Some of the rimfire targets I’ve gathered for practice.
My article about squirrel hunting earlier this year has led me down some rabbit trails of new information as I look into the possibilities for myself and my daughter.
I found this article to be full of good information for my beginner self.
What was really interesting is that I also found this article – which discusses the almost heretical idea that introducing big game hunting in hunter recruitment efforts may create unrealistic expectations about expense and opportunity. Whereas small game hunting may offer more opportunity and more positive reinforcement, keeping the new recruits coming back more often than with big game hunting.
It does make sense that in our zeal to set new hunters and youngsters up for success that we often create unrealistic expectations for the future. Game commission sponsored youth hunts on lands with easy pickings that have been pre-scouted by somebody else, free gear, photos in the Game News magazine – none of that happens when you are ultimately out there doing it on your own. Ask me how I know.
In several years of trying, the only times I have come home from hunts with meat has been on released hunts of pheasant and duck. Released hunts aren’t exactly real world conditions. Sure, you still have to make your shot, but you “know” the game is there, because someone put it out for you to find. Hunting wild game in the real world doesn’t work like that.
It seems funny that I found this article AFTER I had already come to the same conclusion based upon my own experience. But there it is.
Some advantages from my own perspective to introducing small game hunting over big game hunting for attracting new hunters include:
-No special tags needed – just a basic license. No extra fees for doe tags, or lotteries for limited tags.
-No special equipment needed – no blinds or tree stands to buy. No dog to train. No boats or decoys needed. Maybe not even camo.
-A basic vehicle is fine. No pickup needed to haul out your deer. You can hunt squirrels or rabbits with a Prius (or a bicycle) and fit them in the game bag in your vest.
-You still get meat to eat.
-Taxidermy? Not really.
-You don’t need to spend months patterning the habits of rabbits and squirrels.
-You don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands on an outfitter and guide to go small game hunting.
-Ammo for small game is generally cheaper than the larger calibers that are required for big game. That makes practice cheaper too.
I’m still working on my own small game goals. I’ve purchased a rimfire rifle and already have a 20 gauge pump. I’ve purchased some little targets to practice with and renewed my hunting licenses for the year.
Now I just have to carve out the time to practice. My gun club has rimfire silhouette matches, which I should probably investigate. That would give me practice AND mentorship this summer.
I might be getting ahead of myself, but I’m already looking at recipes for squirrel and rabbit for the Fall. I’ve gotten my hopes up every year for deer season and have been disappointed. Here’s hoping that THIS hunting avenue will net me some actual dinner this hunting season!
It’s probably not what you think, so let me explain the context.
One of the obvious missions of the anti-gun lobby is to magnify the negative consequences of widespread gun ownership in America. As you probably know, they do this in several ways.
Most notably, while discussing rare and highly disturbing crimes like mass murders of children, they throw out a number that represents all types of gun deaths. This distracts attention from the fact that most gun deaths are suicides and most gun murders are criminals killing each other. Misdirection is a cheap trick, but it keeps working well enough that it’s been a go-to tactic of anti-gunners for years.
Another tactic is to compare U.S. gunshot deaths with a carefully selected group of “developed” countries. If you cherry pick the data carefully, you can make the U. S. look like a very dangerous place that is desperately in need of more authoritarian gun laws.
A more realistic measure of violence is to compare our country with all countries and use the overall murder rate rather than just gun deaths. If you do that, the U. S. is right in the middle of the pack. There is no tsunami of death—our murder rate has been declining for decades. If you look beyond the primary source of homicides, gangs and drug criminals in certain cities, America is one of the safest countries in the world. Not bad for a stressed-out, multi-ethnic society with lots of freedom and from 350 to 600 million guns in civilian hands.
So, with such a huge number of guns in a turbulent society, why isn’t our overall murder rate sky high?
One reason is never mentioned in gun law discussions. No, I’m not going to throw statistics at you. This theory is strictly based on my own observations, what I call “ground truth.”
Everyone in my large circle of friends knows I’m a gun guy. I’ve taken many novices to the range to introduce them to safe gun handling. It’s one of my passions. I’ve had many more chat with me privately about their personal feelings regarding gun ownership.
I’ve learned that people generally know when they are not suited to taking on that responsibility. I’d love to have a dollar for every time someone told me they don’t trust themselves to keep a gun around. They worry about their temper, their ability to react appropriately in an emergency, their use of intoxicants, their relationship issues and other factors that affect their mental state.
The biggest reason we don’t have an astronomical rate of gun deaths is simple: people generally choose the best option for their own circumstances without orders from the nanny state. This “self-selection” contradicts the idea that we need to be micro-managed for our own safety.
As a result of self-selection much of what the anti-gun lobby claims they want to accomplish has already been done individually by the people themselves at zero cost. No tax money expended, no freedoms restricted, no need for state-mandated mental health exams.
This theory of self-selection is one of several important reasons that gun control laws have no measurable effect. It’s been ignored in the gun control debate, probably because it can’t be weaponized in the war on liberty and our civil rights.
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—Dr. Michael S. Brown is a pragmatic Libertarian environmentalist who has been studying the gun debate for three decades and considers it a fascinating way to learn about human nature and politics.
The US Supreme Court on Monday struck down 18 USC § 924(c)(3)(B), a major federal statute with mandatory sentences for crimes committed with firearms, as unconstitutionally vague.
The law, for those unfamiliar, is one that structures criminal sentencing for crimes and adds time for use of a firearm during the commision of a crime or a firearms presence during the commision of a crime.
Justice Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, a 5-4 ruling, which stuck down the long standing law as vague. Those sentenced under the law will be having their sentences and convictions adjusted according to the ruling. Specifically Maurice Davis and Andre Glover who were sentenced for a string of gas station robberies in Texas under the now struck law.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the dissent. He argued that the law has been successfully applied in tens of thousands of cases seemingly without issue. He further argued that the majority’s ruling now may lead to resentencings and releases of numerous inmates decades earlier than Congress intended in writing 924(c). He additionally argued that the majority actually created additional confusion by making numerous crimes that would have qualified now unable to be charged.
Not every firearms case taken up by a court is a bastion of 2nd Amendment justice. Some, like this one, show just how deep and weird the legal system gets when it comes to the rules, regulations, and sentencing structure for crimes.
I’m truly curious how many sentencings this will reduce in the end.
In the news recently, was another celebrity toddler drowning. As horrible as that is, this tragedy was one of over 3500 unintentional drownings that occur yearly in the U.S. , not counting boating accidents. Skier Bode Miller‘s family experienced a similar heartache just last year.
Why am I bringing up these horrible toddler deaths on a gun page? Because child death by drowning is far bigger problem than child death by firearms. In fact the CDC itself states that,
Yet you wouldn’t know that by the amount of noise we hear from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical societies about firearms versus what we hear about water safety.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently updated their policy statement regarding drowning and has a webpage which includes a list of Swim Safety TIps.
The tips run the gamut from ways to secure your pool, to CPR training for adults, to safety equipment that should be available near a pool.
You know what is conspicuously absent from all of this advice? Telling parents to NOT have a pool, to NOT buy a boat, and to NEVER EVER go to the beach or lake. Another conspicuous absence is the lobbying of government officials to place ever greater restrictions on swimming pools, boats, and bodies of natural water large and small, and even to ban some pools and boats completely.
Also absent is the demonization of the bathtub industry and the pool lobby, bills to sue pool manufacturers for deaths that they callously enable, and the advice to grill other parents about their pool habits and if there is any standing water or toilets where children play.
Absent are the histrionics asking WHY these people they think they need a death lagoon in their own backyard. Absent is the lobbying to ban killer assault wave parks. Haven’t they heard of air conditioning? Don’t they have a sprinkler? Haven’t they paid city taxes to have a public pool with lifeguards? Only the government should have control of such dangerous bodies of water!
Yet Organized Medicine in general, and the AAP in particular do all of the above and worse when it comes to firearms – despite the fact that vastly more children die every year in accidental drownings than die in accidental shootings.
It is a summer ritual for many children to participate in swimming lessons as soon as school gets out for the summer. Parents want their kids to be safer around the water, and to learn to enjoy it rather than be afraid of it. So why isn’t there a similar push to get children into summer gun safety classes? Shouldn’t we be as diligent about teaching children firearm use and safety as we are about teaching them to swim?
In truth, accidental firearms injuries have been dropping for decades – due largely to the efforts of the firearms community – NOT Organized Medicine. In contrast, child drowning rates have apparently not budged in recent years.
Here’s an idea – perhaps the medical community needs to focus more on where the ACTUAL dangers to children lie and stop trying to undermine the Constitutional rights of lawful citizens. Maybe then we’d ALL be safer.
One of the old mantras many of us continue to see and hear is that the sub-compact firearm is “Carried often, but shot little.” Let me go on the record stating that I TOTALLY DISAGREE with this old adage. Like many of you, my every-day carry companion is a sub-compact handgun (the dark-earth 9mm Springfield Armory XD-S), and I shoot it on a regular basis.
It seems this adage is often repeated by instructors because, in their experience, many of the subcompacts of the past were difficult to manage and the recoil was harsh. These “cons” resulted in little practice time with the firearm.
With the smaller versions of the Springfield XD series though, I do not find this to be the case at all. I actually enjoy practice sessions with these small pistols.
Special Concealment Assignment
Quite often I get requests from friends in the security business requiring assistance with multi-day protection details. A few days prior to receiving the Springfield XD-S Mod.2 for evaluation, I answered one of these calls. After obtaining some of the specifics related to this executive detail, it was clear that a suit and tie were the “uniform” of the day. Knowing that 1) dress belts are not the best rig when carrying full-sized firearms and 2) blending in and concealment were the high priority, I opted to carry my sub-compact 9mm Springfield Armory XD-S as my primary firearm. My Springfield Armory SAINT was relegated to the trunk of my transport vehicle as the “back-up” weapon. Good choice, I know…
60 Minutes Correspondent, Scott Pelley over at CBS has assembled the linked special to once again malign the most popular rifle in the United States. Every time I open one of these articles I have hope. I want it be filled with an unbiased, or at the least a fair minded while ignorant, look at the topic. I can respect a difference of opinion, I cannot respect willful ignorance or misrepresentation and misinformation.
This article is filled with the latter, not the former.
Some of the worst massacres in recent memory have had something in common: the AR-15 style rifle. Scott Pelley reports on why the high-velocity rounds used in the gun makes it so deadly.
The mass shooting this past April at a California synagogue has something in common with the deadliest massacres: the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. Variations of the AR-15 were used to kill at two New Zealand mosques, a Pittsburgh synagogue, Texas church, a Las Vegas concert, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and Sandy Hook Elementary School. The AR-15 style rifle is the most popular rifle in America. There are well over 11 million and they are rarely used in crime. Handguns kill far more people. But as we first reported last November, the AR-15 is the choice of our worst mass murderers. AR-15 ammunition travels three times the speed of sound. And tonight we’re going to slow that down, so you can see why the AR-15’s high velocity ammo is the fear of every American emergency room. – CBS
Opening by conveniently leaving out the recent shootings that involved handguns (Virginia Beach, STEM in Colorado). CBS highlights the lethality of the target of their ire and states that ERs across the nation fear the AR-15 and its high velocity ammunition. While mass casualty is among the fears of most emergency rooms and trauma centers, I can’t see it being their ultimate fear just because the method of injury was gunshot wound.
ER Numbers
Check this out here, the unintentional vs. intentional injury rate nationwide for ERs. Unintentional rate of 904.6/10,000. The intentional rate, includes both self-inflicted and assaults, is only 66/10,000. I don’t think rifle GSWs specifically occupy most of their thoughts.
I’m not going to disparage the nature of a rifle wound. A rifle and shotgun (with slug or buckshot) are both far more injurious than a handgun round.
It’s the way CBS writes it, singling out .223 Rem/5.56x45mm as some sort devastatingly unique murder bullet and then using the foil for their comparison as 9mm.
Not other rifle ammo like 30-30 or 30.06… 9mm.
“Bonafides”
CBS gives a quick nod in the first paragraph to the facts that handguns are used in far more violence and that rifles and firearms in general are largely used by the law abiding… they then spend the rest of their time with you attempting to make you forget those facts.
They flow into the anecdotes of responders to these horrific crimes. Every single one reads the same, “The most horrific scene I’ve seen in my XX years in Law Enforcement/EMS.” Yes, I believe you. A massacre on this scale is a high damage/low probability event and when they happen the results are devastating, shocking, and heart wrenching.
CBS mentions Sutherland Springs, Texas. They don’t mention that a citizen, Stephen Williford, armed with the same rifle they are maligning and those very same ultra deadly murder bullets (5.56) was the one who engaged and stopped Devin Kelley.
Kelley should have been unable to purchase the rifle under Federal law but the DoD failed in their record keeping.
And then… it’s time for the Gel Test.
Gel Test of Terror!
Cynthia Bir with correspondent Scott Pelley. Image from the CBS article.
Cynthia Bir (pictured above) shows CBS a standard ballistics gel test. But again, they use 9mm as the baseline for the test. They are then shocked that two rounds designed to perform two different ways are doing just that. I’m afraid to ask them to fire a 30.06 into ballistic tissue simulant… what shock and horror would the folks have to confront when a moderately powered rifle cartridge is compared to a full power rifle cartridge so very commonly used for hunting and over a century old.
They point to the fact that the base heavy 5.56, at its naturally higher velocity, tumbles and depending on the bullet make up will fragment. Where the much slower 9mm, whose velocity they list at 800 miles per hour, instead of the standard feet per second format for some reason, expands when the bullet is designed to do just that.
I can fathom two reasons for the use of mph. I suspect it’s both.
Reason 1. Miles Per Hour/MPH is a more widely understood measure of velocity since we use mph in our vehicles. A 9mm therefore goes 12-15 times as fast as a car on the highway when it leaves the gun. This conceptually makes sense to people as ” very fast.”
Reason 2. We associate high mph speeds with danger because of vehicles. This makes saying the 9mm goes 800 mph far scarier than saying it goes 1,050 feet per second (fps). They then omit listing the rifle velocity in miles per hour (~2100mph by the way. The F22 Raptor, an air superiority fighter, has a max speed of 1,498 mph, highlighting the absurdity of using mph format for ammunition.)
Look at how bad gunshot wounds are!
After highlighting the well acknowledged fact that rifle wounds are worse than handgun wounds… because, you know, physics… They go over more anecdotes of the various wounds caused in some of the AR-15 involved shootings, highlighting the specific damage caused to the organs, muscles, and bones of the wounded and dead.
Not once do they compare it to another rifle round. In fact they largely stop the comparison to the 9mm at this point, having gotten their 800 mph point made. They just go over how bad gunshot wounds are… over and over and over. No comparison, no contrast against a standard, just gunshot wounds from an AR are bad.
Yes. They are. So are the rest of gunshot wounds.
Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas is their next argument by rolling in just how fast an AR can shoot. Well…
Again, the fact that the bumpstock shifted casualties into the wounded category more than the dead won’t be publicized as it doesn’t work for the goal of maligning the AR. Again, the fact that the physical location of the attack and crowd situation contributed drastically to the casualty figure, far more than just the rifle or magazines cannot be publicized as it shifts blame away from the rifle. A bolt action rifle would have been devastating. An IED would have. A Nice, France style drive through attack would have been incredibly lethal in that crowd.
Our obsession with “method” over general means and motive is perpetually aggravating…
It’s that darn high speed ammo…
The response has been is a rehash of emergency response procedures… in many cases late and reactionary instead of proactively. I’ve spoken with LEO and EMS folk who have been trying to get their emergency medicine and response on the levels that have so drastically improved casualty care from GWOT into the civilian side, they’ve been fighting that battle for years. They are met with institutional lethargy, indifference, and a general wish that it just won’t happen to them.
Departments and services that are keeping up on casualty care are what we need! This shouldn’t be a shock to us it should be our demand and expectation for our first responders.
CBS manages to turn this point to read as something shameful. “We shouldn’t need this.” is the vibe the piece portrays.
I wish we didn’t need it. I do.
But we do. The horror glorification the mass media has managed to engender in our 24hr coverage of these are events that will be well publicized and give the deranged among the population the opportunity for a stage. Want proof? New Zealand. And the government did a lot of what the shooter wanted.
We didn’t kick off the deranged race war he wanted when gun control got brought up but we certainly brought up gun control worldwide.
Today, all Americans are being asked to prepare for the grievous wounds of high-velocity rounds. The CBS piece concludes.
Americans are also being asked to prepare for heart disease, diabetes, house fires, power outages, natural disasters, and identity theft.
So why is the AR-15 “the choice” for mass shooters?
Easy.
Cheap.
Available
The reason handguns dominate in other criminal violence is concealability, a factor a mass casualty attack isn’t concerned with. Yet handguns are still common there too.
The question CBS implies they ask is “How are we learning to respond to mass casualty attacks?” Instead they produced a low information slam piece on the AR-15 to continue the “black gun scary” narrative.
I’m not sure exactly what happened, but there seemed to be a moment when a switch was flipped and the country became one that embraced concealed carry. The vast majority of states are now shall issue states and all 50 states offer some form of concealed carry license. This created a massive market for concealed carry guns.
The industry reacted to this trend and guns got smaller, much smaller. The 380 ACP made a major comeback, prior to this concealed carry revolution the 380 ACP wasn’t a popular cartridge. Guns shrunk, every major company offered a small, pocket-sized pistol for concealed carry or a small sub-compact double stack magazine.
After that we saw the rise of single stack 9mms. These guns were the happy medium between the pocket .380 and the double stack sub compact. The single stack 9 still has a healthy dose of the market, but it’s beginning to change.
It all started with that damn P365. The SIG P365 gave us a gun the size of a single stack 9mm with 10 round magazines, with the option for 12 rounders. People suddenly wanted something like a single stack, but they also wanted more than 6 rounds of 9mm. It didn’t end there though. People wanted thin guns, but they weren’t afraid of larger guns either.
Concealed Carry Guns Change Once More
I said it the year the P365 debuted, the concealed carry gun industry was about to change. Companies in that market are going to have to reply with something of their own. Glock replied by modifying the 43 into the 43X and the Glock 48. Instead of coming up with a fancy new magazine they made their guns bigger.
The Glock 48
Both guns have 10 round magazines but the Glock 48 has a longer barrel. Both are thinner than the Glock 26, but match its capacity. They became something we didn’t know we wanted. The larger grip is easier to handle, and the thinner design makes IWB easier. The longer slide and barrel increase the sight radius, making it easier to shoot accurately.
The 43X
People seemingly loved the idea. A compact grip and gun, with the slide of what’s essentially a full sized gun. Companies again had to react to meet this market.
Springfield introduced the XD-E 4.5″ single stack 9mm. Is sports a longer 4.5 inch barrel, but retains a compact grip. Following that S&W showed us the new 4 inch Shield that is optic’s ready as well.
Of course, SIG wasn’t going to be outdone and tossed out the impressive SIG P365 XL that sported a longer slide and barrel as well as a 15 round magazine. It’s also an optic’s ready gun.
The new concealed carry gun market means going a little bigger. You either want a bigger magazine, a bigger slide, or a bigger set of sights via an optic.
But Why?
Why has the market for concealed carry guns changed? What was wrong with subcompacts and pocket pistols? I have a few theories as to why myself.
People Just Like New Stuff
George Carlin once said Americans are professional consumers. It’s somewhat true in the gun world. We like new stuff, and companies have to keep innovating to stay relevant. Is the demand because people like new stuff? That’s one somewhat negative theory about these guns, but let’s be optimistic.
People are Training More
People aren’t just buying concealed carry guns and sitting on it anymore. They are getting out there and training. The training market is huge, big enough that gun companies like IWI are even running their own training academies. People are shooting more and seeing the flaws of those super small guns. These larger guns are so much easier to shoot in all ways.
Holsters Have Gotten Way Better
Back in the day sub-compacts and pocket 380s were the easiest guns to hide and the most comfortable guns to carry. As markets do, companies have to produce a better product to stay on top. The holster market is cut throat and competitive and holsters have gotten better. Holsters from companies like PHLSTER are outstanding and make carrying bigger guns much easier. The rise of appendix carry is another factor we have to consider. Appendix carry makes it much easier to conceal larger guns.
Bigger, but still thin guns are becoming massively popular in very short period of time. To me more options is better. I generally prefer a full sized gun, but smaller guns make it into my carry rotation when carrying a full sized gun isn’t possible. I like the added capacity, the easier grip, and the increasing amount of guns with optics mounts. I hope to see the concept evolve and see what companies like Walther, or even HK can put out to compete.
I recently welcomed a new “pet” into my home. She’s a bit of a senior girl, but still has a lot of life left in her.
Okay she’s a shotgun, not a Corgi, but I discovered that the used gun “adoption” process is not unlike bringing home a pet.
I am usually a buy-once-cry-once gal when it comes to guns, but when I found myself in the market for a tactical/HD shotgun, I decided that with a kid heading to graduate school and needing financial help, that I probably should not be buying any new guns this summer.
New tactical 12 gauges run in the 400 dollar and up range so my challenge was to try to rehabilitate a used gun on a budget.
Welcome to my New Project!
I started my search with calling around to several local pawn shops to see what they had in stock. Pawn shops are not unlike the local dog pound or humane society in that they are full of cast-offs that other people don’t want. I feel bad for all those lonely abandoned guns, but unfortunately I can’t take all of them home with me.
One shop I called didn’t have hours when I could get there. Another shop was wildly over-priced. Another shop had the breed that I was looking for (Mossberg 500 12 Gauge) and even the size I was looking for (18.5 inch barrel) but the price was still too high. And yet another shop had what I was looking for at such a fantastic price that I wondered if this lonely pet had a date with the needle or something.
I had a little fun at the first pawn shop I visited, because I think the older guy in the camo ball cap thought he was going to “little lady” me. Admittedly, I was in my office wear and not tactical pants, but imagine the look on his face when I started unscrewing the end cap of the shotgun he just handed me, and started pulling the barrel off!
It was an 18.5 inch barrel, so that would have saved me money by not replacing it, but this boy had a good bit of mange on the underbelly, so I’d have probably needed to replace it anyway. Since I was just beginning my search and had a few other shops to visit, I thanked the man for his time and moved on. He was still gaping when I left.
The second pawn shop was where I hit paydirt. They had a Mossberg 500 12 gauge and were only asking $119 for it. The reason it was so cheap was not because it was due to be euthanized, but because the previous owner had taken a can of spray paint to it – presumably for turkey or waterfowl purposes. But it wasn’t even a full-on camo job – it was just squiggles of goldish-tan. This gun was an older model with a crummy paint job, but the action was smooth, the trigger was crisp, and the safety worked. The inside of the barrel didn’t even look bad despite the paint job on the outside. But because it was 26 inches long, I’d be replacing it with a shorter “tactical” version anyway.
Just as with adopting from a rescue group or humane society, you have to prove that you are a fit pet owner before you can take a gun home, so I filled out the forms and jumped through the hoops just as I would at any gun shop. We dealed a bit and I ended up out-the-door tax-and-all for $110 cash. I thought I did pretty well.
I got my new pet home and immediately tried to find out how old she was. You can apparently contact Mossberg directly with the serial number, but I found a partial serial number chart online which gave me a ballpark idea.
This girl was about 30 years old. No spring chicken, but she looked to be in decent shape for her age. She had a synthetic stock and forend and no obvious rust.
Taking her to a professional groomer would have defeated the purpose of a budget makeover, so I ordered a “care and keeping of your pet” book online and watched a couple videos before getting started on what was probably her first thorough bath since the Clinton Administration.
The manual for my new pet.
I took the stock off first, and though there was a good bit of crud in that seam, it did not prepare me for the debris that spilled out when I took out the trigger assembly. Wow, this girl had a bad case of fleas – but it was just crud, no rust. At least it wasn’t heartworm. A good bath and application of preventive should take care of everything.
Crud.More crud.Even more crud.
A friend recommended Kroil and canned air, followed by denatured alcohol and more canned air, followed by a good lube. The grooming products cost me more than I expected, but now I’ll have them if this bringing-home-strays thing becomes a habit.
Grooming products for my new pet.
That’s where I am so far in my adoption journey. The parts are still in the soak-and-toothbrush stage, but I am pleased with how everything is cleaning up at this point. I think my new pet and I are going to be very happy together.
In the meantime, I liked the pawn shop (and how I was treated) so much that I may make a little room in my safe with some cast-off safe queens of my own. Besides making room in the safe, that would give my makeover budget a little more breathing room too.
I may just leave the receiver as is for now and not refinish it yet. I haven’t decided on Rustoleum vs a true Cerakote job. I likewise haven’t yet decided if I want to home-hydrodip the stock and forend or if I want to spring for new Magpul furniture. We’ll see what the budget and my home skills come up with. I’ll be sure to update when she’s all finished and ready to become my new Emotional Support Gun.
ETS is mostly known for making transparent polymer AR 15 and Glock magazines, but they’ve also developed a line of magazine loaders. The ETS Cam loaders are designed for both rifles and pistols. I got my hands on the rifle magazine loader and have been putting it through its paces. The ETS CAM rifle mag loader is designed to be used with a wide variety of magazines and that is where the main appeal is to me. I like the idea of a magazine loader I can utilize for a variety of different guns.
The CAM Rifle Mag loader will work with AR 15s, AKs, AR 10s, the MP5, the CZ Scorpion, the Colt SMG, and even the Uzi. It covers all the bases I need, and for 30 bucks it’s a bargain. Of course, that depends on if it works.
Hows It Work?
The ETS CAM Rifle Mag loader is a two-piece system. One part is a plunger, the other holds the ammo and the magazine in place for the plunger to push it all together. What’s cool is the larger portion that holds it together has a channel that allows you to pick up rounds by their rim. If the ammo is sorted with the projectiles facing downwards you can slide the top portion over the rims of the rounds and you can pick them up without hassle.
If your ammo isn’t sorted with the projectiles facing down you can drop the rounds down the channel one by one. You can typically load about 10 to 15 rounds on the plunger depending on the caliber. You hold the load over the magazine and place the plunger on top. Apply pressure and it shoots rounds into the magazine. Simple, quick and effective.
Does CAM Rifle Mag Loader Work?
Yes, actually pretty well too. The ETS CAM Rifle mag loader makes loading mags simple and quick. Mags from the AR, Colt SMG, and Scorpion fit perfectly and are easy to hold and load. Metal AK mags fit perfect, and some polymer mags are a little tight and a little harder to hold onto but still loadable. Things do get difficult when it comes to loading 15 rounds at a time. It’s doable, but the manual does state ten rounds and predictably ten rounds is the smoothest functioning load capacity.
I can load a thirty round magazine in about thirty seconds from the box. This isn’t trying to be fast, just casually loading one mag at a time. Sliding the loader’s channel over the rounds makes it much faster to load mags. Dropping a few in at a time works well too. Outside of being faster, it’s also less tiring on the hands and thumbs, which ensures your hands are rested and strong for that range time.
The ETS CAM Rifle mag loader isn’t just great to load quickly. I imagine folks with arthirits and poor hand strength will love it. It will make loading magazines much easier in this situation.
Complaints and Gripes?
You can find them on Amazon, at Academy, and on the ETS website etc. This was my first experience with the ETS loaders and it’s becoming awfully tempting to grab a 9mm handgun loader.
The Boston Globe ran the following letter from the Falmouth Gun Safety Coalition in response to the Virginia beach shooting. The “Derp” is strong… we will see if the analysis stands up. If you can guess the answer by the article title, you win one internet.
The recent shooting in Virginia Beach, Va., shows that the most severe gun-related problem facing our society is the proliferation of guns containing a semiautomatic mechanism.
Huh? That is a quite the new take on a firearm action style that is more than a century old. “Containing a semi-automatic mechanism” sounds like it’s some form of evil RAM chip you add to a computer to access the dark web. Not.. you know.. a series of springs so that when the action opens it will close again on a new round of ammunition. Also don’t tell the FGSC double action revolvers and rifles exist, throws this whole vibe they have going completely off.
The gun used in this incident was a .45-caliber handgun, not an “assault rifle.”
Thank you for recognizing that… I suppose. Also why is assault rifle in quotation?
The connection between the handgun used and an assault rifle is the incorporation of a semiautomatic mechanism in both.
Aaand there it is. There’s the Derp.
Let’s parlance assault rifle properly first. Once again, for the folks in the back: an assault rifle is a select fire capable (automatic or fires in bursts AND semi-automatic) intermediate caliber rifle most often fed from a detachable box magazine. If it doesn’t have the colloquially called “giggle switch” it is not an assault rifle.
Now every semi-auto is an “assault weapon.” Not assault rifle, which has a definitive set of features, but an assault weapon. An assault weapon can have any of a number of century old features as long as the sound and/or look scary enough to be put on a list.
Now nobody should remind FGSC of the Washington Navy Yard, having a pump shotgun used in an attack with a number killed of 12. Also a government employee attacking their place of work… Such a detail throws this whole angle into chaos.
This mechanism automatically ejects spent cartridges and loads new ones.
And has existed for mass public consumption for over a century. Semi-automatics are not new.
Both styles of weapons accept high-capacity magazines and can handle large-caliber ammunition.
These are nonsense words. Gun controller definition of “high capacity” seems to be a dwindling number. 30, 20, 15, 10, 7… Any capacity when used against you isn’t going to be a good situation. Assigning an arbitrary number isn’t going to help your unarmed gun banned work spaces shoot back, you’re waiting for armed help… exactly like you wanted to.
While we focus on AR-15 style weapons, literally tens of millions of semiautomatic handguns are sold to the general public.
Yep. The single most popular firearm category for years has been handgun, and the reason has been protection. Okay, Derp on.
These are the weapons that function exactly the same as the Virginia Beach gun.
Ruger LCP II .380 ACP. WITH THE SAME MECHANISMS AS ASSAULT RIFLES! – FGSC.. probably. Image via Ruger.
And every department issued or approved service handgun… and the vast majority of handguns used in self defense as the revolver declines in popularity… and the handguns of the the U.S. Military since 1912…
Sooo most guns. But don’t worry, we promise it isn’t an infringement. It isn’t, we said so. -FGSC, again probably.
These are weapons that were designed for military and law enforcement purposes only and not for the general public.
Not at all accurate. Most AR-15’s were designed from the ground up as civilian products and many are even of higher quality and newer tech than their military counterparts.
Revolvers, lever-action, pump-action, and bolt-action guns cover the full spectrum of civilian needs, whether they are hunting, personal protection, or home protection.
You know nothing, Jon Snow. Who are you to arbitrate a need? I missed the line about “unless civilians don’t need it according to you” in the 2nd Amendment. I will check again but it’s only 27 words. And as for protection, when was the last time you have been remotely close to a fight?
The semiautomatic mechanism for guns has no place in civilian hands.
It has every place in civilian hands, your imbecilic level of ignorance to speak on this topic seems very Dunning-Kruger. I should take your expertise on firearms as seriously as you should take mine on neurosurgery.
The murderous attack May 31in the Virginia Beach city government building has predictably elicited outrage and opportunism by masses of sensitive, easily triggered [all puns intended] anti-gun activists and legislators. A large fraction of them are of course Democrats running for their party’s Presidential nomination.
It’s seldom that something unifies so many Americans, though it’s too frequent that the unifying motive is so irrational. Business as usual in the nation’s politics.
John Lott covered the essentials in “What Gun Control Advocates Fail to Grasp After Mass Shootings”. “Gun-free” zones are dangerous places to be in once targeted by murders, like the city employee who readily (and illegally) entered the locked building with his handguns. Other Virginia municipalities that do not forbid employee carry have had no such problem.
The night before, one “Virginia Beach shooting victim considered taking her gun to work” because she knew that employee was dangerous. But she feared dismissal if discovered, and did not. Virginia Beach was complicit in her murder because of that policy, and in all 12 deaths because while forbidding effective self-defense it did not provide any other defense.
So it’s another field day for hoplophobic hysterics. Because the shooter had no Federal or state prohibiting factors, he obtained his handguns legally.
Because of the absence of other blame, the target of opportunity became his use of at least one “silencer”, the deadly, scary accessory that permits assassins to murder people with no audible report whatsoever, and enabled him to sneak around executing his intended victims at will—NOT. (And which he may also have obtained legally.)
DRGO has repeatedly called for unrestricted access to firearm suppressors (the proper term) for the sake of millions of Americans’ hearing preservation. Dr. Wheeler wrote about them as “A Powerful Tool of Public Health” in 2015. Dr. Vaughan in 2016 pointed out the “True Public Health Issue” their expense and licensure creates. Because of our mounting concern, in 2017 we released the definitive paper on “Suppressors and Hearing” explaining the medical basis of the hearing damage that every single gunshot does to every shooter and bystander who are without protection. That paper is available here, with its “Executive Summary” here.
The best protection for everyone is a suppressor attached (or built in) to every suitable firearm (carry handguns excepted). This diminishes the impact of the blast on every ear within range without interfering with audible communication the way ear muffs and plugs do, which help only the shooter.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss is permanent and irreversible, is already present in 38 million Americans (from music and shooting), with over 100 million Americans are at risk just from using firearms. Stopping the damage at the muzzle is the most sensible intervention, as suppressors are much more effective than any ear-positioned device. Suppressors decreased experienced noise levels from instantly damaging to tolerable—but NOT quiet. Suppressed gunshots still measure from 110 to 140 decibels, a range that includes the aural assault of jackhammers. No one can ignore reports at that level, but less than 140 decibel prevents instant, permanent hearing loss.
Suppressors somehow got added in to the 1934 National Firearms Act, whose primary purpose was to reduce the availability of automatic weapons (i.e., “Tommy Guns”) to criminal gangs. There is no record of hearings or the thinking behind including suppressors, a decision that has injured Americans ever since. While over 900,000 are in use now across the nation, effective suppressors can also be made or repurposed from ordinary supplies. There have been virtually no crimes committed here with suppressors in 85 years, nor in countries like New Zealand and most of Europe where they are freely available.
Please read and publicize the truth about suppressors. The truth is that (firearms) being suppressed is an excellent thing—pro-health as well as pro-civil rights.
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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 had the chance to sit down with Steve Horsman from Springfield Armory to discuss the necessary steps when you first purchase an M1A. Here’s a look at his insights about what you should do when you first get your new M1A.
I own more than a few M1A rifles, and I get a bunch of questions about taking care of my guns and best practices for new owners. You know, I’m not really doing anything significant. The two guns I shoot for competition are Super Match rifles.
Cleaning
The first step I do is clean the rifle. There’s a misconception going around that guns that come from the factory aren’t clean. They really are clean, but they’ve been test fired. I want a fresh start before heading out to the range.
One of the things Springfield does is test fire them up to 10 times per gun. That varies depending on which gun it is. The Super Match rifles are zeroed at 100 yards, so you know you’re getting a gun that is close to dialed.
For cleaning, I’m a big fan of Bore Snakes. I’ll put a little CLP on a Bore Snake and run it through a couple times. I make sure the breach on the bolt face is cleaned. That goes for every time I bring the gun in from practice. I get to know the gun. The M1A isn’t like the new AR-15 rifles, and not many people have a ton of time behind them.
Sighting In and Optics
Some folks don’t pay attention to how they adjust the sights on an M1A. They’re much like the Garand rifles. There are two dials on the back to adjust the sight. The owner’s manual is a great place to start when familiarizing yourself with your M1A. After I understand what I’m in for, I take it to the range for sighting in. Yes, it is zeroed from the factory, but I want to verify. Plus, not everyone likes their guns sighted in at that distance. My suggestion would be to dial the sights in for the distance that you will most often shoot. For me, I zero the guns at 300 yards since that is the distance that many M1A matches hit.
That is pretty much it. There’s not much to get to know and adjust your M1A. Take the M1A CQB, for example. When I first purchased the gun I already knew I wouldn’t put an optical sight on it. I read through the manual, even though I’ve had plenty of time around the gun, but a little re-familiarization with a platform is good to do every so often.
One thing I have noticed about the variants of the M1A platform is people’s desire to scope the M1A. If you’re going to scope the M1A, you might as well go with a full-size gun. Springfield offers scope mounts that allow shooters to scope their M1A. But, again there folks that rush into putting on the optic. We all know how that ends. They don’t put it on right and can throw off the windage by several feet at a hundred yards.
Sig Sauer Traditional Match Elite in Black Multicam "Battleworn" by BDL Custom Finishes
If you are a 1911 traditionalist, then you will like Sig Sauer’s Traditional Match Elite 1911 in the worst weather conditions. To ensure the pistol gives you a good purchase the front strap has crisp factory checkering, dark checkered custom wood grips and checkered mainspring housing. For ease of operation the TEM ships with extended ambidextrous controls. The safety and slide stop are sized to be easy to operate without being so large they snag clothing. These standard features that you would expect on a custom 1911, not a factory pistol.
Even with a Cerakote finish the checkering is still sharp, but not cutting sharp.
To ensure you can operate the slide with wet or
cold hands, there are front and rear cocking serrations. All of the sharp edges
have been beveled so you don’t tear up your holsters or hands during clearing
drills. Sig installs a rugged adjustable rear sight with two dots to match the
single dot on the front post.
You can see the “P Series” style extractor, factory ambidextrous safety and perfectly fitted grip safety. I blacked out the tritium vials in the rear sight.
Unlike most 1911s, the TME completes the slide
assembly with a short plug and flat wire recoil spring not a full length guide
rod. Some will argue this being a poor system, because the spring kinks. In
twenty plus years I have never seen a 1911 recoil spring kink or fail to
operate properly, with the flat spring that should be virtually
impossible. The short plug allows you to
clear jams that you could not otherwise quickly clear. On more than one
occasion because of old case failures, I have cleared a 1911 using a door or
window frame. The short plug allows you to use the slide to gain this leverage
and get the slide open; with a full length guide rod you cannot do this.
This image gives you a good view of the short plug and front cocking serrations.
The TME ensures reliable case extraction by
using a spring loaded external extractor. This has been a point of contention
with purist for years. In non-45, 1911s; proper extractor tension is vital and
this set-up ensures the extractor has consistent tension every time. In the
short time I have been running this 1911 it has had several thousand rounds
shot through it on a square range and in U.S.P.S.A. competition There have been
zero failures to extract or feed properly. If this system works on Sig’s other
duty weapons, there is no reason to poo poo it on their 1911s.
For testing, we used several offerings from
Hornady, Remington and Sig’s Elite Performance line. The ammunition we used had
bullet weights from 115 grains to 147 grains, it was full metal jacket, hollow
points and frangible. From its first trip to the range the TME showed no
preference for bullet weight or ojive design. Accuracy right of the box was
point of aim, point of impact at 25 yards; with all bullet weights. Sig has taken
its years of experience from building duty pistols and somehow put it in this
1911 and built a pistol that simply performs well. This pistol consistently
fired sub-3” groups all day long. The best group was fired with Sig’s Elite
Performance 124 grain hollow point and Remington’s 100gr Disintegrator
frangible cartridge with groups averaging 2.25”, Hornady’s 125 grain HAP load
was close at 2.5”.
The TME with all the test ammunition.
To ensure the TEM fed ammunition reliably,
Wilson Combat and Tripp Research 9mm-RG magazines were used. Both of these
magazines hold ten rounds and have been proven to be 100% reliable. Tripp
offers a weighted base pad to ensure their magazine falls free every time.
These pistols are practically perfect out of the box and with three changes. First for my over fifty eyes, I installed 0.100” fiber optic sights from Dawson Precision, the factory sight is a tritium dot that is great for CCW not so good for competition. It has been my experience this size sight gives me a fast accurate sight picture and is much easier to see than a wide white dot sight.
Dawson Precision’s fiber optic sights are some of the best on the market, they give a bright clean front sight.
Next
the factory grips were replaced with Hogue’s Extreme G10 Grips with Piranha
texturing. The TME had the black Magrip kit with arched mainspring housing
installed. This grip gives you a flush fitting magwell, so there is not a need
to have one fitted. This is the slickest set of grips I have used on a 1911.
The funnel of the Magkit gives you a perfect size magazine well for carry or competition. As you can see the Piranha texture is fairly aggressive. The mainspring housing can be had as an arched or flat.
Recently
I made the last change, have BDL Custom Finishes apply a Black Multicam “Battleworn”
Cerakote finish to it. A lot of folks like stainless steel because it can
handle bad weather conditions, but I find it to be boring. I thought the Black
Multicam was ideal. It is stealthy, looks cool and Cerakote will enhance the
weather resistance.
BDL Custom Finishes “Battleworn” Cerakote makes your firearm look likes its been around the block. It is sealed so bare metal is not exposed.
If
you are looking for an out of the box match ready 1911 the Traditional Match
Elite should be at the top of your list. With a MSRP of $1164.00 available in
38 Super, 9mm or 40S&W you won’t go wrong. You will find Sig’s Traditional
Match elite will get you out to the range to shoot. It will help you shoot
fast, shoot accurately and it ensure you have fun.
I use a Galco Gunsite Holster for USPSA and range work. You can see it has been well used.Putting the Sig TME through it’s paces. Rudy Project Traylx and Safariland Liberator HP are my go to eye/ear protection.
After a recent article a few emails came in seeking further information about the suppressor/silencer situation. Well via an email the MCRGO (Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners) pushed out on the same topic the NSSF has this helpful infographic that addresses many of the questions about suppressors.
Here are a few of those questions that stood out though. The main questions on suppressors.
1. Is it ‘Suppressor’ or ‘Silencer’
Yes.
Quite simply either term is both technically and legally correct. “Silencer” is the patented term by Maxim. Gun muffler would also be technically correct as the design theory is nearly identical to a car muffler.
2. How quiet do they get really?
The best “ratings” (reduction under ideal environmental and preparatory conditions) are usually 30-35 decibels dependant on the suppressor. Usually putting the quietest guns at 130+. That decibel rating is just under the momentary or impulse safe levels to prevent hearing damage, usually listed at 140db.
3. What purpose do they serve in society?
PPE.
A suppressor is personal protective equipment. They are hearing protection. That is their primary and nearly sole practical function. They are fun, its cool tech. But it is ultimately a better form of protecting hearing than just plugs or earmuffs and the suppressor helps anyone near the firearm regardless of if they personally have hearing protection or are wearing it properly.
I shot a suppressed rifle for hundreds of rounds over this past weekend. It is still “loud” in the overall meaning of the term. You could hear it being fired anywhere on the range, even with non-electronic hearing protection.
