, or have to turn on a light and blind myself.

Besides mounting hardware and leveling feet, the safe also comes with a thin neoprene pad to keep your flat stored gun(s) from scraping around on a metal surface. The vertical mounting hardware is sold separately.

The mounting holes are pre-drilled allowing for a variety of options and there are also ventilation holes to help keep your stored guns from accumulating moisture.

Installing the Fast Box 47

Preparing for installation was initially semi-traumatic, but only because it forced me to confront the reality of how long it had been since I last vacuumed under the bed. There was an entire evolving civilization of dust bunny culture under there. I hated to destroy all of their hard work, and briefly considered tolerance and coexistence, but then bowed to inevitable dominance of humanity. I got out the vacuum and cleared the place out – after a dose of antihistamine of course.

I admit that housekeeping isn’t my strong suit. I’m usually much too involved in things like medicine and guns to notice the dust when I fall into bed exhausted at night. And I’m much too weird about people touching my stuff to allow a cleaning lady into my house. Bottom line – if you want to come to visit you need to give me at least two weeks’ notice, mkay? Even then no guarantees.

But getting back to the Fast Box. This thing is very sturdily built. When it arrived I managed to pull it up into the house from the porch and drag it into the living room to unbox it, but then I had to push it upstairs from behind because it was too heavy for me to carry. I read the directions, got it open, installed the battery and programmed my own security code. So far so good.

But then I discovered a major problem – I didn’t have the right kind of bed frame. Mine was heavy wood, not skinny metal. And the mounting brackets and screws were designed for the skinny metal kind. *sigh* I know I should have thought about this before hand, but how many of you know right off the top of your head what kind of bedframe you have?

I have the wrong kind of bedframe for this hardware.

Installation video

I’m still trying to figure out a different bracket configuration that I can jury rig from the hardware store. I’m sure it’s do-able, I just have to think about it. Work has been crazy, so it might be a little while til I can get this figured out. In the meantime the Fast Box 47 is still in use in my bedroom, even if it isn’t bolted down. It can still fend off curious little fingers and nosy houseguests, and it would take some effort to remove it from the bedroom.

The unit is quite roomy. It easily holds my rebuilt “tactical” Mossberg 500 AND my Aero Precision AR pistol with additional space for a couple boxes of shells and a couple 30 round magazines. There is even a little additional space where I might be able to fit my Gen3 Glock 19 in a holster if I organize carefully.

The shotgun and AR pistol fit inside easily

I’m not really “planning” on needing that much firepower in a home invasion scenario, but better to have and not need, as they say. Besides, my main safe is getting a little crowded anyway, and this decentralizes things a little. 

I realize that having a crowded safe isn’t really a bad thing. It just means that I may need to invest in more SecureIt products in which to store my expanding “family”.  Fast Boxes can be bolted together, so that is an additional selling point, and incentive for me.

Would you guess there’s a gun safe under there?

If you have gun storage challenges like I do, check out SecureIt for a variety of “decentralized” safe storage options, including the Fast Box 47.

Springfield .308 Saint

By
248 Shooter
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At just 7.8 lbs the all new SAINT Victor .308 hits like a ton of bricks without the weight of a traditional AR-10. Purpose built to offer serious power in a quick handling configuration the SAINT Victor in .308 features a 16” lightweight barrel, M-Lok free float hand guard and included flip-up sights.

Springfield Instant Gear Up

By
248 Shooter
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It’s a new kind of Gear Up! No more waiting for products in the mail – now you select an Instant Gear Up firearm from a list of qualifying models, contact your retailer, ask for “Springfield Instant Gear Up”, and pick up your new gun and free gear at the same time! It’s up to a $230 value FREE!

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