Topped with a 175-grain Sierra Match King bullet, SIG's .30-06 Elite Match Ammo looks to take the old warhorse the distance.
.30-06 Elite Match Specs:
Weight: 175 grains
Bullet: Serria Match King JHP
Muzzle Velocity: 2,700 fps
Muzzle Energy: 2,833 ft-lb
MSRP: $45.95
Ballistic Coefficient 175-grain Sierra Match King: .505 @ 2800 fps and above .496 between 2800 and 1800 fps .485 @ 1800 fps and below
This is nice to see.
Though it’s still among the most shot centerfire rifle cartridges in America, ammunition choices for the .30-06 Springfield are somewhat relegated to hunting and general range fodder. You can find match ammo, but it's not exactly overflowing your local gun store's shelves. Yeah, I get the reason – .308 Win. That said, there are still some pretty slick shooters that would benefit munching on SIG’s .30-06 Springfield Elite Match. No reason why you shouldn’t stretch the legs of your M1 Garand, 1903 Springfield or top-end hunting rifle chambered for the old warhorse.
SIG’s choice in bullet weight is also intriguing. With 150-, 165- and 180-grain factory loads dominating the market, a 175-grain Serria Match King is well out of the norm. It will be interesting to see if SIG is on to something. I certainly plan on finding out first hand.
From SIG Sauer:
NEWINGTON, N.H. – SIG SAUER, Inc. adds to its Elite Match ammunition line with the addition of a 30-06 Springfield round. Featuring a 175gr Sierra MatchKing® bullet, the SIG SAUER 30-06 Win Open Tip Match (OTM) round has a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps with a muzzle energy of 2,833 ft-lbs.
“Our 30-06 Springfield Elite Match load is designed to excel in today’s modern firearms as well as older rifles such as the M1 Garand and delivers the accuracy and reliability shooters have come to expect from SIG SAUER Elite Ammunition,” said Brad Criner, Senior Director, Brand Management and Business Development, SIG SAUER Ammunition. “Given the resurgence in popularity of the M1 Garand and numerous vintage rifle matches being held across the country, there is significant demand for this cartridge.”
SIG SAUER Elite Match ammunition features a temperature-stable propellant that delivers consistent muzzle velocity in all weather conditions. Premium-quality primers ensure minimum velocity variations, and the shell case metallurgy is optimized in the SIG Elite Match OTM cartridge to yield consistent bullet retention round to round. All SIG SAUER rifle ammunition is precision loaded on state-of-the-art equipment that is 100% electromechanically monitored to ensure geometric conformity and charge weight consistency.
For more information on SIG Elite Match Ammo, please visit www.sigsauer.com.
With more than 80 bits, the Smart Drive 90 covers any D.I.Y gun project that comes across your bench, making it one of the best gunsmithing tools.
What You Get With The Smart Drive 90:
87 standard and metric bits coated with black oxide
Magnetic Parts Tray
Spin top main driver with integral LED light
Scope turret tool
Small driver for tight work
Hard case with polycarbonate lid
Dedicated gun tools … if you don’t have them, why not? Even if you don’t have the urge to undertake a massive master-gunsmith level project, sooner or later you’re going to need to tinker with something on one of your guns. Say, the target sight on your favorite revolver. Real Avid, purveyors of some truly unique gun gear, gets you up and running with its new Smart Dive 90 bit set. With 87 standard and metric bits, there isn’t a project big or small you can’t tackle.
From the company:
Smart Drive 90 isn’t just another bit set. Real Avid set out to create a unique perspective on an often commoditized product. The result of these endeavors is the Smart Drive 90.
“The Smart Drive 90 is the ultimate solution to a master grade gunsmithing bit set. We put tool grade steel bits in this kit with some additional functionality to make this bit set perfect for the gun bench or everyday use,” said Howard Tripp, Chief Innovation Officer at Real Avid. “We know the smallest details make the biggest difference and we feel we captured those details with this set.”
The Smart Drive 90 features a unique driver that comes with a jeweler’s top handle for one hand adjustments but the biggest innovation is a click of a button away. A super bright, 360° COBB LED light illuminates your work area with zero shadows to make working in small areas or dark recesses an easy task. “This innovation will change the way people approach gunsmithing and ultimately make any job easier. But we didn’t stop there,” said Howard Tripp. “We included a smaller driver that can be used alone or when paired with the main driver, it offers Torque Assist to give the user the ability to apply more torque without straining or stripping screws. This is perfect for rusted on fasteners.”
The Smart Drive 90 comes in a well-organized case with a magnetic compartment to store and hold lose fasteners and springs during disassembly.
The Smart Drive 90 retails at $99.99 and is available now.
A professional-grade range bag, the Veto Pro Pac RB-MC keeps guns and gear in shipshape order.
How the Veto Pro Pac RB-MC outdoes other range bags:
2 vertial pistol holsters.
18 interior and exterior vertical tool pockets.
4 magazine pockets.
Double stitched, plastic coil zippers with oversized tabs.
Overmolded rubber grip handle.
Mollie field on the exterior.
Sturdy polypropolene base.
We’ve all been there before. We start out with the best intentions, planning tokeep a bag or ruck shipshape, everything where it needs to be and ready at a moment’s notice. Then real life hits us and the thing is in more disarray than a trailer park after a twister.
Certainly, we deserve some blame. But more times than not the satchel also merits finger pointing. Try as they might, many luggage manufacturers just don’t get it, even less so when it comes to that essential piece of range gear – the range bag. Veto Pro Pac is a decided exception.
Well known among skilled tradesmen for professional grade tool bags, the manufacturer has turned its studied eye to the gun world. We’re lucky they have. Not only iron tough, the organizational system of Veto Pro Pac’s RB-MC is drum tight and about as handy as penetrating oil.
The RB-MC (MSRP $200) uses the company’s patented center panel design, durable construction, injection molded base, vertical storage design, and YKK locking zippers to offer superb visual inventory capability for the shooting range.
The RB-MC range bag measures 14 inches high, 10 inches wide and 8 inches deep, and offers expanded capacity and customizable storage options that allow customers to organize their range gear effectively and efficiently. The outside design features Molle webbing. There are internally built holsters for two full-sized handguns with foam blocks to support smaller guns, allowing equipment and firearms to be stored vertically with the barrels of pistols pointing downward.
The open space below the holsters offers ample storage for ammunition, and the neoprene and polyester pockets on the backside allows shooters to store magazines, safety glasses, ear protection, cleaning tools and more. The durable 3mm thick polypropylene base protects the bag from the elements and provides a stable platform to keep the bag vertical for good visibility and quick and easy access to all firearms equipment.
True to form, Veto Pro Pac RB-MC provides professional-grade storage and transportation solutions to gun owners. Because there's no reason to only settle for precision down range.
For more information on the Veto Pro Pac RB-MC, please visit www.vetopropac.com.
Push feed vs. controlled feed … when it comes to bolt-action rifles the debate is as eternal as the caliber wars. But does it really matter where you plant your flag?
Controlled Feed Pros and Cons
Cartridge is secured from magazine to chamber.
Rifle will load no matter what angle it's held.
More secure hold to extract cartridge from chamber.
Most can't be fed a single round.
Extractor means a longer bolt throw.
They can double-feed on a short stroke.
Push Feed Pros and Cons
Less expensive compared to controlled feed.
Shorter bolt throw and handle.
Generally boast multiple locking lugs.
Extractor can slip off a stuck cartridge.
Cartridges can fall out if rifle held in an unconventional manner.
Potential for a double-feed jam.
Rifle actions got their name because of what’s required to make them work – the action. Sounds quite simple, right? Maybe. Let’s tuck this simple fact away and come back to it a bit later.
For decades, if not longer, the debate has raged among novice and veteran hunters alike as to what style of bolt-action rifle was more reliable, a controlled-round feed action or a push-feed action. The debate was founded on the ultimate need for a bolt-action rifle to work when everything else around you might not — and your life depended on being able to make one last shot.
After all, logic dictates that to make that next shot, your rifle’s action has to remove the last round fired from the chamber, eject it out of the receiver and completely cycle it out of the gun so it can load the next round into the chamber. In battle, the next sound you need hear is bang! … and not the harps of angels singing your failed-rifle story in Heaven.
So, which type of mechanical design works the best at making sure you’re around to draw a resident moose tag in Idaho? To find out, let’s look at how each one is designed.
Controlled-Round Actions
I’ll be specific and start with the father of controlled-round feed actions, the M98 design from Germany. I’m a huge fan of the M98 platform. Here, the bolt captures the cartridge in the magazine with what’s known as a non-rotating claw extractor and carries the cartridge tightly from the magazine up and into the rifle chamber. And …
The author uses a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight Compact rifle chambered in .308 Winchester as an all-around backup gun for hunts around the world. He specifically chose the Model 70’s controlled-round feed action design for its reliability. Next to the Model 70’s bolt is the author’s Mauser K98 bolt, which is the textbook example of a controlled-round feed bolt.
Bang!
You just made a textbook 90-yard shot on an unsuspecting black bear, a potentially dangerous beast we can hunt without the need of a passport. Now let’s say, just for fun, the bear didn’t drop dead like you rehearsed with your hunting buddies and rightfully blames you for his suddenly arthritic right shoulder pain. This isn’t Yogi. You’re going to need to shoot again — accurately and quickly — while your blood pressure is significantly more elevated. Mental note: Your M98 action is not emotionally involved here. No, its bond with you is simply plutonic — more on why this matters later.
As soon as you pulled the trigger on your first shot, let’s assume you kept your rifle sighted in on your now vigorously annoyed black bear, and you fully cycled the bolt-action. As you worked the bolt, the round your fired is pulled from the chamber positively and under full control, meaning that the bolt and its claw extractor firmly held the cartridge case until it was ejected by the ejector. Then on the way back forward, the bolt captured a fresh cartridge from the magazine, loaded it into the chamber, and you shot again … persuading the black bear to give up just a few yards away from you.
Action Specifics
Here are some key points of a controlled-round feed action: The M98 bolt-action will work regardless of how you might hold, swing, jerk or spin the rifle during the shooting situation. It will load if you cock the rifle sideways, find yourself and the rifle upside down, or any other gun-yoga inspired position. A controlled-round feed action also gets a better, bigger grip on the rims of a case that might be stuck in a rifle’s chamber, so it can be extracted.
The author’s sporterized K98 Mauser’s controlled-round feed designed bolt securely captures the cartridge with its massive extractor.
Controlled-round feed actions are not without their drawbacks, though. For example, they’re more expensive to manufacture. You can’t single-round feed them, meaning you can’t just throw a new cartridge in the receiver from the top and get it to feed. That said, controlled-round feed actions can be tuned to allow for this these days. That nice big extractor also means that the bolt throw will be longer.
One last thing: They can jam. It’s true. If you short-stroke a controlled-round feed action, it can absolutely double-feed — and your day just got a lot worse.
I’ll wait for the screaming to calm down before I get into push-feed actions.
Push-Feed Actions
Push-feed actions are pretty darn great, too. What’s a push-feed action? A push-feed action works when a bolt moves a cartridge from magazine to chamber without any sort of mechanical connection between the cartridge and the bolt. Example? The wildly popular Remington Model 700 action.
A great example of a modern push-feed action is the author’s Savage Model 14 chambered in .300 Savage. The rifle successfully completed a plains game safari trip to South Africa with no problems feeding, firing, cycling or reloading the cartridges in a variety of shooting situations.
So, what are some of the advantages of a push-feed action over a controlled-round feed action? For one thing, it’s less expensive to manufacture. Secondly, you can — and I have — single load cartridges from the top of a push-feed action rifle in hunting situations. Another great point, especially with today’s massive 30mm, 34mm and even 35mm rifle scopes, is that a push-feed features a shorter bolt handle throw because the push-feed bolts have multiple locking lugs that help strengthen the action and lower the amount of “throw” a bolt handle needs to operate. The bottom line is that push-feed actions work, and that’s no surprise.
How reliable are push-feed actions? I took not one — but two — to Africa on my first safari, and I never had a problem mechanically under any condition. It was buttery-smooth, and incredibly fast in the Savage Model 14 300 Savage I used in South Africa. In fact, the fastest shooting I did while I was in Africa was on warthogs both with the Savage and a Sako Model 85 6.5×55 Swede, and not once in what was more than ten engagements with multiple shots did either rifle fail to fire, feed, eject or hit exactly where I aimed. Now, where I aimed sometimes was definitely flawed, but that’s not the point right now. The push-feeds worked, and they worked well, under quite a bit of stress on hartebeests, zebras, duikers, steenboks, kudu and warthogs.
Like those fast African swine, push-feed actions do have their warts. Extractors on push-feed actions are typically smaller and can sometimes slip off a stuck cartridge’s rim, and like a dog without a leash, a cartridge in an push-feed action can fall out, get flung out or otherwise not report for go-bang duty on time if a rifle is held in an unconventional manner — like upside down, sideways dropped, etc.
The Savage Model 14 rifle bolt is fluted to lighten the bolt weight and add cosmetic flair to the gun, which was a special order from the Savage Arms manufacturer. The bolt is also vented to mitigate gases if a case or primer ruptures, and it features twin locking lugs to give the bolt added strength.
Lastly, a push-feed rifle can have a double-feed style jam. In fact, I happen to know a guy, quite well in fact, who got so excited on a black bear hunt in Idaho that he double-fed his push-fed rifle. Don’t worry though, I have it on good authority that I, uh … this guy, learned from his mistake and practiced working his bolt actions so much that he now has carpel tunnel syndrome.
I later asked the guide who witnessed my push-feed meltdown on the mountain, Brooks Murphy of Salmon River Lodge Resort, what action was better.
Vying For Position
“The great debate!” said, Murphy. “In today’s world, with improved push-feed extraction systems and much more precise and reliable factory ammunition, I don’t believe there’s a huge difference for the vast majority of hunters. The only time I could see a true need for a controlled-round feed rifle could possibly be dangerous game. This is primarily due to the possibility of a reload with weapon in all manners of angle. There will always be the shooter who wants to maintain control of the cartridge from magazine to chamber. That’s why there are options.
Here, the author shows the physical differences between a modern push-feed bolt, a Savage Model 14 short-action chambered for .300 Savage, and a Mauser K98 bolt, which is a controlled-round feed design.
“But more importantly — as we all should know — regardless of the type of action, the user has to work the bolt all the way back before going forward … or bad things happen,” added Murphy. “Both styles can be short-stroked under certain conditions. Practice hard with whatever you choose.”
A few months after I proved you can double-feed a push-feed action, I was in Africa and asked Geoffrey Wayland, owner of Fort Richmond Safaris, which action was better. His answer fell right in step with Murphy’s as he rattled off all of the advantages and disadvantages of both the controlled-round feed actions and the push-feed actions. Wayland said that, when push came to shove — if he’s hunting dangerous game, he chooses the controlled-round feed every time.
Where Will You Plant Your Flag?
If you’re keeping score back home, that’s two professional guides voting for the controlled-round feed actions over push-feed actions if dangerous game is being hunted. And, the same two professional guides flipping a coin between the two when non-dangerous game is on the menu.
Still, hundreds of dangerous game hunters successfully harvest their animals with push-feed actions annually, and plenty of controlled-round feed action hunters choke during the moment of truth because they don’t know their equipment. Yes, both actions can jam. The key, as Murphy said, lies the operator’s skills when it really counts.
Remember, a rifle’s action is never emotionally invested in your shooting situation. Rifles don’t get nervous. They don’t get excited, scared, cocky or hesitant. Actions simply work, or they don’t — and how well a bolt-action rifle runs depends more on us than anything else.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Offering a wider field of view up close and more detail on high magnifications, ProStaff P5 line aims to get hunters on target no matter the situation.
How The ProStaff P5 Improves The Series:
Wider field of view at lower magnification, more detail at higher magnification.
42mm and 50mm objective lens options.
¼-MOA per click windage and elevation adjustments.
Choice of Nikoplex, MK1-MOA or BDC reticles.
Side-parallax adjustment on long-range models.
Shooters who have a tight rein on their pocketbooks, yet seek performance, have long appreciated what Nikon brings to the table. Since jumping into the sporting optics game, the Japanese manufacturer’s riflescopes have more than built a reputation for precision at a price nearly any rifleman can afford.
PROSTAFF P5 2.5-10x42mm
The company aims to keep this tradition rolling with an expansion of its well-regarded series of hunting scopes. While not reinventing the wheel, the recently unveiled ProStaff P5 line has a few improvements that should pique hunters’ interests. In particular, the company is heralding its first 1-inch main tube scopes with a greater field of vision on lower magnifications and more detail when dialed up. If true, the P5 scopes should excel in the most common hunting situations, whether a running shot up close or a precision attempt on a distant ridge.
A few of the more notable features of the ProStaff P5 line include 4:1 zoom ratio, 42mm and 50mm objective lenses, fully-coated lens surfaces and the choice of Nikoplex, MK1-MOA or BDC reticles. A nice touch, all reticles are supported by Nikon’s Spot On Ballistic App. Furthermore, the scopes have ¼-MOA per click windage and elevation adjustments and the long-range models, such as the P5 6-24x50SF, boast side-parallax adjustment.
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In all, the ProStaff P5 line includes eight scopes, with adjustable magnification ranging from 2.5-10x to 6-25x. The MSRP range for the series is $230 to $450 and most are already available for sale.
More from Nikon:
Melville, NY (April 2019) – Nikon continues to raise the bar for riflescope performance as it surpasses the century-mark of optical innovation. The all-new PROSTAFF P5 is a continuation of that legacy wrapped up in a one-inch main body tube and a versatile 4x zoom ratio that offers a wide field of view and increased image detail throughout the magnification range.
PROSTAFF P5 3-12x42mm
Nikon’s legendary optical performance is maximized through its dedication to engineering optical systems specific to each and every riflescope it builds, and the PROSTAFF P5 is no exception. The optical system of the PROSTAFF P5 was created around Nikon’s renowned lead-and-arsenic-free glass that is fully multicoated with anti-reflective compounds, providing consistently bright images in all lighting conditions.
Durability is always a priority for Nikon and the PROSTAFF P5 will surely live up to this reputation. Engineered for minimum weight and maximum strength, the PROSTAFF P5 features an all-aluminum zoom ring, focusing eyepiece and turret caps with matched knurling for increased grip and visual appeal.
The PROSTAFF P5 is the first one-inch tube riflescope in Nikon’s hunting lineup to offer its new MK1-MOA long-range reticle. Together with precise, 1/4-MOA turrets, the MK1-MOA reticle provides precise visual reference points for ranging, holdovers and windage corrections. The renowned BDC reticle and Nikoplex reticles are also offered for those that either want a ballistic compensating reticle or a single aiming point respectively. All reticle options are supported by Nikon’s Spot On Ballistic App for quick referencing in any field situation.
PROSTAFF P5 6-24x50mm
Included in the PROSTAFF P5 lineup are long-range models that offer turret-mounted side focus parallax adjustment to enable finely tuned sight picture without the need to break cheek weld. The generous eye relief on all PROSTAFF P5 models allows quick target acquisition and helps keep brows safe––even during heavy recoil.
As with all Nikon riflescopes, the PROSTAFF P5 models are nitrogen purged and O-ring sealed for waterproof, fogproof and shockproof performance and are backed by Nikon’s NO FAULT Lifetime Repair/Replacement Policy.
Loaded with a custom blend of powder, Kent Elite Target Shells perform without punishing.
How Kent Elite Target Shells Keep You Shooting Longer And Better:
Diamond Shot provides uniformly tight patterns.
Nickel-plated heads provide smooth and reliable ejection.
Custom powder blends keep barrel cleaner while minimizing felt recoil.
Avialable in 2 3/4″ 12- and 20-gauge shells.
I’m no All-American shooter, but even I can tell when a shotshell delivers goods that match the hype. Such was the case recently when I tested Kent Cartridge’s new Elite Target line of low-recoil target loads on the local sporting clays range. Short of conducting an exhaustive test on patterning boards, it’s difficult to evaluate shotshell performance in quantifiable ways. But when you break more clays than you ever have before, and your shoulder hurts less doing so, you must admit: Kent is onto something.
Kent’s Elite Target line of shotshells is just about the most consistent ammo you can get, plus it’s low recoil, which makes it pleasant to shoot.
According to Kent, its new Elite Target line — available in 12 and 20 gauge, from 7/8-ounce to 1 1/8-ounce loads — is packed with a “custom blended” powder that ensures consistency and cuts recoil. I don’t know how to prove those claims, other than my personal best score on sporting clays, and reports from young and female shooters who really liked the 20-gauge stuff and found it easy to shoot — with no harsh punch to the shoulder. These new shooters broke clays like seasoned pros, so it’s a safe assumption the Kent Elite they shot was helping more than hurting.
New shooters tested the yellow-cased No. 7 1/2 shot in 20 gauge (7/8-ounce load at 1,200 fps) in a CZ Model 720 Reduced Length youth semi-auto, and it ran with perfect reliability. I put the purple-hull 12-gauge loads — also 7 1/2 shot, 1-ounce load at 1,200 fps — through a Pointer Phenoma autoloader. Both loads blasted orange clays to smithereens with consistency.
Tested in a Pointer Phenoma autoloader, Kent’s Elite Target 12-gauge load of 1-ounce of No. 7 ½ shot at 1,200 fps was all business on the sporting clays range, and it helped the author beat his previous personal best score.
If you’re new to the Kent line of shotshells, the firm uses a proprietary Diamond Shot technology, and a newfangled shot polishing process that’s said to improve pellet formation for consistent and reliable patterns for superior target-breaking performance on trap, skeet and sporting clay ranges. The shells also feature 10mm nickel-plated heads.
All I know for sure is that these shotshells inspire confidence. They’re great for kids and new shooters who are recoil sensitive … and they can make even the most questionable of wingshooters (like me) better shots on the range.
As intuitive to manipulate as they are to shoot, the VP9 and VP9 SK are designed so the masses can master them.
Its name suggests a handgun for the masses. Put another way, just a face in the crowd. Yet, get on the business end of Heckler & Koch’s “Volkspistole” and you’ll soon discover the striker-fired is most definitely in a class of its own.
As expected from the German concern, the VP9 has built a reputation for accuracy and comfortable ergonomics. But the area where the 9mm, polymer-framed heater excels, perhaps more so than anything else in this saturated end of the market, is ease of use. Fully ambidextrous, the VP9’s controls are suited for righties and lefties, or those who shoot from their support hand on a regular basis. Beyond that, the paddle magazine release and slide lock are sized so you can’t miss them, while not so ostentatious to cause issues on the draw. Once familiar, the H&K system can cut precious seconds off a reload, making it one of the fastest pistols to get back into the fight. For an added measure of manipulation, the VP9 also boasts accentuated charging handles at the rear of the slide, giving a bit more to work with when racking the slide or on a press-check.
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Turning a fine eye to hand feel, H&K has put plenty of thought into the grip of the VP9 and, for that matter, the VP9 SK (the sub-compact variant). Fine pebbling, on the sides and finger grooves, gives a firm positive grip, ensuring the pistol stays put. Furthermore, a replaceable backstrap system (small, medium and large panels) tailors the pistols to your hand size.
While running at the high end of the striker-fired market, the VP9’s MSRP is a little north of $700, shooters get every penny out of the pistol’s performance.
For more information on the VP9 and VP9 SK, please visit www.hk-usa.com/.
Outside a few nuances, the SIG M17 Civilian Variant is identical to newly minted military service pistol and performs battle tough.
How good is the SIG M17 Civilian Variant:
Through a 2,000-round test the pistol never encounted a failure.
When firing high-recoil defense loads, the P320 M17 remained controllable.
Five-shot groups at 25 yards ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 inches.
The U.S. military recently completed a rigorous test of 9mm high-capacity handguns. The winner likely will serve for a decade or more. SIG’s P320 won the contest and was adopted as the U.S. M17. Several upgrades and modifications were undertaken to meet military standards.
The SIG M17 is a great shooter with many good features, including a 17-round capacity and short, fast trigger.
Its modular design was among its most notable strong suits. The firing module is contained in the frame. The steel chassis can be removed and placed into a smaller frame. The slide and barrel can be changed as well. This makes for versatility. In an institutional environment, the modular design makes for easy accommodation of shooters with small and large hands. The pistol is competitively priced. Recently, SIG introduced a civilian version of the U.S. Army’s new pistol: The P320 M17. As range testing proved, it’s an interesting and effective handgun.
SIG M17 Details
The SIG M17 pistol is a service-size handgun at 8 inches long, 5.5 inches high, 1.3 inches wide and 29 ounces unloaded. It ships with two 17-round magazines. The M17 features an ambidextrous slide lock and a well-designed ambidextrous safety. The teardrop-shaped magazine release isn’t ambidextrous but works well for those who practice. The pistol is finished in PVD coyote brown.
The M17 is comfortable to fire from all firing positions.
The frame is polymer and the slide is stainless steel beneath the coating. An advantage of the M17 is that the rear sight cover is a night sight unit (it is removable for red-dot use). The front sight is a SIGLITE tritium dot. Disassembly is simple and doesn’t require the trigger to be pressed. The technology is cutting edge. How it shoots is the question I wanted to answer. Firing Line
The pistol feels good in the hand with a slightly sharper grip angle than some polymer pistols. The grip feels solid and fits my average-size hands well. The sights provide an excellent sight picture. Many polymer pistols are slide heavy. The M17 is less so than most. The pistol operates like most striker-fired handguns, but the striker isn’t initially prepped as much as the Glock when the slide is racked. This results in a heavier trigger action. The SIG M17 trigger broke at 6.5 pounds on the Lyman electronic trigger-pull gauge. The trigger press is very short, however, and this makes for excellent speed. Reset is rapid. The pistol points well compared to most polymer-frame handguns. A 29 ounces, this 9mm handgun doesn’t kick much and the grip spreads recoil across the hand. Grip pebbling makes for good adhesion.
The M17 is a clean and uncluttered design. It features ambidextrous safety lever, an ambidextrous slide lock and a light rail.
My range test put more than 2,000 rounds through the SIG P320 M17. It never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject. It is lively in the hand and tracks well — responding perfectly to a trained shooter. When you are firing at multiple targets, the rule is always the same: fire, allow trigger reset during recoil and fire again as soon as you regain the sight picture. The SIG allows fast hits. Among the training loads I have used is the Federal Syntech in both 115- and 124-grain weights. This load is useful in indoor ranges as it is lead-free and requires less cleaning when used in large quantities.
Accuracy is more than adequate for training well past 25 yards. There are two types of accuracy — practical and intrinsic. Very few people are capable of shooting to the mechanical or intrinsic accuracy level of a pistol. The practical accuracy of the M17 is high.
The M17 responds well to a trained shooter. Reliability was excellent with all of the ammo tested in it.
I proofed the pistol with modern defense loads including Federal’s 124-grain HST, Federal 135-grain Deep Penetrator and Federal HST 147-grain +P. I particularly like the 147-grain +P load. This is an overlooked combination that adds enough velocity to the 147-grain bullet to ensure expansion, yet it isn’t a hard kicker. Like all quality firearms, the M17 prefers one load to others but has demonstrated useful accuracy with all ammo tested.
Load
Velocity (fps)
5-Shot 25-Yard Group (in.)
Federal 124-gr. HST
1,190
2.5
Federal 147-gr. HST
980
3.0
Federal 135-gr. Deep Penetrator
1,099
2.8
Federal 124-gr. Syntech
1,100
3.5
Velocity recorded with a RCBS Ammomaster chronograph.
When firing high-recoil defense loads, the P320 M17 remained controllable. The cadence of fire isn’t set by how fast you are able to press the trigger but by how quickly you are able to regain the sights after recoil. As for absolute accuracy, the pistol was fired from a solid bench using the Bullshooters pistol rest from Brownells. Five-shot groups at 25 yards ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 inches. The pistol is clearly accurate enough for personal defense or service use.
Federal offers first-class personal defense and training ammunition. In the author’s test, the M17 never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject.
The SIG P320 M17 9mm offers a considerable advantage over the standard P320 in the sights and finish. The pistol responds well to a trained shooter, but you must remain well-practiced. The M17 trigger, once learned, produces excellent results. The M17 is a credible defense and duty handgun with much to recommend.
SIG P320 M17 SPECS
MODEL: SIG P320 M17 CALIBER: 9mm Luger ACTION: Semi-auto GRIP TYPE: Modular polymer FRAME: Full-size FRAME MATERIAL: Stainless steel FRAME FINISH: Stainless steel SLIDE FINISH: Coyote PVD SLIDE MATERIAL: Stainless steel BARREL MATERIAL: Carbon steel ACCESSORY RAIL: M1913 TRIGGER: Striker TRIGGER TYPE: Standard BARREL LENGTH: 4.7 in. (119mm) OVERALL LENGTH: 8 in. (203mm) OVERALL WIDTH: 1.3 in. (33mm) HEIGHT: 5.5 in. (140mm) WEIGHT: 29.6 oz. (840g)
You can get a conversion kit for your 1911 for less money than many new .22 LR pistols cost, giving you a familiar, cheap and invaluable training tool.
Why you should consider a .22 LR conversion kit for your 1911:
Less expensive than an identical pistol in the caliber.
Ammunition is more affordable, so you'll shoot more.
Identical in operation to the larger caliber.
Lighter recoil allows you to focus on fundamentals.
On most models, easily switches between calibers.
I’ve been teaching people to shoot since 1980. My first experiences were through our local community college, teaching women to shoot. My students were mostly single women who primarily were interested in personal defense and most had zero shooting experience prior to signing up for the class. I suspect I learned as much in that first series of classes as my students.
My students brought a varied collection of guns to those original classes, mostly .38 caliber revolvers and full-sized semi-autos. Remember that in those days we didn’t have the excellent choices we have today, and gun size was less important because North Carolina didn’t have a concealed carry permit system.
I quickly found that most of my new shooters experienced difficulties learning to shoot with a full-power handgun because of recoil and noise generated. I began bringing .22 LRs to the class and was immediately impressed by how much quicker they learned.
The Teaching Power Of A .22 LR
In retrospect, I should’ve realized the benefits of learning with a .22 since that’s exactly how I learned to shoot because, as a young man, I simply couldn’t afford to shoot the number of rounds required to truly become proficient. Now I know some of the best shooters in the world on a first-name basis, and all of them use .22s for training — both for the people they train and for themselves.
The Nelson Conversion benefits from a fixed match barrel, sights that are stationary during cycling and a full-length guide rod. As a result, accuracy is on par with a fine match pistol.
When I began shooting in the late 1960s, there were few choices of suitable rimfire trainers for semi-autos. If you were a revolver shooter and wanted to do some rimfire training, there were a lot of options. Smith & Wesson had rimfire versions of their excellent Combat Masterpiece in Models 17 and 18 — and even a 2-inch J-Frame in the Model 34. Colt offered their Diamondback in .22 Long Rifle and the Frontier Scout operated exactly like the full-sized six shooters, but was a bit scaled down.
Colt 1911 grips, holster, sights and other accessories and upgrades.
Semi-auto shooters had zero choices in guns identical in operation to their full-sized counterparts. Though there were Colt, High Standard, Ruger and Smith & Wesson semi-autos that were excellent pistols, they bore little resemblance or operational characteristics to the big guns.
The Colt Conversion is much more complicated, requiring a floating chamber to develop enough energy to cycle the heavy steel slide.
Colt did offer a .22 rimfire conversion unit for their 1911s, but we’ll discuss this a bit later. Today, we have a lot of replica trainers in .22, and many are operationally identical to the real thing. GSG, Walther and others offer rimfire pistols that are dimensionally and operationally identical to the 1911, but while the look and feel is like the real thing, accuracy is only suitable for close range training and plinking.
The problem was physics. The .22 Long Rifle round doesn’t generate enough energy to carry the slide of a 1911 to the rear to eject a spent case while compressing a spring capable of stripping a round out of the magazine and carrying the slide forward into battery. Colt solved the problem by designing a floating chamber that allowed the chamber to gain enough momentum to cycle the slide.
Instead of the entire slide cycling, the Nelson has a partial slide that moves independently of the sights.
Like so many solutions in life, the solution to one problem created another. With the floating chamber, accuracy suffered and the additional surfaces required by having a chamber floating in a barrel required lots of maintenance because of fouling. It worked, but not really well. Accuracy suffered further because the barrel rattled around in the slide loosely secured only by the slide release pin.
Converting For Training And Fun
There’s an option that’s quietly winning the favor of more and more of the best shooters who wish to train with a rimfire, and it’s not only been around a long time — it’s also accurate enough to win matches at a national level. The Nelson Custom Guns 1911 conversion has a long history with competitive shooters. Bob Marvel was well-known for building competition 1911s for both the .45 and centerfire stages of conventional pistol competition. He decided it made sense to use the same identical grip frame for the .22 rimfire stage of a 2700 pistol match and designed his .22 rimfire conversion for the 1911.
The sighting rib is attached to the slide by two hollow head screws and can be replaced with a scope mount provided by Nelson. Most competitors opt for an extra barrel for optics, precluding the need to re-zero after changing.
In order to get the level of accuracy required, it only made sense to use a fixed barrel, so the Nelson conversion fixes the barrel to the frame via a recoil spring guide rod that tightens the barrel into the frame on the modified slide-lock pin. The slide lock furnished is in two parts to allow the slide lock to function normally, even though the pin portion of the slide lock is used to fix the barrel in place. The aluminum slide has a steel insert that serves as the breech face.
The top of the barrel is milled to accept a recessed rib that is removed with two screws. The ribs are interchangeable so the user can have a rib with the excellent front post and Elliason rear sights, and switch out iron sights for a scope mount. Currently, Nelson is working on a top rib that incorporates both iron sights and a scope mount to allow shooters to use the scope in open classes and remove it for limited class events or practice.
(right) Colt’s original conversion was marketed from 1937 to 1982. Pristine versions commonly bring as much as a new 1911.
I installed the Nelson conversion on a Springfield Armory Range Officer in .45 ACP, but the system will work on any 1911 in .45, and with a minor fix, a 9mm or .38 Super. The conversion takes about a minute and will work on both single-stack and double-stack 1911s by using different magazines. Since I’ve had the unit, I’ve run more than a thousand rounds of different brands through it with zero malfunctions. Accuracy is on par with the very best semi-auto rimfires on the market, and I’m not talking about standard across-the-counter pistols — I’m talking about the best guns made by Hammeril and Pardini.
Shooting the Nelson Conversion is like shooting your favorite 1911, except for the low cost and minimal recoil. Unless you have a full race pistol and the very best ammunition, it’s more accurate. The iron sights on my unit are identical to the sights on my 1968 Colt Gold Cup National Match. The magazines are easy to load whether you use the supplied magazine spring compressor or not. Magazines are polymer and drop freely when the release is pressed. Sight adjustments are easy and precise.
Magazines are polymer and available in both single and double stack. Both versions have a 12-shot capacity. The follower has a hole accessible through a slot in the magazine for a loading button.
The upshot of all this is the ability of a competitor to shoot the exact trigger and operational system as their centerfire competition pistol. In fact, that shooter is using his competition pistol, just converted over to shoot ammunition at a fraction of the cost, and this benefit comes with accuracy that’s likely to exceed the level of accuracy of the shooter’s competition gun.
While the original Colt conversion was a wonderful tool, it left a lot to be desired in accuracy and reliability. For a design from 1937, it was a remarkable tool for training, but today we have a much better option.
The heavy match barrel features a recessed target crown.
Providing match-pistol accuracy, adaptability to both single- and double-stack pistols and at a price of $480 (which is below that of the average recreational level .22 pistol), Nelson’s .22 conversion satisfies the need of any shooter wishing to utilize the most enduring pistol design in history as a low-cost trainer.
Still predominantly a wildcat in America, the .300 Norma Magnum has already captured the imagination of long-range shooters.
How the .300 Norma Magnum performs:
It's a .338 Norma Magnum necked down to .308 caliber.
Generates .30-378 Weatherby ballistics from a non-belted case.
Capable of pushing a 208-grain bullet more than 3,000 fps at the muzzle.
In early 2007, a ballistician named Jimmie Sloan began looking into long-range shooting and what it took to achieve success at 1,000 and 1,500 yards with a portable individual weapon system. Sloan was unsatisfied with the cartridges available at the time. He wanted a rifle cartridge capable of shooting a bullet with a very high ballistic coefficient, one that weighed 300 grains and traveled at velocities of about 2,800 fps. A wildcat cartridge known as the .338R was the result. In 2009, Norma AB Precision legitimized the cartridge as the .338 Norma Magnum. The .300 Norma Magnum is nothing more than the .338 Norma Magnum necked down to .308-caliber. Aside from that, the case dimensions are almost identical.
The .300 Norma Magnum generates .30-378 Weatherby ballistics from a non-belted case with a standard, radius-free shoulder. Few American ammunition manufacturers offer factory loads, wildcatters have already gone to work by Ackley Improving the case so that it has a 40-degree shoulder. Brass for the .300 Norma Magnum is available from Midway USA. Though similar in name and caliber to the .308 Norma Magnum, these cartridges are not the same; the .300 Norma Magnum will push a 200-grain bullet to the same velocities the .308 Norma Magnum will push a 180-grain bullet.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2018 Long-Range issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Time flies when you’re having fun, and the gear precision rifle shooters are turning to is coming at us even faster. Before writing this article, I put the question to the Sniper’s Hide Forum, asking what gear they would include in a “year in review” column, and they did not disappoint. I could make this a 10-page article, but I just don’t have that kind of space, so I’m going to boil it down to my Top 5.
Jumping right in, I want to caveat and say one thing: There’s currently a lot of movement in the precision rifle side of the sport. I selected these pieces of kit based on the feedback from the Sniper’s Hide Members and from my own personal experiences with each product. It’s by no means complete or definitive; however, I think it hit the mark in a lot of ways. Don’t read into the order of my selections, instead place them all on equal footing to each, just nestled in their various applications.
Breaking down the Top 5 list, let’s look at each one individually and dissect why they were chosen.
Vudoo Gun Works, along with the NRL 22 League, has changed the way we approached training and practice with a precision rifle. The V-22 Action has a very similar footprint to the Remington 40x. In other words, it fits in a standard Remington short-action stock. It has been adapted to work with AICS type magazines, so the controls are very similar to our standard, full-sized rifles.
Translated, it also has a short action detachable bottom metal. Vudoo Gun Works .22 rifles look just like their full-sized brothers out there, just scaled down. The best part: You can shoot a .22 LR all day, and it doesn’t destroy your shoulder or your wallet.
Mils vs. MOA: Which Is The Best Long-Range Language?
The competitions using these rifles has spread across the United States like wildfire. The NRL 22 League has really exploded. Why? Because any 100-yard range will do, and they’re replicating tactical matches scaled down to work for the .22 rimfire.
You’ve heard it a thousand times, but the .22 LR is the best way to train and get kids involved. Across the board, the Vudoo Gun Works rifles are absolute hammers, and when shooting Prime factory ammo, we have seen great results. www.vudoogunworks.com
A good tripod is universally considered the best single tool for the precision rifle shooter to employ when conditions don’t allow you to go prone. It’s only been a few years since Really Right Stuff (RRS), an excellent camera support company, created their SOAR Division to address the shooting community.
The Anvil 30 Tripod can be considered their dedicated, mission-specific tripod head that — so far — is unrivaled. The Anvil 30 connects to the Really Right Stuff Dovetail as well as to your Pic rail. In other words, one head fits both specs.
Consider the Marine, the hunter and the competition shooter: Prone shooting is the exception, not the rule, so being able to maintain stability and get hits on target under a variety of circumstances is essential. Lightweight and sturdy, this tripod makes taking 1,000-yard shots from the standing just as easy as shooting from your belly. It’s really that good — simply because it was designed from the ground up … specifically for shooting.
Go to any tactical rifle match in the country, and it will be dominated by RRS Tripods.
An honorable mention goes to the change from Picatinny rails to the Really Right Stuff Dovetail. Similar to the Arca Swiss pattern of camera mounts, the Really Right Stuff Dovetail is being manufactured and machined into a variety of stocks and other products. It’s super simple and fast to deploy, and the rail systems being used has been adapted to work with bipods, too, so the user can easily slide them up and down the rail system quickly. Aftermarket products using the dovetail are too numerous to list. www.soar.reallyrightstuff.com
I am a fan of the Valkyrie. There, I said it. I’ve shot the Valkyrie in competition, I’ve shot the Valkyrie to 2,020 yards — in fact, I recently went 7 out of 10 hits at 1,785 yards with a Mile High Shooting bolt gun chambered in .224 Valkyrie. The round works as advertised, and is not being overhyped.
Put simply, it’s a .223 Rem. on steroids, using high BC bullets. I’m currently using both the 88-grain Hornadys, as well as the 90-grain Federal factory ammunition, and the results really do speak for themselves. Inexpensive with great ballistics and a long barrel life, the Valkyrie is a smart choice to bridge the gap between the .223 Rem. and 6.5 Creedmoor. Big-picture wise, it’s also an excellent way to get kids involved in shooting because of the low recoil and superior ballistics. The ammunition is widely available in a variety of bullet weights, so finding it on a shelf should not be a problem.
I started out shooting a small frame JP Rifles AR in .224 Valkyrie and took it to a Guardian Long Range competition. The low recoiling rounds let you stay on target, and it has just enough velocity to make it competitive without burning out the barrel in 2,000 rounds. While more people see it as a semi-auto cartridge, we do see outstanding results with it in a bolt gun as well. www.federalpremium.com
If you’re shooting any tactical competitions and you’ve not used a Game Changer bag, you’re missing out. These bags have changed the way shooters approach stages like barricades, balancing the rifles on them and getting repeatable hits out to distance. The bags mold to the obstacles — they can be tossed on a tree limb, a rock or the bed of your truck — and it will stabilize the shot. The only limitation is your imagination with these bags.
There are a bunch of similar bags, but I chose the Game Changer because it was one of the first, and its name has become universally accepted to describe all bags of this type. Others include the Fortune Cookie, the Saracen and the Tactical Udder. They may sound funny, but they work. Slap ‘em down and balance the rifle — you’ll be surprised how well you stay on target. It’s somewhat heavy for most hunters; however, they do make smaller versions to limit the weight. www.reasorprecisionsolutions.com
There are a ton of custom actions out there right now, so many in fact that it’s hard to keep pace. Bighorn started out in Colorado and then moved to Nebraska, but it has continued to make great, inexpensive custom actions. A desirable feature of these actions is the floating, replaceable bolt head, which lets you change calibers quite easily.
Coming in at $825, it’s one of the cheapest of the custom actions on the market. Available in both left- and right-hand configurations, the Bighorn Origin is a bang-for-your-buck rockstar. Bighorn is a custom action maker, so you can adjust the features upon order to fit your needs — think of it as a customizable custom action, in other words.
Other actions that received honorable mention include the ARC Nucleus and Defiance Tenacity. www.bighornarms.com/actions
So, there’s my look back at the gear the Sniper’s Hide members and I considered the best in their class for 2018.
Honorable Mention
Here are a few of my honorable mentions. I really wanted to include them, but there is just too much great stuff out there right now — but these certainly deserve a mention.
Sig Electro-Optics BDX System
Terrapin X Laser Range Finder
The Atlas CAL and Ckye Pod Bipods
The Everyday Sniper Podcast
TRASOL Ballistic Software Revamp
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The Glock 40 MOS has proven itself a top option in 10mm. But when it comes to feeding it, what is the top ammo choice?
What are specs for the Glock 40 MOS:
CALIBER: 10mm Auto
CAPACITY: 15
WEIGHT WITH LOADED MAGAZINE: 1,265g | 44.62 oz.
BARREL LENGTH: 153mm | 6.02 in.
OVERALL LENGTH: 241mm | 9.49 in.
SLIDE LENGTH: 229mm | 9.02 in.
OVERALL WIDTH: 34mm | 1.34 in.
SLIDE WIDTH: 28,5mm | 1.12 in.
HEIGHT INCL. MAG.: 139mm | 5.47 in.
The resurgence of interest in the 10mm Auto cartridge is attended by a fanciful and ever-growing myth of legendary stopping power. Along with these fantasies flows a mountain of steamy bunk, served like dung on shiny china.
Recoil from the Glock 40 MOS is no walk in the park but is easily controllable thanks to the ergonomics of the Gen 4 Glock’s slimmer pistol grip and long, 6-inch slide.
Regardless of what the bespectacled gun counter guy may claim, the 10mm Auto is not “the .44 Magnum of semi-autos.” Not even close. Nor is it the .41 Magnum of semi-autos. The way many people talk about the 10mm Auto cartridge, you’d think they’re describing the lesser-known but related 10mm Magnum, which was first chambered by Harry Sanders in some of his early Automag pistols and later by Smith & Wesson in the Model 610. That load is a hammer that is not produced commercially today. The 10mm Magnum, of course, bested the standard 10mm Automatic by at least 300 fps and did indeed make .41 Magnum territory.
However, as we discovered in this ammo test, the standard 10mm Automatic, the .40-caliber brainchild of the late Col. Jeff Cooper, is no pussycat. And true to its reputation, it hits like a Mike Tyson uppercut. Testing a Glock 40 MOS (Modular Optics System) — a 6-inch long-slide 10mm and reigning king of hand cannons in the company’s lineup — with a Burris FastFire 3 reflex-style sight, I lit off a bunch of the best 10mm ammunition made today to see what takes the cake for range practice, hunting and personal protection loads. Here are the results.
Trigger Notes
Glock’s striker-fired mechanism feels like a rough double-action trigger, but you must keep the pistol design in context. Glocks are typically used for everyday carry and personal defense, so I can understand a tough trigger. After all, when it comes to self-defense, it makes sense to have a heavy trigger that only trips when it’s intended to be pulled.
The overall winner of our 10mm Auto ammo test was the Underwood 150-grain Xtreme Hunter load. It yielded 1.24-inch average and .53-inch best groups at 25 yards. Best of all, it’s doing 1,415 fps for 667 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. That level of accuracy and horsepower can dominate for hunting, survival, home defense and everyday carry.
But since I wanted a handgun that could also be used for a wider range of tactical and survival scenarios, a lighter, smoother trigger pull to facilitate long-range accuracy was desired. On a hunting handgun, the trigger can’t hinder accuracy on shots that could range from 25 to 50, or even 100 yards. There’s a case to be made for long-range handgun accuracy in a tactical handgun. You never know what you might encounter.
Thankfully, I was able to improve the trigger dramatically by installing a 3.5-lb. connector and spring kit, doing some judicious hand polishing of key mating parts and finishing up with a deburring job that would have made the old machine shop teachers proud. A little elbow grease transformed the Glock trigger into a 3.4-lb. beauty. Considering the Glock’s stellar out-of-the-box accuracy and reliability, it is now fully capable of unleashing hellfire on targets from point blank to 50 yards with alarming precision.
Burris FastFire 3
The little Burris Fastfire 3 reflex-style red-dot sight looks tiny sitting on top of the G40's massive slide, but don't judge a book by its cover. How Burris engineered it to not only keep from flying into the wild blue yonder under the heavy recoil of powerful 10mm loads is beyond me, but what really impresses is how well it holds zero shot after shot after shot. I tried to break it by shooting hundreds of rounds of the hottest loads I could get my hands on. It kept working, didn’t budge. That inspired confidence.
Underwood’s 140-grain Xtreme Penetrator load ranked very high as tested in the Glock 40 MOS. The load uses the Lehigh Defense bullet and penetrates like an anti-aircraft shell. It’s carried by many Alaskans for bear encounters.
The optic uses a 3 MOA red-dot, which has three manual brightness settings and one automatic brightness sensor, which is what I used. Elevation and windage adjustments are accomplished using a small, standard screwdriver in the slots on the top and back. Adjustments are responsive and precise. The FastFire 3 is a simple 1x magnification and was completely parallax free.
The sight was left in the off position while carried, and I practiced activating the left-side On button with my left-hand thumb during the draw cycle. There were no hiccups using this technique, but still uncertainty exists among some shooters. So they install tall suppressor sights on reflex-equipped handguns. The idea is to provide a “co-witness” through the red-dot’s screen and serve as a backup in case of optics failure. I chose not to do that. Instead, I found that for shots at normal defensive ranges of 7 yards and under, you can simply use the screen itself with the optic turned off to bracket an IDPA target. The result is an ultra-fast sight picture — even quicker than obtaining the red-dot — and remarkably accurate. It seems to act as a sort of extra-large rear peep sight. For longer shots, Burris has provided a vertical white line on the back edge of the FastFire 3, which functions as a makeshift rear sight should a backup be needed.
The real surprise in the test was the performance of the 180-grain Trophy Bonded JSP load from Federal. This load scoots a flat-meplat bullet along at 1,355 fps, putting 734 ft-lbs. on target. On top of that, its accuracy was second best of all lots tested — 1.50-in. average and .44-inch best groups at 25 yards.
With all these features, such a rig places a tremendous amount of firepower in your hands. You can dump 15 rounds of heavy 10mm, jack a reload home, unleash another volley and whistle Dixie … all without skipping a beat. That might be a bit overkill on whitetails, but two-legged attackers deserve every bit of it. In case you’re wondering, the era of reflex sights on handguns is here to stay. The technology is ready for prime time. However, when carried all day under a shirt concealed, the little screen on the reflex sight attracts dust like Yogi Bear to a pic-a-nic basket. It's not worth crying about, though — simply blast it clear every few days with a can of compressed air and use the fleece scratch-free cloth provided by Burris to safely wipe the screen clean.
10mm Range Review
For the range test, I shot a selection of 10mm ammo through the Glock 40 MOS. That included practice, personal protection and hunting loads. Representing the range/target loads were Federal 180-grain American Eagle FMJ, Blaser 200-grain FMJ and DoubleTap Colt National Match 180-grain FMJ. Among this group, DoubleTap’s Colt NM loading produced the most consistent accuracy from the Glock 40, with a 1.32-inch average, and a .60-inch best group at 25 yards from a rest. Personal defense choices tested included Hornady’s 180- and 155-grain XTP, and Hornady Critical Duty with a 175-grain FlexLock bullet. Federal’s 180-grain Hydra-Shok, DoubleTap’s 135-grain Controlled Expansion JHP and the Underwood 115-grain Xtreme Defender rounded out the best choices for concealed carry. When it comes to EDC — considering accuracy and sheer foot pounds of energy — it was a dead heat between DoubleTap’s 135-grain JHP and Underwood’s 115-grain Extreme Defender, both of which kept average groups just over an inch at 25 yards and crushed the 700 fps barrier (725 fps and 788 fps, respectively).
DoubleTap’s Colt National Match 180-grain FMJ load proved exceptionally accurate, printing an average 1.32-inch group, and a best .60-inch group at 25 yards from a solid rest.
For the hunting/survival category, there was naturally some overlap with some of the personal defense loads already mentioned, especially the DoubleTap 135-grain JHP load. Federal’s 180-grain Trophy Bonded JSP was a real humdinger. It proved accurate and hard-hitting, with a best 25-yard group of .44 inch and 734 ft-lbs, making it a must-try for whitetails and everyday carry. Underwood’s two screamers — a 140-grain Xtreme Penetrator (a favorite for grizzly bear protection) and 150-grain Xtreme Hunter — were the cat’s meow. The 140-grain load printed very consistent groups that averaged 1.34 inches at 25 yards, with 738 ft-lbs of energy. Even more impressive was Underwood’s 150-grain Xtreme Hunter, the second-most accurate ammunition of the entire test (1.24 average, .53-inch best groups at 25 yards) and still hitting with 667 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. Note that the Underwood loads use the CNC-machined all-copper Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defense bullet, which employs radial flutes that force hydraulic energy outward to build pressure and carve a nasty wound channel without sacrificing penetration.
LOAD
VELOCITY (fps)
ENERGY (ft-lbs)
25-YARD GROUP AVG.(in.)
BEST 25-YARD GROUP (in.)
50-YARD GROUP AVG. (in.)
Federal American Eagle 180-gr. FMJ
1,011
484
4.93
.66
—
Blaser 200-gr. FMJ
1,023
465
1.72
.49
—
DoubleTap Colt National Match 180-gr. FMJ
1,179
556
1.32
.60
—
Hornady Custom 180-gr. XTP
1,210
585
2.12
1.84
—
Hornady 155-gr. XTP Custom
1,321
601
2.20
1.79
—
Hornady Critical Duty 175-gr. FlexLock
1,137
502
3.86
1.15
—
Federal 180-gr. Hydra-Shok JHP
1,071
459
2.22
1.525
—
DoubleTap 135-gr. Controlled Expansion JHP
1,555
725
1.82
1.16
—
Federal 180-gr. Trophy Bonded JSP
1,355
734
1.50
.44
—
Underwood 115-gr. Xtreme Defender
1,757
788
1.41
1.25
—
Underwood 140-gr. Xtreme Penetrator
1,541
738
1.80
1.34
4.73
Underwood 150-gr. Xtreme Hunter
1,415
667
1.24
.53
3.95
Conclusion
Between today’s hot, full-power 10mm Auto factory loads, and easy-shooting platforms such as the Glock 40 MOS, the effectiveness of truly powerful, high-pressure cartridges can fully be harnessed. For survival against man or beast, hand cannons like these should have a prominent place in your tactical handgun toolbox.
Mossberg takes the sub-compact 9mm to the next level in functionality and affordability with the MC1sc.
How the MC1sc is built for concealed carry:
Concealable 3.4-inch barrel and 4.25-inch height.
Comfortable 19.1 ounces.
Around a 1/8-inch trigger pull that breaks consistently.
Generous trigger guard allows for shooting with gloves on.
Durable stainless steel slide with DLC finish.
Safe Takedown System eliminates negligent discharge when disassembling the pistol.
Strong glass reinforced polymer frame.
6+1 capacity, 7+1 with extended mag.
Reasonable starting MSRP of $425.
Mossberg started out as an innovator in the gun world. Their first gun — introduced in 1919 — was a somewhat radical in concept. Called the Brownie, it was a compact, four-barreled pistol, chambered for the 22 LR. Designed for trappers to use to dispatch their catch, it’s probably best described as a pepperbox or derringer. Mossberg manufactured more than 30,000 of these cool little guns, which initially sold for a whopping $5.00! (Used Brownies now sell for between $300 and $1,000.)
Mossberg continued to innovative through rimfire rifles, shotguns and centerfire rifles; most recently with their groundbreaking and great selling MVP line of rifles that accept AR-15 and AR-10 detachable magazines. Mossberg’s latest innovation takes them back to their roots. It’s the second handgun Mossberg has ever manufactured and it’s called the MC1sc, which stands for Mossberg Carry 1 Sub-Compact. It was specifically designed and engineered as an optimized solution to concealed carry.
To optimize concealed carry, those practicing the discipline must find a balance between several things. Sure you can carry and try to conceal a .44 Magnum revolver, and you can also practice with that revolver until your wrist gives out and your wallet is broken. Serious practitioners find equilibrium between handgun size, ease of carry, and shootability. If you cannot carry your handgun comfortably you simply won’t carry it. If you cannot shoot and operate it with efficiency, then, well, it probably does not matter if you carry it at all.
A Long Time Coming
Over 3 years in the making, Mossberg began by researching the market to discover what consumers were looking for in a concealed carry handgun. They knew pistols made up 44 percent of the firearms market, and that most had polymer frames. They also identified sub-compact .380 ACP or 9mm Luger pistols as having the largest opportunity for sales. With handguns is this venue carrying an average price of $533, Mossberg built their design parameters around a poly-framed, 9mm +P capable handgun, with a 2.75 to 3-inch barrel, single-stack magazine with a 6-round capacity, and a suggested retail of less than $450.
The grip on the Mossberg MC1sc has wrap around pebbling and serrations on the backstrap.
Consistent with current trends, the Mossberg MC1sc does have a polymer frame. The grip — though short offers what might best be described as a two-finger hold — is very ergonomic. With a combination of a palm swell and wrap around stippling and serrations, it sort of sticks to the hand. An extra, extended capacity magazine, with a longer floor plate, lengthens the grip to an even more comfortable three-finger hold.
The frame has a generous trigger guard that will work with fat fingers or gloved hands, and somewhat surprisingly, a version is offered with a cross-bolt style safety. The trigger has the customary passive safety lever and a nicely audible and very short reset that you can feel. More importantly, the trigger is very crisp.
Once the initial slack — common with striker fired pistols — is taken up, there’s some minimal stacking through about an eighth-inch of pull, and then the trigger has a very consistent break, which, according to my Timney Triggers pull gauge, measured at 4.5 pounds. Trigger over-travel, something that makes handguns difficult to shoot accurately, is minimal.
Each MC1sc ships with two clear magazines. One holds six rounds and the other seven.
The slide, which measures only 0.9-inch wide, is machined from stainless-steel and comes with a DLC finish. It has angled grasping grooves at the rear and front, and was remarkably easy to cycle; every member of my household — including my 11-year-old daughter — could manipulate it. The most interesting feature of the slide is the patent-pending Safe Takedown System (STS.)
A New Take On The Takedown
The STS is a major departure from anything you might have seen with regard to sub-compact concealed carry handguns. It works like this: With the handgun fully unloaded and the slide locked to the rear, you depress a recessed button on the striker cover on the rear of the slide. This allows the cover to slip out exposing the striker. The striker can then be pulled from the slide, rendering the pistol inert. Once this is done, simply grasp the slide, depress the slide lock, and slip the slide from the frame. Its takes only seconds, and the pistol can be completely fieldstripped without pulling the trigger.
The slide also features dovetails, front and rear, for sights. The base model is shipped with low profile, three-dot sights, but a version with TruGlo night sights is available. Just as importantly, Mossberg chose to use dovetails compatible with Sig Sauer No. 8 sights. This means any aftermarket sight that will work with the SIG No. 8 dovetail, will work on the Mossberg MC1sc.
The striker plate at the back of the slide is easily removed and allows access to the striker for ease of disassembly.
The MC1sc is shipped with two magazines, and they are a bit different, too, because you can see through them. The Clear Count Magazine bodies are manufactured from a transparent, lubricous, polymer compound that offers low friction and high wear resistance, while providing easy — at a glance — ammunition assessment. The standard magazine holds six rounds and the extended holds seven. The magazine release, found in the common location at the base of the trigger guard, can be moved by the end user for left- or right-hand operation.
The Inaugural Field Test
For 2019, Mossberg will be offering four versions of the MC1sc. As mentioned, the standard model will come with three-dot sights and an optional cross-bolt safety, another will have TruGlo night sights, and a third comes with a green, E-series, Viridian laser that attaches to the trigger guard. The fourth version is the Centennial Limited Edition, which features an engraved slide with 24 karat gold inlays. Suggested retail for the base model is $425, which means you should see it across the counter for less than $380!
At that price point, the MC1sc is sure to get attention. The real question is, does it work? In early November I was one of 16 shooters who traveled to Gunsite Academy to put Mossberg’s second pistol to the test. The group included a host of folks who make a living telling the world about guns in magazines and/or on video. But most importantly, these shooters were former military, police and competition shooters, who know a good or bad gun when they see it.
The Mossberg 2019 MC1sc (top) and Mossberg 1919 Brownie (bottom.)
When we were first handed the MC1sc, we all were taken by how well it fit our hands. But at the same time, we were skeptical of the see-through magazines, which were so unconventional looking. Over the next 3 days, our group fired more than 10,000 rounds. And, we each used the same pistol all 3 days. This gave us an opportunity to make an honest evaluation of its shootability and reliability.
First, let me address reliability. I’ll not say there were no stoppages, but what I will say is that every stoppage I’m aware of occurred due to operator error. Errors such as not fully inserting the magazine during a speed load, or pressing the thumb of the shooting hand down on the slide stop preventing lock-back after the last round fired. The ammo we used for testing was a combination of Hornady Critical Duty and FMJ. But, I got a little adventurous and borrowed a magazine full of CCI shotshells from an instructor and the little pistol cycled them flawlessly. For what it’s worth, this is only the second 9mm pistol I’ve fired that was totally reliable with shotshells.
As for shootability, I did not expect a lot. After all, this is 19-ounce (unloaded) striker-fired handgun with a 3.4-inch barrel. I was surprised. I managed to shoot a clean score on the El Presidente drill in 10 seconds, and ran the Dozier drill in less than four. Headshots at 15 yards were not a problem, and hitting head-sized steel targets at even further distances became commonplace. In fact, as a group we were so enamored with how well the pistol shot, we went back to 50 yards and took turns ringing 12-inch steel gongs.
The Mossberg MC1sc points well, feels good in the hand, and the trigger is ridiculously fine. All those things made getting hits during slow fire shooting at distance easy. And, combined with the superb trigger reset, shooting at a fast pace was very controllable and precise. From an operation and manipulation standpoint, I consider the Mossberg MC1sc as good as any pistol of this size that I’ve fired. Based on price alone, it’s in a class by itself.
Mossberg took their time bringing the MC1sc to market and it paid off. The pistol finds a great balance between concealability, shootability, and just as importantly, affordability. But that should come as no surprise; Mossberg has been doing this with firearms since their inception. They’re a company founded to provide dependable and reliable firearms to everyday folks — working man guns, at working man prices.
If I was going to find a flaw with the pistol, it would only be in its name; MC1sc sounds a bit technical and, well, dry, for a gun so useful and representative of 100 years of fantastic firearms manufacturing. I think they should have named it the Centennial to represent a century of continuous firearms production, from a family owned business that has clearly stepped into the new millennium, with what will likely be the best new gun of 2019.
Loaded with low-drag bullets, Federal Premium Berger Hybrid Hunter line arms hunters with precision ammo.
How Hybrid Hunter will get you on target next season:
High BC tangent-secant ogive bullets.
Federal Gold Medal Primers.
Specially formulated propellants tuned to each load.
Durable nickel-plated brass cases.
When it comes to performance ammunition, you can’t get much better than Federal Premium and Berger Bullets. This year, the well-respected ammo maker and bulletsmith are teaming up to provide hunters what is sure to be a precise and potent line of hunting ammunition.
As the name suggests, the Federal Premium Berger Hybrid Hunter series features Berger’s highly accurate tangent-secant ogive bullets. The projectiles are renowned for their high ballistic coefficients, thus giving them the ability to overcome air resistance and buck the wind. For instance, the .308 Win. load boasts a bullet with a .489 BC, which losses less than 25-percent of its advertised muzzle velocity (2,800 fps) at 500 yards. In addition to top-notch bullets, the ammo also features nickel-plated brass cases, Gold Medal primers and specially formulated propellants.
In all, the Federal Premium line consists of 10 loads in some of the most popular and common hunting calibers. The company reports it has made its first shipment of the Hybrid Hunter series to distributors, so if it’s not at your local ammo outlet now, it should be soon. The ammunition’s MSRP ranges from $39.95 to $50.95 for a box of 20 rounds.
Caliber
Bullet Weight
Ballistic Coefficient (G1)
Muzzle Velocity FPS
.280 Ackley Improved
168 grains
.556
2,800
.270 Win Short Magnum
140 grains
.528
3,200
6.5 Creedmoor
135 grains
.584
2,775
.270 Win.
140 grains
.528
2,950
.308 Win.
168 grains
.489
2,800
.300 Win. Mag.
185 grain
.533
2,950
.300 Win. Short Mag.
185 grain
.533
2,950
7mm Rem. Mag.
168 grain
.566
2,870
.30-06 Sprng
168 grain
.489
2,800
.243 Win.
95 grain
.434
3,050
For more information on Federal Premium Ammunition, please visit www.federalpremium.com.
Boyds expands its customizable stock line with the introduction of the At-One Thumbhole stock.
There’s a misconception among some shooters that it takes big-bucks and a highly skilled gunsmith to obtain custom gun performance. Certainly, this formula can reap you the accuracy you’re after. But there’s a much simpler and economical way to get the most out of your cherished long-gun. This is where Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks comes in.
For more than 30 years, the stock maker has produced precision platforms that milk the most out of rifles and shotguns. Better yet, their wares are configured that – in all but the most extreme circumstances – you can install them yourself with minimal effort and few specialized tools. If you know how to torque a screw, you know how to benefit from Boyds.
One of Boyds’ highest performers is the At-One stock. A highly configurable and fully adjustable system, it’s just the thing to bring out the most in a long gun. And the company has continued to evolve the system. Following up on the traditional rifle stock and shotgun models, the company introduced a new high-control configuration to its lineup – the At-One Thumbhole stock.
As its name suggests, the stock features a prominent thumbhole grip, allowing you to get a full purchase on your rifle.At the same tick, the new addition features everything that made the At-One system popular in the first place:
Push-button cheek rest and length of pull adjustment
Interchangeable forend grip
Choice of hundreds of finishes
Low price
Given the At-One Thumbhole stock’s design, it does not have an interchangeable hand grip. However, that should be moot, given the real estate available. And like the other Boyds At-One gunstocks, the thumbhole version’s price can’t be beat, starting around $200.
The CMMG Guard series of pistol-caliber carbines offers a unique operating system that's right on target.
How the CMMG Guard shoots smooth:
Features CMMG’s Radial Delayed Blowback system.
System requires a carrier with less mass.
This reduces bounce on rapid fire.
One of the fastest growing competitive shooting segments is the pistol-caliber carbine crowd, which includes events sanctioned by the United States Pistol Shooting Association (USPSA). Known for fast-moving, multi-stage events for race pistols, pistol-caliber carbine matches allow carbines in pistol calibers with a power factor of 125 and a maximum velocity of 1,600 fps. Slings, optical and electronic sights are allowed, as are laser sights — and there’s no restriction on magazine capacity. Because of cost and recoil management, clearly the most popular caliber is 9mm. Besides USPSA sanctioned matches, there are a growing number of carbine-bay matches that include separate classes for pistol-caliber carbines. The growth of competitive shooting opportunities for 9mm carbines, combined with the fact that they’re both fun and cheap to shoot, has spawned the development of a number of new 9mm carbines.
The Struggle With 9mm Carbines
As a result, 9mm might be the second most popular chambering for AR-system rifles. Not long ago in these pages, I reviewed four different PCC guns with varied results. The guns ranged in price from just over $500 for the Just Right JR9C, to more than $2,000 for the Sig MPX carbine. The winner of that test was the SIG MPX because it was the most stable during rapid fire, even though the JR9C was the most accurate.
Stability is important in time/score matches. Most of these events require two shots to neutralize a target. The A zone of the target is 11 inches x 5.875 inches. That’s not a small target, but the matches are scored on speed with penalties for shots outside the A zone. Most distances are under 50 yards, meaning razor-sharp accuracy isn’t as important as speed. The Sig MPX gained an advantage because it was the only gas-operated gun in the test, and gas operation allows for less reciprocating mass … which provides smoother recoil and faster follow-up shots.
To someone who’s never shot a 9mm carbine in a match where speed is the most important factor, it might be puzzling that we’re talking about recoil from a 9mm carbine. Recoil from the 9mm round isn’t the problem: The problem comes from the reciprocating mass of the semi-automatic operating system.
The Odin Zulu 2.0 adjustable stock adds a few ounces over the original, but the additional weight is next to the center of movement, thus having little effect on speed of transitions. It’s solid and remarkably well made.
Other than the MPX, all the other guns in that four gun test were blowback operated. In a blowback operating system, the mass of the moving slide or bolt carrier provides enough resistance to keep the gun in battery during peak pressure. The movement of that mass, both rearward and forward, disturbs the gun and carries it off the target. The gas operated MPX has a much lighter reciprocating mass and was the smoothest shooting, and therefore it was the fastest in the test.
A properly tuned AR-15 chambered for 5.56 NATO can be tuned to be as stable as a .22 LR carbine. Because a 5.56 AR-15 is gas operated, the bolt carrier can be lightened to reduce the reciprocating mass, reducing bounce. By using the high-velocity gas generated by the 5.56 round, a muzzle brake can be tuned to control the direction of that movement and stabilize the gun.
Unfortunately, in a 9mm carbine, there isn’t enough gas for a muzzle brake to influence the bouncing mass of the system. Because of this greater reciprocating mass and the lack of gas velocity to compensate for movement, accurate double-taps with a blowback-operated 9mm carbine are much harder to accomplish than with a properly tuned 5.56 NATO.
A New Option
This is where the CMMG Guard comes on the stage. CMMG recognized the problem and addressed it by creating a different operating system for their Guard series of 9mm carbines. They accomplished this by redesigning the bolt and bolt recesses in the barrel, and by creating what they call a “rotationally actuated, dual-pin supported linkage, radial delayed blowback operating system” that’s covered by two United States patents.
The rotary bolt on the CMMG Guard series is angled with matching lugs in the barrel. Recoil pressure rotates the bolt and unlocks the carrier, delaying the system and allowing a much lower reciprocating mass of bolt and carrier.
That’s a mouthful, but here’s how it works: When the gun fires, recoil pressure pushes the bolt to the rear and, instead of flats on the bolt lugs, they’re angled. The angled surfaces in the barrel cause matching angles on the bolt lugs to rotate and unlock the system.
The upshot to this complicated technical talk is that the CMMG Guard has a considerably lighter bolt carrier. With less carrier weight, there’s less reciprocating mass, meaning less bounce on firing. Tested beside a tuned gas operated MPX, the Guard wasn’t quite smooth, but it was noticeably more stable than other carbines, such as the JR, JP and Palmetto.
Ultimately, the MPX probably makes the most effective competitive carbine, but with an MSRP of more than $2,000, it still needs modifications to work even reasonably well for competition. The CMMG Guard’s base price is about a third lower, at $1,299. To be competitive with either gun, you’ll have to replace the handguard to reduce muzzle weight for faster transitions, install a better trigger and upgrade the stock.
Changing Of The Guard
As received out of the box, the CMMG Guard was a perfectly workable carbine for normal use. I chose the base model, since the plan was to extensively modify the gun to make it more suitable for competition. If you follow some of my work, you’ll notice that I have developed a recent “family” of parts from specific brands that have come together really well for me … especially when it comes to tweaking for speed. All of these after-market components are great on their own, but when added together on a custom built — things get impressive in a hurry.
The Blackhawk ambidextrous charging handle uses a detent system to maintain closed position, allowing for fast movement without the need to mechanically unlatch.
As delivered, the MkGs T has a 16-inch medium taper barrel, threaded ½-28 for a compensator or suppressor. The trigger of the MkGs T 9MM is standard mil-spec — it was workable, but it was hardly appropriate for competition. The handguard is the short CMMG RKM11, and there’s a standard A2 Pistol Grip with an M4 six-position mil-spec receiver extension buttstock. The billet receivers are 7075-T6 AL upper and lower. The Guard came with a Glock 33 round magazine and weighed 6 pounds.
As modified, the weight remained the same at 6 pounds, but with the improvement of an Isler full-length carbon-fiber handguard slotted for M-Lock accessories. This handguard allows pushing the support hand almost to the end of the barrel, steading the gun during the shot and allowing more leverage to get the gun moving for a transition. The full-length Isler tube actually weighs less than the original short tube.
The standard M4 stock rattles around a bit and doesn’t provide much traction from the plastic buttplate. The much more substantial Odin Zulu 2.0 adjustable stock I chose adds a few ounces over the original, but the additional weight is next to the center of movement, having little effect on speed of transitions. The lighter handguard weight in the front countered the gain at the rear. Ergo’s Tactical Deluxe grip was a huge improvement over the standard A2 hard plastic grip. The larger diameter and “sticky” surface make holding the gun in one hand during reloads easy. Speaking of reloads, I also added a Blackhawk ambidextrous charging handle and a Taran Tactical magazine extension that bumps the magazine capacity up to 41 rounds.
Arguably the biggest change was the trigger. Standard, mil-spec triggers don’t facilitate fast and accurate shooting. A really good trigger allows the shooter to keep the gun stable and allows double taps with low split times. For a trigger, I chose the Elftman AR9 trigger specifically designed for 9mm carbines.
The light weight of a reflex sight allows faster target acquisition than is possible with a much heavier riflescope. The Burris Fastfire 3 has a mount designed for proper head alignment with AR carbines and weighs only a few ounces.
Triggers for 9mm carbines can be an issue. Because of the faster bolt speed and shape of 9mm carbine bolt carriers, most standard AR triggers won’t work in 9mm carbines. The Elftman AR 9 is designed to function with those different shapes, and it works perfectly with no doubles or reset problems. It breaks cleanly at about 3 pounds and makes shooting the Guard a pleasure.
The Guard On The Range
The modifications had little effect on benchrest performance of the unmodified gun. Using Aguila 115-grain 9mm rounds at 50 yards with a Burris Fastfire 3-dot sight, my 10-shot groups measured around 3 inches with a tight cluster in the center, indicating my difficulty with dot sights and astigmatism. Group size would probably shrink with a scope, but scopes add weight and weight is an enemy in fast-transition shooting. I was pleased with that level of performance for the task.
The Burris Fastfire 3 has a 3-MOA dot that automatically compensated for changes in light intensity and turns itself off when not in use. It allows both-eyes-open shooting and fast target acquisition. I chose the 3-MOA dot over the 8-MOA dot because some of the stages I shoot involve 8-inch steel at 50 yards, and I felt the smaller dot would allow more accuracy.
So, the upshot is that the CMMG Guard is a better mousetrap in AR-15 9mm carbines. Maybe it isn’t as good as the best-in-class MPX, but it’s far less expensive and is an AR with familiar AR controls and the ability to easily find and attach almost any accessory you can imagine.
The Elftman AR 9 trigger is designed to work with all AR 9mm carbines, and it provides a precision trigger with no fear of reset and chain-fire issues. I chose the flat-front model.
As delivered, it’s an improvement on every other AR-15 9mm — and when upgraded, it’s a better gun than a basic SIG MPX.
Everything done to the Guard could be accomplished by anyone with a reasonable knowledge of mechanics, and the result is a highly competitive carbine for PCC competition.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
