As I write this, it’s mid-September and fall is coming, quickly to be followed by the cold winter months. Where I live, wind chills down to negative double digits aren’t uncommon. If the furnace goes out, it can be downright dangerous. Creating an indoor microclimate could prove life-saving.
What is an Indoor Microclimate?
If you lose the ability to heat your home during cold weather, such as a mechanical failure with your heat system or just a run-of-the-mill power outage, it can get pretty cold inside, especially overnight. The idea with an indoor microclimate is to create a small space that can be kept warm enough to allow everyone inside to be safe from the cold.
You’ll still want to bundle up a bit, such as tossing on an insulated jacket. But the shelter you build or use will go a long way toward keeping everyone more comfortable until the sun comes up.
While many of us have one or more portable heaters, those require power or fuel to function, which may be non-existent or in short supply. Even if running them is feasible, an indoor microclimate will help them be more efficient.
How Does It Work?
The concept is pretty simple, but there are a few different ways to approach it. The simplest is to pile everyone into the smallest room of the home. Bear in mind that you might be in there overnight or even longer. So, keeping three kids, two adults, and a couple of dogs in the half bath might not be all that comfortable.
A better option would be to use the smallest bedroom. Hang blankets over the windows and door to insulate the room. Depending on how many warm bodies you have in the room and the size of the room itself, body heat alone can start to raise the room’s temperature fairly soon.
Another way to create an indoor microclimate is to set up a tent in the bedroom or living room. Pro tip: you don’t need to stake it down. Toss a blanket over the top of the tent to provide some extra insulation. Everyone climbs inside with their favorite blanket or sleeping bag and pillow for a slumber party.
If a tent isn’t an option for you, let your inner child out to play and build a fort with kitchen chairs, couch cushions, and the like. Pile on comforters and blankets for insulation and crawl inside. No, this isn’t anyone’s idea of an ideal situation, but it beats shivering the night away.
If you have kids in the mix, they might think this is the coolest thing ever, so try to have some fun with it. They might someday tell their own children about the time their family spent the night in a blanket fort because it was so cold outside.
Insulation is Key
No matter how you build it, the indoor microclimate needs to be insulated. Anything you can pile on top of the tent, fort, or whatever will help. Grab bedding from every bedroom and toss it on.
If you’ve ever spent the night on the cold ground outside, you understand the importance of insulation underneath you. Don’t make that same mistake with indoor microclimates. Put a blanket or comforter on the floor first, then build your shelter on top of it.
If you were into guns at all during the early to mid-2000s, you couldn’t escape the Mosin Nagant. These things were everywhere. Every gun show, every gun store, and page upon page of Armslist were covered in Mosin Nagant rifles. Most were Russian-made, but we can include the Chinese and Finnish clones into that umbrella. The Mosin-Nagant series of rifles was a cultural powerhouse, and today, we are going to look back and discuss the cultural phenomenon that was the Mosin-Nagant.
If you’re one of those fantastic young Zoomers, I’m sad to say you missed out on the Mosin-Nagant craze. The boomers had a great housing market, but we millennials were primed for the Mosin market. If you aren’t familiar with the rifle, it was a pre-World War I rifle that first saw service in 1891. The Russians designed the rifle and used it in both World Wars, their Revolution, the Russo-Japanese War, and many more.
The Mosin-Nagant was a full-power bolt-action rifle firing the 7.62x54R cartridge. Throughout its lifespan, it has been available in numerous configurations, the most popular being the 1891/30. There were carbine variants, sniper models, and more. I don’t want to get too in the weeds with the numerous variations. Today, we’ll refer to them all as Mosin-Nagants.
The Mosin-Nagant Phenomenon
The Mosin-Nagant became such a cultural phenomenon because of the price of the rifles and ammo. There was a point where a Mosin-Nagant in perfectly suitable condition could be had for 89 dollars. For 89 dollars, you got the rifle, a sling, a double ammo pouch, and an oiler bottle. I’m unsure who the original importer was, but they brought them over by the shipload.
You could purchase an entire crate of rifles for less than 1200 dollars. The crate held 20 rifles with accessories, and you even got the sweet Soviet-era wood crate. Cheap rifles are one thing, but what about the ammo? Well, it was cheap too. Surplus spam cans of 7.62x54R could be had for about nine cents a shot. It was insane, and we didn’t know how good we had it.
They were everywhere, and the day I turned 18, I went to a gun store and forked over 79 dollars to obtain my own Mosin-Nagant. These full-powered rifles were heavy-duty and quite well-made. At least as far as durability is concerned. The bolts and actions were often stiff, the wood was ugly, and the finish didn’t look great.
They were never sniper rifles, and three to four MOA was standard. It had open sights with a fairly short sight radius. They thumped your shoulder with a solid blow every time you pulled the trigger. The ammo was corrosive, so Windex sales went up to keep bores clean. It was a fun rifle, and everyone who shot one enjoyed it at least a little bit.
The Mosin Effect
The longest-lasting effect of the Mosin-Nagant was getting younger guys and gals into MIL-SURP collecting. The Mosin was the first rifle of a lot of people, and a lot of those people got bit by the MIL-SURP bug. We can probably blame the Mosin-Nagant for the massive increase in surplus prices we see today.
Outside of mil-surp collecting, it got a lot of people into guns as a whole. If you’re on the fence about spending money on a gun, but you run into this sweet gun from Call of Duty for only 89 dollars, you’d bite, too. The Mosin-Nagant introduced a lot of people to firearms, and some stuck around, becoming 2nd Amendment advocates and voters.
The popularity of the Mosin gave birth to an aftermarket. A fairly large market that sold modern stocks, removable magazine conversions, and oddball scoping methods. A lot of this stuff was junk because who was going to spend a ton of money on a cheap rifle?
One of my favorite memories of the period was a marketing rep for ProMag’s Archangel line, arguing with Caleb Giddings on his Gun Nuts Media website about the Archangel stock. She went so hard that she ended up getting fired.
Preppers Enter the Scene
The Mosin-Nagant landed on American shores at a time when prepping was big. We had TV shows dedicated to Preppers, and it became a cultural movement in and of itself. The prepper movement saw the Mosin and gave a hearty “Yep!”
The rifle was seen as a cheap and durable option. They weren’t necessarily wrong. These rifles were sturdy and made to work in an era when rifles would commonly become big spears and be involved in hand-to-hand fighting. The rifle’s low price was one pro, but the ability to stack 7.62x54R on the cheap was seen as brilliant for an end-of-the-world scenario.
Plus, being able to buy a crate to ‘arm’ your neighbors on the cheap became a common talking point. Early guntube would often point this out and advocate for this practice.
The Decline of The Mosin Nagant
So what happened? Well, the stock dried up. Prices rose as they did. These days, seeing Mosins for 300 to 500 dollars breaks my heart. I’m stuck on this idea that Mosins should still cost less than 100 dollars! Russian imports of that surplus ammo also disappeared, and now you’re paying .308 prices for 7.62x54R. Sadly, the younger crowd won’t ever get the thrill of an 89-dollar Mosin, and the closest you’ll get is some Carcano with expensive ammo.
Keltec has been teasing a new release on social media for a while. They’ve shown a series of photos giving clues as to what it was. You saw 5.7x28mm rounds, a pistol-style magazine, and close-cropped images of a grip. The question was, was it a pistol, something like the CMR30, or a SUB-200? Well, they finally let the cat out of the bag, and it turns out it’s a variation of the SUB2000 GEN3 called, appropriately enough, the SUB2000 GEN3 5.7.
SUB2000 Gen3 5.7
With the new SUB2000 Gen3 5.7, you get all of the features you’re used to with the SUB-2000 series. It features the innovative fold-in-half design for compact storage. The Gen 3 added the twist feature that allows you to mount optics that turn out of the way as you fold the carbine. Overall length is just over 30 inches open and 16.15 inches folded. Barrel length is still 16 inches, which should be great for additional velocity with the 5.7 round. Weight unloaded is just 4.36 pounds.
The magazine capacity is 20 rounds, and it looks like it feeds from FN pattern magazines. Extended 30-round mags are also available. If you really have a lot of shooting to do, a 50-round drum will even be available. The MSRP is just $511, which is pretty reasonable for a 5.7x28mm carbine.
Take a look at KelTec’s press release and the full stats below.
Press Release
Cocoa, FL – KelTec is excited to announce the latest addition to its SUB2000 GEN3 series, offering a new twist on innovation. The original GEN3 introduced earlier this year wowed with its unique feature: the ability to twist the forend and fold the firearm in half—without needing to remove your optics. Now, the series gets even better.
Introducing the 5.7x28mm SUB2000 GEN3—the first in a new line of caliber options for this groundbreaking carbine.
“The addition of the 5.7 caliber brings lower recoil and improved accuracy to the SUB2000 GEN3,” says Managing Director Derek Kellgren. “This makes it a more family-friendly firearm compared to other calibers.”
With a 16-inch barrel, the SUB2000 extracts greater velocity and power, while still maintaining minimal recoil. The result? A highly accurate and reliable carbine.
As more manufacturers produce 5.7x28mm ammunition, costs are decreasing, making time at the range even more enjoyable.
“The 5.7 SUB2000 GEN3 is also an excellent choice for law enforcement, government, private security, school resource officers, and church protection teams,” adds Director of Business Development Parker Rosenberger. “Its ability to quickly fold and deploy, with zeroed optics ready to go, makes it perfect for situations where compact, reliable firepower is essential.”
KelTec is also incorporating the SUB2000 GEN3 into its new Peacekeepers™ Program, designed to equip safety and security professionals with cutting-edge firearms and unmatched support.
“KelTec’s commitment to innovation, quality, and performance means we never stand still,” concluded Marketing Manager Matt Stanek. “The evolution of the SUB2000 line is a testament to our dedication to continuous innovation.”
If you run into one Madsen gun, it’s a fun story; if you run into Madsen guns every day, you might be a Brazilian police officer or criminal. The Madsen machine gun, a weapon designed in 1902, is still in service. If you’ve ever cruised South American police footage on YouTube because it’s 3 AM and you’ve gone down a few odd rabbit holes, you have seen Brazilian forces doing favela ops wielding the historic weapon like a rifle.
When I was traveling down one such rabbit hole, I was amused to see the Madsen once, but then I kept seeing it. Different videos, different police officers, and different gunfights. It turned out the Madsen is quite common in Brazil and heavily used among police forces.
History of the Madsen Machine Gun
The Madsen is a pre-World War I machine gun designed by Danish engineers Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schouboe. The weapon gained its name from Colonel Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War, who recommended the weapon for Danish military service and helped design the self-loading rifle that predated the Madsen machine gun.
Inside the gun, we have a complicated mechanism that’s a bit of a combination of both short and long recoil designs. The bolt works on a short recoil principle that cams upward and away from the breech. The barrel and barrel extension continue to move rearward in a movement that exceeds the length of the cartridge, making it a long recoil system.
The Madsen gun feeds from a top-loaded magazine offset from the receiver to the left-hand side. Throughout history, the guns have been adopted by dozens of different military forces and chambered dozens of different cartridges. Brazil adopted the weapon in small numbers after World War I.
America supplied Madsen machine guns to Brazil for the Brazillian Expeditionary Force in World War II. These were .30-06 variants and saw combat with Brazil’s forces.
The Madsen in Brazil
The Brazilians clung to the Madsen Machine Guns, which remained in service with the military until 1996. In the 1950s, the Brazilian military converted their .30-06 and 7x57mm Mauser Madsens to .308. The police use of Madsen machine guns goes back to the 1930s.
Brazil Police Video
The military provided police forces with Madsen guns to fight the rise of the Cangaceiros. These Cangaceiros were violent bandits that constantly clashed with police forces. The police needed more and more firepower, and the Madsen evened things out.
In the modern era, the majority of Madsen machine guns used by police forces were donated by the army when they got rid of the guns. Some also came from criminals who had stolen them or smuggled them in from other countries. Both regular police forces and the Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais, aka the Special Police Operations Battalion, use them.
Why the Madsen?
The Madsen is an ancient weapon by all standards. The gun was designed and produced in 1902. For comparison, sliced bread was first sold in 1928. The Madsen is older than sliced bread, and with that age comes a novel and overly complicated design. If it breaks, it’s going to be tough to fix, but the guns seemingly don’t break.
Second, the Madsen machine gun weighs 20 pounds. That’s not bad for a military weapon in 1902, but it’s hefty for an urban police rifle in 2024. It’s also 45 inches long, so good luck clearing rooms with it. Why are Brazillian police forces still wielding the gun?
The first reason is that they have them on hand. Sometimes, you use what you have, not what you want. Second, the drug war in Brazil is a lot different than the drug war here. These cops are in full-on gunfights on city streets. It’s more Fallujah than Detroit. The weapon’s suppressive capabilities are appreciated and used as an automatic rifle to suppress the enemy.
The slow rate of fire and ease of control allows for superior accuracy compared to other automatic weapons. Some sources, translated from Portuguese, claim the weapon’s sound plays a factor in its deployment. A machine gun firing full-power rifle rounds degrades enemy morale.
One common factor I saw in these Brazillian police footage videos is failures with their varied M4 and FAL-type rifles. Guys were stripping their guns to get them fixed and back into the fight. The Madsen machine guns remained in the fight. They are more reliable than some of the overworked rifles.
From Denmark to Brazil
The Madsen machine gun lives on! Most of these videos don’t have dates, but one date I did see was 2018, which means even if the Madsen isn’t in service now, it was in use until at least 2018. That’s an insane lifespan. It’s not the best weapon for the role, but it’s clearly working when needed.
The Vehement Knives Foreman is an excellent option for those seeking a high-quality EDC fixed-blade knife. It’s made for real-world use. Letting it sit on a shelf collecting dust does a disservice to the blade, no matter how good-looking it is. It’s designed to handle chores from the forest to the office.
Quick story: What seems like a few lifetimes ago, I worked with a guy named Don. He was an old-timer at the factory and had been working there for probably 25 years by the time I met him. He was quiet and kind of kept to himself, but he was the most reliable person there. No matter what needed to be done, Don could and would handle it, without a single grumble or complaint. The job would be done efficiently and correctly every single time.
That, my friends, describes the Vehement Knives Foreman perfectly.
Vehement Knives Foreman Specs
From end to end, the knife measures 7.3 inches. The blade is 3.25 inches long. If we’re being realistic, that’s enough sharp edge to do just about any routine knife chore. They went with CPM 154 for the steel, which is a great choice for an EDC knife. This is a fairly slim knife, as far as fixed blades go. The handle is just shy of a half-inch thick. Not counting the very nice leather sheath made by Skin Bender Leather Works, the knife weighs a mere 3.4 ounces.
The Foreman arrives sharp enough to carve electrons from an atom. Its edge geometry is remarkable, while flat bevels provide strength for heavy-duty cutting.
The Foreman is available in a range of handle materials and colors. Mine is black G10 that’s been textured in what Vehement Knives is calling a frag pattern. It’s a crisscross pattern that provides excellent grip retention without being obnoxious about it.
Vehement Knives is calling this grip pattern “frag” and it’s not only grippy but comfortable.
Vehement Knives Foreman Performance
Okay, it looks nifty enough, but does it make the cut? I’ve had it in my EDC rotation for the last several months. I’ve found it to be quite handy when it comes to any number of common knife chores, from breaking down piles of boxes to just whittling branches by the fire.
It holds a great edge and is exceptionally comfortable in hand. It’s kind of short for a fixed-blade knife. I mean, I have folding knives with longer blades. But that’s part of the beauty of the Foreman. It isn’t flashy in the least. It just works. Period. Full stop.
I typically carry the Foreman in a cargo pocket of my pants. Personally, I’m not a fan of having things hanging on my belt if I can avoid it. But putting the Forman on your belt isn’t likely to bring a lot of unwanted attention, either. The sheath is only 8.5 inches long. The belt loop on the sheath will accept up to a 1.5-inch-wide belt. Again, though, I usually just slip it into a pants pocket.
The sheath isn’t just an afterthought. It’s very sturdy and well-made with high-quality leather.
It’s slim and trim, without any fluff. And honestly, that’s the Foreman in a nutshell. This is a working knife, pure and simple. It’s designed to be rough and tumble, not coddled. The Foreman is a great-looking knife, to be sure, but this isn’t a safe queen sort of blade.
The Vehement Knives Foreman runs about $300, depending on the exact configuration. That’s not a cheap knife. But, even with minimal maintenance, it’ll still be putting in the work decades from now.
Last week, Twitter was on fire with the fact that a Kansas Judge threw out a machine gun case because it went against the Second Amendment. Specifically, based U.S. District Judge John W. Broomes says in his ruling, “The court finds that the Second Amendment applies to the weapons charged because they are ‘bearable arms’ within the original meaning of the amendment.”
I wanted to fly to the keyboard to write an article on Friday, but I couldn’t find proof outside of screenshots posted on Twitter. The website that allows you to look up cases and rulings kept giving me errors. However, as the weekend wore on, numerous outlets confirmed the case, and I’m glad I waited because seeing the event’s media coverage has amused me greatly and might amuse you as well.
Machine Gun Law
Tamori Morgan is the defendant that the Judge ruled in favor of. I tried to find more information on the case, but all I could find was a 2021 article from the Wichita Eagle regarding a car chase in which a man named Tamori Morgan was involved. These two men are likely the same person, but it isn’t 100% clear.
It’s tough to find information on how Mr. Morgan was busted with two machine guns. However, we do know he had one machine gun and one machine gun conversion device. The district judge declared both bearable, and the case was dismissed. No appeal has been filed from the government, and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Wichita has not commented on the case.
Judge John W. Broomes also stated that the government “has the burden to show that the regulation is consistent with this nation’s historical firearm regulation tradition.” So Bruen has made a big impact. This appears to be the first time a machine gun ban has been found unconstitutional.
What’s impressive is that Mr. Morgan had a public defender who filed the motion to dismiss in November. The public defender David Freund wrote the machine gun ban “offends the history and tradition of the Second Amendment.”
The Machine Guns
News coverage about guns is always fun. It’s also often wrong. For example, according to Newsweek, and I’m quoting, “Tamori Morgan, who was previously accused of possessing a conversion device for his AM-15 .300-caliber machine gun known as a ‘Glock switch.'”
In reality, Morgan had a converted AR-15 pistol that likely used a lightning link or similar conversion device in his Anderson AM-15 .300 Blackout pistol. He was also charged with possessing a Glock Switch that converts Glocks to full auto. Machine gun parts are often considered machine guns.
What’s odd is that according to photos by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the AM-15 was a machine gun, but it still didn’t have a stock. I mean, if you’re going to make a machine gun, you might as well attach a stock to it. It’s also sight and optics-free, which also makes it hilarious to me.
The Glock conversion was confiscated alongside a Glock 33, which is a .357 SIG Glock. It seems like the Glock switch was separate from the Glock at the time of arrest.
The News Coverage
As mentioned, the news coverage of the case has a few errors in describing the weapons, but that’s common. One thing every news article seemed to mention was that the Judge was a Trump appointee. I don’t think I’ve ever read that more than when researching this case.
Everytown, the billionaire-funded anti-gun group, is in a tizzy. They had this to say:
“It’s appalling that the District Court would so brazenly put the deadly agenda of the gun lobby over the safety of Kansans. We are shocked and dismayed by this decision,” said Janet Carter, senior director of issues and appeals at Everytown Law. “Machine guns – guns capable of automatic firing – have been tightly regulated under federal law since the 1930s. The laws banning them are not only constitutional but crucial to public safety. These weapons of war, capable of causing irreparable harm to countless innocent people, have no place in our communities.”
Many have pointed out the rise of Glock switches in use by criminals, specifically in gang violence. They link to shooting where Glock switches were used and comment on how dangerous they are. Most take the stance that such devices are a clear and present danger and shouldn’t be legal. They completely ignore the fact that even though they are illegal criminals, they already have these switches regardless of the law.
Which comes with the argument, “Well, we shouldn’t have any laws then!” This ignores that owning a machine gun hurts no one. It’s a victimless crime to own an unregistered machine gun. We have laws against using guns illegally, and that makes sense, but having laws about possessing guns is silly. Victimless crimes shouldn’t create felonies with ten-year prison sentences.
Most folks probably associate Bushmaster Firearms with AR rifle platforms. But they used to make a heavy .50 Browning sniper rifle, the BA50. Well, Bushmaster just announced that the BA50 is back. It’s still 100% made in the USA and represents the pinnacle of precision and power in the Bushmaster line.
The Bushmaster BA50
The Bushmaster BA50 is a massive bolt action rifle chambered for the venerable .50 Browning BMG round. It feeds from a detachable 10-round box magazine. The .50 caliber rifle has a premium 29-inch heavy barrel fitted with a 3 port muzzle brake that would be right at home on a light artillery piece.
The BA50 has a 7076 Aluminum Alloy upper receiver with a full Picatinny rail and an aircraft-grade aluminum lower. Similarly, the left-side-mounted bolt is made from 9310 Steel. A cerakote finish is available in black or Flat Dark Earth colors.
Bushmaster’s BA50 is equipped with a Magpul PRS GEN3 Precision-Adjustable Stock and an ERGO Tactical Super Ambi Grip. It’s also fitted with a heavy-duty GG&G LCB-3 Heavy Duty Tactical Bipod. Overall length of the big .50 is 56.75 inches overall and the weight is 29.5 pounds without the magazine.
The BA50 is designed for both tactical and long-range recreational use. Bushmaster boasts that it has better than MOA accuracy, which is impressive considering that each round is starting off at half an inch across to begin with. The Bushmaster BA50 will be available for purchase starting August 29th, 2024. This impressive .50 caliber precision rifle carries an equally impressive MSRP of $6,878.95.
For more information on the BA50, check out Bushmaster.com.
Japan was an interesting place after World War II. After their surrender, the United States military occupied it, which is one of the few success stories we have from occupation. The Japanese military was disbanded. However, a Self-Defense force was allowed and formed. That self-defense force was initially armed with American WWII weapons but sought a domestically produced rifle option and turned to a company called Howa.
Howa would produce three distinct rifles for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, representing three distinct eras in rifle development. These rifles have never been exported and reside solely with the Japanese military. They are an interesting series of rifles that are a bit of a curiosity to the Western world, and today, we’ll attempt to shine a light on those rifles.
The Howa Type 64
In the early 1960s, the Japanese forces were looking to replace their M1 Garands with a more modern battle rifle. The rest of the world was moving toward the FAL and G3—the Howa Type 64 is the final product of a somewhat scrapped-together program. Reportedly, the Japanese wanted to chamber the weapon in 7.62 NATO but had none. According to a Japanese website roughly translated, the US Marine Corps provided ten rounds for the Japanese to reverse engineer.
(Wikipedia)
The resulting battle rifle used a short-stroke gas piston with a tilting bolt. It used modified M14 magazines and was selective fire. The rifle had an integrated bipod and shoulder rest for automatic fire purposes. The Japanese decided to use a reduced-power 7.62 NATO round because their troops found the full-power round difficult to control. The weapon could safely fire standard 7.62 NATO, but that accelerated wear and tear.
The Howa Type 64 designers made some interesting choices. The rifle featured a three-position selector that required the user to pull outward, rotate, and then release to swap firing modes. The gun featured a top-mounted charging handle and a wide-operated ejection port. The rifle is also reportedly difficult to disassemble and has several small parts. Rifles are often seen taped up to prevent pins from exiting their slot.
Japanese Self Defense Force
The rifle was reportedly an okay design, but it had serious weaknesses. As the future came fast, the Japanese were more than willing to replace the Type 64 with the Howa Type 89.
The Howa Type 89
As the name implies, the Type 89 was adopted in 1989. The Type 89 rifle series was the Japanese entry into the modern assault rifle world. This 5.56 caliber rifle utilized a short-stroke gas piston with a rotating bolt. The AR-18, a rifle Howa directly influenced the Type 89, was licensed to produce. The rifle uses STANAG magazines and standard 5.56 ammunition. Standard STANAG mags will not trip the last round bolt hold open.
The Type 89 trimmed two pounds compared to the Type 64, and the reduced ammo weight allowed the individual soldier to carry more of it. The rifle typically used fixed stocks, but folding steel stocks were produced for AFV crews and paratroopers. The Howa Type 89 has selector settings for safe, auto, 3-round burst, and semi-auto. A simple thumb movement can manipulate the selector.
(Japanese Self Defense Force)
Over the years, the rifles were modified to use ambidextrous safeties, red dots, foregrips, and more. The Type 89 proved to be a reliable and capable rifle for the Japanese Self-Defense Force, and Japanese soldiers did deploy to Iraq during the GWOT. The rifle had some odd ergonomics and an unforgiving magwell, and it lacked the modularity of weapons like the M4, which led to the Type 20.
Howa Type 20
The latest rifle adopted by the Japanese Self-Defense Force is the Howa Type 20. It was unveiled in 2020 and would replace the Type 89 full stop. The first soldiers to obtain the rifle were the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade. Much like the Type 89 the Howa Type 20 uses a short stroke gas piston design and fires the standard 5.56 round from a STANAG magazine.
With the Howa Type 20, Japan has obtained a very modern rifle. It’s complete with an M-LOK rial, a collapsing and folding stock, a monolithic optics rail, ambidextrous controls, and a heavy use of polymer. It’s one of the rifles that fall into the AR-18 modern derivatives, such as the SCAR, HK 433, and similar rifles. The barrel is trimmed to 13 inches, making it a very carbine-like weapon.
Japanese Self-Defense Force
Howa ditched the 3-round burst, and it uses a standard safe, semi, and automatic setting. Japan has also adopted a 5.56 cartridge known as the J-3 High-Power cartridge. It’s supposedly better at piercing armor and is made from steel and red brass with an increased powder charge. I’m curious to know more, but there isn’t a ton of information on the cartridge.
Howa’s Rifles
Howa certainly had a bit of a rough start with the Type 64. However, they quickly learned, adapted, and produced two purportedly very respectable rifles. Due to Japanese export laws, we’ll never see a Howa Type 89 or Type 20, which is sad because a semi-auto version would be an interesting collectible. So until we get a Japanese version of Tommy Built I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Side saddles and tactical shotguns go together like peanut butter in chocolate isolated in a small cup wrapped in paper. The world of shotgun side saddles has evolved, and the modern side saddle is an elastic, soft goods type with some form of hook and loop to secure it to your gun. We are over swapping bolts and attaching plastic to our shotguns. We want elastic loops and soft goods. The Ibex Applications Lead Sled is a modern soft goods side saddle from a fairly new company.
The Lead Sled competes with established shotgun cards like the classic Esstac or highly vaulted Vang Comp shotgun cards. It’s a big market with lots of room for new options. The Lead Sled faces a lot of competition, so is it up to the task? Ibex Applications is a small, veteran-run company out of Georgia that makes just a few things. They make a great chest rig for the Flux Raider, so I purchased one.
The Lead Sled – A Flexible Approach
Since I was already getting the chest rig, I figured, heck, let’s grab a Lead Sled to see if it can stand up to the modern competition. At 20 bucks, I figured it was worth the get. Plus, it comes in tons of colors and finishes, including Multicam. You can pick between four or six-round cards, and I went with the smaller four-round option.
These soft, good shotgun side saddles have some inherent flex to them. That’s part and parcel of using soft goods. Flex is often seen as a downside. The Vang Comp cards are famously super stiff and rigid. When mounted to a shotgun, they don’t flex inward much, making it easier to draw the rounds.
The Ibex Applications Lead Sled has lots and lots of flex. The side saddle flexes more than most. It’s downright floppy. The thing is, it doesn’t flex inward, at least not much enough to matter. Because of its somewhat loose nature, the card sits flat when loaded. The weight of the shells and the strength of the hook and loop seem to keep it flat—flatter than the Esstac card I normally use.
Its flexible nature also gives you a few advantages when storing it off the gun. One of the big benefits of these shotgun cards is the ability to reload your side saddle as if it were a magazine. You can carry spare shotgun cards in AR mag pouches, on a belt, etc.
The flex of the Lead Sled makes it easy to fold this four-shotter up and fit it into a grenade pouch to save room. It bends easily, so you can attach it to a belt with hook and loop attachments, and it can mold to your natural curves.
Reloading From The Sled
The Lead Sled uses flex to its advantage, but how does it do the whole loading thing? First off, retention is great. The elastic loops are rigid and tight. They grip the shell well, and it won’t move much. As usual, I wouldn’t run the shells upside down, but that’s my policy with all side saddles outside of the Aridus QD-C.
The Lead Sled works quite well as a side saddle. Freeing rounds and getting them into the gun isn’t a problem. The Lead Sled would also work well on a belt or chest rig as a spare ammo carrier. The device also has a loop like the Esstac designs. Unlike the Esstac, the loop is absolutely massive.
The size of the loop makes it easy to grip and rip from a pouch or off a gun. The loop also allows for loop loading. Loop loading is where you hold the saddle by the loop with your firing hand while your off-hand loads the gun. If done properly, the user can maintain a firing grip while loading the gun. Credit to Jeff Gurwitch for introducing the world to this technique.
More Than a Side Saddle
The reason devices like the Lead Sled work so well is because they are so versatile. The Lead Sled might be a new kid on the block but they are taking some chances and embracing a little bit of flex. It turns out some flex can work. If you need a side saddle, the Ibex Applications Lead Sled offers you something effective and capable at a fairly low price point.
For most folks “concealment” means little more than a piece of clothing that blocks their concealed carry piece from view. The truth is it goes much deeper than that. By properly managing expectations you can learn to conceal your firearm better.
Varg Freeborn talks quite a bit about how criminals learn from an early age how to conceal tools, capabilities, and intent, both from authority figures and potential adversaries.
So, what does that mean for gun carriers?
There are various levels of concealment. Aside from just keeping tools out of sight, it would behoove us to understand how to make things look like something they’re not.
We can do this in a couple of different ways:
1) We can make ourselves look less like the stereotypical “gun carrier” caricature. That can be as simple as eschewing “tactical” brands, and as in-depth as intentionally dressing in a style that’s not typically associated with concealed carry (this is generally more refined attire like waistcoats and sports jackets)
2) We can disguise our gear and use misdirection to make people think that it’s something it isn’t. NOTE: I DO NOT advocate or condone the “oh, that’s just a [insert sensitive medical device here].” It’s a thoughtless, lazy excuse that’s rife with problems.
What I mean is using something like the Raven Pocket Shield to break out the outline of the gear carried in your pockets or using a vibrant key fob on your pocket knife or pepper spray instead of that 550-cord lanyard. That’s a lot easier to explain away.
The American Central Intelligence Agency isn’t an elite group of warriors or a bunch of American James Bonds running around. They are primarily analysts with a wide swath of specialties. These specialties include accounting, law, economics, and even meteorology. However, nestled within the CIA sits the Special Activities Center, which is responsible for covert and paramilitary operations. Alongside the SAC, we have the Global Response Staff, trained to protect analysts, case officers, and more.
Those men carry guns. With that in mind, what guns do they carry? What weapons have they historically carried? It’s not always easy to know. The CIA doesn’t have an equipment page on its public-facing website. I’ve pieced together a hodge-podge list of weapons that CIA gunslingers have historically carried throughout their operations. I had to use books, memories, and news reports to figure out the chosen weapons of the CIA.
The OSS and the Colt M1903/08
The CIA’s predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services, operated worldwide during World War II. OSS operatives varied widely, and the organization commonly worked with military forces. It was responsible for deploying Marines to Europe, establishing the Jedburghs, and gathering intelligence through every avenue possible.
(Rock Island Auction)
The OSS purchased 20,000 Colt 1903/08 pistols. The 03s were .32 ACP guns, and the 08s were .380s. These were slim, compact, and concealable pistols. These guns were called hammerless but featured an internal hammer. They were straight blowback-operated weapons and had fairly light recoil. They were simple guns but very reliable for the era. Unlike the M1911, they also chambered calibers that were common worldwide.
Korea and the Thompson and M1911
CIA Operations in Korea were a bit of a mess. The Intelligence apparatus wanted to recruit native Koreans as guerilla fighters and parachute them behind Chinese lines to create chaos. It wasn’t superbly successful, but the CIA’s lesser-known Raid forces were much more successful. The Journal of Army Special Operations History, Veritas Volume 9, No. 1 details these CIA-established Raid Forces.
These teams were combined Navy/Marine forces that were controlled by the CIA and conducted numerous special operations along the coast. One team led by LTJG George Atcheson was tasked with blowing up a railroad bridge in North Korea. He led a team of Thompson armed raiders while carrying an M1911 himself. They eliminated an enemy patrol, planted demolitions, destroyed the bridge, and even derailed and damaged a demolition train.
Vietnam and the Swedish K
In Vietnam, the CIA deployed its own trigger pullers to work with special operations forces throughout the military. This included SEALs, MACVSOG, and working with indigenous forces. One of the CIA’s weapons of choice during Vietnam was the Carl Gustav M/45 submachine gun. Its nickname, the Swedish K, came from the word kulsprutepistol, which was likely a mouthful for an American.
The Swedish K was an open-bolt, direct blowback-operated submachine gun that fired the 9mm cartridge. The weapon is straightforward but effective, reliable, and lightweight. Additionally, the gun’s 9mm cartridge made it easy to control, and it could be easily fitted with a suppressor when needed. There could be an argument of deniability since it was a Swedish gun in 9mm instead of an American weapon.
The AK
The AK series rifles are some of the most widespread weapons in the world. They commonly appear in places where American forces operate. It’s not a big surprise to see the CIA using the weapon. The use of the AK allows the operators to blend in, use weapons and ammo common in the area, and still have a reliable and rugged weapon.
It’s likely the CIA has been using AKs as long as Russia and China have been supplying them to foreign nations. In the book First In, CIA Paramilitary Officer Gary Schroen detailed that his seven-man CIA team carried sterilized AKMs in Afghanistan during the early days of the war.
The Browning Hi-Power
In Gary Schroen’s book First In, he details the sidearm of choice for his CIA team, the Browning Hi-Power. These were also sterilized, with serial numbers removed and markings scrubbed. The Hi-Power is another gun that’s spread so worldwide that it couldn’t be directly tied to the United States or even another allied force.
The Hi-Power still offered 13 rounds of 9mm in a double-stack magazine. While the gun did lag behind modern service handguns and lagged in 2001, it was still an effective weapon for combat use. It’s well-proven, reliable, accurate, and capable. The gun has been adopted and reproduced throughout Europe, Asia, and even the Middle East.
The AR Type Carbine
The modern CIA Paramilitary Officer and GRS forces most commonly use an AR-type rifle. I use AR-type so I don’t trigger the AR nerds. They use a wide swath of Stoner-designed guns. This could be the typical M4, but it might also be an Mk 18 or maybe some form of AR that our military has never used.
(Reddit)
They’ve been using these guns as long as the United States has. The CIA’s official Twitter account will locationally tweet photos of CIA operatives with their faces obscured but their weapons clearly visible. In Operation Jawbreaker, the CIA brought boxes of cash to Afghanland, and in a famed photo, a CIA operator carries an M4 with an M203, a Trijicon reflex sight, and a classic Surefire M500 light.
If you ever specifically go searching for CIA Paramilitary operatives or GRS staff, you’ll also see tons of AR-type rifles in every configuration imaginable.
The M249 SAW
In the same photo that details the operative with the M4 during Operation Jawbreaker, we see a second CIA operative armed with an M249 SAW. The M249 SAW is America’s favorite light machine gun and utilizes the 5.56 caliber cartridge. It’s belt-fed, open-bolt, air-cooled, and fairly lightweight.
(CIA)
If you’re on a small team in Indian country, grenade launchers and light machine guns are the ticket. They allow for overwhelming firepower and are force multipliers in an ambush or firefight. A light machine gun is a must-have if you need to establish a fighting retreat. Unlike heavier guns, the SAW isn’t a crew-served gun and can be efficiently used by one operator.
The Secretive CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency isn’t open about its equipment choices, so we have to depend on first-hand accounts, the occasional photo, and historical records to establish some idea of the weapons the CIA used throughout its tenure in bad places with bad people. Hopefully, we’ve shown a little light on what’s historically a little-known subject.
Title photo: Jason Foley, owner and guide of Straight Flush Outfitters retrieving a downed crane. Continued from Chapter 1
Sandhill Cranes
The alarm clock blared—it was 3:45 AM, and its percussive annoyance announced the beginning of the morning of my first-ever hunt. I hadn’t slept much. Perhaps it was only four hours of sleep. And that sounded generous, so maybe less. Whatever amount of time I actually slept, it didn’t matter because I was easy to rise.
My sleep had been light enough that there wasn’t any slumber to dissuade me from awakening. In fairness, it’s hard to get enough sleep when friends you don’t see often come by the previous evening for a beer and a chat. It’s also hard to sleep when giddy with anticipation, having waited over 365 calendar days for that particular morning and all.
I even had my fancy Black Friday discounted Sitka pants and the rest of my outfit set aside and ready to wear, like a kid getting ready for their first day of school back in the day—after a real summer vacation that actually lasted the entire summer.
Time to Get Ready
The morning was still pitch black, and the air felt colder than the 25-degrees Fahrenheit the Jeep’s digital thermometer claimed. We waited for the rest of the group to congregate outside of a local gas station. In the meantime, breakfast was a single can of sugar-free Monster out of the gas station’s refrigerator.
Drinking the frigid can and its elixir outside of this gas station in the chilly early December Texas panhandle morning air felt like a juxtaposition. However, on an appointment like the one we had that morning with the Sandhill Cranes, this clear liquid was as important to success as the #2 12 gauge shells we brought.
Setting up decoys under the cover of darkness. The mound in the background is the blind itself and the distant town lights can be seen in the horizon.
The Set Up
We parked at the edge of a barren wheat field a few miles outside of town. It was time to get to work, setting up an entire flock of crane decoys under the cover of darkness. The rest of the men and I in the hunting party temporarily turned into a work party. Some are offloading crane decoys from a trailer, while myself and others are staking them into the uncanny red Texas dirt found in the panhandle region.
It takes a fair bit of work to prepare a hunting field with decoys, and this was a “sizeable” flock we set up, too. Once the birds were staked it was time for the blind, something I had never seen or sat in before in my life. These blinds are amalgamations of what look like corral fences linked together and covered with natural reeds and grasses thatched to the frames.
The reeds and grasses tower a few feet over the skeleton of the structure with the idea that a hunter sits on a low stool and leaps into action with a shotgun in hand when the birds fly overhead. The low stools inside the blind aren’t designed for comfort, but they sure beat the cold ground. Their seats are reminiscent of hard church pews.
A good hour and a half passes since setting up the hunting stage and the men start settling into the blind, passing along gear, shotguns, coffee mugs and energy drink cans to their respective owners.
The Long Wait
It’s about 6:45 am, with the hunting party patiently waiting for legal shooting hours…
It’s 6:55 am; getting close.
Our guide Jason, the owner of Straight Flush Outfitters, starts making bird calls and doing anything he can to get the flying flocks’ attention and to come within distance of our shotguns.
The seconds are slipping away, getting us closer to legal shooting hours. By this point, the morning sun is shining, and the darkness has receded over the horizon. And by now, everyone in the hunting party has uncased their shotguns and loaded them with shells, leaving them leaning against the frame of the blind and waiting.
I forgot to bring gloves and had also been outside in a very cold dawn field for nearly two hours setting up decoys and preparing. I can’t feel my hands, and I try my best to resuscitate them in my coat pockets. The guide, Jason, is our orchestra conductor and his crane calls are his wand. However, the members of the band are holding Berettas instead of violas. Our small Saturday morning concert is a 100% percussion instrument affair.
As the conductor, the idea was that if Jason managed to attract an overhead flock into the hunting zone, he’d say “Go,” and it would be time to leap out of the church-pew stool, shotgun in hand, to draw a bead on the first bird you see.
A flock of Sandhill Cranes flying in the blue sky above the blind.
It’s Go Time
That moment finally arrived.
Go!
Click.
In all of the excitement, I’d forgotten to take the Beretta’s safety off. I missed my chance. No one hits any birds anyway, and my temporary embarrassment dissipates. It’s time to sit down again and top off shotguns. Several minutes pass by until any action happens, and I’m sitting there just fidgeting with anticipation.
Shooting aerial targets with shotguns is one of the most pleasurable activities known to man, and it turns into a neurological feedback loop when it’s a bird whose meat is also delicious and desirable. In other words, it’s its own type of rush. A high. I didn’t know this until a few weeks later, when I was watching a hardcore waterfowl hunting video on a marsh in Louisiana, and something came over me.
Go!
Bang, Bang Ba-Bang, Bang, Bang. Hues of hulls, blue, green, red, and orange, begin littering the wheat field. One bird is down. One rather unlucky bird, in fact. This lone moronic crane managed to fly within 20 yards of our blind. I remember drawing a bead on it and calling my shot. So did the hunters to my left and my right. In fact, this specific crane had its own scientific name: Grus canadensis imprudens. It bought the farm almost immediately because at least six different shotgun blasts connected with it.
(Later that day, I remember helping to clean the breast of this same crane’s carcass and pluck its down feathers off. I knew it was the crane that got too close because its breast had a potpourri of pellets—think of a specific 1987 white Chevrolet Celebrity sedan involved in a certain high-profile bank robbery in southern California in the late 1990s.)
Uncooperative Weather
A few more flocks flew by, and a few more volleys were fired, but unfortunately, it was a slow morning. Though chilly, that Saturday was relatively warm, and when the temperature is cozy, the cranes stay in their roosts and aren’t as motivated to come feed from fields.
Texas weather, am I right?
Sandhill Crane breasts on the grill that afternoon.
It’s the middle of August, and every morning, I wake up and groan. It’s almost 90 degrees before the sun is fully up. Humidity is high, and by lunchtime, I’m losing buckets of sweat. I’ve downsized my concealed carry profile a bit to increase comfort. However, I didn’t want to decrease my ability to defend myself. With that in mind, I have a number of pocket pistols suited for this task, and I wanted to share my top five favorite summer carry guns.
The Top 5 Summer Carry Guns
Lots of these guns can be pocket-carried, but you’re not stuck with pocket-carry. Regardless of how you carry the smaller profile of these guns, they are easy to carry in lighter clothes and are easier to carry without breaking concealment. Smaller guns have smaller holsters, and smaller holsters enhance concealment and comfort in the summer heat. Let’s look at my five favorite summer carry guns without any more jawing.
Beretta 30X
The new Beretta 30X fixed almost every complaint I have with the original Tomcat. We get easy-to-see sights, a much-improved trigger, double the durability, and it even comes with two mags instead of one. The Beretta 30X might be a deep concealment gun, but you’ll want to show it off. It’s a sweet-looking pistol. We have the standard all-black, the two-tone, and a stainless model. Two of the guns have nice wood grips, and the other keeps it simple with black plastic.
The 30X fires the .32 ACP round and holds eight in the magazine, plus an additional round in the chamber. The gun’s tip-up barrel system makes it easy to load a round directly in the chamber. The sights make these guns easy to shoot accurately but be prepared for an odd POI/POA if you get the suppressor height sight model.
The downsides include the magazine being wider and longer than necessary, the fatwood grips not helping concealment, and the 8-round magazine extending past the pistol grip. This creates a bigger-than-necessary gun for summer carry.
Bodyguard 2.0
I hate pocket 380s, and I hated the original Bodyguard. I was shocked when I handled the new Bodyguard 2.0. S&W created a remarkable pocket .380 that doesn’t suck. They did this by making the gun slightly longer. This reduces recoil through the short recoil system, which decreases recoil. The slightly longer grip also improves control by a larger margin.
The magazine goes in the micro compact direction and gives us 10 or 12 rounds of .380 ACP. S&W ensured the weapon would remain remarkably small and thin but still pack a punch. It’s truly impressive that they could create something so perfectly pocket-sized that it holds ten rounds of ammo. The little things are done just right, with great sights, good ergonomics, and a fairly accurate pistol.
The biggest complaint I have is the pain the slide causes. I mean literal pain as it bites into my meaty mitts. Slide bite is a big issue, and after a few mags, I’m done shooting the Bodyguard 2.0. Still, for a defensive encounter, I don’t care about slide bite as much as I care about capacity, and for summer carry, you can’t get more rounds in your pocket than the Bodyguard 2.0.
S&W 432 UC
The S&W 432 UC is the first iron-sighted revolver I’ve ever felt confident about. Mostly because it actually has iron sights. It is not just a front sight and trench but a real dove-tailed rear sight to match the big XS front sight. This makes aiming and shooting a breeze. The gun’s trigger and excellent grips also play a huge role in allowing me to ring steel at 25 yards with ease.
The 432 chambers the much underrated .32 H&R Magnum. The .32 H&R Magnum hits hard and has great penetration and expansion with JHPs. The cartridge has very mild recoil, and the slightly smaller diameter allows you to carry one extra round in the cylinder. At 16 ounces, the gun doesn’t weigh you down, and it’s well-suited for pocket carry.
The downsides are twofold, and both are related to price and availability. These are Lipsey’s exclusives and cost about 750 dollars. They are tough to find and a little expensive, and so is the .32 H&R Magnum round.
LCP 2 (in 22LR)
The LCP 2 in .380 ACP is a recoil wreck to your hand. However, if you take that same platform and make it a direct blowback .22LR, it’s an impressive and capable gun. Capacity goes up to ten rounds, and the gun is super easy to shoot. Recoil? Yeah, there is hardly any. This is my wife’s favorite summer carry gun and one she can tote while wearing anything.
The .22LR round requires you to be ammo-picky, and you should pick a round like the Federal Punch or the CCI Velocitors. These heavy hitters will penetrate really well and get deep enough to matter. A set of proper sights across the top makes the gun easy to shoot, but I’d top them off with a little fingernail polish to brighten things up.
The LCP 2 is an affordable little gun, but for some reason, it actually costs more than the .380 version. Probably because the demand for the .22LR version is higher. The main downside is the rimfire caliber, which is not as reliable as centerfire ammo. If you carry this gun, test your carry ammo extensively.
KelTec P32
My pet P32 doesn’t get the love it deserves. It’s been in production since 1999 and might be the lightest, thinnest centerfire gun on the market. At 6.6 ounces, it can disappear on your person. It’s the lightest gun on this list by far. The little gun holds seven rounds of .32 ACP and uses a short recoil system.
This results in hardly any recoil. It’s a really pleasant shooting gun that’s also quite reliable. You’ll need to stick with FMJs, but if you do that, you’ll have a gun with capable penetration. The little P32 has a DAO trigger, but it’s surprisingly smooth, especially for a KelTec.
These can be tough to get, and the sights suck. It’s less like proper sights and more like the general suggestion of sights. The P32 can be a great carry gun, but be realistic with your accuracy and speed expectations.
Summer Carry Perfection
Summer sucks. Well, for me, it does. I despise the heat. Luckily, I can still pack some heat in my thinner, lighter clothes without resorting to the fanny pack. These guns allow me to leave armed and still be comfortable.
In my estimation, job loss is one of the most common personal crises one will likely face during their lifetime. The days of securing a job right out of school and staying there until retirement are long gone. Job loss differs from the other sorts of emergencies we typically prep for in that this doesn’t impact a neighborhood, town, or region. Its effects are felt just within the household, though it’s no less devastating to those involved. Make no mistake, when the family’s primary breadwinner ends up on the unemployment line, it can truly feel like the end of the world.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help mitigate this type of crisis.
Finances
For starters, do everything you can to stay on top of your finances. While it’s difficult in this day and age to avoid it entirely, work on reducing debt and strive to avoid accruing more of it. As best you can, build up a savings account for emergency use. Various and sundry experts recommend a minimum of three months’ worth of expenses, though more is better.
In the event of job loss, these funds will help bridge the gap until a new paycheck arrives. One way to do this is to develop one or more side hustles. This will hopefully bring in a few extra bucks each month. Plus, if you end up unemployed for a bit, it can help keep you afloat.
Education
Never stop improving your skill sets. There is absolutely no downside to seeking more education, more training, and more certifications. Even if they aren’t all directly related to your current job, you never know what the future may hold. You just might find that your current employer is willing to promote you when they see what you have to offer.
There are many free online education resources, including Coursera and edX. More and more employers are seeing the value of these sorts of educational outlets.
Networking
For some, this comes easy, and for others, not so much. But it’s important to develop a network you can fall back on in the event of job loss. Stay in touch with former coworkers, at least the ones you’ve been on friendly terms with, when they move on to other employers. Reach out to them if needed to see about potential job openings.
Health
Stay on top of health issues while you have insurance to pay for it. This includes vision and dental. If your employment is terminated, you may be able to extend your insurance overage through COBRA, but doing so is very expensive. If you see the proverbial writing on the wall and suspect that you might find a pink slip in your locker soon, you might want to try stocking up on any prescription medications you take if your insurance plan allows.
Build Up the Pantry
It should come as no surprise that having a deep pantry is useful for more than just natural disasters and civil unrest. The less money you need to spend on food and other necessities when you don’t have a paycheck coming in, the better, right? That said, if you are facing job loss, don’t be afraid to visit food banks and similar resources in your area. They exist for just this situation. If it makes you feel better about it, make a point of donating to them when times are good in your life.
Steps to Take
If you do end up suffering a job loss, here are a few things you should do.
Apply for unemployment compensation if you’re eligible for it. While the checks are just a fraction of what you were making, it’s better than nothing and can at least help keep the lights on and gas in the car.
Cut out as many expenses as possible. Everyone in the family needs to tighten their belts. Avoid getting takeout and instead work through your pantry. Batch errands to save on gas. Suspend or outright cancel things like gym memberships. Stick to just the absolute necessities. There’s nothing wrong with a little splurge here and there to have some fun, but be sensible about it.
Breathe. It’s going to be okay. Job loss can be very demoralizing and a huge blow to the ego. The thing is that just about everyone goes through it, often multiple times over the course of a career. It’s okay to take a beat, sit back, and just breathe for a bit. But remember, this is precisely why we prep, so we can face challenges head-on and prevail.
Marketing in the gun world can be interesting. Some of it can be just normal. “Here is our gun and why it’s good.” Others can be cringy, and some can be crazy. CoughEAArevolverlegladycough. A lot of companies will invoke militaria names, especially if they are making retro-style firearms. For example, Inland Manufacturing makes something called the M1 Advisor. It’s an M1 carbine cut to pistol size without a stock.
It’s not the first M1 carbine pistol. Guns like the Enforcer were made in the 1970s. The M1 Advisor is an interesting name. Advisor to what? Or to whom? Why is it called that? Is there a history of Advisors carrying sawn-off M1 Carbines?
As the curious type, I had to figure that out for myself. I dived deep into the world of sawn-off M1. The Advisor phrasing and the idea of shorty M1 Carbines came out of the Vietnam War. Vietnam might have been the war where the M14 and M16 had a rough start, but WWII wasn’t that far away from Vietnam, and plenty of WWII-era weapons landed in Vietnam.
The Advisor Carbine In Vietnam
Before the United States fully dedicated itself to the Vietnam War, it sent Advisors to help train the South Vietnamese military forces. The South Vietnamese also received tons and tons of World War II surplus weapons. This included piles of M1 and M2 carbines. The M1 Carbine turned out to be perfectly suited for the Vietnamese troops.
US ARMY
Vietnamese soldiers tended to be smaller than Americans, and the short and light M1 Carbine fit them well. It’s also a shorter-than-average weapon for jungle warfare. By the time the war ended, the ARVN troops received a million and a half M1 Carbines. The first advisors detached from Vietnam in the era of the M14, but they tended to carry the M1 Carbine.
As advisors, they typically didn’t lead the charge but were in enough danger to warrant a weapon. The M1 Carbine and M2 Carbine were great for a multitude of reasons. For one, logistically, it made sense to carry the same weapon as your allies. Two, it likely helped team building to have an American carrying the same gun the ARVN carried.
US Army
There is evidence that some of these Advisors trimmed their guns down. Specifically, Leroy Thompson states in The M1 Carbine that some advisors did trim their barrels down to just in front of the handguard to make them more handy. This was more common with Americans attached to ARVN Ranger units. It didn’t seem to be standard practice, but it did occur.
The Other Sawn-Off M1 Carbines
The M14 and M16 ruled the Vietnam War as far as American rifles go, but plenty of American forces still carried the M1, M2, and even the M3 Carbine. The M3, in particular, was useful for its night vision optic and was employed in static defensive positions. Navy and Air Force personnel used the M2 and M1 Carbines during the war.
Both Navy and Air Force personnel are less likely to be involved in direct ground fighting, and getting new weapons, like the M16, in their hands can be difficult. (Even though the Air Force kicked off the M16 adoption.) The M1 Carbine bounced around a lot with rear echelon troops and with troops like pilots who fought but not on the ground.
These troops also carried the sawn-off Advisor-style M1 Carbines. The M1 Carbine book states that pilots carried M1 Carbines. They were typically issued handguns and wanted more firepower. These pilot-ready M1 and M2 Carbines were cut down to better fit in helicopters. I found photos of sailors on patrol boats, mostly M16s, but also packing an M1 Carbine cut down to pistol length.
(Centaurs in Vietnam)
On the opposite spectrum of rear echelon troops was MACV-SOG. MACV-SOG carried a wide variety of guns depending on what the mission required, and according to MACV-SOG member Frank Greco, they had at least one sawn-off M1 Carbine in their armory.
US Army
The Viet Cong and NVA were also fans of the M1 and M2 carbine rifles. They often trimmed them down to various sizes, including pistol-sized guns. These became popular insurgency weapons.
The Advisor M1 Carbine
Yes, it existed, but not just with advisors. The gun was popular for cutting down and must have been reliable. Reliable, but I doubt they recrowned the barrels, so accuracy was likely a mess. It’s certainly a fascinating modification to a weapon at its prime in a war it was never designed to fight.
