Some of my favorite movie heroes like to carry a shotgun on their back, from Ash “this is my boomstick” Williams, to Corporal “I like to keep this handy for close encounters,” Hicks. The idea isn’t new, but the current market offers very few quality options. The Desantis Kurz Shotgun scabbard stands above the current crop of Chinese made nylon options. Well to be honest they call it a shotgun case, but it’s certainly works as a scabbard.
With the rise of guns like the TAC 14 and Mossberg Shockwave a quality shotgun scabbard needed to become a thing. These guns are tricky to carry on a sling, and you can’t exactly holster them, so a scabbard it is. Additionally, this would be a great option for guns like Mares Leg lever actions or SBS/AOW guns.
The name itself is pretty cool. Kurz means short in German so a Kurz Shotgun Case means Short Shotgun case.
What Sets the Kurz Apart?
The first thing that makes this such an awesome scabbard is the fact it is made from leather. Most are made from a cheap nylon material that’s not exactly well known for its durability. Leather is not only a durable material, but it looks damn good. This is especially true when it is paired with my TAC 14 Hardwood model. Admittedly I had to remove the front sling for it to fit. The Hardwood sling guard is a massive shield so it makes senses it needs to be removed. Got now it sits in my spare parts box with my SB 15 braces, a random box of 243 WSSM, and my old 80 lower jigs.
A standard TAC 14 and Mossberg Shockwave fits perfectly in the Kurz shotgun scabbard though.
The Kurz is outfitted with both a sling for across the back carry as well as a carrying handle if you wanted to use it as a standard case. The whole setup is completely ambidextrous and it’s easy swap the configuration. The sling is attached via snap buttons and it can be swapped from side to side. It comes with a 5 round shell carrier that is also easy to remove and swap sides with. Lastly the retention device is attached via button and done so on both sides.
Carrying the Kurz Shotgun Scabbard
The smooth fitted nature of these pump action firearms makes them easy to carry. Nothing pokes or prods the body. The Kurz itself is quite thick though, and this keeps the gun from rubbing or hitting me. The strap is long enough to fit, but I wish it was at least a few inches longer. I’m a big guy and the strap just barely fits.
Drawing from the scabbard is quick and intuitive. The retaining strap is very large and very easy to disengage with the hand. That said, the strap will not disengage on accident very easily. I held the whole package upside down and shook it hard to see if the gun could disengage the strap. The gun was of course empty and the action was left opened.
It never fell out, and the strap staid put. Once the strap is defeated draw the gun up and away from the body. Be careful not to flag yourself. As a rightie, I carry the gun over my right shoulder with the grip right side up. It’s easy and safe to draw from this position.
Its best to brace the strap with your off hand until the gun clears the case.
Covered Up
Outside of walking around like Denzel in the Book of Eli the case is perfect for traveling in all sorts of vehicles. From your truck to your ATV the case is a great companion. The Kurz provides protection to the gun in a multitude of ways. The entire gun is covered except the bird’s head grip. This, of course, protects the finish of the gun, but also covers the trigger for safety reasons. It also keeps dirt, grime, and everything else from getting into the gun’s action.
While it from water proof, it is certainly water resistant. It’ll protect your gun from light rain and splashes. The Kurz is more than a stylish scabbard, but a genuinely handy piece of gear if you own, carry or use these type of weapons. It will fit 410 and 20 gauge models and you can get additional shell carriers for different calibers. You can get yours here.
I realized that sometime in this month of March is my ten-year anniversary of entering the “Gun Culture”.
Sometime in March 2009 I made my first firearm purchase. It was a Gen 3 Glock 19. Although I asked for advice, and did a good bit of online reading before I made my decision, I did all of the shopping around completely by myself.
That’s why I can tell you from personal experience that things have DEFINITELY improved for women in the gun world in ten years’ time. I made my purchase in the store that treated me well and with respect – but they weren’t all like that.
People may ask what made me decide to purchase a firearm. It wasn’t that I felt unsafe, or had been attacked. It was just because I didn’t want firearms to be a great big intimidating mystery anymore.
I grew up in a hunting household. My dad was a lifelong outdoorsman and had quite a gun collection. It was not uncommon for Dad to clean his shotgun in the living room in front of the TV after a day afield. I remember well the smell of Hoppe’s #9 as a child.
But for some reason the guns thing just never rubbed off on me. When dad died, I didn’t know anything about any of the guns that were in his safe – yet his hunting buddies and my brother told stories about all of them. It made me feel bad that I had missed that legacy somehow.
I was still in pediatric residency at the time as a mid-life med student, but I decided that once I got done and settled, that I wanted to learn about guns.
So when I finished medical training, and passed my boards, I started asking questions about how to get started in shooting. I ended up with that Glock 19 and a date for a Basic Pistol Class on the calendar.
It’s hard for me to believe how far I have come in ten years’ time. I’m not going to tell you how many guns are in my safe now, but suffice to say that the Glock isn’t getting lonely, and there are rifles and shotguns too. It makes me wonder what my father would think of all this if he could see it now. And building my own AR from scratch? Who’d a thunk?
Not that I bit it all off at once mind you. My usual mode of operation is cautious baby-steps and lots of circumspection before I attempt something new. I tend to walk around the new thing, inspect it from a safe distance, read up on it, and watch it for awhile. Once my decision is made – then I jump in.
But even with all that circumspection, over the past ten years I went from one semi-auto pistol to *mumble mumble* guns, competing in everything from IDPA and USPSA to Steel, 3-Gun, and sporting clays, and now hunting.
While I have been decidedly average at the competition stuff, it gave me opportunities to work on my skills, travel, and meet all sorts of cool people from across the spectrum of the shooting world. I recommend competition to anybody who wants to move past just plinking all by themselves on a weekend. It’s way more fun than a Sunday golf game, and the people are usually more interesting too.
While my ten years at this shooting stuff has broadened my horizons considerably, I still consider myself just a learner. An “experienced” learner to be sure, but there is ALWAYS something new to expose oneself to, and a wise man or woman never stops learning.
Looking forward to what the next ten years has in store!
With the bump stock ban set to take effect next week the court has placed a temporary hold on it while a determination is made in the case of W. Clark Aposhian.
The lawsuit, filed in January in a Salt Lake City U.S. District Court, challenges the proper role of administrative agencies– such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives– and whether their regulations on the bump stock may contradict a law passed by Congress, specifically the definition of a “machine gun” as set by lawmakers in 1934 and 1968. The case argues that ATF essentially rewrote the definition as set out by previous laws, something that was not in the agency’s power to do. – Guns.com
The result of the ATF inclusion of bump stocks as machine guns essentially, at President Trump’s behest, expanding the definitions provided by the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act without the laws being amended by congress is allowing a federal agency the license to rewrite a law once passed.
While U.S. District Judge Jill N. Parrish, a 2015 appointment by President Obama, turned away Aposhian’s request for an injunction on Wednesday, saying his case has “not shown a likelihood of success,” NCLA filed an emergency request to the 10th Circuit who granted the injunction. Both sides have until March 29 to file a further response with the court.
“The Court’s decision to stay the bump stock rule is an important recognition of the high stakes in this case,” noted NCLA. “While the order is limited, the Court recognizes that Mr. Aposhian has raised a substantial basis to question the rule’s validity.”
In the wake of the Christchurch terror attack the New Zealand government has take swift and decisive action… exactly like the terrorist wanted them to.
The gun control proponent camp is lauding the NZ government for their efforts to remove assault weapons from the hands of the citizenry. A buy back is slated to begin in April. These efforts are all in a reactionary attempt to keep a motivated extremist from visiting violence upon unarmed (by law) groups of people.
I haven’t seen the terms of the proposed buyback. I haven’t read the definition of semi-automatic assault weapon that they propose to confiscate. I have not heard the penalties for non-compliance or what violence the NZ government intends to do to the people who don’t comply with the new edict but who have committed no other crime.
New Zealand already licences and background checks all their gun owners. Owning a firearm is a privilege given from the New Zealand government. Gun control proponents focus on New Zealand’s “weak points” are that they do not have a universal registrar for guns.
We know registration leads to confiscation. We know registrars are not useful in solving or preventing crime in a meaningful way, Canada stopped there registry because it was a money pit and my own home state of Michigan wants to dump the handgun registry for the same reason.
Making another rule to prevent an individual or group who doesn’t play by your rules not kill people is an asinine concept. It is security theater on a grand scale. Giving up the means and responsibility of your individual protection to state that already proved they cannot shoulder that responsibility. Nor is it their job to.
We cannot socially engineer violence out of the human condition. Assuring that good law abiding people are not armed does will not stop the madman.
To my amusement, in a world spanning act of civil protest the internet servers set up to start registering guns for turn in were crashed by spam posts.
Gun owner licensing/universal background check (which is never actually universal
A form of universal registration (which is never universal)
An “assault weapons” ban and buyback (for any who give the weapons back for the pittance they are paid for their property they have committed no crime with)
And a smug sense of morally superior activism that will have done nothing to improve the physical security of anyone in the island nation against this type of attack, or most crime in general
It’s still astonishing to me that if the moral, legal, and ethical prohibition against mass murder wasn’t enough to stop somebody… what makes anyone believe a law against owning one, just one, method of completing such an attack will stop it?
The arguments of that center around the “we don’t need to make it easier…” camp of moral projectionism are just that, a projection of the illusion of collective responsibility for an attack. This is why organizations like the NRA are attacked as enablers and are accused of secretly wanting and revelling in this violence.
Saying that this is clearly an error in policy is so much easier than admitting that one person, or a very small group, can and will always be capable of extreme carnage against soft targets. This admission would deprive the state of its quasi-monopoly on the use of force. Admitting they can’t protect you and that breaking their rules can only result in a criminal case against you, not magically stop the loss of life because it is both wrong and against the law.
This is why we need the Second Amendment.
I notice that not one article on this subject I read today mentioned that the reason we couldn’t make such sweeping knee jerk reactionary changes here in the U.S. was the Constitution. No it was the usual litany of clingers and the NRA, not the fact that it is a constitutionally enshrined right.
1. NOBODY IS COMING TO SAVE YOU. Whether an event lasts a few seconds, a few hours, or even a few days – you have to work as though nobody is coming to save you.
2. You are your savior, so start working because EVERYTHING IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. You are your security, you are your medic, you are your rescuer.
3. You are your own best resource to SAVE WHO NEEDS TO BE SAVED. Nobody wants to save your life more than you, so set yourself up for success by having the simple tools and knowledge to do so: do what you can with what you have. Recognize that nobody is in a better position to start saving your life than you.
4. Sometimes saving lives means you have to KILL WHO NEEDS TO BE KILLED. It has been almost 15 years since I first wrote “the more effective you are at taking a life, the more successful you’ll be at saving one” and nothing in the intervening time has changed my mind. Be swift, be decisive, be final.
5. Mostly, ALWAYS BE WORKING. There is always something you can be doing to improve your position. Always. Because nobody is coming to save you.
A few years ago, we introduced the PMAG D-60® AR/M4, and ever since then, we’ve been working on how to make it better… and we couldn’t. Instead, we decided to make it bigger and louder. Introducing the Magpul PMAG® D-50™ LR/SR GEN M3™. Designed for those looking to carry 50 rounds of 7.62×51 NATO, because bigger is always better, no matter what anyone tells you.
The D-50 is a rugged, lightweight, and reliable 50-round polymer drum magazine designed for 7.62×51 NATO/.308 Winchester ammunition for SR25/M110 pattern rifles. It’s capable of using longer-than-SAAMI-spec match ammunition, up to 2.830” OAL, such as M118LR. Engineered to the same exacting standards as the famous Magpul PMAG and PMAG D-60 drum magazines, the D-50 continues the PMAG tradition of high-capacity performance and dependability. In addition, the D-50 brings GEN M3 features, which means enhanced strength, durability, and reliability. A ratcheting loading lever removes spring tension, making the D-50 easily loadable by hand. An anti-glare translucent window on the rear of the drum makes for quick positive visual indication of remaining ammunition. Additionally, the D-50 can be disassembled quickly with a simple flat blade screwdriver, and a has a dot matrix pattern that allows for easy marking and identification. At approximately 1.5 lbs. empty, and 4.5 lbs. loaded, the Magpul D-50 is one of the lightest 50-round 7.62×51/.308 drums available and is priced well below current competition. Designed specifically for 7.62×51 NATO/.308 Winchester ammunition and use with other calibers such as .260 Remington or 6.5 Creedmoor is not recommended.
There is something about the machine pistol that dominated the 1990s, especially in the pop culture realm. The MAC 10, the Tec 9, and the Mini-Uzi dominated the movie market and were the guns of bad guys as far as movies were concerned. They are large, scary, but compact and could be easily hidden for taking over plazas, planes, and even trains. Life and fiction often intercede and these guns did become favorites of criminals and terrorists in a variety of capacities. The controversial nature, the design, and my love of 1980s action moves lead me to purchase a Cobray M11/9. That and a 200 dollar price tag.
Mines not much of a looker. That low price tag came with a lot of rust that I’m still trying to bust off of the gun. Every corner of the gun is roughly, and a bit rusted. But it shoots.
The Cobray M11/9 is often mislabeled the MAC 11. The MAC 11 is a 380 ACP version from the original Military Armament Corporation. The Cobray M11/9 is a weapon based on the MAC series of guns but is a pistol and not an SMG. This is a cheap, title 1 way to acquire a MAC type pistol.
The M11/9 and MAC Family in Pop Culture
MAC style firearms absolutely filled movies in the 80s and early 90s. They were often post samples, or converted to full auto, or blank firing only full autos, or any other way to simulate full auto fire. No one wants to see a MAC firing one round at a time.
The MAC and its derivatives starred in over a 100 movies and television shows in the 1980s and 90s. The MAC 10 stared in over 60 movies between 1980 and 1990. Outside of movies the terms MAC 10, MAC 11, and the MAC show up in dozens of rap songs. A quick search of Lyrics.com shows just how easy it is to weave these guns into rhymes.
As a kid who was raised on violent action movies and tv show I saw the MAC is movies like Invasion USA, the Lethal Weapon series, Cliffhanger, and Robocop. Not to mention shows like Miami Vice and the A-Team featured the MAC. We can’t forget it’s famed movie premier with John Wayne where a suppressed MAC 10 was his constant co-star. The gun is literally on the movie’s poster.
In the Real World
The first thing you notice when picking up the MAC is it’s grip is way too wide. It’s wide for my 2XL hands. The second thing is how heavy this beast is. The third thing is that you realize it feels pretty gangster in the hand.
The look, weight, and massive magazine lends itself to that famed gangster look and feel. Its like the modern Tommy Gun in a lot of ways. Except it wasn’t really used in crime.
There was certainly a few high profile criminal uses of these guns, but they were never used in widespread crime. SMG variants are rare and too valuable for average criminal use. They did pop up here and there in Miami during the 1980s Drug Wars. However, when compared to other weapons used in crime the MAC series would be minuscule in comparison.
Pistol variants like the M11/9 are much cheaper, but also huge, heavy, hard to conceal and offer no advantage over the standard Glock 19. The MAC and its criminal reputation comes from its association with bad guys in movies, rap songs, and of course the scary way it looks.
Shooting the M11/9
The original MAC 10 series of guns has an incredible rate of fire and would dump a 32 round magazine in about 1.2 seconds. International Association of Police Chiefs weapons researcher David Steele once said the MAC 10 was, “fit only for combat in a phone booth”.
To help control the MAC 10 a suppressor from SIONICs was introduced that was absolutely massive. It wasn’t only a suppressor, but it was designed to be held to help support the gun.
The semi-auto M11/9 is a bit different. It’s a closed bolt, semi-auto design. The frame is extended and it looks like a stretched out MAC. The gun is a lot of fun to shoot, but not exactly an easy gun to shoot. First off, the massive bolt that runs back and forth throughout the gun, this seems to make the gun rear backward and then dart forward creating an interesting recoil impulse. That being said muzzle rise isn’t bad at all.
The M11/9’s sights are atrocious. They feature an open sight and below it a rear peep sight. The peep sight is terrible, and without a stock, it’s pretty terrible. The open sights on the rear are tiny, but far from perfect.
The front sight is a bent piece of metal that is somewhat hard to see. I can outshoot this gun with my J frame snub nose.
The trigger is actually surprisingly nice. It’s light, a hair long, but the reset is very short. I was honestly shocked. These guns also have a lot of trigger slap, and that’s why it has a small piece of rubber over the trigger. This stops it from hurting your trigger finger.
But It’s Fun
The gun is still so much fun to fire. Sure, I’m not producing tight groups but burning through a magazine of 9mm has never been funner. Firing one handed, or fro the hip like an 80’s bad guy puts a stupid smile on my face.
Yeah the ergonomics kind of suck outside of the trigger and safety. The safety is an AR type design and floats back and forth with ease from safe to fire. It’s very easy to use though. Be prepared to pinch yourself a time or two use the top coking device.
Wooo everyone loves a heel mag ejection right?
Also, the aftermarket is surprisingly large. You can even swap uppers for something more modern with rails, a side coking device, and enhanced ergonomics. MAC pistols can even be built from unfinished80% lowers. You can change mag platform to the Sten or Uzi. Also metal magazines are affordable and available from Shockwave technologies. I have 3 or their 30 rounders and one of their insane 50 rounders.
The MAC, and by extension, the Cobray M11/9 series are fun and fascinating guns. They are an interesting piece of firearms history for both the gun world and the pop culture word.
This little burp gun isn’t perfect and a Glock would be much more viable in any serious situation. But a Glock will never be as cool as a MAC, or even a Cobray M11/9.
[Ed: This is the second part of the article begun Tuesday.]
Next, a misleading article claiming that “Household Gun Ownership and Youth Suicide Rates at the State Level, 2005–2015” in March’s American Journal of Preventive Medicine, from Michael Siegel, MD, MHP of the Boston University School of Public Health. This is another cross-sectional study (no trend analysis) comparing states to each other, examining data in aggregate through that decade. The data comes from surveys, not coroners, so it is surely incomplete. Dr. John Lott thoroughly dismantled their notions on Dana Loesch’s show on NRATV January 30. Read on for my take.
There is a correlation between household gun ownership and both overall suicide rate and suicides using firearms, particularly sound for 14-19 year olds. These are the ages in which adolescents become trusted more around firearms by most families. However, there is no correlation between firearm ownership and attempts at suicide specifically with firearms.
So possessing firearms is not the issue, despite their claims. The fact that firearms are more immediately lethal is the key factor. And “a significant association was not found between the proportion of gun households with unlocked and loaded firearms and the rate of youth suicide” although other studies have found that.
Because of all this, they conclude that “lowering the overall prevalence of household gun ownership could be an effective strategy to prevent youth suicide.” So they think this is another excuse to restrict gun ownership in general. As always, they ignore the public health benefit of guns in America (see above re: Kleck). More pointedly, that is an overreaction typical of the public health research complex. The clear answer is for owners to be more careful about controlling access and monitoring their adolescents’ mental health—which is an increasingly widespread theme in the real world of firearm ownership already.
A study in April’s Preventive Medicine by University of Texas (Galveston) Medical Branch authors claims: “Gun access strongly predicted gun violence even after controlling for mental health.” It is true that diagnosable mental illness has an extremely minor role statistically in nearly all episodes of shooting events, and it is likely that “hostility” and “impulsivity” is more influential in the average shooting episode (though there are plenty premeditated, too). But the study simply asked 663 present or former high school students, averaging 22 years old, selected (how?) from 7 cities in the South, whether they had ever threatened someone with a gun. 16 said yes.
That’s all we need to know that there is no substance to these findings at all. A very small sample of a tiny fraction by age and geography of America self-reported what they thought meant acting threatening. Yes, this was “18.15 times . . . more likely” if they “had gun access” (whatever that means). One supposes that threatening with a gun would be more likely if you have one available than not. Unexplored alternatives include threatening with fists, knives, bats or to run someone over. So, no, it’s not true that “access to firearms was the primary culprit [or that the] findings have important implications for gun control policy efforts.” The only reason papers like this see the light of day is journals’ and their reviewers’ hunger to blame guns.
On March 7, The Hillreported a British Medical Journal study, again with principals from Boston University School of Public Health (including the infamous Bindu Kalesan), “State gun laws, gun ownership, and mass shootings in the US”. This has more holes than a buckshot squirrel, and bigger ones too. It compares relative stringency of state gun control laws with rates of “mass shootings”.
The comparison of gun laws were taken, for a change, not from Brady’s annual grades but from the widely referenced Traveler’s Guide to the Firearms Laws of the Fifty States by Scott Kappas. This rates a grab bag of factors having nothing to do with availability or use of firearms for criminal purposes and everything to do with how many hurdles responsible gun owners have to deal with in different states.
Gun ownership is not determined or estimated independently but is considered proportional to the rate of firearm suicides in each state (see above for a discussion of the validity of research on that subject in adolescents). This is a commonly used proxy for household gun ownership rates. But its validity is increasingly uncertain now that owners frequently deny possession, and so it can no longer be assumed to be accurate.
They looked at each state’s gun law ratings over the study years 1998-2015, and compared them to the incidence of mass shootings. But trends in the incidence were not considered along with changes in gun laws, a critical flaw. They categorized states as either “restrictive” or “permissive” on the basis of scoring more or less than the median, which still permits wide variance on either side. And some states don’t consistently report to the Uniform Crime Reporting System the authors took shootings data from, and Florida was omitted because it does not participate. (It is the state in which the Orlando and Parkland shootings occurred, and has a high rate of gun ownership and relatively permissive laws.)
By their calculations, the difference between these two categories in frequency of mass shootings ranged from .05 to .10 per million people. That’s no more than 1 event per 10 or 20 million people, which is a finding that can meet statistical significance but that does not translate into real world distinction. This is a finding without purpose, as there are so many far more risky events in life to fear, beginning with simple, non-mass murder but expanding to include traffic accidents, falls, drowning and lightning strikes.
The scatterplots of mass shootings vs. gun ownership and mass shootings vs. type of laws show the usual broad bunching of suggestive, but not definitive correlations. Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut did fall low in both mass shootings and “permissiveness”. But thinly populated, highly permissive Vermont landed high on frequency (affected greatly by rare events) and thinly populated, highly permissive Alaska registered none. State gun ownership, unsurprisingly, is higher with less restrictive laws.
This adds up to garbage in, garbage out publishing. To be fair, the input is as good as available, but not good enough to know it is meaningful given all its inconsistencies and inaccuracies. The conclusion that mass shootings occur proportionally with “permissive” state laws just can’t be taken at face value. For more interesting statistical analysis of this paper, especially how gun ownership correlates to mass shootings and types of gun laws, see B.J. Campbell’s article “Gun Laws Have Basically No Impact on Mass Shooter Rate”.
All of these studies are classically irrelevant research, internally contradictory and externally meaningless. But they are great stuff for academics tooting their bandwagon horn for more money to do more research to build their careers as supposed experts on the public health crisis of “gun violence”. It can’t be a coincidence that these folks dedicate their careers to proving that the preferred way to reduce shootings is by more gun . . . excuse me, people control.
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— DRGO Editor Robert B. Young, MD is a psychiatrist practicing in Pittsford, NY, an associate clinical professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Polymer midsize carry pistols are exploding onto the market since Glock took over that seat at the top with the G19. I have never been a huge Glock guy. However, I have always been a fan of the small frame carry guns.
I always just accepted that I would carry less rounds while being able to conceal easily. The Glock 19 never felt that great to me at the range and it just didn’t seem worth losing the comfort and ease of concealing a small frame pistol for something larger and not that impressive in my opinion. With that being said, when FN released the new 509 Midsize and I got the chance to handle it at SHOT Show and felt like it was time to revisit the midsize market.
The new FN 509 Midsize is pretty much identical to the original FN 509 with the exception of the 15-round capacity, some smaller parts, and a shortened frame. I immediately was impressed with the overall look and feel of the 509 Mid. The FN 509 mid really looks identical to the original model but feels much better in the hands. The shorter frame, 15-round magazines, and a new slide stop definitely add to the appeal of this package. The original 509 was difficult to conceal with the longer frame. However, the Midsize, although only a touch shorter, makes a world of difference when it comes to concealability. The FN 509 Midsize is right on par with the Glock 19’s frame size. Parts are actually interchangeable from the full size 509 to the midsize 509.
Polymer EDC Contender
The new 509 Mid has a few improvements over it’s bigger brother. The reshaped grid around the mag button means that the FN was able to use the standard 509 mag release with none of the old issues that the original 509 had.
FN also utilized the reduced power spring that is included with the 509 Tactical model. This makes the pistol much easier to rack the slide, making the midsize much more user friendly. The magazine from the original 509 and the new 509 midsize may look identical. However, the new magazine utilizes a redesigned baseplate, shorter mag spring length, and the overall length of the magazine body has been shortened to match the shorter grip.
The 509 boasts some of the best slide serrations on the market in terms of feel and overall look. They grip very well while not being too aggressive. With the use of those serrations and the tactical model’s spring you have a pistol that any shooter can handle with ease. The slide takes minimal strength to rack back and all hands that handled the pistol during my time testing it loved that about it.
One feature I really liked was that the 509 Tactical barrel actually fits into the Midsize without issue since the slides share the same internal specs. If you are someone who wants to throw a can or compensator on the 509 a simple barrel swap will make it easily possible. No aftermarket barrels are needed.
Like all 509 models the Midsize backstrap can be swapped out giving options for the individual shooters grip. Unfortunately, to change out the backstrap you need a small punch. It would be nice for FN to make changing the strap a bit easier and at least provide a tool to use if you want to change it.
One reason I am not a fan of the G19 is because of the thick bulky grip. Using the flat backstrap panel I retained a thinner feeling grip. Glock guys don’t worry though, you do have the option of a curved panel that makes the grip a little larger to give you that Glock like feel.
Shooting Its Way to The Top
My first trip to the range I was a little skeptical of the pistol’s abilities. The trigger had a little bit of a gritty feel to it at first and I was not a fan of how tall and bulky the sights looked. I loaded up 2 full magazines and decided to jump right into it. The first 15 rounds struck the paper at a distance of 7 yards. When the smoke cleared, I was shooting consistently low and a little left. It was a great grouping though at less than 1 inch. I’m positive that this was due to shooter error because of the sights. I am used to Sig style sights and the FN has a little bit different sight picture.
Once I adjusted for the sight picture on the second magazine and produced the same grouping but dead center on paper. Time to really test the 509 out. That first outing to the range I burnt through 250 rounds in less than 30 minutes. That gritty trigger smoothed out after the first 100 rounds or so also. The gun was just so well balanced, performed incredibly well, and ate anything I fed it. Hornady Critical Defense, Sig Sauer V-Crown Elite Performance, The Hunting Shack FMJ, Aguila FMJ, and my new personal defense favorites; Barnes Tac-X PD Defense rounds.
Just For Fun
With over 1,000 rounds down range with the 509 Midsize I experienced not a single malfunction. The 10-yard groups were very impressive, the best group at this distance was around 1.25 inches and was shot with the Barnes Tac-X PD Defense rounds.
I happened to go out and do some indoor shooting during the testing of another firearm at a 50 yard range. The FN 509 Midsize happened to be on my hip. I decided to see what this gun would do at 50 yards just for the hell of it. I was able to put 30 out of 30 rounds of Aguila 124 grain full metal jacket on target at 50 yards. For a midsize pistol I was very impressed with these results.
The New Top Dog
Having never been the biggest fan of midsize polymer pistols I was skeptical about the new FN. This skepticism changed quickly once I ran this gun through the ringer. To say I was impressed with the FN 509 Midsize would be an understatement, I was absolutely blown away. So blown away, this gun has joined my personal carry arsenal now.
Just a flat-out great shooter that is easy and comfortable to carry and perfect for all skill level shooters to operate. In my opinion this is a pistol far superior to the Glock’s most people normally look towards in this category of pistol. The FN 509 Midsize is currently available at FN dealers and carries an MSRP right on par with its competition at $649.00. Overall, it shoots better, looks better, and has better features than the Glock platform. I would highly recomend getting your hands on one to carry everyday.
House Bill No. 1108 commonly to be cited as the McDaniel Militia Act would require Missouri residents to keep “any semi-automatic rifle that is modeled on the AR-15 rifle design by ArmaLite, Inc” a minimum of one per adult resident.
Specifically residents between the age of 18 and 35 not prohibited by law from owning an AR-15.
Missouri residents falling into the age range would be given one year to purchase the rifle and, if they are subject to the states income tax, can claim 75% of the purchase price as a deduction/tax credit.
The principle being the right and responsibility to keep and bear arms for the defense of yourself and the state is every adult citizen’s duty.
Personally, I feel state mandated armament is in a category similar to state mandated disarmament and should be left to an individual’s recognizance. But I do prefer this idea, and more so the spirit of the idea, that an individual is responsible first for their safety and to contribute to the safety of their community should the call to arms ever arise again.
I could have chosen any weapons or means.A TATP filled rental van.* Household flour, a method of dispersion and an ignition source.A ballpeen hammer and a wooden shield.Gas,fire,vehicular attacks,plane attacks, any means were available. I had the will and I had the resources.
I chose firearms for the affect it would have on social discourse, the extra media coverage they would provide and the affect it could have on the politics of United states and thereby the political situation of the world. The US is torn into many factions by its second amendment, along state, social, cultural and, most importantly, racial lines. With enough pressure the left wing within the United states will seek to abolish the second amendment, and the right wing the US will see this as an attack on their very freedom and liberty. This attempted abolishment of rights by the left will result in a dramatic polarization of the people in the United States and eventually a fracuring of the US along cultural and racial lines.
–The Great Replacement, New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto
*TATP: A homemade explosive common in IED and VBIED attacks
He is evil… Not stupid
The NZ terrorist knew the reaction the civilized world would have towards his actions, not hard to extrapolate as it is broadcast after every violent disaster that fits the narrative he wanted to play on. The reactions are largely predictable. Horror and then a retreat to our natural biases.
The immediate lines of battle and arguments emerged on cue. Gun controllers flooded out nationally and internationally to decry the access to such “instruments of mass destruction” as rifles and shotguns.
A few New Zealand residents have voluntarily and publically surrendered their arms in a symbolic gesture of #NeverAgain.
These well meaning people misunderstand violence and extremism. They cannot see the forest for the trees. They see that a weapon was used to devastating effect and that those people in society who possess such weapons possess the potential to commit such an act or, more accurately, unintentionally arm such an act. In their shocked and recoiling minds removing that potential is an obvious and logical step. That’s the tree.
The forest is the motivated violence concept. The forest is ‘why?’. Why did the attack occur?
This isn’t hard to answer, he told us in poorly grammared detail. We just dislike the answer. A certain percentage of the population will always be willing to use violence. They do not possess the social stigma associated with violence. The portions of society who do possess, and even praise, that stigma as morally more righteous have a tremendous difficulty rationalizing those who do not.
Violence is neutral. Possessing the capacity for violence is not indicative of intent. Action is indicative.
It is disheartening how divided this bastard has exposed us to be. Furthermore, he called it. It’s all there in the 74 insane pages. We are giving him exactly what he wants with this debate.
He knew it was terrorism. He claims it personally as a “partisan action against an occupying force.” After acknowledging it fit the definition of terrorism, he justified why his was ‘special’ and therefore not actually real terrorism. Par for the course with an extremist.
Be ready. The cry for more government is coming now, loudly, across the world. It’s a visceral cry that comes from a place of anguish and pain.
#MeToo: Women Who Shot Men in Self-Defense is a special book, just out in 2018. Special, not just in being another powerful tool against the prejudice against guns and individual self-defense so common in society, but in its development and focus, too.
It’s available on Amazon.com in paperback (in black & white, which makes the charts hard to interpret). It had been available in color paperback for a substantial premium, but doesn’t come up. I’d recommend the full color Kindle version. A PDF version may be downloaded at the ToBearArms website, comparable to the Kindle version.
Robert Hodam is a Stanford engineering graduate, recently retired as CEO of the International Center for Economic Growth, a network of economists in most of the countries in the world. He founded and funds ToBearArms.net, which collects documented reports of defensive gun uses (DGUs). He’s also been a fry cook, roustabout, a bartender and a U.S. Army captain, so he knows the world from all perspectives. He writes about it as a novelist, but here decided to depict one of its aspects with reportorial objectivity. In fact, #MeToo is primarily comprised of 257 quoted news stories about women who saved themselves (and sometimes others) by shooting male attackers.
Hodam was apparently influenced by the tragic 2015 Bataclan massacre in France where terrorists executed 90 theatre-goers (while others killed 40 other people in bombings that day). It was obvious to many that the impossibility of self-defense by the audience due to France’s prohibition of carrying handguns (and other strictures) guaranteed such a high body count.
He responded to this, and to the co-occurring #MeToo movement of women protesting men’s assaults, by collecting true stories of women who successfully defend themselves against men. (This is not as one-sided as it sounds—women rarely have to defend themselves against deadly attacks by other women.) And he did it in a remarkably objective way.
In his words, “The project was financed entirely by the author; no outside funds were accepted. . . [T]he data collector was a [woman] who has never visited the US and has no relatives in the US. She is relatively unfamiliar with the US constitution or issues surrounding the right to bear arms. . . All reports were obtained through random keyword online searches . . . and were included in the database unedited . . . [and] included verbatim” in the book. Incidents were found in all 50 states.
It begins with a reference section, mostly of colored pie charts showing the distribution of data found. An initial comment notes that the greatest number of incidents per capita came from Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania. The fewest were from Vermont, Hawaii and Montana. Obviously, the incidence of DGUs does not correlate with state firearm cultures.
The charts begin with one showing that about 25% of DGUs are by women. This must come from an unattributed source, since the universe of 1,400 or so cases researched are said to be all about women. It does seem unlikely that all “these women made a conscious decision to buy a gun” since many DGUs occur using another family member’s gun.
The rest of the charts are clearly derived from the collected reports. “Crimes against Women” show that the predominant reasons for defense were, in order, home invasion, robbery and some form of personal assault. The “Good Guys” overwhelmingly used handguns (94%), followed by <3% shotguns and rifles each. From a subsequent not, less than 12% (161 of about 1,400) had carry permits, but no one was accused of illegal possession. The “Bad Guys” were more eclectic in their choice of weapons: pistols, long guns, clubbing tools and, important to note, “none” in 16% of incidents. Men are dangerous to women with their bare hands—that is “disparity of force”, an important concept in judging necessary response.
Most DGUs were done by women 56+ years old, then 20-35, then 36-55. Youth 0-19 had to in only 8% of reports. How these distributions were affected by the differing number of years in the groups, by locations, and by activities that vary with age or other factors is unaddressed.
“Bad Guys” were “overwhelmingly . . . younger than their victims”. Most were 20-35 years old, then 36-55, then 13-19. None were under 13, and <3% were older than 55. When ethnicity/race were reported (it’s not said how consistently), 57% were white, 30% black, and about 6% each Hispanic or Asian.
The main purpose of the book is to see four big, popular “Myths Busted”:
“That people, especially women, are not capable of defending themselves with a gun.” This is blatantly false, and highly sexist about women in particular.
“People using a gun in self-defense . . . will more likely be killed by the bad guy rather than protecting themselves.” There was only one instance in over 1,400 reports of the bad guy killing the defender.
“People . . . will end up accidentally shooting themselves, a family member, friend or other innocent person.” There were no incidents among the more than 1,400 reports in which any innocent party was shot by the defender.
“Anyone shooting another person, even in self-defense, will end up in jail.” In almost every case, law enforcement cleared the defender, and in no cases were charges filed.
The next 230 pages contain 257 verbatim media reports of DGUs by women against men, all but very few occurring from 2015 through 2018 (the few earlier happening between 2005 and 2013). There is no point in quoting any here, since they are exactly what we find any day we look for them. The value of gathering them together is that too many ignorant Americans don’t know, want or care to find out how common such attacks are, and to highlight the importance and success of women defending themselves against them.
I highly recommend #MeToo: Women Who Shot Men in Self-Defense. It is an excellent companion to other pro-rights, self-defense advocacy work like John Lott’s The War on Guns.
Anyone who writes about firearm use in the real world should have this reference. Instructors teaching armed self-defense, especially to women, will use its findings and examples again and again. It will empower women who intend to protect themselves and loved ones. Because it is available so inexpensively in digital format, there is no excuse not to have this resource at hand.
It’s on my bookshelf, and should be on yours.
.
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— DRGO Editor Robert B. Young, MD is a psychiatrist practicing in Pittsford, NY, an associate clinical professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
I was a true country kid in the sixties and seventies. Nearly everyone had a BB and/or a pellet rifle, our dads hunted and nearly everybody knew how to shoot. Heck it was not unusual to see long guns hung in window racks of trucks most of the year. Things like mass shootings were never heard of. From a young age we were taught to respect firearms. They were both a source of food and fun.
I recall having a young boy’s crush on the first really cool rifle I ever shot, the M1 Carbine. My God father’s father in-law was one of the preeminent gunsmiths of the fifties and he had lots of great firearms. He had multiple true 18th century Pennsylvania Long Rifles, vintage lever rifles, a pristine Colt 1873 Peacemaker (yes we shot it), a vintage Browning A5 with poly-choke, loads of custom rifles and a M1 Carbine. What drew me to it was its size and how it fit me as a young kid. Only later did I learn about that little lever opposite the charging handle, the selector switch
The M1 Carbines had a certain mystique. While they saw little real front line service during WWII, they were always present in movies. Even Audie Murphy carried one. If Audie had one it had to be a great firearm; after all he was the most decorated soldier of WWII.
When I enlisted in the Air Force reserve as a Security Policeman, the M1 Carbine could be seen in photographs of Army MPs when it was the Army Air Corps. Air Police and early Security Police were at posts guarding B47s and various access points. These were quickly replaced by the M16. While the M16 was replacing the M1 still saw service with Security Police throughout Vietnam. There were still a few in inventories of units like my reserve unit. Seeing these carbines kept that boyhood like of the carbine alive
Fast forward to my late twenties, M1 Carbines kept crossing my path when at the range. Finally I bought one, it was a pristine Inland. From the day I purchased it with several hundred rounds of surplus ammunition to today it remains wicked accurate, easily emptying a thirty round magazine into the upper A zone of an IDPA target.
The problem with the M1 Carbine is there is little application for it. Its cartridge the 30 Carbine runs out of steam around 100-125 yards so it’s not good for three gun. With modern ammunition it is a great house gun or plinker, that’s about it. That was until late in 2016, I started seeing emails about a M1 Carbine chambered in 9mm. A 9mm M1 Carbine, no way, has to be a misprint
These emails were coming out before the 2016 SHOT Show, so this carbine would be my quest. I had to find Chiappa firearms. Lo and behold there it was a 9mm M1 Carbine. It even had a wood stock. While handling it, the fond memories of time at the range with my dad and God father flowed. Based on those memories alone, I had to have one. But wait, there was more; it used Beretta M9/92 magazines. Later I would find out that Chiappa offered a mount so you can install a red dot, which for those of us well over twenty five is a blessing. That was it, I gave the appropriate folks a copy of my FFL and they got the ball rolling to send one.
Around the end of March I received a notice from UPS that I had to sign for a box. I had forgotten the carbine was coming; it was a pleasant surprise to see it. The M1C 9mm felt just like my Inland M1 Carbine.
Fit and finish were excellent, trigger was typical of the M1C, and it felt right. I put it side by side with my Inland and save for the receiver, they were twins; save for the bore diameter of the barrel. Controls were the same, sights looked the same except the Chiappa’s were not as beefy as the Inland and of course the receiver/mag well was different.
There was one big difference, which I mentioned to Chiappa; it lacked the GI style bolt catch. If this was just going to be a plinker or even a “house gun”, that is not a really big deal. However for use in USPSA and 3 Gun now have Pistol Caliber the Carbine class competition, it is needed. With its price point of $679 full MSRP, lightweight the M1C9 this is ideal for competition.
Closer examination of the carbine revealed dovetails machined into the receiver. These are for long and short rails that Chiappa offers to facilitate mounting optics. With the GI type sights this is a must have $40 dollar option, I ordered a long one.
With the rail was on the way I needed an optic. Since it chambered in 9mm, I knew this was not a long range rifle so a quality red dot would be ideal. One of the best values on the market today is Truglo’s TruTec 20mm. Before you snicker, remember this carbine is not going to be used to chase the Taliban all across the Afghanistan mountainside. It is for plinking and PCC competition. From past experience with Truglo sights, I can tell you they are tough and can handle this level of hard use. One of mine has been on numerous shotguns, it endured hundreds of 12 gauge rounds. At $221 with a mount, auto-sleep/activation, and impressive battery life, I knew the TruTec would be good choice for this competition carbine.
Since the rail and optics had not arrived for the initial trip to the range, the factory GI type sights would have to do. I was shocked the carbine was not shooting consistently.
Literally rounds were all over the target. After I calmed down and looked at the carbine the problem was solved. The screw that secures the receiver to the stock was loose. Drop of thread lock and a few twists of the range multi-tool, problem solved and back to shooting.
While these are not exactly match target sights, at 25 yards I was able to consistently get upper A zone hits on an USPSA target. Ten shot groups shot off hand hovered around 3”. With the boxy front sight and small peep rear, that is about what I expected. At 50 yards, I was able to keep 10 rounds in the “C” zone. While not great, the factory sights are useable. The front post blocks most of the target at 50 yards making accurate shots hard. They also were not as well regulated as they were on a Mil-spec M1 30cal Carbine. To get consistent hits at this distance the rear sight had to be set at its maximum elevation. I really was not that concerned about lack of match grade accuracy since the rifle hit where it was aimed and a red dot was going to be mounted.
During my initial trip to the range, I noticed the bolt/gas system was not the short stroke piston and rotary bolt of the original. Chiappa uses a standard blowback design with traditional pistol block set-up. For consistent operation use standard pressure 115 grain and 124 grain loads. Using “+P” rounds this rifle ran flawlessly. Quality 147 grain hollow points ran the M1C9 but for self-defense and competition, I would avoid them. The lighter factory target loads were problematic as were my handloads I use for shooting USPSA.
When the long rail arrived I installed Truglo’s
TruTec red dot. Once zeroed, making consistent “A” zone hits from ten to fifty
yards was as easy as putting the dot center mass and pull the trigger. Taking my
time to properly center the dot, upper A zone shots were just as easy at any
distance. I am sure with a 1-4 or 1-6 variable power optic this carbine will
put bullet on top of bullet at fifty yards that is how accurate it is.
To test the Chiappa I used Sig’s Elite Performance 115 grain full metal jacket and 115 grain V Crown Hollow Points. From Black Hills’ we used 115 grain full metal jacket and 124 grain jacketed hollow points. From Hornady we had their excellent 135 grain Critical Duty Flextip. Last, from Super Vel we had their 115 grain +P hollow points. All of these loads easily shot 1”, 5 shot groups at 25 yards and sub 3” at 50 yards.
The Chiappa was accurate with all the test ammunition. For my use as a handy carbine to shoot USPSA PCC or as a truck gun, it was hard to say which ammunition was most accurate. I didn’t see the need to break out the micrometer and split hairs. I like that the carbine shoots consistently with a variety of loads and reliably with full power ammunition. To ensure reliability, keep it lubricated. Blowback operated firearms function best when properly oiled, a bit to the wet side is better.
With the 1 in 16 twist, 18” barrel standard loads picked up 50 to 100 feet per second over a 5” pistol. Recoil and muzzle rise are minimal even with the hottest loads and the rifle transitions quickly from target to target thanks to its 6 pound weight and compact size.
Chiappa’s M1 Carbine 9mm is a helluva rifle. Adding Truglo’s TruSpec red dot with quality ammunition turns a classic styled carbine into an affordable fun carbine for competition, plinking or self-defense. An additional bonus is the size and weight, this is a centerfire rifle that fits virtually anyone. With its low recoil and inexpensive ammunition Chiappa’s M1C 9 makes an ideal carbine for beginners.
If you are in the market for a pistol caliber carbine Chiappa’s M1 Carbine 9mm would be a good choice. When you get yours, take it to the range and shoot straight, shoot safe and have fun.
[Note: please follow the link to the video to view it on YouTube directly, the creator changed the share settings. It is certainly worth the watch]
This is probably the best 11 minute explanation on the AR-15’s cycle of operations I have seen.
The coverage of the mechanics involved and the interaction of the parts when used is simply explained and covers a wide range of individual questions.
The attention to detail of the individual parts groups is exceptional.
While the topic here is the AR-15, the understanding of how the system is operating conveys a much broader understanding of modern service rifles with similarities to the AR.
A 17 minute video circulating online appears to show the attack. Social Media is taking active steps to prevent the video from circulating, to deny the shooter the fame and exposure he seeks. While I sympathize with denying the fame and limiting exposure, the video will offer value to safety and security experts trying to prevent and respond to attacks in the future.
Terrorism is about a message and the suppression is an attempt to defeat the message. Trying to deny it reaching the hateful supporters of this sick message and reduce the likelihood of copycat attacks.
Unfortunately, for their efforts, this is the information age. Once up the video can be shared endlessly and can only be removed as it pops up and is noticed.
The Motive?
The assailant, via the manifesto attributed to him and best information from his own proud admissions, is an anti-immigration extremist with a white euronationalist bent.
It’s the birthrates. It’s the birthrates. It’s the birthrates.
If there is one thing I want you to remember from these writings, its that the birthrates must change. Even if we deport all Non-Europeans from our lands tomorrow, the European people would still be spiraling into decay and eventual death.
The opening of The Great Replacement. The shooter’s justification for brutally murdering his Muslim countrymen in their sacred space.
Read at your own recognisance, it’s the typical self justified false righteousness that mass murders use to justify their actions. It reads like every ISIS, Nazi, Al-Qaeda, Dictatorial, or [name your insane violent purist].
The euronationalist identity runs rampant through the 74 pages. He attempts a humanization of who “he is” as an “ordinary White man” and pitching this in a savior/martyr complex. He’s starting a necessary war to “show the invaders our lands will never be their lands” and “take revenge on the invaders” for both past and present offences.
So of course he killed peaceable citizens during their prayers. Because “The Crusades” and other typical bullshit.
Tactics straight out of ISIS, The Taliban, and Al-Qaeda. Replace White with Islam and its the same extremism. The irony perhaps is he is exactly who he hates and there will be no way to convince him of it.
Extremism conforms to no logic but their own.
Now we view the cascade of the aftermath. We grieve with families of the dead and watch blame be assigned. This is one of the stated goals, and I see it happening in the media already.
This is a telling excerpt:
Finally, to create conflict between the two ideologies within the United States on the ownership of firearms in order to further the social, cultural, political, and racial divide within the United states.This conflict over the 2nd amendment and the attempted removal of firearms rights will ultimately result in a civil war that will eventually balkanize the US along political, cultural and, most importantly, racial lines. This balkanization of the US will not only result in the racial separation of the people within the United States ensuring the future of the White race on the North American continent, but also ensuring the death of the “melting pot” pipe dream. Furthermore this blakanization will also reduce the USA’s ability to project power globally, and thereby ensure that never again can such a situation as the US involvement in Kosovo ever occur again(where US/NATO forces fought beside muslims and slaughtered Christian Europeans attempting to remove these Islamic occupiers from Europe).
Use violence to incite further violence for their twisted version of the “righteous cause”. Attack the innocent because in their perverted mind “they” aren’t innocent but “our” innocents were the real innocents.
This is Al-Qaeda. This is ISIS. This is violent extreme pseudo nationalism used by EVERY group using exactly the same formula as every other extremist individual or group. They hate everyone and everything that differs from their warped worldview while claiming to fight for the world or some portion of the world, even as that world recoils from their vileness.
This man wants violence. He wants sympathetic copycat violence and retaliatory violence. He wants the world to turn upon itself and burn down. Then in some perversion of the phoenix mythos a new one to rise. He wants to perpetuate an enemy image on vast groups of people when that title truly only belongs to extremists like him, regardless of what he “champions”.
I’ve gotten a bee in my bonnet lately about learning how to do my own AR build. This has been a challenge that has been dangling in front of me for a number of years – starting from when I learned to change a stock and buffer tube a few years ago. The desire for the challenge bubbled back to the surface in the lead-up to SHOT Show, and boiled over during my visit to the Aero Precision booth during SHOT in January.
The folks at Aero Precision and Ballistic Advantage have given me the opportunity to build my own .308/M5 rifle for hunting, and I plan to take readers along for the ride. So prepare for a multi-part journey into “A-Pediatrician-Learns-to-Build-An-Evil-Black-Rifle” Or #soeasyapediatriciancandoit .
It may give some people pause that a middle-aged female physician wants to try out her mechanical skills on a rifle build, but WHY? Wasn’t it Heinlein who said that specialization is for insects? Besides, I need a new project. I just finished sewing a baby quilt for my niece last month, and my creative juices need another outlet now.
My main reason for wanting to build rather than buy is that I can build exactly what I want with exactly the features I desire, rather than waiting for what I want to just appear on the gun shop wall. (And it almost never does).
Aero Precision and Ballistic Advantage have built a reputation for quality and value in the firearms world, and providing for home builds like mine is exactly what they do. They offer the excellent quality I want, while still allowing me the budgetary savings of doing my own labor. If I had to special order exactly what I wanted – already built from another manufacturer – it would likely be out of my price range. But Aero and BA have everything I need, and I can order exactly what I want – from my kitchen table in my pajamas if I want. That’s hard to beat.
It is important for me to express here at the outset that I am attempting this as a non-gunsmith. I am not an expert and will be learning this process as I go along – just like anybody else would. I’ve got a booklet, and some websites, and BA has videos to help me, and I also have some friends to ask for help if I run into trouble. But my goal is to do this by myself if at all possible. I have only average mechanical aptitude, and I tell people – as I wave my fingers in front of me – that there are ten very good reasons that I never became a surgeon – ha! I also plan to have a knowledgeable friend do a final once-over inspection for me before I attempt to shoot this gun.
The first segment of my “learning experience” was navigating the parts ordering process. One has to know what parts are involved in a build in order to know what one needs to order. Aero Precision makes that process easier by offering “builder kits”. Obviously the kit doesn’t cover absolutely everything, but it gives you a good place to start. It also gives you options. I opted to include a pistol grip, but not an FCG (trigger group). I’m a bit of trigger snob and wanted to try one from Geissele, so I ordered that separately.
One of the first steps is overcoming the intimidation factor of all of those little parts and pieces. Learning the various parts required, what they are called, why this material is better or worse than that material vs cost – all are part of the learning curve and ordering process.
I do have precedent with the parts and pieces though. I learned how to field strip and clean my first AR with a book, a DVD, and a big white mattress pad spread over my living room floor — in case any little pieces went flying. That was about 8 years ago.
Then 2 or 3 years ago I learned how to change a buffer tube and stock on that same AR, in addition to installing a drop-in trigger, and a different pistol grip. The internet is an amazing resource for photos and how-to videos. I am a very visual learner. If I can watch it being done, I can usually duplicate the necessary action.
Also on the learning curve was finding out what tools are needed and why. I’m long-time divorced. I don’t have a significant other’s workshop full of tools to draw on. I have my own tool box, punch set etc, but there were other tools specific to this job that I needed to order. That involved MORE reading up and asking questions.
The choices on the website were a bit overwhelming at first, until I realized that they could be narrowed down by caliber, length, etc. into a more manageable group.
The online shopping process also became less intimidating as I figured out what the various letters and acronyms stood for. FCG = Fire Control Group (basically means trigger assembly). BBSS = Bead Blasted Stainless Steel. Another one was – What is an FSB and do I need to care? I had to find that one the interwebs. But I did ultimately find the information, and now I understand. Just like learning the acronyms and terms in medicine, there are terms to learn in gun building as well.
Knowing that certain terms are roughly equivalent also helped. For instance, .308 and 7.62 use the same BCG (Bolt Carrier Group), though there are subtle differences. I also learned that the terms AR10 and M5 mean roughly the same thing.
It’s important to realize though, that you don’t have to learn everything all at once. (heaven knows I haven’t) Don’t let the avalanche of information intimidate you. One of the advantages to building it yourself is that you can “baby-steps” your way through the process.
Ask for specific Aero Precision or Ballistic Advantage parts for Christmas and anniversary gifts. Ask for gift certificates to Brownell’s or Geissele for a “tools” birthday gift. You can turn credit card miles into gift cards or cash back that you can use to buy tools or parts, too. (That’s how I got my punch set and vice last year.) You can slowly accumulate what you need as budget and time allows. You don’t have to bite it ALL off at once if you don’t want to. That’s the beauty of a build – you can do it at your own pace.
So you can follow along from home, here is my personal parts list:
.308/7.62 Bolt Carrier Group Complete – Black Nitride
SKU# APRH100723C
Radian Raptor Ambi Charging Handle AR10
SKU# APRH100930C
Magpul PRS Gen3 Precision Adjustable Stock FDE
SKU# APRH100248C
M5 .308 Rifle Buffer Kit, No Stock
SKU# APVG100021A
VG6 Epsilon 762 Muzzle Brake
SKU# APRH100703C
AR15 Flip-up sight set.
Ballistic Advantage
SKU# BABL308004P WITH pinned Gas Block AND tube
18” .308 Tactical Government Midlength AR308 Barrel premium series
You now have a choice – you can come along on this build ride with me and we can build it (and yours) together – or – you can let me make all the mistakes first, and learn from my experiences and then build your own. The choice is yours – let’s go!
