By Nicholas C
Here is a video by H&K showing off the new H&K VP9. The VP9 will use the same mags as the H&K P30. They claim that the VP9 will have a superior trigger over other strikerfire handguns.
The post H&K VP9 appeared first on The Firearm Blog.
Via: The Firearm Blog
Category: Companies, News, Pistols, H&K, P30, VP9
By Nicholas C
Dan Dolbee, over at The Shooter’s Log, wrote an article about Immediate Action Drills. Immediate Action Drills is practicing to clear a malfunction. There are times when the unexpected happens and only a few can rise up from a fall like this woman. However how many runners practice falling, getting back up and winning […]
The post Do You Practice For Malfunctions? appeared first on The Firearm Blog.
Via: The Firearm Blog
Category: Pistols, Immediate Action, Malfunction drills, Tap rack bang
By Keith Finch
Falco Holsters was introduced to me differently than the other reviews done here. I received a link in a chat message from the owner of 248Shooter with a simple instruction “pick a holster”. Not one to question something like that from a friend I began surveying the selection all the while Charlie is describing Falco Holsters.
My honest first reaction, “Europe? Imported leather from Europe? Fancy.”
Falco Holsters was established in 1989 and made, at first, premium falconry gloves and gear.
Falconry. Even fancier. But on to the holsters themselves.
Europe has a larger firearms market than we in the states give them credit for. Items like suppressors are much easier to obtain despite the overall more restrictive atmosphere firearms, we tend to think of Europe as a giant gun free zone and that is far from the case. So a nod to our friends across the pond, they make some great items too. Hence H&K, Glock, SIG, Beretta, and specific guns like Springfield’s XDm. Most of these are now made out of US manufacturing bases but they all originated in Europe.
I had a Sig Sauer P226 without a home to ride on my hip. European origin gun. European holster. Perfect. So looking through Falco’s selection I found this…
The It. 95, a decidedly undescriptive name with an equally short and sweet description. No flashy marketing lingo or overly “tactical” display, just an open top leather holster designed to be worn inside or outside the waist band with a 1.5” belt.
Sold, designed for range use and concealed carry and no ridiculous marketing. This is a serious company with a serious product.
Also they had an option for “Mahogany Leather” a gorgeous brown finish instead of the jet black. Fancy!
The order went out… to Europe. The holsters are made to order so the lead time was 22-35 days, I understand good work takes time, but I now expected really good work for the time.
I wasn’t disappointed. Quality molding, leather cleanly stitched, and an overwhelmingly clear attention to detail with zero scaring on the leather faces. The two small vertical slats on either end of the holster make up its ingeniously simple inside/outside the waistband design.
When worn outside the waistband the snapped straps go around your belt and the belt itself tucks behind the main body of the holster.
When inside the waistband the entirety of the holster body slides into the waistband of your pants while the snapping straps will slide overtop the pant waistband and hang outside, wrapping around the belt to secure the holster in place.
If this holster has a “weak spot” where I expect wear to cause disabling damage this would be it. However after a few months of use I don’t see any, using both leather and nylon belts and being less than gentle on it. The double stitching hasn’t frayed or loosened and no unusual wear or scarring has come up on the inside of the belt straps.
Holster reviews take a while, a long while. You have to wear the thing to get a feel for it, and with leather you have to break in the leather before you can give an accurate accounting of the holster. The leather literally needs to stretch to fit the gun, and when the leather hasn’t broken in, the gun isn’t leaving the holster willingly.
A neat cheat that helps with this process, take a clean sock and put it over the part of the gun going into the holster body (slide and barrel, trigger guard, etc.). This increases the external dimensions of the gun by a small and pliable margin while going into the holster and will not damage the finish of the gun or place a rigid or abrasive surface against the leather. Work the gun all the way into the holster and leave it alone for 48 hours or so. Once done, the draw will be much easier to complete.
Once broken in it was time to run the holster. It holds my P226 in a very comfortable “FBI cant”, my preference for carry concealed or duty carry. Another concern I had based on the design was centered around the gun leaning away from my body because the weight is all above securement points on the belt. I experienced no tendency for the gun to lean outward, the It. 95 holds the gun as close and as snuggly as you keep your belt. This isn’t so much a concern while simply wearing the gun but the looseness will play havoc during a quick draw.
Reholstering had one minor quirk, since leather is flexible and the holster fits to the body (very comfortably I might add) the piece separating the slide from your body occasionally likes to grab onto the decock lever on the P226, this is entirely unique to the P226 design and has not interfered in the vastly more important act of drawing the gun.
Inside the waistband has proven to be no more difficult for drawing, or less comfortable. The leather conforms exceptionally to the body and only gets better with time worn in. Unlike nylon holsters the It. 95 doesn’t pancake when the gun is drawn, so reholstering is no issue, very nice if you’re practicing from the draw over and over and over again.
The “FBI cant” is very important in concealment, it holds the gun in a more advantageous squared up profile to the body. This puts the two points on the pistol that protrude the most prominently, the butt/grip and barrel/slide one above the other. You can now align those points much better vertically along the torso and concealment is greatly aided. Straight draw holsters tend to push the grip of all but the smallest guns out into the concealing garment causing fairly noticeable printing through concealing clothing.
No printing with the canted holster, even on larger firearms like the P226. Even wearing a t-shirt I’ve had no issue with printing and the leather flexes much better with the body than Kydex polymers, no getting uncomfortably jabbed with a tough plastic edge while turning or sitting.
In short, Falco Holsters’ It. 95 is a winner. Even with the waiting period from across the Atlantic the quality product received at the end speaks of a group of people who know and take pride in their craft. High quality and durable materials cleanly molded to the specific firearm and designed to work with the human body in the most efficient and convenient manner they could design.
I quiet likely won’t ever need or want an additional holster for the P226, and that speaks volumes to a guy who loves to buy and try everything he can for the guns he owns.
“Product used for this review was provided by the distributor of Concealed Carry and Duty Holsters – Craft Holsters. For more information about range of products please visit the website.”
Via: Gear Feed
Keith has completed his series on building his AR pattern rifle. Thank you Keith for your hard work in documenting and sharing your experience.
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At long last my 248 friends, the finale!
Part 3 will be short and sweet. The upper receiver group of the AR rifle is our last piece.
The upper receiver, as those familiar with the platform may concur, defines an AR’s purpose. The intent of the rifle can be determined from the upper and so when choosing one to place atop our now assembled lowers we must be very clear on our intent.
First some great news, uppers are not considered by the BATFE to be firearms as they cannot shoot on their own and do not bear the serial number of the firearm. This means you can order every single part and have it mailed right to your doorstep should you so choose.
Second, an increasing number of companies have massive inventories of fully stripped, partially complete, and fully complete upper receiver groups to choose from in a myriad of configurations.
Options abound!
So now… buy or build?
I choose buy, and for my buy I choose Bravo Company.
Started by a US Marine, a subject near and dear to me, BCM has forged a near legendary reputation for top notch products in the AR15 market. That combined with excellent prices and a mouthwatering selection of options finally earned my cold hard cash purchase.
Two uppers on order and all I needed now were bolt carrier groups. One I bought local, from Bullets and Barrels of Richland, MI. The other I ordered from AIM Surplus. Reviews to follow on the Rock River Arms Chrome BCG and the AIM Nitiride BCG, both have performed flawlessly thus far is the short version review.
Question: Why did I choose to buy complete/assembled?
Answer: Warranty
The upper requires the most tools to assemble, also the most expensive tools (namely a torque wrench) and offers the greatest chances for a failure of any give part. So by putting this burden onto a company that specializes in this platform and who is tooled up to build and test them on a marketable level, instead of in my untested hands, made perfect sense for my first builds. I may attempt the true “from scratch” upper next time around, but not this time.
Now you have my take on picking the ‘how’ of getting the upper. Your choice… your rifle(s).
Now let’s look at getting the correct upper for your rifle and what parts that requires.
Purpose defines your parts requirements. Your wants and needs shape the end cost. What is it for, what is each part of this rifle going to accomplish and does what you have or are looking at parts wise fulfill that need to your satisfaction? Long or short range? Varmint, competition, defense, plinking, all of the above?
I had two rifles and two distinct purposes for them so let’s begin there.
My girlfriend’s rifle is designed around the concept of a basic lightweight patrol rifle. Her smaller frame, lesser (she’d say nonexistent) upper body strength, and only basic familiarity with the platform make weight and simplicity essentials.
BCM’s 14.5” lightweight midlength gas upper with no handguards fit the bill perfectly, ended with a BCM Gunfighter Mod 1 compensator to make it a 16” legal package. I added Magpul MOE handguards in black, Magpul has unceasingly failed to disappoint. With the Rock River Arms Chrome BCG inside I topped it off with an EoTech 553 sight that she chose (when building a rifle for someone, their input is essential, even if contrary to your opinions or advice, it is THEIR gun). Any additional modifications will be at her behest.
The resulting rifle is exactly what I’d want as “cruiser ready” and since she is on the fast track to the Police Academy of Ferris State University she’ll be a step ahead in a vital area that, in my opinion, is unfortunately under emphasized with all the topics needing to be covered.
For my rifle, the concept was a little deeper, or maybe just convoluted. As a USMC Vet I’m partial to the M16A4 and while the latest iteration of the M16 is getting long in the tooth, especially with the pace of technological updates, it has a nostalgic effect.
ASIDE: I was originally trained on the M16A2, mine was in very poor working condition however and I did not become overly fond of it, my first A4 worked like a champ and gained my affection.
Additionally I had spent time behind the trigger of the M27 and M4A1 and gained healthy respect for both… Ok I straight up love the M27, fantastic rifle. Also liked Flat Dark Earth and have a dozen magazines of Magpul and Lancer make in that color that I planned to use.
In short I wanted those things all wrapped into one package plus it being a bunch of new stuff I could review, tall order. So I bought another BCM upper equipped with the Geissele MK1 SMR (An upgrade originally designed for the HK416/M27 rifles) in their version of tan. Matched nicely to the BCM Gunfighter MOD3 grip in FDE and the Magpul MOE rifle stock in that same color and topped with a Trijicon TA31 ECOS which embodied both ACOG of the M16 and the M27 rolled into one, also in FDE color.
Phew… I got it all! And a ton of future review work in the process.
Ladies and gentlemen of the AR community my parting advice to builders and buyers alike is this…
Buy the rifle (parts to build or whole) to fit your need, desire, and monetary concerns. Let no name brands sway you but the capabilities of each part fill a role you require, even if that roll is being a USMC laser engraved magazine release, just because.
It’s your rifle
Keith our resident instructor and build fanatic is back again to share his journey of mumbled profanity commonly known as his building an AR series.
[divider]
This time around we are focusing on actually building the AR rifle as opposed to the decision to build or buy. Personally this is my 6th AR15 (not counting the M16A2’s, M16A4’s, M4’s or M27’s during my time in the Marine Corps.) and it was time, to build one exactly the way I wanted it.
For this second installment we will be focusing on the assembly of the lower receiver. The lower is easier and less expensive to assemble than the upper and, as those familiar with the AR will know, it is also what the law considers the actual firearm because it bears the serial number (needs an FFL for purchase, background check, etc.).
Done!
Thanks to York Arms for providing the custom engraved lowers for both me and my lovely young lady. York Arms was absolutely awesome to deal with. They cared so much about getting me a product they were proud of that they willingly scrapped some lowers they were not satisfied with. This, if you were unaware, is EXPENSIVE for them to do. That’s one of the reasons you can find “blemished” lowers for so cheap online, they would just be a total loss to the manufacturer otherwise so they try and recoup some money and sell them to a customer not concerned with the cosmetic finish of the lower.
Unlike a generic lower with a minor blemish my lowers were both custom cut, custom serial numbers, custom engraving. York Arms had next to no chance of being able to sell them after the fact unless another person wanted exactly what I wanted plus the addition of them looking not so great.
York Arms ate that cost for me, I didn’t have to ask, they flat refused to sell a product they weren’t satisfied with. I greatly admire that and York has secured my future business should such a need arise (maybe rifles for kiddos?)
Anyway, on to the assembly processes to which we can fully credit with giving this article its title.
Ladies first, I started putting my girl’s rifle together. This also had something to do with having all the parts for her rifle and still waiting on mine, but that was only a minor factor I swear.
I located some online resources to follow along with in the week prior to my build. Watching videos or reading tutorials in advance of building is a great way to save yourself wasted time as well as avoid finding yourself mid build and missing parts or tools. Nick Leghorn (A TheTruthAboutGuns contributor) and nsz85 both had great videos on the process (I used nsz85’s). They also had a distinct lack of spending mind numbing amounts of time listing all the tools that they sell on their website that you will “absolutely” need to build the AR. (End Sarcasm… but seriously I’m looking at you MidWay and Brownells)
One of the first things often addressed in the build process is protecting the lower’s finish. I recommend electric tape. I also recommend using more than I did to cover any area near where you might be swinging a tool (like a hammer).
I failed to leave my lowers unblemished, oh well. The guns weren’t going to stay pristine anyhow.
There is no super-secret special order you must put the parts onto the lower receiver but certain items are easier to install earlier in the process and a few, like the detent that holds the buffer, must go in prior to other parts going on.
I started here…
And out of this mess you get when buying a full lower parts kit (also needed) and while following the video, I started with…
Sorry for poor quality cell cam, still haven’t upgraded that particular capability
What you see are the three pieces of the magazine catch and release assembly. A simple place to start the build and this allows you to secure the lower to any number of available vice blocks that will use the magazine release to provide additional secure locking. Not necessary, but helpful for the remainder of the build.
Putting this on is fairly straight forward. Magazine catch goes through the proper hole in the left side of the receiver so that the magazine catch tab is inside the magazine well cut.
The spring then goes over the threaded rod of the catch from the right side.
You then put the button on, with the textured side facing out so your finger can take advantage of the extra friction and not slip off. You will press the button into the receiver so that it aligns with hole, like you would release a magazine normally, and then rotate the magazine catch clockwise to screw it into the button. Keep turning the catch until the rod’s end is about flush with the top of the button.
This will require you to press the button very far into the lower so the catch can keep rotating without running into the two protective guides on the left side.
I recommend, pushing the button in with the eraser on a pencil. Fine tune the amount the catch is screwed into the button by using a magazine, be certain it isn’t overly difficult to insert or remove the magazine, drop free is ideal while still having the magazine fully seated and secured (unable to be pulled out without pressing the release).
This first step assured me this would be a bit more challenging than I anticipated just due to fighting spring tension. I failed to use a vice to aid in holding the lower, it isn’t needed (I do have the proper blocks, just didn’t use them in a vice) but in hindsight it would make things MUCH easier. The vice is an easy third hand, but since mine is outside in the cold (at the time) I said no.
That decision made it more challenging and greatly increased my use of profanity throughout the build. Let’s get to that!
This is what happens when you have a hammer and miss hitting one of these.
The punch slipped while I was installing the trigger guard and my hammer strike instead split my finger, not overly painful but I was now bleeding on my girlfriend’s gun and it wasn’t anywhere near functional. (Not the first time and not the last profanity was used during this build)
Other than the possibility of the punches moving around while knocking in the roll pin for the trigger guard, it’s an easy install. I tried and failed for an hour without the punches, don’t be me, make a trip and get a set.
Support the two little ears on a firm surface, I used a pine wood ammo box, and then start the roll pin. A few good taps with a good heavy hammer will start the pin but not push it into the space between the two ears.
I found it helpful to place the spring loaded hinge lock into its place at the front of the trigger guard so all that it could do was pivot at the proper distance until the roll pin secured it. It likes to move while you hit the roll pin so be aware this could take a bit.
Once the roll pin had the guard secure I hammered it flush into the receiver and made sure the hinge worked.
Next up was my kryptonite, the front take down pin and detent, or as I found out, spring loaded and incredibly tiny parts that love to catapult away into the abyss…
This was another task a vice would make easier and I choose to ignore that fact due to the cold. (Editor note: Either get a vice inside, wait till summer or put a heater in your garage a vice makes life much easier)
Using a flat thin blade like that found on a multi-tool I put the detent spring and detent into the hole. Using the flat of the blade with the sharpened edge pointing toward the lower I applied pressure and forced the spring and detent into the hole. Then whilst grabbing the take down pin to insert it overtop the blade (which is why thinner blades are more useful) I tilted the multi-tool due to the weight of the handle and released the spring and detent.
I found the detent quite quickly while quietly profaning the air around me but the spring was, and still is, gone. I used the one frommy lower parts kit to replace hers and completed that process. I would later buy replacements from Brownells for mine.
Next up, and the last truly difficult piece (but not the last vanishing one) was the bolt catch.
The bolt catch ( just left of pliers in above photo) consists of three parts. The catch itself, a tensioning spring, and a plunger that pushes against the catch that goes in the spring.
At this stage I grabbed my hex wrench set and put the smallest one through the holes for the roll pin in order to hold the catch in place. This worked VERY well and saved me chasing flying parts launched by the spring. I then hammered the roll pin through and it forced the hex wrench out as it went. Simple, but took a great deal of hammering. Put a little lubricant on the roll pin end and it becomes easier, also don’t be afraid to whack the pin hard with punch and hammer, it takes some force.
As you can see the punch slipped and I didn’t have electrical tape on that part near the bolt catch so I knocked the lower and scarred the finish, oops.
After this I installed the trigger (see my ALG Defense ACT article for more on that.) A very simple operation at this point because, despite fighting the spring tension (on the hammer especially), the pins can be pushed in by hand fairly easily. Some minor finagling is necessary to keep holes aligned but that is it. Also be sure to put the trigger in first, then the hammer, and that the hammer’s spring is putting tension on the back of the hammer as you put it in. nsz85’s video is very good about illustrating this, I highly recommend watching that as you go.
Next was the safety selector switch, for a normal one that part slides right in. For the STS from Noveske/Magpul you must use gorilla like force to snap the selector lever onto the drum, then a really tiny screw driver to tighten the really tiny screw into the lever so it doesn’t walk itself off the drum, and then it drops right in.
Once your selector switch of choice is in you can flip the lower upside down and drop the safety detent into its place. Then take the pistol grip, pistol grip screw, crush washer, and safety detent spring and put them on.
Put the pistol grip onto the receiver to test the fit and flex the polymer a little, this will make putting it on when it has the spring inside it much easier. Next place the selector spring into the pistol grip, line it up with the small hole the detent is in, and put the pistol grip back on fully. You will need to use some force to keep it on as the selector spring will force the pistol grip partially off, not a big issue.
Next, grab your pistol grip screw, put the crush washer over the threads and drop it threads down into the pistol grip. Follow it with a screw driver and tighten it down, this will likely take a little time in order to get the screw to line up and start on the threads, a magnetic tip screw driver could help.
Almost done now!
Next up, the receiver extension, also called the buffer tube. This is threaded and depending on which you choose, rifle or carbine, will determine the complexity of install. Carbine is more difficult due to the adjustable stock, more parts.
For a carbine stock assembly take the receiver tube and take all the parts off. This will consist of the receiver end plate and castle nut. Next put the castle nut back on so the crenulation cuts are facing the closed end (these cuts mate up with a stock wrench so they need to face away from the end plate), screw it all the way on to the very end of the threading. Add the end plate next, there should be a small cut in the receiver extension and a matching one on the end plate that help minimize rotation, there is also a slightly extruded bit below the tube that should be facing so it goes inside the receiver, this also helps with anti-rotation.
Screw the receiver extension into the receiver until it nearly meets up with the small hole where the buffer detent and spring sit. Place the buffer detent spring and buffer detent into the hole and use your thumb (leather gloved helps with comfort) to push the detent down and screw the receiver extension in so the tube now holds the detent in place, the narrow pin like top of the detent will rest against the edge of the tube.
Be sure you screw the tube in enough! I didn’t, and said detent spring went flying away to join it’s brother, the front take down pin detent spring, in the abyss… luckily I already raided my other lower parts kit so I did so again for the other spring.
The tube may need a little bit of adjusting to get the stock to align correctly but that is quite simple.
Before we finish the stock install we must detour and put in the rear takedown pin, which is much easier than the front. Take the pin and put it into the receiver with the cut for the detent facing the rear of the receiver, don’t put it all the way in as you will likely have to turn it a bit to seat the detent into the cut. Next take the detent and put it into the small hole in the back of the receiver, follow that with the spring, these will be held in place by the receiver end plate (or the stock on a fixed stock rifle with a rifle receiver extension)
Back to the receiver extension now, push the end plate against the receiver and hand tighten the castle nut to close it up.
Back to the take down pin, now that the detent has tension try to rotate it and make sure the detent is in the cut. It should not rotate once the detent has found its place. It should slide in and out of the receiver however with the detent capturing it.
Next grab your stock wrench and tighten the castle nut down snugly (yet another area where a vice would be helpful). Check as you are tightening to see that the receiver extension does not rotate with it and make your stock crooked (unless you want it that way)
Finally, adding the stock itself. Put the stock onto the receiver extension. Pull down on adjustment tab until the spring and detent inside the stock are all the way depressed and then pull/push the stock onto the adjustment rail of the receiver extension. It should lock in all the positions now. Each adjustable stock has a slightly different way to pull the tab down depending on its design. You’ll figure it out, just do not try and push the stock on without depressing the tab fully, you will fail miserably.
For a fixed stock rifle it’s even easier, no castle nut, no end plate, and no aligning the stock so it isn’t crooked. Just screw the rifle receiver extension on and place the buffer detent and its spring in their proper place. Next add the take down pin, detent, and spring. Finally slide the fixed stock on and tighten the provided screw. For an A2 stock you will also have a small spacer to add on the end of the receiver extension, I used a Magpul MOE stock and it has no spacer. Much cooler and more comfortable stock too.
Last and by far your easiest step, put the recoil buffer into the buffer spring and slide them into the receiver extension. Spring first and with the flat end of the buffer facing out. It will click into place behind the buffer retention detent and…
You’re done!
Ready to add an upper and go test! You can now cease quietly swearing like I was.
Keith our resident instructor and AR-15 home build fanatic, has started a series on building an AR-15 from scratch. This first article discusses why or why not you may want to build an AR instead of buying one. While cost is a factor it should not be “the factor” when making this decision. This series will be an excellent compliment to the AR-15 pistol build series I am working on. We will also over the coming weeks make every effort possible to speak specifically on the parts each of us used in our builds and what lead us to those choices.
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The question of buying or building an AR15 type rifle has been debated among the gun owning community extensively for the past decade and beyond. There are merits to both options depending on your needs and desires. Here I share with you my personal experiences so if you are considering one, the other, or both options you can make a more informed decision to put the rifle you truly want in your hands.
SIDENOTE: If this is your first AR, buy it and keep it simple, avoid rails and anything with an overabundance of acronyms. ‘Sport’ Models from names like Smith & Wesson are your friend. Once you know you like the platform and have discovered its idiosyncrasies you have my permission to go nuts on the next one.
Let’s start by addressing the ‘Common Wisdom’ of the AR build.
You can get a better rifle for less!
There is some merit to this but the impression across the internet seems to be you’ll be getting a Noveske or Daniel Defense for the price of a Bushmaster.
This is not the case.
The reason those rifles cost what they do is material quality above all else and if you want the same quality parts you will be paying the quality prices.
The real and most substantial savings comes in selecting your key parts and the quality level you want out of those parts and then finding the lowest price part that fits that category.
Here is where you can lose the savings battle, you can lose badly. The explosion of high end parts with flashy names and catchy descriptions can easily run up the total in that shopping cart to a level you were hoping to avoid.
This isn’t a problem, unless you hit “place order” without trimming the list to essentials. Don’t be afraid to buy piece by piece either, it makes the process longer and a bit more agonizing in the waiting department but much easier for the finances to absorb.
Where should you spend?
Believe it or not the military uses an $800 rifle. The M16A4 and M4/M4A1s are about $800 a pop for the basic assembly. It gets pricier in a hurry once the gadgets start getting installed (The Knight’s Armament rails jump the rifles to $1100 before they leave Colt or FNH USA)
So we can keep costs low when we stay away from the extras. Plan the extras you absolutely want into your budget and focus on the function you are seeking above any particular brand. Let each part win its place in your build rather than picking it out ahead of time. I found this to be much more efficient in controlling my costs.
The three parts that are going to make or break your rifle are the bolt carrier assembly, trigger, and barrel. The majority of your budget lands here. Even with that said don’t be scared of less expensive parts with good reputations. If you can track an “off brand” part’s origin you may discover a big name company who use said parts in their guns. They might even be OEM for a number of AR makers. Most companies that produce ARs buy the parts and assemble them, usually making only a limited number of items in house and getting the lowers properly marked with their logos.
Build or buy the rifle you want!
This is part 1 of 3 guys, the next two will focus on actually putting them together whereas right now we’re discussing parts. But build the gun you want, if someone who warranties their work builds the gun you want than I honestly suggest buying it instead. One of the greatest features of the AR is the fact it really is the everyman’s rifle, bought or built you can change it to suit you.
Building an AR is a fairly substantial undertaking so make sure the end result is something you will enjoy! After spending the time, effort, and maybe some old fashioned blood, sweat, and tears, if you end up not satisfied with your end product because you decided against a piece you had your heart set on, like a barrel or handguard, then you did yourself a disservice.
It is my heartfelt recommendation to pick performance over brand name to fulfill each part’s role but this is also your project so feel free to pick at least one or two things for it you like just because (examples in part 2).
To be continued!
Right on the heels of our P250 review I present… another SIG.
248Shooter writers have discussed, among many topics, just how much Sig Sauer products might dominate review time on the page. This has to do with their very strong showing as a company at SHOT Show, bring a number of new and refined products to market for the huge markets in the US. They covered the entire market base very nicely for both LEO/Military and civilian shooters.
More Sig to come, many other items too, but for now I review this little gem.
This article will be the first in a series of short(er) articles detailing products reviewed over the long haul. The Review Preview will be the first of two parts. Covered will be first impressions, specifications, any initial quirks, and maybe the first experiences after use.
A full review will follow once I feel enough time has been spent with the item to find just how it sits for the long haul of having it around. As this gun was purchased 10 days ago, we are definitely early in the process.
So here we go!
Acquisition
I never actually intended to pick this gun up, and I had only laid eyes on it about two weeks prior in a gun store while looking for a rifle case. I had minimal interest in any Sig Sauer handgun, not that I disliked them. I always took the opportunity to shoot one of a couple P226’s some friends swore by, I also had some eyes open for a P229 Scorpion feeling the need to round out inventory of popular handguns (and loving the FDE color) away from Glocks and M&Ps.
The gun I had on order was an FNS9 (I may still snag that too, we’ll see). But upon swinging into my local shop to see how the order was proceeding I saw the P226 Extreme sitting in the case. The grip coloration caught my eye the most so I asked to see it, knowing for certain that I would still get the more economical FNS9 because what I was really after was another rental gun for classes that I could also review.
We see how that worked out.
I ended up looking around online for information on the “Extreme”, which seems to acknowledge the full cheesiness of the trend of acronym names featuring X’s for firearms these days (XTM being this pistol’s code). I found only one thorough review that wasn’t a run on paragraph on a blog so my time looking was short. Sig Sauer’s own website obviously lists the features in full advertising fashion, but I looked there also… repeatedly… I liked the grips.
So after returning to the shop with a friend to buy an AR15 and hearing that my FNS9 would be very close to the wire on arriving on time I asked if I could instead walk out the store with the P226 Extreme for a slight discount on his tagged price. The store owner agreed in a heartbeat and I left with pistol for $1,000. Yikes!? But I liked the grips
What’s so “Extreme”?
The P226 Extreme is, as Sig states, the 226 that incorporates the most commonly demanded upgrades to the stock P226R’s right from the factory.
Improved grips, night sights, and Sig’s SRT (Short Reset) trigger. Also front end slide serrations, a take it or leave it feature that I happen to love on handguns, the thing I miss most about my M&P45 that my 9L doesn’t have.
The colorfully swirly grips that almost resemble an ice cream flavor are made by Hogue and are of G10 material, a fiberglass plastic laminate formed under pressure.
Hogue calls it G-Mascus G10 for the way the swirls resemble the famous Damascus sword steel (I still think it looks like ice cream). It’s a pattern that emerges from their way of forming G10 instead of the more typical layering method.
Did I mention I like the grips?
The night sights are Sig’s. They’re a factory standard feature on a great many of their handguns and an available upgrade on any that can accept them.
Some say they’re the brightest tritium lamp sights on the market. They certainly are bright, but comparing them to my Trijicon HDs I cannot give a definitive nod one way or the other. Very good sights though. Bravo Sig! Useful features make we gun owners smile.
Now, the Short Reset Trigger (SRT). Not the most eye-catching feature but it is my favorite overall on the handgun. The SRT was Sig’s answer to the complaint of trigger reset distance, not that the P226 stock trigger is unusable or excessive (especially compared to the P250) but I had experienced “short stroking” a Sig trigger in the past, not something I like to do on a handgun. For those who haven’t heard it described with that term I failed to release the trigger enough to reset it for the next shot before pulling it again, since it wasn’t reset nothing happened, I really don’t like it when nothing happens when I pull the trigger on a loaded gun.
The SRT shortens the reset considerable and allows the Extreme (and any other SRT equipped Sig) to be shot very quickly single action. The trigger pull was much lighter at 4.4lbs but the reset was much more reminiscent of my favored M&P’s now than the original, at least to my subjective test of playing around with the trigger. I liked it a lot.
My initial impressions thus formed aesthetically and dry-function tested, I took it to the range two days later for a function test.
Range Time “It’s a rental”
True to my purpose but slightly disappointing on a personal level, I didn’t shoot my P226 Extreme first, a student did. A close friend of mine organized a concealed carry for me to instruct and his brother ended up as the one behind the trigger of the P226.
This young man had never fired a handgun in his life.
He left a ragged quarter sized hole in the target at 20 feet.
He was grinning ear to ear and so was I, he was the only one to shoot a perfect score and he’d proven the accuracy of the Extreme to be rather… well… extreme.
I promptly added some rounds down the pipe after the class while we were shooting for fun and confirmed, despite my lack of time behind a P226, I could group as well and often better than my M&P9L.
I was giddy.
I haven’t had time to run the P226 Extreme as hard as I’d like for a full review…
But that’s ok since this is a Preview.
Stay tuned!
Keith is getting too good at writing articles for us here at 248shooter. We both started a review on the ALG Combat Trigger also known as that ACT trigger. He just did a better job than me and faster. Below is the article from him and I do not want to spoil it so let me just say the following.
My conclusions have been directly inline with his. While we took a different path to get to the ALG/ACT trigger we reached the same outcome. If you are debating a trigger upgrade read this article first. Even as a novice it is simple to assemble and easy to work with. I think it took me 15 minutes and it was my first AR trigger replacement.
OOOH SHINY!
That was basically my reaction on seeing the trigger for the first time.
ALG Defense, the people behind the ACT, released an aesthetically appealing trigger into the US market at a time when the market is all about highly functional aesthetics.
The question for us is, does the shiny object function? I was looking to find out.
The Search
I recently completed two AR15 builds from home (article coming, stay tuned), one for myself and one for the little lady. During that search process there is an endless sea of parts you can grab up to complete your rifles. Some of these add fashion, some add function, many advertise adding both, and some end up adding neither.
I wanted quality, functional, and durable rifles for a reasonable price (don’t we all). That process is all about spending on critical areas, but not over buying for your purpose. That can be very hard ladies and gentlemen… very, very hard.
The online retailers are full of ball park $200.00 triggers from the legendary names in the industry, Timney and Geissele. New products like the Tac-Con 3MR are $500.00 and new offerings from companies like HiperFire put new design concepts into play at that $200.00 price point yet again.
The new triggers especially seem to claim they have discovered revolutionary new ways to make guns go bang, as if the old ways didn’t work? Of course, internet conventional wisdom also concludes in certain circles that “Mil-Spec” triggers are the worst thing ever to be thrust upon American gun buyers.
“Gritty, horrible, sloppy, inaccurate!” the internet arm-chair commandos cry!
The online retailers don’t help this any when they list their basic triggers. It’s not that they trash the trigger and say buy the expensive ones. It’s the more passive not saying much of anything while the long detailed description on the other trigger sells itself.
So we have the “upgraded” trigger with the catchy super tactical match sniper description vs. the mil-spec trigger which wraps up its description as “trigger”. Retailers want us to buy the higher priced items (ya don’t say?) but my goal was to get a good trigger for the task at hand. More importantly, get a good trigger for my young lady, a novice AR shooter who didn’t want anything fancy on her rifle.
That leads me toward the under advertised “Mil-Spec” side to have maximum value and get the job done.
On mil-spec triggers themselves being “barely adequate”, I can only share my experience. In the summer of 2007 I was handed a well abused rifle, bluing was gone, colors were fading on the receiver from black to purple, pitting all barrel and front sight, and it loved to collect surface rust. I had no knowledge of what this thing did, how it worked, or whether it was good or bad. I spent a month smacking the living hell out of it and learning to clean it before ever firing a shot. When it came time to fire those shots I had no bias, I had never heard of “match triggers” and had no excuses to give except my own shooting abilities if I did poorly.
That summer I consistently and accurately hit targets at 200, 300, and 500 yards away both slowly and quickly with open iron sights while standing, sitting, kneeling, and prone. That trigger probably exhibited all the flaws that haters of mil-spec despise. I still hit the target. Mil-spec works.
I have, since those summer days, learned a great deal, one such detail is quality control in manufacturing, and a friend of mine ran afoul of that with his “mil-spec” trigger. Most triggers, especially well-worn ones, have smoothed out the metal on metal surfaces providing either one or two distinct stages before the trigger breaks and the gun fires. His trigger had six. Poor machining and low quality control had yielded a trigger that was mil-spec material but improperly made. These triggers are what give “Mil-Spec” a bad name.
So, back to my goal of finding performance without overspending, I needed a quality mil-spec trigger to put in the rifles but not buy something cheap stamped “mil-spec” and have the QC problems.
So off I went to the magic of the internet and searched that very thing. Up popped ALD Defense with a product called the QMS Trigger, and right their next to it was the ACT… it was shiny and only $20.00 more.
I took once more to the internet and tried to figure out if shiny was good.
The Trigger
The ACT is, at its heart, a mil-spec trigger, same shape, same pieces, and same springs. ALG Defense didn’t try to re-invent a wheel that already works, just smooth out the ride.
To accomplish this they didn’t look at redesign, the looked at materials.
Nickel-Teflon and Nickel-Boron over quality steel make this trigger excel without breaking the bank. The coatings also add the subtle two-tone coloration, bonus. Nickel-Teflon, an extremely durable coating that also adds lubricity to metal, coats the hammer and disconnector (the thin steal piece slid into the center of trigger hook piece, it grabs the hammer as it comes back) The majority of your high velocity metal on metal contact on the trigger is on these two pieces, the coating of Nickel-Teflon makes the firing sequence wear less on these parts due to its hardness and provides a very clean and polished feel to the trigger pull due to the lubricity of Teflon. The result is a very clean feeling to the trigger pull, satisfyingly clean, while not sacrificing any reliability.
Other triggers have used lighter weight springs and machined down hammers to achieve lighter, easier, or “cleaner” trigger pulls but risk failing to ignite the round by hitting the firing pin and primer too lightly.
The trigger pulls at around 6 lbs of force, above the 5.5lb minimum of mil-spec but well below the maximum of 9.5lbs, a perfect weight for an all-purpose rifle.
The shinier bottom half of the trigger, the trigger hook itself where we place our finger while taking the shot, is Nickel-Boron coated. The coating still provides increased lubricity and durability but is much more centered on the durability overall, being that it is an openly exposed part. Nickel-Boron is increasingly popular in the manufacturing of firearms metal on metal components, adding exceptional corrosion resistance and durability to the treated parts.
It doesn’t look half bad either. If the look bothers you… maybe for “tactical” reasons of not having anything overly shiny on your gun, you can paint and/or coat the Nickel-Boron. DO NOT mess with the Nickel-Teflon parts as they will cease being useful if covered in paint or any other firearm finish.
Some Assembly Required
Some of the higher end triggers do have an additional advantage. They are “drop-in” units. The trigger mechanism is all contained in a nice little box waiting to be put into the receiver and pinned in place.
Not so with the ACT (and many others). The first trigger I ordered came with a full lower parts kit, since I needed one and the trigger on its own is $65.00 give or take while the parts kit one was $80.00, seemed like a no brainer. I was correct there but that is for the full build article.
The ACT comes to us partially assembled (See photo). What you see there is what you get. The trigger disconnector and the little spring it rides on are in the trigger hook assembly already in place, the spring for the trigger is already on and the pin (another materially upgraded part) is in its place. The hammer is similarly outfitted with its proper spring and pin.
And then there is this little guy…
The only piece standing alone. What could it be for?
Turns out the fine folks at ALG have assembled a lower or two themselves and have provided this helpful little piece to aid us. It’s an extra length of pin the same diameter as the two inside the trigger pieces, it’s also long enough to hold the trigger and disconnector together but short enough to fit inside the lower receiver. It’s a place holder so you can feed in the pins without holding a bunch of pieces under different directions of spring tension and it guides the pin and holds the parts in place as they go through the receiver, so parts fly everywhere a lot less frequently. The same thing can be done for the hammer, very helpful in keeping parts in place under spring tension.
Thank you ALG! It’s the little things.
Pulling the Trigger
So now the trigger is sitting in the gun in front of us. We do a function check to make sure everything stops where it is supposed to, locks, releases, resets, etc.
Side Note: PLEASE DO NOT REPEATEDLY DRY FIRE AN AR TRIGGER WITHOUT A PROPERLY INSTALLED UPPER AND BCG, The steal hammer crashing against the aluminum receiver instead of the BCG and firing pin can and WILL eventually crack your receiver, which sucks, once or twice probably won’t hurt anything but repeatedly doing it will cause problems.
Once I knew the triggers were all together in both guns I went one afternoon with a couple of buddies to a nearby indoor range to throw lead.
Conclusion: This is my new baseline trigger, everything will be judged by this standard. It’s phenomenally consistent, no grit or creep, clean break, sharp reset, and it will do it again and again and again.
If you won’t take my word for it, look at BCM and LWRCi, the Jack Carbine and Individual Carbine are both running these triggers from the factory. Both of those guns are built as “get it done” fighting rifles, so they chose a trigger to match that need instead of a match trigger they didn’t need.
So in short, ALG Defense has quite the winner on their hands. A cost effective, well thought out, and rugged trigger meant for rifles that could be called on for a serious purpose, however they’re just as at home in a hobby rifle and very kind on the pocket book.
It’s just a damn good trigger.
Keith Finch shares a story that comes from close to home.
There was an event recently in my area, not too far from my office and classroom, and I feel it necessary to suspend my other projects for a brief article point toward defensive preparation.
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There was an abduction and sexual assault. This hit close to home not only geographically, but personally. I know the victim, she’s safe and recovering and to her enormous credit she is speaking out to find the sub-human animal that attacked her and could likely attack others, to an even more tragic end.
Her terrible experience can serve as a reminder to us of the very real truths of being prepared to defend ourselves.
She was walking in an area she knew well, years of experience with no one bothering her, meeting good people and enjoying the town she calls home. She, even now, loves her city she calls home.
It only takes one person though, one person to disregard the dignity and respect of the human right to life to put others at risk. The animal in human skin can be anywhere and can choose anyone for any reason. They do not operate on the rationale level that we do. Stay Alert and have an immediate action ready.
The attack happened at 1am and she was walking alone. While an attack can come from anywhere and at any point in time a predator uses logic as well. A single target in low visibility conditions at a time with greatly reduced chance of witnesses has a much higher chance of success than attacking a group in high visibility conditions with witnesses present.
I am afraid of the dark. Not that something out of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is waiting in the corner but due to the real knowledge that my vulnerability is increased because my senses and safety nets are decreased. Less people around, low light, I’m tired, it’s cold and I have a hood up and can’t see. The time of the day and conditions are disadvantaging us and all the little things are piling up into a greatly increased chance of attack.
Folks don’t mistake this for an irrational reasoning on the actually likelihood of an attack against me or anyone for that matter. Those chances are still low, very low, but they aren’t 0 and never will be so we don’t want to take steps that shift the odds against us if we can at all avoid it.
Grab a friend, travel in the day whenever possible, and have an immediate action plan.
The story doesn’t mention it but this young woman I know was armed. She had a knife. She even tried to use it, but it was taken and used to against her instead.
Am I, by the title, saying she should’ve had a gun instead?
NO.
Make no mistake, a sidearm is probably the single most useful and portable tool for defense, but it can be taken just like the knife was from her and used against you without the serious and proper training to employee a fighting tool. This is not target shooting at the range, it isn’t throwing a knife at a dart board or wood plank… IT IS COMBAT!
The knife is a great tool, but in my experience and observation is it vastly over trusted and relied upon. Not because the knife itself is useless, I’m sure it has opened many a box or letter, but because the person carrying it has no idea the reality that is hand to hand combat. Most people carrying a knife have no experience or plan to use it beyond “get it in my hand and the rest will sort itself out” they have not trained to fight with a knife and they probably aren’t training to fight at all.
Close combat is still an emphasis of the Marine Corps. It still gets some face time here and there, and let me tell you it’s exhausting. It takes a massive amount of time, energy, and body bruising to become proficient. Even when prophecy is gained, disparity of force can make it a moot point. When assailant is bigger, stronger, or there are more of them than you, you have a big problem hand to hand.
A gun is much easier to use and brings to bear much greater force. But whatever you use, if you are not proficient with it, it’s a liability not an asset.
I can’t with any accuracy say what was going on inside her head during the attack, when the attacker took her knife, or during any of the inhumane actions he took against her that night.
What I do know is she is still in that fight, and she is in it to win. It’s been less than 36 hours and she’s plastering the description of the attacker and his vehicle all over social media, she isn’t hiding the trauma of the attack. She isn’t coddling us or herself on the details. She’s hitting back with the biggest stick in the arsenal right now, the eyes of the Kalamazoo, MI area residents reading her story.
It only takes one person to put him down and away, one set of people to find him.
Cops on Speed Dial.
Eyes open.
Keith Finch joins us again with a follow up to his previous article (here). This is a great read and we are glad to have Keith sharing this with us.
My last appearance here dealt with keeping ourselves safe without our firearms around. Here we are tackling the reverse of that circumstance. We are discussing ‘Castle Doctrine’ defense set-up and some appreciable tools you can add to the mix to get your personal set-up ‘just so’ for your home or business. This is a longer article that has been some time in the making so thanks for joining me in advance and take a break if you need to.
First let’s delve into the ‘Castle Doctrine’ of Michigan specifically, other states have similar laws but I can only accurately comment on Michigan. The law we are most closely referencing here is the Self Defense Act (Act 309 of 2006) which states a person may use lethal force with no duty to retreat (also covering ‘Stand Your Ground’) so long as they meet 4 criteria.
The law also provides four general scenarios with specific exceptions. In these four scenarios the law defaults to agreeing with you that you were in mortal danger if you believed, reasonably, that you were.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a generalization of the law to establish context, not the law verbatim and should not be taken to be legal advice in any manner.
The exceptions to the four scenarios include things like police officers with warrants or the person entering is a resident or owner. The purpose for the Self Defense Act is to outline a framework for liability and criminal immunity in lethal force situations. As the Act stands it provides firm legal standing for self-protection at our homes and businesses and removes a great deal of possible liability from us should someone pursue a civil suit against us, this allows us to remove that hesitation and more effectively save our lives and those we care for in case of an assault.
Now that we have the legal precedent covered, and that precedent is similar (but not identical) throughout many states, let’s build our plan!
Our homes and businesses are static locations. This offers us significant advantages when emergency planning is taking place because, in general, things don’t move. Our doorways don’t spontaneously move about the property, furniture stays where we put it, lighting is how we set it up, and phones are wherever we want. We use all these fixtures to stage our defensive plans. We build off them and place them as we see fit to work both in an emergency and be convenient in our daily lives.
We build our castles.
Since this is a shooting blog the most obvious tool we likely have or want to integrate into our home or business defense is a firearm. The questions now are which ones and how many? (Side note: If you want a serious look at the ‘How Many?’ question I suggest you look up the Justice Files video on Lance Thomas, it’s over 20 years old but very relevant to this topic)
A great deal of time has been spent in front of the camera, on the range, and in the think tanks of our defensive strategy communities and a treasure trove of good information is available. There is also plenty of junk science out there too, be sure of where the information is coming from and how it was gathered when choosing ‘a good gun’.
There are a number of questions we must answer when choosing and placing firearms. Who is using them? Where are we using them? How do we get to them? What are the hazards to avoid and mitigate? Which firearms make the most sense?
Two trends begin to emerge in this search. Modern tactical long guns (rifles and shotguns) are the best defensive tools. Modern concealment style handguns are the most convenient defensive tools. Now we need to balance the convenience factor with the effectiveness factor to reach a formula you are satisfied with for your defense plan. If it’s feasible, the best plans will include both handguns and long guns.
The handgun is easy to integrate if we already conceal carry, it isn’t necessary that we find a bigger gun than the one we already find convenient enough to keep on our person. However since we have all kinds of additional places we can place a handgun at home, we can stage a larger model if we so choose.
In my own set up, my carry gun is (currently) an M&P Shield in 9mm. My ‘nightstand gun’, as they’re commonly referred to, is a Glock 21 SF. I’ve carried the 21 concealed, it’s very doable, but the Shield is almost effortless and thus rides with me the most. Since the shield is beside me the most, it is my most relied on defensive firearm. Your carry gun, if you carry, is your most relied on defensive firearm.
We have our baseline now. The gun we find convenient enough to pack around with us is the starter gun to our defense plan. We don’t need to take this gun off our bodies, which is by far the most convenient place to have it in an emergency. These guns have limitations though for the sake of comfort and concealment, smaller grip, lower round counts, more rudimentary and shorter sights, higher shooter felt recoil…
Our concealment firearms are more difficult to use than many of the larger frame guns, even larger frame guns in higher calibers. A mitigating factor against this difficulty is that, if we are training properly, our concealment gun is the one we are most proficient with. There are trade-offs if your carry gun is also your only defense gun. But ultimately…
It’s a good tool for the job…
It’s a convenient tool for the job…
The question now, are you satisfied with that set up?
No? Do we want to add another tool?
Next gun
The ‘Night Stand’ gun is probably the most common home/business defender. A far greater portion of our shooting community has this type of gun. Many have one in addition to a concealed carry gun. Being that most handguns are purchased for protection but that CCW permit holders are still a minority segment of the gun owning population it is a safe bet most of the handguns sold fall into this general category.
These guns tend to be larger ‘Duty Sized’ guns. They are easier to shoot over all. They tend to have better sights. They have higher capacity magazines so you have more protection ready ammo. They have lower felt recoil because they are heavier guns. There are distinct advantages to having these types of handguns in hand in a violent encounter, over a smaller firearm. But remember, any gun is better than nothing in a fight.
I’ll use my set up to illustrate. My concealed carry gun is the M&P Shield in 9mm. I carry it with 8 rounds of +P defensive ammo. It’s a great base but it has its limits (namely 8 rounds). My ‘Night Stand’ handgun is the GLOCK 21 SF, 13 shots of +P .45 ACP. It has more rounds, larger and heavier rounds, better sights, and is easier to shoot despite the larger round because it is a larger gun. Alternately I can have an M&P9L set up with 18 shots of 9mm +P that can more than double the capacity of my Shield. It’s also easy to set extra magazines nearby, giving you around 50 rounds of ammo to grab fairly conveniently from a prepared location
Speaking of that location… Lockbox or safe on the dresser, holster on our desk, staged in a drawer, or even just placed on a counter, there are a myriad of ways we can set these guns up and integrate them into our emergency plan. But as with every plan we have questions we MUST answer when we set our tools in place.
First, can I get to the gun?
This is a vitally important question. How accessible is our gun? How accessible is it really?
Where do you spend most of your time at home or in the office? Is the gun in that room? If not, you aren’t as close to your gun as you may think. Do this for me and time yourself. Walk from your living room, den, or kitchen, to your gun. Then access your gun through the combination lock or key lock or however it is stored.
Honestly, how long did it take?
My guess, 1-2 minutes. Not bad. But a quick search of YouTube shows us plenty of breaking and entering’s… and they happen in seconds. 10 seconds is actually on the lengthy side for someone kicking in your door or busting a window and accessing the interior of your home or business.
10 or fewer seconds is our reality. Can you get your gun? If we can’t be ready in that time frame, at a brisk walking pace, we need to rethink and improve our accessibility plan.
Secondly, who has access to the gun?
One of the greatest things about carrying your protection gun is that you are in control of it (It’s also less than 10 seconds away). With a static location ‘Night Stand’ gun, you aren’t. Plain and simple you are not in control of a gun that isn’t in your possession so we need to establish who has access to that gun in its static location. Combination and biometric safes are pretty standard fare when it comes to controlling access to many items, including firearms, and these are excellent control measures to determine who in the household or business can grab that gun. You should have confidence that the people with access to the gun can use it effectively and competently. A safe and professional level defensive handgun course, even a basic one not necessarily geared for a concealed carry permit, can establish that competency.
The staged static location handgun is a very effective plan when done properly. By establishing access and maintaining the assurance that whoever can get to that gun can use it and do so in a timely manner we are adding a very effective response to violence against our homes and workplaces that can save the lives we care most about.
It is a good tool for the job…
It is fairly convenient, considering this is how most handguns are employed…
Are we satisfied with this level of preparation?
No? Do we want an additional tool?
Next gun
Now we’re talking about employing a long gun. A modern defensive rifle or shotgun has distinct advantages over a handgun, but in short you’re bringing a much bigger stick to this sudden fight for your life. In addition we are going to stage a long gun at a static location, much like a fire extinguisher, where as we could fairly easily carry a duty size gun while at our business or home.
It’s this plan of action where we use a handgun to fight to our rifle. And to be clear I am referencing AR15 and AK style firearms (and all the other nifty shiny ‘modern sporting rifles’). A lever action or bolt action rifle will almost certainly suffer from severe ammunition limitation, even if you can effectively work the action. A reliable semi-auto is mechanically much faster than we can ever be.
A long gun that we can use proficiently is our most effective tool in a fight… period. We have the most ammo (in the case of a rifle) and are delivering much greater energy on target per shot. With the same amount of training, preparation, and continuing remediation, the proper long guns are easier to aim and use than handguns (shoulder stocks are wonderful things).
Looking at shotguns for defense we see 5-8 rounds of high energy shot. Using good defense ammo, like #4 buckshot, we’re going to get very effective accuracy at wall to wall distances. Using a pump action can also be very economical, starting as low as half the cost of modern tactical sporting rifles. Birdshot is also a cheap way to practice pulling the trigger to continue the economic pluses. Semi-auto shotguns are also available readily and few will truly break the bank when you shop around and plan the purchase.
Hooray! Economically practical defense!
Now the down sides. The two biggest detractors of using a shotgun defensively are ammunition capacity and recoil. There is no denying shotguns kick, even 20 gauge which I tend to recommend over 12’s for most shooters, have stout recoil. I’m not saying it’s unmanageable, but it will throw your sights off target and can slow or foul follow up shots (always plan for an additional shot, never assume a threat is over). Taking these things into account in addition to the considerations outlined above for static location defensive guns, does a shotgun make sense?
Next… Rifles
Ballistics wise, our caliber of choice is 5.56x45mm/.223 Remington (Yes the picture above is a .308, shhhhhh!). Using lead core ammo (M193 and clones) and steering clear of M855 (mild steel core) we actually find that its safety inside buildings exceeds most other ammo types, even buckshot and handgun rounds, when it comes to over penetration (going through walls). Something about the zippy little round’s design loves to dump its tremendous potential energy very quickly when it strikes a barrier. SWAT teams and patrol officers are increasingly going with AR15s and other 5.56 chambered rifles for this reason among many. Those additional advantages include very mild recoil, 30 round standard capacity (even 40 easily), easy to add optics and lights for faster time on targets, and very accurate.
Add to this equation modern defense rounds for rifles (in any moderate caliber) and the energy delivered to threats (stopping power) goes further up while collateral concerns (oops! I missed!) further decrease with even better results on low over penetration.
This all adds up to one conclusion.
Modern Tactical Rifles are awesome for protection and defense!
But are they convenient enough for you to put in place? Staging a rifle or a shotgun takes planning and effort on both the location and storage fronts. Wall racks or cases or whatever else you may come up with will take some serious thought. We still need to consider our accessibility levels as well, who can get to it and how long does that take? The good news here is that, quite likely, we or someone else with us have a gun in hand already since we planned well and got a gun before we went for the gun. I’m making the assumption that we staged a handgun as a step prior to the long gun.
More questions now. Do we stage the gun loaded (round chambered) or “cruiser ready” (magazine full but chamber empty)? We must practice accessing the gun properly for the way it’s staged? This covers the gambit from chambering a round when appropriate to activating optics and even as simple as flipping the safety off. We must walk ourselves through this plan, physically, to maintain our proficiency with it. I cannot emphasize enough how serious you must take your walk through practices and your firearm proficiency, be the professional!
Tangent time! Anyone who has been through a class of mine can tell you I love tangents, random ones at times, but this one is relevant I assure you.
If you do not take your role seriously and those around you don’t take their roles seriously in an emergency… you… will… fail! I’ve been a part of an enacted plan that broke down, and the reason it broke down is one of my colleagues didn’t take his role seriously, he never had. This was not a violent encounter (lucky for us), it was a medical emergency (not lucky for the patient).
I responded beside our EMT to a cardiac arrest victim inside our building, we have a plan in place for this situation. It’s a simple plan, two really important steps, call EMS and get the AED on the victim’s chest. Well we got the AED into action since we had control of that aspect and had additional staff helping control the scene’s safety so we could work. What I didn’t have control over was the man I had at our central radio dispatch, and how despite holding that post he had never seriously considered that sitting in that chair meant he was our callout to emergency services. This man asked me over the radio what the number to 911 was. I get it, it was an emergency and stress kicks in. The problem is we know that’s going to happen ahead of time, we know it’s going to be stressful. We train! We’re professionals! He had one job and he failed because he did not take his role seriously. In this case we didn’t lose that patients life, I couldn’t say if it would have worked as well next time. He won’t know either, he no longer works with us.
Ok, tangent over. I can’t ever overemphasize preparation in basic responses. The best and most expensive tools in the world are useless in the hands of people not ready to use them and even the most basic tool is useful in the hands of a willfully prepared individual.
And speaking of basic tools…
Our external and internal communication (calling emergency help and talking with the people in the house or business with you) is just as important to our safety as getting to our guns.
Having a plan to get the police heading our way and making sure those people in our care get where they need to be so we can protect them requires as much prior thought as training to use a firearm. This is why we do fire drills in school, prior safety planning. Establishing and practicing the emergency plan routinely (monthly, quarterly, but repetitive enough to establish the needed result) lets our families and co-workers know what their roles are in case of a break in. The reason this must be physically practiced is so we physically know, as well as theoretically, where we are supposed to be and where others are supposed to be.
Practicing in this manner is not the easiest or most convenient thing, you might only be able to discuss the plan instead of physically walk through it. This is still a useful step in communicating exactly what is expected from each us in that emergency.
One of those steps discussed internally is starting the external communication. Who is calling 911? You, the kids, our co-workers, who is on the phone? Where is that phone and is it protected behind the armed defender? Do you have a prepared message that can be read by the caller, something on a notecard? Does it have your location, what’s happening, who is with you, and what services you need on it? Believe it or not having a written “cheat sheet” is an exceptional and simple tool to help our brains respond in the right way during an emergency, this same stress direction assistance is why we now build AEDs that literally talk to us. It’s not so people who have no clue what to do will somehow magically be able to, it’s so the people who do have the preparation have some streamlined reinforcement to perform their roles.
After all we have discussed here we now have our basic outline to fill in. The details are going to be unique to our situations but the pattern of those details will all be the same. Getting everyone to an established safe place, securing it, and getting help on the way.
The key isn’t the guns, it is the preparation.
The holiday season is almost upon us or is upon us not sure which. For many of us this is the time of year that we either splurge on a new gun, an upgrade or take on that long put off project of building a weapon.
For those of us newer to building guns starting that project by narrowing down what parts are going into it is the hardest part. Over the next few weeks we will go into the various parts of the AR-15 platform and where to best spend on upgrades and what you can save some money on. If you recall we already did a great article on barrel length.
Today we are going to look at the materials for AR-15 lowers. There is generally 2 grades of aluminum and 2 types of production that will affect the look and cost of a lower.
Early lowers or budget lowers can be built using a 6061-T6 aluminum that is less expensive and less durable. The fact is it is still far stronger then any polymer lower that many people do in fact use without issue. They will hold up just fine for the average plinker or safe queen. That said it is not enough cheaper that I personally would risk my life on it.
7075-T6 is the new “standard” for aluminum used in weapons like the AR-15. It is stronger then its predecessor the 6061-T6 and just as easy to work with.
Here is a comparison chart on the differences:
| Alloy and Temper |
Form | Thickness | Material Properties* (KSI unless noted) | ||||||||
| Ultimate Tensile Strength Ftu |
Yield Tensile Strength Fty |
Yield Comp. Strength Fcy |
Ultimate Shear Strength Fsu |
Ultimate Bearing Strength Fbru e/D=1.5 |
Yield Bearing Strength Fbry e/D=1.5 |
Modulus of Elasticity E x103 |
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| 7075-T6 | Billet | 1.001 – 2.000 | 77 | 66 | 64 | 46 | 100 | 86 | 10.3 | ||
| 7075-T6 | Die Forging | 1.001 – 2.000 | 74 | 63 | 66 | 43 | 104 | 82 | 10.0 | ||
| 6061-T6 | Billet | 1.001 – 6.500 | 38 | 35 | 34 | 19 | 52 | 42 | 9.9 | ||
| 6061-T6 | Die Forging | ≤ 4.000 | 38 | 35 | 36 | 25 | 61 | 54 | 9.9 | ||
| * – Data taken from DOT/FAR/AR-MMPDS-01 Metallic Materials Properties Development & Standardization, 31 January 2003 | |||||||||||
Machined lower receivers are cut form a solid block of aluminum 7075-T6. The block of raw aluminum if often refereed to as billet. Think of the billet as a block of wood that through chisels or knives you would whittle into a shape. Instead of chisels CNC machines are used to precession cut the block to match a 3d computer model.
Forged lowers take a billet block of aluminum and heat the aluminum to 1/3rd of its melting point making it soft. A mold is then used to press the heated billet into a specific form. This is done using a very heavy several tons of pressure press that can stamp out forged items very fast. There is usually a bit of metal that seeps between the halves of the mold that needs to be trimmed off or smoothed out.
Forged is generally thought to be stronger as you can see in the chart above. The reason for this is when metal cools it forms grains that do not stick together well. The forging process presses those grains together tighter creating a stronger bond and also pushes those grains into a specific pattern that can be used to strengthen the points that receive the most pressure.
The real truth of it is though is evident in the diagram above. There is very little difference in any of the strength values between the forged and the machined parts. The real difference in strength is related to the type of alloy and the form of temper. So if your concern is durability any lower in 7075-T6 aluminum is likely to meet your needs.
Billet lowers are usually substantially more money then forged lowers. The reason for this is in the manufacturing process, not the strength or quality of the end product.
Remember a machined lower starts with an entire billet block larger than the end product. The block is then reduced down by shaving and cutting the block to the desired specs. The left over aluminum is more or less wasted. Yes it is sold as scrap but when compared to the amount of aluminum used in the forging process you are wasting a lot of metal.
Second the machining process takes a very expensive CNC machine that needs to move the parts around and cut away the parts. The moving of the block and cutting process takes much more time then the simple forged stamping process. Further the cutting blades are expensive and must be kept cool or they will melt.
With forging once the expensive machine is purchased and an initial model is made the cost of operation is very low and the production rate is incredibly high. Forging is like a factory where CNC is like a custom shop. You always pay more for custom since time and materials is money.
Forging is stronger and cheaper so you are probably wondering why are so many companies selling billet lowers and why would I buy one? Looks are the largest reason. Forged lowers can not have hard 90 degree angles without additional machining, they also tend to have a more rounded look with less straight lines. They tend to be far less adorned then Machined work due to the mass produced nature of the product.
Forged parts require a new mold when changing your product line or adding new features like a different trigger guard or magazine well . This results in shutting down the line to re-tool as well. With CNC machining it is just a matter of running a different program. This makes CNC manufacturing very adaptable to market demand and a wider range of marketable products.
Honestly I do not know. Don’t you hate that answer when you read a blog. The fact is I can’t answer that for you. All I can do is give you the facts to make a better decision. The answer comes down to what are you using it for, how much do you want to spend, and how important are looks?
My recommendation is go 7075-T6 aluminum. If your budget conscious or really going to beat the hell out of your gun go forged. If you have the money and want the look of some awesome great lines then spend the cash on the billet lower designed the way you want.
I really like the looks of some of the high end Billet lowers that companies like Spikes Tactical and Seekins make. Here are some examples
The below article has been submitted by one of our followers. Keith is a NRA Certified Instructor and RO. We greatly appreciate the time he has taken to write this article. Keith really hits some great point on how the act of preparation is a tool in itself. Read the article below and share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
For those of us in the defensive carry community, we understand there are currently limitations on the areas we can legally carry a firearm, concealed or open. These ‘Pistol Free Zones’ are a contentious issue politically and are in various states of repeal or enactment depending on who is pushing what legislation.
We know as a community that Pistol Free Zones don’t work. We know there is a segment of the population that cannot be convinced of this, which is why PFZ’s came to be in the first place, and as a result a false sense of security comes from them. Both public and private entities make it known if they do not want firearms around. I avoid giving them my business when possible.
I acknowledge, as you most likely do, that I cannot entirely avoid areas where I legally cannot carry a firearm, and that to ignore the law and carry anyway would invite potentially harsh legal consequences.
So I disarm, leaving my carry gun in my car or at home, out of reach should the need arise. The risk to me likely hasn’t gone up all that much, but the reality is I have been legislated out of an appreciable response should my life or someone else’s be threatened. I don’t like it, but such is life, I need to conduct my business.
Looking at this from a problem solving perspective however, I am still better off than those who do not regularly carry. We are dedicated firearm carrying members of society. This means that our goal of personal safety hasn’t changed, just the tools available to achieve that goal have become more limited.
Limited, not eliminated…
What is left in your tool box? Why are you still safer than the average person even without your gun?
Carrying a gun is a small part of your emergency reaction response, at least it should be. The single most important thing you are constantly doing is assessing your situation ‘what is going on around me?’ This is providing you the information needed to react to any threat or emergency.
We don’t stop this when we have to leave our gun behind. If you’re anything like me you will actually increase your awareness because our options have now been handicapped. Despite not having the gun we have the ability to still look at what is going on and take queues from it.
Like our heightened awareness level, our formulating a plan of response to any emergency likely kicks up a notch when not carrying. Being forced to remove a defensive option will make you re-evaluate your remaining options, draw up better mental plans, allowing us to act instead of re-act. We refine the details like asking yourself where you pocket knife is, where are the exits, are there barriers or concealment nearby. Ladies, when you have to leave the gun behind I bet you think about just how heavy your purse is, quite the bludgeon. Walking into a PFZ we need to go down that inventory list, just in case.
I can assure you this is a good exercise mentally. Evaluating and reassessing your plan to react to a situation strengthens the mental readiness of your prepared options, gun or no gun. In the heat of the moment the “fog of war’ can kill our mental faculties, adrenaline has dumped us into our reactionary state. Our preparedness can make the difference and allow us and our loved ones to escape safely by keeping us ready for that adrenaline fueled emergency mode.
This tool isn’t so much about what you gain when you aren’t carrying a firearm. It is about the other safety conscious training that is already a likely part of your make up. It’s a shot in the dark (pun intended) but I would place good odds on a Concealed Pistol
Permit/License not being your only safety oriented certification. Likely, you have taken classes that grant First Aid Certificates, Safety Awareness Certificates or Loss Prevention. You and the population around you benefit from this increased readiness.
CPL holders are often willfully prepared individuals and this doesn’t extend just to emergencies involving violence. It ups your readiness for ANY emergency. You have likely integrated plans for natural disasters, medical emergencies, outages, etc. at home already. You are also, very likely, more consciously aware and in practice with your place of work’s emergency procedures.
As a safety minded individual, who carries a firearm, preparation and training tend to stand out more in our minds. They fit with our prepared and reactionary mindset, we quietly embrace this training and awareness as we go about our more mundane day to day activities knowing that if an emergency arises, we have a plan.
In conclusion, the fact that you carry a firearm for personal protection indicates a safety conscious mindset. This mindset does not go away when you go somewhere where you cannot carry that firearm.
You are safer because you carry a firearm, even when you can’t.
Keith R Finch
NRA Certified Instructor
NRA Certified Chief Range Safety Officer
Keith is a US Marine and served 6 years, he left active service as a Corporal from the infantry. He was certified as an NRA instructor on December 31 2009, and has been teaching classes in the Kalamazoo MI area, weekly now, with Viper Security (vipermi.com)
Keith became an instructor to give his marines an edge shooting, recognizing the Marine Corps didn’t know everything, and served as a company level instructor in tandem with his other roles. His love of the shooting community grew as he taught with Viper and the Marines, he now devotes his available time to learning and sharing the best available information for all aspects of the shooting community… occasionally interrupted by the need to chase after venison in November
It has now been several months since I purchased the sig p938. You can see our original review with technical specs and our initial thoughts here.
Originally we purchased a P938 Extreme with Hogue G-10 grips for Mrs. Shooter, because of her small hands and fingers that required a short Single Action Only trigger. After taking her CPL course and carrying the gun it is still her one and only favorite weapon.
Those that know me, know that I am not one to be outdone. As such after shooting her gun several times the itch for my own sig P938 grew and grew. In the height of the panic I was able to sell my Ruger LC9 at a very nice profit and use that to cover most of the cost of a P938.
My wife made it very clear that I was not going to get an Extreme and that I needed to pick another finish if I wanted the Sig P938. Luck would have it that a Sig P938 Nightmare became available so I grabbed it up at a great price. At the time I carried my Glock 27 on a daily basis and only wanted to replace the Ruger LC9 that had been my dress up pocket pistol. The idea of replacing my Glock 27 in .40 caliber with a 9mm that had less rounds was not a consideration at all.
the P938 carried as a pocket pistol for charity events when needing to wear a suit or tuxedo worked perfectly. In the coming months I carried the P938 any place my clothing would not allow me to carry a larger pistol.
Then Fathers day came and my world was turned upside down. My wife in a gesture of unfathomable kindness and understanding purchased a Crossbreed Mini Tick holster for me that was made for the P938. Let me explain something about Mrs. Shooter, she has a CPL and will carry, but is not an enthusiast like I am. More importantly she does not want anyone to know I am carrying. As such while she appreciates me being prepared and armed she does not want to know or have anyone around me be able to see a print.
As a way to make me happy and to reduce printing she knew I needed a IWB holster. As such she went out and found Crossbreed and picked up a Mini Tuck to make us both happy. We will be doing a full review on the Mini Tuck shortly but lets just say that this holster was so much more comfortable then my Old Faithful Holster that it blew my mind.
I started using the Crossbreed with the P938 for any family events and anytime the kids were around. Slowly I started using it when an increased level of cover was not needed, like going out to get lunch or other solo events. Now based on the thin slide on the Sig and the comfort of the Crossbreed holster it has transitioned to my EDC. I still wear my G27 when going into Detroit or other “risky” places but in my everyday environment I have found the P938 to be a great balance of form and function. Offering me a comfortable level of confidence especially if carrying a spare mag without the size, weight and print that comes with some of my larger weapons.
The gun has been to the range now several time with almost 800 rounds through it. I have fired +P self defense rounds with no issues and have yet to find a cartridge that causes this gun to hiccup. The only issue I have had with the gun is the extremely rough texture of the P938 Nightmare did really rough up my side. I have been lucky enough to convince my wife to swap pistols with me so that I can carry the Extreme which is much more comfortable to wear. If you always have an undershirt on then you are likely not going to be affected by this.
We will continue to update you as Mrs. Shooter and I get more experience with the Sig Sauer P938 but for now I would place this gun on the must have list.
We have also done some reviews that are related to P938 owners. Please check out these other interesting articles:
SnagMag and the p938 magazine
SigSauer TacOps 1911
I have to say this gun is an absolute work of art. Think baby 1911 in 9mm. This is a true pocket pistol that you can actually feel comfortable carrying and shooting.
It started going back to Oct of 2012. If an effort to garner support at home for my time at the range an attempt was made to encourage my wife to shoot. Those of you who know me personally will know my wife is a very petite woman. She stands 5ft even and under 100 lbs. She has some of the tiniest hands I have ever seen on an adult. She has shied away from shooting due to most pistols being to large for her to hold and due to her fear of the recoil.
She has tried my Glock and it is so large that she can not even reach the trigger. The LC9 she can grip but the trigger is so far forward that she is unable to pull it. So we went to the Novi Gunshow to see what we could find for her. Now keep in mind my wife knows nothing about guns but everything about expensive taste. She tried out 30 or so guns that day never once looking at the price. The entire goal was for fit and feel so she could be comfortable.
We come across a dealer I have used many times since now out of Okemos who is happy to show her the P238 and P938 in various styles. For those of you who do not know they come in the following configurations:
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After picking up the p938 Equinox she went from a person who tolerated my expensive hobby to someone who was generally interested in shooting. The fit was perfect even without the pinky extension her hand fit on the gun. The trigger had been firm close and easy to pull for her short fingers. The grip was comfortable and adequately stylish. We had a winner. The gun cost $680 which after the panic was a steel but when compared to my $325 LC9 was a bit of a hard pill to swallow. In the interest of her defense and my continued enjoyment on the line we purchased it. She has since taken her CPL class using this weapon and enjoys it greatly.
Fast forward to January. After getting fed up with the trigger on the LC9 I take her P938 to the range with some friends. I do not shoot well with a hammer fired DOA handgun. The issue is me and not the gun I know and practice will help but in a Life or Death situation I want my striker fired Glock or a solid SA SRT trigger. I was so impressed with the trigger of the p938 it was a clean crisp with a short reset and light pull compared to the other pocket pistols I have fired. For a gun so small I expected a bit more recoil but it was very easy to get back on target and fire follow up shots. Considering I had never fired this pistol and the 2.25 inch barrel size I was shocked when the groupings on my targets had been so tight. I am no marksman so I’m not going to share but it is sufficient to say that I practiced with the LC9 for months and my first 6 shots with the p938 had better groupings then any I had done on my LC9 ever.
I knew I had to have one. Unfortunately these guns had been hard to come by before the panic. After they had been nearly impossible. NY was getting them due to the new mag limits so places like MI found them hard to find. I went on GunBroker to see if I would have any luck there. I found several selling over $900 all in the same finish as my wife’s. Since we share a safe this would not work and I would have to get another configuration. After a few weeks of hunting around I was finally able to procure the Nightmare for $685 which came out to be closer to $750 after CC fee’s, shipping and local FFL cost.
Using the same Galco pocket holster I had for the LC9 I have been able to carry this gun very easily concealed in a pocket with limited to no printing. I am using the extended 7rd magazine with the pinky extension due to my full sized hands. As a 6ft tall man there is no issue with holding this gun if you use the pinky extension. Two of my friends are able to shoot it comfortably without the extension so try it for yourself and see. Even with the extension concealment is not an issue.
The trigger out of the box was a bit gritty and tight. There has been complaints about issues with the first model extractors. Supposedly these issues had been corrected by Oct of 2012 and I have not seen them in my P938 Nightmare. After cleaning degreasing the weapon and then properly lubricating it I began to work the trigger. Using a snap cap and firing the gun about 150 times the grittiness in the trigger was gone and it had a very nice smooth pull.
A common complaint for this gun is the serrated trigger and the sharp tip of the plastic trigger. In a self defense situation it won’t be an issue but after putting a few hundred rounds downrange without gloves most people report a sore finger and some have even had blisters. There is 2 ways to resolve this. The first is SS replacement triggers. These are often preferred by high end shooter over the plastic trigger that is shipped with the P938. You can use the same exact trigger replacements as those designed for the P238 as they have been around longer and offer more options. The second is what I did and that is to take a Dremmel tool and a very fine sanding wheel and sand down the serration’s and sharp trigger tip. Since this is plastic it is very easy to do and will result in a very comfortable trigger that you can mold to your shooting style. The plastic is black all the way through so sanding this down will not leave you with a 2 tone trigger. There are several videos on YouTube about this if you are interested.
In short this is my new ultra concealment EDC for times when carrying my Glock is not a viable option. It gets a lot of use and has handled the wear well. The trigger keeps getting better as does my accuracy. The Sig Sites are some of the best night sites I have ever had the privilege of using. All in all it was worth every penny IMHO.
Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment (MOLLE, pronounced Molly) is an Army and Marine Corps item that replaces the aging ALICE (All-purpose, Lightweight, Individual Carrying Equipment) pack, introduced in 1974, and the Integrated Individual Fighting System, introduced in 1988.
MOLLE began when the Department of Defense started looking to replace the ALICE pack in 1994. Soldiers and Marines took a survey in 1996 resulting in a project to design a load-carrying system that’s modular, durable and comfortable, requirements that led to the MOLLE.
Pack, Assault, MOLLE NSN 8465-01-513-4083
Pack, Assault, MOLLE NSN 8465-01-513-4083
The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, located at Natick, MA assisted with biomechanical studies to find the most efficient way to carry loads and investigated the interaction between different load-carriage equipment and human performance. The Center for Military Biomechanics Research (CMBR) launched a comparison between a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) internal frame pack and the standard ALICE which revealed reduced energy cost and lower postural deviations when carrying a 75 lb. load in the COTS pack. The lower energy cost and preferred walking posture associated with the commercial pack were attributed to its volume configuration and related load center of mass location. The taller, narrower commercial pack afforded a more optimal load center of mass placement on the body compared to the ALICE.
Although the internal frame COTS pack was rejected as a replacement for the ALICE pack due, in part, to its excessive heat retention, a similar volume configuration was incorporated into the design of the Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment (MOLLE) pack. Other biomechanically advantageous characteristics, such as a load-distributing waist belt, were also used in the MOLLE design.
MOLLE prototypes were developed at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick, MA). New technology was used for the MOLLE’s frame, which was first built as a model in Natick’s Rapid Prototyping Facility. Instead of the tubular aluminum used with the ALICE, a new anatomically-contoured frame made with plastic originally used in automobile bumpers has dramatically increased durability, functioning in temperatures ranging from -40 to 120 degrees F.
The MOLLE prototype was evaluated by the CMBR, and as a result of its demonstrated superior performance characteristics, the MOLLE pack has been accepted as the replacement for the ALICE pack as the standard individual load-carrying equipment for the Army and Marine Corps. Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii tested the MOLLE for six months, and it was well-received even with loads exceeding 120 pounds. The Army also conducted extensive testing on the MOLLE prototype using female soldiers. Based on the results of this test, the size of the MOLLE was reduced slightly to meet the needs of male and female soldiers.
Specialty Defense Inc. in Dunmore, PA got the first contract to manufacture 216,000 MOLLE systems for the entire Marine Corps and initial Army fielding, beginning in October 2001. In February 2002 an additional 1,200 MOLLE backpack frames were procured for the Marine Expeditionary Unit deploying to Afghanistan.
MOLLE equipment did not see widespread issue until 2003, then focused mostly on deployments to Afghanistan with limited use in Iraq. Originally MOLLE was produced in woodland camouflage, followed by desert camouflage in 2004 and finally, beginning in 2006, Universal Camouflage pattern was made the standard.
MOLLE USMC
MOLLE is a fully integrated, modular load bearing system consisting of a load bearing vest with butt pack, main ruck with sustainment pouches and sleeping bag compartment attached to an external frame. There is also a patrol pack, which can be used separately or combined with the main ruck for added load carrying capability. MOLLE can be configured in several different variations to fit the load handling needs of the mission. The load-bearing vest is always worn and holds pockets for magazines and hand grenades. A connecting device on the vest is designed so that the external frame of the main ruck attaches to the waist belt of the vest to transfer the load from the shoulders and back to the hips where it can be carried much easier with less fatigue.
The nylon mesh vest has removable pockets to accommodate different carrying needs and is one of the main components of the MOLLE system. The different variations of the load-bearing vest are designed for each member of a squad. These configurations include a rifleman, pistol, squad automatic weapon, grenadier, and corpsman configuration.
MOLLE also advances load-carrying ability with its new suspension system. Heavily-padded shoulder straps and waist belt are adjustable for varying torso lengths, eliminating the two sizes of ALICE. More weight is distributed at the shoulders and hips, and during a prolonged road march, soldiers can shift the weight to where it feels more comfortable.
Soldiers with MOLLE
The Fighting Load Carrier (FLC) replaces the Load Bearing Equipment (LBE) web belt and suspenders of the ALICE. FLC significantly increases the amount of ammunition soldiers can carry, and weight is evenly distributed across the torso. The vest has no metal clips or hooks that can be awkward and dig into the skin, and has an H-harness in back to minimize heat buildup. It’s adjustable to all sizes, and because the vest sits high, soldiers can fasten the MOLLE frame waist belt underneath the FLC to distribute some of the load to the hips. Three flap pockets on the FLC each hold two 30-round magazines, two grenade pockets and two canteen pouches.
The rucksack has a front pocket to hold a claymore antipersonnel mine. Inside is a bandolier with a capacity for six 30-round magazines and a removable tactical radio pocket. A detachable sustainment pouch on each side is big enough to hold a Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) with room to spare, and underneath the rucksack, a sleeping bag compartment was designed to hold the Army’s new modular sleeping bag.
All of the larger pouches of MOLLE, such as the outside rucksack pouches, have D-rings for carrying with a sling and use plastic see-through identification windows so soldiers don’t have to marker or tape their name onto the MOLLE’s camouflaged, urethane-coated nylon fabric. Each system comes with two 6-foot lashing straps for carrying large objects, such as a mortar plate or five-gallon containers. If one of the plastic buckles breaks, a repair kit carries a bag of spares for simple replacement.
Every MOLLE comes with a tube-delivered water pouch for on-the-move hydration to supplement the one-quart canteen. The standard issue version is not for use in a chemical or biological agent-contaminated environment, although efforts are ongoing to develop a mobile hydration system for all conditions.
Adapting to the mission will be easier with a detachable pack. The pack holds gear such as extra water, rations and ammunition soldiers would need for 72 hours or less while eliminating other items that might get in the way.
The modular design supports movement to an objective, then dump the big pack, take off the detachable pack and be ready to fight. The side sustainment pouches can be removed from the rucksack and placed on the patrol pack to give the same carrying capacity as the medium ALICE pack.
The innovative MOLLE Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) of interwoven straps has become the standard way to attach small pouches, accessory carriers and other attachments for MOLLE equipment and most other systems developed since MOLLE, such as body armor, load bearing equipment or vests. ALICE clips and other methods have been completely replaced by MOLLE PALS.
Field user feedback on the original MOLLE led to modified designs to some of the MOLLE components. With these changes, MOLLE became MOLLE II. Specific changes included:
Eliminated the quick-release frame integrated into the load bearing vest (LBV)
The probe and socket mechanism changed to a quick-release mechanism for frame waist belt, now permanently-mounted to the frame
MOLLE II permanently attached waistbelt comes in one size (Same NSN as the MOLLE size small waistbelt, NSN 8465-01-465-2109)
MOLLE LBV redesigned to eliminate the molded waistbelt, called the MOLLE II Fighting Load Carrier (FLC) (Same NSN as the MOLLE LBV. NSN 8465-01-465-2056)
MOLLE Utility Belt (NSN 8465-01-465-2082) eliminated by building the functionality into the vest
MOLLE butt pack replaced by the MOLLE II waist pack (Same NSN)
MOLLE II Pouch, Canteen Carrier/Utility was introduced (NSN 8465-01-484-0450)
MOLLE 30rd Single Magazine Pocket eliminated (NSN 8465-01-465-2079)
The MOLLE Care and Use Manual is available at the linked page. MOLLE equipment is available from Amazon, and other suppliers.
Based on user feedback on the original system, the MOLLE requirements were modified to eliminate the need for a quick-release frame that integrates into the load-bearing vest. The change allowed developers to replace the probe and socket mechanism, which caused problems for some soldiers and Marines, with a quick-release mechanism for a more traditional permanently-mounted waist belt on the frame.
In Afghanistan, troops noted that MOLLE zippers were bursting open when the bags were stuffed full. Another defect was that the straps weren’t long enough to be easily adjusted over body armor such as PASGT or Interceptor. MOLLE was changed to provide locking zippers and longer shoulder straps.
The Marine Corps was not satisficed by the evolution of MOLLE and has replaced MOLLE (and the aging ALICE (All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment) with the Improved Load Bearing Equipment (ILBE).
We have highlighted the advanced technology that is being employed by Blue Force Gear.
These new advancements are likely to be future of the MOLLE systems as well as personal defense, hiking, air-soft and tactical operators for the forceable future.
