Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, boards Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, U.S., February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Via CNN
CNN is reporting that Hunter Biden will be pleading guilty to two tax related misdemeanors and will be taking a Pretrial Diversion Agreement on the felony gun charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance (and lying on a Form 4473, but that wasn’t charged).
As if you needed more proof that the President should not be taken seriously when it comes to firearms than his spurious claims that braces are capable of changing a firearms caliber and making it larger, here we have concrete proof that the DoJ, because of the adminstration, does not give a shit. You can commit an obvious felony, gather the proof of it yourself, have that proof discovered in your possession and verified, and you will be given the lightest possible sentencing over it from this tough on gun violence administration. Because they didn’t mean ‘actual’ crimes, they meant theoretical fear mongering crimes. They meant vague armed boogeymen because they certainly won’t keep actual violent felons locked up and away from firearms.
But dammit we need an assault weapon ban! We can take them, this super serious administration, seriously on that part, right? Right? Literally nothing criminally could or should be taken seriously out of the left’s cadre of activist prosecutors, from local to national levels, and this softball from the DoJ cements it.
“But Keith, you don’t believe that simple possession and use of substances should be a felony.”
You are correct. I do not. Just as I don’t believe possessing a gun with a less than a 16″ barrel and a stock should be a felony (unless you pay the tax) or is demonstrably more dangerous than a gun with a 16″ or longer barrel. I believe that the NFA is as demonstrably valueless as Hunter Biden is demonstrably a felon under the law. But the DoJ is tossing this softball.
Why?
Simple, I think they want to set themselves up as seeming more legitimate as they press the charges against Donald Trump. Regardless of how deserved the charges are or are not against Trump, the obvious optics are that the DoJ, which is Biden helmed at the moment, is attacking their immediate political rival. This will give them some evidence that they will prosecute their own team too, even the President’s own demonstrably felonious son is subject to the law a little bit. They couldn’t let obvious multi-time criminal Hunter Biden, who sank himself, sit there uncharged and then press full court against the bombastic Trump. That would be a step too far on hypocrisy.
So Hunter was sacrificed, given the barest bones of a conviction, and it will be used as a defense that the Biden DoJ will prosecute their own too. Which good for them. For what it’s worth, which certainly isn’t much, this more just confirms that most felonies shouldn’t be felonies if prosecuting them is this worthless.
Aaron Cowan over at Sage Dynamics has some of the most extensive information available on the topic of pistol optics and their durability in a realistic duty sense.
Not every optic is meant to be an M&P rated item, yes that is more than just a Smith & Wesson trademark. They are all not meant for the military, the police, serious competitive events, training, or hard use ccw gun. They aren’t and they do not have to be. I don’t need an RMR on a 10/22 that mostly exists for my kid to enjoy range time or for a task no more serious than controlling damaging critters.
Thus enter the EOTech EFLX.
Now EOTech is a well known and well respected duty optic brand. The HWS line has served and continues to serve as an excellent optical series in the reflex sight category. Their magnifiers are exceptional glass quality. Their LPVO and high power rifle optics in the VUDU line have all seen well respected success.
Their VUDU 1-8x SFP is one of my favorite LPVOs, arguably my favorite SFP one. However, their initial 1-6 offering left a lot to be desired in its design. I feel like, and Aaron’s report here supports that belief, the EFLX is going to be another proof of concept optic where a follow on variant solves many of the deficiencies of the first version.
Does that mean you should avoid buying an EFLX? Maybe. You can arguably get a dot with better performance under harsh handling conditions for similar spend, so why wouldn’t you. However if you want it just because [reason] and its limits are not detrimental to what you are trying to do with it, then pick it up now. If you want to wait or buy something more suited to your task, then do so.
Bipods are most stable when to the very front of the gun. However, there are props that may need it to be pushed more towards the rear.
The AR platform is quickly becoming trusted as being a precision gas gun. The ability to customize your AR with an 18-20 inch barrel, straight pistol grip, and lightweight triggers has made the AR-15 a very competitive gun in many precision gas gun matches. As many know though, the handguard can often be an issue when it comes to attaching a bipod that is able to be quickly removed or adjusted on the rail. The ARCA handguard from Israel Weapon Industries fixes that issue.
The Problem
During precision gas gun matches there will often be many different barricades that you will need to shoot off of, sometimes two different barricades in one stage. This means that the bipod may need to be taken off of the gun quickly or even moved back and forth dependent on the width of the prop. M-LOK and Picatinny handguards, handguard that most AR platforms have, do not allow bipod adapters to be moved back and forth without removing the entire bipod. These adapters also usually need another piece installed onto the rail to clamp onto, furthering the worry for pieces to come loose. To sum it up, these rails can be slow in removing the bipod, not enable the bipod to be moved back and forth, and have the need for extra parts.
My bipod is currently all the way forward on the rail because I wanted to leave it on for weight but wanted it out of the way for the stone barricade. This was at a Quantified Performance match at Quantico.
The Solution
The IWI Arca rail is one of the very few ARCA rails on the market for the AR-15 platform. Most will buy rails and install the ARCA piece on it however the rail from IWI comes with the ARCA already machined into it. With a simple installation procedure you can now have a strong ARCA rail that with the right adapter on the bipod, allows the bipod to quickly detach and slide back and forth on the rail without removal.
“In close collaboration with Jeff Cross, owner of Cross Machine and Tool, IWI US has witnessed a growing demand, in the M4 community, to both utilize and fully integrate the popular ARCA Swiss rail system into the actual rail.”-IWI
MSRP: $249.99 Length: 15.5″ and 17″
The ARCA handguard from IWI allows for easy clipping on on tripods like this one. Just ensure that you have an ARCA adapter on your tripod head already. Photo: IWI
Using During a Precision Gas Gun Match
“The endless modularity that comes along with putting any ARCA rail on your rifle goes without saying.. The 15+ inches of flat surface was a very welcomed bonus, and sits very flat on almost anything you set the handguard on.” Matt Kitzmiller IWI Proteam Shooter
“The ARCA style rail incorporated in my Zion hand guard is crucial for fast deployment and positional changes when using a bipod or shooting bags in 3 Gun. It allows me to move my bipod close to the magwell for shooting off of small short spaces and allows me to run a bag for barricades or different shooting props. This hand guard modification is a must have for competition shooters, military or law enforcement.” George Dorbert IWI Proteam Shooter
The IWI ARCA handguard shines in precision matches for a few reasons. These matches being gas gun matches such as the IWI Gas Gun Challenge in Pennsylvania and Quantified Performance Gas Gun matches. Both of these matches have the shooter engaging targets from 200-1000 yds and off of different sizes props all on the clock. If anything comes loose on your handguard you will often miss targets, thus losing points and time fixing it. If you cannot quickly release your bipod or shift it between props you will also lose time and points. All reasons that the ARCA rail already machined into the handguard is a great choice for matches.
There are a lot of different props in precision gas gun matches. This tree had two different shooting positions on it.
Below are a few things that need a strong ARCA handguard to be successful.
Tripod: Sometimes in a match there will be a set up stage that makes the shooter shoot off of a tripod. Sometimes this can mean throwing a bag over the tripod and shooting off of it like that or it can mean “clipping in” meaning clipping the tripod onto your gun. Many tripods will often have ARCA adapters for their binoculars thus allowing an ARCA handguard to clip in. A much more stable way to shoot if you have the time to do it.
Different Sized Props: Sometimes there will be two props on one stage such as a barrel and a tire. Using bipod on either of these props involves sliding the bipod back and forth on the rail between props or even before the stage begins. If you have a small piece of Picatinny where your bipod is mounted, that is just simply not possible. However a full rail of ARCA that the bipod can be moved on is conducive to these bipod adjustments.
While this isn’t an IWI handguard, note that there is an ARCA rail on the bottom of this shooters handguard. Also notice that the bipod is pushed back a bit on his rail to match the tire width. The IWI Handguard does not need an extra part for the ARCA rail because it is already machined in.
Rail Mounted Bags: There are shooting bags that are connected to the rail such as The RailChanger from Area419 and Armageddon Gear. These products allow the shooting bag to not have to be held but instead already on your gun which can save time throughout the stage. The adapter on this product is ARCA meaning it needs an ARCA rail/handguard to connect to.
Notice the ARCA adapter on the front of the bag. This mounts to your railing to keep the bag on the gun and not have to have to shooter hold it. Photo: AREA419
Bipod/Bipod Adapter: Maybe the largest positive thing about having the IWI ARCA handguard is that there are many bipod adapters out there that now allow the bipod to be connected to ARCA. Thus enabling it to be quickly detached off the gun with the turn of a knob or be slid back and forth on the entire rail without having to remove it.
For more info on the rail and how to properly install it see below.
The future is here old hunters..thanks to the Moultrie Mobile Edge Game Camera. A camera that connects to any cell tower in range allowing you to see your captured photos and videos with an application and a subscription (which only needs to be paid for during hunting season) no matter where you are. The Camera includes AI learning technology to enable detecting and triggering the camera for only your interested species of game. It also has an updated antenna that stores away when not in use and months of battery life..trust me I tested it. To share those cute videos of baby foxes playing, or a massive buck that you are about to slay later in the week, just click on the photo inside the app, hit share, and you instantly have options to share to facebook, messages, etc.
The FOV from the camera is great allowing to see a wide angle and both the ground and higher angles. Deer are easily picked up and can be marked as such using the “smart tag” feature.
The Problem
Most will know the issue that arises when using game cameras to start seeing what animals you have on your property. You will have to set your game camera out, go home, wait a few days, come back to the camera retrieve the SD card, and go all the way back home to stick it in your computer just see if you have any game out there..or not. It is time consuming and frankly annoying. Especially if your hunting property that is three hours away from your home. So what’s the answer? Cell phone tower connected cameras. Which brings up another problem..consumers will often need to choose a carrier specific camera that matches to most cell towers in that area. Making it a total hassle.
The Answer
Moultrie Mobiles Auto Connect Technology. It scans for any available wireless signal once turned on. Once connected, simply connect your phone to that camera within the application and you can now see every photo or video that the Edge camera captures no matter where you or the camera is. No WIFI, no bluetooth, just cell phone towers and an application.
The 2 pack of EDGE cameras comes with everything you need to start using it immediately with little set up. Simply unbox, feed the strap through the cameras, and your camera is ready to go once connected to the application.
The Product
EDGE Cellular Trail Camera
MSRP 1 Pack $99.99, 2 pack $179.99 (Military and First Responder Discount Available)
Subscription Price (monthly/annual can cancel at any time) Standard: $9.99 per month, 1,000 images and 10 videos Unlimited: $16.99 per month, Unlimited Images and 50 videos Pro Series: $34.99 per month, Unlimited images and 50 videos
Specs
Resolution: 33MP Video: 720P HD with sound Trigger Speed: 0.85 seconds Detection: 80ft detection and infrared flash range
Main Features
The Ease of Use
To connect the EDGE it is as easy as putting the batteries into the camera, turning the camera on, and waiting for all green to show that it is connected to cell phone towers. Then simply go into your Moultrie Mobile app, scan the QR code on the camera, and you are now connected to the camera and free to place it where-ever you please.
This was during the first night of use with the EDGE cameras. I simply bought a subscription through the app and started up set up using a 3 minute online video. There are only 2 buttons on the camera itself such as the on/off and the connect/take a test photo.
Inside the App
There are a ton of settings inside the app that allows you to change what your camera is doing. Such as how often you want it to upload photos/videos, if you want it to only upload photos, detection delay, sensitivity, and weather settings. These are all easily changed by the setting menus. Changing these settings really allows you to save battery life and not have to scroll through millions of photos or videos if you don’t please.
It’s very easy to share photos and videos as well due to an in the app sharing feature. Simply click share and it will pop up your facebook, messages, even signal options to share your images in one click. Very user friendly, and honestly very modern.
As far as videos due to different subscription plans, no worries if the camera takes more videos than your subscription allows. Videos are only downloaded and saved if you click download when reviewing all of the images/videos uploaded.
The app also includes a very detailed sattelite imagery map straight from google maps that allows you to set pins where you have placed cameras or other things you may want to note. There is also a section for weather showing you the weather in your current locatoin or other locations that you may want to know..say I don’t know..your hunting land..It also shows sunrise and sunset times, moon phase, and cloud cover.
AI/Learning
One of the more high techy things about the new EDGE camera is that it has Artificial Intelligence within it in a few different ways. First, there are these things called smart tags. Smart tags allow you to mark which animal is on the camera, or in other words, the camera learns species. Say a turkey, or a squirrel. You can mark those animals and tell the EDGE that you only want the camera to activate a photo or video when it see’s a deer. So those rascally (but cute) squirrels won’t waste your camera battery or your time going through photos.
The camera also charts activity. This means that you can log into your application and see during what time of day your game is most active.
The Build
The overall build of the camera is pretty impressive. It has a beefy and durable antenna that will fold down when not in use. The camera is a lightweight but hefty and you won’t worry about dropping it or attaching it too tight to the tree in worry of damaging it. It is just a durable design.
The strap is long enough for sizes of tree’s big or small and it is easy to cinch tight yet won’t slip out of the camera itself, ensuring that you don’t drop the camera or lose the strap. They thought of it all.
The Battery Life
The battery compartment allows for either 8 batteries or 16, dependent on how often you want to change them however like I mentioned in the article previously, 8 batteries will suffice. You also do not HAVE to use Moultrie Mobile batteries, just the same kind of any Double AA’s.
The thing that I am personally most impressed about though? The battery life. I have now owned two of the EDGE Cameras for over three months now. I filled up one with 16 batteries from Moultrie Mobile and the other camera I filled with 8 batteries. The cameras have been consecutively on taking photo and video. The 8 battery is now at 68% battery life and the 16 battery at 85% battery life. Therefore, it just proves that you won’t be having spend money replacing batteries.
Accessories
While extra accessories are not needed, some of the accessories that Moultrie Mobile offers could actually be pretty useful. There are items such as a security box enabling you to lock up the camera and ensure it doesn’t get ripped off of a tree and stolen. There are solar power accessories for solar power instead of batteries. There is also a cell booster antenna however, I live on a mountain in Virginia with terrible cell service. Connecting took a little longer than expected however it did connect without issue so I would try before immediately buying the booster, no matter how bad of cell tower location you have. There is also some swivel mounts and stands allowing you to mount you camera on the ground other than on a tree with a strap.
The strap of the camera, an often looked over piece of any product, is strong and designed intelligently. It is also very very long making no worries for attaching to large trees. If you don’t want to attach it to a tree there are also accessories to buy for ground mounting. Ensure that you tie off any excess strap so it doesn’t scare off the game!
Personal Review
I am personally pretty new to game cameras however I am aware of the issues that hunters can face with certain kinds of cameras. The EDGE has taken all of those issues away after 3 months of using and playing with it. I first set these cameras out to track the deer down the local fire trail and spy on a fox den that had 6 newborns. The quality and usefulness of the EDGE is unmatched. I can change my subscription thus saving me money and pretty much never have to replace batteries. The picture quality is amazing both at day and night and it picks any movement. Playing with the application the in app map and ability to place pins and mark locations is great and the AI part of the camera works. I have been able to mark certain animals and see when they are most active. It’s exciting to just be able to wake up in the morning, open my phone, and check on the deer or foxes without having to make the trek to the camera. I am now a forever customer to Moultrie Mobile without shame of it or payment from the company.
This is just one photo of the many photos and videos I have of these baby foxes. So far we have lost 4 of the babies and are down to two and the mom. I also found out with the help of the EDGE that there is a groundhog trying to live in the same fox den. Crazy!
Notice everything on the bottom of the photo capture such as the moon cyle.
One of my favorite things about writing is that I get to do what I love. I love learning the origins of things, especially in the gun world, and now instead of doing it just for fun, I get to share it. Recently I started learning more and more about single-action revolvers, and that coincides with my immediate need for one. In my research, I stumbled across the term Bisley and Bisley grip, and while I could see the difference, I wanted to learn about the why and when of this term.
If you’ve shopped for Ruger revolvers, you’ve most certainly seen the term. It’s associated with single-action revolvers, and it’s evident as soon as you look at the gun. Let’s get deep with Bisley grips and talk about the why, the when, and the what.
What is a Bisley Grip
The Bisley grip comes from the Colt SAA series of revolvers. The famed Colts used what was known as a plow grip. It sweeps rearward and points well. The Bisley grip took the plow grip and forced a more vertical angle with a less swept-back design.
River Junction Trade Company
There are two Bisley-type grips. There is the original Colt designed in the 1880s, and then we have the new Ruger Bisley grip. New being relative to the age of the Colt design. Ruger used the same profile, and it’s not until you pick one up that you feel the difference. Ruger went with thicker grips than Colt. The primary advantage is more space to disperse recoil and prevent the gun from rotating in your hand.
Why the Bisley Grip
That sweet Colt plow grip is rather nice. It points well and allows for a fairly rapid-fire design. As you fired, this grip encouraged the gun to roll backward with the recoil. A skilled shooter could take advantage of the rolling recoil to thumb the hammer back as the gun recoiled and then fell back forward. It allowed for faster shooting.
The plow grip worked fine with most common loads, but as higher recoiling rounds became available, the grip tended to roll back sharply. This could be unpleasant as your fingers hit the trigger guard the gun’s front sight flew off target. It was snappy. Plus, for shooters who wanted more stability, the plow grip was found lacking.
The Bisley grip offered the shooter an advantage with hot loads. The recoil was put into the wrist and shoulder. The gun didn’t roll back as much, and it was a very stable grip. This allowed for more accurate slow fire and more control over hot cartridges. In the Colt era, it was the .44-40. These days, it’s calibers like the .454 Casull. You can lock down a Bisley grip is what’s more like a fist than the Colt’s plow grips.
What’s the Origin Story
When I first heard the name and began researching the Bisley grips, I assumed it was named for some gunsmith who worked for Colt. I was quite wrong. Colt originally made these grips for competitive shooters, and at the time biggest shooting contest in the world was in Bisley, England. Bisley still plays home to the Imperial Meeting and is the home to the National Shooting Centre. It seems to be the last remaining part of gun culture in England.
Colt’s new grip designed performed well and gathered attention. Since this was the Wold Competition, it was fairly famous and well-known for the era. People began referring to the grip design as the Colt Bisley, and it stuck. Since then, it’s become the de facto choice for high-powered single-action revolvers. Magnum Research, Ruger, Freedom Arms, and many others use the Bisley frame for their power house revolvers.
Now we know the origin of the Bisley grip, why it exists, and where
Today’s episode the boys are back and they’re talking about things they can’t believe people are still saying in the Year of Our Lord 2023, like “red dot sights are unreliable because batteries die”
Well, that isn’t true absolutely. Just within this context. Polls are very useful in limited scope, they can gauge general attitudes and opinions on various broad topics. That information has uses. What seems to be ignored repeatedly by those reporting on poll results though, is that the average person polled is woefully under informed on most topics about which they are being polled, and yet their opinions are still being given weight. That because they have an opinion, that opinion is informed. They shouldn’t be given that weight.
To put it bluntly, the average person being asked the question is probably too stupid to be worth asking. They don’t know, they shouldn’t be asked. This is why polling can accurately gauge prevailing attitudes but shouldn’t ever be used to craft policy. Because that poll can also, but isn’t, be used to gauge topic competence. Topic competence would ruin the validity of the poll as a leverage tool however, so we don’t ask those questions.
I bring this up for this reason. Over at the Washington Monthly they are commenting on a Nationhood Lab piece that is looking at gun violence regionally. That is, in my opinion, a good thing. We need to go beyond regional however and probably down to the county level for data and efforts to combat violence effectively to matter. The regions highlighted in the study are still far too large. The dilute the problems too much and that makes for poor and ill fit solutions.
But what kicked off this commentary was this paragraph,
Nationscape also asked respondents if they support everything from requiring universal gun purchase background checks to banning firearms. The results are encouraging—if you think the status quo is unacceptable. ]
They reference this chart on an assault weapon ban, they call the results ‘encouraging’. I want you readers to remember that. They call this result… from the public… ‘encouraging‘.
[There was near universal support in every region for background checks, with higher percentages of support in each than the proportion of Americans that believe NASA put astronauts on the moon or that the Earth is round. There was also majority support in every region for banning assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines, albeit with margins ranging from a few percent (or even a fraction of a percent) in the Far West, the Deep South, and Greater Appalachia to massive 30 and 40 point margins in the “blue” regions. (You can read the details here.)
Did you catch that.
with higher percentages of support in each than the proportion of Americans that believe NASA put astronauts on the moon or that the Earth is round.
The public, who we are polling for effective policy support, is in greater support of Universal Background Checks than believe we landed on the moon or that the earth is round. And that, is encouraging.
The public. The same public that cannot be wholly trusted to trust in a major historical event and achievement of science that happened in 1969, that’s living memory for 20% of the population, or even the basic physics involved in planetology and trust that the planet we are standing on is round… that public, we should trust their opinion on gun policy.
Because more morons support UBCs than think our space rock matches every other observable space rock in the universe in its basic fucking shape, that is encouraging.
No. Fuck off.
That’s not encouraging. That’s a giant pile of red flagged evidence that we don’t need to take the public’s opinions very seriously beyond a certain gauge of their attitudes, worries, and stresses in a very generalized sense. Because they’re stupid.
In what world can I survey someone who doesn’t understand a rule that requires any nuanced understanding about the rule and get an answer worth my time? Why would I survey all bakers about aircraft wing design, especially in so vague of terms that it amounts to ‘should we make wings better or not’? Why would I survey all chefs about their opinions regarding chemical burns and if they think chemical burns are serious burns?
Why would I survey people who don’t think we landed on the moon or that our planet is the same rough shape as every other planet and take their opinion seriously regarding the space program? Or satellites? Or the internet?
Why would I take anything seriously in polls so abysmally diluted and full of inexpert opinion that they amount to asking ‘should we be more safe or less safe?’, and then these supposed social scientists and policy drafters running around like we’ve won the Olympics with a poll result where most people picked ‘more safe’.
They using that ‘more safe’ as justification for whichever policy they can clench out from between their cheeks and claim everyone on that poll card supports it.
“But Keith,” you say smugly as a hypothetical person with a gotcha point to play, “You parrot polls that support your opinions.”
I sure do, I’m just as pessimistic about the expertise of those surveyed in those. What I’m happy about seeing in those polls is the public not buying into the unsubstantiated bullshit being peddled by the politico types promising to fix ‘gun violence’ when holding that opinion either proves their stupidity or the willful complicity into lying to the public just to keep winning their seat. Often both.
I’m so tired of popular moronism. I’m tired of us taking people like Sheila Jackson Lee seriously when they stand up in the chamber and get literally nothing right in the incoherent babbling about any topic they present as their informed testimony. I’m tired of policy makers failing ‘are you smarter than a 5th grader’ level understandings of the topics they are voting on, and then still being sat there to vote. Not just guns, everything. We have a sitting congressman, Hank Johnson of Georgia, who asked a US Navy Admiral if the US Marines were in danger of capsizing Guam… capsizing an island… that man asked that in 2010 and still has ajob, the same job, where he makes decisions about things like where to put Marines, transportation infrastructure, oh yeah… and gun policy.
Dark Star Gear has been one of the premier names in kydex concealment holsters ever since they came on the scene back in 2008.
One of the main reason is that Tom Kelley’s training resume is as impressive as his holsters, which lead to thoughtful designs with all the features you need and no superfluous bulk or add-ons.
His core line consists of the Orion for big guns, the Hitchhiker for small guns, the Rigel for weapon-mounted lights, and the Osiris for outside-the-waistband.
As of this year, Tom has introduced a new offering to his lineup: The Apollo.
The goal of the Apollo holster was to be an entry-level, turn-key holster for the most popular carry guns out there. Currently, the Apollos is offered for:
Glock 19/45/44/32. It will also fit Gen3 or 4 23s, but not Gen 5s.
The Apollo is a bare-bones holster, designed to keep it as budget-friendly as possible while maintaining the quality and performance standards that Dark Star has become known for.
The holsters are offered in either a dark black, or a slightly darker black, with RCS Overhooks, and the option to add a Dark Wing and/or Muzzle Pad as needed for either traditional Inside-the-Waistband or Appendix Inside-the-Waistband carry, and can be set up for either left or right handed carry.
While the Apollo doesn’t offer quite the same breadth of color or gun options as the full Dark Star lineup, you’d be hard pressed to find a better holster at the $40 price point.
The Apollo DOES come with the same degree of construction and finishing that we’ve come to expect from Dark Star holsters. All the edges are radiused to reduce hot spots and pressure points.
These holsters carry the added advantage of being compatible with the PHLster Enigma faceplate.
*Seriously. I cannot stress how awful the SAS “sights” are.
Sheila Jackson Lee is, like her colleagues, not someone I go to looking for doctoral level dialogue on a subject. But what we witnessed was such blathering ineptitude, that in any private sector where any liability was formed by her exposition, she would be summarily dismissed her position. Imagine a Pfizer representative or a surgeon be this blatantly wrong about how a drug worked or how the risks of a surgery were measured. Imagine an engineer being this utterly wrong about a building or road design and still be employed. But Sheila… Sheila is still employed because she ticks the right boxes on the inclusion power bingo card.
I used to joke with my father about how the meteorologist didn’t need to be right to keep their job, and that must be nice.
If you’ve ever flipped through the pages of Shotgun News, you’ve likely stumbled across all the ads for surplus firearms or something similar. Hell, the ads were half the fun, to be honest. You’ve probably run across the famed mini Mauser. These ads have frequented the pages of Shotgun News for decades and might still. They’ve been imported by Interarms, Century Arms, and now Zastava for decades.
I also liked the idea of an intermediate caliber bolt action rifle. Something about their short actions, lightweight, and cheap ammo draws me in. It took me years to finally find one, but I won’t lie. I’m quite stoked about my acquisition. My Mini Mauser is an Interarms Mark X. These rifles began life as Serbian barreled actions and were sent to Britain. There they were bedded and inserted into stocks.
This resulted in a rather nice rifle. The Mini Mauser varies a bit in design and finish, and the Mark X models are often considered the top dogs. The Mini Mauser features a deep blue finish with a beautiful wood stock. You might glance over at it first and see a Winchester Model 70. It certainly compares in finish to one. Most of the Mini Mauser family are well-made, accurate, and fun-handling rifles. I think they are criminally underrated among American shooters.
What’s a Mini Mauser?
Mauser created one of the most robust and widely copied bolt actions out there. It came to be in the 19th century and remains a strong contender to this day. The Mini Mauser family comes from the Mauser line of design, but it’s not for so mighty Teutonic cartridges like the 8mm Mauser. Instead, these actions are shrunk to intermediate rifle calibers. The two most common are .223 Remington and 7.62 X 39mm.
My model is the x39 model, and it’s the one I’ve always wanted. Cheap ammo, and the fact I have piles of it, guides my decision. Plus, bolt guns in x39mm are just plain cool. They provide the same ballistics as a .30-30, so they are perfectly suited for the swamps I hunt in.
The Mini Mauser design isn’t a real Mauser action, though. It’s a bit of an amalgamation of the Mauser action. The controlled feed design is gone, so we are left with a push-feed system. The action isn’t super smooth and certainly has some stiffness to it. It’s also a sporting action, so we can’t charge it with stripper clips, either. I don’t need to, but imagine this thing taking SKS stripper clips.
At the Range With The Mini Mauser
An optics mount and an LPVO from Primary Arms later, and I was ready to shoot. I mostly have the cheapest, dirtiest, most Eastern European ammo of dubious descent in my x39 stash. This stuff is AK food all day, and if it can’t work in other x39mm rifles, then what’s the point?
With that in mind, that’s what I shot and continue to shoot. When deer season comes around, we’ll do a zero for some of my Hornady loads, but until then, it’s time for the rough stuff. It all loads easily, and admittedly, you have to do the bolt gun shuffle to get the ammo in the magazine by swerving around the optic.
The steel ammo fed smoothly and chambered without a problem. It extracted and ejected with ease as well. The steel-cased ammo provided no problems for the Mini Mauser action. One of the benefits of a Serbian-made gun is that they make it for that same steel case 7.62x39mm they shoot.
The accuracy was impressive. I saw 1.2-inch groups at 100 yards with steel-cased ammo. A little brass-cased Winchester white box brought that down to elbow an inch. Even a 1.2-inch group is acceptable for hunting purposes or general marksmanship.
The recoil is a bit stiffer than I expected. I’m so used to shooting semi-auto 7.62x39mm guns that I forget the effect of recoil from a bolt gun. It’s not uncomfortable or painful, just present and a bit surprising.
Getting Mini
I’ve waited years to find the Mini Mauser I wanted, and it was well worth the wait. The Interarms Mark X proved to be a very well-made rifle. It’s good-looking, accurate, and reliable. It’s certainly not the smoothest design, but I bet it gets better the more I shoot. For me, this combination of wood and blued steel is a bit more appealing than the Ruger American Ranch rifle, and the channels that classic-style modern rifles are missing.
Firing around cover and under vehicles isn’t difficult
When testing the new S&W FPC carbine among my strongest impressions is that this is a fun gun to fire and use. The FPC has few sharp edges, is reliable, more than accurate enough, and affordable. The safety features are good. This is a formidable emergency firearm. The Smith & Wesson Military & Police FPC 9mm carbine neatly checks every box in the home defense checklist. I enjoyed the FPC so much I put a dent in my supply of 9mm ammunition. The FPC for area defense of a hardened location such as a bank or school building. A carrying bag supplied with the FPC would allow a business owner to carry the FPC back and forth from home and work with little unwanted attention. Unfortunately quite a few folks are upset by the sight of a firearm. The carrying bag resembles an apparel bag. If properly understood and deployed the FPC is a great defensive tool.
The FPC weighs five pounds. It is 30.3 inches long. Folded the piece comes in at 16.3 inches. This is compactness! In the bag are compartments for accessories and magazines. The FPC’s blowback operation works fine. The FPC 9mm is supplied with a single 17 round flush fit magazine and two 23 round extended magazines. These are compatible with Smith & Wesson 9mm M&P handguns. The Folding Pistol Caliber 9mm features the obligatory ½ x 28mm threaded barrel. The 16.3 inch barrel is covered by an M Lok handguard. The upper receiver features an 1913 rail. The receiver is hinged at the front to allow pressing a robust latch to rotate the handguard and barrel to the left side of the carbine. The rifle folds horizontally rather than vertically. This prevents optics from taking a bump. The FPC cannot be folded with a chambered cartridge. Yes, we are not idiots but yes idiots exist. No sights are provided.
The ejection port is generous. Administrative unloading is simple enough. While a carbine is a carbine and a pistol is a pistol I enjoyed using the M&P pistol type grip. The optional inserts were not changed as handfit was fine. This grip is the Military & Police compact grip frame allowing use of the full run of S&W magazine sizes. The FPC features ambidextrous bolt releases a reversible magazine release and a cross bolt safety. I cleaned the FPC and make a number of dry fire runs. The trigger breaks cleanly at just over five pounds. The charging handle is behind the receiver. This handle reciprocates as the weapon is fired. A rule is to keep your cheek and chin out of the way of the cocking handle while firing. It will not cut your but will slap you and beards beware.
The FPC 9mm is a reliable and useful carbine.
The FPC is much easier to shoot well than a handgun. Practical accuracy is greater than a handgun and velocity somewhat better. Accuracy at even 100 yards is sufficient to rip the center out of a target. The FPC carbine allows a shooter with a minimum of training and marksmanship skills to put a lot of hits into a threat quickly. The stock features a secure carrier allowing deployment of two spare magazines. Some practice is required to quickly release magazines. This ammunition reserve is good to have handy on the firearm not the belt. The fits most shooters well. I mounted the SIG Romeo 7 red dot sight for testing. I lubricated the bolt- about the only maintenance the FPC will need- and began firing. The red dot was easily sighted in. Firing impressions were good. The FPC carbine has some momentum but recoil is light. The trigger features a sharp reset. Ammunition was fired in combat drills extending to 25 yards with good results. The FPC will put five shots into less than an inch at 25 yards from a solid benchrest. More importantly the FPC is a joy to fire and use in offhand fire. The X ring suffered!
I like this carbine a great deal. There were no failures to feed chamber fire eject in firing at of this date well over four hundred cartridges. It is friendly to use and has advantages over the handgun shotgun or rifle in many situations. I recommend the FPC for anyone needing a measure of authority they may not find in another type of firearm. If you don’t have time to master the pistol for home defense and the shotgun kicks too much, a common complaint of the occasional shooter, the FPC is a good answer to the question of home defense.
A stock acting as a magazine carrier is a good feature.
Smith & Wesson M&P FPC Specs
Type: Blowback-operated, semiautomatic
Caliber: 9x19mm
Capacity: 17- and 23-rd. S&W M&P pistol magazines
Barrel: 16.3 in.
Overall Length: 16.3 in. (folded), 30.3 in. (fixed)
Of all the early automatic pistols out, the Mauser C96 design has to be one of my favorites. Just the aesthetics of the thing are eye-catching. Compared to the modern spartan black and blocky nature of handguns, the C96 is a joy to look at. The C96 was one of the most reproduced pistols out there and was used across Europe in the hands-on men like Winston Churchill all the way to the hands of Mexican military officers. Hell, one recently popped up in a photo in use by a Ukrainian family. One of the rarest variants and most interesting was known as the Red Nine.
I love reading authors that have a knowledge of firearms. One of my favorites is Stephen Hunter, the writer of Point of Impact. Point of Impact later became both a show and movie called Shooter. He drops names and guns often, he mentions a Red Nine, and it’s stuck with me since. My attempts to acquire one have been largely in vain. I continue to be fascinated by the Mauser C96 and the history behind the Red Nine.
The Red Nine – Behind the Name
It’s apparent where the name comes from the moment you see one. The broom handle grip has a massive nine carved into it, and that nine is often paint-filled red. This was done to distinguish the guns as 9mm. The 7.63 Mauser cartridge was far more common at the time, and it was easy to confuse which gun was which. It should be noted not every 9mm Mauser got the big red nine on it, but most did.
The reason the gun exists is because of World War 1. Germany was entrenched with the Luger, but this was a big war. They needed all the guns they could get. Germany contracted with Mauser to produce 150,000 9mm Mauser C96 pistols in 1916. The war ended before the full delivery was made, but enough was produced that they stuck around until World War 2.
The initial order called for not only the C96 but also a leather carrying harness, a takedown tool, a spare magazine spring, and a wooden device that acted as both a holster and a stock. The Red Nines are a bit large and ungainly for handguns, but the stock made it something akin to al a light rifle. I imagine the C96 would be a much lighter, easier to use, and faster firing option for trench clearing and made much easier to shoot with a stock.
Was the Red Nine Successful?
The Red Nine did offer a high capacity than the Luger by two rounds, and it wasn’t necessarily a bad gun. The fixed magazine required stripper clips to reload, which isn’t optimum. The 9mm round was no heavy recoiling round, especially in this time frame. It was certainly fine but was admittedly a bit dated even by World War 1. Handguns with removable magazines were becoming the norm. By the time World War 2 came around, this certainly wouldn’t have been a soldier’s first choice for combat.
The pistol is notoriously slow to disassemble and clean. As mentioned, it requires a takedown tool. It’s certainly not optimum for rough field conditions. It’s an awkward pistol due to its odd design, but it was functional and quite reliable. A reliable semi-auto for the era was a rare thing. The Mauser C96 and Red Nine Certainly hit the upper limits of turn of the country.
As A Collector’s Item
The Mauser Red Nine, and other C96 models, are quite popular with collectors. The Red Nine is often popular because the ammo for them is still widely available and easy to find if you have a working model. The ATF has the ability to remove certain firearms from the NFA as curios and collectibles. They used to do it fairly often, but sadly I don’t think that list has been updated in a decade.
Luckily, they did remove Mauser C96 with the stock/holster from this list. Keep in mind it has to be an original gun and holster/stock. I do not believe that reproductions are allowed but check with a knowledgeable source of credible legal information for more clarity.
The Mauser C96 and Red Nine series are currently at the top of my list for collectibles. It’s a fascinating batch of pistols from a very successful line, and it’s most certainly a part of living history.
It’s always been fascinating to me how two things can become inexplicably tied together for decades and decades. My favorite example is the Ka-Bar and the United States Marine Corps. Call it my own time as a leatherneck, but it is fascinating how long the Ka-Bar has stuck around the Marine Corps. I remember being at a working party in the armory, and we had piles of Ka-Bar knives there. The armorer said they used to issue them to SAW gunners, but now everyone got a bayonet. My love of the Ka-Bar and the Marine Corps has led me down a road to uncover the origin of this fascinating relationship.
Ka-Bar – What’s In a Name
The story about how the Ka-Bar became Ka-Bar is pretty fascinating. It has some slight changes depending on who tells it. The basic story goes like this; the Union Cutlery Co. received a letter from a fur trapper sometime in the early 1920s. A bear attacked him, and his rifle malfunctioned, and he reverted to his Union Cutlery Co. knife. He slayed the bear, and in his letter, it was spelled K, a bar.
Some say the fur trapper was mostly illiterate. Others say the letter was damaged; whatever the real reason seemed confusing. The end result is that the phrase ka a bar meant to kill a bear, and Union Cutlery Co. ran with it. The phrase Ka-Bar wasn’t tied to the knife we associate with the Ka-Bar these days.
It was a ricasso stamp on a wide variety of knives, including tons of automatic folding knives. The knife used by the trapper wasn’t the famed Ka-Bar used by the Marine Corps. In fact, that knife wouldn’t come to be until 1942.
A Call To War
Any fighting done with knives today is extremely rare. However, in World War 2, it wasn’t exactly outside of the realm of possibility. The last world war saw plenty of melee combat, which spawned the Mark 1 Trench knife. The Mk1 was interesting but had issues. The blade was ultra-small land prone to breakage. It wasn’t useful as a utility knife. The brass knuckle fingerguard was expensive to make and forced a certain grip.
While that knife worked fine for WW1, the Navy, and Marine Corps needed a new knife. The Raider stiletto was great for fighting, but they wanted a tool that also acted as a utility knife. The Navy and Marine Corps looked at the market for fighting and utility knives and asked for submissions.
Colonel John Davis and Major Howard America (yep, that’s his name, meaning at one point he was Captain America.) began working with Union Cutlery Co to make improvements to the Western Cutlery Co. L77. The L77 was already a popular purchase among Marines heading to war, so it was a natural place to start.
From there, they lightened the blade, made it longer and stronger, used a pinned pommel, added a straight crossguard, and a stacked leather grip. This became known as the 1219C2 for some reason, and eventually would become known as both the US Navy Utility Knife Mk2 and the USMC Mk 2 Combat knife.
Into the Breach
Mk2 hit the Marine Corps with widespread acceptance. It became a weapon that they were quite fond of and became the standard amongst Marines. The raiders turned in their stilettos for Ka-Bars. The knife became famous for its utility and usefulness as well as its prowess in a fight.
The long blade made it easy to hit something vital from any angle and added good reach to the Marines’ thrust and slash. The “Knife, Fighting Utility” lived up to its name and then some. The Mk2 eventually just became known as the Ka-Bar. Then famous Ricasso stamp found its way onto a ton of the knives being produced.
Multiple companies produced the knife under contract during World War 2. Union Curley Co. wisely stuck with their markings, and this allowed their trademark to become an unofficial name for the famed Mk2. It’s the Kleenex of fighting knives.
The Ka-Bar Today
In 2023 the Ka-Bar is still associated with the Marine Corps. It’s become a symbol that is just part of the Corps’s work and will likely be forever intertwined with the Corps. When I was in the Ka-Bar was a common purchase by Marines.
It served through Korea, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror. Marines carried the Ka-Bar nearly as often as they carried rifles. When we talk about fighting, the Ka-bar isn’t really a star of the show, but it’s not completely unheard of. In Vietnam, James Stogner killed several NVAs with a Ka-Bar after his rifle was disabled. In Fallujah, a marine met an insurgent on a stairway and started a brawl. They tangled with each other and were so close they couldn’t use their guns, but the Marine had his Ka-Bar.
The Ka-Bar still serves most as a utility knife. It’s a tough knife that can be used to cut, pry, hammer, and dig if necessary. It’s also an affordable option for the young Marine who doesn’t have a huge paycheck.
To this day, the bayonet issued to the Marine Corps is inspired by the Ka-Bar. It’s modified to be a bayonet with a slightly longer blade, and the serration comes on every model. The OKC-3S isn’t a standard Ka-Bar, but it’s undoubtedly influenced by the design. The blade design and handle are very Ka-Bar-like, and it’s easy to mistake one knife for another.
When SIG introduced the P365, a sub compact ten hot 9mm handgun, they had an immensely popular product. The P365 has been well received. A favorite variation is based on the P 365 XL series. The XL types are SIG pistols with a longer slide and barrel and slightly taller grip. The SIG P365 XL is a larger and slightly heavier handgun but still a perfect size handgun for concealed carry. The P365XL Spectre is concealable but easier to shoot well than most pistols. The Spectre also boasts attractive custom grade features. An interesting feature is a battle worn or distressed finish. With the frame treatment and overall quality this is a distinctive pistol with a lot of eye appeal. The texture is a result of tumbling after the slide is finished. After it exits the tumbling media each slide is unique in appearance with no two being quite the same. In common with other XL pistols the P365 XL is a product of the SIG custom works shop. The slide features a cut out that is a stylized X just behind the front post sight. The slide is stainless steel under the battle worn finish. The slide is relatively smooth with no sharp edges as it should be for concealed carry. The pistol features both rear and forward cocking serrations. oading, racking the slide, unloading or making the pistol ready isn’t a chore. The pistol is fitted with SIG XRAY sights. XRAY sights were familiar to me from long use with my first P365 9mm pistol. These sights feature a fluorescent circle around the bright front sight and two dots in the rear sight. Radioactive tritium makes for true twenty four hour sighting ability. If the need arises you may rack the slide by using the wedge type rear sight.
The frame is also distinctive. A polymer receiver holding the stainless steel chassis has also received special treatment. The grip tang is extended for better feel and recoil control. Grip texture provides an ideal balance of adhesion and abrasion. Once you have affirmed the grip the pistol isn’t going anywhere whether the hand is wet, cold, or sweaty. The grip treatment includes recesses in the grip that give the shooter greater purchase than that the standard P365. The trigger is an interesting development. The trigger is flat and promotes straight to the rear trigger compression. Trigger break is clean. Riding the trigger to the break and then catching the reset results in very good fast shooting. A number of sub compact pistols cramp my average size hand and trigger finger. The P365 XL Spectre treatment feels much better than most- in fact any other sub compact I have fired. The pistol is supplied with two twelve round flush fit magazines. This gives the shooter two more rounds than the ten shot P365. A word of warning- the magazine springs are very strong as they must be. It is asking a lot to feed twelve rounds in such a small magazine from full compression to almost no compression. It takes considerable effort and a magazine loader to load the magazines to full capacity. After the initial range session and break in period the magazines became slightly less difficult to load.
This is a well made and attractive handgun.SIG’s flat trigger is crisp and controllable.SIG X Ray sights are an advantage.The P 365 XL Spectre is a development of the P 365 series.
Firing the pistol is a pleasure. I used Blazer brass 9mm, Federal American Eagle 124 grain and also the Federal Synetch 9mm. The pistol never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject. This is a 21 ounce pistol so there is recoil energy. The pistol isn’t as comfortable to fire as a SIG P320 but recoil isn’t sharp or painful. Firing at man sized targets at 5 and 7 yards the Spectre proved effective in taking out the X ring. Most hits were in the X ring a few in the 8 and 9 ring. Aim, press the trigger, allow the pistol to reset in recoil and fire again. For testing absolute accuracy I fired the Federal 124 grain HST and Speer 124 grain Gold Dot. I fired from a solid benchrest position at 15 yards. Firing five shot groups I managed a number of five shot 2.0 inch groups. The P365 is a reliable handgun and easy enough to use in combat drills. It is more accurate than I expected and has a certain eye appeal and pride of ownership that make the pistol enjoyable to own and fire.
Craig Douglas has several pillars in the Shivworks curriculum.
Extreme Close Quarters Concepts (ECQC) is the flagship course, described on the website as “a multi-disciplinary approach to building functional, combative handgun skills at zero to five feet”.
There’s another, slightly lesser-known class, called Edged Weapons Overview. As the course name suggests it’s a more blade-focused curriculum, and is often described as “ECQC with Knives”.
Honestly, I think that description does a bit of a disservice to the course and the expectations that it sets for potential students.
There is certainly some overlap in terms of the stand-up grappling, as well as the blocks on pre-assault indicators and managing unknown contacts (MUC).
Where the courses diverge, in my opinion, is in the evolutions.
A bit of an aside, in the Shivworks lexicon, evolutions are the culmination of the day’s techniques into a practical exercise that pressure tests (and hopefully validates) the methodology. (Craig puts it a bit more concisely, but I’ve done my best to paraphrase)
In the 2-on-1 evolutions (evos) of ECQC, there’s a bit more opportunity to work the verbal agility, and the scenarios presented can be a bit more ambiguous. They tend to be more MUC oriented. How they unfold is dependent, at least in part, to how the defender chooses to act.
In EWO, the evolutions are much more fight oriented. There’s no pre-assaut cues, it starts with the understanding that you’re going to fight.
I think that’s an important distinction.
If, like me, you’ve managed to go through life without ever really being hit in the face, you’re likely carrying around at least some doubt about how that experience is going to affect you.
Even after having taken ECQC in 2017, and subsequent years of BJJ and various combatives, I still had that nagging doubt eating away at me.
Fast forward to Dec. 2022 when I finally had the chance to take EWO. I set out a couple of personal goals for the course, and walked away with a more confident outlook.
While you’re not getting hit in the face per se, having a training knife jabbed into the face panel of your FIST helmet is a pretty jarring experience. I haven’t been in a real fight to compare the experiences, but I certainly understand what people mean when they say EWO is the most physical class Shivworks offers.
Whether you’ve taken ECQC or not, you’ll get something new and different out of this class. It’s definitely worth taking.
