The Gun Control System by Madhouse Design will get your guns in order.
How does the Gun Control System get your guns organized?
Madhouse Design’s Gun Control System is a customizable storage system.
Its rails, swivel bodies and pins are configurable to nearly any application.
Constructed with aluminum, stainless steel and rubber overmolds, the system is rugged, yet gentle on guns.
The only drawback is the system is non-locking, so it does not secure a gun.
As you’ve likely already noticed, we’ve been referencing our recent Gun Digest reader survey a lot lately, and for good reason — we simply want to give you what you want. Many of the responses we saw were in line with what the Gun Digest team expected. On the other hand, there were some surprises: We knew the average Gun Digest the Magazine reader owns a lot of guns, but as indicated by the survey, y’all have been busy acquiring more than expected. We’re a little surprised — and way more impressed!
But with owning a pile of guns comes one significant problem — storage.
An Innovative Option
Boutique gun and shooting accessories companies aren’t hard to find these days — it seems like everyone has an idea and a website that’s going to “dramatically change the way we shoot.” Heard that one recently? Yeah … it’s getting old.
That said, there are a few diamonds in the rough, and we recently discovered Madhouse Design, which seems to be one such diamond. Madhouse offers a handful of unique sighting and optics mounting solutions, but of particular interest is their Gun Control System. What’s so appealing? Your ability to customize their system to your needs.
The Gun Control System allows everyone from single-gun owners to gun collectors to retail shops to mount a single pistol or multiple pistols in an efficient and organized manner that can be fully customized depending on need. The key here is three-part simplicity: a rail, a swivel body and a pin. Think of the system like Lincoln Logs for gun geeks: Build it how you want and need it.
Options For Any Modern Gunner
Single-Pistol Mount
If you need quick access to a gun and can imagine a place to mount it, you ought to be able to get it done with this: Under a desk, on the side of a nightstand, under you bed, in a cabinet, in your truck. And for the collector, the Single-Pistol Mount offers a low-profile means of displaying a single gun of distinction.
Multiple-Pistol Mount
Rail lengths on the Multiple-Pistol Mount are available in 1-, 2- and 4-foot increments. And because the swivel body — well, swivels — you can mount the rails vertically, horizontally or even diagonally if it suits your fancy. Mount it to the ceiling of your gun safe. In a locked display cabinet. You’ll figure it out.
Safe-Door Mount
In your storage solution right now, what’s the biggest waste of space? In all likelihood, it’s the door on your gun safes, right? The double-rail configuration mounts securely from the top of your gun safe door and works with any door width. This system accommodates up to 12 pistols in a versatile and compact manner without taking up valuable safe space.
Built To Your Imagination
Mounting Rails
Mounting rails are constructed of 6061 aluminum with a Mil-Spec Picatinny profile for secure mounting of firearms in any position. Four sizes are available for single- and multiple-pistol mounts, or they can be configured as a safe-door mount.
Swivel Bodies
Each swivel body locks securely in 7 positions at 30-degree increments or locks out to “free float” for easy access.
Barrel Pins
The pistol mount pin is constructed of 303 stainless-steel with a soft rubber over-mold to protect the muzzle and bore. Interchangeable pins are available in four sizes: 22 (.22 caliber), 9MM (9mm, .357, .38 calibers), 40 (.40, 10mm calibers) and 45 (.45 caliber).
It’s fairly obvious that this system has one major drawback: it doesn’t lock your guns. However, if you’re needing organized gun storage in a locked compartment such as a gun safe or a retail display, or if you need a place to keep your gun ready while in your truck — or, if you’re in a line of work where you need to mount a gun under your desk that’s pointed at the front door … well, you’ve got a winner here.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
More than 100 years after its introduction, the venerable .30-06 Springfield remains one of the best all-around hunting cartridges. Period.
Why is the .30-06 still king of the hill?
It’s been in use since 1906, has fought in two World Wars and hunted every continent.
The .308-inch bullet diameter is versatile; bullets of 100 to 240 grains are options.
This makes it flexible enough to take a wide variety of game animals.
It will push a 180-grain bullet around 2,700 to 2,800 fps, so long-range shots are possible.
Its recoil is manageable for a majority of shooters.
When it comes to playing with different cartridges, I’m like a little kid on Christmas Eve; I love the subtle nuances of each different development, and to be honest, there are only a few that make me wrinkle my nose. I’ve been privileged enough to spend a considerable amount of time with more than a few of them, either through handloading ammunition for them or taking them afield, sometimes to the more remote destinations on earth. But, just as with your favorite foods or music, you’ll often come back to that which has become an old standby, the one you know will work in any situation.
Because of its popularity, you can find .30-06 loads just about anywhere. And its performance and flexibility mean the .30-06 is likely to be king of the hill for some time to come.
The .30-06 Springfield is just that.
It’s been with us since 1906 and has seen two World Wars and numerous bloody conflicts just as terrible without the label. It has hunted every continent huntable and has lived through market trends that have bordered on ridiculous. Yet, in spite of a dozen or more would-be contenders to the throne, in spite of modern powders and bullets, and in spite of more than a few gun writers proclaiming its lack of modern validity, the .30-06 Springfield still wears the championship belt proudly.
Why, pray tell? Why would we still be embracing a century-plus-old cartridge design and holding its performance level as the benchmark for .30-caliber cartridges? Because it works so well that it has rendered many other would-be replacements null and void.
Let’s look at the specifications before we delve into the history.
Unparalleled Statistics
We Americans have embraced the .308-inch bullet diameter — partly due to the performance of the Springfield — with good reason. It represents what might be the most versatile caliber choice, giving the shooter a lineup of bullets weighing between 100 and 240 grains, and offering enough killing potential to take every game animal on the North American continent, as well as the greater portion of African species.
The .30-06 Springfield is highly versatile, capable of launching bullets with weights ranging from about 100 to 240 grains.
How we drive those bullets has been a source of contention and even argument for a century. Some insist they need to be moving as fast as possible, some feel that a moderate velocity is the best choice, and some others enjoy a wide variety of velocities.
Yes, I’ll agree that the 7mm bore diameter is almost as versatile, but the .30 caliber remains the darling child of American hunters. The 150- to 220-grain bullets remain the most popular for hunting applications, but modern bullet developments have produced some good choices on both ends of those limits.
One of the talking points of the .30-06 Springfield is the fact that the case capacity allows the cartridge to take advantage of the full spectrum of the .30-caliber bullets. This fact, in addition to the muzzle velocity generated, makes for a very well-balanced marriage of flat trajectory, acceptable recoil and striking power.
The .30-06 will drive a 180-grain bullet — an excellent all-around choice for the big-game hunter — to a muzzle velocity of somewhere between 2,700 and 2,800 fps. This is a very respectable speed that will shoot flat enough to make distant shots feasible by a good rifleman, and it will generate somewhere around 3,000 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy.
To touch on the recoil factor, the .30-06 can represent the top end of acceptable recoil for some big-game hunters, and that’s OK. We all have our limits, and I’d feel more comfortable with a hunter using a .30-06 to good effect than developing a flinch with a .300 Magnum. While there are good reasons to embrace the additional velocity (and correlative energy) of the larger-cased magnums, if the recoil is too severe for you to place your shots properly, the idea is defeated.
The .30-06 Springfield has probably taken just about every big-game species on the planet. It can handle North America’s largest bears, and it truly shines on game such as deer, elk and moose.
In the hunting world, the .30-06 Springfield is one of those cartridges that has probably been used to kill every species of huntable game on the planet — with varying degrees of success on the truly large and dangerous stuff. That said, even the great bears of the North can be taken with a .30-06, though there might be better choices. For deer, pronghorn, elk, moose and most other common North American species, the cartridge simply shines.
The lighter bullets — such as a good 150-grain spitzer — will leave the muzzle at more than 2,900 fps, making for an excellent deer/antelope/sheep load, and the middle-of-the-road 165-grain slugs are cruising along at just over 2,800 fps. The 150-, 165- and 180-grain bullets are the most popular and will handle the lion’s share of your hunting duties; however, if you prefer a bit more bullet weight for the larger animals, the 200- and 220-grain slugs are a sound choice. With fantastic sectional density (SD), those heavy bullets can have quite a dramatic effect and will guarantee deep penetration.
Should you wish to do a bit of varmint/predator hunting with your ’06, the 110- to 130-grain bullets will certainly do the job. However, I feel comfortable saying that using a .30-06 on a hot prairie dog town will start to get a little uncomfortable to even the most recoil insensitive.
The Amazing History
The Spanish-American War saw two important developments in American history: the rise of Theodore Roosevelt, and the unified conclusion that the 7×57 Mauser was vastly superior to our .30-40 Krag. The U.S. Army’s Ordinance Department began work on the replacement for the .30-40, and I’ve read several accounts that the .277-inch bullet diameter was considered. However, it seems that the fact that we were geared up to produce .30-caliber bullets influenced the decision to stick with that bullet diameter.
The ’06 has been a standby ever since its introduction more than 100 years ago. Shown here is a .30-06 load topped with the venerable Nosler Partition bullet.
The rim diameter of the Mauser was adopted — at 0.473 inch — but the case was designed at 2.54 inches, or 65mm, which was considerably longer than the Mauser design. The 220-grain, round nosed bullet of the .30-40 Krag was retained, traveling at 2,300 fps, and the world was introduced to the .30-03 in the Model 1903 rifle. It was an improvement over the Krag, but the Army wasn’t quite satisfied.
Three years later, in 1906, the case was shortened to 2.494 inches, and the projectile was revised to a flat-base spitzer of 150 grains. At a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps, this was rather revolutionary; the downrange performance was better than anything our soldiers had ever experienced. The “Cartridge, Ball, Caliber .30, Model of 1906” was on its way to glory both on the battlefield and in the hunting fields.
It was embraced by Roosevelt, Hemingway, Ruark and other writers who would influence a considerable amount of rifle purchases, and it would end up being loaded in just about every conceivable rifle action — from pump and single-shot to bolt and autoloader — ever produced. Again, it just plain works.
Fast Forward
The ’06 was replaced after the Korean War by its little brother, the .308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO, in soldiers’ hands, and it has also had some stiff competition from other .30-caliber cartridges in the hunting world. The .308 Winchester vs. .30-06 Springfield argument still rages on, but I really feel it’s a moot point; in the hunting field, their performance is so close that I really don’t feel any game animal would ever demonstrate a noticeable difference.
Yes, folks rail about the shorter action being more rigid and a bit lighter, and the opposition cites the better performance of the Springfield with the heaviest bullets, but I’ve used both, and I would be equally comfortable using either. I’ve long been a fan of the .300 Win. Mag., as the rifle I have is extremely accurate and I do appreciate the additional horsepower in certain situations, but I can honestly say that any shot I’ve made with my .300 could have been made with a .30-06. The velocity and trajectory differences aren’t really all that radical.
There have been other .30-caliber cartridges that have come and gone, or are hanging on for dear life — the .30 TC, the .300 RCM, the .300 Savage and there are others — that have had a brief moment or possibly even a good run, but none have equaled the legacy of the Springfield. Even the larger magnums such as the .300 Weatherby, .300 Remington Ultra Magnum and the like have a definite following, but not like the .30-06. You can find ammunition nearly anywhere, but that is the effect of the popularity, not the cause.
The bottom line is this: In spite of its age, the Springfield design represents the penultimate balance of powder and bullet weight, in a case that can be housed in a rifle of reasonable length. I’ve never had an issue with the action length of a rifle; even the .375 H&H-length actions can be made to run very fast in the hands of an experienced rifleman. I feel, personally, that too much time is spent squabbling over a half-inch of case length, or a pound of rifle weight. That time would be much better spent learning how to properly shoot whichever cartridge/rifle combination you’ve chosen from actual field positions.
If you’ve chosen an oddball, so be it, and may it serve you well. Just please realize that among the popular medium-caliber hunting cartridges, the .30-06 is, was and shall be that against which all others are judged.
That’s saying something.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
With less slide resistance, the M&P380 Shield EZ should prove to be one easy operator.
The details on Smith & Wesson’s M&P380 Shield EZ:
The pistol’s slide requires less force to rack.
In turn, it is ideal for shooters with weaker hands.
The Shield EZ’s magazines have built-in load assist.
Its slide mass has been optimized to handle most .380 ACP ammunition.
The Shield EZ also boasts a grip safety, unique in the M&P line.
The semi-automatic pistol has dominated for some time now, whether for casual target shooting or dead-serious self-defense. And there are plenty of reasons why this style of handgun — be it hammer fired, single-action, DAO or striker-fired — has risen to the top. It just plain performs.
Their capacity, rate of fire, accuracy and what have you all tend to get top marks from every class of shooter. But for a select segment of the greater shooting public, the pistols aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. For those who have difficulty operating the slide, the benefits of a semi-auto can seem out of reach or not worth the effort.
Smith & Wesson has set its sights squarely on these shooters with the newest edition of its popular semi-automatic pistol line. While the M&P380 Shield EZ definitely isn’t every handgunner’s cup of tea, for those who struggle to rack a semi-auto’s slide, it has the potential of being a godsend.
Smith & Wesson has given precious few details as to how it’s engineered a slide that requires less force to operate. However, the fact that the Shield EZ is a hammer-fired gun in a traditionally striker-fired line could have something to do with it. Lighter springs — both recoil and hammer — or where the hammer is situated could be how the company created a slide with less resistance.
Smith & Wesson has also given shooters plenty to get a hold of to manipulate the slide. In addition to the aggressive fore and aft cocking serrations common to the M&P line, the Shield EZ also has a flared section of the slide at the very rear. Reminiscent of some aftermarket upgrades, the protrusions are no wider than the frame; however, they give more to hold onto when working the slide.
The Shield EZ’s slide, aside from being easily manipulated, is also optimized in mass to reliably feed a wide spectrum of today’s .380 ACP ammunition and has a tactile load indicator.
Furthermore, the company hasn’t turned a blind eye to another facet of semi-autos that can be a bear — the magazine. The eight-round single-stack magazine (the pistol comes with two) has a side assist to depress the follower, thus making it easier to load. This should turn out to be a nice touch, particularly for getting those last few pesky rounds in when the spring is highly compressed.
Blatantly obvious when the Shield EZ is viewed in profile is its grip safety. A break in the usual M&P design, this passive safety pivots at the bottom to disengage an internal hammer block, thus making the pistol fully operable. The gun is also available with or without an ambidextrous manual thumb safety.
From there, the new Shield offers features fairly common to the line. It has standard three-dot sights, recoil operation, aggressive grip texturing and a Picatinny rail. Finally, the Shield EZ has a one-piece trigger that breaks at 5 pounds. The M&P380 Shield is presently on store shelves and has an MSRP of $399.
The gun debate can be marred with myths and misconceptions, especially in the wake of a mass shooting. Don’t fall prey to them: Arm yourself with knowledge.
As regular as midnight, after a tragedy, there’s a call for a “national conversation.” This is especially true when it comes to the gun debate. And so it is with the recent “mass shooting” calamity in Parkland, Florida. Everyone wants to feel like their idea is the keystone to curbing the violence of young people using AR-15s or other guns in school shootings. Or nightclub shootings. Or any shooting.
There’s nothing wrong with this, given free debate is as American as the right to bear arms. But many, if not most times, the discussion is marred with a load of myths and misconceptions and catchphrases, particularly when it comes to firearms and especially among those who know little or nothing about them. Groupthink rooted in misconstrued facts, or complete lack of facts surrounding guns, the Second Amendment and mass shootings is a very dangerous force.
The best thing gun owners can do is come fully armed to the Second Amendment discussion concerning lawful firearms with solid knowledge and statistics, and well-formed ideas about recent trends and the state of our gun-loving nation.
With this in mind, we’ve collected five talking points for the gun debate worth keeping in your holster. You’ve undoubtedly had many of these conversations the past few days, and as a passionate gun owner, you know there are more Second Amendment conversations to follow.
These gun-issue talking points are particularly focused on recent gun and crime statistics and studies, and paint a much different picture than what’s breathlessly ballyhooed on cable news and social media. Be it in polite company or the Wild West of a comments section, we hope these gun debate talking points will give you the ammo to help represent your side of the debate.
Guns For Self-Defense
One of the most popular gun-control mantras is the fallacy that law-abiding citizens are more likely to be harmed by personal firearms than helped. But academic and governmental studies have shown quite the opposite.
A 1995 study led by criminologist Dr. Gary Kleck of Florida State University titled: Armed Resistance to Crime: The Prevalence and Nature of Self-Defense with a Gun found around 2.2 to 2.5 million defensive gun uses annually. This estimation has been further strengthened recently in a report by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council prepared for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2013 report concluded that all national surveys on the topic estimate defensive gun use each year at from 500,000 to more than 3 million.
Additionally, the report found that, “Studies that directly assessed the effect of actual defensive uses of guns (i.e., incidents in which a gun was ‘used’ by the crime victim in the sense of attacking or threatening an offender) have found consistently lower injury rates among gun-using crime victims compared with victims who used other self-protective strategies.”
Declining U.S. Murder Rate
The up-to-the-minute hyperventilation with which the news is reported today, it’s easy to feel like America is in the end times. But contrary to popular opinion, the nation has been enjoying one of its safest eras since the early 1960s.
Despite some recent upticks, America’s murder rate is substantially lower than it was 20 to 30 years ago and way down off its peak. Consider this. There were 5.3 murders per 100,000 people in 2016, which is an astounding 48-percent decline from its apex in 1980. Additionally, the murder rate began to decline in the early 1990s and has held stable since around 2000.
More Guns Than Ever
Walking hand-in-hand with the drop in the U.S. murder rate, not to mention overall violent crime, is another intriguing trend — the number of guns in the country. While a difficult number to gauge, by most estimates there are more than 300 million firearms in the nation. By Congressional Research Service’s approximations, this is twice as many per capita as there were in 1968.
And Americans show no signs of slowing down in purchasing firearms. In 2017, FBI numbers show background checks for firearms purchases were triple what they were 15 years ago and firearms manufacturers continue to produce guns at record paces. Additionally, around 42-percent of the households in America have guns in them
For emphasis, these firearms statistics coincide with a precipitous drop in violent crime. This runs counter to the narrative more guns has equaled more crime.
Epidemic Of Mass Shootings?
There is a lot of hyperbole concerning mass shootings, and a lot of people are scratching their heads and wondering why mass shootings in schools keep happening. The favorite key banged in recent years is they are increasing … and many seem to believe that mass shootings are all the fault of the gun, namely the AR-15 “assault weapon.”
In 2015, a claim there was a mass shooting every day of that year floated around. The assertion was widely cited in the media, originating from a Reddit community, and was so ridiculous it was debunked in the pages of Mother Jones and the New York Times, of all places.
More recently, the breathless assertion is there have been 18 mass shootings since the beginning of 2018. This wildly misleading data point, originated by Everytown for Gun Safety, made its rounds in newspapers, television and politicians’ mouths. Funnily enough, it was the Washington Post (no bastion of gun-rights advocates) that dismantled the claim.
What’s the truth when it comes to these tragic events? According to James Alan Fox and Monica J. DeLateur, it’s that there has been no increase. The criminologists from Northeastern University claim in a 2013 paper entitled: Mass Shootings in America: Moving Beyond Newtown the rate of mass shootings has been steady since 1976.
Furthermore, they’ve found few policies meant to address mass shootings that have done any good, including the 1994 federal ban on so-called “assault weapons.” Concerning this legislation they wrote, “[A] comparison of the incidence of mass shootings during the 10-year window when the assault weapon ban was in force against the time periods before implementation and after expiration shows that the legislation had virtually no effect, at least in terms of murder in an extreme form.”
Overseas Gun Bans
Typically in the wake of a tragic shooting gun-banners and their pet politicians gaze wantingly at one of two places — the U.K. or Australia. In the past quarter-century, both countries have executed gun bans, mass governmental buybacks and extremely restrictive gun ownership laws. The media — both American and overseas — herald each as success stories, claiming there is lack of crime and murder in the United Kingdoms and Oz due to the laws.
However, there’s plenty to dispute about the so-called triumphs. In an extensive investigation into gun deaths, statistician Leah Libresco came to the revelation, “Neither nation experienced drops in mass shootings or other gun related-crime that could be attributed to their buybacks and bans. Mass shootings were too rare in Australia for their absence after the buyback program to be clear evidence of progress. And in both Australia and Britain, the gun restrictions had an ambiguous effect on other gun-related crimes or deaths.”
If historical numbers are investigated, it becomes fairly clear Australia was already enjoying plummeting gun homicide rates before their restrictive gun laws were put in place and the legislation appears to have done little to augment this trajectory. In the UK’s case, the country went through a rather pronounced spike in its homicide rate following its bans. And more recently crime is again on the march; England a Whales have seen an 18-percent surge in violent crime over the past 12 months, including a 20-percent spike in gun and knife crimes and 26-percent rise in the homicide rate.
Another point worth considering is the abysmal failure in the enforcement of these sweeping laws, particularly in Australia’s case. By the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia estimations, there was only a 19-percent compliance rate with the government buyback. This in a country with nothing close to a Second Amendment.
Furthermore, the country’s local governments aren’t keen on holding the letter of the 1997 legislation. A recent report found that no state or territory has fully complied with the provisions of the national firearms agreement.
Proper ammo storage can keep your defensive ammo effective for decades. Find out how to store and maintain your ammo to avoid malfunctions and deterioration.
Modern ammunition is made with sealants to protect against the elements, but nothing lasts forever. If ammunition is properly stored, it will remain effective for decades, but if it isn’t stored properly, its lifespan can be reduced. All ammunition should be stored in a cool, dry place away from moisture and humidity.
Ammunition you carry on a daily basis is subject to being knocked about, exposed to dust, debris, lint and sweat as well as temperature changes, etc. My recommendation is to replace your carry ammunition at least annually. Just shoot the old stuff and get a new box of the ammunition you like to carry.
Store ammunition in its original box in a cool, dry place with no moisture or humidity.
If ammunition looks old or corroded, don’t use it for carry purposes. There are plenty of gun owners who will gladly take old ammunition off your hands if you feel uncomfortable using it. If your ammunition gets dusty or dirty, you can clean in by wiping it down with a clean cloth. Do not use any solvents or oils on your ammunition, because this is much more likely to damage it. Even if you can’t see it, solvents and lubricants can get into your ammunition and compromise the chemicals that make up the powder and primer.
Three Types Of Ammo Malfunctions
Just as your gun can malfunction, so can your ammunition, especially if it has not been properly stored. There are three basic types of ammunition malfunctions:
Misfire
Hang fire
Squib load
Misfire is when the round simply does not go off. On the range, always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction (downrange) and wait 30 seconds before you clear the objecting round. It could be that a round simply did not exit the magazine, so there was nothing in the chamber. It could also just be a hard or bad primer.
Wait 30 seconds with the gun pointed in a safe direction in case you have the second type of malfunction, a hang fire. A hang fire is a perceptible delay in the ignition of the cartridge. It might be a function of corrupted powder and the round does not go off right away. It might take as much as 8 seconds for the round to detonate and fire.
You don’t want to be waving the gun around or looking down the barrel when that happens. You also don’t want the cartridge detonating while you’re opening the chamber, because that will create shrapnel and possibly injure you. Fortunately, hang fires are very rare. I have experienced one only once, and that was with some 50-year-old French military surplus rifle ammunition, and the delay was only a split second (but still noticeable).
Bad ammo can cause all types of malfunctions, including this stove pipe.
The last basic type of malfunction is a squib load. This is the result of an underpowered cartridge. The cartridge fires, but it will sound and feel noticeably different from a normal round. The gun will kick a lot less, and it will sound much quieter. It could be that only some of the gunpowder ignited or that there was no gunpowder in the cartridge—only the live primer.
If you experience this, cease firing immediately and inspect the barrel for any obstructions, because the cartridge might have had enough force to send a bullet halfway down the barrel and left it lodged there. If the barrel is clear, you can continue to shoot. You should never fire a gun with an obstruction in the barrel because this will damage or destroy the gun and likely cause injury to you.
Here’s another warning when it comes to ammunition. Most people who carry concealed do so with a round in the chamber. Occasionally, you will have to unload your gun—when storing or cleaning it, for example. When you reload and re-chamber a round, be conscientious of which round you are chambering. If you continually chamber the same round over and over again, the bullet will gradually and almost imperceptibly become seated deeper and deeper into the cartridge case. The result of this powder packing is that when the bullet is fired, it will generate a much higher and possibly unsafe chamber pressure. This is only a problem with semi-automatic handguns. I would not re-chamber the same round more than a couple of times. After that, use a different round.
If you find yourself in a life-threatening situation, where you have to use your concealed-carry handgun, some of these rules are significantly relaxed. If you experience a misfire under these circumstances, immediately clear the recalcitrant round and load a fresh one. With a revolver, this is much easier because all you have to do is squeeze the trigger again to rotate the cylinder and bring a fresh round in line with the barrel.
From monometal (lead) to jacketed projectiles to monometal (copper), it seems, in some respects, bullets have come full circle. But there’s plenty to be excited about, aside from nostalgia, in engineers dusting off a concept as old as the gun itself.
Through advanced designs, bullet makers have cooked up projectiles that not only match or exceed the performance of old standbys, but offer up a few advantages tried-and-true hollow points, soft-points and, of course, good ol’ lead could never imagine delivering.
This is especially true concerning the ammo with which we load our personal-protection guns. Monometal bullets don’t have hollow points that clog with thick layers of performance-impeding clothing. Monometal bullets don’t rely on expansion to produce devastating and fight-stopping wound cavities. In turn, the buggers serve up the prospect of performing every time, no matter the situation or thickness of an assailant’s garb.
Black Hills Ammunition struck gold a little while back, embracing this emerging niche in self-defense ammunition with its cutting-edge HoneyBadger line. Designed in conjunction with Lehigh Defense, the innovative ammo serves up non-deforming, non-fragmenting projectiles that are accurate in flight and do a number once they reach their target.
Black Hills has forged ahead with this early success, expanding its HoneyBadger line with three new rounds. And the wicked monomental rounds are no longer strictly a self-defense affair. With the first rifle round in the mix — a classic one at that — Black Hills has set its sights on taking the HoneyBadger afield.
9mm 100 Grain +P HoneyBadger
A lighter companion to Black Hill’s initial subsonic 125-grain 9mm offering, the 100-grain round should prove potent and lighter recoiling. The company lists the round’s muzzle velocity at a solid 1,300 fps, fast enough to defeat nearly any barrier and penetrate deeper than conventional 9mm ammunition. In the company’s tests, the bullet’s specially designed notched flutes produced a 3-inch diameter wound cavity in bare ballistic gelatin. And the bullet’s velocity produced 15 inches of penetration in the same tests. This is the first caliber Black Hills has expanded load options on in the HoneyBadger line, but others are sure to follow.
.44 Special 125 Grain HoneyBadger
The .44 Special has regained the interest of shooters in recent years, and Black Hills has loaded up a HoneyBadger round ideal for the big-bore revolver. Leaving the muzzle at an impressive 1,275 fps, the 125-grain round is manageable to shoot and produces impressive results upon reaching its target. In ballistic gelatin tests, the .44 Special round generated a nearly 3-inch diameter wound track and 17 inches of controlled penetration. This is the third traditional revolver round Black Hills has introduced in the HoneyBadger line, launching the ammunition with a 100-grain .38 Special +P option and the latter introducing a 160-grain .44 Magnum round.
.45-70 325 Grain HoneyBadger
The first rifle round of the HoneyBadger line, the .45-70 is capable of tackling nearly anything a hunter sets his sights on — from elk to hogs. Pushing the 325-grain monometal bullet 1,300 fps at the muzzle, the round has ample velocity to excel within typical hunting ranges. Upon reaching its target, the bullet performs admirably, digging out a 7-inch diameter wound cavity in ballistic gelatin, and penetrating nearly a yard deep.
A high-quality handgun can cost hundreds of dollars, whether it’s new or used. These tips can help you make the right choice when you buy a gun.
I gave up buying new cars a while back. I like new cars, but my practical and cheap side won out and now I buy only used vehicles. Of course with a used car, your options are more limited and the car’s features might not include everything you want. Also, you don’t really know how well the previous owner maintained the car or what mechanical issues might arise.
Buying A New Gun
When you opt to buy a new handgun, you have the liberty to select exactly what you want. You can choose the size, caliber, color, sights, grips, accessories, manufacturer, etc. Most guns stores will special order anything you want if they don’t have it on hand, and you get the benefit of a manufacturer’s warranty should anything go wrong. With a new gun purchase, many gun stores will also stand behind the product and assist you in dealing with the manufacturer if you have any issues.
When you buy a new gun, you also get all of the extras the manufacturer wants you to have. This includes the original box or case. Most modern gun boxes are made from polymer and offer secure protection for your gun. Many can be locked shut with a simple padlock, making them good for transportation or even basic home security.
A trigger or cable lock will also be included for added safety, and all of the accessories will be included as well: cleaning rods, disassembly tools, spare magazines, warranty cards and, perhaps most important, the owner’s manual. Of course, buying a new gun means paying full price and for some guns that are in high demand and hard to find, you might even pay more than full price.
Buying A Used Gun
When you buy a used gun, you can save 20 or 30 percent or more from the cost of the same gun new. This is for a used gun in good working condition. However, it’s up to you to determine whether the used gun you are considering is indeed is good condition. Make sure all of the controls on the gun function as they are intended to.
For semi-automatic pistols, make sure all the safety devices are fully functional. If there’s a grip safety, squeeze the trigger without pressing it to make sure it works. If there’s a thumb safety, activate it and try to squeeze the trigger, then deactivate it and try to dry fire the gun. Take special care to note how the trigger feels. It should not be overly heavy or gritty. Make sure the gun fires in both the single-action and double-action modes if so designed. If there’s a de-cocking mechanism, try it out as well.
When buying a used pistol, the gun should fit together well without excessive play in any of the parts.
Check the takedown lever for proper functioning and disassemble the gun. If the gun is very dirty, it’s a good indicator that it was not properly maintained. Sometimes guns that are having issues just need a thorough cleaning, or there might be a more severe problem. If the gun is already dirty, it will be more difficult to determine the situation you’re dealing with.
You also want to check the barrel. There should be no bulges anywhere along the outside. Inspect the rifling and look for rust, pitting or uneven wear. If you see a ring inside the barrel, that’s a bad sign. Check the muzzle end of the barrel, especially where the rifling ends. It should be sharp and crisp. Look for excessive wear in this area. The gun should fit together well without excessive play in any of the parts. Check the slide to frame fit.
Most manufacturers offer a transferable lifetime warranty on their guns no matter who owns them and will repair any problems. However, if the previous owner has tampered with the gun or made gunsmithing changes, the warranty might be void.
For revolvers, the cylinder lock-up and timing is the most important consideration. Make sure the chambers are aligning properly with the barrel and there’s no play in the cylinder, especially when the revolver is cocked. Make sure the trigger is functioning properly and that you cannot push it forward once it’s cocked. Check the trigger squeeze in single- and double-action, making sure it is neither too heavy nor too light. The gun’s cosmetics can also be an indicator of proper care and maintenance.
For revolvers, make sure there’s no play in the cylinder, especially when the revolver is cocked.
Where To Buy A Gun
A gun store is the most obvious place to purchase a gun and where most people start. This makes sense, because a gun store will have fixed hours of operation and requires little advance planning to visit. It is a formal business that occupies a fixed physical location, so if you have concerns, questions or problems you can easily return and ask for assistance.
A gun store will generally be welcoming, well lit and well appointed, with organized and labeled merchandise. Prices are clearly displayed, and the staff will generally be knowledgeable and helpful. If you go to a gun store where this is not the case, you might want to go elsewhere.
The biggest advantage of shopping at a gun store is that the staff will have plenty of time to talk with you and answer your questions. They will have a good selection of handguns for you to hold and try out to see what you like and what works for you. They will have a full selection of ammunition, holsters and accessories to match your gun. There is simply no substitute for being able to handle a variety of guns and products before deciding which to purchase.
Many gun stores will also have an on-site gunsmith or access to one who can make repairs or adjustments or customize your gun any way you prefer. Because of the Internet, gun stores have had to adjust and become more competitive in their pricing. However, you will still generally pay a premium for the convenience and the service, but for many folks it’s money well spent.
Some gun stores will not handle transfers of guns you bought online or will charge an exorbitant fee, especially if it’s a gun they have in stock themselves. But many others will handle transfers of firearms from other sources to you for a reasonable fee.
Gun shows are a good place to shop for new or used firearms. Photo by M. Glasgow
Gun shows are another great place to shop. There are usually dozens of dealers and vendors selling guns and everything gun-related, including holsters, clothing, ammunition, safes, cleaning kits and accessories. At some of the larger shows, there are hundreds of tables full of guns and gear, and some vendors offer on-site training and gunsmithing services, as well as making custom holsters while you wait.
The selection and opportunity to see and touch all of this equipment is unmatched by any gun store, and because there are so many dealers competing for your business, the prices are very competitive. Gun shows can be extremely entertaining to walk around and see new and interesting products. For the beginner, they can also be overwhelming.
Vendors at guns shows are usually very busy and have little time to answer questions or demonstrate their products. Some are even downright impatient, to be honest. If you want to go the gun show route for your purchase, it’s best to have done all of your homework in advance and know exactly what you want. The vendors are only there for the weekend, so if you have a problem, you are on your own.
If you want something custom or out of the ordinary, you are also unlikely to find it, since the vendors will focus on the most popular guns and won’t be around to special order anything for you. Many of these dealers also have physical locations where you can go to make a purchase or special order after the show, but they might be located far away from you.
There will be a lot of buying and selling of used guns at these shows. There’s plenty of room to haggle, and good deals can be found. But again, as with any used gun purchase, there’s no sure way to know if the gun is in good working order. If you buy a used gun from a dealer or anyone else at a gun show, they’re typically sold “as is.” The best prices will be for used guns from private sellers. Usually, there will be some folks walking around with a sign stating that they have a gun to sell, and they are open to haggling.
You can also expect to save money on new guns at gun shows. In my experience, the gun show price for new guns is generally about 10 percent less than the gun store price. This difference might not be worth it if you have a lot of questions or prefer a calmer buying experience.
The Internet is another excellent resource of information and reviews for different guns. There’s no shortage of bloggers who will tell you exactly what they think of a gun. Some are better than others and it’s best to read a variety of reviews. You can also purchase a firearm online and have it shipped to a local dealer who can then transfer it to you.
The Internet is especially helpful for locating rare or hard-to-find guns, and you can find the absolute best prices. Keep in mind that you will have to cover shipping (which on handguns has to be overnight) as well as the transfer fee your dealer charges, so you might not save as much as you think.
The Internet is also a great place to purchase holsters and accessories but again, when you buy stuff without first handling it, sometimes it doesn’t work out for you. In most places you can also order and receive ammunition directly to your door from Internet vendors.
There are several websites that host firearms auctions and sales. There are also major firearms distributors who sell customer direct from their websites and ship the gun to a dealer close to you who has already agreed to handle the transfer for them.
Know The Law
You want to do the right thing and follow the law. Ask your local licensed gun dealer and also check with the state and local police either online or by calling if you have specific questions about the laws regarding purchasing and owning a gun.
When choosing a handgun for concealed carry, the gun must fit the individual, not just the task at hand. Use these tips to find the best handgun for your needs.
A gun is a tool and you need the right one for the job. But, unlike most other tools, guns are made to fit the individual, not just the task at hand. The gun you use to hunt pheasants could be used for self-defense but probably not for concealed carry. Likewise, a gun that might be great for home defense might not be well suited for concealed carry. The gun that a full-grown man can shoot and carry comfortably might not be the right gun for a smaller-stature person.
That said, high-quality firearms can be expensive, and it’s imperative you train regularly with each gun you carry. While it would be nice to have the resources to own a different gun for various clothing options and for all four seasons, and to have the time to train and become proficient in their use, this is not realistic for most people. Most people who carry a concealed firearm stick with one or two guns. What follows are a few basic ideas and suggestions to find the gun that will best suit your needs the majority of the time.
Revolvers
One of the earliest single-barrel repeating handguns was the revolver, so named because the cartridges are stored in a cylinder that revolves to line each cartridge up with the barrel in turn. The oldest self-contained, cartridge-firing revolvers operated in single-action mode, meaning the user had to manually cock the hammer for each shot in order to fire the gun. These types of single-action revolvers are still being made, but are relegated to use by collectors and history buffs, as well as cowboy action shooters. While they can certainly be used for self defense and concealed carry—and many were used that way in the past—they are not ideal for the modern handgun user.
The modern, double-action revolver was developed more than 100 years ago. Pulling the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer to fire the gun. The result is that double-action revolvers are very easy to operate. They don’t have a safety latch you need to disengage before you can fire or a lot of other extraneous controls.
Replacement grips make it easy to adjust the revolver for a custom fit.
Advantages Of Revolvers For Concealed Carry
Simplicity is the hallmark and main advantage of using a revolver for self-defense. Pushing or pulling a simple latch can swing the cylinder of the revolver swung open, revealing the separate chambers that each hold one cartridge. To unload it, you just tip the barrel up and press the extractor rod in the front. To load, you tip the barrel down, insert the cartridges and then close the cylinder. The revolver is now ready to fire.
Even those with weak hands or other ailments can easily accomplish this simple operation. Since there are no other buttons or mechanisms, the revolver, now loaded, is always ready to be fired and the user doesn’t have to worry about doing anything other than aiming the gun and squeezing the trigger. If a cartridge malfunctions in an emergency, the user can squeeze the trigger again and the cylinder will rotate to the next cartridge and fire that one. Note: If a cartridge fails to fire on the range, keep the gun pointed downrange and wait 30 seconds before proceeding.
Many revolvers are also more versatile in the ammunition they can use. Since the chambers are individual, bullet shape can be more varied. Also, each chamber is sized primarily for width, so it’s easy to use smaller-caliber cartridges that are the same diameter. The most common revolvers used for personal defense are chambered in .357 Mag. and .38 Special, which have the same diameter. The Magnum is longer and more powerful.
If you buy a revolver chambered in .357 Mag., you have the option of shooting .38 Special ammunition, which is cheaper and has a lot less recoil. A revolver chambered in the more powerful cartridge will have a slightly longer cylinder and is generally larger and heavier than one built for .38 Special ammunition. However, the ammunition versatility enables you to switch among cartridges if ammunition of one type is harder to find. The other advantage is that different people with different sensitivities to recoil can use the same gun by simply changing the ammunition.
Be aware that while you can load the shorter .38 Special cartridges in a revolver chambered for .357 Mag., the inverse is not true and should never be attempted.
You also have much more versatility on grip selection with a revolver. Underneath the grips of most revolvers there’s a small metal frame. The grips simply fit around this, and you can choose between a small grip, which is easier to conceal, or a larger grip, which makes the gun more comfortable and easier to shoot. A grip can be selected to fit the shooter’s individual hand size and shooting preferences.
Revolvers are much less prone to jamming or malfunctioning, and they can be fired through clothing (such as from inside a pocket) if needed with much less risk of the clothing interfering with the operation of the gun. They are easier to clean because there is no disassembly—you just open the cylinder, unload and clean it. Finally, in a worst case scenario, where there’s a struggle and you have to fire at contact distance (the barrel of the gun is pressed against an assailant), this pressure will not stop the revolver from functioning.
Disadvantages
One of the main disadvantages of a revolver for personal protection is its limited cartridge capacity. Revolvers typically accommodate six rounds in the cylinder, but smaller pocket-sized revolvers might have only a capacity of five rounds. There are larger revolvers that will fit as many as eight rounds, but these are generally ill-suited for concealed carry because of their size. The other disadvantage is that revolvers are slower to reload because you have to eject the spent cartridges and then reload them one at a time. A speed strip or speed loader can expedite the process somewhat.
Because of the cylinder, revolvers are also a bit wider, which can make them somewhat harder to conceal. In a double-action revolver the only “safety” is the pull-weight of the trigger and the length of the trigger squeeze. For most double-action revolvers, the amount of pressure the shooter needs to apply to the trigger in order to fire the gun can vary from 9 to 17 pounds and require an inch of travel. For some people, this might be too much to comfortably handle, but even for the most experienced shooters it can sometimes pose a problem.
The more pressure you have to apply to the trigger and the more time you spend squeezing the trigger, the harder it is to keep the sights on target. Shooting a double-action revolver both rapidly and accurately takes a lot of practice, but keep in mind you only need to achieve combat accuracy for self defense, meaning center mass hits at very close distances.
One consideration that applies to concealed carry in particular is with revolvers that have an exposed hammer. An exposed hammer gives the shooter the option of firing the gun in the standard double-action mode or in single-action mode by manually cocking the hammer. In single-action mode, the trigger becomes much lighter to fire and has much less distance to travel. This makes it easier to fire with greater accuracy, but it’s very seldom needed in a self-defense situation. The disadvantage is that the exposed hammer can get caught up in clothing when you draw it from a holster quickly.
While revolvers are generally very reliable, they are not jam proof (contrary to popular perception). Jams or malfunctions can occur as a result of an ammunition issue that can lock up the cylinder and prevent it from turning. Likewise, if dirt or debris gets stuck underneath the cylinder extractor, the cylinder won’t turn and the gun will not fire. Clearing these malfunctions requires opening the cylinder (if you can), dumping the entire contents, clearing the debris and reloading. If you have no spare ammunition, you will need to salvage the dumped rounds that are still good. This will be time consuming.
Semi-Automatic Handguns
A modern semi-automatic pistol is an entirely different animal, and there are several features of note. First, there’s a magazine contained inside the grip that holds the cartridges, the number of which depends on the size of the magazine, the size of the gun and the size of the ammunition. Above the grip and frame is the slide, which operates the gun. Inside the slide is the barrel with a chamber that holds one cartridge at a time located at the rear.
The use of a magazine means the shooter can reload a pistol quickly and easily.
Operation of a pistol is as follows. First, load the desired number of rounds one at a time into the magazine, up to the maximum it will accommodate. The magazine is spring loaded, so the more rounds you load the harder they are to push down. Many people prefer to use a loading tool that makes the job much easier on the thumbs. Also, note that it’s very easy to load the rounds in backward and that the gun won’t work if you do, so pay attention that the rounds face the front of the magazine.
Next, insert the magazine fully into the bottom of the grip until it clicks in place. Chamber the first round by fully retracting the slide and then releasing it. This strips the top cartridge from the magazine and feeds it into the chamber at the rear of the barrel. At this point the gun is ready to fire, and when you squeeze the trigger, the slide will retract on its own, expelling the empty cartridge case, and then go forward to load a fresh cartridge into the chamber. The gun will fire with each squeeze of the trigger until it is empty.
There is significant variety in design for semi-automatics (far greater than for revolvers) and the choices can seem daunting. It’s important to understand the basic design differences and their advantages and disadvantages in order to select the handgun that will best fit your individual needs and preferences.
Advantages Of Pistols
There’s a good reason why police departments across America made a determined switch from revolvers to semi-automatics: firepower. A full-sized pistol can accommodate as many as 17 rounds or more plus one in the chamber. An officer usually carries two spare magazines as well, so he can easily and quickly reload by simply pressing the magazine release button (which drops the empty magazine) and inserting a full magazine.
Of course, most people are not going to select a full-sized pistol for concealed carry. But even with a very compact pocket pistol with only a six-round magazine, when you count the round in the chamber, the carrying capacity is seven rounds—two more than in a pocket revolver. And you can also carry a very flat and compact spare magazine should you need to reload quickly.
Due to their design, semi-auto pistols are flatter and smaller than any defensive revolver, which makes them easier to conceal. The way the slide operates also helps to reduce recoil relative to the cartridge and the size and weight of the pistol. Many pistols will also go to slide lock—the slide locks to the rear and the action is open—on the last shot. This provides immediate visual confirmation that the gun is empty.
Like revolvers, semi-automatic pistols can be had in single-action, double-action or both. The key difference is that a single-action pistol needs only to be cocked for the first shot. The slide operation automatically cocks the hammer for each subsequent shot. A double-action-only pistol might have a hammer (visible or internal) or might be striker-fired. The advantage to both single-action-only and double-action-only pistols is that the trigger pull is the same for every shot.
Singe-action and striker-fired semi-autos also have the benefit of a relatively light trigger squeeze, with a short trigger pull in the case of the single-action and a long trigger pull in the case of the striker-fired pistol. They both also generally have short resets so the trigger doesn’t have to go all of the way forward before it can be squeezed again to fire it. This makes it easier to shoot faster, which is an advantage in a close-range defensive scenario.
Many semi-automatic pistols use both double-action and single-action operation. Typically, the hammer will be in the down position for the first shot, making it a longer and heavier double-action trigger squeeze. The gun will operate in the single-action mode for all of the following shots. The advantage with this system is that you have the safety of a long, heavy trigger pull for the first shot and the accuracy and speed of a single-action trigger squeeze for all of the following shots. You do need to get used to two different trigger pulls, however.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage of the semi-automatic pistol is that there’s a steeper learning curve for beginners. Each pistol might have controls that are different from others. The magazine release, which allows the user to remove the magazine, might be in different locations and might be located on different sides of the gun. Many semi-automatics (less so on small pocket pistols) will also have a slide lock/release lever that locks the slide to the rear. Each will have its own method of disassembly for cleaning and maintenance, and some of these can be a bit complicated.
Different semi-automatic pistols have different safety mechanisms, ranging from grip safeties that require a firm grip to operate to thumb safeties that must be manually deactivated. Some pistols have trigger safeties that prevent the trigger from moving backward unless squeezed from the middle. Others have various internal safeties that are always in effect until the trigger is squeezed.
The grip size on a pistol is also largely fixed, although there are replacement grips and other accessories that can help adjust the grip to suit the individual better. Many pistols also include replaceable panels, but this is found mostly on the midsize and larger pistols. Operating the slide might also be difficult for someone with smaller hands, hand injuries or poor hand strength, although some manufacturers make pistols with slides that are easier to manipulate. With practice most people can handle slide manipulation.
Reliability can also be a concern. If anything obstructs the movement of the slide, such as clothing, it likely will not cycle properly. Pistols are also much more sensitive to ammunition selection, and some types of ammunition might not function reliably in some pistols. With certain types of pistols, it’s possible to inadvertently hit the magazine release and then be left with the one shot in the chamber and a magazine on the ground.
Clearing jams is typically faster with a pistol, depending on the nature of the malfunction. The types of malfunctions that can occur with a pistol are more varied, although there is a generally accepted standard method for dealing with these quickly. First, slap the base of the magazine to make sure it is fully and firmly inserted. Next, rack and release the slide to clear the malfunction. These steps should be done while maintaining your focus on the threat (and not looking at the gun). If this fails to correct the malfunction, look at the gun to diagnose the nature of the problem and correct it. Note: If possible, taking cover at this point might be a good idea.
Most modern pistols are designed with what is called a hammer drop safety. This is an internal mechanical device that prevents the gun from firing if it’s accidentally dropped. It is unusual, but if you drop a loaded gun at just the right angle on a hard surface with just the right amount of force, there’s a chance it will fire. The hammer drop safety is designed to prevent this.
However, there is no such safety on some pocket pistols and some older pistols. In these cases, the manufacturer recommends carrying the gun with an empty chamber. This means that for concealed carry, you would have a full magazine in your gun but no round in the chamber. If you needed to use it, you would first have to chamber a round, which will slow you down and is not ideal. Most people (myself included) ignore this warning and prefer speed over the very slight risk. The choice is yours, however, and if you opt for one of these pocket pistols, you have been warned.
Wilson Combat’s EDC X9 is an elegant, yet highly functional pistol for carry and defense, and in the author’s mind, it’s simply the best.
What makes the EDC X9 stand out against the rest?
It’s a 1911, sans the grip safety, and has an aluminum frame and stainless steel slide.
Its 15+1 capacity exceeds the Hi-Power’s and is more comfortable to grip.
At 29 ounces, the EDC X9 is nearly the same weight as a Glock 17.
It has a Wilson Combat Battlesight with a .145-inch notch and green fiber optic front.
It features Wilson’s Enhanced Reliability System that optimizes function to ammo power.
Declaring a pistol to be the “best ever” is brazen statement. At least a half-dozen pistols could contend for that title. And then there’s the reality that a pistol’s mission and user must be factored in. This is exactly why we have so many pistols to choose from; different situations and different people require and like different things. Still, based on my experiences, I’m comfortable in stepping out on the preverbal limb and proclaiming The Wilson Combat EDC X9 is the best pistol ever made.
Compact, comfortable to carry and shoot, accurate and reliable. That’s exactly what you need in a pistol.
Admittedly, no pistol is going to be the best for every situation or every person. My bet is that if you put 10 random men in a room, they’ll all be wearing different underwear for the exact same reason. For a pistol to contend for the title of best ever, it must be suitable for a wide range of applications, and it must comfortably fit a large cross section of the population. Maybe the best way to present my argument is to compare the EDC X9 to some of the best pistols of all time.
The 1911 Platform
The 1911 platform — it has to be called a platform because the gun has morphed into so many different variants — has a lot going for it. First and foremost is the trigger action. That short, single-action pull is easy to master and can be tuned to an almost flawless feel. Additionally, the 1911 is a strong pistol. It’s common to see blown apart pistols with mangled hands to go with them on the Internet. Those social media click magnets are rare with the 1911. What I and many others like most about the 1911 is the thumb safety. And finally, lots of shooters find the 1911’s grip angle makes it a natural pointer.
With the EDC X9, there is no grip safety. Instead, it has a pivoting backstrap that allows access to the internals and holds the grip panels in place.
At its heart, the EDC X9 is a 1911. It has the 1911’s single-action trigger and firing mechanism. But, unlike the 1911, the EDC X9 has no grip safety. In fact, the pistol is disassembled in a rather unique way; the backstrap is hinged and rotates away from the grip frame. The EDC X9 has the traditional 1911 thumb safety, which, when used as intended, circumvents one of the most common self-inflicted firearms injuries — shooting yourself in the leg or ass because you stupidly holstered your handgun with your finger on the trigger.
The Browning Hi-Power
The first time someone handed me a Browning Hi-Power, I realized what all the hype was about. It was the most comfortable pistol I’d ever held in my hand, and most who’ve experienced the Hi-Power will agree. I’ve owned several and have carried one a lot. They’re also unfailingly reliable, and the pivoting single-action trigger is easy to master. The Hi-Power is also very slim for the 13-round capacity it offers. And, it is after all, the first widely successful high-capacity 9mm pistol ever made.
The Wilson Combat EDC X9 is light, compact, reliable and holds 15+1 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition. It is essentially a modern agglomeration of the 1911, Hi-Power and Glock.
As comfortable as the Hi-Power is in hand, many shooters — including me — find the short beavertail problematic because the hammer can bite the web of your hand when the pistol is fired. That’s why my Hi-Power was sent to Nighthawk for an expensive, but elegant and comfortable, extended beavertail. The first time I held the EDC X9 I said, “This feels like my Hi-Power.” After I shot the EDC X9 I said, “Nope. This feels better.” Not only is the EDC X9 more comfortable than a Hi-Power, it holds more ammo. The capacity is 15+1 to be exact.
The Glock 17
The Glock 17 or some variant of that pistol would have to be considered the most popular pistol of the 21st Century. The Glock’s high capacity, in conjunction with its light polymer frame, makes it an ideal pistol for everyday carry or for fighting. I’ll give the Glock its due, but I never really liked the pistol, even though as a cop I carried one for 13 years. With the exception of the modern single-stacked Glocks, I’ve never held one that fit my hand well. And, too, I’ve seen a number of Glocks that would have generated a lot of social media traffic due to their exploded state.
Flutes have been added on the outside of the barrel and chamber to reduce weight and add a bit of class to the pistol.
A Glock 17 weighs 25.06 ounces and holds 17+1 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition. It’s 8.03 inches long and 1.18 inches wide. It also has a trigger that only a lover of water pistols would like. The Wilson Combat EDC X9 weighs 4 ounces more and is about a half-inch shorter and less than a quarter-inch wider. Fully loaded, it has a capacity of 15+1. Comparing only these numbers, I might give the Glock a slight advantage. However, factor in the trigger and the EDC X9 is so superior to the Glock, a comparison is foolish.
The EDC X9
Wilson Combat started the EDC X9 project in 2015. The pistol is available with or without an accessory rail and comes coated with Wilson Combat’s matte-black Armor-Tuff finish. The slide is machined from 416R stainless-steel, with a weight reducing, trimmed down, tri-cut-like top. The sights are first rate. At the rear is a Wilson Combat Battlesight with a wide .145-inch U-shaped notch. Combined with the green fiber-optic front sight, what you have are sights you see, not sights you have to look for. A tritium front sight option is also available.
The EDC X9 also utilizes the Wilson Combat Enhanced Reliability System (ERS.) This is a proprietary system designed to optimize functioning with the varying power levels of 9mm ammunition. What you might find most interesting is that this pistol does not require proprietary magazines. The EDC X9 accepts modified Walther PPQ magazines. The real innovation, however, is the grip frame. The grip panels on the EDC X9 are not attached via screws; the side of the frame is dovetailed to accept thin G10 panels. They are held in place by the one-piece backstrap, which replaces the common 1911 grip safety.
The Wilson Combat EDC X9 might just be the best pistol ever.
Another element of interest is the lack of checkering on the EDC X9. Most semi- or full-custom 1911s sport fine checkering on the front strap and mainspring housing. Not this pistol. Wilson Combat chose to use its XTAC, deep-grooved diamond pattern for the front and rear of the grip, and at the front and rear of the slide. This is a robust treatment that seems to glue the pistol to your hand. It reminds me of what a small and sanded pineapple might feel like. If you drop this pistol, it will be because you’re dead, not because you lost your grip.
Assessing Shots Fired
During the past several months, I’ve shot the hell out of this pistol. I’ve fired every example of 9mm Luger ammo I have on hand through it trying to make it jam. It hasn’t, and this included ammo loaded with very light-for-caliber bullets, heavy hard-cast bullets and yes, even CCI shot shells. The EDC X9 will eat anything you feed it, and spit the brass out so consistently you can catch it all in a five-gallon bucket.
(above) The grip frame of the EDC X9 has the Wilson Combat XTAC treatment. This is a very aggressive checkering-like pattern that masterfully enhances your purchase on the pistol.
The EDC X9 is a very precise shooting handgun, too; it will deliver more precision on target than I’m capable of extracting from a carry gun. And, as generalized as that statement is, maybe there’s a better representation of how well the EDC X9 and I get along. For many years, I’ve used the Forty-Five Drill as a standard for measuring the efficiency of a carry gun. Its simple: I draw from concealment and fire five shots, at a 5-inch circle, at 5 yards, with the goal of completing the drill in less than 5 seconds. My best, second best and third best times on this drill were all fired with the EDC X9!
The Best Pistol Ever
I’m sure by now I’ve at least perked your interest enough that you’ll browse over to the Wilson Combat website and find the EDC X9. When you do, you might have a bit of sticker shock; the EDC X9 has a suggested retail price of $2,895. For that money, you could buy a decent 1911, an original Hi-Power and a new Glock 17. But then you would have three handguns that are, individually, almost perfect. If you could figure out a way to throw them in a dark box where they might have an illicit firearms threesome, the offspring might be the equal of the EDC X9.
Unless you possess some magical powers, that’s not going to happen. Which means, if you want the best pistol ever made, you’re going to have to pay for it. After spending a couple months with an EDC X9, that’s what I’m doing. I’m selling a few good guns so I can have one best gun. After all, I can only shoot one at a time — it might as well be the best gun my money can buy.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The world is not composed of benchrests. So, why do shooters learn and train like it is? They certainly won’t at H&H Precision Rifles’ shooting school.
Once a year, the gunmaker offers customers who have purchased a new rifle a weekend shooting camp. The proud H&H rifle owners delve deep into the ins and outs of their precision instruments, ensuring the firearms are as familiar as their mothers’ voices. Additionally, they are steeped in the finer points of making their rifles perform through a healthy dose of meticulous precision shooting instruction.
And the last place they are likely to find themselves learning over these couple of days is at a tame old shooting range. Like real life, H&H challenges its students to make shots down in the dust, off rocky outcroppings and with the wind blowing high-desert grass in their faces.
The Modern Shooter team was lucky enough to get a peek into H&H Precision’s elite school in this week’s episode. And as the above clip shows, the expert instructors leave no stone unturned. From mitigating heartbeat interference to managing uneven terrain to sling methods that milk every ounce of accuracy, camp attendants come away with the tools and techniques to be true marksmen and women.
Rigorous, in-depth and challenging, H&H Precision doesn’t put on a summer camp. For shooters, they host something entirely better.
Catch the rest of the action of this heart-pounding episode of Modern Shooter 10:00 p.m. EST Friday on the Pursuit Channel. The episode rebroadcasts Monday at 12 p.m. EST and Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. EST.
Handloading ammo for your favorite handgun shouldn’t be difficult, but you should never skimp on the crimping process.
What to know about crimping:
At the most basic there are two types of crimps: roll crimp and taper crimp.
A roll crimp is when the mouth of the case is rolled into the bullet’s cannelure.
A taper crimp is where the sidewalls are squeezed against the bullet to secure things.
Roll crimping is used on most magnum revolver loads — those bullets with a cannelure.
Taper crimping is preferred for most autoloading pistol cartridges.
A third method, the “combo crimp” is another option.
Handgun cases generally aren’t a difficult prospect to load for, but the crimping process might require some additional attention in order to keep things as consistent as possible.
There are, generally, two types of crimps:
1. Roll crimp: Where the mouth of the case is physically rolled into the bullet’s cannelure
2. Taper crimp: Where the case mouth is left alone and the sidewalls are squeezed against the bullet to keep things in place
Roll With It Revolver loads using a bullet with a cannelure utilize the roll crimp. The true hard-kicking magnum cases, such as the .44 Rem. Mag., the .454 Casull and the .500 S&W, will easily cause a bullet to slip forward out of the case mouth. This bullet slip — also referred to as pulling crimp — can and will cause your cylinder to lock up tighter than a drum, and the fix is not easy. So, I make sure to put a nice, heavy roll crimp on all my revolver cartridges.
The process is rather simple and uses the seater die to apply the crimp. What I do, while setting up my dies, is to make several dummy cartridges to get the crimp and seating depth perfect before I start loading cartridges. Inside the seating die, at the very top of the die, is a small shelf that rolls the case mouth toward the center point of the case. It takes some experimentation — and several ruined cases — to find the proper amount of crimp by adjusting the seating die body up and down until you get it right.
Once you do find it, and lock the die body down in the press, you’ll be all set — that is, until you switch bullets. A different bullet will most likely have a slightly different seating depth, and you’ll have to adjust the seater itself until you get the cannelure centered perfectly on the case mouth.
Roll crimping works best if you keep all your brass trimmed to the same uniform length. If your brass isn’t uniform, the short cases won’t have enough crimp, and the long cases will have too much crimp, bulging the case and making for feeding problems in the cylinder. I like to trim all my cases to the SAAMI-specified length, or just slightly shorter (I’ve had a few runs of brass that actually came short from the factory), so as to keep it all neat, tidy and uniform.
Taming The Taper Taper crimping is the preferred crimping method for the autoloading pistol cartridges and for revolver cases using bullets with no cannelure. A separate crimping die is employed, which will squeeze the case walls tightly against the shank of the bullet.
Because almost all of our popular rimless pistol cases — think 9mm Luger, .40 S&W and .45 ACP — use a good, square case mouth for headspacing, a roll crimp wouldn’t be a good idea, and the taper crimp is more than adequate to keep the bullets where you seat them during the violent cycling of the action.
Applying any roll crimping to a cartridge that headspaces off the case mouth will definitely affect the case length, and it will create possible headspace issues, including errant velocities. The taper crimp method also works for the wheelguns, either in lieu of a roll crimp — again, for bullets with no cannelure — or in conjunction with a roll crimp, to further keep things in order and in place.
I’m a huge fan of the Redding Micro-Adjustable Taper Crimp dies because they’re furnished with a micrometer adjustment at the top of the die to allow the loader to precisely adjust the amount of crimp applied to the cartridges. It’s especially handy if you use a progressive press because you can quickly and accurately adjust the crimp should you switch brands of brass and find you require more or less. These dies allow for more precise adjustment, using the micrometer in lieu of adjustment via the die body, which relies on the pitch of the threads and that can introduce a bit of unnecessary slop into the mix.
The ‘Combo’ Crimp There’s a third method, a combination of the two types, designed for use with those cartridges that don’t headspace off the case mouth. The Redding Profile Crimp Dies combine the roll crimp and taper crimp for the ultimate in uniform crimping. These dies require the bullet to be seated first — and they must be seated to very tight tolerances in order to achieve the best consistent results — and the crimping is done in a secondary phase.
The cases then have both a roll crimp and taper crimp applied, giving extremely uniform results. I’ve used this method for making ammunition for the .44 Rem. Mag., .38 Special and .357 Mag., and I’ve noticed a marked improvement in accuracy and uniform velocities throughout.
Don’t get too crazy with the amount of crimp you apply; a light profile crimp will hold things nice and tight while not overworking your cases. The Profile Crimp dies might take a bit of getting used to, but once you’ve got things adjusted properly, you might find yourself wondering how you ever lived without them. These dies can help wring the most accuracy out of an already solid target pistol.
They are also available with a micrometer adjustment, as the Micro-Adjustable Profile Crimp die, giving the same precise adjustment that the Micro-Adjustable Taper Crimp dies do. As a side note, Redding produces these crimp dies for many of the popular straight-walled rifle cases, such as the .45-70 Govt. and .458 Win. Mag., and many of the older black-powder-era cartridges like the .38-40 Win. and .32-20 Win.
Your crimp is a key part of the handgun ammo equation and can easily even out your velocities and tighten up your group sizes. After all, that’s a huge part of the reason we handload in the first place. A little bit of extra attention to the crimp will go a long way toward producing the best ammunition available.
Editor’s Note: This “Reloading Bench” column is an excerpt from the September 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Learn to quickly identify and clear the most common handgun malfunctions and get back in the game with these pistol malfunction drills.
The most common handgun malfunctions include:
Failure to feed
Failure to chamber
Failure to lock
Failure to fire
Failure to unlock
Failure to extract
Failure to eject
Failure to cock
Several types of handgun malfunctions can occur in a semi-auto handgun and the first thing a shooter needs to do is identify the type of malfunction. Before we get into the malfunction terms, let me explain the eight cycles of operation that any firearm goes through in the firing cycle. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 155mm Howitzer or a 22 LR Derringer, these are fundamental to any firearm.
Cycles Of Operation In Any Firearm
Feeding – This cycle starts when the bolt, slide, breechblock, while moving forward, contacts the cartridge in the magazine and gets the cartridge out of the magazine and started into the chamber. In single-shot handguns like the Thompson/Center Contender, feeding is performed by the shooter’s hand, then chambering is performed when the cartridge is seated by hand into the chamber, which leads to:
Chambering – This is where the cartridge enters and seats into the chamber of the firearm.
Locking – This cycle is where the breechblock (slide, bolt, etc.) is locked with the barrel. This cycle can vary from firearm to firearm, blowback pocket pistols are “locked” at the slide and barrel by the spring tension of the recoil spring, while a recoil operated firearm like an M1911 the barrel is locked to the slide by the top locking lugs, and is also locked to the frame by sitting on the slide stop pin, which is mounted crossways into the frame.
Firing – The cartridge is fired by the firing pin or striker indenting the primer, crushing and detonating the primer pellet.
Unlocking – This cycle is where the chamber pressure of the fired cartridge drops to a safe level allowing the slide, or breechblock to unlock from the barrel.
Extraction – The cycle is where the cartridge is extracted by the extractor, and removed from the chamber.
Ejection – This cycle is where the fired case is completely ejected away from the firearm by the ejector.
Cocking – This is the cycle where the firearm’s trigger mechanism is reset in order to fire the next cartridge.
When malfunctions happen in a match, like in this photo, malfunction drills allow the shooter to clear the gun and get it back into the game without going into a panic.
Handgun Malfunctions: The Terms To Know
Now that we have a basic understanding of how the firearm operates, we can better understand how it can malfunction. Here is some basic handgun malfunction nomenclature:
Failure to feed – This is where the ammunition may start to come out of the magazine, but the slide’s forward motion has stopped before the cartridge has fully exited the magazine. There could be several reasons for this. Usually, with a semi-auto pistol, this malfunction is either related to a bad magazine or with the use of reloaded ammunition not assembled correctly.
Failure to chamber – This is where the cartridge has exited the magazine but is not fully seated into the chamber and the slide is not completely closed.
Failure to lock – This is where the cartridge is fully into the chamber, but the slide is just out of battery enough to not fully close, and the trigger mechanism is disconnected, rendering the pistol unable to fire.
Failure to fire – Here, you pull the trigger, the hammer or striker falls and there is no kaboom! There could also be several reasons for this.
Failure to unlock – This is extremely unusual in a semi-auto. Normally if the pistol fires, the slide will move rearward, except in very unusual circumstances.
Failure to extract – The pistol fired, but it left an empty case in the chamber. This is usually a pretty bad condition when it happens on the firing line in a match, but is usually a pretty simple fix back in the shop.
Failure to eject – This is where the cartridge fired and was pulled out of the chamber, but the spent case did not clear the gun. It was not ejected away from the pistol.
Failure to cock – This is where the hammer follows the slide down during the firing cycle. This is always a bad situation. Sometimes, there wasn’t enough power in the cartridge to fully push the slide rearward and also not far enough to the rear to cock the hammer. Usually this is a squib load. If it’s not a squib load, then there is an issue with the hammer and/or sear engagement, and a gunsmith needs to get involved. If it is a squib load, you need to immediately get the pistol off the firing line, and get the bullet cleared out of the barrel. Bullets usually get stuck in the barrel from squib loads.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the functioning cycles of a firearm and basic malfunction terms, we can go through some of most common malfunctions that semi-auto firearms will experience, and drills to clear a malfunction and keep you in contention in a match situation. This section will focus on malfunction drills for the competitive shooter, which may or may not be different from a tactical or self-defense drill.
Here, the shooter has identified the malfunction, and instinctively knows how to clear it.
Pistol Malfunction Drills
Now that we have an understanding of what a malfunction is, the next point to learn is how to identify what type of malfunction you are dealing with. Different malfunctions require different clearing steps. The first step in clearing a pistol with a malfunction that happens during a match is to determine as quickly as possible what the nature of problem is, then, also as quickly as possible, apply the proper corrective action.
Failure to feed – If, at the start of the stage, the pistol fired one or more rounds, and you have a failure to feed, this could be either an ammunition or magazine problem. This is why it’s important to test the gun at the range with a variety of different handloads and factory loads, with a variety of magazines, not under match conditions. Shoot as much as possible with your match gun, match ammo, match magazines, etc. While testing at the range, try testing the pistol with factory ammunition and see if you can replicate the malfunction. If you can, it’s not the ammo, and is therefore likely a magazine issue and you should try changing magazines. If it still malfunctions with different magazines and factory ammo, then it’s likely an issue with the pistol. Regardless, you are on the firing line and the pistol fails to feed after firing a round or several rounds and the clock is running. Depending on how far the round tried to feed into the chamber, you can try to clear it quickly by just racking the slide back, and letting it go forward. This is actually best performed as the Tap Rack Bang Drill.
Tap the bottom of the magazine to make sure it’s seated, rack the slide, then try to fire the gun. This will likely eject the offending cartridge and feed in a new one, getting the pistol back into the game. Sometimes, this is caused by reloaded ammo, where the case may not have received enough crimp on the case mouth or the round may be seated a little too long or too deeply. Semi-auto handguns are sometimes a little finicky about seating depth. Ejecting that round and getting a fresh round into the gun will usually get you back in the game.
As a side note, semi-wadcutter ammunition is more finicky than round-nose ball ammo. If you reload for bullseye, semi-wadcutter is almost mandatory, since you want the cleanest hole in the target as possible for scoring purposes. The problem with semi-wadcutter ammunition is that it’s sometimes a little hard to feed properly, so many top shooters load their match ammunition with round nose “hardball” bullets for better feeding.
Failure to Feed 2 – This is where you are firing a string and the gun tries to feed a round into the gun but has an empty piece of brass or a live round halfway into the chamber, and is trying to feed another round on top of that one. This is a fairly uncommon but serious malfunction in that the shooter can’t just rack the slide and continue shooting. The shooter needs to strip the magazine out of the gun, cycle the slide two or three times quickly, then insert a fresh magazine, cycle the slide and try to continue shooting.
Failure to Feed 3 – This one doesn’t happen very often, and is usually an ammunition or cleaning or maintenance problem. This is where the slide feeds the round forward, but doesn’t quite go all the way into battery, with the slide staying out of battery just enough to activate the disconnector and render the pistol inoperable. Usually, you can bump the slide with the palm of the hand to seat the slide and fire the gun. If not, try cycling the action to remove that round and feed in another one.
Failure to Fire 1 – This is a situation where you have a single action semi-automatic like a 1911 with a thumb safety, or a DA/SA like a Beretta pistol with an external safety. You draw, present to the target, press the trigger and nothing happens. If you have a 1911-type pistol, chances are that the safety is engaged, and you failed to fully disengage the thumb safety. If you have a pistol like the Beretta, you will be pressing the trigger, the trigger will go to the rear, but it will feel like it’s disconnected, which it is. If/when it happens, be prepared for some good-natured ribbing from your shooting buddies. You may also have too high of a grip on the gun, thereby activating the grip safety. Funny things can happen when the buzzer goes off, and I’ve seen this happen more than once. If you press the trigger and the trigger doesn’t move and the gun just seems like it’s locked up, it’s because it is. Disengage the safety, re-acquire the target and commence shooting the string.
Failure to Fire 2 – You are on the firing line getting ready to shoot a stage, your firearm is loaded and in the holster, and you have a plan in your mind on how to complete this stage. You nod to the RO that you are ready. You hear the beep, draw the handgun, get a sight picture, press the trigger and the hammer falls with a sickening click. You have one of two situations: when you were given the command to load, you did not fully seat the magazine, and when the slide was cycled to get the first round in the chamber, it ran over the top of the first cartridge in the magazine and the gun didn’t load and chamber the first round; or the cartridge did load and is sitting in the chamber, but the primer, for some reason, did not detonate, either by not being impacted by the firing pin, or if the primer was struck by the firing pin, you have a dead primer.
Regardless, you have a gun that didn’t go off, and the timer is ticking, so you have to get the gun back in action. The way to do this is to simply rack the slide. Do this forcefully by taking the finger off the trigger, and then pulling the slide to the rear and letting it go, slingshot-style. This should get the offending round out of the chamber a fresh round into the gun. Re-acquire the sights and sight picture and engage the target. When doing this, make sure that the ejection port is not covered up by your weak, or non-firing hand to ensure the round has plenty of room to clear the gun. Always remember to check the chamber when you load the gun, this will make sure that a cartridge actually went into the chamber when the gun was loaded.
Here, the fresh magazine has been inserted and the slide is about to be released, recharging the gun.
Failure to extract – This is usually caused by an extremely worn or possibly a broken extractor. Not much you can do with this malfunction other than clear the gun, take it off the firing line and turn it over to a qualified gunsmith.
Failure to eject – This is usually caused by an underpowered cartridge that doesn’t have enough recoil energy to fully push the slide to the rear and kick out the empty case. Always check your reloading manuals to make sure you are loading a middle-of-the-road cartridge. You want a Goldilocks round. Not too much power, which will wear out both the gun and the shooter, but not under-powered to where the gun malfunctions.
One form of ejection malfunction is called a stovepipe. It doesn’t happen too often, but I’ve seen it a few times. This is where the empty brass is not fully ejected and is caught by the slide going forward feeding in the next round. This is called a stovepipe jam because the empty cartridge case is poking up out of the ejection port and looks like a stovepipe. This type of malfunction happens from time to time and when it does, the gun is actually in the process of feeding a new round into the chamber and the spent case doesn’t clear the ejection port before the slide is starting to close while feeding in the new cartridge. The best way to clear this jam is to simply wipe the brass out of the gun with the non-firing hand from front to back, the slide should then close on the live round and then you begin firing again.
In malfunctions with semi-auto pistols, many times failures to feed and failures to eject are not caused by a mechanical failure. They are actually caused by shooter error. Weak recoil spring and weak magazine spring can cause all types of malfunctions, but a weak grip, or a shooter not having firm resistance in the arms will cause many of the types of the failures discussed here. The reason is that the semi-auto pistol has to have a firm surface for the recoil spring to operate against. If the shooter doesn’t have a firm grip and tension in the arms, it will take away energy from the recoil spring, making it difficult for the spring to do its work.
I’ve actually demonstrated this on the firing line by taking a bullseye pistol that was functioning normally and, with a weak grip and just enough tension in the arms to keep the gun level, inducing a failure to feed and eject twice out of two, five-round magazines. Granted, the recoil spring on a bullseye gun is very light, usually about four pounds lighter than a stock Colt 1911 spring, so it was easier to take away energy from that system, as opposed to a full strength recoil spring on a stock gun, but the concept is the same. If the recoil spring is a little worn and the gun is dirty, it becomes easier to have these sorts of handgun malfunctions if the shooter doesn’t do his or her part.
The box magazine-fed shotgun is nothing new and has always stirred heated debate. Here are a few points to know before you decide for or against them.
What you need to know about box magazine fed shotguns?
AK-style shotguns have utilized detachable magazines for decades.
Pump-action shotguns are the newest addition to the box-magazine shotgun family.
Detachable magazines excel in tactical situations, making reloads faster.
Box magazines put the weight of the gun at its middle.
Balanced, they are quicker pointing and more stable.
They cut down on reload time compared to tube-fed magazines.
Box magazine-fed shotguns transition between different ammunition more quickly.
A detachable box magazine on a shotgun is a lot like Sasquatch, Moth Man and the Easter Bunny. Some of us believe in them; many of us don’t. Much like the Glock vs. the 1911 debate and other inane gun arguments, this topic can make things lively in the barbershop and the lunchroom, and it keeps gun writers from starving to death.
The concept of a box magazine fed shotgun is not new, and has actually been around for quite a while. Still, for many all this remains too unconventional and should not be talked about in polite company, like the time your Uncle Ed got drunk and fell into the Christmas tree.
The box magazine fed shotgun comes from a different side of the universe compared to a rifle. Rifle cartridges are metallic, slender and usually pointed, ideal for sliding out of the confines of a magazine and into the chamber of a rifle. Shotgun shells are the opposite in that they are blunt, heavy and made of plastic, which can become dented and deformed — not exactly perfect for making the gun function well.
Here are some of the arguments on tube versus the detachable magazines fed shotgun that you might hear around gun club benches, gun store counters, Internet forums and other institutions of higher learning.
• A box magazine fed shotgun is not practical. Shotgun shells are large and take up a lot of room, so a magazine that will hold a sufficient amount of ammo has to be big and bulky. This makes the shotgun unwieldy and hard to balance, and the magazine might catch on something during a fracas.
• A shotgun with a tube magazine is OK for hunting, but in tactical situations, reloading is too slow and difficult under stress, and you might be limited on magazine capacity.
• For tactical situations, a shotgun with a tube magazine works well, as the shooter can perform the “shoot one, load one” discipline (tactical reloading) and keep the magazine topped off.
• Tube-fed shotguns carry the majority of the weight forward. This helps with felt recoil and makes the gun easier to control while firing.
• The box magazine fed shotgun bear the weight of the ammo roughly in the middle of the gun. This stabilizes the weapon and makes it easier to point and get on target.
Even before the recent unveiling of the box magazine fed pump shotgun, such as the Remington 870 DM and Mossberg Mag-Fed 590, there was a small selection of this style to choose from, albeit all semi-autos. Utilizing the AK-47’s long-stroke piston operation, guns such as the Molot Vepr 12 and Saiga 12 have become popular tactical shotgun options in some corners of the shooting world.
As their fans are more than familiar, the guns are fast and powerful, offering overwhelming firepower and fast reloads. Additionally, they transition loads as quickly as you can change magazines. Ideal, however, the system still draws its share of detractors. Though, their disapproval, in many cases, could be classified as unwarranted.
Critics of these guns like to point to problems with failures to feed causing malfunctions. If a gas-operated semi-auto shotgun is having trouble, the problem is often the ammo, not the gun. Inexpensive, low-brass shotgun shells might not have enough power to make the shotgun cycle properly. So, before you dismiss the new shotgun you just acquired as a “cheap Russian-made piece of junk,” you should take a look at the cheap shells you might have just picked up at Wally World.
Obviously, this is not an issue with magazine fed pump shotguns, perhaps opening their versatility. The 870 DM and 590 will happily chew through light field loads at the trap range and ask for seconds. Then, with nary a burp, gnaw on 3-inch buckshot loads. A bit more tactical-practical.
Pro or con, the magazine fed shotgun is here to stay, namely because it’s already been around for a spell.
This article originally appeared in the February 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine. Article expanded.
This shooter controls the recoil in the Glock G35 with good fundamentals of Stance, Position and Grip.
Seven fundamentals of handgun training apply whether you’re training for self-defense, competing at a match, on the silhouette range or plinking with a .22 pistol.
The seven fundamentals of basic pistol marksmanship are:
Step 1 is the stance. The stance as it applies to the handgun is nothing more than the position of feet and body relative to the target. It sounds simple, but it’s actually one of the most critical and also one of the most often overlooked aspects of pistol shooting. The reason it’s so important is that the stance is the foundation upon which all of the other fundamentals are built. If the shooter’s stance isn’t solid, then the delivery of the shot or shots to the target won’t be at their optimum.
The stance for a bullseye shooter is going to be much different than that of a person firing in one of the action shooting sports. For the bullseye shooter, assuming a right-handed shooter, the stance will be standing at about a 45-degree angle to the target, with the feet approximately shoulder width apart, and about 60 percent of the weight out on the balls of the feet. Always keep the knees flexed a little, and keep the non-firing hand in the pocket. Why? Because if the non-firing arm is not anchored with the hand in the pocket, or at least with the thumb hooked into the pocket, the arm will swing slightly during firing, and will act as a counter-balance to the firing hand, causing is to sway slightly and making it difficult to stay on target.
For an action shooter, there are two basic types of stances: the Weaver and the Isosceles. The Weaver stance is very good for managing recoil of some of the sharper recoiling handguns. It does this by using isometric tension between the firing and non-firing, or support, hand. Basically the shooter is creating a push-pull arrangement in the arms. The firing arm is pushing slightly forward, and the support hand is pulling back. It’s a very effective way of firing a powerful handgun accurately, and is still taught at the Gunsite Academy, Jeff Cooper’s iconic shooting school.
In the classic Weaver stance, the body is at an angle, the weak side elbow bent, and the strong-side arm is straight. The firing arm should be pushed forward, and the weak side arm should be pulled back. This helps lock in the upper body and is a great way to control recoil.In the Isosceles stance, the body faces straight on to the target, with the arms pushed out, shoulders rolled forward, and the upper body leaning forward with 60% of the weight on the balls of the feet.
Position
The second fundamental is position. This is nothing more than taking the stance and introducing a target. With the stance, we are not yet factoring in the target, we are just trying to establish a good foundation. Now, with position, we are attempting to take the stance and make sure that we are positioned naturally toward the target, or, put another way, we are trying to find our natural point of aim.
On the range, a good way to practice this is to get into a comfortable stance, then, take the pistol in a good firing grip with both hands, close the eyes, and raise the pistol toward the target, open the eye and the pistol should be aiming at the center of the target. If it isn’t, close your eyes, lower the pistol and pivot on the left foot and move the right foot slightly forward or backward while holding the pistol out at arm’s length to move the pistol left or right relative to the target. Raise the pistol and open your eyes, the pistol should be pointing at, or close to the target.
The best method is the one you feel most comfortable with. Talk to different shooters and get their opinion, try different techniques and then decide what works best for you.
Grip
The next fundamental is grip, and this part sounds easy, simply pick the pistol up, and you are gripping it, right? Not so fast. There are several do’s and don’ts when establishing the proper firing grip. Two of the main aspects of establishing a proper grip are consistency and tension.
Also, the firing hand and arm need to absorb the recoil and be an aid to a quick recovery, especially when firing the timed and rapid fire stages.
As I mentioned, one of the key aspects of the grip is consistency, not only in the application of the grip but also in the tension applied. Too loose of a grip, and the pistol will shift in the hand during firing. Too tight, and two things happen: the hand will tremble, and the trigger finger is partly immobilized.
Another aspect of the grip that many shooters discuss is placement of the trigger finger. The two most common ways are the pad of the finger and the first joint. Both are used by many champion shooters, so decide which one is more comfortable and go with it.
The next feature about the grip is that it needs to allow a natural point of aim. This means that when the pistol is brought up to the target, the front and rear sights should be in natural alignment, and there should not be any need to shift the pistol in the hand in order to get proper sight alignment.
Another aspect of the grip is the thumb of the firing hand. Make sure that the thumb does not drag on the slide, as this can strip energy from the recoiling slide and cause failures to feed and eject.
I’ve talked about aspects of the grip that you’ll want to do, now here are a couple of don’ts. Don’t use what’s called a “teacup” grip. This is where the non-firing hand acts as a “saucer” to the pistol’s “teacup.” This type of grip offers little countering to the effects of recoil. The pistol will twist right out of the non-firing hand with this grip.
Also, don’t fail to use the proper amount of tension in the wrist and forearm. This is really important, especially with semi-auto handguns, which need a solid platform for the gun to properly feed, chamber extract and eject.
Although you don’t want to fire a string with a grip that’s too loose, having a grip that’s too tight has its own issues. If the grip is too tight and there’s too much tension in the firing hand, it has a tendency to cause the trigger finger to freeze up, and not be as nimble and quick. This can cause all sorts of trouble when trying to fire off a quick string of shots.
This shooter shows good form with a high grip on the gun, shoulders rolled forward, with elbows with good tension but not stiff, and his upper body leaning forward to control the recoil of the G35 in 40 S&W.
Sight Alignment
The next fundamental is sight alignment. In order to shoot a handgun with any accuracy, the pistol’s sights need to be in alignment, but what does that mean? Sight alignment is nothing more than the front sight post centered within the rear sight notch, with equal daylight on both sides of the front sight post, and the top of the front sight level with the top of the rear sight. The shooter then has to maintain that good sight alignment when the hammer or striker of the handgun falls and the cartridge is fired. The better the sight alignment is when the bullet exits the barrel, the better the results on the target will be.
It’s important to understand the difference between sight alignment, and sight picture. Sight alignment is nothing more than the relationship of the front and rear sights to each other. This is what the shooter should be focusing on, and more importantly, the focus should almost always be on the front sight specifically. Bullseye shooters, weekend plinkers, or any shooter who is trying to deliver a deliberate, aimed shot or series of well-aimed shots, needs to focus on pure sight alignment, and must have pinpoint focus on the front sight as the shot or shots are delivered. The target should be slightly blurry, and the rear sight should also be blurry. The front sight needs to be in sharp, crystal clear focus during the delivery of the shot for best results.
So how does sight alignment square with the use of red dot sights? Since we don’t have a front or rear sight, there is no sight alignment, so we have to focus more on sight picture.
In the paster drill, try to keep all of the shots on a single paster at 3 yards. This demonstrates good sight alignment and trigger control.
Trigger Control
The next fundamental is trigger control. The smooth release of the trigger mechanism of any firearm is a critical factor is the delivery of an accurate shot. On the face of it, it’s a very simple act. Simply apply steady building pressure with the trigger finger to a small strip of metal or polymer, until the amount of force needed to overcome the friction of the mechanism is achieved and the tension contained in the sear or striker spring is released. But within that simple act is a complex series of events that have to take place.
The interesting aspect of trigger control that shooters must understand is contained in the words “steady building pressure.” It’s the part of trigger control that high-level shooters have mastered, and new shooters struggle with. New shooters do not yet understand that the trigger must be pressed straight to the rear, with steady building pressure, while at the same time trying to maintain as near to perfect sight alignment as possible. The better the sights are aligned when the sear disengages the striker or firing pin hits the primer and the bullet exits the barrel (which by the way, is a lot longer process than most people think), the better the shot will be.
Think of firing a series of well-aimed shots like wheel that’s spinning. The wheel represents the steady application of trigger pressure. Now imagine a fixed point on the wheel is where the sear releases and the gun fires, but the gun only fires when the fixed point reaches the top of its revolution. The wheel spins at a steady rate, and can turn slowly or quickly, but when the fixed point reaches the top, the gun fires. So in this analogy, no matter the speed of the wheel, the trigger pressure is applied at a steady rate. This is trigger control; being able to apply steady building pressure to the trigger until the pistol fires without disturbing the alignment of the sights. It’s these kinds of analogies that shooters use to visualize different shooting concepts.
Trigger finger placement is very important no matter what shooting discipline you are engaged in. Here, there is too little trigger finger applying pressure. This finger position will likely cause the pressure on the trigger to be applied to the left side, and not straight to the rear as it should be.
Breathing
The next fundamental is breathing. Good breathing techniques are extremely important in all types of shooting, from the slow fire match in bullseye, to speed shooting steel targets, which typically is over in less than two or three seconds.
Breathing oxygenates the blood, which sharpens your vision and enhances the visual acuity. It also helps you relax and that makes it easier to overcome the dreaded “match nerves.”
All shooters, and especially handgun shooters, will have a small amount of movement while holding a pistol at arm’s length. It doesn’t matter is the shooter is using one hand, two hands, or even in the laying down in the Creedmore position on the pistol silhouette range. The pistol will be moving around. Rifle shooters call this the “wobble area.” Pistol shooters, being the sophisticated, dashing and debonair marksman we are, call it the “arc of movement.” The key to delivering an accurate shot (and remember, if we can deliver a single accurate shot, delivering multiple shots just requires speeding up the trigger finger) is reducing the amount of movement to the smallest level possible, and that’s where proper breathing techniques come in. The key is to get the arc of movement, or wobble area at its smallest, at the point where enough trigger pressure is applied to fire the pistol.
When delivering a string of shots, be it on steel or some other type of action shooting, taking a few deep breaths will relax the muscles and remove much of the tension, ease the match nerves and help you compose yourself prior to the sound of the buzzer. Dry fire really helps with this and good dry fire routines will definitely help lower scores.
In this drill, the shooter fires into the berm, focusing on trigger control without a target and getting used to applying a steady rhythm to the application of trigger pressure. This drill can also be performed indoors, with a blank target and dry firing the pistol, and focusing on the sights without a target.
Mental Discipline
The last fundamental of marksmanship is mental discipline. Shooting is both a physical and a mental game, which is one reason why I enjoy competitive shooting so much. The ratio of physical versus mental depends on the level of expertise of the individual shooter.
A good example of this is to compare the level of shooter that competes at the Olympic level, and the new weekend shooter learning how to shoot with their first pistol. With the Olympic shooter, especially in a discipline like free pistol, the shooter gets two hours to fire 60 shots at a very small target at 50 meters. For these shooters, the game is 95% mental and only about 5% physical.
Compare those shooters to the new, weekend shooter with their first firearm. Hopefully, they’ve been taught at least the basics of marksmanship, so they understand about stance, position, grip, but probably not. They are focused on aiming the pistol and trying to get a hit somewhere on the target. For these new shooters, the ratio is 90% physical and 10% mental.
Whether firing a single shot or a string of shots, there are steps you can take to be successful. One of the most important points is to have a routine. Almost all athletes have a pre-game routine and shooters are no different. The fundamental of mental discipline comes down to developing a plan that comprises several steps or a routine, and it starts with preparation. This includes all of the details prior to the match such as making sure your range bag or gun box is ready, and that you have enough ammunition to shoot the match, including additional for alibis or malfunctions.
Next step in planning is to decide in advance how you are going to shoot the day’s match, how you are going to shoot a particular string or even a single shot. Determine when and where the best place to reload is while on the move, how you are going to handle the wind at Camp Perry, or what is the best sequence to engage multiple targets in a steel match. Remember, having a plan is a very good way to reduce match nerves, because you are focusing on how you are going to approach the stage or string, not focusing on fear of failure, which is the primary cause of pre-match nervousness.
The next important phase of mental discipline is to relax and focus. The shooter needs to approach the shot or series of shots relaxed and ready to shoot.
The next part of mental discipline is to analyze. If a shooter cannot analyze a shot or a string of shots, they will never be able to improve and will just keep making the same mistakes over and over.
The last element involved with the mental game of shooting is correction. After you’ve done all of the previous steps, step back and see if the plan you developed actually worked. If not, what happened and why? This mental aspect of the game can be applied whether you are an IPSC competitor, silhouette shooter, Cowboy Action or a weekend plinker.
Certainly, in popular history, the Winchester Model 1873 is given this distinction. While the trusty ol’ lever-action shooting iron more than earned its stripes in military conflicts, range wars and protecting the Back 40, it far from single-handedly tamed the vast American frontier.
In reality, no one gun can make the claim. It was a vast arsenal of different revolvers and rifles and shotguns of every conceivable design, make and model that carved this nation from coastline to coastline.
Even if there was no single gun that won the West, there are certainly some six-shooters, repeaters and other great guns that more than pulled their share of the weight during this era. With that in mind, here are the 10 guns you have to know from the Old West. While there were many other firearms that left their mark on this time, these were among the most important.
While not as storied as some Colts, the first commercially successful repeating firearm, nonetheless, left its mark on the West. Patented in 1836 and produced until 1842, just a little more than 2,000 of the cap-and-ball revolvers were manufactured. Despite their limited numbers, the Colt Patersons found their way into a number of definitive conflicts in the mid-1800s.
Among the most storied was the Battle of Bandera Pass, which marked the turning point of the Texas-Indian wars. In the early 1840s fight, 50 or so Texas Rangers, led by legendary Captain John “Jack” Hays, routed a vastly superior force of Comanche, thanks in large part to their five-shot Colt Patersons.
This wasn’t the only time Hays prevailed against overwhelming odds due to the revolver. Previously in the Battle of Walker Creek and his Big Fight at Enchantment Rock, the Paterson proved its worth. While the revolver came in many calibers, the .36-caliber No. 5 became known as the “Texas Patterson” for its use by the Rangers.
Though limited in use, the 1860 Henry proved itself a wicked weapon in the Civil War. But its devastating effect was perhaps best demonstrated in another heralded American battle — the Little Bighorn.
Armed with the brass-receiver beauties, among other repeaters, Sioux and Cheyenne Warriors utterly devastated the 7th Cavalry. Some archaeological evidence points to 134 firearms in the hands of the Indians, 62 of them Henrys.
The cavalry, on the other hand, was armed with single-shot Springfield Model 1873 rifles firing the now-notorious copper cartridges — known to expand and jam the breech. So it seems George Armstrong Custer and his men weren’t only outnumbered that late June day, they were also vastly outgunned.
Beyond formal conflict, the Henry was a mainstay among many pioneers during westward expansion. Its 15 rounds of .44 Henry rimfire not only proved adequate for protecting a homestead or scaring off cattle rustlers, but also bagging the odd deer.
Colt Single Action Army
No other gun sums up the Wild West like this Colt. Introduced in 1873 originally as a Cavalry revolver, the Single Action Army spread across the frontier like a prairie fire.
Perhaps no single gun hung off the hips of more cowboys, lawmen and outlaws than this revolver. The likes of Wyatt Earp, John Selman, John Wesley Hardin, Bat Masterson and many others all favored the Colt and for good reason. The revolver was well balanced, provided a fast rate of fire and superior ergonomics. To the last two points, the six-gun’s design allowed it to rock back in the hand upon firing, setting the shooter up to cock the hammer for his next shot. On top of that, the Colt SAA packed a wallop, particularly in its most prominent chamberings — .44-40 WCF and .45 Colt.
The Colt SAA wasn’t infallible, however. Slow on the reload and only able to be safely loaded with five rounds (unless an hombre wanted to lose a pinky toe), the gun could quickly be out of the fight and slow to reenter. But in competent hands, and there were many, there was no deadlier weapon on the American frontier.
Colt 1851 Navy
Named for the Republic of Texas Navy, ironically, this gun saw little action on the high sea. But on the vast American frontier, the handsome six-gun was among the most prolific cap-and-ball revolvers. Some quarter of a million were made between 1850 and 1873.
Though on the surface it doesn’t appear so, what made the gun so desirable, aside from its smooth handling and potency, was its portability. Designed as a sidearm, the 1851 Navy was much lighter than similar revolvers — the Walker Colt and Colt Dragoon. In turn, an hombre could easily keep this peace of mind at hand out of the saddle.
In its cap-and-ball form, the Navy was a .36-caliber gun, but toward the 1870s a number of the revolvers were converted to accept .38-caliber metallic cartridges. The 1851 saw prolific use in the Civil War and across the West. Robert E. Lee carried a Navy while serving with the 2nd Cavalry in Texas, and it was the preferred revolver of no less than James “Wild Bill” Hickok.
1873 Springfield Trapdoor
In an age filled with some of the most iconic repeaters to ever drop a hammer, the Springfield Trapdoor seems downright frumpy. The single-shot rifle, however, was among the most plentiful firearms out West.
This is primarily due to it being the U.S. Army service rifle for the better part of the American age of expansion (1873 to 1892). It was a mainstay for both sides of the intermittent conflict known as the Indian Wars and a fairly solid rifle once the bugs were worked out.
Its main sticky point, literally, was the rifle’s early ammunition. The Trapdoor initially shot .45-70 Government ammo loaded in copper cases, which, when heated, expanded and had a tendency of jamming the breech with devastating consequences. Many blame this flaw as one of the reasons the 7th Calvary was routed at the Little Bighorn.
Custer’s last stand prompted the Army into action and eventually to adopt brass cases, which made all the difference in the world. The .45-70 round itself was more than enough to handle anything a soldier set his sights on out to 1,000 yards. And given this potential, the Army began to emphasized marksmanship. Shooting practice and, eventually, competitions became a more regular part of training, preparing soldiers to use the rifle with crack-shot accuracy on the open prairie.
Arguably the most famous and recognizable rifle of the Old West, the 1873 is a true icon of the frontier. The iron-framed, lever-action rifle was ideal in a saddle scabbard or at the homestead, ready to take care of any chore a revolver couldn’t handle. And plenty of good and bad men had chores for the 1873, with the likes of William F. Cody, the Texas Rangers, Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy and a long list of other Western notables employing the rifle.
In addition to its ease of use and low maintenance, what made the 1873 a success was Winchester chambering it for a number of its proprietary pistol ammunition — .44-40, .38-40 and .32-20. This took a load of burden off a buckaroo during a period when logistics were not at the top of their game. A fella never knew when a desperado might highjack the latest ammunition delivery heading to the local general store thus leave a pistol or rifle high and dry.
The rifle was also awash across the West, with some half-million manufactured before the turn of the 19th Century. Honestly, no self-respecting lawman, rancher or outlaw would be caught without one.
Double-Barreled Shotgun
New take on the old gun. The Stoeger Coach Single Trigger Supreme.
Certainly, the 1873 Winchester Rifle and Colt Single Action Army were as abundant as tumbleweeds out West; but they most likely paled in numbers to the simple double-barreled shotgun. The firearm was ubiquitous, brought in droves by pioneers heading for new lives in the West.
Double-barreled shotguns came from all corners of the globe, many rolling out of local blacksmith shops. And they made a lot of sense as a tool to tame the land, given their flexibility. Capable of bagging nearly any game known to man — be it covered in fur or feather — the shotgun also doubled as one of the most notorious defensive arms ever to bare a trigger.
There was a good likelihood every lawman had one at hand and they were heavily utilized to guard stagecoaches in their shortened coach gun variation. But the double-barrel shotgun was also the stock-in-trade for some of the wickedest men to roam the West. “Deacon” Jim Miller, for one, cottoned to the brutal instrument and used it to devastating effect on a number of occasions.
Sharps Rifle
Uberti USA’s take on the 1874 Sharps. Photo: Uberti
While it saw its share of military battles and the odd lawman might have one at hand, the venerable Sharps left its mark on the West in a much different fashion than many of this era’s storied firearms — hunting. During the hide-hunting era of the American frontier, the powerful single-shot rifle felled more buffalo than perhaps any other firearm. It was ideal for the task.
Chambered for powerful rounds such as .50-90, .50-110 and .45-70, the falling-block rifle was reasonably accurate, allowing hunters to harvest buffalo at relatively long ranges. This is a black mark against the rifle today, with commercial hunting typically blamed for pushing the prairie behemoth to the brink of extinction.
Even with the ballistics to drop a buffalo more than 1,000-yards out, there is modern research that points more to disease than the Sharps and other big-bore rifles in the animal’s disappearance. Either way, the rifle still had an impact — be it large or small — and today is considered by many as iconic in the West as the Colt SAA and Winchester 1873.
The first revolver that fired metallic cartridges adopted by the U.S. Military, it didn’t take long for this break-top beast to catch on with good and bad men alike. From lawmen like Pat Garrett to outlaws such as John King Fisher, the Model 3 delivered the goods.
Chambered originally in .44 S&W — later in other .44-caliber variants, as well as .38 — the six-shooter offered more than enough power to take care of even the most stubborn adversary. On top of that, it was fast to reload. Opening from the top to expose all six cylinders, a gunslinger could quickly get the single action back into a fight.
This was a distinct advantage in an era where old cap-and-ball revolvers were still prevalent. Even the beloved Colt Single Action Army couldn’t beat out the Model 3 since it had to be reloaded one cartridge at a time.
John M. Browning, of course, left a mark on the Old West, perhaps no more so than with his first repeating rifle with Winchester. A stronger rifle than the Model 1876, with vertical locking bolts, the ’86 was also sleeker and easier to handle. And it vastly outgunned the majority of repeaters of the day, shooting some of the most powerful big-game cartridges around (and well) — .45-70, .45-90 and .50-110.
Perhaps best of all, it added a dimension of firepower to the equation with the lever action’s nine-round tubular magazine. In one fell swoop, the single-shot rolling-block rifles were outclassed and obsolete on the hunt. But it wasn’t only hunters who saw the benefit of the massive and powerful Model 1886.
Bob Dalton of the notorious bank and train robbing Dalton Gang is reported to have carried the lever action. And a number of the hired Texas killers — known as the “Invaders” — utilized the rifle in Wyoming’s Johnson County War.
With five new riflescopes and three red-dot optics, Bushnell’s Tac Optics line is designed to get shooters on target no matter their range.
What does Bushnell’s new Tac optics line bring to the table:
With prices from $360 to $1,446, the Tac Optics line has options for every budget.
The riflescopes have power range options including 10x, 5-15x, 6-24x and 4.5-30x.
They are outfitted, depending on model, with 40mm or 50mm objective lenses.
There are three Tac Optics red dots: Mini Cannon, Lil P(rism) and Big D(ot).
The Mini Cannon offers four reticles, the Lil P(rism) is among the smallest prism sights available, and the Big D(ot) offers an extended field of view.
Iron sights… it’s tough to beat them. They are ready for action the moment a shooter is and provide practical accuracy and speed to those who know how to handle them. But even with the advantages the rock-solid and age-old aiming solution offers, modern technology has enhanced the shooter’s ability to hit a target or targets, more precisely and with greater rapidity than ever before.
Photo: Bushnell
Optics, in every shape and size, have revolutionized modern shooting, making marksmen — whether close or long range — more efficient. This is especially true when it comes advancements in optics tailored to get the most out of AR-15-style rifles and other tactical arms. Bushnell Optics has turned an especially studied eye to this corner of the shooting world in 2018, introducing a new scope and red-dot optics line engineered to milk the most out of today’s most popular semi-automatic rifles.
The Tac Optics line is a full-spectrum family of eight aiming solutions, covering every conceivable shooting situation and range. And with prices ranging from around $360 to $1,446, the line has an option to fit nearly every budget.
For the most part, Tac Optics riflescopes are adjustable power, with 5-15x, 6-24x and 4.5-30x options. The company ensures each optic has the ability to keep pace with its magnification, outfitting them with generous 40mm and 50mm objective lenses and multi-coating all lens surfaces to enhance image delivery. And they are set up with, depending on the model, standard Mil-Dot reticles.
The exceptions are the 6-25x50mm Tac Optics scopes, which come with the option of an illuminated Mil-Dot reticle or an elaborate G2 reticle. These scopes are ideally set up to take full advantage of their reticles, given both have them placed on the first focal plane, and are thus usable no matter the magnification. Uniquely, the new line also boasts a fixed-power option (10x) with a 40mm objective lens that is ideal for those who embrace a much simpler system.
Photo: Bushnell
Each Tac Optics scope features well-sized turrets with ample adjustment for windage and elevation — 50 to 120 MOA. And weighing from 15 to 27 ounces, the scopes aren’t overburdening even on the lightest rifle setup.
Bushnell has also released three new red-dot optics in the Tac Optics line: the Mini Cannon, Lil P(rism) and Big D(ot). Each is designed to deliver superior battery life and bring a little something different to the table. The Mini Cannon offers the versatility of four reticle options at the push of a button. The Lil P is one of the industry’s smallest prism sights now available. And the Big D delivers an extremely large field of view with its massive 37mm objective lens.
The TAC Optics red dots are shockproof and feature adjustable brightness settings to adapt to whatever lighting conditions a shooter might face. The 1x optics are also unobtrusive, weighing in at 7 to 13 ounces.
Specifications:
Tac Optics 10x40mm Magnification/Objective: 10x 40mm Reticle: Mil-Dot Focal Plane: N/A Elevation Travel: 85 MOA Windage Travel: 85 MOA Elevation Per Revolution: 10 MOA Tube Diameter: 1 inch Eye Relief MAX Power: 3.4 inches Field of View: 10.5 inches at 10x Weight: 15 weight Length: 11.8 inches MSRP: $361.95
Tac Optics 4.5-30x50mm Magnification/Objective: 4.5-30x 50mm Reticle: Mil-Dot Focal Plane: Second Elevation Travel: 120 MOA Windage Travel: 70 MOA Elevation Per Revolution: 12 MOA Tube Diameter: 30mm Eye Relief MAX Power: 3.8 inch Field of View: 22 inches at 4.5x/4 inches at 30x Weight: 21 ounces Length: 13.4 length MSRP: $1,352.45
Tac Optics 5-15x40mm Magnification/Objective: 5-15x 40mm Reticle: Mil-Dot Focal Plane: Second Elevation Travel: 50 MOA Windage Travel: 50 MOA Elevation Per Revolution: 12 MOA Tube Diameter: 1 inch Eye Relief MAX Power: 3.4 inches Field of View: 21 inches at 5x/7 inches at 15X Weight: 21 ounces Length: 14.3 inches MSRP: $650.95
Tac Optics 6-24×50 Illuminated Mil-Dot Magnification/Objective: 6-24x 50mm Reticle: Illuminated Mil-Dot Focal Plane: First Elevation Travel: 80 MOA Windage Travel: 80 MOA Elevation Per Revolution: 5 Mil Tube Diameter: 30mm Eye Relief MAX Power: 3.4 inches Field of View: 17 inches at 6x/4.5 inches at 24x Weight: 27 ounces Length: 13.8 inches MSRP: $1,446.45
Tac Optics 6-24×50 G2 Magnification/Objective: 6-24x 50mm Reticle: G2 Focal Plane: First Elevation Travel: 80 MOA Windage Travel: 80 MOA Elevation Per Revolution: 5 Mil Tube Diameter: 30mm Eye Relief MAX Power: 3.4 inches Field of View: 17 inches at 6x/4.5 inches at 24x Weight: 27 ounces Length: 13.8 inches MSRP: $1,408.45
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 of the best concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
