The world of pistol red dots has slowly become dominated by the enclosed emitter mini red dot. The Aimpoint Acro started a trend that has taken over. The market. Holosun leapt on it, and Trijicon even released a new red dot. Even budget-friendly brands are getting into the enclosed red dot world. One affordable option comes from Swampfox in the form of the Kraken.
That’s right, let’s do all your Release the Kraken jokes now before we get too deep into it. I can’t exactly think of why it’s called the Kraken. Maybe because it’s an enclosed emitter optic and enclosed emitter optics can resist water? Or maybe it’s just a memorable name in a world where model numbers and acronyms seemingly rule to roost.
The Kraken – Specs and Features
The Kraken uses a proprietary footprint and comes with an RMR footprint or a Glock MOS plate. Different plates and mounts exist, including a riser mount for long guns and beyond. The Kraken’s enclosed emitter design ensures nothing gets between the reticle and the screen. The Kraken is IPX7 waterproof. It can be submerged to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.
The Kraken only weighs 2.5 ounces, but it still has the tactical toaster look that almost all enclosed emitter optics have. The optic runs on a single CR2032 battery and can last up to two years. Helping the battery life is a very aggressive shake awake. After three minutes and 45 seconds, the optic will automatically shut off.
The Dot
The Kraken comes with a 3 MOA red dot reticle. The reticle is surprisingly crisp and clear. It stands out against a slight light blue notch filter. It’s easy to see and has ten different brightness settings. The bottom two are night vision compatible for all your aiming needs. There is also a green option if you prefer that route. The view through the lenses is nice and clear, which is critical for an enclosed emitter optic.
At the Range
With the Swampfox Kraken installed on an Arex Delta, I hit the range. After a quick zero, I was ready to send it. Zeroing was easy, and the .5 MOA adjustments were fairly precise. It makes it easy to get real exact if you decide to toss the optic on a rifle or shotgun. On a handgun, it can get a little pesky, but it is not difficult to work with by any means.
The first thing I look for is the refresh rate. Does the dot lag noticeably as I track the dot? Does the dot lag when I quickly run the gun from target to target? I haven’t noticed it if so. The lag isn’t perceptible when used. It’s not bad for a budget optic by any means.
I also took the optic through various lighting conditions. This includes light from the front, the rear, and the sides. Other than having to naturally squint, I never had issues finding the dot and seeing it vividly. The big buttons on the side are slightly recessed and protected. This keeps the button from being accidentally pressed. The buttons are tactile and quite responsive.
Finding the dot and zapping a target proved plenty easy. Like most enclosed emitter optics, it sits high on the gun, but the dot is still easy to find and see. The Kraken proved to be plenty easy to hit targets, anywhere from five to 25 yards. If I stepped beyond 25 yards, things weren’t as easy, but I could hit targets as far as 50 yards with regularity.
Off the Handgun
The Kraken works well on a handgun, but I do still dislike stacking plates and optics. When tolerances get stacked, it’s always a hassle. This is a problem with most enclosed emitter optics outside of the Holosun EPS. It’s rarely a problem, but it’s worth noting. The Swampfox Kraken would be a great option on a handgun as well as off a handgun.
If you want a minimalist optic for a PDW-type weapon or even a shotgun, the Kraken will work quite well. It’s super light, super small, and works quite well. You get all the benefits of an enclosed emitter optic at a lower price point. While it might not take the level of abuse as an Acro or RCR, it’s still a rugged optic. Rugged enough for home defense, competition, and even concealed carry.
Check it out here, and keep an eye on Swampfox. They are always doing something interesting and affordable.
Cover Photo: 3 of the guns on this list during their first range session. Scroll down to see the other two.
I took the time to compile a list about five different pistols that left an impression on me in 2023. In no particular order, these guns are the Glock 22, Taurus 856, CZ Shadow 2, Walther PDP and Staccato-P. Besides their original review, I also spent additional range time shooting these guns, often times at matches or training sessions. I named these guns in my list because either I really enjoyed shooting them, or I think they have something to offer to the industry (or both). My average round count across this list is approximately 500 rounds. With exception to the Taurus or Glock, the other three guns spent much time on my match belt this year.
Glock 22 Gen 5
Loaded with 180-grain HSTs, I’ve been carrying this pistol in stock configuration for most of the late summer and early autumn with my time on the highways.
Back in the spring, I stumbled onto some .40 S&W trade-in ammo deals. One thing led to another, and I impulse bought a like-new fifth generation Glock 22 also for a deal. While I’m intimately familiar with full-size 9mm Glock models, I had very little experience with .40-caliber Glocks other than shooting a Gen3 version at an indoor range some 15 years ago. Even though I was brand new to shooting then, I still recall that particular Glock 22 being snappy and unpleasant to shoot. It turned me off from .40 S&W completely. Years of seeing memes making fun of this cartridge and its shooters didn’t help either. Being in the firearms space, I’m well aware of the historic issues that Glock had with its earlier G22 variants and the .40 S&W. That’s why the first time I took out my new Gen5 Glock 22, I did so with no expectations. Had it not been for those deals on that trade-in ammo and my designs of potentially shooting Limited Major on the cheap, I’d probably never care about .40 S&W at all. After my first 100 rounds, I was very pleasantly surprised with this “improved” Glock 22; I found it to be quite accurate and controllable. What sealed the deal was nailing impacts dead on at 25-yd with 180-grain Federal HSTs at 25 yards. Certainly, some of this new Glock’s magic can be attributed to the suite of fifth-generation upgrades found on all current production guns. Shooting the new Glock 22 was a night and day difference between the one I shot fifteen years ago; those older guns were basically Glock 17s adapted to chamber a larger cartridge as an afterthought. The new fifth-generation model was deliberately built with respect to the .40 S&W and it really shows. Slides are a little bit thicker and heavier (and rightly so). Training with it last week under the pressure of a shot-timer, I hardly noticed the extra recoil or anything like that.
I won’t deny that part of the fun and enjoyment in shooting the fifth-generation Glock 22 comes from it being something other than a 9mm or .45 ACP. The .40 S&W cartridge gets a bad rap, but looking at the caliber’s own numbers, I don’t think there is anything to trivialize about it. It’s true that from a whiz-kid bean counter perspective the 9mm Luger still edges it out, but that doesn’t take into account surplus trade-in deals or the value of keeping a spare handgun in an alternative chambering. Besides that, it’s hard to feel undergunned when carrying an accurate pistol with a 16 round capacity chambered in a major caliber. That older Glocks or other makes and models weren’t fully optimized to handle the .40 S&W properly isn’t the cartridge’s fault either. It’s no different than trying to sprint with ill fitting shoes. And the .40 is alright. I can’t wait to have some fun shooting Limited Major with it when the chance comes up.
Taurus 856
My 2-inch Taurus 856 snub. Note the eye-catching XS Sights front sight. It really makes a difference when shooting this revolver critically.
While Taurus makes revolvers in all sizes and calibers, the .38-caliber Taurus 856 is a standout; their frames are only slightly larger than those of classic Smith & Wesson J-Frames while also holding an additional round in their cylinders. The Taurus 856’s overall size is probably the most relevant frame size for today’s revolver shooters because this size lends itself well to personal defense and carry. The Taurus 856 can be had with either 2 or 3-inch barrels and frames made from carbon steel, stainless steel or aluminum (Ultra-Light models). The 856 also holds the distinction of being the first carry revolver to ship optics ready from the factory with TORO models. Most importantly, these guns have a very affordable price and it’s my opinion that between their cost and quality, they’re helping to keep the revolver relevant today.
I own two different Taurus 856 revolvers, a 2-inch snub and a 3-inch carry gun that I purchased locally at a big box outdoor store. I bought them specifically because of my gun-writing, and my matte black snub 856 has been featured in several pieces throughout 2023. 80% of my revolver-centric live and dry-fire has been subjected on that black snubbie, and I honestly haven’t been very kind to it. This is the revolver I carry in my Dark Star Gear Apollo and the revolver I outfitted with the XS Sights Dot front sight. I treat it like a Glock. I carry it, sweat on it and shoot-and-dry-fire the crap out of it. And honestly? This revolver is holding up quite well. In fact, its trigger seems to smoothen out and improve with more use. Admittedly, part of the reason I’m hard on it is because it’s affordable. The irony of this is that I wouldn’t “mistreat” a more expensive gun this way. But how else is one supposed to find out if their gear actually holds up? After shooting the majority of my .38 Special cartridges through these Brazilian revolvers in 2023, I’m very satisfied for their cost to performance ratio.
*Don’t actually treat your revolvers like a Glock. All of them do need extra attention and babying and more cleaning in between rounds fired compared to your typical contemporary 9mm pistol. But it’s true that I don’t baby my 856.
The CZ Shadow 2 is the the undisputed king of sport pistols for action-shooting pistol games. The Shadow 2 isn’t a new pistol by any means, and its original launch date is soon coming up on ten years. At the aggregate level, the Shadow 2 is basically a plain old CZ-75 with “running shoes” so to speak. Many can argue that the true king of sport pistols is the 2011, and they’d probably make some good points. However, I’m of the opinion that the real king is the Shadow 2 because it offers excellent accuracy, tracks very flatly, has a heavy recoil absorbing steel frame and can be tuned for cutting edge performance. But most importantly, the Shadow 2 is more affordable and accessible than most competition grade 2011s, and that counts for something. For every SVI I see, I see ten Shadow 2s at a match. In fact, their standard retail prices even came down by a few hundred bucks this year. These CZs also enjoy an extremely robust aftermarket full of accessories, improvements and other go-fast parts. People aslo love to mill them out for USPSA Carry-Optics and now CZ offers an optics-ready SKU. Out of the box, the Shadow 2 can be shot in either Production, Limited, Standard (IPSC), Carry Optics (OR/milled versions) and Limited Optics (OR/milled versions). In other words, this 9mm competition pistol is competitive by default in damn near everything except Open division. I doubt it’s going away any time soon.
Ironically, I had never fired or handled a CZ Shadow 2 until April of this year. These guns are incredibly popular at my local USPSA club and after seeing so many Shadow 2s in so many holsters, I started asking my friends at the club if I could dry-fire their guns at the safe table. Eventually I got to shoot one too, and then I bought my own; used, with my tax return money. Mine is a standard “blue” Shadow 2 that was made in 2018 and was barely broken in with a few hundred rounds. Using Federal 124-gr Syntech 9mm, I’ve shot some of the best iron sighted 25-yard B8 freestyle groups of my life with it. I also remember my first match with this pistol, where I was competing under Limited Minor. My club is extremely competitive and I didn’t win, but I specifically remember how flat the Shadow 2’s slide tracked and how that made me more confident in my match shooting. Initially, I recall calling shots that I thought were charlies snd deltas that ended up being alphas, so I started pushing more and becoming more aggressive with this pistol. The Shadow 2 became an instant favorite.
Walther PDP
I’ll fess up to my soft-spot for the Walther PDP because I’ve also done some of my best-ever shooting with mine this year. It’s also the gun that helped me get used to shooting with dots more than any other pistol. This polymer frame striker fired 9mm handgun is the storied German gun company’s flagship model, and it’s also what I’d consider an extremely modern pistol because it was built from the ground up to be symbiotic with mounted optics. I predict that this trend will become more common as other brand new handgun models make their way into the industry for the first time simply because the popularity of mounted pistol dots is exploding exponentially. All PDP variants are optics-ready by default and include a fairly deep slide cut so that mounted optics can sit lower than is customary. The standard Walther PDP can be had with different barrel lengths (4″, 4.5″ and 5″) and frame sizes (full-size and compact). Because they all use the same working parts, all frames and slides are interchangeable. In addition to being optics-ready, these guns have remarkably good stock triggers with a very crisp and precise break. Like its grandfather, the Walther P99, the PDP is also thoughtfully ergonomic and has an oval-shaped profile that fills the shooting hand rather well. As I describe in my full review, the PDP’s grip is smartly tapered allowing the shooter to better use their support hand during shooting, especially when driving a red dot.
The combination of its ergonomics, low sitting dot and easy trigger make this gun extremely easy to shoot. My gun, which is pictured above, has been wonderfully reliable with both factory and handloads. I’ve taken it to several USPSA matches, the only handgun training class I took this year, and its also the gun I use to work all of my dry-fire. The PDP’s recoil impulse always gets brought up as being “different”, whatever that means. This isn’t any other gun anyway, it is its own thing. In my experience when trying to shoot competitively or with performance in mind, the recoil impulse is never an issue. I’ve also come to appreciate how the slide tracks and returns to zero. In short, I really like this gun because it’s so easy to shoot well and hardly needs anything out of the box (other than more ammo). One thing that’s hard to deny about Walther’s pistols is how much thought they put into them. Look back at the P99 for example, which was a design ahead of its time. Similarly, that same spirit will make you appreciate all the inputs into the PDP line.
Staccato-P
The Staccato-P. It has its share or lovers and haters, but damn it if doesn’t just shoot round after round accurately.
It goes without saying that double-stack 1911 or 2011s are very in these days, especially in the tactical and defensive world that lies beyond traditional realm of sport pistols. Formerly known as STI, Staccato is partially responsible as a trendsetter. Performance 2011s (also known as raceguns) can offer shooters an Icarian level of ability, but like literal race cars, these guns are impractical outside of their “tracks.” Getting that close to the metaphorical sun calls for certain trade-offs, after all. In the mid 2010s, Georgetown, Texas based STI began to morph into Staccato; instead of solely catering to competitive shooters, Staccato shifted into a company that caters to tactical/high performance duty grade shooters and concealed carriers. With this shift, Staccato also revamped their quintessential competition focused 2011 models and tweaked them into hard-use “street” guns. The end result was a distillation of the best aspects of the 2011, such as its single action trigger and incredible accuracy, but without the fickleness of its magazine or other reliability and sensitivity issues that plague match guns. 2011 magazines can be a weak point in reliability for these guns, and improving them is something Staccato has spent great efforts on. Besides a duty-appropriate single action trigger weight and reliable magazines, these guns also have other subtle adjustments that increase reliability. Finally, Staccato-Ps have a native optics footprint that’s compatible with the Leupold Delta-Point Pro, but both Staccato and aftermarket companies offer many optics mounting solutions for the Staccato-P.
This year, I had the chance to put an aluminum frame 9mm Staccato-P through its paces. There’s hardly any difference between this model and the regular steel frame model, just the 5 ounce delta in weight. My experience with the Staccato-P included several USPSA matches where I ran it as hard as I could. I cycled all manner of both factory 9mm cartridges in addition to different batches of my own reloads, and the gun swallowed everything. While it’s true that the Staccato-P gets a lot of hype, I did see for myself how reliable and how well-made these handguns are. The world of double-stack 2011s gets quite expensive in a hurry, and while the Staccato-P isn’t a “cheap” gun, it makes an excellent entry level 2011 considering what it brings to the table.
That’s all folks! Go and get fed and see family and friends, love your life and the good folks within it. Give your pets something fun. Go sledding (geographically able) and let’s begin the exodus of 2023 with an interesting 2024 on the Horizon.
Oh and don’t you think I’m not cackling at our legal early Christmas gift as Newsom the nuisance in California got hit concealed carry restrictions shoved in the dumpster where they belong.
Sucks to suck, Gav. Better luck never. I hope you run for President in 2028 and get absolutely rekt, my friend. Never stop being a clown. Or do. That would actually be character development and show growth as a person and you are allowed to do that instead of pander to every wild fancy the coastal California minds can come up with to burn money.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from GAT! See you Tuesday!
When the Judge came out, I was a young Marine barely old enough to purchase a handgun. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It’s a handheld shotgun! In reality, I was a bit disappointed with the .410 firing prowess, so it became a .45 Colt gun, but that was pretty pricey to feed. Now, more than a decade later, the Taurus Judge Home Defender has made its premiere. Taurus took the Judge and stretched it out. The 3-inch barrel is now 13 inches, and the gun comes standard with a 3-inch cylinder. Up front, the gun has a big beefy handguard.
We get something that does seem more akin to a home defense gun. The question we are asking today revolves around answering a simple question. Is the Judge Home Defender a capable home defense weapon? This isn’t a full review of the gun, but with the experience of a couple hundred rounds, I wanted to answer at least this one question. We’ll start from front to rear and inside out to answer it.
The Judge Home Defender – Sights and Lights
Up front, we have a big handguard to support the 13-inch barrel and to protect your hands from a potentially hot barrel. It’s also a great place to rest your hand to deal with the front-heavy weight of the weapon. At the end of that handguard sits an integrated Picatinny rail that allows you to mount a nice-sized weapon light. A weapon light is critical for a home defense weapon.
At the end of the barrel, you’ll notice a distinct lack of a front sight, which is fine because there isn’t a rear sight either. Instead, we have a nice long rail across the top of the gun. Mounting a red dot is your sighting solution. You aren’t limited in size when it comes to red dots. Since it’s a revolver, you can mount an Eotech XPS3 if you want to. I went smaller with a Vortex Defender-CCW.
The Judge Home Defender is modern enough to accommodate lights and red dots. Lights are necessary for home defense, and red dots can be handy for the task. The presence of optics and lights is certainly nice for a modern home defense weapon to have, the perhaps hardest and scariest moment of your life made easier.
Caliber Questions
I don’t think it’s controversial to say that .45 Colt is a proven ‘man-stopper’, as the term goes. It’s been around for well over a hundred years and has raised hell ever since its creation. However, is five rounds of .45 Colt a better option than 17 rounds of 9mm? I don’t think so. The main benefit of this gun would come from firing .410. Specifically, buckshot loads.
When a single trigger pull can launch multiple projectiles, then you get a significant change in what trigger pull does to a target. Multiple projectiles mean multiple wound tracts and a better chance of disabling an attacker with a single shot or fewer shots. You still need to aim a Home Defender, and shotguns in general, but if you flinch or maybe throw your shot a hair, that sin is covered by the spread of a shotshell.
With that in mind, how does .410 buckshot perform in the gun? Sadly, it’s tough to find .410 buckshot. I guess hunting season ate it up. Remington makes a great 3-inch load, but I couldn’t get my hands on it. I tried Winchester Super X in 2.5 and 3-inch varieties. The rounds patterned wide, but at 15 yards they all remained well within the Q of an FBI Q target. These loads will penetrate deep enough to matter.
Next, I tried the Hornady Triple Defense. It paks a .41 caliber slug and two .35 caliber buckshot balls. This was the best patterning load. In the past, this round has suffered from poor penetration from a standard Judge with a three-inch barrel. However, the 13-inch barrel allows it to reach proper velocities and dig into with more than adequate penetration.
With .45 Colt, I produced a fifty-cent-sized group at 25 yards, so for a longer range, it’s an option. I will still defer to the preference of buckshot.
Yay or Neigh For Home Defense
Is the Judge Home Defender capable of being a useful home defense tool? Yes. It will stop a threat firing effective HD rounds. What does it offer compared to all the other options? Well, it is very small and very easy to control. It can be fired one-handed if necessary but also fires buckshot versus a single pistol round. It’s a bit more akin to a scaled down Shockwave than a pistol. You don’t have to pump it like a Bantam/Youth 500 in the same chambering.
It’s a niche tool, but even a niche tool can be an effective tool. If you want something that can handle like a handgun than shotgun but launch multiple projectiles per trigger pull, the Judge Home Defender might be for you. Plus, admittedly, it’s a lot of fun to shoot!
Right now we see a lot of discourse on social media where people readily get aggressive and offensive with each other, because they’re shielded by the barriers that a screen and keyboard provide.
Unfortunately, we’re also seeing that dynamic frequently spill over into face to face interactions as well, sometimes with severe consequences. As armed defenders, we have to acknowledge that every confrontation we’re a part of has the potential to become a gunfight….cuz we brought a gun!
Even if you don’t regularly carry a firearm, it’s worth asking yourself whether or not instigating a hostile exchange is a good idea? You don’t know this person, what their values are, or what kind of day their having. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You’re only the good guy in YOUR mind, and the “other guy” might not see it that way. Violence of Mind covers this in great detail. You should really get a copy: https://amzn.to/2pIk7d2
That’s not to say that engaging with those with whom you disagree is a BAD idea, but there’s a huge difference between disagreeing, and being disagreeable. Do you know how to have that conversation without being a combative asshole? Verbal Judo https://amzn.to/2rbl91w and How to Win Friends & Influence People https://amzn.to/2QFjQTm are great resources to hone those skills.
If you do have those interactions treat it like a sparring session, not an actual battle or national level competition….. Or don’t. It’s your time and emotional capital. Spend it how you wish.
Update: The student is reported to be 24 years old, Police were tipped to the attack but unfortunately evacuated the location the student attended which was not the place he attacked. Unknown if the shooter was killed by police or by his own hand. Allegedly a matching named social media account is claiming inspiration from an attack in Russia. The shooter is reported to have owned several legal firearms meaning he was licensed, passed a proficiency exam, a medical exam, and had no criminal record. There are about 310,000 licenses and 250,000 have the concealed weapon endorsement on their license. The Czech Republic also has courses for its civilian reservist program, their version of militia.
At Prague University in the Czech Republic a gunman has reportedly killed 15 and wounded 24 in an attack on the campus.
As often as Europe likes to pretend they are immunized from these atrocities by their legal codes, attacks across the continent have proven the falsehood. Do they happen less frequently, yes. At the moment at least. But they have no more effective preventative measures in place there than we do here in the US.
Laws do not and cannot stop a motivated assailant and firearms are common and old technology.
This is being listed as the nation’s largest mass shooting outside of warfare. The shooter is being reported as a student who also apparently killed his father prior to the event. An official timeline is not yet available.
“We always thought that this was a thing that did not concern us. Now it turns out that, unfortunately, our world is also changing and the problem of the individual shooter is emerging here as well,” Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told Czech Television.
This is the great lie, the mistake constantly made by lower crime and higher affluent regions who believe it cannot happen “here” and that they are above such violence. They are not, the odds are just in favor of lower rates of occurrence as people experiencing a generally high quality of life have problems less often topped by violence as a solution. Violence is a rarer currency in these spaces as functional courts and issued currency rule the day. But that doesn’t mean anything to someone who places value on violence as a solution or an outlet.
It is another reminder that though the 21st Century remains safer than any prior, we are not ‘safe’ and we cannot be allowed to be sold the lie of alleged safety as an absolute by political animals who have no such power or authority over the world to make it so.
Mag pouches are a lot like holsters. If you call yourself a gun guy or gal, then you’ll likely have a bin full of them. Some for rifles, some for handguns, and maybe even shotguns if you roll that way. If you own an AR, an AK, a Scorpion, or any of the other options out there, it might get annoying to constantly have to swap gear from platform to platform. Well, if it annoys you like it annoys me, then 5.11 might have a solution for you. It comes in the form of the 5.11 Flex Multicaliber Mag Pouch, or for brevity’s sake and my sanity, the Flex Multical Mag Pouch.
The Flex Multical Mag Pouch is a MOLLE-based magazine pouch that uses a bungee cord retention system that can be flexed out and adjusted to fit a wide variety of different magazines. The difference between an AR and AK magazine is enough to warrant a different mag pouch. Now imagine the difference between an AR-15 and Scorpion magazine, or even an AR magazine and a .338 Lapua Magazine.
The Magic Behind the Flex Multical Mag Pouch
Now imagine a magazine pouch that can fit them all. That’s what the 5.11 Flex Multical mag pouch promises. The mag pouch itself is made from 500D material that is double-layered to be extremely durable and well-made. The front of the mag pouch features a laser cut PALs webbing to allow you to stack another rifle mag, a pistol magazine, or whatever.
On the side, we have adjustable side panels that are tightened via a set of adjustable bungee cords. A set of dual bungee cords are easy to adjust and tighten on the fly. This is where our adjustment comes from, which allows us to fit the mag pouch to everything from your AR-10 to your CZ Scorpion.
Adjusting is a little tricky. It’s best to adjust one side at a time. Then pin the bungee cord down, unlock the cord lock, and pull the whole thing tight or let it get loose. Having the mag on hand makes it easy to adjust the mag pouch just right for whatever size you need it to be. Additionally, the Flex Multical Mag Pouch comes with an adjustable bungee cord to give you that active retention guarantee.
Making the adjustments isn’t too tough. I’ve adjusted the pouches to fit a bit of everything I have. This includes AK and AR magazines, as well as the Scorpion mags. From there, I went big and was able to fit AR-10 magazines and then Sentry 12 magazines. The Sentry 12 is a twelve-gauge shotgun, so the magazine is pretty big, but it fits without a problem.
Rocking and Rolling
These magazine pouches really appealed to me because I review a number of different guns every year. If I’m shooting, I try to train, and this means working reloads. I got really sick of changing out mag pouches on belts and carriers, and my wallet got sick of buying mag pouches.
Additionally, I like to keep my belt mainly set up for an AR-15. It’s my go-to option if the world ends or China invades. At the same time, I like to shoot PCC competitions in Action Steel, Steel Challenge, and hopefully USPSA sooner or later, or maybe PCSL. Instead of having two belts for each, I can adjust the Flex Multical Mag pouches to move from AR to PCC pretty easily.
Dedicated MG style mags work well. Admittedly, magazines from the pistol world are a bit shrimpy. Something like the Colt SMG mag works better than the Glock extendos. Will it work? Sure, as long as it uses active retention, but it’s roomy, to say the least.
Removing and reloading from the Flex Multical Mag pouch is very intuitive. The mags slide out with ease, and the active retention bungees are easily defeated and pop right off when defeated. The rear side of the pouch has two PAL straps that are thin and easily fit between the various rows of MOLLE without being a pain. On the end of the PAL straps sits a Duraflex G.C. Snap, which ensures it stays shut and locked on the belt, chest rig, or plate carrier.
One Pouch – Many Mags
The Flex Multical Mag Pouches are fairly inexpensive and won’t break the bank. It’s a little less than 35 dollars and provides plenty of versatility for a number of different weapon types. Check it out here.
I know how dumb that title sounds on an article about guns on a website about guns. You’ll really have to hear me out behind the headline to get what I’m going for. A while back, I detailed how I dive into lower-information social media groups. It helps bring context to what the gun industry can improve on, and I realized one of those things is the product-based arm’s race for defensive firearm use.
I saw two different people post in two different groups out of apparent frustration. This came from the concealed carry world. Both were frustrated because they didn’t really understand why they needed this or that and why one gadget was better than another gadget. In reality, they already had good weapons, so they didn’t need anything.
Every day, it seems like there is a new optic, light, or even firearm proposing to be the best new shiny thing out there. This can often spawn a mentality that you have to constantly buy new guns or gear, or even calibers, to keep up with the current defensive market trend. If you don’t, you’ll be kilt in da streetz as the meme goes. In reality, most people don’t need the best, most expensive gear to survive a defensive encounter.
To be clear, it is also perfectly fine to want and purchase the best gear. I love shotguns, so I am willing to spend a ton of money on nice shotguns. It’s not necessarily because I need a Benelli when I already have a Mossberg 590. It’s because I want one. Would I be successful with my Mossberg 590 in a home defense encounter? Highly likely, but I like having the Benelli.
The Arm’s Race and Accessories
Guns are one factor, but the fastest paced seems to be accessories. There are much bigger jumps in technology as it relates to accessories than firearms. With handguns, things like weapon-mounted lights and optics have become incredibly popular. New optics are released all the time, as are new weapon lights.
If you are looking at your plain Jane Glock 17 and reading the hype about the newest Modlite and Aimpoint, then it’s easy to feel like you are doing something wrong. Even worse, maybe you are looking at your Glock 17 with an RMR and a Surefire UBoat and thinking, I need an enclosed emitter and a Surefire UBoat Turbo!
In reality, do you really need those accessories to survive and win a defensive encounter? No, not really. They can be very nice to have and do have their benefits, but they don’t guarantee a win by any means. I do actively encourage the use of red dots on pistols and think home defense guns need lights.
At the same time, if you have a handgun and 1,000 bucks to spend, I’d encourage you to spend money on training and ammo over accessories if you have your bases covered. A used Glock 19 Gen 2 in the hands of a skilled user is better than a Roland Special in the hands of a guy who shot 100 rounds and considers it good to go.
What Do You Really Need?
At the end of the day, all you need to cross the finish line of the Arm’s Race is a safe, reliable firearm that matches your goal and enough luck. This can be a bare-bones AR-15 from a reputable maker, a classic pump action shotgun, and a modern, plain Jane handgun. In fact, modern is relative. Carrying a S&W Third Gen or a classic Beretta 92FS is fine. If you have a classic S&W Shield, you don’t really “need” to purchase a SIG P365 for an extra couple of rounds in the mag. There are benefits, sure, but need is different than beneficial.
When we talk modern, what I really mean is modern safety features. The gun needs to be drop-safe and can only be fired when the trigger is pulled. The Savage M1907 is a sweet gun, but it’s not drop-safe. A good, reliable handgun or revolver is fine. It doesn’t need to be adorned with all the accessories to be effective.
You don’t need a 1301 if you can run your Mossberg 500. If you want it, then great, but it’s better to be well-trained with what you have than bumbling with the latest and greatest. If you’re on a budget, then competency will always beat gadgets and gizmos.
With the insane cost of groceries these days, are you considering starting a garden in the spring? Are you an established gardener who is looking for ways to reduce your reliance on commercial fertilizers and composts as prices for those also rise amid global inflation and war pressures? What if I told you that there was a completely free way of producing fertilizer/compost/mulch this winter for your garden beds in the spring?
I’m still “new” at this too, but. I’ve been gardening now for about four years. Personally, every dollar I spend on the garden has to justify itself, as that ultimately increases the cost of producing my food. I have often referred to myself as “The CheapAss Gardener”. I’m always looking for low and no-cost ways to improve my food-producing efforts. From reusing and repurposing materials to composting and collecting rainwater, there’s always something new I’m trying. Thus, I’m sharing a way I found to produce free compost/fertilizer with which to overlay my garden beds this winter.
Free Nitrogen Source
Those who already compost kitchen waste know that for good breakdown you need a balance of nitrogen sources and carbon sources. But what if you only cook for one person so your kitchen scraps as a nitrogen source are limited?
What if I told you that you produce an absolutely free and sterile nitrogen source from your own body every single hour of every single day? Yep, Urine.
Wait, come back! Before you reject this due to the ick factor, let’s talk about a few things. First and foremost, unlike “humanure” which requires very specific, careful, and long term handling to avoid spreading pathogens, urine is sterile when it exits the body. It may pick up a little skin bacteria during collection but this is minimal and generally not a concern, unless you have an infection, in which case you should wait. Likewise you should be careful and not collect urine if you are on certain medications or chemo drugs, as these can be excreted into the urine. There doesn’t seem to be much research about how long these medications may persist once exposed to the elements out in the soil, so best to refrain until there is more science on this. In addition to nitrogen, urine also contains many trace minerals – including potassium and phosphorous – which are essential for proper plant growth.
Collection
Personally, I keep a peanut butter jar and a jug in the downstairs bathroom for collection. You can choose whatever method makes you comfortable. Just remember that if you’ve changed your children’s diapers or clean up after your dog or cat, this is not any more “icky” than that. People with livestock should have zero qualms. But if you have livestock then you already have fertilizer at hand, so this advice is more for suburban yard gardeners like myself who have HOA rules which forbid raising little manure producers. And FYI – Dog and cat waste is NOT considered safe to use in food production, so please don’t.
The Science
For the skeptics, in addition to the fact that using urine in the garden was a time honored tradition before the advent of indoor plumbing, there is also hard data research. You can google it yourself, but I’ve provided a few links here.
Urine can be used “straight” – dumped right onto your compost pile to jumpstart it if the nitrogen balance has gotten low. You can also dilute it to use when watering your tomatoes, squash, corn, etc. once your garden is established. I personally do not use urine fertilizer on crops that will soon be harvested near or in the ground, such as lettuce, carrots, etc. But I do use it to prepare the ground for new seeds, as it will be months until harvest/consumption.
But what if you still have some “ick” about using it straight and need something to do “now” in the wintertime/off season? How about using urine to create bulk compost to put on top of your beds over the winter? Let me tell you what I’ve been doing for the past four years or so.
Shredded paper
We’ve talked about the urine for a nitrogen source. But what about a carbon source? Lacking an abundance of straw or dead leaves, I’ve been using shredded paper. My definition of “paper” is loose. I shred junk mail (without the plastic windows), cereal boxes, catalogs, pizza boxes, old bills, Amazon boxes, fast food bags, toilet paper rolls, newspapers – you get the idea. I do not worry about colored inks, which haven’t contained heavy metals for decades. Nor do I worry about “glossy” pages, which involves a clay coating and not plastic. The only thing I avoid is plastic – because it doesn’t break down. Thus, I tear off the clear windows from bill envelopes. You’d be surprised how much reusing this trash paper reduces your curbed garbage every week, too.
Pee Compost
What I do is collect the urine for a day or two in the aforementioned jug, then in a reused potting soil bag in a tub in the garage I layer shredded paper sprinkled with used garden soil for a bacterial jumpstart. I gradually pour the urine over the layered paper – slowly, to allow it to absorb and not run right to the bottom. This process gets repeated over the week, adding more layers until the bag is full. I then upend the bag into a lidded plastic tub or bucket. This mixes it up a bit and allows the soil organisms to work and cure for a few weeks or a month until this tub is eventually full. Meanwhile I repeat the process, gradually filling the bag again on a roughly weekly basis.
When the tub is full I carry it from the garage to the garden and dump the contents into an overwintering bed. By this point the urine/paper compost will have been working for several weeks but will not be completely broken down yet. It doesn’t seem to matter. After raking it out to distribute it a bit, I walk away and let the weather and worms continue to break things down until spring.
Admittedly this does smell a little manure-ish when you first dump it out, but that smell dissipates quickly and should not offend your neighbors. I notice no odor in my garage until I open the lid. But if this bothers you there is no reason you can’t keep the tubs outside, it’s just a little more inconvenient that way. Also, the colder temps will suppress bacterial action for the breakdown. But it will break down eventually.
Free fertilizer mulch for my cherry tree!
Bed Volume Expander
Yet another option for this mixture is to use it as a volume expander when starting new garden beds or tubs. In the vein of lasagna gardening or hugelkultur this can be used as an under layer to help you use less bagged soil. I have done this in the past, and when I needed to change that soil to a new container for various reasons (like container breakage) I found that this under layer had broken down into a deep black organic layer which had been feeding the roots of my happy plants.
Containers
I noticed over the years that the 10 gallon tub I used to store and transport this mixture was getting heavy to haul around when full – so much so that the handles broke. Thus, I have switched to a series of lidded five gallon buckets instead (even cat litter buckets work) to make them easier to carry. I have used heavy contractor bags in the past, but I hated throwing them away, and am moving more toward re-used and re-usable materials as I go along.
Waiting for their turn in the garden.
Winter is the perfect time to plan ways to get a jumpstart on your spring inflation garden. My seed catalogs have already begun to arrive, so I am in the mood “now” even before Christmas. Starting some pee compost is one way to get that jumpstart.
This is by no means an exact science or an exhaustive tutorial. You may have other ideas which work well or even better for you. I encourage you to do some reading and research. Consider this merely an introduction to the possibilities for completely cost-free garden amendments which will increase your soil fertility and decrease your grocery bills. Happy Gardening!
Henry and Josh at 9-Hole walk us through stretching a 12.4″ barreled 5.45×39 AK without a floated barrel through the practical accuracy course. They cleaned it to 500 yards nailed and a third round impact at 650. Optic suite is an EOTech with a magnifier. As someone who just found an elusive 13″ 5.45 and ordered it, so I can have my ‘AK-12 at home’ properly, this showing of potential made me quite happy.
What range would you consider effective on an 11-13 inch rifle? Especially running a reflex style optic?
Largely from third hand anecdotal experience and the limits of our own applied knowledge and skills we tend to under estimate how well a rifle can do. We assign values we think are correct, based upon things we think we know, because we think they are reliably sourced. Then someone real worlds our thinking with some well sourced and found hard data and thinking needs to change.
The Mythical ‘300’ Limit
The 300 yard/meter ‘rule’ is no such rule. It is an analytical average that has been simplified from a number of sources into sadly oversimplified fuddlore. It started with the Allies examinations of combat distances after the 2nd World War and was further bolstered from data and choices in the conflicts since then. Vietnam, the Gulf War, GWOT, and plenty of non-US involved conflicts have continued to bolster ‘300’ as the number. But it is the number in the hands of most average users and that average is weighted, more mode than mean, by being the most common range we see as the limit.
In short, shooters (not rifles) are usually only effective out to 300 yards/meters. The human factor tends to be the most limiting factor. Within that human factor must be factored the proficiency of the people, much of our data on a lot of different firearms comes from observing very poorly trained users of the firearms. Again mode, not median. What is the most common limit?
Then ask what are the proficient limits?
The AK may be so easy a conscript (or child) can “use it” in the sense of making it function in vaguely the correct direction. Proficient use, operation in the hands of someone who knows the idiosyncrasies of the machine is different. Knowing not to put pressure on the handguard because it will flex the barrel in the case of the 105 here or conventional M4 or M16 rifles shows through with an entirely different envelope of efficacy. Bracketing all users and then bracketing just proficient users will yield two very different sets of data. The effective range and control efficiency, probably your two most important factors, will tally out very differently between these two groups of users.
Unfortunately trying to bracket ‘proficient’ users as a benchmark is incredibly difficult, especially when you have groups that are titled ‘qualified’ but are not proficient. That problem is rampant within the armed forces and police forces of the US, a simplistic ‘qualification’ standard that a candidate is allowed to keep swinging at until they hit the minimum score once for a one year period. That is not proficiency, it is indemnification against liability.
Not all hope is lost. The new military qualifications and manuals on individual weapons handling are quality material written and vetted by proficient users. They can assist in making you a proficient user too. The same is true of the more challenging police qualifications. They hold you to a standard that is actually high enough to make a difference.
In looking at defensive qualifications you have to look at the factors that go into combat shooting. Not just hitting a target, even the right sized targets, but doing so to a reactive time standard for the distance is important. On demand performance. Almost more important (not quite, but almost) is the ability to fix your gun if it goes down. This includes reloads, soft stoppages, and hard stoppages. A qualification should, ideally, test all of these to a reasonable standard and with a high enough round count to produce data without being overly fatiguing or absurd. Rounds cost money though, and organizations count money more than the intangibles of structured learning that only show through in really bad circumstances. Shooting proficiency is extremely, vitally, life and death important, but it is also “rarely” important so it takes a lower seat with bean counters. This is more true if bean counters who have never been on the sharp end are left in charge, there is never a way that ammo looks like an in the black/green expenditure on a spread sheet.
Instructors will care that you are proficient, the accountant will only care that you are ‘qualified’.
In conclusion,
The rifle will do what you ask it to and you can probably ask more than you think.
Over the past weekend, I have had the opportunity to get to know the Mitchell Defense “Rat Dog” PCC. There are a lot of interesting features to this SBR and I got a chance to take a deeper dive into it.
Before we get to the gun, let’s first take a look at Mitchell Defense as a company. Mitchell Defense was founded in 2019 after Nathan Mitchell, a former Corpsman in the U.S. Navy, noticed there was an area of the market that was left underserved. That is where he began working towards the company’s three pillars. Accuracy, Durability, and Reliability. That is exactly what they have achieved.
The Rat Dog is an interesting PCC as it gives you the feel of a regular AR SBR but all the fun of shooting a 9mm round through it. The gun itself is relatively light, coming in at 5.8 pounds; this beats its Sig counterpart the MPX, which comes in at 6.1 pounds. Going by the rule of thumb that the lighter the gun the higher the barrel lift on recoil, the Rat Dog makes an exception to this rule. The recoil is consistent allowing for more lead and tighter groupings thrown down range faster.
One of the exemplary out of the box aspects of the Rat Dog is the Timney AR PCC Two Stage Trigger . I was skeptical of the trigger at first glance as I was expecting just a stock MIL-spec trigger, and triggers for 5.56 AR rifles don’t always mesh with a PCC. Much to my surprise the Timney AR PCC Two Stage Trigger was smoother than a hot knife through butter allowing for a consistent straight pull each time. The Timney Trigger is smoother than most stock AR-15s I have shot which goes against the stigma that PCC needs a lot of work right out of the box.
I was able to test out the Rat Dog’s durability in wet and sandy conditions. Out of 200 rounds, there were zero jams and only one dud round, but the ammo is to blame for that. The Rat Dog seemed to have no issues in the cold rain and cycled just as smoothly as if it had been shooting in warm and dry conditions. The real test of the Rat Dog was after it was dropped in the wet sand. The PCC held up extremely well as the sand did not cause any problems for the next 100 rounds. The best part was once I returned home to clean the gun there was a lack of gunk and sand built up inside, meaning the tight fitment of the gun as a whole held up and did its job. Dirt stayed out.
Speaking of doing its job the barrel of the Rat Dog comes in at an 8.3-inch barrel made out of 4150 Chrome moly vanadium steel with a 1:10 twist. The barrel did its thing in the cold conditions while passing a few hundred rounds through it. There seemed to be no change as the barrel heated up in the grouping from 50 yards out, something that could be even more noticeable in the cold. The barrel also comes suppressor ready for those who enjoy that option, 1/2×28 or tri-lug.
Let’s talk about the practical application of the Rat Dog PCC. The Rat Dog offers increased range out of a 9mm round due to its longer barrel and increasing the stability of being able to shoot with both hands and a shoulder as compared to a conventional pistol in the same caliber. In terms of training in a controlled range or shoothouse, the Rat Dog excels in this category. It takes standard Glock pattern magazines, allowing versatility for the user with round counts. Being 9mm it can be shot in more places and spaces safely than a 5.56x45mm carbine. The light weight and length of the Rat Dog also make it the perfect indoor PCC, it allows for quick off-hand switches and moves well in narrow spaces. The Rat Dog also makes a fun gun to shoot outdoors as it can hold a plenty of accuracy, grouping nicely at 50 yards even after a few mag fulls. I would give the Rat Dog a 9.0 out of 10, overall all versatility, ease of use, and plenty of fun practicality mixed in. The only minor complaint is the design doesn’t allow for an easy last round bolt lock, only a manual one, so it reloads more like an MP5 than an AR.
The last question of Mitchell Defense’s final quality control check before leaving the factory is “Would I trust this rifle with my life?” They clearly answered yes, I agree.
I blame Caleb Giddings and Taurus. The Judge Home Defender broke my dislike of .410 revolvers. Extending the barrel to 13 inches gave it more of a .410 advantage. The design of the Home Defender welcomes accessories, and I began to think about how I would outfit it for a home defense situation. Adding a light and red dot was obvious, and I even added a side saddle because it is kind of a shotgun. It’s also a revolver, and that’s where I ran into the Maxfire Speed Loader.
The Maxfire Speed Loaders aren’t your traditional speed loader. They don’t have a mechanical function like the HKS or Safariland-style speed loaders. Instead, they utilize a soft polymer material that’s similar to a speed strip. The Judge frame doesn’t really support the use of speed loaders. The Judge is a big gun that’s built on a compact frame.
You might not know this, but the Judge is built on a compact frame that was used for the Taurus 450, a compact, five-shot .45 Colt revolver. Taurus built .44 Special, .45 Colt, and even a.41 Magnum snub nose on this same frame. The compact frame means the cylinder sits too close to the frame to load the revolver with a speed loader.
The Maxfire Difference
The Maxfire Speedloader is built for the Judge and addresses the issues with the compact frame of the Judge. This speed loader is shaped to be thinner at the side that faces the frame. Unlike other speed loaders, this specific Maxfire speed loader has to be oriented in a very specific way to load the revolver properly. The rounds sit at slightly different heights, and the tallest rounds go in part of the cylinder that is furthest from the frame of the revolver.
The Maxfire speed loader holds the rounds by the rim with a slight protrusion, much like a speed strip. These protrusions hold the rounds but allow them to peel away from the speed loader when pressure is applied. It’s very simple, and while it’s not fancy like a Safariland or HKS, it works wonderfully with a gun like the Judge, where a speed loader simply doesn’t work.
Loading the Judge
The Juge famously fires both .45 Colt and .410, but Maxfire advises you to only use these loaders with .45 Colt. I practiced with both .45 Colt and .410 shotshells, and I could see why Maxfire advises you to use only .45 Colt. With that said, it’s not hard to use the .410 shells with the speed loader. They fit into the loader without a problem, but getting the shells off the loader and into the cylinder is a little tricky.
The shells break away from the speed loader fine, but they don’t drop into the cylinder easily. Polymer .410 shells don’t slide smoothly into the cylinder like the brass cases of .45 Colt shells. After using the loader, you may have to press an individual shell or two into the cylinder. The differences in each shell make some fit tighter and some fit looser.
With the .45 Colt rounds, this isn’t an issue. Gravity pulls the hefty .45 Colt rounds into the cylinders without a problem. With practice, you can really quickly load the cylinder with five .45 Colt rounds.
Using the Maxfire
This speed loader uses an index ring to allow you to hold the device with an index finger. In fact, you can hold the loader while gripping the gun. If you load the cylinder, you don’t have to drop the Maxfire to get back to shooting. With the rounds properly oriented, you slide the rounds into the cylinder and then pull the Maxfire sideways. You aren’t peeling the rounds out like a speed strip, and you aren’t pulling it up or down.
Just pull it sideways, and it releases the rounds into the chamber. If you attempt to peel the Maxfire away, the rounds tend to pop out of the cylinder, leaving you short a round. Pull away from the gun to the side, and it works without a problem. I will admit it’s not as fast as a dedicated speed loader.
It’s faster than a speed strip, and as far as I can tell, it’s the only speed loader made for the Judge that works. You can use .410 if you aren’t in a hurry, but it works best with .45 Colt. Best yet, it costs a mere 15 bucks or so and you get two per package. Leaving one loaded with .45 Colt and one with .410 might be the way to go with the Taurus Home Defender.
Maxfire makes a ton of speed loaders for a variety of revolvers. This includes J-frames, which are notoriously tough to load with a speed loader. Check them out here.
In this episode, the boys provide a handy resource for gun people to give to non-gun people so that those non-gun people can get cool gifts for the gun people.
While the AR-10 and AR-15 constitute the most recognizable pattern of the ArmaLites, the old Irish tune actually mostly refers to the later 18 and 180 models. I find this particularly entertaining, as a man of Irish heritage, because ultimately that is the design that has won the world over.
Nearly every modern service rifle of the western militaries is an AR-18 variant if it isn’t an AR-15 variant. Sometimes its a compatible hybrid of the two, like the MCX SPEAR LT and BRN-180. Speaking of the BRN and others, that 180 market dominance gets even more pronounced when we look at rifles that are largely commercial offerings.
9-Hole shows that as basic as this latter 20th century 5.56 rifle is, it was a stand up carbine of the era and very much the progenitor of the modern rifle design.
The L403A1, along with the NGSW's XM7, are continuing a trend.
Our rifles have gotten shorter. For a minute there they went a bit too short in certain calibers (7.5″ 5.56 is wild, ladies and gents), but nowadays a 16″ barreled 5.56x45mm NATO rifle is… long.
Sixteen inches of rifled barrel is RECCE, DMR, “Precision” even if the barrel can hold up to the name, and our general use carbines have shortened. We’ve even found ways to keep these shorter and shorter guns Title I under the NFA with creative muzzling for we in the normal purchasing pool.
Why?
Doors.
That is a gross oversimplification, but an accurate one.
Doors, meaning urban, suburban, and rural dwelling spaces, are an unavoidable consideration when it comes to setting up a modern fighting carbine. Even in uniformed conventional conflict, you will go into tight spaces eventually. As much as feasible, your rifle shouldn’t get in your way.
That brings us back to doors. The modern doorway is 36″ wide, give or take. That is the US Standard. That’s pretty close to universal because adult sized people don’t vary too much dimensionally, we have very well defined averages and standards for living and transit spaces.
It is no coincidence that the XM7 is 36″ with it suppressor. The L403A1 is a similar length with its 13.7″ barrel and compact suppressor attached. The MK18 and CQBR line of carbines ran a 6.5″ NT4 suppressor and were, you guessed it, about 36″ long with that on. Most modern infantry carbines across modern militaries are averaging around this length, often either with or without a suppressor being the closest to 36″ based upon whether the rifle is envisioned to run with or without the suppressor for ‘normal’ operation.
See the M4A1, M27, HK417F/A7/A8, C8A3, SCAR-L MK2, XM7, MK17, and so forth.
But my muzzle velocity?
We’ve been tuning our ammo for the shorter barrels too, while doing it no harm in the longer guns (mostly… looking at you M855A1), all-in-all we’re nicely adapting to the reality that size matters. It matters because we humans take up and live within a recognizable space. Just like the width of modern train tracks was determined by cart wheels and a pair of horses long long ago, the width of a door accommodates our convenience because we have an adult size range that is only rarely inappropriate. Sizing our equipment to work within these common narrow points in our environments is logical. There is too big, there is too small, and we’re finding that keeping our carbines 26-36 inches in overall length is just right.
The IDF has been doing this since the TAVOR SAR introduction at the turn of the century and US users have modified our bullpups to accommodate suppressors in many cases without exceeding that 36 mark. European militaries envisioned APC and mechanized heavy combat in urban spaces and bullpups were often adopted (FAMAS, L85, AUG) to accommodate. As AR-15’s and conventional rifle peers have shortened, the need for a bullpup to fit these spaces has been shelved partially or totally by many of these militaries. Not all, the bullpup still has strong characteristics and I doubt we ever see its retirement. There are several strong modern iterations and I would bet the 2020’s will see one or two more.
All things balanced as we learn and grow
You can track the ‘Goldilocks’ barrel length range of the year on modern guns through the real world trial and error of operational forces. Kevin Owens, if I recall correctly, has an anecdote about firing his MK18 in lowlight or dark conditions but missing its suppressor and having a hail of angry bees (bullets) sent his way in return. Muzzle signature lesson of the real world at war.
Short AR’s aren’t new, Colt introduced them very early. But the thinking, implementation, and augmentation of them has modernized with the advances in quality optics and suppressors. That paired with the real world realized advantages has shifted modern though processes when it comes to equipping someone for a modern fight.
We’ve learned things about what we can do with ammunition to balance its performance and still hit certain must have minimums. We’ve found these shorter rifles can still reach out when they have to, especially with optics, and that our modern optical suites allow someone with a general purpose carbine to effectively cover that 300 meter ‘most combat occurs’ envelope more efficiently than ever without having a cumbersomely long weapon. The XM7 is looking to stretch that envelope to 1,000 meters, mechanically at least.
The last decades substantial strides in performance and form on these systems, especially ancillary optics and suppressors, has allowed us to cut some barrel length back and make the rifles run better than ever. Stacking incremental improvements.
While not all that different at a basic level, and even with the reduced muzzle velocity, a modern SBR running an LPVO is much better equipped for a fight that could shift from close spaces to 300 meters plus ranges than the M16A1 ever was.
The Lucky Number: 13
Thirteen inches seems to be the magic number, give or take. The X95 default is 13″, the MK17 usually 13″, the XM7 is 13″, the L403A1 is 13.7″ although I am reliably told they wanted 12.5 (reportedly the rail would be just too short to accommodate a program mandated NV/Thermal optic, highly believable), The HK417A2 is 13″, MARS-H Battle Rifle is 13.5″ and so on. Those last two join the XM7 and MK17 as battle rifles that, while meeting that size envelope, can command some space.
A few more close quarters leaning platforms like 11-11.5″ barrels and others continue the M4A1’s 14.5″ (like the HK416A7/A8 and SCAR-L MK2) but 13″ seems to be the new golden number. We have seen just enough reduction in length to accommodate suppressors into the space requirements we want without performance dropping below requirements at distance. Not all militaries are moving forward with suppressors as aggressively as the US, but everyone has to go through doors.
What should YOU do?
Is it time for you to ditch ye olde sixteen inch?
Embrace the SMOLness! IWI 13″ X95 OAL with suppresor ~31″
No.
As JRR Tolkien admonished us through his character of Treebeard, Fangorn of Sindarin, don’t be hasty. You don’t lightly give up a good thing for a slightly better thing wastefully.
The well worn 16″ and 14.5″ pinned guns still hunt just fine. Ditching a rifle you have time and trust in to chase a moderately more optimally sized one so you don’t get stuck in a doorway is silly.
You don’t drop a working a gun for no reason. We go through this in IWI Academy all the time, you don’t ditch a working gun. You don’t ‘transition to pistol’ without a reason and you don’t ditch a working rifle for a likely NFA (although certain 13.7’s are pinned) carbine just because it is the bleeding edge of cool.
Where you look to make the change and optimize is when you were going to make a change and/or an upgrade anyway.
You’re on the market for a new gun? Think your home defense carbine could benefit from being a little shorter? Buy that 12.5″ instead of another 16″ this time. Looking to update your agency’s cruiser rifles and you recall just how much a pain in the ass it is to take a 6920 in and out of the car? Time to go short. Saw that video where the pursuit car with two cops had the partner firing the AR inside the car and it was clearly world shatteringly loud? Short and suppressed.
Upgrade your equipment personally and professionally when the resource bandwidth is available. But there is no need to rush that spend if you have a good resource in hand.
However, new owners can look at these latest and greatest options afresh and benefit most by picking them from the onset. Picking an option with modern optimizations for modern spaces should absolutely be on that considerations list. You aren’t replacing an item you have in hand already, because you don’t have one yet, so there is no overlap ‘waste’ in your resource outlay.
What do I mean?
I mean that someone like myself, and all other firearm owners who have a reasonably modern rifle and optic suite, gain far less by purchasing or building that 12.5″ SBR with LPVO and offset dot than a consumer who doesn’t have a rifle yet.
If I have either of these here below, even the “old” M4 with old profile barrel, ACOG, and a couple generations old Surefire light, and even as my only rifle…
Then going to this with its 1-10x FFP Zoom, offset sealed red dot sight, floated CHF 12.5″ barrel, A5 buffer system, and on, and on, and so forth, doesn’t net me much gain. Arguably the gain is purely theoretical, other than the shorter gun is easier to move around inside with when one of my cans are on it.
That was one of the characteristics I was going for so success. Gun accomplishes goals. But if you’re thinking about it in terms of what I gained from the M4 it is incremental, from the URG-I style one its an even smaller increment.
Those previously invested costs and capabilities of older system stack against the new one. Think of it like spending $2.00 for each dollar the new system costs if the old one has that capability too, if it has most of that capability then most of the cost of the old system gets doubled into the new one, because you are buying most of it again. This doesn’t mean don’t buy if you have a rifle, it is a way of objectively mapping the cost/benefit of the new gun. If you have a threshold you have to justify, looking at you agency buyers, then this is a good way to do so along with paralleling the maintenance and partial upgrade cost options to your current inventory. IE: $X,XXX per new rifle with all these A, B, C functionalities. Then $Y,YYY per rifle to maintain what is current and not have or have reduced A, B, or C functionality over replacement units. Finally $Z,ZZZ per unit to upgrade current items and will gain D, E, and F function, but less A, B, C by this much.
If your rifle is fairly far behind the progress curve you aren’t redundantly spending nearly as much. Going from a largely stock M16A4 with a fixed power optical sight, the USMC standard until the mid 2010’s, to the SBR above changes your capabilities quite substantially. You spent money again that you had spent on the older rifle, but you gained fit and function in most or all categories you needed or preferred the rifle to fit better to.
FN-15 Military Collector’s Series M16A4 with a Meopta MeoAce, an ACOG Competitor.
But if you are starting from no rifle then every dollar you spend cannot be spent again. New owners and users benefit the most from the lessons previous owners and users have learned.
So run some numbers and go get yourself an upgrade if the math is mathin’.
