The Terminator and It’s Many Shotguns

By

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January 23, 2025

The Terminator series is linked with two different kinds of killing machines. We have the robotic Terminators and shotguns. Seriously, shotguns are a big deal in the Terminator franchise. I’m not sure why, but ever since the first film, shotguns have been instrumental in the franchise. Hero and villain alike carry shotguns throughout the film series, and as a shotgun nut, I wanted to dig into the best shotguns in the Terminator franchise.

The Ithaca 37

When Kyle Reese landed in 1991 Los Angeles, he quickly acquired weaponry. He steals an Ithaca 37 with an extended magazine tube from a police vehicle. He cut the stock off and attached a lanyard. It’s small enough to conceal under a coat, and that’s how Reese employs the famed Ithaca 37. Eventually, the T-800 used an Ithaca 37 with stock for a short period during the first film.

The Ithaca 37 series has been in the longest continuous production of any pump shotgun. These repeating shotguns are known for their reliability and durability. They famously served with SEALs in Vietnam, where they were favored for their slab side design. The gun ejected and loaded from the bottom, which reduced the number of ports that allowed debris to enter the gun.

Spas 12

In the famed gun store scene, the Terminator acquires a Uzi, an AR-18, and a “12 Gauge Autoloader.” The autoloader is the famed Spas 12, a gun that wreaked havoc across 1990s film and video games. The Spas 12 is actually a convertible shotgun that can swap from semi-auto to pump action. The Terminator shows off his strength by wielding the shotgun with a single hand as he shoots through a police station.

The only movie to accurately portray the Spas 12 was Jurassic Park, which jammed quite quickly. The Spas 12 shotguns were not known for reliability, and they were also fragile and somewhat difficult to load. The gun is a collector’s item now only because of its use in so many movies and TV shows.

Winchester 1887

As the new T-800 arrives to protect John Connor, he acquires a sawn-off lever-action Winchester 1887 shotgun from a biker bar. The gun becomes his weapon of choice as he rides his metal steed through the streets of Los Angeles. The Winchester 1887 proves to be a potent tool in stalling the liquid metal T-1000. We see another feat of strength when he wields the gun one-handed, including doing the famed flip cocking technique while riding a motorcycle.

The Winchester 1887 was a black powder shotgun. However, Winchester only produced a smokeless powder version in 10 gauge, which it called the 1901. The Winchester in the movie is a replica. It’s funny to imagine the Terminator seeking out black powder shells, but I guess he had little worry that the gun would explode on him.

Remington 870

Remington 870s are scattered throughout the Terminator series. It first pops up in T2 with Sarah Connor’s LEO Special 870 with the folding metal stock. T3 shows a trench gun style 870 with a bayonet lug and heat shield. In Salvation, a young Kyle Reese carries a PGO 870 with a breaching barrel. In Genesys, our new Sarah Connor gets the same 870 that the OG Sarah Connor used in T2. Finally, the same metal folding stock 870 makes an appearance in Dark Fate.

The 870 series are legendary shotguns and have likely armed more police officers than any other shotgun. It’s a durable, well-made design that set the new standard for pump action shotguns. It’s the AR of shotguns, and it’s not a surprise that we see so many different variations in the Terminator franchise.

M26 MASS

The M26 MASS pops up in Terminator 3 during a fast-forward future vision. It’s seen equipped with John Connor’s rifle. In a crazy dedication to continuity, we see the M26 appear in Terminator Salvation, equipped to John Connor’s rifle once more. He uses the shotgun a few times and even detaches it for reasons unknown.

The M26 MASS is a bolt action, straight pull bolt shotgun that feeds from a magazine. C-More, the optics company, designed the gun to mount on an M3 for the US Army. The Army has fielded very few, but it’s in the armory. It’s a rare design, and it’s neat to see it pop up more than once.

Shotguns and Terminator

The Terminator series is no stranger to firearms of all kinds, but shotguns seem to have a special place in the series. I only did my five favorites, but there are tons of them. Benelli M3 and M4s, KelTec, that stupid DP-12, and even the kinda awesome barely didn’t make the list Fostech.

Shotguns and Terminators are like peanut butter and jelly.

New Kessel Titanium Cook Pot

By

Reuben Bolieu

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January 22, 2025

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — The Uberleben Kessel is a perfect companion for minimalist adventures, offering a 1.1-liter (37 fl oz) capacity for on-the-go cooking and boiling.

As a longtime user of the original Uberleben Kessel in stainless steel, I was excited to see they now offer a lighter version. Meet the New Kessel Titanium Cook Pot!

Cooking outdoors is my favorite part of an overnight camping or a day trip in the woods. I enjoy the entire process of fire preparation, firemaking, and cooking. You can substitute a skillet with a flat stone if the materials are available. However, a cook pot is not easily substituted!

Kessel Titanium Cook Pot

The Uberleben Kessel is an excellent companion for your minimalist adventures. This ultralight cook pot offers a capacity of 1.1 liters (37 fl oz), making it ideal for cooking and boiling on the go.

Crafted from food-grade ultralight titanium, the Kessel ensures durability without the added weight. The 100% natural hardwood grab handle provides a comfortable grip, while the easy-pour spout allows hassle-free serving. Enjoy cooking with the steam-vented, rattle-free lid that keeps everything securely in place, and utilize the lock-down hanger handle for convenient hanging during use.

The duck canvas bag stores your pot and is a handy tinder bag. Weighing just 3.9 ounces.

When it’s time to pack up, the wet-waxed duck canvas stow pouch, featuring a reliable YKK zipper, not only stores your pot but also serves as a handy tinder bag. Weighing just 7.4 ounces (with the bag at 3.9 ounces), the Kessel delivers exceptional portability.

With dimensions of 5.5 inches in diameter and 3.25 inches high, the Überleben Kessel seamlessly integrates into your outdoor gear, combining functionality and simplicity for all your cooking needs.

What’s the Difference?

The Uberleben Titanium Kessel Cook Pot and the original stainless steel version stand out due to significant differences in materials, weight, and performance. The titanium construction of the Kessel cook pot makes it much lighter than the stainless steel option, which benefits backpackers and campers striving to reduce pack weight. Despite being lighter, titanium maintains strength and durability; it is renowned for its resilience and ability to endure extreme temperatures without warping.

Cook Pot Test

The author used the lock-down hanger handle to hang during use conveniently.

A key difference I noticed involves heat conduction: stainless steel heats evenly and retains heat well. In contrast, titanium heats up quickly but may develop hot spots, requiring careful monitoring during cooking. Additionally, the titanium pot resists rust and corrosion, which enhances its longevity, whereas stainless steel may need more maintenance in humid conditions.

Although Uberleben removed the cord wrapping from their original model, I didn’t notice the handle heating up very much. However, I use leather gloves when I’m grabbing pots from the fire outdoors. Still, it cooled down fast in the subfreezing temperatures that I tested the New Kessel Titanium Cook Pot in.

The New Kessel Titanium Cook Pot performed well for the author in late autumn and the freezing winter.

Finally, the aesthetic appeal varies, with titanium offering a modern look and lightweight feel compared to stainless steel’s classic and sturdy appearance. Both materials provide distinct advantages, but the ultimate choice depends on personal preferences and specific cooking needs in outdoor environments.

Embrace a minimalist mindset and boost your culinary experience with the New Kessel Titanium Cook Pot!

For more information, please contact Uberleben.

SPECS

Capacity: 1.1L (37fl oz)
304 Food Grade Stainless Steel or Ultralight Titanium
100% Natural Hardwood Grab Handle
Easy-pour Spout
Steam Vented, Rattle-free Lid
Lock-down Hanger Handle
Wet-waxed, Duck Canvas Stow Pouch (YKK zipper) – Doubles as Tinder Bag
Weight: Titanium – 7.4oz /Bag – 3.9oz
Dimensions: 5.5″ x 3.25″
MSRP: $68.00

Mossberg Releases the 590M Mag-Fed Standoff Shotgun

By

Tim Stetzer

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January 22, 2025

Mossberg released a flurry of new shotgun models with the new year, including the 590M Standoff pump action. The 590M Standoff is part of Mossberg’s line of 590 magazine-fed firearms. It’s chambered for 12-gauge, 2.75-inch shells and is fed from Mossberg’s double-stack shotgun magazine.

The 590M Mag-Fed Standoff Shotgun

The 590M Mag-Fed Standoff shotgun is built on Mossberg’s proven aluminum 590 receiver. It features a 14.25-inch heavy-walled barrel with a standoff muzzle device. Mossberg says that the magazine feed on the 590M provides better balance and weight distribution than tube-fed designs.

The company’s double-stack magazine also allows for higher capacity with less magazine length than single-stack magazine-fed designs. Mossberg ships the 590M Standoff with one 10-round magazine, but additional 5, 10, 15, and 20-round magazines are also available.

The 590M is equipped with Mossberg’s Aftershock bird’s head grip. It uses the new compact forend with M-LOK compatible slots as well. The redesigned top-mounted safety is oversized and has a high-visibility red fire indicator. Things that remain the same are Mossberg’s proven and reliable dual extractors, steel-to-steel lockup, and twin action bars.

There’s an all-steel magazine release button just in front of the trigger guard for easy mag changes. The 590M also comes with a drilled and tapped receiver in case you want to mount a red dot. Overall length is just 27 inches, and weight is 6.3 pounds.

MSRP is listed at $1,050.00.

Key Features of the 590M Standoff Pump-Action Firearm:

• 14.25-inch heavy-walled, cylinder bore barrel with standoff muzzle.
• One-piece construction of the stand-off barrel, machined integrally to the barrel.
• Mossberg’s Aftershock bird’s head grip, which minimizes recoil and ensures a firm, sure grip.
• Parkerized metal finish.
• Oversized and redesigned top-mounted safety with a highly visible red indicator and easily operated by right or left-handed shooters.
• Compact forend that utilizes M-LOK®-compatible slots for mounting accessories to sides and bottom.
• Drilled and tapped receiver.
• One ten-round detachable, double-stack magazine. Accessory magazines are available in 5, 10, 15, and 20-round capacities (sold separately).

For more information, check out Mossberg.com.

Getting Your Zzzzzs – The Importance of Quality Sleep

By

Jim Cobb

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January 21, 2025

I know this subject might seem like an odd addition to the GAT Daily lineup, but bear with me as it is absolutely relevant. Adequate amounts of quality sleep are vital to making intelligent decisions, particularly when you’re under pressure.

While the amount of sleep needed will vary from person to person, each one of us requires some amount of good rest regularly to function well. We’ve all done it — running on just a few hours of sleep, feeling dead on our feet, and relying on coffee to keep us upright until we can clock out for the day. Any new parents out there? Yeah, you know exactly what I mean.

The problem is that habitually getting too little sleep can lead to a bunch of issues, including a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, heart issues, poor memory, and more. If you go too long without proper sleep, at some point, your body is going to just sort of shut down for a while.

Sleep Stages

There are five different stages to sleep, believe it or not.

Stage One – you’re just starting to fall asleep. Breathing is normal, and you have full muscle control as you settle in for what you hope will be some good-quality rest.

Stage Two – your pulse and breathing begin to slow down as you relax. This is what you might call the dozing stage. It’s a very light sleep. As my mom used to put it, “I’m just resting my eyes.”

Stage Three – muscles are relaxed, and breathing and pulse have slowed. You’re fully asleep at this point.

Stage Four – this is where healing truly happens. It’s a deep sleep. When someone reaches this stage, it can be difficult to rouse them quickly.

Stage Five – most people have heard about REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and this is the stage where that happens. It’s thought that this is when most dreaming occurs.

All of these stages are important, especially the latter ones.

Tips to Improve Sleep

It’s important to do what you can to improve your sleep so that your body and mind are ready to tackle problems when they arise. Remember that you typically don’t get the luxury of choosing ahead of time when stressful situations occur.

Start by putting away your cell phone, tablet, and other devices for an hour or so before bedtime. Read an actual book rather than a screen.

Stay away from screens as best you can for at least an hour before bedtime.

Develop a schedule and try to stick with it as best you can. Go to bed at about the same time every night and get up at the same time every day. As many parents have found when their children were infants, routines help make for an easier bedtime.

Most people sleep best when it is cool, dark, and quiet. Avoid big, heavy meals right before bedtime. Caffeine is also a bad idea.

Sleep Preparedness

With all of that in mind, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to toss into your evacuation kit a sleep mask, earplugs, and such. No matter where you’re evacuating to in an emergency, it won’t be like home. Motels aren’t known for quiet, restful conditions in the best of times. Sleeping on the couch at the home of family or friends might not be much better.

Ear plugs can cut noise, but they can take some getting used to if you’re using them for sleep.

To be crystal clear, I’m not talking about full on “Red Dawn” sorts of survival situations here. I’m referring to scenarios that would involve a local evacuation, such as due to natural disasters like wildfires or extended power outages. These would be situations where you could look to get restful sleep without feeling like you need to post sentries to ward off attacks or some such.

The Ruger Police Service Six

By

Travis Pike

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January 21, 2025

Do you have a gun that just made you ‘get’ it when it comes to a certain genre of firearms? For me and revolvers, it was the Ruger Police Service Six. I understood the benefits of the revolver and thought they were neat, but it wasn’t until I spent a meager $300 on a Ruger Police Service Six in .38 Special that I understood why people love revolvers.

The Ruger Six lineup includes the Security Six, the Speed Six, and the Service Six. Within those three categories, we have several smaller subcategories. The Police Service Six was an attempt to break into the world of police revolvers. The Service Six lineup is differentiated from the Security Six by its use of fixed sights. The Police Service Six came as both a .357 Magnum and .38 Special, but used the same frame.

This meant the .38 Special-only versions were overengineered and overbuilt. From what I could find, Ruger made the Police Service Six for police agencies who were too gun-shy to issue.357 Magnum guns. However, they eventually produced .357 Magnum variants of the Police Service Six. I guess a .357 Magnum Police Service Six is identical to a Service Six outside of the roll mark.

The Ruger Police Service Six did serve in the US Army as the M108. There, it replaced the aging stocks of S&W revolvers in the hands of MPs, female CID agents, and Aviators.

The Ruger Police Service Six

Like most Ruger revolvers, the Police Service Six was a chunky, tank-like gun. It’s very well made with a dependence on investment cast. Ruger mastered the investment cast art, and it allowed them to produce affordable but durable and surprisingly good-looking revolvers. The Ruger Police Service Six certainly wins with its looks.

The smooth stainless appearance and wood grips give it that old-school flashy appeal. That look and feel made it stand out to me. As the name implies, it holds six rounds. The underlug covers the ejection rod and provides an aggressive appearance with protection to the ejection rod.

The Police Service Six uses a square butt which tends to help with recoil if the internet is to be believed. The front sight is a simple textured ramp for reduced glare. The rear sight is a trench sight cut through the top strap.

The revolver has an interesting external design. It seems to be edgeless, with all the angles cut and rounded. It’s a design you expect to see on a pocket revolver, but it looks good on a full-sized gun. The Police Service Six came in both a blue and stainless model, but I love the stainless.

Getting Good With the Poice Service Six

The first time I shot this gun, it carved a smile into my face. Something about the combination of the ultra-smooth true and barely any recoil made me a believer in the wheel gun. The tactile feeling of firing the gun delivers a rush of dopamine, and I can’t explain exactly why I love shooting it so much.

The extremely light recoil helps. It makes the gun easy to shoot quickly. Dropping six rounds in less than three seconds and landing them on target is a great feeling. I can’t shoot a sub-2-second Bill drill, but I can shoot this thing way faster than I expected. I’m a total revolver newb, but I don’t quite feel like a newb with the Police Security Six.

Famously I prefer red dots on my revolvers because I suck with the trench and front sight setup. I just can’t get it. It’s my fault, not revolvers. I do blame the Ruger Police Service Six for my ability to hit the target. Something about the perfect combination of grip size and big front sight makes this gun easy for me to shoot. Working a revolver trigger is something I’m not very good at, but this one moves super easy and smoothly.

The accuracy makes it easy to hit targets out to 25 yards. That’s a decent range for me as a revolver newb with iron sights I typically suck with. The Police Service Six handles like a well-worn dream. The big six-gun isn’t great for concealed carry, but it’s accurate, easy to shoot, and reliable. It’s never gone click when I’ve expected a bang.

The Big Six Gun

Admittedly, I’m not going to make this my main home defense gun, but I could. It’s accurate, capable, and easy to shoot. Mix it with a handheld light, and I wouldn’t feel underarmed compared to other handguns. The Police Service Six was a fun surprise, and I’ve become a big fan. It’s the revolver that made things click with me.

Haversack & SOL Stoke Tools

By

Reuben Bolieu

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January 20, 2025

A Haversack is essential for an outdoor adventure or day trip. It embodies a classic charm that remains relevant today. To upgrade your experience, pair your Haversack & SOL Stoke Tools. This combination will maximize your adventure!

The Bushcraft Oilcloth Haversack serves outdoor enthusiasts who appreciate simplicity and efficiency. It carries essential hiking tools like cookware, fire starters, tarps, and tools, all without the bulk of a traditional backpack. This design keeps your gear easily accessible, allowing you to spend more time exploring!

Oilcloth Haversack

The Coalcracker Bushcraft Haversack is a must-have for outdoor enthusiasts. This lightweight bag, made from durable oilcloth and featuring the bold Coalcracker logo, offers convenience.

Its single-pocket, over-the-shoulder style allows quick access to essential tools like fire starters and snacks without the risk of overpacking. Embrace the outdoors with everything you need within easy reach.

The Bushcraft Oilcloth Haversack is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts seeking simplicity and efficiency, allowing them to carry essential gear like cookware and fire starters without the bulk of a traditional backpack.

The durable oilcloth construction ensures that this product is tough and weather-resistant, capable of withstanding rugged use. Weighing only 6 ounces, it boasts a 48-inch strap that is easy to carry wherever you go. Its single-pocket design simplifies storage and allows for quick access to your gear, making it highly practical for outdoor enthusiasts.

Additionally, the product features the Coalcracker Bushcraft logo, showcasing your love for the outdoors stylishly. With dimensions of 14 inches in length and 12 inches in width, this lightweight and functional accessory is perfect for all your adventures.

MSRP: $45.00

Survive Outdoors Longer

The acronym SOL stands for Survive Outdoors Longer and is known for innovative survival gear, including kits, shelters, fire supplies, and signaling devices.

Adventure Ready Brands, which owns around ten brands like Ben’s®, Natrapel®, and Adventure Medical Kits®, emphasizes adaptability and change.

SOL Stoke Tools

The Stoke Camp Hatchet is a must-have fire-starting tool for outdoor enthusiasts. Featuring an integrated rope cutter, it allows you to easily cut the included tinder cord and ignite it with the ferrocerium rod. It is made from 420 stainless steel and has a secure Polypropylene and TPR handle.

Equipped with three hex wrenches, this versatile tool also has a riveted nylon sheath for blade protection and ferrocerium rod storage. The rope cutter doubles as a bottle opener, perfect for celebrating your camp successes.

The author relied on two essential Stoke tools: a hatchet and a saw. These tools are vital in camp, especially with the easily accessible knife at the push of a button.

Weighing just 10 ounces, the Stoke Camp Hatchet is lightweight and functional—an ideal crafting hatchet for any outdoor adventure.

MSRP: $39.99

The Stoke Pivot Knife & Saw boasts a seamless transition from knife to saw mode with just the press of a button. It is crafted from the same high-quality materials and features the same striking color scheme as the hatchet, available with a 3.9-inch blade or a 4.25-inch saw. I prefer keeping the saw deployed and utilizing one of the other Stoke tools for cutting tasks. However, this versatile 2-in-1 tool is an indispensable choice for anyone determined to streamline their gear.

MSRP: $35.99

Haversack & SOL Stoke Tools

The Coalcracker Bushcraft Haversack delivered strength, utility, and simplicity the entire time.

I used the hatchet to craft four sturdy stakes with a flat 90-degree top and a 45-degree angle for burial. Three stakes featured simple 7-notches, created with a controlled 90-degree stop cut and firm thumb pressure on the hatchet spine. I finished them efficiently to set up my shelter.

The SOL Pivoting Knife & Saw excels in saw mode, quickly cutting through broomstick-thick pieces of deadwood for a fire.

I used my small Uberleben twig stove for cooking, which required minimal chopping. I handled wrist-thick wood efficiently with a stout beech maul and my hatchet.

The hatchet paired with the Stoke Pivot Knife & Saw is impressive. The handle feels natural in knife mode, although the aggressive jimping can be bothersome without gloves. However, it remains non-slip. The edge was incredibly sharp from the start and excellent for making tinder with the included SOL Ferro rod. The combination of the Ferro rod and the tool’s 90-degree spine is fantastic.

I used the saw more and found it effective for wrist-thickness branches. A useful technique is to cut about 2/3 through the wood and then swing it onto a rock to split. This method often exposes dry wood inside.

You can’t go wrong with the Coalcracker Bushcraft Haversack & SOL Stoke Tools!

For more information, please check out Coalcracker Bushcraft and Survive Outdoors Longer.

The Fun Debate – Are Guns Fun?

By

Travis Pike

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January 20, 2025

Guns are fun. Shooting guns is fun. Finding rare guns for your collection is thrilling. Hunting, shooting, competing, and more are fun with guns. I didn’t know any of this was ever up for debate. Apparently, it has become the subject of debate amongst the firearm community, and that leaves me utterly perplexed. Are guns fun? Are they supposed to be fun?

The Fun and Gun Debate

The debate seems to be focused on making guns an extremely serious thing. Without a doubt, firearms are serious. They should be respected and treated with seriousness. They should be handled safely, and I don’t think any part of the debate is arguing that fun means being willy-nilly with firearms. Firearms and parachutes are a lot alike. They can be a ton of fun but are also deadly serious.

The training and defensive use only side of the argument will say firearms are not fun. They are tools. Like a hammer, they are designed for a specific task, which isn’t enjoyable. Firearms are serious and should be treated seriously. This side of the argument focuses on the defensive and duty use of firearms. It doesn’t seem to think much about hunting but seemingly embraces some parts of competition shooting as a training tool.

This side of the argument seems to completely disregard any firearm not designed for defensive or duty use. PCCs, over/under shotguns, and the like are seen as useless and a waste of time, effort, and aluminum in most regards. If it’s not maximally efficient, it doesn’t have a purpose and doesn’t need to exist.

The fun side says both serious guns can exist and fun guns can exist. Shooting can both be fun and serve a purpose. Shooters who are mag dumping into trash and having fun believe recreational guns are completely valid. The recreational firearms side embraces all competition and all shooting as fun. Each trigger pull is fun, and everything from training to competing is enjoyable. This includes USPSA and IDPA, as well as PCC, Steel Challenge, and Skeet shooting.

The Fun, the Guns, and the Grumps

It’s weird to see the debate play out in these dark corners of the internet. It’s not a big debate, but there seem to be a few former military-turned-firearms trainers who want to take the fun out of guns. From their perspective, I guess I can understand their point. These are guys that might not have ever been ‘gun’ guys.

They are good shooters, but to them, shooting is just a job—a task they were forced to do, become adept at, and teach others to do. It was never something they did recreationally, and the military has a way of killing the fun when it comes to shooting. Trust me, as fun as it would be to shoot a .50 cal M2, the military absolutely kills your enjoyment of it.

120628-M-CV710-071 U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Andrew C. Bell loads ammunition into an M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun while training at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 28, 2012. Marines conducted the training to familiarize themselves with different weapons systems. Bell is assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division. DoD photo by Sgt. Sheila Brooks, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

These guys can’t even see the fun in firearms. They might get the same dopamine hit when they see improvement and get better at shooting, but they aren’t going to be shooting just for the hell of it on the weekend.

The not-so-fun side would like to argue that shooting just isn’t enjoyable. I believe them. For some people, it’s just a thing they have to do to maintain proficiency. There are plenty of hobbyist woodworkers who love wielding a hammer, but a very skilled carpenter isn’t working on the weekend just for kicks and giggles.

Why So Serious?

Let’s be absolutely clear: guns are fun. If guns weren’t fun, we wouldn’t have a gun industry. Everyone would have bought their Glock 19 and AR-15, and the industry wouldn’t have a million different options. They wouldn’t have made massive improvements in how guns handle if it wasn’t for the folks having recreational firearms.

This idea that every gun has to be super useful and optimized for shooting bad guys is silly. PCCs, and retro reissues of Vietnam-era rifles are fun, and so are revolvers, long slide hunting pistols, and finely made over/under shotguns. Guns and shooting as a whole wouldn’t have progressed nearly as far as it has if it wasn’t enjoyable.

If shooting isn’t enjoyable for you, that’s fine, but recognize it is for most people. You might want to call us nothing more than enthusiasts, but enthusiasts drive the industry.

5.11’s Chukka Boots (Part 2)

By

P.E. Fitch

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January 19, 2025

^{Continued From Part 1}

Dear reader: I’m going to admit two things. The first is that I started writing this draft by hand in a notebook in an airplane flying somewhere over the western half of the United States—while wearing my pair of 5.11 Chukka boots. The truth is that they’re extremely comfortable, and they’ve since become my choice of footwear when traveling.

It’s not only that they’re comfortable to wear for extremely long periods of time due to their Ortholite insole, but they also make the wearer look more put-together even while wearing jeans. More importantly, the Vibram full rubber outsole really does grant the wearer more traction.

Have you ever noticed how wet and slippery public airport bathroom floors are?

The Vibram sole makes the difference from skating around the floor of a Hartsfield-Jackson bathroom after you deplane and try to take care of business.

The 5.11 Approach To Designing Chukka Boots

The second thing I’ll admit: 5.11’s Chukka boots are the only desert boots I’ve ever worn. Other than the history of the classic desert boots such as the Clark’s that I highlighted in Part 1 of this article, I have no practical experience. I mention this because I can surmise that the experience of wearing the 5.11 version with the Ortholite insole and Vibram outer sole probably isn’t like wearing the shoe with the original crepe sole.

While the 5.11 Chukka boot respects the original lines and styling established by the Clark’s pattern desert boot, their approach to designing the boot is deservedly more modern.

Using a firearms-related analogy (this is a firearms website, right?), one can think of the classic Clark’s Chukka as a standard 1.0 mm thick Type 4 stamped-steel Kalashnikov receiver, whereas the 5.11 Chukka is more akin to a Sharps Bros. modern-milled and beefy AK receiver. In other words, the 5.11 version of the desert boot is built on a completely different and more robust chassis.

It’s basically a hiking boot that’s fashioned to follow the classic lines of the Chukka. This design approach is what makes the 5.11 Chukka a true general-purpose boot. Not to sound like boring ad copy, but after wearing these since September 2024, they really do fit in anywhere where dressing with these boots makes sense—from a shooting bay full of gravel to wearing them on a date at a lounge (again, those overly slippery bar bathrooms).

Bottom view of the 5.11 Chukka outer Vibram sole.

Nuanced Practical Details

A close-up of the finger loop and the softer neoprene section that reduces fatigue over the heel.

As mentioned previously, the 5.11 Chukka counts on a wider and rugged Vibram outer sole intended to provide traction nearly anywhere. The extremely cushy Ortholite insole feels like one of those good hotel pillows for one’s soles. Likewise, the upper of the 5.11 Chukka respects the classic of the Clark’s desert boot and even follows the same stitching pattern.

At the same time, it also has some subtle functional upgrades that help support the 5.11 Chukka’s more modern mission as a shoe.

For example, it has an extra eyelet on either side for laces. It’s three to a row as opposed to the Clark’s two per row. This allows the boot’s laces to cover additional surface area and also gives the wearer the ability to tie their laces with more tension for a greater degree of support—something useful when stepping on non-paved surfaces.

Similarly, 5.11 incorporated a finger loop that makes it easier to put on or take off the boots. The rear edge of the 5.11 Chukka’s opening has a section of a softer neoprene material that’s more elastic and less abrasive on the heel. I think this softer insert is one of the reasons why the boot is actually comfortable to wear all day. Even with the right socks, the edge of any shoe’s opening can rub too much and aggravate the heel.

Short of needing fully technical athletic support, going for a long walk while wearing these isn’t taxing at all. It’s also one of the reasons I personally like them for airport duty too.

Wearing 5.11 Chukka Boots

I’ve worn my pair since September on many different occasions, from going out to socialize to walking the dog for a few miles around the neighborhood. Laugh at me if you must, but the range is the only place I don’t wear these because it’s the muddy season. Honestly, they’re nice shoes, and I’d hate to soil them, considering how much mileage I already get from them.

On this note, I appreciate that the 5.11 Chukka boot’s leather material does not scuff too easily, either. My size 12 boots fit dead on and even spare a little extra space in the toe box (a must for all-day wear).

The only thing I can’t comment on is long-term durability. I’ve only been wearing these since last September, but thus far, I am very happy with them. I shall continue wearing them, and not just to the airport.

For more information, please visit 511Tactical.com.

CMMG Releases the Br47 DISSENT

By

Tim Stetzer

-

January 19, 2025

CMMG continues to expand its line of DISSENT Br models by blending this particularly American style of semi-automatic sporting rifle with the solidly Russian 7.62x39mm round. The Br47 DISSENT even feeds from AKM pattern magazines.

The Br47 DISSENT

Like the rest of CMMG’s Br series, the Br47 accepts most Remington 870 pattern stocks. It comes standard with the Magpul SGA buttstock. The lower has a reversible cross-bolt safety and an ambidextrous mag release. The trigger is a Br-specific ZEROED Single Stage Trigger from CMMG.

As is fitting with the 7.62x39mm caliber, the Br47 works with AK47 pattern magazines and ships with two Magpul AKM 10rd magazines. 5rd magazines are available for states with additional, even more ridiculous, magazine capacity restrictions.

The Br47 DISSENT uses the Mk47 upper group. It has a non-reciprocating forward-side charger that’s reversible for right or left-side charging without tools. It’s built on a mid-size receiver and uses an AR10-sized POWERBOLT along with CMMG’s direct impingement Compact Action operating system.

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The Br47 DISSENT is available in three barrel options. You can get a 16.1-inch barrel with 5/8×24″ threads, a 14.3-inch barrel with a ZEROED SVD Brake pinned & welded to bring it to 16 inches overall length, or a 16.1-inch non-threaded barrel for extra restricted states like New York.

16.1″ Br47 DISSENT Specs

Caliber	7.62x39mm
Operating System	Compact Action-Direct Impingement
Barrel Length	16.1
Barrel Twist	1:10
Barrel Contour	MT
Barrel Material	4140CM, Nitride Finish
Barrel Twist	1:10
Muzzle Device	CMMG ZEROED Muzzle Brake
Muzzle Thread	5/8 x 24
Gas Port Location	Mid
Gas Block	Adjustable 0.750″
Upper Receiver	DISSENT Mk47/Mid-Size 7075 T6 Aluminum
Lower Receiver	Mk47 Billet 7075 T6 Aluminum
Hand Guard	CMMG 15″ Proprietary
Finish	Cerakote
Charging Handle	Dissent Side Charger – Reversible
Stock / Brace	Magpul SGA – Remington 870
Trigger Type	ZEROED Single Stage Br3/4/47 Specific
Trigger Guard	Integrated
Safety Selector	Reversible Cross Bolt
Magazine	(2) Magpul 10rd PMAG
Weight	8.1 lbs
Length	39.2″
MSRP	$1,999.95

For more info on the Br47 DISSENT models, check out CMMG.com.

Evacuation Kits – What to Pack If You Need to Hit the Road

By

Jim Cobb

-

January 18, 2025

Evacuation Kit — Evacuation kits don't need to be huge or elaborate.

As I write this, wildfires are devastating parts of California and tens of thousands of residents have evacuated the affected areas. I’ve seen numerous posts on social media talking about evacuation kits, bug out bags, and the like. There are lots of questions out there about these sorts of packs, so let’s get into it a bit.

An encroaching wildfire is just one scenario that might cause you to need to head out of town with a quickness.

To be clear, what follows is simply my own interpretation of the subject. There are other perspectives out there that might differ on some of the finer points. As with anything else that falls under the preparedness umbrella, there’s no one size fits all solution. Take what works for you and leave the rest.

Defining the Purpose

An evacuation kit’s role is to provide for your basic needs while you’re away from home for a limited time. It isn’t intended to sustain you for days or weeks on end. It isn’t something that’s designed for living off the land in some sort of Red Dawn scenario, either. In the event of a wildfire or similar sort of disaster, this is the bag you grab on your way out the door.

What About Premade Evacuation Kits?

There are a couple of common issues with the fully assembled kits you’ll find in stores or online. The quality of the kit’s contents is often less than desired. On top of that, the premade kit isn’t geared toward your specific needs or situation. It’s just a generic collection of stuff that may or may not work under real world conditions.

You’re far better off assembling your own kit. This allows you to customize it to be exactly what you and your family need.

Evacuation Kit Contents

Trying to decide what to put into your kit can be overwhelming. To help simplify things, think about it like this. Take the disaster out of the equation for the moment. Let’s say you were going to take a trip out of town for a long weekend. What would you pack? At the top of the list, you’ll probably want clothes, toiletries, and any prescription medications you take on a daily basis.

From there, add a flash drive that contains copies of important documents and data. Start with a video inventory of your home and vehicles, being sure to note the VIN and license plates on the latter. Scan in copies of any especially important family photos. Add copies of your identification, insurance paperwork, and property ownership records. While you’re at it, create contacts in your phone for all of your insurance companies or agents.

Be sure to password protect the flash drive so others can’t easily access your private information.

Keep a supply of cash on hand at all times. We’ve talked about this one before.

Put into your evacuation kit a good quality water filter. In addition, have 1 or 2 liters of water available. Shelf-stable food is also wise. Nothing that needs to be prepped or cooked, though. Think more along the lines of quick snacks. Hopefully you’ll be able to find open grocery stores or restaurants wherever it is you land after evacuating home.

Make sure you have power banks for your phone and other devices. I also recommend putting into your kit wall chargers. Use those whenever possible and reserve the power banks for when wall outlets aren’t available.

Save power banks for when wall outlets aren’t available for charging your devices.

Eye protection, such as swim goggles, and a good mask will help alleviate issues from smoke or other air quality issues that arise. A small first aid kit is a necessity. Add to it over-the-counter medications for common issues, such as upset stomach, pain/fever, and cold and flu symptoms.

If you have a baby in the mix, you’ll want diapers, wipes, formula, and such. Don’t overlook feminine hygiene products if you have family members who use them.

If pets are part of the equation, make sure you pack food, water, dishes for both, leash and harness, and crate or cage for them. A full copy of their immunization record from the vet might be needed as well.

Most of us already EDC a knife, flashlight, and possibly a multi-tool. Having a spare of each in your evacuation kit might not be the worst idea.

Odds are that you’ll end up spending a night or two at the home of a friend or family member. If not there, then a motel. Either way, an eye mask and ear plugs might help you get a good night’s sleep.

Evacuation Kit Storage

Use a comfortable backpack or similar conveyance to store your evacuation kit. Keep it in a coat closet or other location where you can access it easily. This is not a store it and forget it situation, though. You should pull your evacuation kit out and inspect the contents at least twice a year. Rotate out any perishable supplies, such as food items.

Few people relish the idea of having to leave their home in a disaster. But it’s important to be ready, just in case.

Training With Green Ops: Intro To Precision Carbine (Part 2)

By

P.E. Fitch

-

January 18, 2025

^{Continued From Part 1}

Class Highlights: Slinging DOPE With The Garmin

At face value, precision rifle shooting of any stripe is about having good data and being consistent in all aspects of shooting. These aspects include the rifle’s sighting system, and how one interfaces with the rifle and its ammunition. The collective rabbit holes that constitute all of the sub-topics that converge into the broader subject of precision rifle shooting only deepen from there. But everything is predicated on having good data.

At Green Ops Intro To Precision, McGuire went around with his personally owned Garmin Xero C1 chronograph so each student could capture their rifles’ muzzle velocities. The muzzle velocity is one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle needed when plugging in data into any ballistics calculator like the previously mentioned GeoBallistics. (Some of us also had our own Garmins on the line during zeroing time too).

My Garmin Xero C1 chronograph next to The Conroe at the 100 yard firing line.

Miracles of Modern Technology

It’s very easy to take the miracles of modern technology for granted. However, I consider this class experience to be a big deal and worthy of a highlight, not unlike having functional modern plumbing.

If I had to pinpoint a shooting product of the year for 2024, it would have to be Garmin’s fairly new Xero C1 chronograph. It was unveiled a year ago, and its ramifications and capabilities make it an objective game-changer. Whether the instructor was passing around his own Garmin chronograph to let students record their muzzle velocity or whether the rest of us were using our own devices in real-time, never has collecting muzzle velocity data been so easy, instantaneous, and hassle-free.

Plugging in a rifle’s muzzle velocity figure is a crucial component of formulating DOPE (data on previous engagements). In the past, one would have to use an unwieldy device or just copy and paste the published muzzle velocity numbers on the box of cartridges (and hope for the best).

Simply put, being able to teach students in an introductory survey course about DOPE formulation without derailing the class is a huge deal and a modern miracle of technology.

If I sound overly excited about this, it’s also because every other range trip involves chronographing whatever firearm I’m working with and this gadget really does make my life easier. But seriously, in the past, collecting good DOPE—good data, in other words—was a real chore. Especially because it entailed a process of collecting information and working backward from previous engagements.

Now, all it takes is to plug and play with a straightforward verification of the data afterward.

No, no one is bored goofing off on their phones. After confirming zeroes at 100, these students were finalizing their rifles’ DOPE on GeoBallistics.

Intro To Precision Carbine: The Gear

A close-up of The Conroe while shooting off the prone and experimenting with rear bags and the SBA3 brace.

A few months ago, I got together with the crew from Big Tex Ordnance to build The Conroe. I named this AR after Conroe, Texas, the town where Big Tex Ordnance is headquartered. Also because this gun’s most critical parts are composed of Hodge Defense and Kratos Design Group’s components.

The notable exception is the 12.5-inch barrel. While Hodge Defense 12.5-inch barrels have a legendary reputation for durability and reliability, the Conroe instead is a test bed for the K9 Rosco/Sage Dynamics 12.5-inch stainless 416R stainless steel barrel.

Not only does this nitrided barrel have an optimized gas port, it uses the novel patrol-length gas tube, and its tapering profile keeps more material around the chamber area for better balance and heat distribution.

With its characteristics and its price, we think this Rosco K9 barrel is a “performance sleeper,” and I’m planning on doing a more detailed review on The Conroe in the future.

Running the Conroe

The Green Ops Intro To Precision Carbine was this firearm’s official debut and first public outing. For this class specifically, I topped it with the trusty Leupold Mark5 HD 2-10×30 and installed an offset Lucid Optics enclosed-emitter E7 on an angled Arisaka mount.

The combination of the Rosco’s profile, gas port design, and novel gas system, along with the beefy Hodge Defense P-Lock M-LOK rail and an H2 buffer, made for a very smooth and properly running AR. At the time of this writing, The Conroe has approximately 250-275 rounds all in, so it has barely broken in. Regardless, it has cycled smoothly with both .223 Remington and 5.56 mm NATO pressure cartridges since its hammer detonated the primer on its first cartridge.

To boost its capabilities, the lower houses a Geissele SSA-E trigger that I’ve had forever. It’s certainly suitable on a precision-oriented AR, after all. In its current configuration, this rifle skews towards the heavier side, but I find that its current recoil impulse works well for making precise shots.

Looking Ahead

Currently, The Conroe is a large-format AR pistol that will eventually be turned into a double-stamper as an SBR and suppressor host. In the meantime, it’s using an SBA3 pistol brace.

While the accuracy with 77 grain OTM type match ammo is good enough, I find that the brace happens to be this setup’s biggest liability in accuracy as the bottom portion of the SBA3 isn’t as stable as a real AR stock that’s in contact with a rear bag. I have plenty of experience shooting 16-inch carbines with actual stocks off the prone with accurate 77-grain ammo. And it’s just not the fairly open groups, but I could also recognize the instability while looking through the scope.

With a little more practice I ought to be able to meet the 2 MOA or better precision carbine threshold. Even in its current and less-than-ideal configuration, the Conroe was still accurate enough.

Intro To Precision Carbine: Gallery

The Takeaway

For prospective students: the course syllabus officially recommends bringing match-grade rifle ammo for the course—300 rounds. This is a very conservative estimate, and it wouldn’t hurt to bring it if you have it. Unfortunately, match-grade ammo is expensive. So, I also recommend bringing general-purpose 55-grain range rounds to have on hand for certain exercises, such as the carbine version of the trigger control at speed from the prone we worked on.

A rear bag and a bipod are must-haves, and neither have to be extremely expensive. I used my old Magpul bipod and a Picatinny M-LOK insert and got through the course just fine.

Because rifles are rifles and carbines are carbines, there’s some overlap between the fundamentals of rifle shooting that students might see at a more general-purpose carbine class, like Green Ops’ excellent LPVO course, and some of the topics discussed in Intro To Precision Carbine.

However, this course continues to scratch the surface of shooting precision ARs. I noticed we didn’t burn up too much ammo. All in, I fired nearly 150 rounds, including 25 or so match grade 77-grain OTM cartridges during the zero and chronographing process.

Parting Shots

In Part 1, I mentioned that prospective students don’t have to be advanced AR shooters to take advantage of this class, only that they handle firearms safely. I do suggest that prospective students ensure that their optics are properly mounted prior to the class. Pre-class zeroes don’t need to be perfect but they should be close enough to fine-tune during the data gathering portion of class.

While LPVOs are welcome in Into To Precision Rifle, I’m of the opinion that one is better served to bring a normal riflescope with parallax adjustment and turrets to class. For this type of application, scopes ranging from 2x or 3x on the low-end up to 18x on the high end are suitable.

By Saturday evening, I drove away from The Ranch with a better understanding of the mindfulness of building an efficient shooting position while in the prone position, along with some pistol-grip tweaks to better control the trigger during recoil. It would be interesting to see if Green Ops develops another course that builds off of this one.

Charter Arms Announces the .380 Coyote Revolver

By

Tim Stetzer

-

January 17, 2025

Charter Arms has been making affordable, American-made revolvers for over 60 years now. While their .44 Special Bulldog is iconic, they’ve made plenty of other calibers like .32 Magnum, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .22LR and .22 Magnum as well. They have even made a series of revolvers chambered for rimless rounds like 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The latest addition to the rimless line up is the new .380 Coyote Revolver, which they say is the smallest and lightest of its kind.

The Charter Arms .380 Coyote

The new .380 Coyote revolver will be available in two models. There’s a traditional double/single action model, as well as a concealed hammer Off Duty model.

Nick Ecker, Owner, President, and CEO of Charter Arms, stated in the press release, “We wanted to offer a smaller frame revolver for women and first-time shooters that would be great for personal protection and sport shooting without the bulk and muzzle jump of larger caliber handguns.”

Let’s take a look at how they accomplished this.

The new Coyote .380 is a compact and lightweight revolver that’s chambered in .380 ACP. The .380 round offers milder recoil than the typical .38 Special load that you commonly see in snub-nosed revolvers. With modern defense ammunition, though, particularly that designed for short barrel pocket pistols, the .380 can still be quite effective. In addition to the lighter recoiling round, Charter Arms included a ported barrel and a full underlug to further reduce muzzle climb.

The Coyote is built on a lightweight 7075 aluminum frame, while the barrel and cylinder are made from 416 stainless steel. The double/single version is available with either a matte anodized frame and matte stainless-steel components or a pink or lavender anodized frame with high polished components. Both revolvers have diamond cuts in the 2-inch barrel’s underlug and come with checkered rosewood grips. The double/single models feature a serrated ramp front sight and notch rear.

Coyote .380 Off Duty

The Coyote .380 Off Duty model comes with a pink or a clear anodized frame and stainless-steel components. It features a fully enclosed, concealed hammer for double action-only operation and wears compact rubber grips. The Off Duty model also has a 2-inch barrel with diamond cuts in the underlug and has a HIVIS LitePipe front sight.

Because .380 ACP is a rimless cartridge that was designed for use in autoloaders, Charter Arms Coyote revolvers must be loaded using moon clips. The .380 Coyote ships with two TK Customs moon clips to feed the 5-shot cylinder. Additional moon clips are available for purchase separately as well.

General Features

Since the Coyotes are chambered in the rimless .380 ACP round, they use stamped steel full moon clips for loading and extraction. Full moon clips make for fast reloads since you’re dropping all five rounds in the cylinder at once and ejecting them as a single unit. Moon clips are affordable, too, with spares running just $7.99 on the Charter Arms website.

With its 2-inch barrel, alloy frame, and 14-ounce weight, the Coyote should be a great everyday concealed carry gun. Lightweight .38s can be pretty snappy and unpleasant to shoot, which isn’t conducive to training and practice. Especially if you’re a new shooter or recoil-sensitive. The combination of .380 chambering and ported barrel on the Coyote should mitigate that, though, and make for a pleasant shooting defense handgun with the simple manual of arms that comes with a revolver.

With an MSRP starting at $434.56, the Charter Arms .380 Coyote is also affordable, especially for an all American-made product with a lifetime warranty

.380 Coyote Specifications:

Caliber	.380 ACP
Capacity	5 rounds
Barrel Length	2 inches
Grips	Small rosewood checkered (standard models), Compact Rubber (Off Duty model)
Sights	Fixed front and rear
Safety	Hammer block safety
Concealed Hammer	Off Duty Models only
Weight	14 ounces
Special Features	Spurred hammer, 3-point cylinder lock-up
MSRP	$434.56 to $448.14

For more information on the Coyote, check out the Charter Arms website.

Training With Green Ops: Intro To Precision Carbine

By

P.E. Fitch

-

January 17, 2025

I recently spent another Saturday with Green Ops at The Ranch in Dilley, Texas once again. Training with Green Ops is always a good time, and I always take something away from their programs that aids my own development as a shooter.

Intro To Precision Carbine was my third time training with Green Ops at The Ranch. Previously, I shot with Green Ops in Dilley during the Advanced Applications of Pistol Marksmanship class. Before that, I took part in a Texas edition of the Green Ops two-day LPVO course back in November of 2023.

This June, I took part in the mid-summer Green Ops Kalashnikov class hosted at a different venue, RDI in San Antonio. For Intro To Precision Carbine, it was nice to swap out the Kalash and pick up an AR-pattern firearm with a nicer optic instead.

Intro To Precision Carbine, led by Green Ops Texas Chief Instructor Matt McGuire. Assisting McGuire were Green Ops AIs (assistant instructors) Jaq and Jason, whom I last saw at Green Ops AAPM back in February 2024.

Green Ops Intro To Precision Carbine: Course Overview

Green Ops Intro To Precision Carbine is best summarized as a one-day survey course tailored toward introducing new shooters to the world of precision ARs. I loathe to call this an “entry-level” course because that would imply that it offers nothing to experienced shooters—it does. However, one can technically consider Intro To Precision Carbine as an entry-level course because the only prerequisite is the safe handling of firearms.

Unlike the typical defensive carbine class, most shooting in this class is done with some modicum of support—usually something like a bipod and/or rear bag. Rifle support, be it bags, barricades, tripods, or bipods, is crucial in a precision context. Moreover, 100 yards isn’t really much distance in the rifle world. But in Intro To Precision Carbine, it was the closest distance we took shots from.

First Half

The Ranch in Dilley is a huge training facility with tons of acreage and private, closed-off ranges hidden amongst berms and the scraggly brushland of south-central Texas. After we caravanned our way into our designated range staged with different targets, berms, and obstacles, Instructor McGuire spent the first hour of class giving a brief lecture covering the key points of precision AR rifles.

Instructor McGuire delivering his lecture during the first portion of Intro To Precision Carbine.

McGuire’s lecture spanned several topics, including magnified optics for precision ARs, cartridge selection (e.g., 75-77 grain ammo), barrels, bags, bipods, AR upper receiver assemblies, upper receiver assembly methods, modern rails/handguards, and other details conducive to accuracy in these types of rifles/carbines.

I found McGuire’s lecture to be informative for beginners. For experienced shooters, it served as a good recap of topics, too. I’m neither a complete beginner nor a serious expert in precision ARs, so I got a lot out of this lecture. As a writer with an increasing interest in rifle optics, I liked how McGuire had different types of scopes on different rifles for students to look through in order to better demonstrate aspects like focal planes and reticles, etc.

One interesting tidbit and something I had not heard anyone codify before was the 2 MOA threshold rule: in the context of AR pattern semi-auto firearms, a 2 MOA “cone of fire” is the bare minimum needed for tactical-level precision.

Another idea stipulated that precision is not about an arbitrary [longer] distance per se, but instead, it is about taking the core concepts of rifle shooting and applying them in order to hit smaller, more critical targets with pinpoint accuracy on demand.

Hitting the Range

After the lecture, the class spent the rest of the morning on the 100-yard line, shooting prone off a bag with bipod support. We covered optimal prone shooting techniques, established good zeroes, and fired some 10-shot groups for score. As a class, we also got a hip-pocket lecture downrange in ballistics apps and basic D.O.P.E. using the Vortex GeoBallistics app.

Students received plenty of individualized attention during this first live-fire portion. Individualized attention is something Green Ops instructors are very proactive in providing, and it’s something I keep noticing. Likewise, in any Green Ops class, there are never any dumb questions that can be asked.

I got some pointers on positioning my body behind the gun more efficiently. I also learned to watch the movement of the scope in recoil as an indicator of proper handling and gun mounting during the shooting process.

Instructor Jason providing some feedback to a student during Intro To Precision Carbine.

Second Half

After breaking from lunch, the class returned to the 100-yard firing line. With everyone’s firearms zeroed, Instructor McGuire performed another demo off the prone: rifle and trigger control at speed. Using his body’s positioning to control his Sons of Liberty rifle’s recoil, he dumped an entire magazine into a C-zone steel target at 100 yards with fast quarter-second (0.25) splits.

I regret not capturing this on video, but it was pretty amazing to watch a man shoot an AR with the speed and aggression typical in CQB shooting scenarios except through a rifle scope and at a distance of 100 yards, not 10. We each got coached through this drill, using shot-timers as training aids, with Instructors McGuire and Jason working both ends of the line.

Shooting off the elevated trailer platform.

After working that drill, we migrated further up range to take some positional shots from V-Tac barricades, obstacles and a trailer converted into an elevated shooting platform. Our targets remained at the original berm and consisted of a mix of 8-inch steel gongs and B/C IPSC steel targets.

Students got to shoot from different positions using different types of bag support, including the Wiebad Fortune Cookie, MDT Peanut, MDT Grand Old Canister, and the Armageddon Gear Gamechanger.

After the whole class made shots from the different positions, Instructor McGuire opened up all of the positions for students to make and take shots at will. I found this “free play” valuable because regular access to steel a few hundred yards away isn’t “normal” for most shooters, in my experience. Unless one has the entire array of steel targets and the distance to set them up, being able to shoot at different steel targets scattered downrange is a luxury of sorts.

Continued In Part 2

Acknowledgments

As always, special thanks to @Jax_pewpewpew for letting me use his photography in my writing for Part 1 and Part 2 of this article.

KA-BAR x Estwing Collaboration

By

Tim Stetzer

-

January 16, 2025

I’m not sure you get much more iconic when it comes to cutlery and tools than KA-BAR and Estwing. They have over 225 years of American manufacturing experience between them, but it’s taken all that time to come together on a project. In a project headed up by State & Union Knives, KA-BAR’s in-house custom shop, a collaboration between these two great American brands was born.

Consisting of a special KA-BAR knife and Estwing hammer, each takes notes from the other’s traditions and branding. Read on to learn more about this limited-edition project.

A Full Tang KA-BAR?!

Let’s start with the knife in the set. Befitting the brand and history, the fixed blade in the set is a version of KA-BAR’s USMC Mark 2 combat knife. This isn’t just a standard KA-BAR with a new handle, though. This is actually a full-tang design, which I believe is a first for KA-BAR and the classic combat knife. These knives are made in the State & Union shop.

It features a 6.85-inch clip-point blade made from 1095 Cro-Van steel, with a black finish. This is pretty standard KA-BAR fair, but this time, it’s mated up to the full tang design, making it the strongest KA-BAR to date. It’s fitted with Blue G10 handle scales that mirror the classic blue rubber handles from Estwing hatchets. They even have the Estwing logo on them.

In abbreviation, a single-sided guard and extended pommel are featured, similar to what KA-BAR uses on the D2 series knives. The knives come with a plain brown leather sheath, and everything is made in the USA.

Currently, it looks like these knives are only being offered as part of the KA-BAR x Estwing set. However, I imagine that the full tang design will be popular, and I suspect folks will be clamoring for more of them down the road.

KA-BAR x Estwing Fixed Blade Specs:

Blade Length	6.85 inches
Overall Length	12.1 inches
Blade Steel	1095 Cro-Van
Blade Thickness	0.1875 inches
Width	1.38 inches
Type	Fixed Blade
Blade Guard	Yes
Color	Blue/Brown/Black
Edge Angle	20
Grind	Flat
Handle Material	Blue G10
Rockwell Hardness	56-58
Shape	Clip Point
Sheath Manufactured In	USA
Tang Stamp	KA-BAR
Weight	0.95 lb
Designed In	USA
Knife Manufactured In	United States

Hammer Time

The KA-BAR x Estwing Hammer is one of Estwing’s framing hammer designs. It’s just under 16 inches overall and weighs in at 2.15 pounds. It’s made from one piece of solid steel and has a milled face and claw back. It has a black finish that matches the KA-BAR knife, and it has a raised Estwing logo on one side of the shaft and KA-BAR logo on the other.

While Estwing has done stacked leather handles on their hammers and axes for ages, this one reflects the KA-BAR partnership. The 8-inch handle on this hammer is done in the style of the traditional stacked leather KA-BAR. So, while the knife mirrors the Estwing handle, the hammer mirrors the KA-BAR handle. It’s a neat custom touch and nod to each other’s iconic products.

KA-BAR x Estwing Hammer Specs:

Overall Length	15.75″
Handle Length	8″
Marks	KA-BAR/Estwing
Overall Weight	2.15 lbs
Head Weight	19 oz
Handle Material	Leather
Manufactured in	USA
Handle Color	Blue/Brown/Black

A Limited Time Set

While both tools are imminently functional, I’m sure a lot of folks will grab this set for its collector’s value. If that’s what you’re thinking, you may want to jump on it, though, as it is a limited release. The pair comes in a specially designed box that fits both hammer and knife, and retails for $299.00. It’s available direct through KA-BAR.

For more information on this great American collaboration, check out Kabar.com.

Will Trump’s Tariffs Affect the Gun Industry?

By

Travis Pike

-

January 16, 2025

Donald_Trump_official_portrait — Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump, Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)

Ever since Trump began running for President in 2015 he was a tariffs guy. He proposed an America-first attitude that would use tariffs on imports to encourage domestic production. A tariff is a tax imposed on imported or exported goods. Now that he’s on his way back to the White House, tariffs have been a popular topic of conversation. Will they affect the gun industry?

I don’t want to make this article needlessly political, and I’m not an economist. I’m a dude with a WordPress login and a keyboard. I can guess, or at best, consult and read reports from actual economists. With that said, take me with a grain of salt and a shot of tequila.

The Tariff Hotspots

Trump has specifically mentioned three countries and said he’d introduce tariffs: China, Canada, and Mexico. These aren’t surprising for anyone who has heard him talk. He doesn’t seem keen on our trade deals with Canada and Mexico and has consistently harped on China.

He’s proposed a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on China. Supposedly, these will be his first actions when he is inaugurated on January 20th. Those three countries do produce a number of firearm-related products. Tariffs are often targeted for specific imports, like vehicles, agricultural items, electronics, and the like.

Glock-19-compensator_Faxon-EXOS-with-Holosun-RDS

It’s unclear if these will be targeted tariffs or blanket tariffs. They seem to be blanket tariffs, but it remains to be seen. Many have theorized that the proposed rates are intended to be negotiated down, but that’s a theory and not what the President-Elect has stated.

Gun Stuff and Tariffs

Let’s focus on these three countries and assume there is a blanket tariff on all imports from them. First, China makes tons and tons of stuff in the firearms arena. We can’t import most Chinese guns, but shotguns seem to be allowed. No ammo is coming in from China, but tons of small electronics are imported.

Optics, lights, lasers, and more have massively varying qualities. If there is a 10% import tax on the products, we could expect to see a price increase. This might move some of the pricier Holosun products into the Trijicon/Leupold realm.

It will also raise the floor for what we consider to be an affordable optic. Crap-tier stuff would also be a little more expensive. Airsoft guys will be in shambles as Condor gear moves up in price and CVLife red dots skyrocket.

Additionally, we import lead from China, and lead makes ammo, so we might see the price of ammo rise. This might be reaching, but I can see the possibility.

What About Mexico and Canada?

Speaking of lead, we don’t get a ton of gun stuff from Mexico. There isn’t much I can find, but there is Aguila. Aguila produces a variety of ammo types, including some excellent .32 ACP and .32 S&W Long. These tariffs will hurt me personally because I love .32 caliber ammo. They also make primers, and we all know that has been a hassle.

Canada doesn’t have a ton of major firearm imports. Some .22LR rifles from Savage come out of Canada. Rather than major imports, we have smaller, more specialized gear and guns. Cadex Defense, for example, produces high-end precision firearm gear, and so does MDT.

In terms of ammo, we have Sterling and Challenger, which aren’t major ammo importers, but they make mini shells, and that’s all I know about them. Oh, and Elcan comes out of Canada, so Ghost Recon boys will be losing it.

A 25 percent import would mean a major price increase in any of the gun stuff we import from Canada and Mexico. Ammo, in particular, would be brutal, and I couldn’t see myself purchasing my beloved .32 calibers at a 25% increase.

Don’t Panic Yet

The tariffs aren’t in play just yet. I’m not even sure if Executive Actions can pass tariffs. Maybe it is just a negotiating tactic. I wouldn’t panic just yet. We have a little bit to see what deals are possible. If it works out as predicted, then we might see some price increases worth noting. My main concern is ammo, but it’s still not worth panicking over. Yet.