Have you ever felt as if you don’t have two brain cells left to rub together anymore? That’s been me the past few weeks. Too much life and too many projects – getting a kid moved to grad school, trying to learn to knit, taking a spinning class (the wool, not the bike – I’m not THAT insane), learning to dehydrate foods for long term storage, working a full-time job … and working on my shotgun rehab project.
The shotgun project is making me lose the most brain cells. Although there’s not much in the way of rust, this gun is incredibly dirty. I’ve been soaking and scrubbing with various solvents and oils off and on for the past few weeks as I get time and motivation. But wow, I’m starting to think that I need to install an industrial fume hood at my house. I’m getting worried about preserving those last two brain cells. I don’t think seeing visions in my own basement is in the manual of arms for this gun. I finally moved some of the operation upstairs into the living room in front of the TV, because at least there are windows upstairs.
After I broke up the worst of the crud with Kroil, I’ve now moved on to Hoppes #9 for the detail work. That smell is bringing me back to my childhood, with my father cleaning his FIAS in front of the TV after a day chasing woodcock and grouse. The Hoppes receptors in my brain are apparently still functional after all these years. THAT was a surprise.
But it isn’t just the solvents that are getting to me. Some of it is the bargain-hunting process that is endangering my cognitive function. I got a fantastic deal on Amazon for a Magpul SGA replacement stock. It was listed as “used, in damaged original package”, and it was $23 cheaper than new. That was my score-of-the-month. It arrived in perfect condition and I am just tickled.
My deal for the month
But when I went to use another supplier for the Magpul forend, I started getting brain damage from pounding my head on the desk. The supplier (not Magpul) kept sending me emails about the stuff in my cart. (I left it in the cart while I shopped around the web for a few days) Here was this discount code and that discount code and yet another discount code – but when I broke down and tried to actually make the purchase, then those codes were no longer valid. ARGH. Talk about bait and switch. It made my brain hurt. I did finally make the purchase though, because I figured that the $23 I saved with the stock almost paid for the forend anyway. See the kind of higher math I rationalize purchases with? Only two brain cells remember? Plus the closed head injury from the desk. (There’s no photo of that deal because it hasn’t arrived yet)
I did have passing thoughts of keeping the original stock and forend and just spray painting them or something, but I finally decided that it was more work and mess than I wanted to get into. Besides, the Magpul stock has an adjustable LOP, and the forend has M-LOK so I can attach a light if I want. This is supposed to be a defensive/tactical shotgun after all. And using spray paint would have just exposed those last two brain cells to even more solvents and propellants.
Once I’m finished with the re-build project then I plan to further stress my brain by taking a defensive shotgun course.
Although I have not yet reached retirement age, I am finding that it takes a lot more effort than it used to to get up out of those kneeling and prone positions. Not to mention that I tore an ACL in med school and never got it fixed. (Sometimes you just can’t fix stupid.) The “seasoned” shotgun course doesn’t require those more challenging positions, so that sounds like it might be more up my alley.
I need to get my new/old shotgun into working order first, before I pull the trigger on a class though, and I also ought to practice up a few reload skills. I haven’t tried to do fast reloads since I stopped doing 3-Gun a few years ago.
So, I think I’ve got the prerequisite skills needed to take a defensive shotgun class – now I’m just hoping there isn’t a brain cell count requirement.
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.
Sig has delved into the ammunition game hard. With practice, defensive, match, and hunting loads coming out in a wider and wider variety of calibers it is abundantly clear that Sig wants to be a heavyweight contender in ammo too.
Several of our authors hunt a variety of game. However our focus is largely on multi-role/multi-purpose arms and equipment. The Sig ECH ammunition looked like it could fill that role.
With that let’s delve into this particular .308 load from Sig.
.308 Win 150gr Elite Copper Hunting
Sig’s entire HT line feature a solid copper expanding projectile designed to retain mass on impact. Sig advertises a 1.8x average expansion meaning this hotly loaded .30 cal has a wounding diameter of .55 once the bullet does its thing through tissue.
The listed muzzle velocity is 2,900 feet per second, putting it at about a 3-4% edge in velocity over the 147gr M80. Federal M80 is the round I am using for a baseline. Weights are similar and it is one of the most common commercial loads that the .308 users of the world are running.
I had the BG SIPR-H out of its bag running some match ammo and function testing so it was a convenient time to run the Sig load too. First thing’s first, fire a 10 round test group with M80 ball.
M80 ball is 3 MOA machine gun ammo. Out of the BG with the thick reticled VCOG it was as accurate as expected.
Next up was the Sig HT.
The solid copper round is lead free and able to be used in states that have banned the older lead core bullets either for hunting, or outright. The nickel cases provide a better environmental seal to resist moisture incursion and preserve the ammo’s effectiveness as it is carried.
And, most relevantly, they are loaded to a higher accuracy standard.
Accounting for shooting errors made on my part the group shrank by 50-66%, making the Sig and BG rifle combination capable of 1-1.25 MOA. The accuracy and consistency, even out of a suboptimal optic for precise shot placement, is highly impressive. The VCOG has a 2 MOA center dot, great on a red dot sight, not as great on a front focal plane LPVO. But it gets the job done.
Here’s the takeaway from the testing the Sig .308 HT
The ammunition performed reliably, no failures.
The accuracy was dramatically superior to M80 ball without drastically shifting point of impact from the M80 zero allowing the two rounds to be used jointly.
The bullet design lends itself to hunting and defensive applications with a solid copper expanding projectile. The casing adds to the environmental resistance of the ammunition lending towards its resilience being carried or stored in less than ideal moisture and temperature.
The I’ll let you know how it does once whitetail season rolls around but the performance thus far has put it in the .308 go magazines setup for my SCAR17.
“You don’t need more than 10 rounds for any legitimate purpose!”
“These are weapons of war and no one uses them to protect themselves.”
Yet there’s a Marion County, Florida man who did need his AR-15 and he is alive right now because he had it.
SUMMERFIELD, Fla. – Two intruders, one of whom was wearing a horror movie mask, were killed Wednesday night in an apparent shootout during a Marion County home invasion, deputies said. – Click on Orlando (Story updates at the link)
The home invasion happened around 8:20 p.m. at a home in the 14900 block of Southeast 32nd Court Road in Summerfield.
Deputies said that when investigators arrived to the scene, they found one of the intruders, 21-year-old Keith Jackson Jr., who was wearing a Jason Voorhees mask from the movie “Friday the 13th,” dead. Another intruder, 21-year-old Keith Jackson Jr., and the homeowner were found suffering from gunshot wounds, according to deputies. Jackson later died, according to officials.
The homeowner is in stable condition. He was found with an AR-15 rifle next to his legs.
Scenario: Multiple Armed Assailants, Home Invasion
Number of home invaders: 4, armed with handguns
Method of contact: Plea for assistance, Known casual contact
He told deputies that a man he vaguely remembered from a Craigslisttransaction knocked on his door asking for help with his vehicle. He said he told the man he couldn’t help him and went to sleep a short time later. [Emphasis added]
The homeowner woke up when he heard a loud noise and immediately grabbed his AR-15. He said he and Jackson exchanged gunfire, although he doesn’t know who fired first, according to the affidavit. Doyle then also began firing, hitting the homeowner, so the homeowner shot him, as well, records show.
Deputies said Robert John Hamilton, 19, and Seth Adam Rodriguez, 22, were located nearby after the home invasion.
They told deputies that they and the other two men had gone to the home to steal marijuana and guns.
Rodriguez was arrested on charges of homicide and home invasion robbery with a firearm. Hamilton was arrested on charges of home invasion robbery with a firearm. – Click on Orlando
This is why you need an AR-15. The four persons involved in the home invasion used a well known technique for reconnaissance of a target and attempt to gain easy entry, the assistance plea. Having established that the homeowner was inside they waited until later in the evening and attacked in force, armed.
Their prior knowledge of the target came from a transaction thousands complete every day, online listed person to person sale of an item. Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and any other online classified type transaction can also throw the remainder of your property on display for those looking to get the five finger discount.
The assistance plea is a surveillance technique that uses a usually innocuous reason to get you to answer and/or open your door. “Hey, my car broke down.” or “Hey, can I use your phone.” are very common, both of which have been largely rendered bullshit excuses with all the ‘apps for that’ that exist to help you out of those situations.
Door to door sales and services are another common method. New roofing, general contracting, lawn services, all are plausible reasons to talk with a resident and either be invited into the house or gain more information about a domicile, both layout and contents.
Door to door services and folks looking for help are genuine real things that happen. That’s why someone scouting a location use that premise for approaching and talking to you. It’s important to try and remember given names and faces, details about vehicles and service trucks, and attempt to file that info away incase it comes into relevance later. People who select a target this way may even be legitimately employed but looking for the easy side score for money, drugs, or weapons.
Be aware. New security systems, like doorbell cameras tied into WiFi, can greatly aid in this evidence collection.
Why you need that AR, AK, etc.
Look at all the circumstances of this situation. The four armed assailants gained knowledge of the house initially by one of them contacting the resident through an online classified. The four returned to the house for “marijuana and guns.” This suggests that stuff was visible on the first encounter, there were indicators out in the open that those things could be found in the residence, the resident said something to indicate he had them, or there was enough of monetary value in the open to sell or exchange for what they wanted.
They initially used the “assistance plea” on the resident to confirm he was or wasn’t home, or to try and gain easy entry.
After confirming he was home they waited until the evening and then, armed, forcibly entered the residence. They know he’s home and they know he is armed. Do the math and consider their probable trains of thought here as they break through the man’s door.
Now is where you are sitting in the place of the resident. This is your home. Four armed individuals just broke through your door. You are outnumbered and, if you grab a handgun, you are outgunned.
What tool gives you the best chance of stacking the odds back in your favor, of surviving the fight that just came through your front door?
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!
Reports out of Virginia are saying that Governor Ralph Northam’s special legislative session was closed after about two hours by the Republican controlled House and Senate. All 30 bills were referred to the Virginia State Crime Commission for review. The next time they will be discussed will be November… after the state election.
Northram called the session in response to the Virginia Beach shooting where a public employee killed 12 of co-workers and contractors who were working at the Public Works facility at the time. The shooter was an active employee in good standing with legal handguns. The silencer used in the attack has, as of my best information, not been confirmed as legally possessed. However there isn’t cause to suspect it wasn’t a legal NFA transfer with no prior criminal history.
The 30 bill package included the usual gun controller wet dream. C’mon Virginia, Washington expects more of you.
“Extreme Risk Protection” Order / Red Flag Laws
Waiting Period
1 Gun a Month
“Assault Weapon” Ban
Magazine Capacity Ban
Confiscation of Prohibited items
And so much more!
What is entirely unclear is if any of the bills dealt with revising building security, allowing employee concealed carry, or first aid training and equipment on the premises. You know… the less important issues that could have materially saved lives and ended the incident faster.
It’s refreshing to see practical heads going through the process of vetting policy in place of knee jerk response ala New Zealand.
In the early days of firearms development (beginning of the 15th century), the [extremely condensed and incomplete] discovery / invention timeline looked something like this:
Rifling
Wheel lock
Flintlock
Pin-fire
Rimfire
Centerfire
Short Long-Gun History
The development occurred over a span of nearly five centuries. However, once centerfire cartridges were introduced in 1869, Winchester produced the first center-fire rifle within three or four years.
And rifle development and purchases / ownership rocketed from there.
Many rifles were engineered with v-e-r-y long barrels. These long barrels were needed to help develop higher velocity (due to the limits / slow burning rates of the available propellents at the time). However, these long long-guns were very cumbersome to manipulate and shoot.
A demand eventually developed for smaller rifles that were easier to handle. To make those rifles or muskets lighter and more compact, the obvious approach was to shorten both the stocks and the long barrels.
Though a modification as such would definitely result in lower velocities of the projectiles, and therefore lower power, the trade off was much greater maneuverability. And if this new, smaller rifle could still produce acceptable levels of power, it would be deemed a worthwhile trade.
Carbine Creation
Thus was born the “carbine,” a shorter version of a full-length rifle, that fires the same type / caliber of ammunition.
And as the development of propellents progressed and long barrels were no longer required to achieve the desired ballistics, the next logical step was to develop even shorter barrel lengths – to gain even greater maneuverability and usability.
NEWINGTON, N.H., (July 9, 2019) – SIG SAUER, Inc. in conjunction with Winchester Ammunition, is proud to announce the SIG SAUER Modular Handgun System (MHS) has officially received notification of Full-Material Release (FMR) from the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Soldier, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. MHS is collectively comprised of the SIG SAUER M17 Full-Size, and M18 Compact handguns, and Winchester Ammunition M1152 Ball, M1153 Special Purpose, and M1156 Drilled Dummy Inert.
Full-Material Release is a significant milestone for the MHS program and is the official determination that the U.S. Army has rigorously tested and evaluated the M17 and M18 handguns, and associated ammunition, to determine it as safe for use when operated within its stated parameters. The official FMR notification received by SIG SAUER on June 27, 2019 states that MHS has been fully tested, meets all operational performance requirements, and is logistically supportable within the environment it is intended to operate.
Ron Cohen, President & CEO, SIG SAUER, Inc. began, “the Army’s announcement of Full Material Release is the final stamp of approval for the MHS Program, and a true testament to the successful collaboration of the U.S. Army, SIG SAUER, and Winchester Ammunition to deliver the highest quality MHS program to our soldiers in the field. The FMR notification really highlights the safety and quality of the M17 and M18 handguns, and the success of the MHS program in its entirety.”
To date, over 59,000 Modular Handguns have been delivered by SIG SAUER, and over 44,000,000 rounds of ammunition delivered by Winchester Ammunition to the Government for MHS; in the next 5-7 years an additional 350,000 handguns and 100,000,000 rounds of ammunition are scheduled for delivery.
“We are enthused by this announcement, and honored to have all the branches of the U.S. Military participating in the MHS program. These are both important and significant steps to ensuring that MHS, the M17 and M18 handguns, and Winchester Ammunition will serve the U.S. Military well into the future,” concluded Cohen.
The M17 and M18 handguns are 9mm, striker-fired handguns featuring coyote-tan PVD coated stainless steel slides with black controls and utilize both 17-round and 21-round magazines. The handguns are equipped with SIGLITE front night sights, removable night sight rear plates, and manual safeties.
About SIG SAUER, Inc. SIG SAUER, Inc. is a leading provider and manufacturer of firearms, electro-optics, ammunition, airguns, suppressors, and training. For over 100 years SIG SAUER, Inc. has evolved, and thrived, by blending American ingenuity, German engineering, and Swiss precision. Today, SIG SAUER is synonymous with industry-leading quality and innovation which has made it the brand of choice amongst the U.S. Military, the global defense community, law enforcement, competitive shooters, hunters, and responsible citizens. Additionally, SIG SAUER is the premier provider of elite firearms instruction and tactical training at the SIG SAUER Academy – a world class, state-of-the-art, 140-acre training facility. SIG SAUER is headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire, and has more than 1,700 employees across eight locations, and is the largest member of a worldwide business group that includes SIG SAUER GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. For more information about the company and product line visit: sigsauer.com.
Kimber improves on their Two-Tone model with the EVO SP (TLE). They kept the magazine well, deepcrownbarrel and TRUGLO Tritium PRO, but they now also feature a set of TLE style G10 grip panels andbackstrap with an aggressive slant-checkering.
As of last week reports out of New Zealand have the total number of surrendered arms in the country at 700 while the estimate on the number of now prohibited weapons hovers around 300,000.
The New Zealand government responded in a world watched, perhaps record setting, knee jerk reaction to the horrific Christchurch massacre. Immediately the Prime Minister promised to ban the dangerous assault weapons that plagued the country. They were ‘clearly’ the only reason in all the myriad reasons that the massacre took place and banning them from private hands always works every time with no ill consequence and everyone is safe forever. The End.
Right? United Kingdom? Hold on, I’ll let you finish the morning shankings first. All is well, correct?
If you’ve been under the proverbial (or I suppose literal too) rock and are unaware of the act, the political actions since,and the resultant here is a summary.
The Massacre
A euronationalist, ecofacist, and several other descriptors that led him to being accused of both left and right wing extremism (funny that they damn near seem to be two sides of the same coin eh) named Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28, killed 51 people and wounded 49 in attacks on two Mosques in Christchurch. He killed them while streaming it live on Facebook and has a published digital manifesto largely hidden in the bowels of the internet explaining why.
In summary, a racist piece of human garbage live streamed his attack for attention. He wanted to trigger a race war in the US to simultaneously stop our “Imperialism” and reinstate segregation or a multi-nation solution, get all non-anglos out of Europe through force, and punish Muslims for daring to be Muslim outside of the Middle East.
Typical extremist rhetoric, demands, changes that must be made, list of grievances, etc. But the attack was carried out in a modernized method of delivery that terrorists previously hadn’t utilized for reach. It targeted millennial tropes like PewDiePie and an old joke with the hands floating around the internet, and took full advantage of live stream video in a first world nation.
The use of technology for dissemination combined with the shock and scope of the carnage triggered several of the effects Tarrant wanted.
Including gun control.
The Response
New Zealand bans assault weapons quickly and says they would have a scheme to buy them all back. Mandatory confiscation of property by the government from hundreds of thousands for a crime hundreds of thousands of people didn’t commit. After this announcement the New Zealand public, many in support of doing something waited to see how it would shake out.
No actual plan was is place. The government was just going to ‘do something’ because, of course, they must. So they banned the evil “assault weapons” (semi-autos across a wide design spectrum) and promised to buy them back.
Is it a “buy back” if it wasn’t their property in the first place?
Anyway, the general feel of the whole situation is that while New Zealand does not have a 2nd Amendment protecting their natural rights of armament and the citizenry itself is not as culturally invested in its own retained armament as the United States, the citizenry is highly dissatisfied with the law and the proposed methods and amount of compensation for the turned in weapons.
If the New Zealand government had the first hint of a clue they would be offering full retail value for the firearms, without question. Such a scheme would show good faith on the part of the government for fair compensation.
Instead the New Zealand government is going to evaluate every weapon that is turned in, grade it like it would be going up for resale, and make a low percentage offer. A further cheapening of an already cheap move by the government to mandate property forfeiture without the owners committing and being convicted of a crime.
The New Zealand police expected a rate of non-compliance but it seems that the government is hell bent on doing everything in their power to assure that rate is as high as possible. Then they’re pointing to Australia and their buyback and asking why can’t it work just like that?
Well A: because that one didn’t work as well as everyone wants to pretend, and B: because New Zealand saw that it didn’t. To be sure the firearm culture of New Zealand isn’t what it is here, but they know a raw deal when they see one and they know they’re taking the blame for an action not their own.
The Trijicon ACOG is not a new sight. The TA01 Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight was released in 1987 and gained acclaim, and wide adoption in the two decades after. By 2007 optics had become standard for first world militaries and mass adoption of sight platforms was proceeding. The United States Marine Corps acquired 115,000 sights after an evaluation of the optic in 2005 determined it was a high value add force multiplier fleetwide.
The ACOG line developed into a multitude of variations for service rifles, carbines, light, medium, and heavy machine guns. Trijicon’s nigh indestructible combat optic garnered a sterling reputation, but not quite flawless.
Author’s FN M16 with a TA11 ACOG
I gained an appreciation for the ACOG, especially the TA11 and TA31 models, which to this day I consider my preferred general purpose optic. I’m diving into the water of modernized LPVO’s and have plenty of red dot sights, both certainly serve their purposes. However, at this time, the ACOG is still my choice.
With dot optics rapidly advancing the ACOG’s deficiencies (namely eye relief) were starting to show through. The 4x and 3.5x standard sights were overkill in many mission respects. The ACOG was a well vetted jack-of-all purposes yet master of none, but shooters in many circumstances needed a more purpose fit optic.
The ACOG needed to evolve.
Introducing Gen 2
Trijicon released the Generation 2 Compact ACOG line with 5 added models. These new sights were smaller, stronger, more user friendly, and configurable. The Gen 2’s were designed to push the ACOG back into mission relevance in a field of optics and users that were heavily trending towards red dot sights and CQB focused equipment.
I’ve been using two of these models. The TA44 ACSS (a partnership with Primary Arms) and the TA50.
The TA44 is Trijicon’s direct address for what a sight like the Aimpoint CompM5 brings to the field. Small, robust, and reliable.
The TA44 ACSS is a 1.5x16mm gunsight. It sounds miniscule. It sounds ridiculously miniscule… until you use it.
Got that Division 2 loot drop at the office. TA44 riding on the LWRCi M6IC PSD
I have astigmatism, a very common ocular condition that alters how my eye processes light. There are varying degrees to the severity of astigmatism but one of the most common side effects, when it comes to the firearms world, is red dot sights blur. This can take a few forms depending on the quality of the sight and the projection within.
EOTech’s appear to have a fine haze to my eye. The Trijicon MRO has a four pointed starlike visage at most brightness settings. The Holosun and Aimpoint emitters seem to produce the least distorted optical image for my eyes but still ‘star’ a bit. None of the mentioned sights had a problem when it came to being usable or accurate, my eyes just don’t see the clean round 2 MOA dot being projected. There is always a level of distortion thanks to my eyeballs.
ACOGs don’t have this issue. The reticle in an ACOG is solid state, it’s a physical piece, not a projection. The astigmatic eyeballs that reside inside my skull can see a solid state reticle without the blur.
So when it came to finding an optic that could perform as well or out perform a good dot the TA44 stepped to the plate.
1.5x16mm
With only a 50% boost in target image size and an objective lens smaller than any dot sight… I was skeptical. But I trust Trijicon and the ACSS reticle developed by Primary Arms made this optic as an ideal candidate if it worked.
Work it does.
The TA44 is still a magnified optic and has an eye box (area behind the sight where you can clearly see an image) but the listed eye relief of 2.4″ is such a loose guideline its nearly laughable. You can acquire a sight picture rapidly from much further away. The 16mm lens collects ample light and transfers a clear crisp image to the shooter’s eye. A reduced length fiber optic pipe on the TA44 greatly mitigates the overbright tendency that the TA31 can suffer from, a trait that led to users adding electrical tape to the sight as an improvised brightness control.
The micro sized Gen 2 ACOG is exactly what I wanted out of an optic in the red dot role.
With this little Gen 2 ACOG I wasn’t expecting much. I certainly didn’t foresee having a spot for it the way the I had the TA44. The 44 does something new and fits a need that the TA31 and TA11 don’t. But the TA50 is a 3×24, putting it right in the same basket of 3-5x fixed combat gun sights with the two older ACOGs, both with long excellent records of performance.
The 50’s spec sheet wasn’t nearly as endearing either. With a 1.4″ listed eye relief coming in closer even than criticized the TA31. The field of view was also reduced in comparison to the TA31. The “advances” for the optic swap were a reduction of magnification by 1, a reduction in length by .8 of an inch, and the saving of 3.8 oz in weight. Nothing I couldn’t easily pass on.
But let’s give it a fair shot.
TA50 on IWI Galil ACE 556 PSB
I clamped the sight on and went to work. The BOBRO mount makes that a one lever process without the tension tuning many other QD mounts require.
“Snap in” dry fire to check optics, eye relief, and practice trigger press.
With the spec sheet I was expecting the TA50 to act like a smaller TA31, an optic I unashamedly like as is and it doesn’t need a clone. What I found was a micro TA11 instead, and the TA11 is a sight that could use a trim.
3×24
The TA11 (pictured above on the M16) is a phenomenal gunsight. It’s most lauded feature point was better eye relief for those not digging the TA31.
But the 11 is… thick… especially by today’s standards. 8 inches long and 14 ounces of forged aluminum put it as the 3rd largest of the ACOG line.
The TA50, like its little brother the TA44, and like I am discovering on the whole Gen 2 ACOG lineup, has the eye relief “guideline” posted at the close end. The eye box is smaller than the 44’s but comes up generously and feels like finding the TA11. Despite being listed as a tenth of an inch closer the eye box on the 50 is better than the 31.
This revamped the entire way I had been looking at the review. By making the TA50 the logical successor to the role the TA11 had been fulfilling, the sight makes perfect sense.
And damn did it shoot well.
I put about 600 rounds under it on the ACE at a course. Then swapped it on over to my 12.5″ Aero
Another 600 down the pipe and I was sold. I pulled the TA44 from my M6 and put the TA50 in its place. The TA44 will now await the arrival of my X95 and my M6, an EDC Carbine designed in a “get me home from anywhere” type mindset, has greater observation and effective range. (For now… I have a tendency to play optical musical chairs on the guns)
Conclusions
TA44
The TA44, with the addition of the ACSS reticle, is a highly capable battery free CQB/reflex/red dot role gunsight. It’s light, durable, and retains the hands off ‘set it and forget it’ design that endears me to the ACOGs. It plays especially well with astigmatic eyes and using it with a white light will contrast the solid reticle nicely, avoiding washout.
Note: Green reticle has a tendency to be less visible in lower light and can washout in certain backgrounds, it excels in bright light.
TA50
The TA50 is exceptional in any role the older TA11 would be considered for. At 62.5% of the length and 43% of the weight of the TA11, sporting the same range of optical capabilities, the TA50 offers additional effective range and observation to users who want them. The size of TA11 might drop it from consideration, for smaller platforms especially, and the TA50 mitigates that concern.
Gen 2 ACOG’s
The 2nd Generation of Trijicon ACOGs successfully blend the traditional strengths of the older sights with the individual and agency requests for smaller, capable, durable optics. The lower magnification models in the 1.5x and 2x range effectively fulfill the rapid engagement roles intended for red dot optics while offering the user the advantage of magnification for observation and extending the effective range of equipped platforms. The Gen 2’s accomplish this with no additional complexity.
The 3x sight offers the desired features of the older models in a shorter and lighter housing, with easier controls than earlier sights, and features conducive to use on smaller platforms. The final offerings of low and high base models and a variety of aftermarket mount support mean the Gen 2’s can be easily added to most platforms on the market, even those that do not run on the AR height over bore standard offset.
HB 4004 would revive Virginia’s repealed One Gun a Month law that was kicked to the curb back in 2012. Governor Ralph Northam is looking to revive the practice of limiting Virginia’s residents to buying one handgun per 30 day period. The law is ostensibly to keep the state from becoming an ‘arms trafficking’ hot bed.
“People would come to Virginia. They could go to a gun dealer. Buy 25; 30 weapons, put them in the back of their car, take them to D.C.” said Randy Rollins, former secretary of public safety under Virginia Governor Doug Wilder.
You know except…
The disposition of two or more pistols or revolvers to any nonlicensee [person without an FFL] during a period of 5 consecutive business days must be reported on ATF Form 3310.4, Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers, not later than the close of the business day on the day of disposition of the second pistol or revolver. The licensee must forward a copy of the Form 3310.4 to the ATF office specified thereon, and another copy must be forwarded to the State police or local law enforcement agency where the sale occurred. A copy of the Form 3310.4 must also be attached to the ATF Form 4473 executed upon delivery of the pistols or revolvers.
So it looks to me as if there is a law for trafficking in place already that hands Federal, State, and local law enforcement all the information they would need to begin a case if guns were discovered to be being trucked across state lines. If I buy two handguns for any reason, like I bought a new carry gun but then a revolver I wanted for hunting this year happens to be on sale so I get that 3 days later I go on a list to the ATF, State, and local LE informing them I have purchased multiple handguns.
This particular notification happens all the time.
So what precisely are the Virginia legislature trying to combat with one-a-month?
Nothing. It’s “feel good” gun control. Security theater made up to look like a visible effort is being pushed with fire and vigor.
As Philip Van Cleave of the VCDL points out. “New York continued to complain about guns coming from Virginia, all the years that we had a one-gun-a-month,” he said. “It didn’t make a difference.”
It didn’t. It won’t. This theory is like putting an adhesive bandage for a cut onto a sunburn. Imagine the look on Washington’s face with this garbage happening in his home state after the anniversary of the declaration of war with the arms of the homefront against Great Britain.
Approximately 30 percent of all U.S. homes have at least one firearm. But there is another weapon that is in 100 percent of all homes: bladed weapons.
Knives are the most common, but this also includes hatchets, axes, swords, kukris, machetes, tomahawks, spears and the list goes on and on. It is unlikely that the average citizen is aware of the vast diversity of bladed weapons, which are probably mankind’s second weapon development (following the caveman’s impact weapon, the club). (For an overview of the variety of bladed weapons, see www.smkw.com and www.ltspecpro.com.)
If you talk to many police officers, most will tell you they would rather be shot than stabbed. If this seems strange, consider the differences between gunshot wounds and those from bladed weapons. When some people are shot, they don’t even realize it and keep on fighting; it is not unusual that police must shoot suspects multiple times to end the fight, especially when the suspect is mentally ill or under the influence of illegal drugs. On the other hand, cuts—even minor ones—are very painful.
When gunshots hit the extremities they may not be fatal. They can also create the classic “through and through” wound when they enter the body on one side and exit from the other, without hitting an artery or vital organ. Some bladed weapons are capable of chopping off an extremity (or even a head) with one blow; thus bulletproof vests offer little protection. Second, bladed weapons can easily sever an artery in a leg, arm or neck: unless medical intervention is immediate, the person will bleed to death very quickly. Third, bladed weapons can pierce a vital organ. Last but not least, a puncture wound to the chest can cause an acute pneumothorax (collapsed lung), which can be fatal.
From PreparedGunOwners.com: “Obama LIED again – more people mass murdered by Knife attacks in China than with Guns in America” which was written on January 7, 2016. From John Lott, PhD: “For the average multiple victim Chinese knife attack since 2010: 4.4 people were killed, and 14.5 injured. Excluding the Kunming Railway Station attack the average is: 3.1 people killed and 8.6 injured. If you look at all the cases where at least 4 people were harmed the average attack had: 4.7 people killed and 15.8 injured.” Bladed attacks occur all around the world but are rarely reported in our mainstream news media. Britain also, which has very strict gun controls, has seen a frightening increase in knife attacks over the last several years.
Terrorists have discovered the lethal combination of vehicles plus hand weapons, running as many people down as possible then getting out and shooting or stabbing survivors. Such attacks have occurred in Europe and the U.S., and I expect these to increase due to easy access to both vehicles and knives. And the largest terrorist acts are still being accomplished with airplanes, explosives, and fire.
Serial killers frequently prefer knives, as there is no forensic evidence such as bullets or shell casings and no unnecessary sound. Bladed weapons are cheaper and easier to obtain than firearms, and do not require the rigorous licensing process for purchase or permitting to carry. You are very likely face an attacker armed with a blade during a robbery, rape or home invasion.
Massad Ayoob’s core advice about knife fighting can be paraphrased as: “You may well kill your attacker with your knife, but he won’t die until 3 hours after he has killed you!” Yes, I carry a “Missouri legal” folding knife, but see this as a last ditch self-defense tool should my gun, pepper spray and impact weapon all fail—highly unlikely. Many years ago, I took a one-day knife fighting course in which we used rubber knifes. Every student would have died the “death of a thousand cuts” had they been real!
Mass shooters can be stopped by determined unarmed persons, either when their guns jam (as they often do with inexperienced shooters), they run out of ammo, or they have to reload. If the defender knows how to properly grab a pistol (revolver or semi-auto), it cannot fire the next round. There is also a physical limit to how many guns and how much ammo one person can carry. By contrast, bladed weapons don’t usually break, they don’t run out of ammo, and they need not be reloaded.
Imagine trying to stop a determined attacker who has a bladed weapon in each hand and 8 more on his body. I don’t see how, unless you have a gun and he is farther away than 21 feet. Pepper spray may slow him down and allow you to escape. However, criminals who are highly motivated, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or mentally ill can attack right through both pepper spray and TASER defense.
Consider the Sandy Hook school shooter. Imagine he had been armed only with serious bladed weapons as described in the first paragraph. He might have had a harder time entering the school; perhaps he’d have had to smash his way in. But a mad man could hide and wield 10 or more kukris, swords, hatchets, and other bladed weapons without a problem. While gunshots alerted others that an attack was underway, a bladed attack would have been less noisy, with only the screams of the victims. The sight of limbs being severed and blood splattering would have caused pandemonium just as shooting did. True, it takes more time to kill with bladed weapons. But he would have not run out of ammo nor could anyone without a firearm have hoped to disarm him.
Despite the delineation of the “21-foot rule” by police officer Dennis Tueller in 1983, the media and public are still under the delusion that a bladed attacker should be reasoned with, shot with pepper spray or shot with a TASER, as if responding with a firearm is disproportional. If “ignorance is bliss”, then these ignorant advocates of “non-lethal means” are hoping that God really does protect fools.
Some bladed weapons— notably Tanto knives and tactical tomahawks, can break through auto glass and cut through the steel doors of cars like a table knife cuts through hot butter. Also, there are knives make out of hard nylon that can be sharpened and are not picked up by metal detectors. If you think you are safe in a “NO WEAPONS ALLOWED” building where every visitor has gone through a metal detector, think again.
Crime is caused by defects in morality and mindset, not by weapons—no more than pens cause libel. Murder has been with us since Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4.8). Those who want to protect themselves and family members should be on guard against criminals and terrorists who utilize bladed weapons, not just firearms or clubs.
.
.
— 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.
