Pistol marksmanship is built from the ground up. Get on target by learning the basics of the proper shooting stance.
Much like a boxer wouldn’t throw a punch standing straight up, you shouldn’t pull the trigger locked linearly above your feet. Proper shooting stance—what some might call a “fighting stance”—is foundational to controlling your handgun, quickly acquiring your target and moving to another if the situation calls for it.
Instructor with 1-Minute Out and former Special Mission Unit Sargent Major Jamey Caldwell covers the basics of getting in position to deftly wield your pistol. Much like athletics, the key points involve getting your legs under you and your weight somewhat forward. This puts you in a position to “receive the blow” from recoil, mitigating it and quacking the pace to the next shot. As Caldwell points out, this is primarily achieved by putting flex at the knee and breaking at the waist.
Additionally, the position puts you at the ready to pivot. With weight above the balls of your feet, pivoting becomes more intuitive, without losing balance or control over your firearm.
Now, how Caldwell’s shooting stance isn’t a hard and fast model. Every shooter is different, from height, weight and skill level, thus each person must tinker around to find the perfect stance. However, what the instructor provides are foundational concepts that figure into every shooting stance, thus provides a good base to work from.
Spend time even before getting to the range working on your shooting stance, finding a natural position, facilitates rapid movement and puts your body weight behind your handgun. You’ll find it will go a long way in improving your recoil management and shot-to-shot accuracy.
For more videos from Panteao Productions, please visit panteao.com.
Look no further for a PCC Build. The Aero EPC-9 makes it nearly one-stop for all your components.
Swelling like a cresting wave, the pistol caliber carbine market has grown immensely over the past couple of years. Parts to cobble one together, not quite so much. Yeah, they're out there, but given the niche is defined by idiosyncratic designs AR-parts makers have played coy with the niche. Until now.
Giving PCC builds an enormous boost, AR parts powerhouse Aero Precision recently unleashed the EPC-9 (Enhanced Pistol Caliber). Though it might sound like a complete gun, it’s not. Instead its components system from barrel to buttstock allowing builders to tinker their perfect PCC from the ground up. And, boy howdy, does Aero ever give shooters options.
At present, the company is in its initial phase of the launch, unsurprisingly focused on the most popular chambering of pistol caliber carbines—the 9mm. Technically, the EPC-9 lower is compatible with .40 S&W, but all the other components—BCG, barrels, and complete uppers are all designed for Parabellum. However, Aero gives shooters plenty of reasons to keep tabs in the future with a “Coming Soon” .45 ACP/10mm lower displayed on its website. It’s a sure bet the manufacturer plans to release a full spectrum of support components for the other calibers as time wears on.
On tap right now for 9mm EPC-9, 5.5-, 8.3-, 11- and 16-inch barrels, complete uppers with the same barrel lengths, Atlas handguards and internals. As to some of the EPC's finer points, it features the very desirable bolt hold open and Glock-magazine compatibility. As expected, it utilizes a straight-blowback operating system, which is standard for PCCs. Additionally, Aero has added some nice touches, such as an upper tension screw to eliminate any rattle between upper and lower, flared magazine well and an integrated trigger guard.
As to price, it all comes down to what you buy from Aero, but the EPC-9 receiver set has an MSRP of $269.99.
Do you know when you have gone too far hot-rodding your reloads? Here are some of the telltale signs you're pushing your luck with cartridge pressure.
What Are Excessive Cartridge Pressure Signs?:
Difficult Case Extraction
Flattened Primer
Raised Crater Where The Firing Pin Strikes The Primer
Shiny Spot On The Case Head
This article is an excerpt from The ABCs of Reloading, 10th Edition by Phil Massaro, on sale at GunDigestStore.com.
What are the pressure signs you need to recognize? How do you know when your load is too hot and you need to back it down?
Several signs can be seen or felt on the fired cartridge. The first indicator is a difficult case extraction. Whether it’s a revolver that requires additional effort to get the cases from the cylinder or a bolt-action rifle with a bolt that is difficult to lift, an overly expanded case is a telltale sign. A semi-automatic firearm may fail to cycle the action or extract the cartridge at all, or a lever-action may lock up completely. No matter the gun, if a cartridge is stuck in the chamber or is challenging to extract, that should be the first sign of trouble.
The spent primer can tell you much about what’s going on inside the cartridge. Become familiar with how a primer looks when newly installed, properly seated, and fired at normal pressures. It should have a clean mark from the firing pin. The edges of the spent primer, where it contacts the edge of the case’s primer pocket, should have the same curved appearance when you installed it. If the primer seems to have a sharp, square edge along the primer pocket, or it seems distorted in any way, that is an immediate sign of high pressure. (Many reloaders refer to this as a ‘flattened primer.’) Also, look at the firing pin mark: if the dimple made by the pin has a raised crater on its edges, this is an example of the pressure blowing the metal in the primer backward and around the firing pin. It’s highly indicative of excessive pressure.
These 6.5 Creedmoor cases show shiny extractor marks, flattened primers, and cratered firing pin marks — all are indicative of excess pressure.
If you see a bright, shiny spot on the case head where the extractor sits, this is another sign that the pressure is too high for the cartridge/rifle combination. I’ve also seen excessive pressure blow the primer entirely out of the case and have found the cup and anvil of the primer down in the rifle’s magazine.
However, lest you should fear the handloaded cartridge, I have seen all of these symptoms in factory ammunition and on more than one occasion. Some shooters like to stuff +P ammunition in older revolvers, and the result can be a cracked cylinder, rendering an otherwise perfectly good handgun useless. I’ve also seen people push a classic, century-old lever-action rifle to the brink with the faster, modern ammunition such as Hornady’s LEVERevolution. Both the +P handgun ammo and Hornady’s great lever gun cartridges have their place, so long as you understand the pressures they generate and use them in the appropriate firearms.
You’ll need to recognize the pressure and velocity limits of the cartridge you’re loading. My first bolt-action big game rifle was a Ruger Model 77 MKII chambered in .308 Winchester and was a Christmas gift from my Dad, Ol’ Grumpy Pants. He shoots .308 Winchester, so we started handloading for the pair of rifles and had success. It was quite a good feeling to take deer with the ammunition we’d created together, and that rifle and cartridge were responsible for my journey into reloading.
The IMR Enduron line was engineered to minimize temperature change’s effects on the powder’s performance.
I began experimenting with all sorts of loads for that rifle. Some were middle-of-the-road recipes that the .308 likes and others pushed the limits, as I was essentially trying to beat .30-06 velocities from the much smaller case. With my cartridges demonstrating all of the symptoms I described above, Grumpy Pants gave me that look of parental disappointment, and I knew I’d be hearing about it. “Why don’t you use that rifle for what it was designed for and just go deer hunting? If you want a .300 Magnum, go buy one, but stop torturing that rifle.” He was right.
There was no point in generating those high pressures in that rifle, and once I came back to the realm of sanity, the groups went back to the sub-MOA size they had been, primers and cases appeared as they should, and I still enjoy that rifle to this day. The point is that even though you can control the parameters of your ammo, wringing every last bit of velocity out of the cartridge at the cost of high pressures is a poor tradeoff.
Modeled after the Glock 19, the Lone Wolf LTD brings some welcome upgrades to the table.
If you know Glocks, chances are you’re familiar with Lone Wolf Distributors. You know, the aftermarket parts company—a good ones at that. If it hadn’t hit your radar, Lone Wolf has branched out from barrel upgrades and custom slides for the polymer wonders. Now the Idaho concern is a full-fledged gunmaker.
It all started in late 2020 with the novice-shooter angled Guardian Pistol that came bundled with training classes. Now the manufacturer has turned to something for the bit more seasoned armed citizen. Meet the Lone Wolf Lightweight Tactical Defensive (LTD).
The company hasn’t strayed too far from its knowledge base, given the polymer-framed 9mm is most certainly a Glock clone. However, the Lone Wolf LTD isn’t a 1-to-1 Glock knockoff with a few shined up parts here and there by any stretch of the imagination. The company poured its upgrade know-how into making a fairly striking and unique pistol in its own right, one positively fit for everyday carry.
Living up to its name, the Lone Wolf LTD comes in at a featherweight 19 ounces without a magazine, extremely light for a 4-inch barreled pistol. Side by side to its Glock inspiration—the G19—it’s an entire 11-ounces lighter, making a much more manageable gun to carry for long stretches. A quick scan of the gun and it's simple to decern how Long Wolf achieved the weight savings, with the LTD boasting extensive cuts on the sides of the slide. In addition to removing heft, Lone Wolf touts the machining also helps reduce felt recoil, given there’s less mass thrusting reward. But the reduced weight of the pistol likely makes up for that.
The slide has been further enhanced with ample cocking serrations fore and aft, making the LTD more intuitive to manipulate. Additionally, Lone Wolf rounds all edges and corners, ensuring the pistol won’t snag on the draw.
There are some more nuanced features to the Lone Wolf LTD, particularly in the frame. In particular, the tang has a more pronounced radius permitting a higher grip than possible on a Glock, not only facilitating a solid handle on the gun, but also lowering its bore axis relative to the shooter's hand and arm. Additionally, the company amply undercuts the trigger guard. Both features give the big-handed shooter more real estate to work. Then at the bottom, Lone Wolf runs a low-profile mag well—not a common sight on self-defense guns. Similar in concept to competitive pistols, this accelerates the reloading process and clears the flesh at the butt of the hand from getting pinched.
Other notables on the Lone Wolf LTD include a 6.5-pound trigger break, choice of gray or black frame, black or silver finished slide, stainless steel guide rod and Glock magazine compatibility. As for how it measures up against the origin G19 in price, the pistol holds its own with an MSRP of $699.
What's a legacy skill? Simply the foundational methods of precision shooting. Master them and you'll have a leg up in the long-range game.
In terms of training, we talk about “legacy skills” all the time. To me, legacy skills are the tools that enhance the shooter’s overall proficiency while not being dependent on gear. In other words: You’re solving your precision rifle problem without having to dip into your wallet.
It boils down to training and mindset. Do you invest in a ballistic calculator for your latest smartphone, or will a data book work?
Reticle Ranging
One example from a sniper’s standpoint is reticle ranging. Reticle ranging is a legacy skill because it’s:
Slow in a game where speed wins
Limited in its maximum effective range
Subjective in execution
Results will vary with conditions
It’s a perishable skill set
Today, the military uses tools to help when reticle ranging is necessary. Its members practice “rapid target engagements” with their system that translate directly to their reticle. It’s different from my days in the Marine Corps, but it accomplishes the same thing; it just cuts out a few steps.
Reticle ranging is subject to light, angle, target size and color. There’s a host of variables that can skew the results, so we have to practice. It’s a perishable skill that requires sustainment training. When you need it, you want it to be there, so practice is the only choice. The formulas are all over the Internet, but honestly, you use them to create a “cheat sheet.” They’re not for in the field, because they’re too slow. The idea that you can break out a calculator under stress or time is a non-starter. We adapt and practice to speed up the process.
Slings
Slings are another area we consider a legacy skill. It’s one thing to sling up a 7-pound rifle with a 3-9x scope. It’s an entirely different process to shoot an 18-pound Accuracy International with a sling under time with any kind of success. The amount of training necessary would be self-defeating: Our precision rifles have to be supported. Can it be done? Absolutely. But it’s wildly inconsistent without training.
Ask yourself this: Do I want to stand up in the middle of a field and set up a sling? For me? No. I look at things such as cover and concealment, so my first consideration is rifle support.
While re-reading an older article I wrote, I spoke passionately about carrying a tripod. Legacy skills mean I have a tool in my toolbox when all else fails; I have a plan, along with the ability to execute. My skills are up the task without outside influence. It’s not a dollar issue; it’s one of time and training.
Precision shooters need to manage a lot of information. Consider your data book your shooter’s “bible.”
Sling shooting is beneficial when practiced. But understand the time it takes to build the position and adjust the natural point of aim. I know for a fact that I can deploy a bag or tripod faster. The question becomes, What happens when I don’t have my backpack or tripod?
We shot off of packs in the Marines, because we didn’t have bipods. Slings were necessary for both general qualifying and sniping. A sling can do more than just hold the rifle on your shoulder—but, you have to train.
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Mils vs. MOA: Which Is The Best Long-Range Language?
Ballistic apps/solvers are all the rage. We see new owners buying apps before they even hit the range or own a rifle. Because these apps reside on our phone, many look at them as if they were games—as opposed to the military-grade tools they actually are.
We’ve lost an essential connection to our data by depending on apps. We remember more when we write things down instead of inputting it into the phone. Defaulting to a smartphone to manage all your ballistic calculations creates a “dope disconnect.”
Back in the day, we all had to memorize phone numbers; this was pretty easy, because we manually inputted them every time. Today, we tap the icon or pick a name out of a list, and the phone does the rest.
Our data books are a shooter’s “bible.” We used to have one for every rifle we owned. We were meticulous about monitoring everything— from round count to range details. In fact, I have a retired data book with more information from places such as Gunsite that are still valid today. None of them can be found in any of my apps. It’s more than dope: The targets are plotted out and have yet to be moved.
Data books are crucial for analysis, damage control and barrel conditioning. It’s beyond just serving as a dope book. Fill your data book with any number of true statements, and there’s nothing you can’t accomplish. I love the variety of pages we have (thanks to people such as Tony at Impact Data Books!). To this day, I still use a data book—despite owning every, single ballistic app on the market. In fact, I’d break out a data book before I’d open my phone on the firing line.
Positional Shooting
There’s a long list of legacy skills out there; some of them are discipline-specific.
Modern conveniences and old-school methodology can work hand-in-hand. The author uses a Kestrel on the firing line, but he’s also manually recording the data.
One area that’s easy and combines multiple legacy skills is positional shooting. Today, we try to support the rifle off props. Practicing positions with a sling accomplish two things: You learn to manage the fundamentals from alternate positions, and you can work slings and body positions to stabilize the shots.
Working positions is only limited by time. You don’t need a barricade or a tank trap. You can do it in an empty field. Follow the crawl. Walk and then run the model, making sure your execution is perfect. Take the time to analyze and fine-tune each step of the process. It’s not so much when you’re sitting slung up; it’s more about getting into and out of the position quickly and effectively.
For instance, in a NASCAR race, the problem isn’t the straightaway—it’s the turns (where do you enter each turn, and where do you get back on the gas?).
It’s about being a well-rounded marksman. We have plenty of shortcuts in our lives. Look at your shooting as if it were a martial art and master the craft before turning to the tips and tricks. Those will come later.
I want to “own” everything in front of me out to 600 meters, 800 meters, 1,000 yards! Whatever the case, practice makes perfect.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Its first foray into 3-dot sights, the new XS R3D Sights design is well-thought-out and easy to see in any light.
For the past 20 years or so, almost every one of my defensive handguns has had its sights replaced with XS Sights. As far as XS Sights are concerned, R3D presumably stands for “Radio Active 3 Dot.” The R3D sights are the first 3-dot sights the company has offered.
I’ve never been a huge fan of 3-dot sights. The front sight is the one that deserves your focus; and, with many 3-dot sight systems, all three dots are the same size. This could—at least theoretically—lead to confusion.
Currently, XS is offering its R3D sights for a variety of Glock, Sig Sauer, Springfield, FN and Smith & Wesson handguns.
To test these new sights, I installed them on my son’s Gen-4 Glock 19, which was already wearing a set of Trijicon HD XR night sights. But, before making the switch, he and I both fired several practical drills so we’d have a baseline of performance for comparison with the new XS Sights.
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After a good bit of range time, I don’t think “dot confusion” is a realistic concern with the R3D sights. This is partly because the front R3D sight has the common tritium vial but is surrounded by a large circle of photoluminescent material. It’s extremely visible; you’d have to be blind not to see it. It very effectively serves its purpose of attracting your eye to it as soon as the handgun enters your field of vision. It’s also partly because the two dots on the rear sight are very small. During all daylight and moderately low-light shooting, I never noticed the rear dots. The only time they got any attention was when it was nearly dark, and then, they were more of a confirmation of the rear sight than an actual tool to help me put a sight picture together.
Another aspect of these sights we both really liked was that the rear notch is 15 percent wider than the front sight. This allows for enough light on both sides of the front sight to make sight alignment fast. Due to presbyopia, I (ideally) need to wear prescription shooting glasses for the best accuracy with a handgun. This notch and front sight size relationship allowed me to shoot well, even without the aid of corrective lenses.
Comparison Testing
How did the XS R3D sights compare to the Trijicon HD XR sights?
The goal of the exercise was not to discover which sight was best; it was only to see if the new XS Sights could perform as well (I don’t know how many shooters and how many rounds would have to be fired in order to make a definitive claim that one sight is better than the other). Based on the drills we fired, both sights performed about the same. I shot infinitesimally better with the XS Sights, and my son’s performance was practically identical with either sight.
We both did agree we liked the smaller rear dots on the R3D sights. In addition, the R3D rear sight has a slight overhang that, combined with the anti-reflective lens vials on the two rear dots, reduces the glare on the face of the rear sight in brightly lit conditions. There’s also some science at work with the front sight: It’s what XS calls “Ember Glow Technology.”
The tritium vial or lamp in the front sights charges the colored dot that surrounds it. This makes the front sight much brighter than the rear and helps direct your focus on the front sight—where it needs to be.
XS R3D Options
The R3D sights from XS are available with a green or orange front sight and retail for $109.99. Currently, XS is offering its R3D sights for a variety of Glock, Sig Sauer, Springfield, FN and Smith & Wesson handguns. They come with a punch and LocTite for self-installation, but I’d suggest you get a gunsmith to do this for you. Also, in addition to XS’s no-questions-asked warranty and world-class customer service, if a customer tries one the R3D night sights and is not completely satisfied, XS will swap them out for a different model or, if the sight is purchased directly from the company or participating partners, it’ll even offer a refund.
Lights out at long range, the .224 Valkyrie might leave some wanting at more pedestrian distances.
When it comes to long-range shooting, what cartridge do you turn to? For the everyman, maybe the 6.5 Creedmoor. For the competitor, perhaps 6mm Dasher. For the independently wealthy, possibly the .375 CheyTac. For the AR-15 owner … that’s where things get interesting.
For many years, owners of America’s favorite rifle were stuck when it came to reaching out with the eminently flexible firearm. That’s surprising given that for more than a half-century the AR-15 has been nearly all things to all shooters. But it took the better part of the rifle’s rise for a dedicated cartridge meant to put copper-jacketed lead on target at the horizon to come about. Of course, here we’re alluding to the new(ish) .224 Valkyrie.
The .224 Valkyrie has earned its place in the pantheon of AR-15 cartridges.
While the cartridge has yet to achieve the notoriety of some of its AR-15 cohorts—5.56 NATO and 300 Blackout especially. The ballistically talented .22-caliber has still carved out a solid and respectable niche in the world of semi-auto rifles. When it comes to downrange performance, without having to jump up to the AR-10, there are few other cartridges that hold a candle to the .224 Valkyrie. That said, it’s not for everybody.
Valkyrie Takes Flight
Wait a tick … what do you mean the cartridge isn’t for every shooter? Don’t take it the wrong way. If you can’t live without a .224 Valkyrie in your arsenal, don’t let anything hold you back—especially digital ink. However, if you’re wary about how and what you lay your hard-earned cash down on, then you might need to consider a few things about the cartridge.
A good place to start, as always, is the beginning.
Federal Ammunition introduced the .224 Valkyrie in 2018 with great fanfare and a bold promise: supersonic performance out to 1,300 yards. They weren’t the first to soup up the good old .224 caliber—the year previous to the Valkyrie hitting the scene Nosler unveiled its blistering hot Nosler 22. But how Federal aimed to reach its goals varied substantially from its competitor. Whereas the Nosler 22 achieves its goals through pure brute force—larger case capacity—the .224 Valkyrie is more nuanced. The case capacity offers a modest improvement over the tried-and-true 5.56/.223, but the secret sauce is bullet weight. A ceiling around 90-grains, the .224 Valkyrie offered up longer and sleeker bullets, with those high-value ballistic coefficients (BC) that buck air resistance and wind drift. Again, nothing new.
Given the .224 Valkyrie's parent case is the 6.8 SPC, it does require a bolt upgrade to function in an AR.
Daring handloaders have upped their projectile’s weight for years, but in the case of the .223 Remington and the AR-15 it typically came at a cost. In particular, maximizing a power charge generally meant incompatibility with standard AR magazines, due to increased case overall length. Conversely, if the bullet was seated deeper in the case powder was displaced, resulting in less velocity. Not exactly what shooters signed up for with the platform.
Federal had an elegant solution, keeping specs in line with the rifle, without compromising capacity. Enter the 6.8 SPC. The child of the old, rimless .30-30 (the .30 Remington) had already shown a smooth operator out of the AR-15, requiring minimal modification from the mil-spec formula. Federal just continued to neck the case down to hold a .224-diameter bullet to produce a cartridge that functioned in the platform and sent its rounds way downrange.
Even better, the cartridge required little muddling with the AR itself to make the jump. A bolt upgrade to handle the .224 Valkyrie's .422-inch case head and a new set of mags specific to the rotund cartridge were in order. Other than that it was off to the races.
SAAMI chamber diagram of the .224 Valkyrie.
For their efforts to embrace the new long flier how were shooters repaid? From Federal’s initially ballyhoo with performance that rivaled the 6.5 Creedmoor. There didn't stretch the truth about it either. From a 24-inch barrel, with a 90-grain bullet moving 2,700 fps at the muzzle, the Valkyrie easily reaches 1,300-yard supersonic making it a legitimate long-range threat. But like all things in life, to achieve those results there are tradeoffs.
If you were paying attention to the above numbers, you might have caught a little something odd. Barrel length. Whichever way you slice it, a 24-inch barrel on an AR-15 is mighty long. But to get the Valkyrie singing, plenty of bore is required. Even a small deviation has consequences. An example.
Take 24-inch barrel and 18-inch barrel rifles shooting the same .224 Valkyrie load, in this case Hornaday’s 88-grain Match round topped with its excellent ELD bullet (.545 BC G1). From the longer barrel, the bullet leaves the muzzle at around 2,675 fps and the shorter somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,555 fps. As expected, the extra 125 fps out of the 24-inch barrel shoots much flatter. With a 100-yard zero, the two are nearly neck and neck at 500-yards, but by 1,000 yards the 24-inch barreled rifle drops somewhere around 60-inches less than its compatriot. Additionally, the 18-inch barrel goes sub-sonic at 1,200 yards, while the 24-inch barrel nearly makes it to 1,300 yards.
Trajectory comparison at 1,500 yards of the .224 Valkyrie shot from 24- and 18-inch barreled rifles.
To be sure, there is some hair-splitting in this comparison. Nevertheless, for those who take weight and wieldiness of a rifle into account, it’s worth keeping in mind. Plus, there’s a little matter of where the .224 Valkyrie falls out at pedestrian ranges, especially for those who might apply the cartridge to more than shooting a country mile. Let’s parse that out with another example.
Match the same Hornady load as before against the 5.56 NATO 62-grain M855 Green Tip (.305 BC G1, roughly). Here we’ll launch the 5.56 from a 16-inch carbine, which pushes the bullet out around 2,946 fps and the Valkyrie from the 24-inch barrel, with its previous performance standards. It goes without saying, the .224 Valkyrie outperforms at long-range, expected given the lighter 5.56 goes sub-sonic at 800 yards. Before then, we observe something interesting. The 5.56 has a marginally flatter trajectory than its heavier compatriot at intermediate ranges. It’s only surpassed by the Valkyrie beyond the 400-yard mark and tracks the heavier bullet’s trajectory closely until 500 yards. Salient, especially since the 5.56 accomplishes this feat from a rifle boasting a barrel 8-inches shorter and presumably much lighter than the Valkyrie gun.
Trajectory comparison of the 5.56 and .224 Valkyrie at 500 yards.
For dedicated long-range shooters, the concern about barrel length probably falls on deaf ears. For many, large rifles are not an issue and, given the extra weight, are perhaps desirable in ensuring accurate follow-up shots on the quick. But for a hunter who has to shimmy up to a tree during deer season or hump more than a mile to a coyote stand—both of which won’t likely take a shot over 400 yards—the extra burden becomes questionable.
Who’s It For?
Federal cooked up the .224 Valkyrie as a long-range option fit to compete against some of the most popular precision cartridges on the market. All in all, the cartridge hits this nail on the head. The AR-15 shooter looking to compete in the Precision Rifle Series gas-gun section or reach out to the rifle’s limits would do well investing in a complete build or an upper.
To learn your limits you have to stretch things out. For example when it comes to long distance shooting you won’t know what you can do unless you reach your limit. This lets you know what you can do, which creates confidence, and with time your skills improve too.
More practical-minded shooters might have to give the cartridge more thought. The .224 Valkyrie is a lights-out hunter and more than capable of owning middle ranges. But shooters must realize the cartridge mirrors more common AR-15 cartridges in those roles—at least in respect to trajectory—and does so from a much larger rifle. All in all, expect most .224 Valkyrie rifles and uppers to boast 18-plus-inch barrels—the majority greater than 20 inches.
There's also a little matter of ammunition costs. Certainly, 2021 (when this article was written) has seen inflated ammunition costs, no matter the cartridge. In saner times, however, the 5.56 can be shot for penny's on the dollar, while the .224 Valkyrie will command more than $1 per trigger pull with anything but the lightest range ammo.
Parting Shot
The .224 Valkyrie rounded out the AR-15, legitimately getting it on par with other popular long-range platforms. But like everything pertaining to guns (and life) getting the most out of the specialist required tradeoffs—some of them not in line with every shooter. Similar to any other gun or cartridge conversation, only you can evaluate if those tradeoffs make sense.
With power to spare, the new Raging Hunter .460 S&W hits the mark for handgun hunters.
A lot’s happened since “Dirty” Harry Callahan declared the .44 Magnum “the most powerful handgun in the world.” One example, the .460 Smith & Wesson. Capable of kicking a 300-grain bullet out more than 2,000 fps, the big-bore revolver round tends to make the .44 Mag look like child’s play. Which is to say, little stands in the way of it and its terminal destination.
No stranger to handheld power, Taurus recently embraced the .460 Smith & Wesson chambering its popular hunting revolver for the brutish cartridge. The Raging Hunter .460 S&W is certain to prove a favorite among hunters who not only want an option that handles any North American game but nearly everything around the globe.
“Handgun hunting is on the upswing as experienced hunters look to expand their options and, quite frankly, seek new and challenging ways to enjoy their hunting passion while putting healthy wild game on the table,” said Taurus CEO Bret Vorhees. “The Taurus Raging Hunter was a hit among veteran and new handgun hunters when we introduced it in 2019. We are now answering the consumer demand for even more chamber options and downrange performance with the new Raging Hunter in .460 S&W.”
Previously, the Raging Hunter was available in .454 Casull, .44 Magnum and .357 Magnum/.38 Special +P. While the new .460 S&W chambering increase the power of the 5-round revolver, Taurus has striven to keep the pistol as manageable and on-target as its previous iterations. So, how does the new addition shake out?
First off, Taurus offers three different barrel lengths of the Raging Hunter .460 S&W: 5.12 inches, 6.75 inches and 8.37 inches. Each features a sleeved barreled to reduce the revolver’s overall weight, making it more comfortable to tote into the backwoods. Helping counteract its lightweight, Taurus includes factory-tuned porting and a gas-expansion chamber. The features won’t make the .460 a kitten, but will help combat excessive muzzle rise and aid in placing a follow-up shot if one is called for. Taurus also makes the addition of an optic simple, outfitting the Raging Hunter with a full-length Picatinny rail on top of the barrel shroud.
Other notable include a fully adjustable rear sight, ergonomic finger-groove grip with cushioned inserts and your choice of matte black or two-tone finish. In the expensive realm of hunting handguns, the Raging Hunter .460 S&W comes in at a relatively affordable price. The black finish puts shooters back $968.18 and the two-tone $983.33.
Raging Hunter .460 S&W Specs Caliber: .460 S&W Magnum Action Type: DA/SA Capacity: 5 Barrel Length: 8-3/8″ / 6-3/4″ / 5-1/8″ Overall Length: 14.9″ / 13.2″ /11.6″ Overall Height: 6.5″ / 6.6″ / 6.6″ Overall Width: 1.92″ Weight: 65.6 oz. / 61.5 oz. / 57.7 oz. Sights Front: fixed Sights Rear: fully adjustable Materials (Frame): alloy steel or stainless Materials (Barrel): stainless Safety Device: transfer bar Finish: matte black or two-tone Rail (top): Picatinny MIL-STD-1913 MSRP: $968.18 Black / $983.33 Two Tone
For more information on the Raging Hunter .460 S&W, please visit taurususa.com.
Dubbed the Hellcat RDP, the variant of Springfield's popular micro-compact comes decked out with features to make it more manageable and accurate.
Springfield Armory struck gold with the introduction of its Hellcat pistol. Among the smallest of the micro 9mm options to hit the market in recent years, the bantamweight also boasted impressive firepower. With 11-rounds on tap with its flush-fit magazine and 13-rounds with its extended mag, the Hellcat had claw enough to come out on top in most force-on-force scenarios. Good as the pistol has proven, the gun company is going the extra mile with the latest addition to the Hellcat family.
Dubbed the Hellcat Rapid Defense Package (RDP), the new pistol boasts all the features that made it popular in the first place, plus a couple of extra accuracy-enhancing assets. Perhaps the most radical of the upgrades is the pistol now comes with a 1/2″-28 TPI threaded muzzle on the 3.8-inch barrel, which comes pre-installed with a self-indexing compensator. Unorthodox as it is, the device does make some sense on the petite package.
Manageable as the original micro-compact proves, its lightweight and abbreviated grip makes it a hair jumpy in the hand for some, thus a bit slower shot to shot. The machined anodized aluminum compensator solves this, eliminating much of the muzzle rise, thus quacking the pace of accurate follow-up shots.
The device might not be everyone’s cup of tea, given it does increase the Hellcat RDP’s overall length to 7 inches. Though even for this group, the threaded muzzle might be appealing opening the gates for the addition of a suppressor and more enjoyable (at least quiet) range time.
As for the other enhancement, Springfield debuts its HEX optics on the Hellcat RDP. Direct-mounted on the slide HEX Wasp red dot provides a low-profile aiming solution specifically tailored for the pistol. With the same footprint as the Hellcat OSP, the ruggedly built, IPX7 waterproof-rated Wasp features an aluminum body and an anti-glare-coated glass lens, and the ability to co-witness with the gun’s iron sights. The Wasp boasts a quick acquisition 3.5 red dot that offers a 65,000-hours run time between battery changes.
Less evident than the other features, the Hellcat RDP is also outfitted with Springfield’s new Gen 2 trigger. Featuring a new flat contour, the shoe proves more comfortable, reduces the felt pull-weight and promotes a more linear path to the break. The pistol is available with or without a low-profile thumb safety, in either case, the MSRP on the Hellcat RDP is $899.
I got into reloading for a couple of reasons: first, it was something I wanted to do with my Dad, as it kept us shooting together in the offseason; second, it allowed me to build premium ammunition at a lower cost than I could buy it. I’m not sure that is true any longer, but it warrants taking a detailed look at the cost breakdown of what it takes to make a box of cartridges compared to what it would cost to buy factory loaded stuff. And, never forget, your time is worth something, even if you spend it performing a labor of love.
The volume of ammo you expend will affect the numbers game, as you’ll need to purchase the same tools to make one box of ammunition as you’ll need to load twenty. And it’ll also depend on the cartridge you’re shooting; the cost ratio of reloading to factory ammo is going to be much different for the 9mm Luger, .45 ACP, .223 Remington, and .30-06 Springfield than it will be for the .455 Webley, .318 Westley Richards, .333 Jeffery, and .350 Rigby Magnum. Then there is the ability to load for rifles and pistols that have no factory ammunition option. You can then only place the value on the ability to shoot that gun, making the cost of reloading irrelevant as it’s the only option you’ve got.
Couple these ideas with the ammunition drought of 2013–2014 and the incredible increase in sales of both firearms and ammunition in the madness that began in 2020, and you’d have to add some value to having the ability to reload when there is almost nothing available on store shelves. No matter what the usual market price of your favorite factory ammo, when it’s unavailable, you’ll pay a premium. The value of handloads increases accordingly.
The Economics
Let’s use the universal and popular .30-06 Springfield as an example for cost analysis, assuming you’re a new reloader and starting with no more gear other than a heaping pile of once-fired brass you’ve saved in a shoebox over the years. Looking at the big picture, at a bare minimum, you’ll need a reloading press, a set of dies, a scale, trimming capabilities, measuring tools, case lube, reloading manual, and other accouterments.
Factory ammunition for a standard chambering such as the .30-06 Springfield is generally available and affordable, but once you experience the freedom of handloading, you may never look back.
Let’s say you jump into the pool with one of the reloading kits, such as the Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit, which has a street price of $400. I’d add to that a trimmer, say an RCBS for $135, and a set of standard dies at $40. Before you buy a single component, you’re now $475 in the hole. You’ll need a pound of powder for roughly $30 and a box of 100 large rifle primers for $4. Let’s use a standard deer hunting bullet such as the Sierra GameKing 165-grain spitzer boattail at $30 per box of 100. You’ve invested $539 and have the capability of loading five boxes of ammo. That works out to $107.80 per box of 20, but that’s not realistic because you can use the tools for decades.
Suppose you take care of your reloading tools, and they last you a lifetime. Further, to simplify the analysis, let’s remove the equipment’s initial cost from the equation. To be conservative, let’s throw in 100 brass cases from Federal at $62/100. Our components for 100 newly loaded .30-06 rounds would come to about $126, or $1.26/round. By comparison, a 20-round box of Federal Premium with that same Sierra 165-grain GameKing bullet fetches $30-$37 — or $1.50-$1.85/round. So, yes, you can handload these rounds for a $.24-$.59 cent per round savings. Not only that, as I write this, there is a run on ammo, and you can’t find that Federal factory load in stock. If you have the components on hand, you can always load some up.
Seeing The Savings
If you’re a one-deer-a-year consumer who generally confirms zero on Ol’ Besty and heads afield, perhaps the factory ammunition is the way for you to go. But if you enjoy recreational shooting and the benefits of routine practice with your big game rifle, you can see how the investment in reloading tools can pay for itself in a short amount of time. If you get a couple of buddies together to share the tools’ cost, you can see a return on your investment even sooner.
Compare this idea to a cartridge such as the .300 Weatherby Magnum, where factory ammunition runs from $40 to $90 per box. Suddenly, your investment in tools seems much more worthwhile. Should you shoot multiple calibers — both rifle and pistol — you will see how reloading gear can quickly provide a return on your money. I’ve also experienced the frustration of finding a factory load that a rifle loves, only to have the factory change the recipe (whether intentional or not, I cannot answer), resulting in ruined accuracy and me scratching my head wondering what happened to the rifle. What’s more, experimenting with different factory loads can be a hefty investment, especially if you’re shooting a rare and costly cartridge. The initial investment of the reloading tools, and the cost of components, coupled with the time spent developing a load, are all well worth it to me. I can grab primer X, charge the case with my known charge of powder Y, and seat bullet Z on top to arrive at the load that will serve for the rifle’s life.
I gave the example of purchasing a reloading kit, and that is certainly a sound idea, but you could also buy your tools individually. Depending on your budget, you can make the tool list as expensive or inexpensive as you choose. One benefit of reloading: dies and presses are interchangeable — should you choose a Redding press, you could easily use a Hornady resizing die, an RCBS seating die and a Lee crimp die, or just about any combination. You can buy as you go, keeping your eyes open for specials and deals on reloading gear to keep costs to a minimum.
Considerig reloading requires an upfront investment in tools and components, bulk factory ammo might be a better value (when you can get it) for some shooters.
Online shopping has become popular, and that applies to reloading as well. But primers and powder require a Hazardous Materials fee on shipping. This fee can add a considerable amount of money to your components’ cost, so keep that in mind and try and order in bulk, even if you have to combine orders with a friend or two. I recommend combining primers and powder on the same order under the same HazMat fee.
Looking For Deals
For the high-volume handgun shooter, there are many quality, inexpensive projectiles available that will keep the cost of ammunition down. Federal’s SynTech is a great example. It’s a synthetic-coated lead bullet, perfect for the indoor ranges, which cost between $23 and $27 per box of 100, or roughly 2/3rds the cost of Federal’s premium handgun bullets. It runs clean and is accurate for practice. If you don’t mind scrubbing lead from your bore, companies such as Meister Bullets offer hardcast lead bullets in bulk that can be as cheap as $0.07 per bullet for the classic 230-grain round-nose .45 ACP bullet if you buy them by the 1,000 count. Berry’s Bullets offers plated projectiles for both rifles and pistols at an affordable rate; they are accurate, and you can use them in an indoor range.
Rife with obscals and challenges, defending yourself in a vehicle requires a different set of self-defense tactics.
If you’re like most Americans, you spend an inordinate amount of time in your vehicle. It’s both the curse and blessing of a mobile society. Familiar as your car or truck is, however, the space can become a challenging and unforgiving terrain in a self-defense situation. From stick shifts to seat belts and tight quarters, there about every type of obstruction to hamper or completely hinder your ability to defend yourself. Given the riotous situations on the nation’s roadway last year, it’s obvious not knowing the way around your vehicle can put your life at peril.
While there are many facets to defending yourself and your loved ones inside a car, Jamey Caldwell goes to the bedrock of the topic in the above video. Much of what the former Sargent Major in the Army’s Special Mission Unit and firearms instructor preaches is situational awareness. It doesn’t matter if you’re walking down the street or pulling up to a red light, observing and evaluating conditions around you is perhaps the A-No. 1 self-defense skill. However, he also touches upon another pertinent concept important in defending yourself in a vehicle—environmental awareness.
Sounds silly, right? You know your way around your car, so much so you can tune in your favorite radio station while changing lanes and never bat an eye. Well, there’s a nasty illusion in that example. You have a lifetime of practice operating your vehicle; chances are you don’t defending yourself in it. That’s not a comforting thought.
Caldwell covers some of the main concerns armed citizens confront in facing lethal-force events in vehicles, from avoiding getting hung up on a seatbelt to shooting through a windshield. But the overall thrust of his message goes beyond mere tactics. Like anything pertaining to self-defense, deftly maneuvering in and around a vehicle in a defensive situation requires practice—plenty of it.
For more videos from Panteao Productions, please visit panteao.com.
Among the most famous of all handgun cartridges, the .45 Long Colt has proven unsinkable. Versatile as it is historic, there's little wonder why.
I’d received the good news that my New York State pistol permit had been approved by the powers that be, and I doubt a chisel would’ve removed the grin from my face. I then proceeded to set about choosing what would be my first handgun.
It was a topic my father and I’d discussed at some length, and “Ol’ Grumpy Pants” had imparted his wisdom: “Buy a snub-nosed Smith & Wesson .38 Special; you’re gonna carry it a whole lot more than you’re gonna shoot it.”
While he wasn’t entirely wrong, and a Model 36 S&W—which was identical to his (with the exception of the beefier Pachmayr grips)—would come later, I had a different path in mind.
First of all, I’m a hunter. Second of all, I wanted something fully capable of taking deer, bear and other big game; and I also wanted something classic at the same time. I knew it’d be a wheelgun—and a strong, modern action at that, while paying homage to the time-honored designs. I settled on a stainless Ruger Blackhawk, chambered in .45 Long Colt and with the 7½-inch barrel.
The gun could handle any .45 Colt ammunition on the market, because its design is much stronger than the traditional Colt Single Action Army pistols. However, it has the clean lines of a classic six-shooter. The longer barrel, while a challenge to carry and nearly impossible to conceal, certainly wrings every last bit of velocity out of any load but also makes it easier to hit distant targets. The beauty of the .45 Colt is that it has many faces. It’s a pleasure to shoot, with the mild loads mimicking the original 1873 formula and the modern developments, which inspired the larger .454 Casull.
It’s been a movie title, a television series, a major league baseball team name and (although there’s some speculation about the possible tie-in with an NFL runningback), a malt liquor. It‘s served the U.S. Army, laid bad hombres down for good in the hands of sheriffs, deputies and marshals, and has been used by the outlaws as well. The .45 Colt, along with the .44-40 WCF, embodies the Old West: The .45 Long Colt is the OK Corral; it’s “Bat Masterson” and “Butch Cassidy.” But, most importantly, the .45 Colt is, was and always shall be … cool.
It was developed as a joint effort between Colt and the Union Metallic Cartridge Company, beginning in 1871 and concluding in 1872. The cartridge and the Colt Single Action Army six-shot revolver were soon accepted by the U.S. Army and would serve from that date until 1892.
(And, just for the record, the first Colt Single Action Army—bearing serial number 1—was found in a barn in New Hampshire in the early 1900s; and yes, it was chambered for the .45 Colt.)
The design of the cartridge was simple: a rimmed case measuring 1.285 inches in length with a rim of 0.512 inch and maintaining a cartridge overall length of 1.58 inches. It was loaded with (roughly) 40 grains of fine black powder under a 255-grain lead bullet, moving at slightly more than 875 fps. For its time, this was a formidable load, and its performance was unmatched.
The .45 Colt. It’s been with us since 1873, and it isn’t about to fade away. It can purr like a kitty or roar like a lion.
Although it was replaced by the .38 Long Colt in 1892 as the U.S. Army’s official sidearm, the miserable performance of that combination in the Philippine-American conflict forced the powers that be to rethink their choice. The Moro juramentados—frenzied Moro warriors—would take several shots from the .38 Long Colt without being stopped. This simply wasn’t the case with the .45 Colt, and so it was revived for a brief time … until John Browning’s .45 ACP in the M1911 won the contract for the new service sidearm and completely changed the idea of what a soldier’s sidearm should be.
It can instigate an argument in the blink of an eye, and it’s as aggravating to those who study the history and development of cartridges as it is when I show someone a photo of a Cape buffalo from Africa and they respond, “Nice water buffalo!”
Consulting the list of SAAMI-approved cartridges, the official cartridge designation is “45 Colt” (we can argue about the decimal point later)—excluding the word, “Long.” There are those who believe the “Long” was added to differentiate the Colt cartridge from the shorter .45 Schofield or .45 Smith & Wesson.
Others insist the designation was brought over from the .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colt pair: Just as the .38 Short Colt can be fired in the chamber of the .38 Long Colt (and both can be fired in the modern .38 Special chamber), the .45 Schofield can be fired in the chamber of the .45 Long Colt.
The author’s preferred load for bear country: a 325-grain hard-cast from Choice Ammunition, which leaves the barrel of his Ruger Blackhawk at slightly more than 1,300 fps. But, you do want to hang on for the ride … although this 40-yard target engenders confidence.
Regardless, the proper name for the cartridge is “.45 Colt,” which is completely different from the rimless .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol). And that’s that.
From Lamb to Lion
The .45 Colt of 1873 is not the modern .45 Colt; the modern handguns can handle pressures far greater than the older Single Action Army design can.
My Ruger Blackhawk is one of the strongest designs out there, but there are others, such as the Freedom Arms Model 83, Ruger Redhawk and T/C Encore. However, those Colt Single Action Army revolvers and the clones—the Ruger Vaqueros and similar guns from Cimarron and Uberti—need to be held to a lower pressure limit, along the lines of the original ballistic formula.
Much as Elmer Keith, who had a healthy respect for the .45 Colt, experimented with the .44 Special cartridge to arrive at what would become the .44 Remington Magnum of “Dirty Harry” fame, Dick Casull used the .45 Colt cartridge to develop his .454 Casull. And while there’s no denying that the .454 Casull is a raging beast of a handgun cartridge (the Casull is simply an elongated .45 Colt at higher velocities), the high-pressure .45 Colt loads have no flies on them.
I’ve developed several handloads based on the 250- and 300-grain Hornady XTP Mag bullets. Should you want something a bit beefier, there are the Swift A-Frame Heavy Revolver projectiles and the Barnes XPB projectiles.
The Taurus Judge, a handgun capable of firing both .45 Colt ammo and .410-bore shotshells, has gained a huge following.
The .45 Colt wears many hats, in that the simple, 255-grain lead bullets at 1873 velocities are as effective as they were nearly 150 years ago. But, in the proper handgun—or even a lever-action rifle—the heavier bullets at higher pressures are certainly a step above the Old West power level. The stronger actions can see a 300-grain bullet pushed to more than 1,200 fps, which is both hard hitting and hard kicking.
My Ruger Blackhawk isn’t particularly finicky. With its 7½-inch barrel, I feel I’m good to hunt out to 50 yards with open sights. I like the wide variety of loads available, and a trio of loads from Choice Ammunition highlights the capabilities of the .45 Colt very well; I use all three.
The Choice Cowboy loads, designed for cowboy action shooting and using a 200-grain RNFP Hi-Tek Black coated-lead bullet at a sedate muzzle velocity of 445 fps, allows nearly any shooter to learn how to handle a .45 Colt without the wrist-twisting characteristics of the full house loads.
I observed an average muzzle velocity of 460 fps from my gun … but the light report of the ammo caused my dad to wander out to the backyard shooting bench, wondering if I’d handloaded some ammo with a powder charge that was too light.
“Did those things penetrate the target?” he chided.
Imagine his surprise when I showed him how a lead bullet at that mild velocity would penetrate a 2×8-inch target every time. Anyhow, he enjoyed the mild report and very low recoil as much as I did.
The Barnes XPB 200-grain, monometal hollow-point is a sound hunting bullet and is California-compliant as well.
Using the same Hi-Tek Black bullet coating—which reduces friction and leading simultaneously—on a 250-grain, round-nose lead bullet, Choice Cowboy offers the classic formula for the .45 Colt, driving that bullet at a muzzle velocity of 820 fps for a combination suitable for all the various .45 Colt handguns. This load will work well for plinking, target shooting and hunting alike, although I’d want to limit it to deer-sized game. If you want the classic .45 Colt experience, this is it.
On the top end of the power spectrum, I really like the Choice .45 Colt +P “Bear Load,” driving a 325-grain Wide Flat Nose Gas Check hard-cast lead bullet that leaves my barrel at 1,305 fps. This load immediately lets you know it’s +P, because the muzzle jump is such that the unassuming shooter might lose their grip on the handgun. In other words: Hang on to it, or you’ll be picking up your revolver off the ground.
Generating 1,229 ft-lbs at the muzzle, this is surely a sound choice for a sidearm in bear country. I can keep five of these in a 4-inch group at 40 to 45 yards, and I like the authority with which this load speaks.
Want to use your .45 Colt for a defensive handgun? There’s nothing wrong with putting your faith in the Army’s old sweetheart. My Blackhawk likes the Winchester PDX1 Defender load (a 225-grain, bonded-core hollow-point at 850 fps—and it runs very close to the time-honored .45 ACP formula.
For the lead-free areas, or for those who simply enjoy the performance of monometal expanding bullets, look to the Barnes XPB bullets for a great option to take the .45 Colt hunting.
Is it as fast as the .44 Magnum? It gives up a little to Elmer Keith’s brainchild, but not much. Does the .45 Colt get shelved for the .454 Casull? Not in my opinion, because the heavier loads from Choice, Grizzly and Buffalo Bore are formidable for certain.
Even so, the affordability and diversity of ammo and gun choices give an advantage to the .45 Colt. Yes, the Casull can fire .45 Colt ammo, but the price of a Freedom Arms can be a real eye-opener.
The bottom line is this: Like the .45-70 Government, the .45 Colt remains relevant because the design was so good to begin with. Clearly, the .45 Colt isn’t going away anytime soon.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Built to dominate the Carry Optics division, the Sig P320 Max is long on gold-medal features.
When it comes to Sig Sauer, all the chatter as of late has been around the P365. Makes sense, given the surge of gun buyers, most angled at picking up a personal-defense piece. Though a bit less heralded in recent years, the micro 9mm’s big brother—the P360—still has the stuff to impress, from its inherent accuracy to flexible platform. Now, the protean pistol is tackling the competitive world.
A race gun through and through, the Sig P320 Max has features soup to nuts to get a skilled shooter gunning for gold. It should, given the 9mm was designed with input from dominant pro pistol competitor Max Michel—hence the moniker. But there’s more to the gun than Michel’s name stenciled on the slide.
Sig P320 Max
As those who follow competitive shooting may have already guessed, Michel being part of the project means the pistol is optics ready. The pro dominates in the Carry Optics division—winning every USPSA championship in the division since its inception. In turn, Sig includes a ROMEO3MAX 1×30 competition reflex sight factory install on the P320 Max. Made for fast target acquisition and transition, the optic has among the widest fields of view available today, as well as a 6 MOA red dot, with 110 MOA of elevation adjustment and 80 MOA of windage (1 MOA increments).
Nice as the extra is, the optic isn’t the truly intriguing aspect of the P320 MAX. The striker-fired’s shootability is. Primarily, this is thanks to the pistol’s heavy TXG tungsten-infused grip module that ups the gun’s mass to a hefty 43.5 ounces. Yeah, not a contender for concealed carry. But expect the nearly 3-pound pistol to do a number on recoil and muzzle flip, therefore run like the wind, accurately so.
Ergonomics also get the once over, making the P320 Max all the more conducive to being run hard. In particular, Sig makes the pistol eminently simpler to manipulate thanks to wrap-around cocking serrations running nearly the entire length of the slide. Wide, yet shallow, the feature gives a solid handle at any contact point, picking up the pace of reloads and addressing malfunctions on the fly. Additionally, Sig has done away with the front sight on the upper. Purpose-built for competition, the omission facilitates a clearer sight picture with the optic, theoretically making it faster target to target.
Sig Romeo3 Max
Capacity, the P320 Max doesn’t want. Shipping with four 21-round steel magazines, the pistol has enough on tap to make reloads rare stage to state. And the 9mm has the assets to put them on target without a hitch. These include a 5-inch match-grade bull barrel, skeletonized flat trigger, one-piece stainless steel guide rod and 1911-style recoil spring. The gun ships with two springs, 12 and 14 pounds to customize to the user’s preferences. Other notables include an amply undercut trigger guard to facilitate a fundamentally high grip, positive texturing on the panels and front and back straps, and accessory rail at the fore.
As to price, that’s a good question. Sig doesn’t list the MSRP, however, several online retailers have the P320 Max on pre-order in the $1,500 neighborhood.
A .30-30 case necked down for a 7mm bullet, the 7-30 Waters improves on its parent's velocity and range, but not enough to dethrone it.
What's The Skinny On The 7-30 Waters:
The cartridge was the work of Ken Waters, a well-known gun writer and ballistics expert.
It's capable of pushing a 139-grain 7mm bullet at 2,600 fps.
It performs best out an rifle-length barrel, somewhat a drawback given it's designed for lever-actions.
Excels in broken country, where shots range from 75 to 175 yards.
The 7-30 Waters was introduced in 1984 for the U.S. Repeating Arms Model 94XTR Angle Eject rifle and carbine. The cartridge was the work of Ken Waters, a well-known gun writer and ballistics expert. He began planning the cartridge in 1976 as a high-velocity, flat-trajectory round for short, handy, lever-action carbines.
There are many problems to be overcome by those who’d improve on the performance of the .30-30 cartridge class in lever-action rifles. Severe restrictions are imposed by tubular magazines, the length of the action and permissible working pressures. However, by 1982, Waters had developed a cartridge that’d push the 139-grain 7mm bullet at 2,600 fps.
At this point, U.S. Repeating Arms Co. became interested in the project and decided in 1983 to produce Model 94 lever-action rifles in this new cartridge. Federal Cartridge Co. then completed the final version of the cartridge by making various dimensional changes and opting for a lighter 120-grain bullet to achieve higher velocity at less pressure. The current commercial loading uses a 120-grain Nosler Partition bullet that develops a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps when fired from a 24-inch barrel.
General Comments On The 7-30 Waters
The 7-30 Waters does offer improved performance for those who like lever-action carbines or rifles. This should make a good deer- and black bear-class cartridge. However, the majority of .30-30 lever-action shooters prefer the short carbine, since most are woods hunters. The 7-30, with its light 120-grain bullet, is unlikely to best the .30-30, .32 Special, .38-55, etc., with shots at close range.
Also, it’s not going to be the answer for the long-range plains or mountain hunter. When fired from a 20-inch barrel, its performance is considerably reduced. So, anyone interested in this cartridge will be better served if they buy the rifle rather than the carbine. The light recoil of this cartridge makes it an excellent choice for anyone sensitive to recoil. The 7-30 is at its best in broken country, with shots varying from patches of brush and trees to open areas, with shots ranging from 75 to 175 yards.
Special Mission Unit Sargent Major Jamey Caldwell demonstrates his “1 Mo” Drill, honing situational awareness and post-shooting preparedness.
Practice like you play. Familiar to anyone who’s swung a baseball bat or strapped up a football helmet, the words are as familiar as two-a-days. Simply put, you’ll perform on Saturday the way you prepared the days proceeding. By no means is self-defense a game, but the old saw about practice holds as true for the armed citizen as it does any athlete.
Accuracy, presentation, even manipulation are somewhat easy skills to hone. But what about mindset? Jamey Caldwell has at least one piece of the puzzle squared away in a modification of dot torture, what he calls his “1 Mo” drill. Essentially, the former Sargent Major in the Army’s Special Mission Unit’s regimen squares away continues situational awareness after the shooting is done. The “Mo” is one more sight picture and magazine change.
The idea is a four dot, timed course of fire, anywhere from 3 to 10 yards out, punctuating the competition of some dots with a mag change and everyone with one final sight picture. Sight picture is the big deal here. While seemingly small, presenting the gun and building the sight picture one final time forces shooters not to get complacent in the face of a threat—even one they’ve made hits on. In most drills, the shooter will either retreat to high ready and scan or outright hang up their iron. Realistically, that’s not being at your most prepared.
For more videos from Panteao Productions, please visit panteao.com.
Next to a gun, an EDC light (flash or weapons) is the most useful tool to keep on your person. But there's plenty of fiction floating around this useful device.
“A light will give away my position.” Have you ever heard a fellow gun owner utter these words? There are more than a handful of myths about lights and guns, rooted in a poor understanding of using them effectively together.
The reason most gun owners don’t understand how a light works when paired with a firearm is simple: It’s difficult to practice in low-light conditions. But, it’s very important that every gun owner shoot in low-light conditions at least once … if, for no other reason, than to experience the challenges first hand. Ideally, you should seek out a reputable trainer with a low-light course.
There just isn’t a good reason to not join the 21st century and embrace high-performing lights, regardless of the myths. Bad things happen all the time—especially when the sun isn’t out.
Shedding Some Light on Defensive Lighting
There are some basic concepts and terms that, if you’re familiar with them, will help you spot those nasty myths.
Photonic Barriers: Photonic barriers are anything that makes your EDC light less effective than it could potentially be. Examples of these performance-stealing variables are the very same ones that impact how well your car’s headlights work: fog, rain and even how clean the lens is. Other more extreme examples of photonic barriers include gun smoke, dust in the air and other light sources being aimed back at you. Most of these barriers can be overcome with a sufficiently powerful light, but others might require you to change how you use a light.
Umbrella or Baseboard Lighting: Just because an EDC light has a high output doesn’t make it unusable in confined spaces. Instead of pointing it directly where you’re looking, pointing the light at the ceiling and creating a reflective umbrella of light that covers everything in that room is a great way to make sure you don’t overwhelm your eyes with a ton of light.
What if you’re in a place with a super-high ceiling? Point the light at the baseboard, floor or ground. Sure, you aren’t going to get the same level of illumination as umbrella lighting, but it’ll work in a pinch. Umbrella lighting is best employed with handguns and handheld lights; baseboard lighting is better suited for long-guns because they often have more powerful lights mounted to them.
Constant-On and Momentary-On: Most of the time, momentary light activation is best paired with a long-gun, where pistol lights are best employed with a constant-on switch. Depending on your individual use case, a handheld light can be used effectively with both a constant-on and a momentary-on. The reason constant-on is preferred with a pistol is simple: It can hurt the fingers after a bit. A long-gun, on the other hand, isn’t anywhere near as difficult to use in momentary mode.
Lumens vs. Candela: You might have heard the term “lumens” thrown around a lot, but what about its lesser-known but more important brother, candela? Lumen is the measurement unit for the total amount of light coming out of the lens. More lumens technically means brighter, but that light might not harness those lumens efficiently and leave you with a less effective light than you think you have. Candela is a measurement of the amount of light in a particular spot in the beam pattern, which can be used to determine how efficiently that light projects.
As EDC lights have become more powerful, there’s a growing segment of folks who believe there’s such a thing as too much light. The idea that “X lumens is enough” is that if you have too much light you might blind yourself if you shine your light on a white wall or mirror.
One light isn’t going to solve every problem. Balancing size, output and throw is just as important as selecting your defensive carry ammunition.
Why It’s Wrong: Even with a very low output light, bad technique can blind you. Learn your home’s layout, identify what surfaces reflect enough light to impair your vision—and practice. The umbrella and baseboard lighting techniques ensure that even if you have a Modlite Archimedes Death Ray slung under your pistol, you aren’t going to blind yourself.
If you haven’t already, turn the light out in the bathroom and shine a flashlight on the ceiling and the base of the wall to see what it does. Magic.
Myth 2: A Light Will Give Away My Position
This self-explanatory myth—that should absolutely be a concern in a military context—is often applied to civilian defensive use. The idea is that turning an EDC light on to see is like flipping on a neon sign above your head.
Why It’s Wrong: There’s some validity to the argument if we’re talking about a SEAL Team conducting a night-time snatch and grab, but the legally armed citizen likely isn’t going to be presented with a situation that requires a high level of light discipline while making a late-night Arby’s run.
When it comes to pistols, turning your light to constant-on as you draw can be done much easier when you add some PHLster switches to your light.
Because the use of a high-output weapon light can control a threat in some cases, the possibility to avoid being forced to use deadly force is a welcome tool. Plus, the information you can gather with light is a hell of a lot more thorough than what you can gather without ample lighting.
Myth 3: A Gun With A Light Is Hard To Conceal
Adding a light to your EDC pistol will add bulk. That’s fact. However, the idea that a light added to your pistol transforms it into something you couldn’t possibly conceal most certainly is myth.
Why It’s Wrong: Advancements in holster design over the past decade have made concealing a gun with a light attached much easier than ever. Additionally, lights like Streamlight’s excellent TLR-7 A add nearly no bulk to the pistol while still delivering acceptable performance.
Holster makers to investigate for concealing a pistol with a light attached are Bawidimann, Tenicor and PHLster for AIWB; Raven Concealment’s Perun LC is a great option for OWB if you aren’t comfortable with appendix carry.
Still can’t seem to pack a gun with a light? Carry a handheld like Streamlight’s ProTac HL-X USB or Modlite’s PLHv2 and get proficient using it.
Myth 4: A Gun Isn’t A Flashlight
While the argument that you shouldn’t use a gun as a flashlight is sound, this argument against weapon-mounted lights is most commonly delivered as: “I wouldn’t want to point a gun at my family if I was clearing the house.”
Companies like Cloud Defensive and Modlite are rewriting what we consider acceptable performance from weapon lights.
Why It’s Wrong: Your firearm isn’t a task light, and Jeff Cooper’s rules for firearm safety always apply. Don’t point your firearm at anything that you don’t intend to destroy. Just about any modern light from a reputable manufacturer is more than capable of lighting up a large room when using a technique like umbrella lighting. This misconception is rooted in a lack of understanding in how to use an EDC light effectively.
Still worried about it? The answer is adding a handheld light to your EDC and nightstand.
Myth 5: If I Can’t See, Criminals Can’t See
If you can’t see, obviously criminals won’t be able to see you either … right? This myth seems to make sense if you take it at face value.
Why It’s Wrong: A criminal only cares that you appear to be an opportune target; they don’t need to see exactly what’s in your hands. You, on the other hand, not only need to see the outline of the criminal, but you also need to know exactly what’s in their hands. If you use deadly force, no one’s going to care that the banana the bad man was pointing at you looked like a gun; all that anyone will care about is that it wasn’t a gun.
Myth 6: The Strobe Function Disorients Attackers
The myth that the strobe function on a flashlight disorients an attacker has roots in the theory that rapidly flashing light will overload the visual system and cause confusion.
Why It’s Wrong: There’s a reason most top low-light instructors don’t teach the use of strobe in their classes—and very few serious duty-rated lights actually include a strobe function—it doesn’t work. You have a far better chance at disorienting someone with a constant blast of lumens than throwing them a disco party.
The only result you’ll get from a strobe is less information about what the attacker is doing and what’s in their hands. The point of adding a light as part of your defensive toolbox is to gather more information to make better decisions.
Myth 7: I Don’t Need A Light During The Day
Daytime is bright. There couldn’t possibly be a need to have a flashlight during the day. After all, the sun has way more lumens than any pocket light saber you might be considering … right?
Why It’s Wrong: The idea that you won’t encounter a situation that would benefit from a flashlight, just because the sun is out, is asinine. How often have you walked out of a dimly lit store and found yourself squinting?
That big glass door that you walked through does a great job of backlighting people. With a high-powered flashlight, you can overcome that photonic barrier and make the best decision for that particular situation. Again, carry a handheld light in public: You don’t want to be drawing on anyone unless the threat in eminent.
What You Should Do
The best way to go about determining which particular concepts work best for you is to try them out in your home and in your daily routines.
If in doubt, here are some solid practices to live by:
Carry a handheld light regardless of whether you have a weapon-mounted light.
Get specific low-light training from a well-respected instructor. YouTube doesn’t count.
Practice in your home with an unloaded gun. Learn how to get the most out of your tools in a controlled situation.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2020 Everyday Carry issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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