From Springfield Armory’s acclaimed line of XD-S Mod.2® comes their newest, most concealable offering yet. The XD-S Mod.2® in 9mm is a less than one inch wide pinnacle of reliability. 25K rounds without a stoppage and an integral grip safety for total peace of mind when carrying. The XD-S Mod.2® ships with two stainless steel magazines: a 7-round mag with a pinkie rest and additional flush floor plate for carry and one 9-round extended magazine, perfect for home defense.
An 8-round extended magazine is also available for purchase.
Available in models with Tritium, Fiber Optic, and Viridian Laser.
A few months back I wrote a review of the Bushnell Wireless Trophy Cam. It was my first experience with a game camera of any kind and was a bit of a learning experience.
I thought that enough time had passed that I should pen an update to the original post. It’s been about 5 months. I’ve learned several things in that time which I would like to share.
First of all, I’d like to say that this has been a fun view into a world that I’ve never seen before. It’s kind of like having a secret peephole into the woods. Granted, its more fun when there is enough signal for me to receive the photos to my phone as little surprises during the day, but even driving up to pull the card in person has given me some entertaining views.
My main issue has been with signal strength. I’ve had the camera in six different locations on the 100+ acre property over the past 5 months, and at only two of those did I reliably receive uploaded photos to my phone. The rest of the locations did not provide a reliable enough signal for me to regularly receive photos by cell. My phone itself would have plenty of signal in the same location with only two bars, but the game cam apparently needsthree to four bars in order to transmit. That was a bit of a frustration. One would assume that if the signal can support an iPhone using Facebook, it should be able to support a game camera uploading photos. But apparently the camera’s antenna and transmitter aren’t strong enough for that.
So I went to Plan B, bought a card reader that would plug into my phone, andtravelled up several times to pull the card manually. That rather defeated the purpose of spending the money to get a wireless cell-capable camera, but there it is.
The lithium battery life wasn’t bad, considering that the camera was always using power searching for a signal. I did change them twice in 5 months, but that was more out of experimenting to see if fresh batteries would improve the upload capability than actual need (It didn’t help). The photos themselves are excellent quality, and I’ve gotten a few doozies. The ones I’m including here had to be resized file-wise, and are not an indication of the clarity of the originals.
Some of the critters I have caught on cam include:
The only gobbler I saw all yearSeveral deer wondering about that thing stuck to the woodpecker treeMr Nubby grabbing a snackMr “Holy Crap I hope you stick around until archery season”.
There were also fun nighttime views of raccoons, opossums, skunks, and rabbits.
Finally, there were trespassers of various varieties – on foot, on horseback, on ATV, and in trucks and jeeps. I’m not including photos of the offenders to protect the privacy of the guilty.
There are a few lessons I have learned during this process.
The first is that one should never expect the chosen camera location to look the same in June as it did in May. Especially if May was non-stop rain. There was an approximately six week period during which I was not receiving transmitted photos, and I could not drive up to pull the card. By the time I got up there the weeds had grown from knee height to head height, completely obscuring the camera’s view of the road and meadow. I deleted at least a thousand photos of nothing but green in front of the camera – triggered by weeds moving in the breeze. At least they were only digital frames and not expensive film that got wasted. Yes I’m old school and I remember film cameras. (Get off my lawn you kids!)
Another lesson I learned is that where you “think” the game will be is not always where it actually is. I set up the camera and a blind early in turkey season, and when I came back 2 weeks later, there were zero turkey photos and only about three deer photos. They just weren’t hanging out at that location – at least at that time of year. Just because you think the topography is right doesn’t mean the game agrees with you.
As a corollary to this lesson is the reality that where the game actually is, isn’t necessarily where the cell signal is the strongest. Sometimes you have to settle for a manual card read as a trade-off for getting great pictures.
I did have a fun comeuppance where the turkeys were concerned though. In this article I told the sad tale of my last day of turkey season. When I came back up to the property a few weeks later to check the camera, it had captured not only the ATV trespassers, and me leaving in a huff, but the next trigger sequence four hours later showed a hen turkey standing right were I had been standing that very morning! I took that as a humorous karmic middle-finger to the would-be hunter.
The intrepid author/hunter leaving in a huffMrs Hen who showed up four hours later in the same spot
I have also discovered that animal motion does not provide the “only” camera trigger. I mentioned the thousand frames of green weeds already. Then there was what I can only assume was vibration from woodpecker holes in the tree the camera was mounted on at one point. That was another couple hundred frames (which actually transmitted). The camera apparently had a really good time – it probably needed a cigarette afterwards – it just didn’t capture anything useful. I’ve also got lots of nighttime shots of fog blobs. I’m not sure if it was the actual vapor that triggered the IR, or if there “was” a critter there that moved too fast to be captured. Either way, the shots are kind of creepy-looking in a “Ghosts of the Gettysburg Battlefield” sort of way.
One more lesson I learned is that after the camera has been in place for a month or so, one needs to expect that the local insect fauna has set up housekeeping, and may not be pleased with interference with their new home. I found myself shaking, brushing and smacking a few hundred ants off myself during the last camera move. The camera itself was sealed and fine, but the cable lock, the camera housing, and the camo tape that I had disguised everything with was crawling with unhappy ants. At least I don’t live in fire ant country, and at least it wasn’t yellow jackets … or spiders (shudder).
All in all, though it’s been a fun experiment, I would only buy this camera again if I were SURE there was adequate cell coverage at the location – or if Bushnell improves the antenna and transmitter. As it is, I will be buying another Bushnell – just not a cell-capable one. There is a significant difference in price, and if I have to pull the card manually most of the time anyway, I’m better off getting the non-wireless version. As always, your mileage may vary.
The Magpul Bipod offers serious strength and versatility at a price that provides unmatched value. Rich with important features, our lightweight Mil-spec hard anodized 6061 T-6 aluminum and injection-molded polymer bipod brings innovation in ergonomics, functionality, strength and value together. Its aesthetically clean, low-profile design conceals its functional hardware, smoothly brushing off snags and bumps. Optimized for rapid one-handed adjustments, the bipod quickly and quietly transitions between countless user configurations. The Magpul Bipod includes many features normally found on bipods at a significantly higher cost.
Durable & Lightweight
The Magpul Bipod is exceptionally strong and built to perform under punishing field conditions. Like all Magpul products, the Bipod is constructed of rugged, high-strength materials and designed to last a lifetime. In the shooting position, it is easily loaded with stabilizing forward tension without fear of failure or warping. Mil-spec hard anodized 6061 T-6 aluminum, stainless steel internals, and injection-molded reinforced polymer ensure years of dependable performance and reliability, all while shaving weight. At just over 11 oz., the Magpul Bipod is lighter than many pricier bipods currently on the market.
Innovative, Adjustable, & Easy to Use
Deploying and adjusting the Magpul Bipod is quick and easy. Spring-tensioned legs stow neatly forward and snap down and lock into place with one hand. Leg extensions slide and lock securely with the push of a button on any of the seven half-inch spaced locking detents. The legs extend a full four inches, from 6.3” to 10.3”. An industry-exclusive 50° of total tilt and 40° of total pan are controlled by a glove-friendly knurled tool-less bipod locking knob located between the extended legs, allowing easy adjustment between shots. Additionally, the Magpul Bipod has the exclusive ability to lock pan at 0° while maintaining full tilt functionality.
Smooth & Unobtrusive
From the drawing board, the Magpul Bipod was designed to be barely noticed until needed. Folded, the streamlined housing and legs fit neatly under the barrel and are just under 2.3” deep and 3.3” wide. In addition, anodized surfaces and tight, precision tolerances mitigate squeaks and rattles.
Functional Feet
The Magpul Bipod has many features that are also useful even when it is in the stowed position. A soft rubber bipod locking knob cap is attached to the locking knob gives users a steady, non-marring forward rest while the bipod is folded. Additionally, its staggered soft rubber feet hold fast on a variety of shooting surfaces and are easily removed with a roll pin punch. Should users choose to change feet, the Magpul Bipod’s legs accept most Atlas pattern bipod replaceable feet.
The Magpul Bipod is available in BLK or FDE colors.
Your heart is doing its level best to burst from your chest.
Your ears are ringing dully.
You start to notice the smell of the burnt powder and more noises start coming back to you from your surroundings.
In front of you lies a crumpled body. You begin approaching or go to check on your family and…
They weren’t quite as down as you thought.
But now you are.
Deadpool may be a dramatic example however as a fight is beginning to settle down you MUST continue to cover threats you’ve engaged.
Unless you have closed the distance and secured said threat in some manner to immobilize or confirm how permanently they are incapacitated that threat still demands your attention, most of it if you have no other threats.
Gun shot wounds, except to the CNS, are not immediately incapacitating and threat stop through exsanguination, even arterial, takes time.
Any time the threat can still act on their own their stop is voluntary only and you must continue to protect yourself. Any action you take during this period must always account for the engaged threat.
So cover down. Expect them to start fighting again.
Be ready to shoot again. Move to a more advantageous position.
The fight is not over until it is over and you are the only combatant capable of imposing your will on the fighting space.
GarandThumb takes on a topic here that there is not a lot of information on. What are the major differences with AR15’s using high end top of the line components vs. the technical data packages that make up the military’s current M4 set ups.
There’s a myriad of options now to set your rifle up as you wish. You can run near military technical data packages or trick it to the 9’s, its ultimately up to you.
Pro Tip: Whatever you set up, even an M16A1/A2, if you spend the ammo learning to shoot it you’re going to be ahead of anyone who’s just dropping all their cash on accessories. An M16A4 with iron sights is still one of the most comfortable rifles in my hands because I spent years and thousands of rounds behind them.
There are not many 1911’s that catch my attention. In fact for the most part I’ve dismissed the pistol to the history book side of the firearms collection.
But occasionally one creeps back out into the realm of modern practicality.
Other times you just want it.
This is both.
Designed by Bill Wilson and Wilson Combat engineers, and thoroughly tested by our team of designers, champion shooters and external industry experts, the EDC X9 offers discriminating shooters 1911 match-grade accuracy, superior ergonomics, and concealability with modern service pistol capacity and reliability. Making it the superior choice for everyday carry.
AUSTIN, TX — A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) proudly announces the winners of the 2nd Quarter 2018 League Match. This quarter’s course of fire included 18 rounds total at an AG & AG Match Target #2. This was a Limited Vickers match with no more than 6 rounds per string. Shooters began at a low ready with finger outside of the trigger guard using centerfire pistols with no scopes or laser sights. Shots were fired in this order:
String 1 (6 rounds in magazine) – Starting with the top green divided square, shoot 4 shots: 1 shot in each of the 4 small squares. A 3 second penalty will apply for each square without a shot. Shots touching the black line between squares will count for whichever doesn’t have a shot. Squares do not need to be shot in the order shown; just resulting in 4 shots for 4 squares. Then transition to the paddles and shoot 1 shot in the top blue paddle then 1 shot in the top green paddle.
String 2 (6 rounds in magazine) – Starting with the 2nd blue divided square, shoot 4 shots: 1 shot in each of the 4 small squares. A 3 second penalty will apply for each square without a shot. Shots touching the black line between squares will count for whichever doesn’t have a shot. Squares do not need to be shot in the order shown; resulting in 4 shots for 4 squares. Then transition to the paddles and shoot 1 shot in the 2nd green paddle then 1 shot in the 2nd blue paddle.
String 3 (6 rounds in magazine) – Shoot 2 shots in the green frame and 1 shot in the large blue circle. Shoot 2 shots in the blue frame and 1 shot in the large green circle.
Our 2018 Quarterly Match series is going strong!! Competitors were offered an opportunity to choose a division for the match: Irons or Optics. All 83 competitors ladies opted to shoot centerfire pistols with iron sights. Next quarter, members can shoot the match with centerfire and rimfire pistols. Maybe some will enter more than once so they can shoot both types!!
The Irons Division winners are:
1st Place Irons – 16.40 seconds – Cynthia Blankenship – Prescott Valley, AZ Chapter
3rd Place Irons – 34.43 seconds – Julie Godfrey – Centennial, CO Chapter
Facilitator Irons Division winner is:
Katrina Reed – Tallahassee, FL Chapter
Sheila Hooker of League City, TX was the “Middle of the Pack” winner and will receive a Gift Certificate as her award.
The Chapter winners include:
Member
Chapter
Prize Pot
Cynthia Blankenship
AZ – Prescott Valley
$7
Peggy Schroeder
CA – High Desert
$21
Diane Kirkland
CA – San Diego
$7
Kathy Smith
CA – Vista
$35
Julie Godfrey
CO – Centennial
$14
Kimberly Padro
FL – Space Coast
$49
Cheryl Fordyce
FL – Tallahassee
$14
Michelle Einstein
MN – Osseo
$21
Tara Fritz
MS – Midsouth
$14
Jennifer Lehman
OH – Dayton
$28
Janet Bryan
OH – Obetz
$21
Kelly Brown
OK – Oklahoma City
$21
Diane Farnella
PA – Laurel Highlands
$14
Reba Hennigan
TX – Beaumont
$7
Cheryl Boen
TX – Cypress
$28
Margaret Gable
TX – League City
$119
Kimmy Gross
TX – New Braunfels
$14
Brandy Friend
TX – San Antonio
$21
Judy Reese
TX – Snook (College Station)
$7
Barbara Hodge
VA – Richmond
$14
Sue Brozovsky
VA – Roanoke
$14
Julie Fingeroos
WI – Saukville
$49
The Quarterly Match is a nationwide competition among members of A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League. Facilitated during a regularly scheduled event, such as a Girl’s Night Out, shooters are able to experience a competitive atmosphere: understanding the course of fire, match commands, operation of the shot timer, and scoring. The match allows new shooters to overcome mental barriers to participating in competitive shooting and gives experienced shooters the ability to test their skills in a casual, familiar environment. Winners of the match receive cash prizes based on the number of participants, and of course, bragging rights among the chapters. Learn more at https://www.agirlandagun.org/quarterly-match/
Pick a course, any course. (Ok not any course, a well vetted course)
Go forth and train. Learn a new gun. Go play in the dark at a night fire course. Go dust off the fundamentals and jump into a basics course just to send some rounds down range.
Use the google machine and find something fun. Spend some of the best money you can on anything in the gun industry and take a class.
Personally. We’re heading to Tavor II. Summer’s burning.
As a human being you are endowed with the inalienable right of self defense and as such are able to bear arms, training, and take appropriate actions for the protection of yourself, your family, and your community.
Defense of you and yours is as natural an act as eating and breathing.
But the title?
Yes, not everyone should have a gun. That has nothing to do with the right.
In short there is a segment of our population who lack the capacity to safely utilize arms.
This is a deficiency in our adult education. Similar deficiencies are lacking the ability to cook simply at the least, work appliances to clean and maintain the living space, and perform simple maintenance.
There is nothing wrong with letting an individual more skilled in a trade or craft do their work but total dependence upon others is a weakness we have allowed to seep to deeply.
When we’re looking at it from the perspective of firearms training, there are owners who should not be. These owners should recognize this and correct it.
Not give up guns, they should close the knowledge gap.
There are three tiers I want you to think of for ownership standards.
Safety
2. Proficiency
3. Competence
The first two are fairly firm standards while the third is subjective to the task.
Safety
Safety is the minimum standard one should hold themselves to prior to ownership. It should be an easy skill and a desirable one even if you hold no interest in owning a firearm or using one regularly (or ever).
If you happen to come into contact with a firearm knowing the 4 rules and how to clear and safe a firearm make the situation immeasurably less tenuous when it comes to your safety. The gun isn’t a foreign nebulous object anymore. Its a tool like your drill, a coffee pot, the oven, or cleaning chemicals.
The four rules:
Treat the firearm as if it is loaded. Pulling the trigger willfire it.
Never point the firearm at anything you are not will to destroy.
Keep your finger off of the trigger unless you intend to and are ready to fire.
Know what your target’s foreground and background. What can be hit between you and the target and beyond the target when the shot is fired.
If you own a firearm and these rules are new to you then welcome to catch up.
If you know these rules and don’t apply them… you done goofed… and you shouldn’t own a gun until you can apply them.
I won’t go into clearing and safe for firearms because each firearm model is a bit different, but they generally fall into categories. Reference the firearm’s manual for the proper methods.
Proficency
Proficiency is the standard by which you can operate the firearm. Not only are you safe with the gun but you understand how to mechanically operate it.
You can load the firearm. You can unload the firearm. You understand the firearm’s controls and what each does. You can maintain the firearm.
Proficiency doesn’t demand you know each and every part of a firearm. It does not mean you know the average part life (round count) or how to disassemble the weapon completely.
Proficiency doesn’t even demand you be a particularly good shot, just a safe one.
In addition to the safety standard a proficient user should be able to
Load the firearm safely
Fire the firearm safely with a reasonable degree of accuracy to ensure safety
Unload the firearm safely
Perform the full owner/operator maintenance procedure on the firearm. Clean, lubricate, function check.
To be succinct, being a person safe with a firearm and being a person proficient with a firearm, in this 3 tier analysis, have nothing to do with knowing how to shoot well.
Competence
The final stage of ownership is competence. This is where safety and proficiency are tied to a specific task. That task could be concealed carry, home defense, turkey hunting, or going down range in Afghanistan.
Proficiency with the device and competence with the task. Have you trained the skills necessary to succeed at the given task. Have you sought the necessary background information and honed the skillset to perform the task on demand.
On a turkey hunt this is when the bird appears and you judge the range, wind, target background, etc. all to be acceptable to take a shot at the bird successfully and bag your game.
For concealed carry this would mean your manner of dress, manner of carry, awareness, attitude, and smooth use of your equipment all lend themselves to being safe day to day and successful if the need arise to engage your concealed sidearm.
Self reflection time. Are you safe? Are you proficient? Are you competent?
If you answer yes to all three. Excellent, keep training.
If you answer no to the last one. Fine, seek training to correct that and accomplish your task. You are still more than reasonably able to own a firearm.
If you answer no to the last two. Fine, seek training to correct proficiency and then move onto competence. There is nothing wrong with only knowing how to be safe with a firearm. You’re still capable of being a safe owner, know your limits however.
Until you reach one of the subsequent levels I would not use your gun, especially for defense, except in the most dire of circumstances.
If you answered no to all three you should not own a firearm.
If you lied to yourself about any of the three levels you should not own a firearm.
But your right to own a firearm remains unchanged.
Sig Sauer has contracted and developed a substantial line of optical sights to parallel their suppressor and firearms development.
Some, their Tango 6 series for example, are getting high marks and snagging contracts.
Others… Take it away, Sage Dynamics.
For myself. I’ve had a ROMEO 5 that has yet to quit on me with over a year and probably nearing 10,000 rounds of 9mm and 5.56 under it. Others reported far less stellar results on the more budget priced RDS. But durability is real. The CompM5 from Aimpoint is a vastly superior sight for a higher price, but superior it is.
Welcome to the We Like Shooting show, Episode 256 – tonight we’ll talk about build your own Glock, 3D printed gun, Tuff Products Revelation bag, Bowers Group Silencers and more! Our cast for episode 256 is Shawn Herrin, Aaron Krieger, Savage1r, Jeremy Pozderac!
One of the biggest weaknesses about the shotgun is its limited ammo capacity. This is why shotgun reloading is so critical in tactical shotgun classes.
The fastest way to reload most shotguns is from the side saddle. The side saddle is easy to reach, intuitive to load into the magazine tube or directly into the chamber, and conveniently placed on the weapon.
Side saddles hold anywhere from 4 to 6 rounds, so they can be emptied pretty quickly. I’ve begun to think about not only keeping the shotgun loaded but how do I keep the side saddle loaded. This leads me to Tuff Strips.
Tuff Strips and the Shotgun Reload
Tuff Strips from Tuff Products are speed strips. Speed strips for you non-revolver guys are rubberized strips that hold rounds in a straight line and can be used to rapidly reload a revolver. Tuff Strips makes them for almost every typical revolver caliber, but they also produce them for shotguns. That is where we land, with the Tuff Strips 12 gauge speed strips.
Tuff Products designed these strips to easily and intuitively load double and single barrel shotguns. They are great for trap and skeet shooting, but I saw a little more potential than that.
The Math
The math is simple even for a crayon-eating grunt like me and it goes like this:
The shotgun has a low capacity, so reloading is a key skill to have.
Reloading is fastest from the side saddle.
What happens if the side saddle runs empty?
We reload the saddle. Loading from something like the Ammo Pal is one way, but so is a bandoleer, but they’re slow. Shotgun ammo is bulky and holding more than a round or two is difficult. This is where I saw the potential for the Tuff strips.
They could hold the rounds in an organized fashion and hold enough rounds they could easily reload a side saddle. The Tuff Strips are each capable of holding 6 rounds, which would fill most side saddles. I do recommend downloading them, and we’ll touch on why shortly.
These Tuff Strips will still allow shotgun ammo to fit in a bandoleer or traditional ammo pouch.
The idea is easy. Once you grab them you have up to 6 rounds in one hand, without it being extremely bulky. You then align and push them into the side saddle. then pull to the side or forward to peel the Tuff Strip from the ammo.
In Practice
I took out my Tac 14 equipped with DSF weapon light and Gear Head Works brace. It’s also rocking a 6 round side saddle. I loaded the Tuff Strips with buckshot and hit the ground running. At the first try, I realized 6 rounds was a bit much.
With that many rounds, it became cumbersome to make sure they were all aligned and it was difficult to load the 6 rounds into the side saddle.
Downloading to 5 rounds gave me a better grip and was easier overall to reload the side saddle.
Downloading down to even 4 rounds was even faster. With practice, I did close the gap between 4 and 5 rounds.
In a short period of time, I became pretty damn fast at reloading the side saddle.
The Tuff Strips made is easy and rapid to do so. Let’s say I haven’t run the side saddle dry but want to top off.
That’s easy to. Just line the shells up one at a time and load them as necessary.
It’s important to note this isn’t something you’d do in the middle of a gunfight.
The side saddle is the middleman and you aren’t going through the middleman in a gunfight. This is what you do during lulls, from behind cover, or when someone is suppressing for you. It’s the ‘Tactical Reload’ rather than the ‘Emergency Reload’.
If you’re a shotgunner I recommend checking out Tuff Strips. They run about 7 bucks apiece on amazing and are an excellent addition to a shotgun loadout. Keeping the shotgun loaded and running is always a challenge, but Tuff Strips do offer substantial assistance in the art of shotgunning.
