The Taurus Model 85 – A Sci Fi Favorite

By

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May 17, 2024

What’s that joke from Phineas and Ferb? Something like if I had a nickel for every time this happened, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. That’s how I feel about the Model 85’s use in Sci-Fi movies as a dressed-up future blaster. The Tauru s Model 85 is about as simple as a gun gets.

It’s a five-shot, compact revolve r. The barrel is typically 1.87 to 2 inches long. Some 2.5-inch and 3-inch options were also available, but it’s mainly known for being a snubnose revolver. Taurus produced and imported the gun for 49 years and only recently replaced it with the 856 series. For movie guns, I can see why it made sense. It’s cheap for one and easy to find. Revolvers and blanks get along fantastically.

That all makes sense. What’s interesting is how the gun became a space-like blaster in two movies and two TV shows. Let’s explore the Model 85 and its time as a movie star.

The Model 85, AKA The Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B

In the short-lived but brilliant series Firefly and the follow-up movie Serenity, our main hero, Captain Mal Reynolds, carries a sci-fi blaster directly inspired by the Volcano pistols of 1854. Of course, the weapon isn’t a lever-action caseless ammo weapon. In real life, it’s a Model 85 dressed up in a brass casing.

The pistol’s design is unique and features a slick look that can’t be accomplished with a standard semi-auto pistol. While the creator credits the Volcano pistol, it has late 1800s early semi-auto vibes. In the show and film, the pistol is used as a semi-auto handgun that feeds from a magazine in front of the trigger guard.

Using the Model 85 allowed the gun to fire blanks without issue since the design couldn’t actually function as a semi-auto. If you haven’t watched the film or TV show, it’s a hive of great guns dressed up as Sci-Fi blasters. You can join the rest of us who complain about Fox canceling it way too soon.

The Model 85 as the 2035 Future Pistol

2035 isn’t that far away, and I don’t think we’ve reached anything close to what the film I, Robot promised us. I have a Roomba, and it hardly works. We certainly don’t have guns that look as cool as Detective Spooner’s pistol. Spooner’s pistol is the weapon seemingly issued to Chicago PD, as we have seen it more than once in the hands of police officers.

In real life, the Model 85 is the core of this gun. According to the loaded magazines in the film, it’s dressed up to be a 9mm pistol. The gun does feature Walther P9 9-like grips, then a whole load of custom crap slathered on the weapon to give it that future vibe and to enclose the old-school Model 85 design.

Unlike the Serenity pistol, the pistol looks neat and doesn’t have an absurdly out-of-this-world design. It’s easy to see why they still used the Model 85. It allowed the pistol to be fairly conservative in design. This same configuration was later seen in a later season of Stargate SG-1.

Why The Taurus?

As mentioned, the Taurus Model 85 was cheap and readily available. You could strip one down and encase it in parts easily. If it broke, it wouldn’t cost much to replace it and do it again. Revolvers make a lot of sense when making sci-fi weapons, especially small revolvers like the 85.

If we started enclosing a standard semi-auto in sci-fi features, we’d have some complications. First, the guns would start to look incredibly bulky. Semi-autos are already considered bulky compared to revolvers. Plus, we’d have to contend with a slide that has to reciprocate and some shell design could impede this function and create issues.

Revolvers work well with blanks, and the short barrel of the Model 85 makes it easy to create some nice muzzle flash for the film. It makes a lot more sense when you start thinking critically about it. I wonder, what’s the next revolver to become a sci-fi pistol?

The Sub 9 – A Prequel to the SUB 2000

By

Travis Pike

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May 16, 2024

The KelTe c SUB 200 series has reached its third generation of firearms only recently. Suppose you count the integrally suppressed model that makes four distinct weapons. Well, that’s the four most people know of. There is a fifth, and it’s known as the Sub 9. I’m a KelTec Sub 2000 fan. I think it’s just a neat, fun rifle, and I’m fully aware of its flaws and downsides.

Call it nostalgia. When I was 16, I was given a Gen 1 Sub 200 0 as a birthday gift, and I loved that rifle very much. It’s likely why I still love PCCs and digest 1,000 rounds of 9mm a month. Even as a fan of the KelTec Sub 2000 series, I had never heard of the Sub 9. One of my hobbies is reading old gun magazines. I was scrolling through a 1998 issue of Soldier of Fortune and saw an ad for the Sub 9.

The Sub 9 – The Forgotten KelTec

Many of Kellgren’s designs from Grendel are forgotten but revived by KelTec. Grendel developed the P30M, a .22 Magnum pistol that held 30 rounds. That sounds a lot like the PMR-30 to me. The Sub 9 seemingly got the same treatment, but the turnaround time was much shorter.

If you start searching for the Sub 9, it doesn’t generate many results. The Wikipedia pages for the Sub 2000 lack any mention of the Sub 9, and the KelTec Wikipedia page mentions it once. If we assume production started in 1998, it was only another three years until the first gen of the Sub 2000 was produced.

KelTec doesn’t rush production, and until recently, it was often tough to get your hands on most KelTec weapons. It’s unlikely KelTec produced many of them. Using the Wayback machine, I can go to KelTec’s earliest website incarnation, which was in 1998. They had an AOL email address, which might not resonate with some of our Zoomer readers but seriously dates the website.

The website only lists two guns, the P-11 and the Sub 9. The information is scarce, and the photos are tiny. I hit fast forward and went to KelTec’s website in 2000 for more information. KelTec still maintains a manual for the gun on its website, which was also helpful.

All About the Sub 9

To no one’s surprise, the KelTec Sub 9 was a simple blowback-operated pistol caliber carbine available in 9mm and .40 S&W. The rifle folded in half, just like the Sub 2000 series, and could use magazines from Beretta, Glock, and S&W third-generation handguns. The grip assemblies could even be exchanged to swap magazine types.

The big difference came down to the gun’s materials. While we all know the Sub 2000 uses polymer wherever it can, the Sub 9 used aircraft-grade aluminum. The majority of the weapon was made from metal and CNC machined. Additionally, the edges are slightly rounder, and the gun looks a bit bulkier. The bolt housing lacked a hold-open slot. KelTec also states the handguard stores batteries and other devices, but it’s unclear how. The gun weighed half a pound more than the first-gen Sub 2000 series.

The price was the most significant difference the user would note between the two guns. In 1998, the Sub 9 had an MSRP of $700, which, when adjusted for inflation, equals almost $1,400. Imagine spying $1,400 for a blowback-operated 9mm PCC. Who did these people think they were? Christensen Arms?

Fast forward to 2001, and the Sub 2000 was in production, and the MSRP was a mere $383. Talk about the power of polymer! The Sub 9’s big problem was that high price point. That’s a tough sell, and even these days, you have to do something fancy to get that kind of money for a pistol-caliber carbine.

The KelTec Sub 9 was too expensive to succeed, but it paved the way for an affordable, easy-handling PCC that helped jump-start an entire genre of firearms.

Weapon Retention With Full Spectrum Warriors

By

Travis Pike

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May 16, 2024

Train, train, train. We should all be so lucky to get out there and train in a broad degree of different skills. Recently, Safarilan d hosted an event in Central Florida that gave a lucky few gunwriters a chance to train with Rich Graham and his crew at Full Spectrum Warriors. We covered a wide variety of topics, including a hearty course in weapon retention from both Safariland and Rich Graham. Safariland focused on the holster aspect of retention, and Mr. Graham and the company focused on the practical steps that shooters can take to keep their weapons.

Full Spectrum Warrior’s focus on weapon retention was built on three different stages of trainin g. We had to prevent takes from the holster, fighting over the gun that was already out of the holster, and how to employ the weapon as an impact weapon in extreme close-quarters combat. We trained at the Full Spectrum Warrior facility, which was a sprawling training environment hidden down a couple of miles of dirt road. The hidden little deep woods facility has everything from vehicle courses to a shoot house and even an obstacle course.

The Retention – The Art of Holding On

As one would expect, the training used Safariland holsters. We used inert training tools in the shape of firearms that were locked into the holsters well. Our first bit of instruction was based on keeping the gun inside the holster.

Rich explained that the Safariland retention devices were capable of keeping the gun in the holster as long as we kept the bad guy away from the gun. Instead of focusing on putting both hands over the weapon for retention, we focused on physically dissuading a grab through avoidance and simple but efficient strikes, as well as control techniques against an opponent.

There was a big focus on keeping the holster on the opposite side of the attacker and preventing bear hugs and similar disarmament techniques. We paired up and practiced the basic techniques at increasingly higher speed and force. Not a single inert training firearm was removed from a holster. In fact, my partner and I fought so hard over the gun we ended up breaking the ALS lever on a holster—but the gun never left the holster.

Our combative techniques were very simple but also effective. They didn’t require hours of training to understand and master, which I think is the perfect technique for most people. It’s simple, with a focus on forcefully dissuading the grab while creating distance to allow firearm use.

Retention and A Gun In The Hand

The next part of our training started with one shooter having the gun in hand and the other person attempting to grab it. We were not necessarily trained in disarms but were taught how they work purely for the act of resisting the disarm. This portion of the training was broken into two parts. The first technique involved a shooter pointing the weapon and a bad guy grabbing the gun.

The shooter was then taught how to use leverage to go with the take and reposition their body and arm to provide the most resistance against the grab. Once the proper position was established, we were taught a push or pull technique to free the gun from the grab and engage the threat.

The second part was pure wrestling for the gun. We took it to the ground, and each student got a hand on the weapon. The shooter started with their hand on the grip, and then the taker grabbed wherever they wished. Then, the two students or an instructor and student went at it. It was a fight and a good one.

During this entire portion of retention training, Rich commented on and directed the students on how to resist certain grabs, takes, and tactics. You can’t predict or explain every scenario as an instructor, so taking every opportunity to point out strategies and techniques in the randomness of a fight or struggle paid off.

Pistol-Whipping

The last part of the retention class focused on using the weapon as a striking tool. We didn’t practice on each other but used padded boards to strike. The focus was on how to use the weapon to strike, which I referred to as professional pistol whipping.

It was explained that using a gun as an impact weapon is a very niche thing to do but gives you an option if a shot simply isn’t available or if you’re wrestling over the weapon and have the opportunity to.

The real focus was striking with the weapon, then creating distance so the gun could be fired. It was simple and a good way to end a sweaty, dirty class.

Full Spectrum Warriors

The material presented was very easy to understand, and Graham and the crew took their time breaking down each portion of each drill and technique. Questions were considered and answered throughout the class. Graham was never afraid to stop and put himself in the middle of the action, either. He’d demonstrate or even be the class dummy for demonstrations.

The Full Spectrum Warrior s facility and staff were top-notch, and I plan to use a variety of techniques and practices to keep training and stay sharp. The company mostly trains law enforcement, but if you can find your way into the occasional open class, I would highly recommend it.

The Connoisseur’s Pistol: The Glock 34

By

P.E. Fitch

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May 15, 2024

My relationship with Gloc k pistols is complicated: I called the Glock 19 unremarkable. (There’s actually nothing wrong with them, and let’s face it, the 5th-gens are pretty damn good). Still, on the face of it, they’re not terribly exciting. But take that same gun, add half an inch to the grip and 1 ½ inches to the slide and barrel, and the end result is arguably one of the coolest Glock pistols of all time: The Glock 34. The experience instantly gets amplified from zero to hero.

In spite of the 34’s downsides, like its blocky Glock 17-style ergonomics and “mid” triggers, Glock 34s shoot like damn laser beams. Because of this, they inspire confidence in the shooter’s hand, too. It’s no different than the feeling you get from holding a tuned 2011 or 191 1. Psychology, after all, is an important facet of higher-level shooting. How one feels while shooting critically can and will affect performance.

Technically, I’m not sure if it’s the Glock 34’s sight-radius, longer barrel, or what. But there’s something about them. Like they say in France, “je-ne-sais-quoi.” From a catalog of soulless plastic, this one has soul and is actually cool.

Gen 3/4 Glock 34 s — Mine and a friend’s Gen 3/4 Glock 34s, from back in the day. Both my carry and training guns are in this picture.

Enough about emotions, dear reader. It’s also my job to look over and write about different handguns. If you follow my work, you’ll notice that I have a type–full-size performance-oriented handguns. I’m truly blessed to shoot and try out many wonderful pistols, and I think the ol’ Glock 34 still holds its own today, too.

Origins Of The Glock 34

Originally developed for action-pistol sports, the Glock 34 takes the standard full-size frame found in the Glock 17 and marries it to a 5.5-inch barrel (and longer slide). Other than some of their more unique physical and technical aspects, Glock 34s have an identical layout to Glock 17s (and these days, the rest of the line-up of 9mm pistols with full-size grips like the Glock 47 and 45). The original Glock 34, which belonged to the third-generation style of Glock pistols, first saw the light of day at the tail end of the 1990s.

Gen 5

Like the rest of the flagship 9mm lineup, the Glock 34 jumped into the “fourth generation.” Years later, in 2017, when the fifth-generation models made their initial debut with the Glock 17 and 19, the 5th-gen Glock 34 followed suit a few months later during SHOT Show 2018.

Not only was it one of the first catalog items to get the 5th-gen treatment besides the 17/19, but the fifth-generation Glock 34 was also one of the earliest optics-ready modern product 9mm pistols on the market. All fifth-gen Glock 34s include a slide with the Austrian company’s MOS cut.

The Glock 34’s additional overall length gives the gun a longer sight radius. In the case of sporting ammunition, the longer barrel allows certain loads to develop enough muzzle velocity to make power-factor as well. Think of the well-loved 147-grain bullet loaded with 3.3 grains of Titegroup, for example.

Not only will it make minor power-factor with the 34’s barrel length, but it has that gentle recoil impulse sport-shooters love. In the tactical and training realms, these guns will handle damn near anything that’s cycled through them. I used to load mine with 147-grain HSTs.

Gen4 Glock 34 — One of my old Gen4 34s, this one wore the TTI F/O sight sets, which is still one of the best ones money can buy for 9mm Glocks.

Jumping From Practical To Tactical

Although the Glock 34 was conceived with sport-shooters in mind, it didn’t take long before serious ‘tactically-minded’ shooters got ahold of them and began fielding them. Their full-size shootability and long-sight radius lend themselves well to more than mere IPSC paper targets and steel poppers. Its overall profile also matched that of the full-size government-framed 1911 pistol, which, at the time the Glock 34 was launched, was still the pistol.

Amongst the tactical crowd, the Glock 34 arguably peaked during the 2010s–prior to slide-mounted red dots becoming commonplace and rendering the additional sight radius less important. But during its golden age, these longslide pistols became a status symbol in their own way. In this sense, 34s weren’t much different than the single-stack .45-caliber 1911 before them or the double-stack 9mm 1911 with dots after them.

In fairness, the Glock 34 hasn’t completely disappeared from this realm either, especially the current generation models mounted with reflex sights. It’s not unusual to see them at high-end training events and action-pistol weekend matches alike. They’re still very much viable 9mm pistols in 2024.

The Glock 34 In Popular And Contemporary Culture

Further reinforcing its “serious-professional” undertones, the Glock 34 is cast alongside memorable and enigmatic characters like Denzel Washinston’s John Creasy in Man On Fire. In this 2004 film, his signature sidearm is a third-generation Glock 34. And Creasy’s character isn’t a light one, either. The plot alludes to his background as a highly-trained man with specialized skills.

Similarly, in John Wick 2, the main character, played by Keanu Reeves, also fields a Glock 34, albeit one worked over by Taran Tactical Innovations. And we all know John Wick’s background.

Creasy contemplating life while staring at his sidearm during one of the more dramatic scenes in Man On Fire. (imagesource)

Outside of the silver screen, we can observe Ben Stoeger working with Glock 34s in present-day in between training periods that don’t include his beloved CZ Shadow 2s or other handguns. The same goes for several other GM/high-level shooters. Gabe White, one of the foremost handgun instructors on the West Coast, also made a name for himself with an older 34 back in the day.

The Glock 34 In Present Day

My experiences with Glock 34s date to a few years back, and both of mine used to be fourth-generation models. This is why I’ll cop to being somewhat biased in their favor. I had many early milestones in shooting and training back when I started carrying and using those 4th-gen Glock 34s.

Ironically, when the fifth-generation Glock 45 launched, I ditched those old Glock 34s. Not only was the 45 fully ambidextrous and smoother for me to run, but the shorter slide actually reciprocates faster because it’s smaller and lighter. In spite of those wonderful memories with those older 34s, I had no compunction selling and moving on to a gun I could handle more smoothly. Being left-handed and switching to fifth-generation models is a no-brainer.

However, the 34 found its way back into my life after coming across two different like-new fifth-generation MOS models. One of them wears a Forward Controls Design Glock MOS to RMR plate and a Trijicon SRO. The other now has XS Sights’ new fiber-optic iron sights and a Glock Performance Trigger. This Glock 34 is going to be the test-bed for my reviews of those two accessories.

Last year, shooting the other 34 (with the SRO) in between testing and evaluating the Canik Rival-S and CZ Shadow 2 made me realize that the Glock 34’s magic is still alive and well. It never left, and in fact, with all of the fifth-generation upgrades, it shoots better than ever before. Even amongst a crowded field full of worthy contenders.

Reptilia AUS Mount: Precision. Durability. Compatibility.

By

Athlon Series

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May 15, 2024

Reptilia is a fairly young company with a specialty in optics mounts for all manner of LPVOs, red-dot sights, traditional riflescopes, etc. Reptilia’s founder, Eric Burt who is an experienced engineer by trade, ended up designing his first sets of mounts and accessories by serendipity. After his initial success with his oddball project, it led to another…and another…and another. In short, all of these projects eventually led to Repitilia’s creation of comprehensive optics mount systems such as the Reptilia AUS.

For 2024, Reptilia has begun to give its customers more of the choices they were requesting including taller 1.70” and 1.93” height mounts that dovetail nicely with many modern optics and modern carbine shooting techniques.

From Our Friends At Athlon Outdoors:

Key features of the new 1.93″ height

Precision elevation: The increased height of 1.93 inches allows shooters to achieve optimal eye relief and sight picture alignment with greater comfort when mounting optics on rifles.

Durability and stability: Built with robust materials, 7075-T6 Aluminum, and precision engineering, the AUS Mount ensures steadfast stability and reliability in any shooting environment.

Compatibility: The new height option seamlessly integrates with Reptilia AUS Mount components, offering effortless installation and compatibility with a wide range of rifle platforms.

Whether for competition, tactical operations, or recreational shooting, the Reptilia AUS Mounting System continues to set the standard for excellence in firearm accessories. The addition of the 1.93″ height option further solidifies its position as the go-to choice for discerning shooters seeking uncompromising performance.

For more information on all the optics mounts and accessories offered, please visit Reptili a.

The Type3MalfunctionRound By Live Fire Training

By

Travis Pike

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May 14, 2024

I’m a fan of spaces between words. Something about basic English appeals to me, and companies like SIG Saue r seem to hate them. Companies like Live Fire Training also hate spaces, so we get the Type3MalfunctionRound. That’s their spelling, and while it’s not attractive to look at, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. The Type3MalfunctionRound from a little company called Live Fire Tactical Training is a very simple and affordable training tool to sharpen your skills in fixing malfunctions.

We live in a day and age where guns are reliable—super reliable. Even affordable firearms tend to be quite reliable. It’s rare that you have to practice clearing malfunctions these days. With that in mind, the Type3MalfunctionRound is here to induce malfunctions on demand. Snap Caps can give you that tap, rack, bang training, but as the name implies, this round forces you to practice your type 3 malfunctions.

If you’re new to this game, a type 3 malfunction is a complicated malfunction. It’s one that requires you to remove the magazine, work the charging handle, reload, and start firing. These aren’t always simple, and in the modern era, they are so rare that you may never encounter one. Due to their complicated nature, being skilled in identifying and rectifying a type 3 malfunction is a valuable skill to have.

Breaking Down the Type3MalfunctionRound

The Type3MalfunctionRound proves that good training doesn’t have to be expensive. For 20 to 25 dollars, you can get five of these rounds. The pistol rounds are the cheaper option and come in 9mm, .45 AC P, .40 S&W, and .380 AC P. There is one rifle caliber, and that’s .22 3, which is the Type3MalfunctionRound I tested and utilized.

Live Fire Tactical Trainin g makes these devices from a pretty simple polymer material. They are bright red and instantly identifiable as dummy rounds. The body of the Type3MalfunctionRound looks like a dummy round, but when you get to the head of the cartridge, it turns into a spoon-like shape. This is where you get your serious malfunction from. It can’t be chambered and creates the malfunction. It’s ridiculously simple, and I can’t believe no one had thought of it before.

Getting Reps In

There are two ways you can use the tool. You can mix it in with dry fire and get your malfunction drills in with ease. They pair well with snap caps and dummy rounds. Just toss them in the mag and get after it. Dry Fire is excellent, but the name Live Fire Training means something. You can mix the Type3MalfunctionRound with live ammo and hit the range. They fit between individual rounds in the magazine without a problem.

If you can randomly load the dummy rounds into a live magazine, you can induce a complicated malfunction while training. An expected surprise means you’ll get the practice of rectifying a malfunction, identifying it, and reacting to it. You can form your tactics, techniques, and procedures, but for me, when I identify a type 3 malfunction, I find cover and then rectify the situation. The Type3MalfunctionRound helps me build the habit of identifying, taking cover, and fixing the malfunctions.

These things work each and every time they feed from the magazine. By work, I mean they create a pain-in-the-ass malfunction in my firearm that I am forced to fix. They work, and as long as they don’t sit at the bottom of your magazine, they won’t cause any other reliability issues with the rest of the ammo in the magazine.

The Best Things Are Simple

The Type3MalfunctionRounds are an efficient and affordable training tool that’s tough to beat. Getting skilled at fixing malfunctions isn’t easy, but it is a necessary evil. They are well made, but the polymer design does make these tools a bit of a disposable item. Polymer hitting steel over and over will eventually cause the rounds to break down. It’s not a huge deal since they are affordable, and you have five of them.

As far as tools go, they are a great investment. I didn’t realize just how much I suck at clearing complicated malfunctions. It’s been so long since I’ve had one that I completely neglected practicing fixing the malfunctions. These days I don’t go and shoot my ARs without one Type3MalfunctionRound handy.

UNDERSTANDING AMBIENT SOCIAL TEMPERATURE & CELEBRATING TURNING 2!: Stop Always Living In Yellow

By

The Suited Shootist

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May 14, 2024

Social Temperature is kind of self-explanatory, but I think it warrants touching on.

The TL;DR version is that anywhere you are there is a base level of social interaction. Once you get acclimated to that, your brain can better filter out what info it can ignore and what info is worth paying attention to for potential problems.

I think this is important because a lot of people harp on “situational awarenes s” but don’t really delve into the details of what that process looks like. To the uninitiated, they think that can mean eyeballing everyone around you and doing a full threat evaluation. This is unrealistic and emotionally draining. Not to mention, if you eyeball the wrong person in the wrong way, it has a real probability of increasing that social friction we’re trying to avoid.

Once you’ve taken a Shivwork s class where they discuss Managing Unknown Contacts or avail yourself of the resources that actually address threat recognition (Claude Werner, William Aprill, John Hearne, off the top of my head), you realize that the goal is to learn better what you can safely ignore. That frees up your processing speed for the novel stimuli that actually warrant more attention.

The PSA Micro Dagger Mags – The G43X and G48 Solution

By

Travis Pike

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May 13, 2024

I got a Glock 43 X a few years ago, and I have become a bigger and bigger fan of the gun every month that passes. It brings you a slim, easy-to-carry pistol with Gloc k reliability and capability. I often joke that the mix of a long grip and a short barrel makes it the Central A/C of handguns. It’s comfortable to carry and comfortable to shoot. I like the little gun so much that I even used it as a base for a PDW Projec t. The downside is the 10-round capacity, but that might be cured by the PSA Micro Dagger mags.

The Micro Dagger Mags Mean More Ammo

I wasn’t the only one who had this problem, and the market took note. Shield Arms produced some metal magazines that were capable of holding 15 rounds. I’ve used them and think they work great, but they do require you to swap your magazine release, or the magazines will eat it up. It’s a pain, and the Shield mags can be tough to find in stock. I had heard of the Micro Dagger but honestly didn’t know that it utilized Glock 43X and G48 pattern magazines, and I didn’t know they held 15 rounds either.

The next fact that took me by surprise was that they were a polymer and metal hybrid design. This polymer, metal design allows for 15 rounds of capacity but doesn’t require you to swap your magazine release. It won’t eat at your magazine release and won’t cause your gun to fall apart.

Once that all became evident, I had five of them showing up at my house before I could say nay. At 30 bucks a pop, they aren’t the cheapest option, but they also aren’t that expensive. If they worked, I’ve solved my biggest issue with the Glock 43X. If not, I still have the OEM option.

First Impressions

Lo and behold I arrived home from work to find a bundle of joy in the form of some ammo and my mags! In all my excitement I couldn’t wait to hit the range and find out if these things work. As I unwrapped them I didn’t find myself all that impressed. The magazines looked rough. There was some clear flashing left over on the mags. Full on strings of the stuff on the front of the magazine, and around the magazine latch.

I broke them open, and there were rough burrs of plastic inside the magazines. I used a file and precision knife to clean them up. I blew them out with some canned air and reassembled the magazines. Admittedly, I didn’t have a lot of hope, but I loaded each magazine and hit the range. These magazines just so happened to coincide with my PDW testing, which involved the Glock 43X. This gave me a two-for-one in testing and made my ammo go a little further.

To The Range With the Micro Dagger Mags

The Micro Dagger mags are tough to load. Getting rounds one through thirteen into the gun wasn’t bad, but rounds 14 and 15 were a thumb wrestling match. You really gotta shove and fight, but my arthritis wasn’t too bad, so I managed. With the magazines fully loaded, they could be inserted fairly easily into a Glock 43X with the slide forward. They don’t slide in as smoothly as the OEM models, but a slight thump sends them home and locks them in.

The next thing I could do was start throwing lead and throw it I did. I exercised my reloads and let those mags hit the dirt when empty. I wasn’t gentle, and I didn’t clean them. Five Micro Dagger mags of 15 rounds went flawlessly, and so did the next 60 rounds. It was in the third 60 rounds I ran into one magazine that failed to lock the slide open when the last round was fired. I know for an absolute fact that my thumb wasn’t riding the slide lock.

I marked that magazine to keep an eye on it. In the next 60 rounds, I ran into that issue again, but it was a different magazine. This time, my thumb could have been riding the slide lock, but I don’t think so. I marked that mag as well. Afterward, I loaded all five magazines, one round each, and fired them. I repeated the test over and over. It wasn’t a consistent problem, but it did occur with my two marked magazines every so often. The other three were problem-free.

Worth the Squeeze?

The Micro Dagger mags seem to be an interesting conundrum. They are rough, and I think cleaning them up helped a fair bit. They had no problems feeding, but the occasional failure to lock the slide back is interesting. I’m going to file a bit around the front of the feed lips to see if there is a burr I can remove that might be preventing the follower from reaching the top spot.

For me, they work and I won’t feel shy about carrying them. I do suggest you do your own testing with the Micro Dagger mags and make sure yours work well. I’m not confident enough to blindly trust them, but they can be a seemingly awesome option as long as you do your homework.

BUY INTENTIONALLY: Buying Clothes To Get The Most Bang For Your Buck.

By

The Suited Shootist

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May 13, 2024

Whether it’s Brioni, Boresight, Bentley, or Breitling, there’s always going to be a high-dollar option that begs the question, “Is it worth it?”

The answer, as with many things, is “it depends.” Entry-level buyers are less likely to appreciate the quality and performance offered by higher-dollar offerings right out of the gate, but they can still have decided benefits.

Buying Clothes That Offer the Best Value

Unlike custom guns or luxury Swiss watches, clothing tends not to have the same resale value. This is something that a savvy consumer can leverage to their advantage.

If someone gave you the chance to buy a Knights SR15 or Chambers 191 1 for 20 cents on the dollar, the only question you’d be asking is “Do you want that in hundreds or twenties?”

Even if dress clothes aren’t on your radar, stuff like Red Wings & Duluth can still be had at a pretty steep discount if you buy second-hand. This gives you the option of keeping the same budget for clothing but maintaining a better cost-per-wear ratio.

Most dudes hate shopping and doubly so hate shopping for clothing. So why not do it in a way that helps reduce the need to go more frequently?

There are a few articles of clothing that I view as disposable: Undershirts, white dress shirts, and t-shirts/henleys being at the top of that list. Mostly because they tend to show wear & discolor so rapidly that I can’t justify spending a bunch of money on them since I generally have to replace that stuff yearly, regardless of how high quality it may be, in part because my body chemistry is such that I just tarnish the hell out of white fabrics.

The point is that it helps to know what to look out for so that when those hidden gems cross your path, you know what to jump on.

.410 Buckshot – Mossberg 590 vs Judge Home Defender

By

Travis Pike

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May 12, 2024

I recently wrote a two-part article on the Judge Home Defender pattern s and whether it’s acceptable to use with buckshot. The original Judge and even the 6-inch version were lacking when it came to proper patterns for buckshot. I never liked the Judge, but I was willing to try the Home Defende r. A reader pointed out that I should test the Home Defender against a smoothbore .410 shotgun, so I did just that with a load of .410 buckshot to see which was better.

.410 Buckshot Testing Parameters

Mossber g recently expanded the 590 series to include both 20 gauge and .410 bore guns. Mossberg happily sent me one of the .410 variants, and with its short barrel and cylinder choke, I figured it would work well as a testing standard. I also went with a Remingto n Home Defense .410 load. It’s a 3-inch buckshot load with five pellets of 000 buckshot.

This is one of my favorite loads of buckshot and is perfect for home defens e. Its five meaty pellets give you more than half the lead of your average 12-gauge option. My target would be a slightly smaller IPSC A-zone on a plain piece of printer paper. I patterned five times from each gun at 10 yards and took pictures of both the best and worst patterns.

Patterning .410 Buckshot

The results were somewhat surprising. The best pattern came from the Mossberg 590, but the worst one also came from the Mossberg 590. I’m not sure what happened.

It must have been a freak occurrence because only two pellets hit the paper and were spread way far apart.

I’m betting something was wrong with how it was loaded from the factory because it was a freak occurrence. The second worst pattern is to put three pellets into one hole and two on the sides.

With that said, take a peek at how the Judge Home Defender patterned .410 buckshot. The worst pattern was still inside the IPSC A-Zone rectangle. It’s really not a bad pattern for a rifled barrel.

The 590’s might be slightly better, but the Home Defender is perfectly acceptable for home defense.

Velocity Matters

To be a pistol, it has to have a rifled barrel. Rifling plays weirdly with shot and that was often thought to be the reason the Judge series of revolvers always had such terrible patterns. However, I do know that velocity affects shot dispersal.

Too much velocity can create a wider pattern. A 1,600-feet-per-second buckshot load will spread faster than a 1,200-feet-per-second load. Even with something like the Flitecontrol wad of the Versatite wad, it isn’t immune to this problem.

If too much velocity can be a problem, then maybe too little velocity can be an issue. Shotguns aren’t sensitive to velocity like rifles. But if you trim the barrel down to 3 inches, I imagine there is a considerable velocity difference. Mixing rifling with a lack of velocity likely affects the patterns.

The longer barrel of the Home Defender is still rifled, but it’s long enough to get some excellent velocity out of your shotshells. When it comes to .410 buckshot, we can see this new Judge has the ability to create an acceptable pattern at home defense ranges, even when compared to a standard smoothbore shotgun.

COURSE REVIEW AAR: Lone Star Medics 1-Day Tac Med EDC

By

The Suited Shootist

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May 12, 2024

My review of the Lone Star Medics Tac Med ED C Class.

Caleb puts on a great course. He’s entertaining and engaging and presents the material in a way that’s super approachable and relatable.

This isn’t a comprehensive 2-day traum a class. Instead, Caleb just gets down to the essential nuts & bolts of what you need to know to treat wounds from a violent encounter.

It’s detailed without being clinical, and Caleb is very adept at forcing you to think about what you’re doing instead of just responding on autopilot.

This 1-day, classroom-only version of the material is well worth the time, whether it’s your first medical class or you need a refresher because it’s been a while.

About Lone Star Medics

From the Website:

“Winning the fight is just the beginning; especially if you’ve sustained injuries. This course is specifically designed to teach the legally armed civilian or the armed professional, how to identify and treat immediate life-threatening injuries as a result of a violent attack. Most EMS agencies’ policies for responding to violent calls or events require all responding units to stage at a safe location, far enough away from danger so that the police can secure the scene first. During that time you will need to employ the tactical medical skills learned in this course in order to increase your chances of survival.

Throughout this course, students will learn via hands-on skills practice, scenario-based training, and minimal lectures. Scenarios will be conducted using inert training aids such as “blue guns” or SIRT training pistols. Likewise, each student will be exposed to several different tactical medicine manufacturers’ products to use in class. This helps students become educated consumers and allows for unbiased opinions on which medical gear best suits their needs.

Some of the subjects covered in class

Medical and legal issues
Principles of Tactical Medicine
Manual Patient Drags & Carries
Patient Assessment Techniques
Hemorrhage Control Techniques
Tourniquets
Pressure Dressings
Hemostatic Agents/Adjuncts
Identify and treat penetrating chest trauma
Identify and treat for shock
Active killer and mass casualty considerations
Medical equipment selection and carry techniques for Every Day Carry (EDC)

Iver Johnson 55-SA – Old School Cool

By

Travis Pike

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May 11, 2024

There was a meme floating around the gunosphere regarding getting a free box of obscure ammo and using that as an excuse to purchase a gun. The punch line is that you can never find another box of that ammo, so you sell the gun for a loss. I’m in that meme, and I don’t like it! It’s completely true. My local gun store gave me a box of .32 S&W. Not .32 S&W Long, but the original .32 S&W. I had a box and needed a gun, and what do you know, I stumbled across the Iver Johnson 55-SA. Little did I know that his gun and caliber would charm me to no end.

Iver Johnson is an interesting company or was. They are all but a name these days. Iver Johnson used to be a bicycle and arms company. They really had some synergy going back in the old days. In terms of firearm s, the Iver Johnson brand became well-known for its affordable double-action revolvers. A gun like the Safety Automatic, which was a revolver, and the Iver Johnson Safety Hammerless. These were small, pocket-sized double-action revolvers that were known for their affordability.

In the 1970s, the Iver Johnson brand was still pumping over revolver s. They stuck to somewhat obscure calibers, like .32 S&W and .38 S&W. They also produced a number of rimfire revolvers. Iver Johnson stuck to their reputation for affordable firearms, and 55-SA was no different. These came in both .38 S&W and .32 S&W and were available with a black or nickel finish. To be clear, the Iver Johnson 55-SA can fire both the .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long.

Breaking Down the 55-SA

These guns were well known for their affordability. We really don’t understand how good we have it. Back in the 1970s, handguns were expensive. When you adjust their cost with inflation, a barebones S&W costs nearly a thousand dollars. You can get an M&P for less than $600 today. Plus, there were nowhere near as many affordable firearm brands. Guns like the 55-SA were important to those with only a little cash to spend.

The little 55-SA was outdated in the mid-70s. It used a double-action design but lacked a side-ejecting cylinder. Instead, the gun had a loading gate like a single-action revolver. The gun is very simple, with a trench rear sight and a ramping front sight. Cheap plastic grips occupy the rear of the gun. The nickel finish is cheap and just waiting to start flecking. In fact, this model is in quite nice shape compared to other guns on the market.

The Iver Johnson 55-SA delivers a double action pull and gives you a nice big hammer to cock if you prefer the single action pull. In fact, you just might because the hammer in its downward position blocks the use of the rear trench sight. You can see the big ramping front sight, but no trench is present.

The gun has a 2.5-inch barrel and a rather small frame. Its grip is awkward and feels far from ergonomic, but it works. Iver Johnson chose to go with a huge trigger guard for one reason or another. It seems a bit large for a gun meant to be small. Finally, you can remove the cylinder and use the removable rod to punch out spent cartridges.

To The Range

That one box of .32 S&W Short waited for me, and so did some MagTech .32 S&W Long. The little gun holds five rounds of .32 S&W Short, and loading is easy enough. I was slightly nervous. It’s an old gun designed to be cheap, but it also looks and feels like it is in excellent condition. It just so happened to be love at first shot.

The little .32 S&W cartridge handles a lot like a rimfire pistol. It barely moves, and the little bark barely registers. The .32 S&W Short is no man-stopper. I wouldn’t trust it for self-defense, but I guess it was better than a sharp stick and harsh language. The .32 S&W Long didn’t throw much more recoil but would be the natural option for self-defense if this gun was your only choice. The old .32 S&W Long can just make it deep enough to matter with an FMJ load.

The 55-SA has a long, heavy double-action trigger, but it’s pretty smooth. It won’t win awards, but I can easily hit a 10-inch gong at 15 yards. The hammer blocking the rear sight causes the most issues, and single action makes shooting the gun accurately much easier.

I only fired 50 rounds of .32 S&W and 50 rounds of .32 S&W Long, but they all fired reliably. The little gun barked with each and every shot, and a ding from steel followed most of them.

The Little Iver Johnson

The Iver Johnson 55-SA provided folks on a budget with a somewhat compact option. Back in the 1970s, it likely rode in the glove box or in the nightstands of tons of people. Rarely shot, but it was always appreciated for the piece of mind it brought.

TRAINING TIPS, TRICKS, & HACKS: How I Gear Up For A Class.

By

The Suited Shootist

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May 11, 2024

If you’re already part of the training circuit, you probably have your packing list dialed in. However, if you are new to training, learning how to gear up for a class is important. Over the course of my training career (as a student) I’ve developed some best practices and tips that I thought I’d share.

Gear Up for a Class: A Primer

I start by talking about inert training gear because I genuinely feel it’s essential for anyone who carries defensiv e tools. The only way to truly know if your choices work is to test them against resisting opposition. Dummy guns, training knives, and inert OC allow you to do this safely and repeatedly.

If it’s financially doable, having a dedicated training pistol is useful. Not only does it reduce wear and tear on your carry gun, but in the unlikely event that you do experience a mechanical failure, you’ve got a backup on hand so that you don’t miss out on the class.

Speaking of missing out, bringing food so that you don’t have to run by a drive-thru will allow you to get more facetime with the instructor. There’s a big difference between “war stories” used to build up the instructor’s ego and professional anecdotes that are relevant to the course material. That being said, I’ve never really experienced the former. All the “back in the day” or “no shit, there I was” stories I’ve been present for have been applicable on some level.

Being able to refer back to the material covered has been invaluable for me, so I’ll always recommend having a notebook and taking as much video as the instructor is cool with.

Plan for inclement weather. There’s nothing noble about suffering. The more uncomfortable you are, the more distracted you’ll be, and the less material you’ll be able to absorb. “Toughing it out” is grossly overrated, especially when you’re paying to be there. So, take the appropriate steps to ensure you’re suitably warm, dry, etc.

It’s always a good idea to have “training clothes,” the same way you have a training gun. This allows you to go closer to 100% without risking damage to your street clothes.

PDW Project – Chassis Systems

By

Travis Pike

-

May 10, 2024

For our third installment of the PDW Project, we are examining chassis systems that attach to a firearm. These kits include options like the Roni systems, the KPOS, the RT 20/20, and even the Flux Raider, to a small degree. My test sample today is an RT 20/20 attached to a Glock 43 X. I’ve also added a red dot with Recover Tactical’s red dot mount. The RT 20/20 setup appears to be the best of the affordable systems, but does it compare to something like the more expensive Flux Defense Raider?

Benefits of Chassis Systems

Chassis Sytems allow you to use a weapon you already have. This prevents you from needing to purchase a secondary weapon to act as a PDW. Some systems even allow you to quickly attach the gun to the chassis and rock and roll on the fly. These systems are everywhere and are available for a wide variety of firearms, so finding one isn’t tough.

Chassis systems can be very compact and often feature folding stocks or braces that shrink the system to a very manageable size. In addition, chassis systems typically allow you to mount all manner of lights, optics, and accessories onto the system for enhanced usefulness in a variety of situations. Most of the optic mounts allow for a non-reciprocating optic, which makes it easier to track the red dot and land shots even faster.

Downsides to Chassis Systems

The first big downside is that as soon as the gun is removed from the chassis system, it loses zero. Not entirely, but the zero shifts cause, in my experience, only one of these systems will hold a true zero with the weapon removed from the chassis, and that’s the Flux system.

Even if the gun remains unremoved, there are often problems with having a consistent zero. These chassis systems are made from polymer and often feature a ton of flex. If you apply pressure, the optic can move and make the reticle shift several inches depending on how much pressure is applied when shooting versus when the system is zeroed.

Chassis Systems In Action

Like before, I took the RT 20/20-equipped Glock 43X, ran several drills, and tested for accuracy. I wanted to measure its ability to increase my accuracy and control, as well as how fast it could be deployed and put into action.

Deployment

The deployment drill tests my ability to get the gun from the bag and up and on target with one shot fired. I used the Vertx ReadyPac k and started with an empty chamber. If I carried this PDW, I would do so with an empty chamber since I have nothing to protect the trigger. With the weapon ready and the bag over a single shoulder, I started.

I was able to deploy the system in 6.5 seconds on average. I got as fast as six seconds, but never much slower than 6.5. It’s fairly quick, but it would be faster if I could start with a round-chambered. The system flies out of the bag, making it easy to get on target quickly. A red dot is an absolute must-have.

Control

To test my ability to control the chassis system as a PDW, I shot a modified Bill Drill. I started at 15 yards instead of seven and used an IPSC A-zone as my target. While I can shoot the gun fast, controlling the recoil and shooting accurately is tough. The flex between the brace and the chassis frame moves the system, which throws off my zero. I can get the six shots fired in less than two seconds, but I can’t guarantee where they will be.

Accuracy

Accuracy is a real mixed bag with the RT 20/20. As long as I apply no rearward pressure and mitigate recoil, I can easily hit targets at 25 and 50 yards. However, if I try to shoot a little faster than slow and control recoil, the accuracy is everywhere. It can be very accurate, but the flex is too much to use combatively. Maybe I need to zero with all the flex taken out and have it locked down.

The Flux Defense Raider is one system that isn’t affected by this issue. They’ve mastered this PDW-type chassis, and it’s capable of excellent accuracy, in my experience.

Chassis Pistol Overall

My experience with the RT 20/20 reflects the same experience I’ve had with most chassis systems. It works, mostly, but I don’t think it’s the best option to take to a gunfight. My experience with these systems includes all the big names. The only one I would trust my life to is the Flux Defense system. I think the chassis systems have great potential, but only Flux has managed to pull one off that works well.

COURSE REVIEW AAR: Green Ops Advanced Covert Carry Skills

By

The Suited Shootist

-

May 10, 2024

I give my review of the Green Ops Advanced Covert Carry Skill s class.

Bottom Line Up Front: Take this class!!!

Mike Green has spent a bunch of time overseas, in plain clothes. He worked in environments where being armed was somewhere on the spectrum between unusual and unacceptable. Sounds a lot like the civilian context. And that’s the main reason I signed up for this class.

This isn’t SFAS. Nobody’s yelling at you or making you do push-ups, and it’s not designed to turn you into a steely-eyed gunfighter. The curriculum is based on the same material that Mike uses to get diplomatic staff and other OCONUS State Department-type folks to a capable level with a handgun, should the need arise.

Mike also draws from his overseas experience to discuss the mechanics of concealmen t. I liked that his block on gear selection focuses as much on clothing and how to wear it correctly as it does on gun and holster choice.

Day 1 aggressively focused on the gritty details of shooting mechanics and demonstrations of what matters when and why. Every single exercise is shot from concealment. This is an even more challenging prospect when you’re wearing three layers to deal with the sub-30-degree temperatures and wet weather. This culminated with a practical exercise in the form of a USPS A stage.

Day 2 built off of Day 1’s foundation and started incorporating more complexity in terms of movement, positional shooting, and support hand manipulations. What’s interesting is that all of the “skill tests” that are used are rooted heavily in competition shooting.