The Female Active Shooter And The 72hr Rule

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March 29, 2023

Nashville: Female Active Shooter — Photo Credit: @MNPDNashville

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school/

<Editor’s Note: Female active shooters are vanishingly rare, so when we heard that the tragedy Monday in Nashville involved one, we had to take a look. Early reporting on active shooter events is often flawed, unreliable, or outright incorrect, but multiple national news outlets confirmed it. Knowing that the narrative on these types of events in the 72hrs immediately post-incident are regularly changed or updated with new, more accurate information, we held fire until some more time had passed, and it indeed turned out to be more complicated than that. So here’s an article on how uncommon a female active shooter is, and a lesson on waiting until things settle down to comment on a breaking news story.>

According to the FBI, a female active shooter in the US from 2000-2018 was found in less than 4% of the total incidents, and other homicide data follows a similar trend: Women murder less, per capita, than men. So much less that the female active shooter is functionally an anomaly within a dataset that’s made up of tragic but already uncommon incidents. Regardless of what the media might have to say about it. the FBI reports an average of 143 casualties/year due to Active Shooter incidents, with 57 of those being deaths. While any number of senseless deaths are horrific, keep in mind that somewhere around 2 and a half million Americans die every year, and consider the perspective this brings to a conversation that is often tilted toward accepting that this miniscule yet terrible problem is an “epidemic” of some sort.

While school shootings are an horrific, if thankfully rare phenomenon, the meat of this analysis is the fact that the now-dead suspect was a woman apparently armed with two “assault-style rifles” and a handgun (Odd that, according to recent news reports, a shooter with one such weapon was an insurmountably lethal obstacle for dozens of cops @ Uvalde while someone with *two* of them was easily overtaken and killed by police, but that’s an entirely different article). Men are over 25x more likely to commit such an act, but why?

Explanations for the minimal appearance of the female active shooter range from hypotheses surrounding the purported closer relationship with interpersonal violence that men have, to differences in social routines and norms, and the generally depressed numbers of women vs men familiar enough with guns to practically consider such an act. The only completely truthful answer is that there is no one definitive answer, and that more research is necessary.

Nobody wants to see more dead innocents, regardless of their stance on guns. What would be nice though, is an attempt at a sober discussion of the problem at hand; honestly analyzing proposed solutions that come with a realistic appraisal of both their feasibility and efficacy, and abandoning the easy, emotional route when it comes to this topic. Unfortunately such an approach doesn’t generate clicks, or bring in the donation money though, so both sides will keep shooting from the heart when it comes to gun violence of any stripe in America, regardless of who is pulling the trigger.

GWOT: The Green Berets And The 1911 Pistol

By

P.E. Fitch

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March 29, 2023

The 1911 is no doubt “America’s Gun” and recently I stumbled upon an older video Jeff Gurwitch made and shared. He chronicles the use of 1911 pistols by Special Forces soldiers during the GWOT (Global War On Terror) era. I was very intrigued at the concept of carrying .45 Auto relics in modern combat spaces, but he made a great video and we’re lucky to be able to learn from a primary source. As a 1911 lover, there is nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said about these guns.

Today, in 2023 (the 1911’s adoption anniversary as well by the US Army), we are all in on the 9mm cartridge and we use it for everything: defense, duty, training, competition and recreation. The first emotion that this video evoked was amusement at the reminder that it wasn’t that long ago when serious American shooters still had a different outlook on pistol calibers and their terminal effectiveness. Today, it can be easy to chuckle and brush off old-fashioned concerns, but these didn’t spawn out of thin air either. The old ways came from hard-learned lessons paid for in blood from the past. No matter what, guys are always trying to make best with what they have and they know.

Reaching For Ol’ Reliable

From the video, we learn that right after the 9-11 Terror attacks, elements inside of the Special Forces community made arrangements to get a supply of USGI M1911-A1 pistols. Twenty years ago, thought leaders, tactical shooters and competitors at the highest levels of the American shooting establishment still had a preference for 1911s and the .45 Auto cartridge. 1911 pistols were seen as the expert’s choice, and there was already a long history of established 1911 use in the American Military. 20 years ago, strong biases were still held against the Beretta 92 with their TDA triggers and its 9mm Luger cartridge. Special Forces soldiers much preferred to carry the expert’s gun with the single-action trigger that was carried cocked and locked instead. Gurwitch describes the pile of guns they received: a trove of USGI 1945 made Remington-Rand M1911-A1s that looked exactly the way they did the day the Second World War ended. All of these guns had been rebuilt with new “old” stock USGI parts to ensure they were in working condition, but again, these guns looked like they were getting ready to re-take Italy from the Nazis in 1943. These 1911 pistols being made to the A1 spec, still had the dinky little sights, diminutive safeties, short-triggers and their curved mainspring housings. Fortunately, these guns were issued with modern 8-round magazines instead of the original 7-round USGI magazines. Modern magazines were provisioned by Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick (these are still decent 1911s magazines today, btw).

USGI M1911-A1 with improved sights, trigger shoe and stocks. Note the original M1911-A1 spur hammer. image credit: Jeff Gurwitch

Still Doing Work

Training at Mid South Institute. image credit: Jeff Gurwitch

Besides rebuilding the warhorses back to their specs and securing a stash fresh magazines and ammunition, Special Forces soldiers spent time putting in work and training with these guns prior to their deployments at Mid South Institute. Gurwitch said that each man got to fire approximately 3000 rounds of .45 Auto while also weeding out the problem pistols from their pile of old Remington Rands and leaving those behind. Special Forces soldiers typically neutralize enemy personnel with their rifles more than they use pistols. I am guessing that this meant that having to go to war with M1911-A1 pistols wasn’t such a big hindrance. In spite of any action these pistols saw, their enemy KIA numbers were not at all that high. These guns truly were their sidearms, after all. Besides, shooting at Mid South provided ample time to build skill. Gurwitch elaborates that the vetted pistols that passed the high round counts during the training work-up proved to be very reliable overseas. Traditionally, military grade 1911 pistols were always built on the looser side with some play and rattle between the frame and slide. These looser tolerances resulted in better reliability against the harsh dusty and sandy conditions of the Middle East. The video explains more detail about the holsters, rigs and support gear the Special Forces used to carry these pistols. Over time, he explained, one could find subtle upgrades and modifications amongst this fleet of old fighting pistols. It was small items like extended slide stop levers and safeties, more modern stocks and longer trigger shoes (things that come standard in today’s 1911s) naturally made their way into these guns.

Retirement: After 100 Years

No matter how wonderful 1911s are, no matter how great their triggers are, or no matter how they make their carriers’ chest swell with pride, the 1911 pistol has a capacity issue. Gurwitch explains how this capacity challenge really became inconvenient with evolving combat and shooting tactics. The pistol’s frame was designed over one century ago and was done so to accommodate a single stack magazine–it would be a few more years before the first viable staggered column magazine designs showed up. Furthermore, the .45 Auto cartridge is relatively large and also heavy, so the simple logistics of moving it around whether through a supply chain or on your person just makes it less convenient. This is why the use of the 1911 pistol only lasted ultimately lasted a few years before the Green Berets basically replaced them with 9mm Glock 19s. It is hard to argue against a simpler and more reliable sidearm that holds nearly twice as many rounds and is lighter to carry.

Rest assured though, that the 1911 will never die. If the current popularity of 2011 pistols serves as a barometer, the American shooter is still trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Big Tex Ordnance Announces New Website!

By

Keith Finch

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March 29, 2023

Conroe, Texas 3-29-23

Firearm and Accessory online retailer Big Tex Ordnance announced today the launch of a new website focused on firearms related gear and equipment. Big Tex Ordnance is known for their selection of high quality Pistol and AR parts, fast shipping times, amazing customer service, and support for the training, 2A, and Veteran communities.

“Due to increasing hostility and anti-2A pressure we wanted to have a website and social media channels that would be less likely to be removed or have its content shadow banned because of being directly linked to a site that is heavily focused on the selling of firearms, magazings, and other items that are deemed evil. Launching BTOGear.com will allow us to continue to put out content and communicate with customers despite these attacks.” States Co-Owner and founder Ike Stephens.

“We are always adding new products and partnering with awesome new companies in the training, self-defense, and LE/MIL communities and it is increasingly difficult to house our growing inventory on one website. BTOGear.com will give us the ability to separate items between the two sites resulting in a better overall customer experience.” Said Chris Greenfield, Vice President of Operations for Big Tex Ordnance.
BTOGear.com has been live for several weeks, offering items from brands like Modlite, Surefire, Kestrel, Magpul, Vertx, and more. BTO has even dropped an exclusive BTO Gear t-shirt not available on the Big Tex Ordnance site as well as a “Why BTO Gear?” video on their Youtube channel. The Texas based company plans to continue to expand the offerings of both sites with more projects in the near future.

Smith & Wesson’s Equalizer 9mm

By

V. Caldwell

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March 29, 2023

A clean design with good features the Equalizer is a good concealed carry piece.

The aptly named Equalizer is among this year’s newest introductions and one with a bright promise. This isn’t a Shield or Military & Police variant save for Smith & Wesson’s broad naming of M & P handguns. This pistol is a single action concealed hammer (hammer fired) handgun based on the EZ rack handguns. The Equalizer has good features including a grip safety and manual safety. Three dot sights offer a versatile sight picture. The trigger action is decent, good for the price point. The slide is stainless steel but features a black coating. The frame is polymer. The handgun is basically a high capacity version of the EZ rack. It is worth noting the Equalizer isn’t as tall as the EX rack offering good concealment while upping magazine capacity.

The Equalizer features well designed forward cocking serrations. The pistol is supplied with three magazines in ten, thirteen and fifteen round capacity. These steel magazines are well designed and robust in construction. The tapered magazines are easily slapped into the magazine well. The higher capacity over the previous handgun doesn’t result in a larger grip frame. With the ten round magazine in place the pistol is actually shorter than the original EZ Rack, ideal for concealed carry. There are few handguns this size that handle as well as the Equalizer. The pistol is optics ready I did not mount a red dot. The safety lever on my pistol is ambidextrous and positive in operation. The pistol is just slightly over an inch wide at its widest point and weighs only 23 ounces. Despite the compact size the barrel at 3.675 inches long offers good performance with modern 9mm Luger loads. When carried close to the body the black Armornite finish should prove corrosion and wear resistant. An advantage of the Equalizer is that the pistol may be loaded with the safety engaged as the safety does not lock the slide. The grip safety prevents the pistol from firing unless the grip safety is fully depressed.

The Equalizer 9mm is supplied with three magazines.

The magazine springs are stiff. That is a good thing as the magazine must feed a long column of cartridges from full compression to almost no compression. A supplied UP Lula loader gave me an edge when loading these magazines. I loaded the ten round magazine by hand and usually loaded only fourteen cartridges in the fifteen round magazine. The supplied Uplula magazine loader made a tremendous difference in ease of loading. The Equalizer was tested with a wide range of bullet weights. Lightest was 92 grain Fiocchi and the heaviest 150 grain Federal. All functioned well. The Equalizer never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject with the ten and thirteen round magazines. I had a couple of short cycles with the fifteen round magazine. Maybe a break in malfunction? The Equalizer is fast on target and the trigger while not target grade offers a clean reset. Like many Smith & Wesson handguns the Equalizer pistol is designed with a good grip angle providing a natural point.

Recoil is greater than the Glock 19 or SIG P320 size pistols as expected, about in the Shield Plus 9mm range. At defensive engagement distances the Equalizer is fast and effective. I was surprised at how well I was able to connect at longer distance. Using the MTM Caseguard K Zone shooting rest I fired two five shot groups, one with the Black Hills Ammunition 115 grain EXP and the other with the same maker’s 124 grain JHP. This was at 25 yards, long for a light handgun. Each cut a five shot group of less than 2.5 inch, 2.25 inch with the 124 grain load. This gun is a shooter! I think the Equalizer will prove a popular handgun and a good defensive pistol.

KU 13592

Model: S&W® EQUALIZER™ NTS
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 10+1, 13+1, 15+1
Length: 6.75
Front Sight: White Dot
Rear Sight: White 2-Dot
Action: Internal Hammer Fired
Grip: Polymer
Barrel Material: Stainless Steel with Armornite® Finish
Slide Material: Stainless Steel with Armornite® Finish
Frame Finish: Matte Black
Barrel Length: 3.675″ (9.3 cm)
Weight: 22.9 oz.

Average retail less than $500 in my neck of the woods.

Course Review for Larry Lindenman/Point Driven Training’s Saps & Jacks

By

The Suited Shootist

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March 29, 2023

Saps became legal in Texas a few years ago, and given my penchant for travel, both national and international, as well as my regular appearance at many local watering holes, I figured that a better understanding of purpose built tools might also improve my understanding should I be in a position to have to fashion an improvised alternative.

The first time I’d heard of Larry Lindenman was his interview on Ballistic Radio, and I kind of knew that he was loosely affiliated with the Shivworks crowd, but beyond that I didn’t really know much about the guy. And, if I’m being completely honest, his was only 1 of 2 classes that was available on the Sunday morning of Tac-Con in 2019, and I figured I’d rather get some hands on experience with something rather than sit through a lecture on ammunition (nothing against Dr. Topper, it just wasn’t my flavor). So I went into this with literally 0 expectations because I basically had nothing else better to do. Well Dunning Kruger is a motherfucker, as I’ve said on more than one occasion, and the universe decided to choke me on my own ignorance.

I am so glad that I took this class! Aside from the fact that Larry is an incredibly gracious guy (I ended up being able to pick his brain the night prior over a wide range of topics), he takes a refreshingly pragmatic approach to impact weapons. To provide some context, in different Facebook groups you’ll generally see people that talk either about brass knuckles or the “biker’s special” padlock/bandanna combo. The amusing part is that nobody ever seems to address application and targeting, as if it’s as easy as swinging a hammer! As you might imagine, it ain’t exactly that easy.

His application of impact weapons jives well with a grappling foundation, as you’d expect from both a member of the Shivworks crew and a competitive fighter. Access and application were all tight, with elbows almost pinned to the ribs. The blows were thrown not from the wrist, elbow, or shoulder, but from the hips like a boxer’s cross. Larry took great care to specify preferred targeting areas (clavicle, floating ribs, outer thigh), and made it abundantly clear that any blows to the head would likely constitute deadly force. (Check your local laws and, if at all possible, your local law enforcement’s policies regarding batons. I’m in no way a lawyer and none of this constitutes legal advice in any way)

We drilled some scenarios, working (briefly) through MUC (look it up), and into the access and deployment of the sap/jack. What’s different about Larry’s material as opposed to some of the other Shivworks members is that, because of the nature of the sap, access & preparation is actually part of the verbal engagement process. We’re able to get away with this partially because the impact weapons are generally viewed as less lethal force, and the visual presence of a hunk of leather isn’t as overtly hostile as a firearm or blade. Therefore once the aggressor decides to initiate the assault, the sap/jack is already chambered for its first strike and you’re not having to contend with in-fight weapon access. He also showed us a nifty little hack that he’d picked up from Claude Werner about how to make a sap sheath out of an old milk jug.

In between the drills there was also a show & tell where he showed of a wide collection of leather goods that could only be rivaled by Jack Clemons. Larry broke down the anatomy of both saps & blackjacks, the advantages and drawbacks to each, and what he personally looks for in a defensive impact tool. There was also some discussion on makeshift/improvised impact weapons, however that is Larry’s proprietary content, reserved strictly for the course, so you’ll just have to sign up and find out for yourself. That alone is worth the cost of admission in my book.

As stated at the beginning, I’m almost embarrassed at how cavalier I was going into this. Impact weapon knowledge is something that I think everyone could benefit from. If for no other reason than they’re the most universally available. My wife and I love to travel, especially outside the US. Firearms are a non-starter, and blades are dodgy at best. Having an understanding of how & where to hit people, and what to hit them with is invaluable in areas where more conventional weapons may not be an option. There’s only so much that he could cover in the limited 2 hour window we had, but every minute was productive and I cannot speak highly enough about this course.

Shamelessly stealing the Short Barreled Shepherd’s 3×3 Model for AARs, here’s the breakdown:

The top 3 things covered in the class:

The anatomy of saps/jacks & what to look for
Positioning/staging/accessing the tools
Targeting & application

The top 3 things I learned from the class:

There’s a lot of instances where a sap/jack may be preferred over a knife/gun
How to make improvised impact weapons
I have a tendency to over-extend my fence.

Top 3 things I’ll do differently:

Invest in a decent purpose built sap (for when I travel places that it’s legal to carry)
Put together a travel kit
Keep my damn arms in!

If you’re within driving distance of Dallas, TX and are interested in getting more formal instruction with impact weapons, I strongly suggest you sign up for the Small Impact Weapons Instructor course that Steve Moses hosts. He’s also a contributing author on the CCW Safe Blog. Go check him out.

Maglula AR Bench Loader – Make Loading Easy

By

Travis Pike

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March 28, 2023

I’ve always enjoyed magazine loaders and found them convenient, but I didn’t know the definition of need until I took a rather impromptu class. With little time to prepare, I graded my gun, my mags, and an ammo can. As I zoned out before the class loading mags, I realized my thumbs might be a little weak. After loading just five mags, they were hurting, and by the time I hit seven, I was convinced my thumbs needed to work out more. I was also convinced I needed something besides them to load mags, and that led me to the Maglula AR Benchloader.

I initially went to Maglula to grab one of their basic mag loaders but quickly stumbled across the AR Bench Loader. GunmagWarehouse had one for a great price, and here we are. With the loader in hand, or rather on the table, I’ve freed my thumbs from the weight of their labor. Am I benign dramatic? Maybe, but I can’t get over how easy this thing makes loading magazines.

Load Em Up With the Maglula AR Bench Loader

This thing isn’t exactly compact. It fits in my Blackhawk Range Bag, but isn’t going to fit in my cargo pocket. It’s designed to be laid on a flat surface. You dump a maximum of thirty rounds into the tray. You then plug your magazine into the loader. It has active retention and plugs into the magazine release slot. Once plugged in, drop the rounds into the loader, grab the handle, and push those squirrely bastards into the magazine.

It takes very little effort, and the rounds fly into the magazine without issue. None became lost or disturbed as I drove the handle home and filled the magazine. Over and over, it worked flawlessly, giving me a fresh batch of loaded mags without the pain of sore thumbs from metal mag lips.

Does it save time? A little, but it does take time to drop the cartridges into the slot. You can’t just pour them in freely. You have to properly align them with a lip. When put against a stopwatch, the Maglula AR Bench Loader just barely beats thumbing each round into the magazine. Where it really shines is just making life easier. It preserves the integrity of your thumbs and keeps things remarkably simple.

Specs and Facts

The Maglula AR Bench Loader works, that’s clear, but let’s get specific with things. The device is 16.5 inches long and weighs 12.7 ounces. It’s made mostly from a high-impact polymer. The Loader has two slots that allow you to either chain the loader down or screw it to a surface. It’s clearly designed for a high-volume shooter who would mount it and use it when necessary.

I loaded well over seven hundred rounds at this point through a wide variety of magazines from standard aluminum to polymer PMAGS and hybrid Lancers, and it all works without issues. The Maglula AR Bench Loader isn’t magazine picky by any means. Maglula produces Bench Laoders for the AUG and G36 as well as the AR-15, although those are more likely more popular elsewhere.

If you are a high-volume shooter, it’s a great tool to have. If you own a range, then again, it’s a convenience for your customers. I’d certainly bolt it down because someone is liable to enjoy it enough to steal it. Check them out here and give your thumbs a break.

Why Is the Uzi So Iconic?

By

Travis Pike

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March 28, 2023

There are a few guns out there that are household names. I don’t mean just known in gun households but in most households. Everyone knows what a Glock is, an AR-15, and an AK-47, and of course, everyone knows what an Uzi is. Why is the Uzi so iconic? What makes it such an icon and, dare I say, the most well-known? A while back, I wrote about the Uzi and its history, and part of that research was looking at its effect on pop culture. That leads me to a few conclusions on why the Uzi has become so iconic.

The Uzi Name

Legend has it that the creator of the Uzi, Uziel Gal, did not want the weapon he designed to bear his name. Well, we all know how that went. The Israeli Military Industries didn’t really care what he wanted. In 1954 I didn’t think they were thinking about branding, but it worked out well.

Uzi is easy to pronounce, short, sweet, and fun to say. Plenty of famous guns have model numbers in their name, but mixing numbers and letters aren’t always solid branding. The term Uzi, however, is short, sweet, and effective. It’s a brand name popular enough that IMI used it for name recognition with Jericho handguns and attached it to knives, batons, and more.

There is a reason why the term uzi became the go-to name for seemingly any handheld submachine gun of the era. Guns like the MAC series, TEC-9s, and more would be generically known as Uzis at times.

These big intimidating weapons made their way into rap lyrics, and now a search of the word Uzi results in hundreds of mentions that represent music internationally. You can’t escape good branding.

Right Place, Right Time

The Uzi hit the market in 1954, just in time to find itself in the Suez Crisis of 1956. From then onward, the gun participated in Israel’s numerous conflicts and was often on the winning side. This gave the gun and the men carrying them a great deal of quick fame.

In the 1960s, the United States Secret Service adopted the gun, leading to two iconic photographs. The first was a group of hard-looking men in suits riding on all sides of a convertible carrying Uzis. The men were responding to a hostage taker at Augusta National Golf Course.

The second was another Secret Service agent named Robert Wanko pulling an Uzi when John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan.

Innovative Design

The Uzi was fairly innovative for the era as well. Fitting the magazine into the pistol grip saved space and made the weapon shorter, making it more compact and handier than guns like the M3 and PPS-41. A folding metal stock guaranteed it could fit in a briefcase and still function like a full-sized SMG.

The telescoping bolt design was quite the revolution and allowed the gun to remain compact. Inside sat a fairly simple, open bolt, direct blowback gun. It’s not complicated by any means and performed reliably in numerous environments.

Worldwide Sales

Israel isn’t shy about exporting their weapons and selling them around the world. By 1995 they had already made 2 billion from selling Uzis to 90 different countries. The Uzi was also cloned unofficially by China and licensed by numerous other countries. This has put the weapon in the hands of soldiers and police officers around the world.

It’s become internationally iconic because it’s a firearm that transcends borders and remains in service to this very day.

The Iconic Uzi

A simple submachine gun, domestically produced for a struggling military force, really took the world by storm. It’s become a cultural icon and a household name. I think business schools should cover the Uzi and its success due to branding, mass appeal, and innovation, but that likely won’t fly these days.

Shotgun Basics: Buckshot (Part 2)

By

P.E. Fitch

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March 27, 2023

_{This article is the second part to Shotgun Basics: Buckshot (Part 1)}

Double Aught Loads (.33 caliber)

The 9 pellet double-aught buckshot (00 BK) load became the standard for 12 gauge loads because 9 “00” pellets reasonably fit in a 2.75 inch shotshell and those pellets weigh approximately 1 ⅛ ounces–a “standard” weight in the shotgun world. This is why virtually every ammunition company sells cartridges with 9 pellet loads by default. While “00” pellets nominally measure 0.33-inches, in reality they can sometimes be a tad smaller in diameter depending on the manufacturer. With the on-going defensive shotgun renaissance, 8 pellet loads are also becoming more popular. The 8 pellet load’s biggest benefit is that it provides the tightest patterns since they lack the extra pellet that always seemingly turns into the stray flyer. Besides the inherently tighter pattern from the 8 pellet load, it is easy to be more accountable downrange without the errant pellet.

The nuanced differences between fielding an 8 pellet load vs a more traditional 9-pellet load are worthy of their own separate article. Truthfully, the difference on that last pellet depends on the specific shotgun and the capacity and circumstances in which it is employed.

Experience teaches me that at 25 yards, a modern shotgun that either has a high quality barrel, is jug choked or both can dump a modern double-aught buckshot payload (like any of the three different Federal Premium Flite-Control loads) inside the A and C zones of a standard IPSC cardboard target consistently–flyer or not. This is roughly an eight to nine inch spread depending on the individual gun and batch of shotshells. Shotguns have been around for a long time, but this is truly a modern shotgunning miracle. There is good reason why the Flite-Control line has its ardent devotees.

#1 Buckshot Loads (.30 caliber)

Though double-aught buckshot loads are the most commonly found and used, many defensive shotgun savants and serious shooters favor 12 gauge #1 Buckshot loads. The #1 Buckshot pellet is slightly smaller than the double-aught buck pellet (.30 cal vs .33 cal), but these pellets are still large enough to provide the necessary level of penetration while also throwing a denser pattern. Whereas a typical 12 gauge double-aught buckshot load has 8-9 pellets, the typical #1 Buckshot load has 15-16 pellets instead. The trade-off shooters have to make with #1 Buck loads is accounting for larger patterns with potentially more fliers and pellets that start to veer away from the main pattern. They will have to weigh their needs and specific defensive contexts to see if there is a benefit. Federal used to offer a #1 Buck Flite-Control load, but it has been off the market for a few years now due to inconsistencies between the smaller #1 Buck pellets and the specific shape of the Flite-Control wads. This is something Federal is currently working on figuring out, but in the meantime they did announce a #1 Buckshot Vital-Shok copper plated and buffered load at SHOT Show 2023. Realistically speaking, most #1 Buckshot loads are offered to and marketed towards hunters. All major ammunition companies that load shotshells typically offer some #1 Buckshot load.

A cut-away FFC 1 Buck load. image credit: That Shotgun Blog

MAGNUMS AND DEFENSIVE BUCKSHOT PATTERNS

Both double-aught and #1 Buckshot loads can be had in magnum shells larger than 2.75 inches, but these are best suited for hunting large game. Magnum buckshot loads incur not only a financial cost (as if ammunition today wasn’t expensive enough) but also provide more punishing recoil that makes it harder to recover in between shots. In spite of the extra power and payload, these magnum loads do not really make any difference compared to standard or low recoil defensive loads with regards to terminal ballistics.

Regardless of the quantity of pellets, their size, or anything else found in a cartridge, every shotgun must be patterned along with the ammunition it will fire in order to understand how that load performs out of that specific shotgun. Two shotguns made next to each other on the factory will not pattern the same shells from the same box equally. Different lots of the same product SKU will even pattern differently! Proper patterning also teaches us what kind of performance to expect from a shotgun and how that shotgun can be used. For example, in a home where the longest shot is going to be less than 20 yards, the difference between an 8 or 9 pellet load might not make too much of a difference, but at longer distances it may. Or if those defensive shots will be made inside of 10 yards, patterning can teach that shooter the margin of error and teach them that their pattern will probably be a few inches maximum, regardless of whether their loads have premium wads. On the other hand a police officer who has to be accountable for any and all projectiles they send downrange may only use very tight 8-pellet loads. Ultimately, patterning an individual shotgun and its intended ammunition is always the best policy.

BUCKSHOT: THE PERENNIAL AMMUNITION

No matter how rudimentary (as in a handful of lead balls chucked into the muzzle of a black powder blunderbuss) or how sophisticated (Federal LE 13200 or LE 13300 Flite-Control loads in a Blink gas system Beretta semi-auto decked out with everything Aridus), buckshot has been and will continue to be the go-to choice for defensive and tactical shotgun use. There are very few firearms that can influence the outcome of a deadly-force encounter the way a shotgun can. Similarly, the buckshot-loaded shotgun is still equally useful for harvesting big game or protection from large, backcountry dangerous predatory animals. As modern shooters, we are really fortunate to have the opportunity to take advantage of the latest developments in shotgun ammunition loaded with plated pellets, grex, advanced wads and propellants.

To learn about shotgun slugs, click here.

_{Special thanks for past and on-going support from Nathan P., author of That Shotgun Blog. There are others and they know who they are.}

The One Benefit of Competition Shooting No One Mentions

By

Travis Pike

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March 27, 2023

I think, as a gun community, we’ve gotten past the idea that competition shooters make you a worse defensive shooter. The idea that competition will get you killed in the streets seems to be a dying idea. Competition shooting makes you a faster, more accurate shooter who can act better under stress. There have been much better, much more experienced competition shooters who have shared the benefits of competition shooting. However, one benefit I’ve seen mentioned is how competition drives you to train.

The Unknown Benefit of Competition Shooting

I used to think I trained, but honestly, I had gotten lazy. Don’t get me wrong, I took classes, but if it wasn’t live fire practice, I really wasn’t training that often. I certainly wasn’t practicing every day. Prior to shooting in a competitive environment, I trained to be a defensive shooter. The thing is, I haven’t been in a fight for my life since 2010. I’m not in a gunfight every other month.

However, I can compete once every two weeks or at least once a month. This drives me to train more. It seems silly, and I know how it sounds. Training to defend your life seems incredibly important. Why would competition drive you to train harder versus defending yourself and your family? Because I’m actually doing one of those things once a month at a minimum.

I agree that one should have a higher priority, but it’s a lot easier to play COD MW2 for an extra half hour rather than dry-fire practice when it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever be in a gunfight again. On the flip side, I will be out shooting some form of action shooting event next week. So I put the controller down and worked on my draw.

Do my defensive skills increase when I train for competition? Yeah. A draw from AIWB is different than an OWB, for sure, but drawing a gun is still drawing a gun. My AIWB concealment draw has gotten faster alongside my OWB draw. I’m even going to shoot my next match from concealment if the rules allow it.

Focus and Motivation

I am far from good at competition shooting, and for me, it’s a casual hobby I love to indulge in. However, it’s given me a drive, motivation, and reason to keep training and to train harder. Not only that, but it tests me every time I step up to shoot my course of fire. Is my training working? What do I need to tweak? What can I improve on?

That’s the untold benefit of competition shooting.

Gunday Brunch 93: Why We Love John Wick

By

David Reeder

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March 26, 2023

That’s it. That’s the video. We love the John Wick movies

G-FLEX: A GLOCK BINARY TRIGGER

By

David Reeder

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March 26, 2023

Double down. Bang it twice…every single time! Tactical Sh!t is taking pre-orders now for the G-Flex; the first binary trigger for your Glock pistol.

St. Peters, MO | 17 MAR 23

For the first time ever, enhanced pull and release firing capability is here for Gen 3, Gen 4, and Gen 5 Glock firearms. Introducing the G-Flex Binary Trigger for Glock pistols!

The G-Flex is engineered with Reflex Trigger Technology. It fires one round when the trigger is pulled rearward, then a second “reflex” round when the trigger is released forward. This provides the potential for lightning-fast split times and unmatched performance in your Glock handgun.

The G-Flex is manufactured from professional-grade materials and designed for easy drop-in installation. The G-Flex is manufactured with aerospace-grade stainless steel and is built to perform under pressure and hard use. You’ll harness elevated speed and effectiveness with unmatched strength and reliability.

The G-Flex has been engineered with what the ATF wanted; a patented secondary DISCONNECTOR makes it physically impossible for the G-Flex to achieve automatic firing.

Components:

· Trigger Bar

· Enhanced Bar Guide

· Trigger Return Spring

· Trigger Housing

· Trigger Shoe

Specifications:

· Style: Reflex

· Model: G-Flex

· Platform: GLOCK 17, 19, 22, 23, 26, 27, 19X, 45, 47, 31, 32, and 33

· Fit is generation specific

· Weight: 5 ounces

· Material: Aluminum/Steel

Experience the speed and performance of the G-Flex and its game-changing Reflex Trigger Technology. Unleash Glock’s full potential with G-Flex!

Order yours online at Warlord Central: sigglockincolt.com.

Be sure to check out the SHOTS FIRED podcast!

Danger Close Media Group | 4110 North Outer Road, St. Peters, MO 63376

Two Ways to Boresight a Pistol Red Dot Before Heading to the Range

By

Anna Martinez

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March 24, 2023

Disclaimer: As always, any firearm no matter if it is boresighted or not should be verified at distance with the preferred ammunition. Boresighting is not enough to trust the zero on your firearm.

Boresighting/Borelighting is a great way to save ammo by first getting your dot as close to your proper zero without expending live ammo. Doing this before heading to the range will also ensure that you are on paper. Sighting a red dot on a pistol is a pretty simple task and can be done both with a cheap borelight or without any tools at all in the comfort of your home.

Ensure that the pistol is clear and free of ammunition.

With a Borelight

This method is using an EZshoot Boresight in 9mm that was bought off of amazon for 17 bucks. While it comes in 9mm, there are other calibers available. The proper caliber of borelight is important because to use this tool it will need to be set into the bore of your pistol. Due to this laser acting as the center of your bore, it does need to sit in the chamber without movement.

For 17 bucks on amazon this borelight can save you that much in ammo at the range when zeroing your pistol. Simply throw an included battery into the proper caliber of laser that your firearm is chambered in and then throw it in the bore of your pistol. Don’t shine it in your eyes please..

To Use

Find something to aim at at the preferred distance that you want your zero. Let’s say 15 yds.
Insert the borelight into the chamber of the gun and lightly push the slide forward onto the laser.
Find something to steady your pistol as you are aimed at the 15 yd mark you chose
Point the laser at that mark
Adjust your actual red dot to the point where the laser is. You may need to bring your head off the gun to ensure that the dot you are seeing is the laser and not the red dot and visa versa.

I chose to aim at the top of a work in progress walking stick that was about 12yds away. This is the laser. Now, just line up the dot on that laser and you are boresighted.

This can be easier with two people so that one person can steady the gun and the other can adjust the optic. One person is totally capable of completing this though.

Now that the dot and the bore are lined up at 15 yds you can go to the range and verify and perfect the zero. It should get you very close to where you want to impact though.

Without a Borelight

If you don’t have a laser there is still an option for getting your dot close by using your iron sights. I absolutely hate the term “cherry popping” because it is so improperly used and the method is often done incorrectly however, this is kind of what we are going to do here..

This works with any height of iron sights meaning you can do this even if you still have too short of iron sights after adding a dot to the pistol. It happens, we are lazy and don’t plan ahead, trust me I get it..

Note: This only works if your iron sights are zero’d to the gun.

Notice that I haven’t yet replaced the iron sights to be tall enough to see over my red dot. They are zeroed though therefore this is how it looks before I slightly dip the gun down still keeping the irons lined up. The goal is to have the dot land on the outlet cover that I am aimed at with my irons.

How to w/ Short Iron Sights

Hold your pistol out and again, aim at something at your preferred zero distance with your iron sights.
Line up your iron sights, don’t worry about the dot yet
Now, as you are lining up your iron sights look at the dot, does it look to be landing in the same spot your irons are aimed at? Adjust it if not
Line up the iron sights again, adjust again. You want the dot to be in the same place that you are aimed at with your irons

If you have iron sights that you can’t see when properly lined up do your best to line them up as you are tipping the gun down. Seems weird but it will get you close and on paper for when you head to the range.

There you have it, two easy ways to save ammo and time at the range when zeroing your pistol. Happy shooting!

Best of the Worst L85 or INSAS Rifle

By

Travis Pike

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March 24, 2023

When you sit back and think about the worst weapons ever issued to a military force, you have plenty of options. The Chauchat was pretty terrible. The M14 might be America’s worst military rifle. There are just too many. However, let’s narrow it down to the more modern assault rifle market, and things get a little easier. When I narrowed it down to just two weapons, I couldn’t figure out if the British L85 or the Indian INSAS took the cake as best of the worst.

What’s somewhat funny is that the Brits and Indians were both wielding the FN FAL in the form of the L1A1 prior to adopting their respective god-awful weapons. The Brits adopted the L85 and SA80 family in 1985. The INSAS rifle was adopted a bit later, in 1998, officially. The adoption of the ISNAS was delayed because the Indians lacked enough 5.56 ammo to issue it.

Breaking Down the INSAS and L85

The L85 and INSAS were similar in their purpose. Both military forces wanted a domestically produced modern assault rifle. The age of the battle rifle was over, and the modern 5.56 rifle was and remained the current hotness. Both military forces wanted to get into the modern arms market and also wanted to domestically produce their new rifle. The INSAS and L85 are also parts of weapons’ families’ that include carbine and LMG variants.

The Brits have had a thing for bullpups for basically ever. They really wanted one after World War 2, and it took until the 1980s to make their dreams come true. The L85 took a lot of inspiration from the AR-18 series rifle. It’s not exactly fair to say it’s a bullpup AR-18, but it’s close. (Side note, the Brits did experiment with a bullpup AR-18, and somehow it was worse than the L85. The L85 is a selective-fire assault rifle that chambers the 5.56 NATO cartridge and feeds from a box magazine.

The INSAS came to be at a time when the Indian Army and police forces were using mostly FALs but also British .303 rifles and AK series rifles. The Indians wanted a modern weapon to be universal for their armed forces. They designed something that took inspiration from the AK, the FAL, and even the HK rifles. It used a standard layout, fed from a box magazine, and offered variants with wood or polymer furniture as well as folding and fixed stocks.

What Makes Them So Bad?

Ooh boy, where to start? Both weapons have major reliability issues. The L85 sucked in dusty and artic environments and ran into tons of malfunctions. The polymer furniture reportedly melted from bug repellant. The internals were not robust enough for a military rifle. In the Gulf War, the weapon broke often, and the L85 proved more reliable in full auto than semi, and the L85A1 proved more reliable in semi than auto. The gas mechanism would pop open randomly.

The INSAS problems began in 1999 in its first trial by combat. The rifle was being used for a conflict in the Himalayas, and the temperatures shut the rifle down. It had huge reliability issues. Sometimes, regardless of where the rifle’s selector was set, it would just fire in full auto mode. The gas regulator often broke, rendering the rifle useless.

The L85’s first batch of magazines was so bad you could allegedly deform them by grasping them tightly. The INSAS magazines were polymer and reportedly cracked often. Both guns featured furniture that was poorly made and wobbly, often easily broken.

Both weapons reportedly overheated quickly. The L85, especially the squad auto version, would overheat in 120 to 150 rounds. The INSAS rifles were adopted by the Nepalese forces and seized up in a firefight against Maoist terrorists. The Nepalese were overrun, and this led to 43 deaths. While we don’t have specific examples, a LANDSET report by the Ministry of Defence stated that platoon commanders expected casualties caused by the weapon in CQB.

Which is Worse?

The Brits have attempted to fix the L85, and HK, then owned by British investors, upgraded the weapon. This became the L85A2. This seemed to largely fix the predecessor’s mistakes. The A2 variants are reportedly much better and much more reliable. The squad support version was pulled and replaced by the belt-fed FN Minimi. It’s worth noting that British special ops tend to prefer AR variants over the L85.

The Indians attempted to fix the INSAS problems but ultimately chose to do away with it. After several high-profile problems, it was found to be too much of a problem to fix. The Indian Army is instead resigning the weapon and purchasing the AK 203 rifles and some SIG 716i rifles alongside the Israeli Negev machine guns.

It would seem the INSAS was worse as it couldn’t even be fixed. However, at least the Indians corrected the problem fairly quickly rather than continue to issue a craptastic rifle. With that in mind, I’m giving the INSAS the best of the worst win.

.223 Deadly, Unlike 00 Buck?

By

Lars Smith

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March 24, 2023

Ryan Busse claiming .223 dangerous — Photo Credit: Darell Ehrlick

Highland Park: ".223 might even be too powerful to legally use in self-defense"

Ryan Busse, Highland Park's expert: "As you can see, numerous 12 gauge shotguns and .300 Winchester Magnum rifles remain legal for self-defense" https://t.co/0FXDmugvHr pic.twitter.com/TQeXZsaXRV
— Rob Romano (@2Aupdates) March 14, 2023

Nobody will dispute that .223 or 5.56 is a dangerous thing to be shot with. 5.56 is a common round in global militaries, so it’s not as though it’s underpowered or anything. What is amusing though is the torturous way the anti-gun lobby will devote hours to discussing the lethality of this particular assault rifle round, while simultaneously ignoring reality or contradicting themselves –sometimes both!–.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a lot of hyperbole around the capabilities of the standard AR-15 chambering. The “.223 deadly!” side would have you believe that the 55 grain (3.5 grams) projectile .223 throws would rip a human being in half, despite the fact that many states limit the cartridge to varmint-sized animals for hunting purposes –because the round isn’t powerful enough to be considered humane for deer or larger.–

Perhaps the best example of this collision of ideology and reality is the Highland Park, IL assault weapons ban that is currently struggling through a lawsuit to stop it. Of the innumerable post-Bruen decision cases, this one has produced an amusing dichotomy: The “.223 deadly, and no good for self-defense!” argument is being stood up alongside the concept that the unbanned .300WinMag rifles, and 12ga shotguns are perfectly fine to shoot people with. This despite both of those rounds being significantly more powerful, and much more capable of removing entire portions of a human being than the comparatively underpowered .223 or 5.56.

Naturally, at the center of this massive conflation in service of unconstitutional legislation is Ryan Busse –former Kimber executive turned gun control lobby shill– who never misses a chance to get paid to say absurd things about guns in service of banning them. He is the oxford cloth, wingtip version of the former service member who claims to “support the 2A, but…” Wherever there is a Bruen challenge and the Shill Signal has lit up the sky, he rarely fails to answer the call, and the paycheck that comes with it.

Gun Safety 101 | GetZone New Gun Owner Tips

By

News GAT Daily

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March 23, 2023