Springfield Armory has introduced its smallest pistol to date in the 1911-style 911 .380.
A little about the new 911 .380 micro pistol:
The 911 .380 measures 5.5 inches in overall length and weighs 12.6 ounces.
The pistol is a single-action, chambered in .380 ACP.
It boasts a unique G10 trigger that breaks at 5 pounds.
It has Pro-Glo Tritium front and rear sights.
Models with Viridian green laser grips are available.
The first two rules of concealed carry are: You have to carry a gun, and you have to conceal it. Neither is going to happen for most citizens who want to go armed if the gun is too big and potentially uncomfortable.
Certainly, full-sized pistols have advantages, but face it, there is only a select segment of the population willing to augment their dress, carry method and lives around toting one. This glaring fact has supercharged the market of shrunken self-defense handguns in recent years. Whether revolver or semi-automatic pistol, nearly every manufacturer has a mouse-gun option, sized to be as burdensome as pocket change and to evaporate on the person.
Springfield Armory is no stranger to producing easy-to-carry-and-conceal pistols, with a healthy selection of single-stack sub-compacts in its XD line of polymer pistols. But the Illinois company has gone the extra mile with its first handgun release for 2018. The new 911 .380 is the gunmaker’s smallest pistol to date, and one portioned to scrap it out with the minutest micro pistols.
Overall, the .380 ACP pistol is 5.5 inches long (no width available) and comes in at a meager 12.6 ounces. This certainly makes the 911 not only a candidate for typical concealed carry methods, but also a dandy choice for a pocket pistol, perhaps in a backup role.
Similar in looks to the SIG P238, the 911 is a 1911-style, single-action semi-automatic pistol. Typical for the design, the pistol has a manual thumb safety, which Springfield has extended for ease of use and made ambidextrous, so it’s right- and left-handed friendly. And it has outfitted it with a unique G10 trigger from Hogue, which breaks at 5 pounds and has a short reset.
The aluminum-framed pistol has a short beavertail to protect the operator’s hands from the skeletonized hammer and stainless steel slide. Springfield offers the choice of a black Nitride or brushed-satin matte finish for the slide, which also boasts integrated indicator.
The frame, according to the company, is optimized in proportion to the slide and trigger, to make the gun more manageable, which, if it pans out, is a plus for small semis, since they tend to jump in the hand. The frame comes outfitted with aggressively textured thinline G10 grips, and has what the company calls Octo-Grip texturing on the frontstrape of the mainspring housing. Additionally, Springfield offers two models with Viridian green laser grips, for a bit more money.
The 911 has a 2.7-inch broached barrel and a full-length guide rod, with a flat wire spring. It boasts Pro-Glo Tritium front sights and white outline tritium rear sights, aiding in low-light target acquisition. And it comes with a six-round flush fit magazine and a seven-round extended magazine, both stainless steel.
Presently, the MSRP on the Springfield Armory 911 is $599, and $789 for the models equipped with the laser sights.
Ruger gets back into the pistol-caliber carbine business with the introduction of the Ruger PC Carbine.
The ins and outs of Ruger's new PC Carbine:
The Ruger PC Carbine is the evolution of the Ruger Police Carbine.
The carbine comes chambered in 9mm.
It accepts magazines from three lines of Ruger pistols — SR, American and Security-9.
With an adapter, the PC Carbine also accepts Glock magazines.
The bolt assembly has a unique weight system that cuts recoil and bolt bounce.
The gun weighs in at 6.8 pounds, has a 16.12-inch barrel and is 34.37 inches in overall length.
Long ago, across the windswept and tumbleweed-infested American West, a simple concept took hold. A feller ought to shoot the same cartridge out of his rifle he does from his six-gun.
This idea made a lot of sense in the untamed empty. Who knew when the next wagonload of ammo would tumble into some unnamed ravine or get bushwhacked by the local union of desperados, No. 462? Mating long gun and sidearm with the same cartridge made certain the prudent frontiersman always had something at hand to put a jackrabbit in the pot or defend the back 40.
Despite the domestication of the West and abundant ammo (usually), this practical paradigm continues to stretch its legs. And presently, Ruger is in the process of fully embracing it.
The New Hampshire gunmaker dusted off its old Police Carbine design, upgraded it and has it set for store shelves in 2018. And the PC Carbine, as it is known, certainly appears capable of protecting a homestead, even if it’s now in suburbia.
Although the pistol-caliber carbines are abundant, Ruger’s new offering has a few features that have the potential to set it off from the rest of the market. First off, turning back to the Police Carbine design breaks from the dominant pistol-caliber configuration, which is decidedly AR-15. But perhaps more appealing than offering a different and a more traditional platform, it’s the 9mm’s flexibility that should make it standout.
Where this facet truly shines through is in the Ruger PC Carbine’s magazine compatibility. The carbine accepts magazines from three of Ruger’s current pistol lines — SR, American and new Security-9 (The last released suspiciously close to the PC Carbine). Quicker than you can say companion gun, Ruger has given fans the perfect cohort to pair their pistol for longer-range or more precision work.
Futhermore, the company has opened the long gun to those who don’t holster one of its semi-automatics. An included adapter makes the PC Carbine compatible with Glock magazines. This is a bit out of step with Ruger’s usual ethos, since the company has preferred the proprietary to the universal. But the move opens up a greater selection of magazines, particularly for those who would prefer to have, say, 30 rounds on tap.
The PC Carbine most definitely has some trappings of Ruger’s Police Carbine (discontinued in 2006). But from its redesign, it is perhaps more closely akin to the company’s famed 10/22. It draws upon some of the rimfire’s trigger group and design. But nowhere is its relationship with the small-bore rifle more evident than in the fact the carbine is a takedown. This certainly adds a new dimension to the Ruger PC Carbine, making it a highly portable option to keep at hand, even when away from home.
The PC Carbine’s action and bolt also seem similar to the 10/22’s, but there’s some interesting engineering at work that makes it markedly different. The bolt assembly houses a tungsten weight in the rear, what Ruger calls a “dead blow” weight. The dense metal provides the mass required to remain a straight blowback action, while keeping the overall assembly relatively small. As an added benefit, according to the company, it also does its part to cut recoil and bolt bounce, even when the carbine chews through +P ammo.
Another slick feature around the action is the reversible charging handle and magazine release. This piece of forethought should make the carbine easier and faster to manipulate no matter if a left- or right-handed shooter is on the trigger.
The stock is certainly a more conventional pattern, but is designed to perform. It is glass filled, giving it the desirable quality of rigidity and has 1.5 inches of play in length of pull through a spacer system. And overall, it is light, with the PC Carbine tipping the scales at 6.8 pounds.
Shooters will find much of this heft where they want it — in their hands. Ruger achieved this by fluting the PC Carbine’s 16.12-inch barrel, and it’s a good thing, too. Given the muzzle is threaded, ½-28, and there is an accessory rail at the fore of the stock, the gun should remain balanced even when wearing a muzzle device or light.
The carbine comes ready to shoulder out of the box with iron sights — protected blade front, adjustable rear ghost ring. But as expected in this era of gunmaking, the PC comes optics ready with an integral Picatinny rail above the receiver.
Overall the Ruger PC Carbine is relatively attractively priced with an MSRP of $649, most certainly less expensive at the local gun store. This could give shooters all the reason in the world to experiment feeding a long-gun and pistol from the same trough.
Specifications:
Ruger PC Carbine Stock: Black Synthetic Capacity: 17 Barrel Length: 16.12 in. Overall Length: 34.37 in. Barrel Features: Threaded, Fluted Front Sight: Protected Blade Rear Sight: Adjustable Ghost Ring Thread Pattern: 1/2″-28 Weight: 6.8 lb. Length of Pull: 12.62 – 14.12 in. Material: Aluminum Alloy Finish: Type III Hardcoat Anodized Twist: 1:10 RH Grooves: 6 Suggested Retail: $649.00
Meopta delivers a rugged and fast aiming solution for tactical rifles in its new MeoRed T Reflex Sight.
How does the MeoRed T stack up?
The MeoRed T Reflex Sight features a 1.5 MOA red dot.
The 1x optic has fully coated lenses, including external hydrophobic coatings.
Each lens surface delivers 99.7-percent light transmission.
The MeoRed T's tube is constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum.
The MSRP of the MeoRed T is $1,000.
It could be on a dusty 3-Gun course or, in more dire circumstances, such as a self-defense situation involving multiple attackers, but you’ll find that speed is your friend. Your ability to move target to target, seamlessly and accurately, precisely placing shots is of critical importance. Honestly, in the latter example, it could be a matter of life and death.
Good old trigger time, of course, is at the root of honing muscle memory and mindset to get the most out of a gun. But as shooters, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give ourselves every advantage out there. And in the modern shooting world, there are certainly accessories that enhance our hard-won abilities and act as force multipliers in skilled hands.
Quality optics definitely fall into this category. And the recently released Meopta MeoRed T Reflex Sight appears to have what it takes to bring the most out of the shooter and his firearms. Designed as a primary aiming solution for tactical rifles, the minute red-dot optic is ruggedly built and engineered for lightning-fast target transitions.
Perhaps the most attractive feature of the 1x30mm optic is the red dot itself, which is set up to shave hairs off a gnat’s hiney. This is due to its 1.5 MOA illuminated dot. While certain to excel at close quarters, and shots on the fly, the dot is fine enough to hold its own at medium to medium-long ranges.
The MeoRed T’s reticle is also ready to tackle nearly every lighting environment thrown at it with 12 intensity settings. Improving this is the company’s MeoBright multi-lens coatings, which provide a crystal clear sight picture, eliminating glare and reflections and delivering 99.7-percent light transmission per lens surface. Meopta has even gone a step further with the MeoRed T, coating the external lens surfaces with its MeoDrop, a hydrophobic coating that repels rain and snow, in addition to skin oils and dirt.
Meopta has done plenty to protect all that high-tech glass and hardware, building the MeoRed T’s tube of aircraft-grade aluminum. The unit completely sealed and waterproof, as well as shockproof. In short, it’s tough as boots.
As a standalone, the optic is set to shine in nearly any tactical application, but Meopta has designed the MeoRed T as an all-around sighting solution. Compatible with night vision optics and magnifiers, the red dot is set to tackle nearly any conceivable operation.
As is expected on any piece of equipment that delivers, the MeoRed T has a bit of a price tag — $1,000 MSRP. It’s not through the roof in the optics world, but it is spendy. However, for shooters who are set to make the most of their rifles and skills, the red dot sight might be priced right.
Specifications:
Meopta MeoRed T Specs Magnification: 1x Objective Diameter: 30mm Eye Relief: Unlimited Dot Size Diameter: 1.5 MOA No. of Intensity Levels: 12 Night Vision Compatibility: Yes Elevation Adjustment: 80 Min. Windage Adjustment: 80 Min. Adjustment Increments: 0.5 MOA Automatic Intensity Mode: no Power Supply (V): 1.5-3.6 (1xAA) Battery Lifetime (hours at medium intensity): 2,000 Min. Automatic Shutdown: 8 hours Recoil Resistance: 500 g Operational Temperature Range (°F): -40 to +140 Waterproof: 2/2 meters/hours Max. Length: 4.84 in/123mm Max. Height: 2.32 in/59mm Max. Width: 2.64 in/67mm Weight: 8.82 oz Objective Filter Thread: M34x.05mm Eyepiece Filter Thread: M27x.05mm
As marksmen, we live in a blessed era. At no other time since gunpowder met projectile has there been more well-manufactured guns, gear and ammo to get us on target. Even the cheapest of rifles, shotguns and pistols of today are capable of sharp shots that just a couple generations ago were the things of myth.
This orgy of precision technology, however, clouds what really counts when it comes to delivering a payload to a gnat's ass — the shooter. If we come to a shot prepared and ready to make it, the gun, bullet and, yes, the target will take care of themselves.
Don't believe me? Consider the Mosin-Nagant. It's perhaps the most successful sniper rifle of all time, and a chassis rig it is not. The men and women behind the simple Mosin’s trigger are what made the rifle chillingly deadly.
So, what can be done to master ourselves, and in turn master our firearms? Believe it or not, there is one word that goes a long way to helping us achieve the accuracy we’re always chasing. Simply put, B.R.A.S.S. can give you the guts to make your shot.
Of course, as is the case with all panaceas, shooting or otherwise, there is more to hitting the target than one word. Used by the U.S. Military to ingrain the fundamentals of marksmanship, the acronym contains all the basics you need to shoot straight — breathe, relax, slack/stop, squeeze.
Here’s a closer look at each element.
Breathe Sounds easy, but mastering this natural body function is the difference between the 10-ring and utter frustration. The mistake most shooters make is breathing in an unnatural fashion, that is, holding their breath in an abnormal way. This can lead to involuntary muscle flinches and, if held too long, muscle tremors as the body screams for oxygen.
Shooters should concentrate on breathing in a natural fashion, then aim to shoot in the natural transition between exhale and inhale. During this period, breathing can be comfortably paused for around 5 seconds — longer if practiced. A dose of humbleness also helps in this phase. If you’ve paused your breath for too long, call it good, take a fresh breath and start all over again. Your accuracy will improve because of it.
Relax Maybe it's the anticipation of recoil. Perhaps there’s concern of placing a shot wildly off the mark. Maybe that buck of a lifetime has pure adrenaline pumping through your veins. There are a number of factors that tense the mind and body, and leave a marksman too balled up to stay on target. For greener shooters, this is a tough nut to crack, because there is a level of trepidation in any new undertaking. But even a seasoned marksman can tie themselves in knots when the pressure is on.
I've personally found a solid and predictable routine goes a long way to approaching a shot relaxed enough to make it. Shouldering the rifle properly, getting a solid cheek weld, focusing on the target, positing the finger properly on the trigger and fluidly squeezing it pulls the mind away from the bugaboos that can infect the mind. And from a relaxed mind comes a relaxed body. The best part, honing a mental and physical state conducive to accuracy doesn’t require sending rounds downrange. Dry fire practice is the perfect opportunity train the calm before you unleash the storm.
Aim Aiming a weapon seems simple, perhaps even intuitive. But there are few points where there are more breakdowns in making a shot. Much of this is due to a marksman not taking the time to properly understand their natural point of aim, sight alignment, and how to develop a sight picture. But even seasoned marksmen, in the heat of the moment, can lose focus on important aiming aspects. With iron sights, it tends to be keeping focus on the front sight. With scopes, it's ensuring there’s a full field of view. If all these aspects are in line and accounted for, this is the moment to align the front blade or crosshairs on where you want to send your bullet.
Slack/Stop This is pre-flight for the moment of truth. For a two-stage trigger, you need to take up the slack before you completely break a shot, ensuring you don’t jerk the trigger. But it’s also the time to stop to re-evaluate your shooting condition and target — has the wind changed? Is that bull elk about to disappear into timber?
You also essentially stop everything that might throw you off the mark — body movement, breathing, disconcerting thoughts about missing the shot. A marksman is at his stillest point of the process in body and mind — one that lasts for fleeting moments. After a few precious seconds, muscles twitch and the mind will wander to next month’s mortgage payment. It’s a tall task learning when to make the most of this opportunity; fundamentally, it’s a chore of shooting batches of ammo until it becomes second nature. But once you learn to capitalize on this golden window, you’ll absolutely make the bullseye tremble.
Squeeze It’s difficult to comprehend that a lion’s share of accuracy is due to a few muscles in small appendage. But there it is, for better or worse. It’s oft-repeated and here will be again, it’s a trigger squeeze — not jerk, pull or tap.
A squeeze allots the best control for a smooth, steady and liner rearward path, thus maintaining the gun’s alignment with the target. The others will send the shot to the side. Finger placement aids the process. The center of the pad, directly behind nail bed, centered on the trigger facilitates a clean squeeze.
Accuracy isn’t just something that happens and won’t be enhanced by equipment if it wasn't there to begin with. If you want to hit what you’re aiming at — be it a coyote on the heel or a steel gong at 500 yards — take the time to master these fundamentals. Once mastered, practice to keep them sharp.
Though he was alluding to spiritual matters of the Zen variety, German philosopher Eugen Herrigel perhaps best summed up the challenge of shooting accurately when he wrote, “Fundamentally, the marksman aims at himself.” With that nugget in mind, be sure you hit the mark.
Offering a high-capacity magazine and enough velocity to expand bullets, you’ll find more high-tech 9mm ammo, from more makers, than any other cartridge.
How to choose the best 9mm round for personal defense:
9mm bullet weights range from 115 to 147 grains and velocities from 1,200 to 1,000.
The 9mm has the advantage of higher capacity without enlarging a firearm's grip.
Gun type goes a long way in determining the preferable load.
9mm ammo can be divided into three classes: light, medium power and supersonics and heavyweights.
+P and +P+ are best reserved for full-sized pistols.
Invented in 1904, the 9mm Parabellum came about because the German army couldn’t bring themselves to adopt a .32 pistol – the 7.65×21 Luger. So, Georg Luger opened up the bottlenecked case of that 7.65 as much as he could and, viola, the 9mm Parabellum came about.
It is a hot number, with an MAP of 36,000 PSI. The standard bullet weights range from 115 to 147 grains, with velocities from just under 1,200 for the 115s and just under 1,000 for the 147s.
As a compact cartridge, the 9mm has an advantage that larger or longer cartridges cannot offer: a high-capacity magazine, with a double stack of cartridges, does not become too large a magazine and grip for the average shooter to handle. This offers a significant increase in capacity. Where a 1911 pistol in .45 offers eight rounds in a magazine, a 9mm magazine in the same-size pistol doubles that. And, the higher operating pressure means it can generate enough velocity to expand bullets.
These two advantages caused the 9mm to be the main focus of bullet improvements. Some might say, “Sure, because it needed it,” but I see it as ballistic advantage waiting to be reaped. As a result, you will find more hi-tech bullets in 9mm, from more makers, than any other cartridge. Even in the hottest loadings, in a not-ultra-compact pistol, it is manageable for the average shooter, and this is another advantage. If it is manageable, people will learn to manage it. If it can be fun they’ll find the fun.
With the 9mm, the convergence of all the advantages created a product that now is going to re-set the law enforcement landscape, moving many agencies back from the .40 to the 9mm.
The big problem in selecting the best 9mm ammunition is determining what platform you will be using it in.
FMJ bullets do not expand, they penetrate, tumble, and stop eventually. NYPD found them sometimes stopping in bystanders. This was seen as a not-good outcome.
For instance, the +P and +P+ loads are best performers when launched out of a full-sized gun. So, using a Glock 17 or 34, a full-sized Government Model or similar other big 9mm, you get all the benefits of the velocity. Using the same ammo in an ultra-compact Kel-Tec is simply making excessive noise, beating up your hands and not getting the velocity you thought you were. Oh, you’ll get more than the standard ammo would deliver, but not so much more that it’s worth all the drama, noise, flash and recoil.
The 9mm Parabellum seems to be the cartridge the FBI tests were made for. It has enough velocity to punch through the various barriers and still have speed enough to expand on the other side. The 147-grain bullet is so long (it barely fits in the case, with room for powder) that you could expand it to double its diameter, and it still has enough length of bullet cylinder left to support the expanded bullet.
The Browning Hi Power (this is a Novak Custom) was for a long time the only hi-cap 9mm. Now they are common, but the BHP is still a valid choice for those who want a single-action system pistol.
It is soft in the lighter loads and manageable in the hottest loads, so it is accurate. It used to not be accurate. When the U.S. Army and Air Force began testing in the early 1980s, to replace the “worn out” 1911s with something new, something 9mm, they found that the 9mm ammunition of the time wasn’t as accurate in new pistols as the then-current .45 ammo in the “worn out” 1911s. This temporarily stopped the pistol program, and initiated a crash program to develop match-grade 9mm ammo, then started the tests again.
Now, we have accurate 9mm because it is all accurate.
Old habits and old customs die hard. Old attitudes die hardest of all. The attitude of “real cartridges start with the numeral 4” do not take into account the fact that a lot of people just don’t want to deal with, or can’t handle, the size of a “4” pistol and the recoil it brings with it. For them, the 9mm is plenty good enough.
The trick is finding the firearm that works for you, and then (and only then) selecting the load that works in it. Picking a load and making it fit a “suitable” handgun is going about it backwards and asking for trouble. Not to pick on Kel-Tec (they make fine compact pistols), but starting with a +P or +P+ load and then trying to manage it in an ultra-compact pistol is just doomed to failure.
To that end, the 9mm can be divided into three areas.
The days of non-expanding bullets are over. Fired out of a compact 9mm, this 9mm 150-grain HST expanded as shown.
Light Loads
These would be the Hornady Critical Defense loads and similar low-recoil loads, such as Federal HST offerings, the Barnes TAC-XP (all-copper bullets don’t need as much velocity to perform) and others. They offer as much performance as can be had, without going to the full FBI performance and recoil that the other end of the spectrum entails. Why would you use such a load? As explained, because you are loading it into an ultra-compact pistol and you don’t want the extra recoil, for no gain, that hotter ammo would provide.
Top: The Barnes Tac-XP all-copper bullet is soft to shoot but performs like a champ. Bottom: You can see what the Tac-XP does in gelatin. It expands and penetrates, all with mild recoil.
Medium Power
The middle ground would be standard-weight ammunition in normal velocities, such as a 124-grain JHP at the normal 9mm velocity of 1095 fps. One reason to select such a load would be simply that your ultra-compact pistol does not run reliably with a ”softy” 115-grain or a heavy but slow load.
One of the advantages of the 9mm is the huge variety of pistols and ammunition to be found. That is also one of the disadvantages, as the more combinations you have, the more you can find that don’t work.
This is the firearms variation of the old “Doctor, doctor” joke.
“Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I move my arm like this.”
“Then don’t move your arm like that.”
If your desired carry pistol does not shoot well or is unreliable with a particular load, move on to some other load. There are plenty of good ones, don’t get hung up on “there can be only one.” Select something else, something that works.
Black Hills makes a medium-power 9mm 124 JHP that is brilliantly accurate, is easy to shoot and performs well in tests.
Supersonics And Heavyweights
Last are the full-out, pull-out-all-the-stops loads that fully comply with and even crush the FBI scoring method. Here, we have two options.
One is the lightweight bullet at the absolute screaming velocity the case can muster. For that, you’re looking at something like the Winchester Kinetic or the new, resurrected Super Vel. This will push 90- to 115-grain bullets at supersonic velocities.
A soft-shooting but lightweight bullet is the Federal Guard Dog. At only 105 grains it isn’t the lightest load, but for those who don’t want or can’t use hollowpoints, the expanding metal jacket bullet is just the answer.
The other options here are the heavies, the 147-grain JHPs that manufacturers push to just under 1,000 fps. They are both subsonic and expansionist.
What do you pick? Pick what you like, and what your pistol likes.
An example of the heavies is the Winchester PDX1, in 9mm it is 147 grains. I first encountered it while doing my TV show, and we got a carton of ammo fresh off the loading line. The range had a test car nearby, so I loaded 9mm and tried a round through the windshield. It went through the windshield, through the cardboard target in the driver’s seat, the headrest, and caromed off the back shelf and out the back window, taking window trim with it.
Top: This is what a Hornady Critical Duty does, pretty much with any barrier or no barrier. Bottom: Here is the Critical Duty load in gelatin. Nothing to complain about.
Hornady delivers much the same performance with their Critical Duty load, a 135-grain bullet that is +P and stout to shoot, for a 9mm.
That’s the kind of performance that the modern, bonded bullet in a 9mm can deliver. And it is why I am not giving a list of recommended rounds or options in the 9mm chapter or many of the subsequent chapters.
All bonded bullets in the modern choices will perform in a similar fashion. That is why they are expensive, and why they have stiff recoil.
The trick is to pick the one that you are comfortable with, that shoots accurately in your handgun, and that feeds reliably. Because they are all so good, the work of picking one over the other is just not worth it for the great bunch of us. For a police department, willing to go through the herculean labors of picking one (or more likely, four or five potential, good-enough-the-best) rounds, fine.
Me, I can’t be bothered, and I do this for a living. I’ll pack whatever the gun I’m packing shoots well, and be happy.
Honey Badger
The idea of a non-expanding bullet that stops and does not over-penetrate is new. One of these is the Honey Badger, a fluted all-copper bullet. It does not care about barriers, because the shape is not changed by punching through a barrier. It does this at amazingly mild recoil levels. It is new, and it will likely be the thing of the future for bullets. Time and testing will see.
In a gelatin test of the Honey Badger, it penetrates the full 18 inches and does so at a subsonic velocity, with a 125-grain bullet. Wow!
+P & +P+
Should you, or shouldn’t you? That depends. Do you want the extra performance it will deliver? Because either will give you more. But, are you willing to pay the cost in extra noise, blast, flash and recoil? Because even if they don’t deliver more performance, they will deliver more of the costs.
This is what extra pressure and velocity can do for you. Just chrono, and be sure you’re getting the extra velocity.
The choice is yours, and keep in mind: if you do not pack a full-sized pistol, you won’t get the extra performance, but you will get an extra dollop of the costs.
The Walther Colt M4 OPS .22 LR is a dedicated survival gun chambered in the ubiquitous rimfire cartridge. Its function and accuracy excel over ordinary .22 conversion kits.
Made by Walther, this Colt-licensed .22 is remarkably well built.
A dedicated .22 AR-style rifle has advantages over a .22 conversion kit.
The Walther Colt M4 OPS exudes detail and authenticity, making it a dandy trainer.
The rifle sports a match-grade barrel and exhibited excellent accuracy.
The Walther-made Colt M4 OPS tactical AR carbine is a fully-licensed reproduction of the original Colt M4, only chambered in .22 LR.
Walther Colt M4 OPS
The advantage of conversion kits for your standard AR is that they are cheap and essentially give you two guns. However, the rifling on the AR is not standard for the .22 LR nor is the sizing of the barrel exact. The kits work, but many people prefer a dedicated AR-style rifle exclusively chambered in .22 LR, which improves the rifle’s function and accuracy.
Among ARs, the most popular are the carbine versions, and if you want a real M4, you must get a Colt. The problem is that Colt only sells the M4 to the military and law enforcement, and they don’t make one in .22. Colt does make other AR carbines for the civilian market but not in .22. Fortunately, Walther Arms has a fully licensed Colt M4 replica in .22 LR.
Walther Arms is a renowned German firearms manufacturer with more than 125 years of history and a solid reputation for quality and innovation. The company produces several licensed versions of famous firearms that they dub Tactical Rimfire Replicas. These full-sized replicas are made in Germany and come with all the details, weight, and handling characteristics of the originals.
The Walther-made Colt M4 OPS tactical AR carbine is a blowback-operated semi-automatic and is designed to be as close in appearance to the full-auto carbine currently issued to the U.S. Special Forces. The controls function just like on the original, which makes this an excellent rifle to use as a low-cost trainer.
Features and Innards
The Colt M4 OPS looks very authentic on the outside, but it’s a completely different animal on the inside. The rifle comes with a 16-inch steel match-grade barrel that is located inside the Parkerized metal barrel sleeve that replicates the contours of an M4 barrel. The barrel is topped off with an A1-style flash hider that is one of the few steel components in the rifle.
The front sight is a standard A2 gas block, and it is properly “F” marked for a carbine. It includes the bayonet lug and the front sling swivel. Carbines have a slightly different elevation of the front sight than rifles and should be F-marked. The front sight is adjustable for elevation as well.
One thing that distinguished the M4 OPS rifle from the other Colt AR replicas that Walther offers is the free-floated quad rail handguard. This handguard offers 6 inches of Picatinny rail space at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions and features Knight’s Armament-style one-piece polymer-ribbed rail panels for improved comfort while handling. They come off easily with a simple spring steel push lever and allow for the easy addition of any desired accessories such as lights, lasers, bipods, or forward vertical grips.
The upper and lower receivers are both made from aluminum like the original. The left side of the lower receiver carries all the proper markings with the Colt rampant horse logo and is labeled “M4 Carbine” above the serial number. It is marked “Hartford, Conn. USA” as appropriate. It does differ in listing the caliber designation as .22 LR. The real manufacturing information from Walther is on the right side of the lower receiver.
The Walther Colt M4 OPS is true to the original in most every detail and allows for low cost training and practice.
Getting the Details Right
I was impressed with the attention to detail in this replica. The trigger guard has the detent tab and hinges down for use with mittens or gloves, as the original. The upper and lower receivers look and feel just like on a real AR. The magazine release button works the same way, and the safety selector rotates 90 degrees from safe to fire (there is no full-auto marking, however) with the same resounding click and feel as the original.
The bolt release/hold is a separate piece and, rather than simply molded on, it is made from polymer instead of metal and is not functional. There is a steel forward assist that looks and feels real and moves as designed, but it too is for looks only. The dust cover is made of steel but remains fully functional, although the latch itself is polymer.
The metal charging handle has a functional latch and retracts to load and operate the rifle, but only about one-third of the distance as on an actual .223-chambered AR.
The furniture on the Colt M4 OPS is very accurate as well, with the polymer pistol grip and collapsible stock that includes a rear sling swivel. These did not seem quite as sturdy as on the real thing, but they don’t need to be. I also noticed that the adjustable length of pull on the stock provided five positions instead of six.
The upper receiver has a flattop design with Picatinny rail that forms a continuous length with the quad rail handguards. This provides 13 inches of uninterrupted space on which to mount optics. An A2 removable rear sight is included, allowing for both windage and elevation adjustments and includes dual aperture peep sights with the larger opening for shorter distances and the smaller opening for distances greater than 200 meters. This may be slightly optimistic, given the rifle’s chambering.
Disassembly of the Colt M4 OPS starts off very similarly to a standard AR. The takedown pins at the front and rear are fully functional but not captive. I found them to be very stiff and used a punch and a few taps from a light hammer to remove them. At that point, the upper and lower receiver halves came apart easily, and the guts of the rifle were exposed. There is nothing AR-like about the internals here. You get all zinc metal alloy construction that is housed inside an aluminum cover.
Ammo Adjustable Regulation
At the rear of the zinc receiver, inside the false upper receiver and just below the charging handle, there is a screw that can be turned to tune the bolt speed to correspond with the types of ammunition being used.
For high-velocity ammunition, the bolt speed can be increased by turning the screw clockwise. For low velocity, the bolt speed can be slowed by turning the screw counterclockwise. This should only be done if the rifle is experiencing cycling problems with the ammunition you are using. I tested three different types of ammunition and found that the rifle functioned just fine and no adjustment was necessary.
Operation on the Colt M4 OPS is almost identical to the real thing. From a training perspective, this is close to ideal, as the manual of arms will not significantly change. The 30-round magazine loads easily with dual side tabs that help the process along by allowing the operator to lower the follower and drop the rounds in.
The bolt hold open device is internal and will only lock open on an empty magazine. This is not ideal, but not uncommon for rimfire rifles. Once a full magazine is inserted, simply retract and release the charging handle to chamber a round, flip the safety selector to the fire position, and squeeze the trigger.
Load Up On .22 LR Mags
There are 10- and 20-round magazines available, but most people will opt for the 30-round mag. These are solidly built and not at all flimsy, but I found it to be too long for comfortable prone or benchrest shooting. It is in fact 2.5 inches longer than a standard AR 30-round magazine. I believe that the 20-round mag would be more comfortable and look more authentic.
From left to right: .22 Short, .22 LR, and .22 Magnum. The .22 LR is the most common and popular.
Also, the reader should be aware that most dedicated .22 ARs use proprietary magazines, and they don’t often interchange between manufacturers. If purchasing aftermarket .22 AR magazines, check with the manufacturer beforehand to ensure proper fit and functioning.
The single-stage trigger had a fair amount of creep and a mushy yet heavy feel at the same time. I measured it at 8 pounds and found it to be a challenge in precision shooting. However, bad triggers are very common in real ARs and a creepy, mushy, heavy trigger is entirely Mil-Spec. Of course, with a standard AR, you can change the trigger, but not here.
How It Performed
The rifle weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces when empty, which places it very close to a real AR carbine. It was sized and weighted properly, and the extensive use of metal and aluminum gave it a very real feel. It was light and easy to handle on the range, and I experienced no malfunctions firing offhand or from the bench.
Given the rifle’s tactical design, I opted for a red-dot sight with no magnification for accuracy testing at 50 yards from an improvised benchrest position. I say ‘improvised’ because the length of the magazine necessitated it. I mounted a Bushnell TRS-25 HiRise red-dot sight, which fit perfectly and features a 3 MOA dot. The 11 brightness settings make the dot visible in all light conditions and helped wring out the rifle’s accuracy potential.
Buyers of ARs chambered in .22 LR have a lot of options. You can buy a conversion kit that replaces the bolt carrier, or you can purchase a dedicated .22 upper receiver for your standard AR lower.
But for many, there is nothing better than an entirely dedicated rimfire AR rifle, and if you want one that looks and feels as close to the real thing as possible, you are only going to get it from Walther Arms. The licensed Colt M4 OPS is an accurate rifle that pays homage to America’s Special Forces and provides you with cheap, fun, and reliable operation.
SPECIFICATIONS
Walther Colt M4 OPS CALIBER: .22 LR BARREL: 16.1-in. match OA LENGTH: 31.1 in. collapsed, 34.4 in. extended WEIGHT: 6.2 lbs. empty STOCK: Polymer-adjustable SIGHTS: Adjustable iron sights ACTION: Semi-auto blowback FINISH: Blued CAPACITY: 30, 20, 10 rounds PRICE: $639 www.waltherarms.com 479-242-8500
Shooting at long range can be complicated, but more often than not mastery of shooting fundamentals, effective practice and establishing good habits still have the biggest impact on long-range accuracy.
Check out these 8 tips for improving long-range accuracy:
I’m going to share 8 things that you can do today — right now — to become a better shooter, especially when it comes to long-range accuracy.
None of these tips involve buying a new fancy piece of gear or upgrading the equipment you already have. This is because I believe that a good shooter with a decent rifle, scope and ammunition can outperform a poor shooter with the best rifle, scope and ammunition.
Hopefully you’ll see a bit of a connection, or trend, from each of these points to the next.
1. Stop Sweating The Small Stuff
I get it: Part of the fun of learning to master long-range shooting involves getting into the nuances of ballistics. However, that’s not going to make you a better shooter, or necessarily improve your long-range accuracy.
Unfortunately, you’re way more likely to miss a target because you estimated the range incorrectly or you applied improper trigger control.
Focus on the basics and execute them well. Only after you can consistently shoot at least a 5-inch group at 500 yards (1 MOA) should you start to worry about the spin of the Earth affecting your bullet at farther distances.
2. Focus On What You Can Control: Consistency
Pay attention to what you’re doing, and focus on how you can do it better. This is as much a lesson on how to live a full life as it is to how to shoot better at any distance.
Everything you do, or don’t do, to the rifle that results in the bullet hitting or missing the target has to do with what you did up until the rifle shoots. Mastering what you do so that is consistent every time is the key to accurate shooting.
Focus on your technique before looking to upgrade your gear. After all, if you don’t improve yourself and instead only improve your equipment, are you really needed in the shooting equation?
3. Stop Magnifying Your Errors
Turn the magnification on your scope down immediately! Seriously.
Yes, sometimes you need high magnification to be able to see a target that’s small enough and far enough away. However, too much magnification can actually hurt your long-range accuracy.
First, it can cause you to focus on the nice, big and pretty target image instead of the reticle where you should be focusing (remember, focus on what you can control).
Second, it can magnify your errors and cause you to worry too much about the wobble/shake in your rifle. This is likely to cause you to hurry up and jerk the trigger when the reticle is closest to the center of your target. If your scope was low enough magnification that you can only tell that the reticle is generally in the center of the target, then you can apply proper trigger control without trying for perfection.
Yes, I just told you to let go of perfection in order to shoot better.
4. Make Your Next Shot Count
Here’s another life lesson. Stop worrying about what just happened and instead focus on what you need to do to make the next shot count.
Don’t worry about a bullet hole that is slightly to the left and instead worry about making the next bullet go where you want it to go.
Once you’ve shot a bullet, there’s nothing you can do to bring it back. You can either dwell on your error or you can re-focus yourself on what you can actually control — your next shot.
5. Get Off The Bench
If you’re shooting to be a better hunter or tactical shooter (not on a bench), then get off the bench at the range!
I’ve never seen a bench in the wild. Instead, I see rocks, trees and obstacles that require “alternative” positions to get the shot I’m looking for. Even military and police snipers typically see curbs, wheels and trash cans when they dive into the prone.
If you’re not going to be using your rifle in the prone or off of a bench, why are you practicing that way?
Sure, it’s handy to have a stable position to get baseline information on your rifle (zero, elevation adjustments for distance, etc.). However, that will not make you a better shooter.
Want to get better? Move into a position that removes much of your stable support, such as kneeling. What you’ll find is that the bench was helping to hide your errors and imperfections in your technique.
Master shooting without good support, and watch how much better your long-range accuracy gets when you do have support to work with.
6. Shoot Less Ammo
That’s right. Get better at shooting by doing it less often.
I’m a firm believer that a shooter who’s looking to improve their skills — that should be all of us — should shoot their rifle “dry”, or empty, much more than they should shoot it “live” with ammunition.
Much like the stable bench hides your errors, so does ammo. Don’t believe me? Have you ever caught yourself flinching when you were shooting a firearm? Yes, of course you have … and it’s embarrassing.
Well, when did you notice the flinch? I’d be willing to bet that you noticed it when the firearm didn’t fire when you expected it to. Did you only flinch that time? Of course not! You were probably flinching before that, but the recoil of the firearm was helping to hide your bad habits.
You can’t fix something if you aren’t aware of it. And, it’s easiest to be aware of improper trigger control when the rifle is empty. Therefore, doesn’t it make sense to shoot the rifle empty to get better?
Another reason this works is because your job is mostly over once the firing pin goes forward (for that shot). When you practice with an empty rifle, you are able to diagnose your technique up until and through the firing pin going forward. If you can dry-fire the rifle without the sights/reticle moving, then you’re going to shoot great with live ammo.
7. Shoot More Ammo
As your technique improves and you’re ready to get better with things such as wind reading, recoil management, engaging multiple targets, etc., you should go shoot — a lot.
Shooting more involves practicing alone, with a friend or in a class. I’d rather see you spend $1,000 on ammunition and practice instead of a piece of gear without practice.
After all, you don’t get better at tennis by purchasing a fancier racquet. You get better by practicing. Get on the range, and practice and learn. In turn, you should see some improvement in your long-range accuracy.
8. Become A Creature of Habit
Consistency is the key to accuracy. And it's absolutely critical in terms of long-range accuracy.
If you ignored the first 7 points, don’t ignore this one. Your technique can be horrible and you can jerk the rifle 45 degrees off of the target every time you yank the trigger. As long as you do it exactly the same every single time, you will be an amazing shooter. We’ll just have to mount your scope at an angle.
The tips and techniques to better shooting don’t necessarily make the bullet fly any straighter or make the bullet go where you want. Instead, proper fundamentals are the best way, for most people, to reliably shoot the rifle the same each time. Whatever works for you, figure it out and do it every time.
Ready to shoot better? Focus on yourself, ignore the minutia, practice, and get into a routine that works for you.
What are AR lens coatings, why are red dots parallax-free, and is a $2,000 scope really better than a $200 scope? Here’s a rundown of why some riflescopes and reflex optics work better — and cost more — than others.
What are some things to know about riflescopes and other optics?
The basic construction is a main body tube, objective bell, ocular bell and lenses.
The reticle can be placed forward (first focal plane) or rearward (second focal plane).
There are a variety of different lens coatings available that do different things.
Scopes that cost more generally do for a good reason.
There are three different types of non-magnified dot sights; know their differences.
The first primitive riflescopes were constructed in the mid-19th century and found their way onto sniper rifles during the American Civil War, but it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that optics became commonplace on civilian hunting firearms.
By the 1970s scopes started outnumbering iron sights on hunting rifles, and by the 1990s most rifle makers produced only a handful of rifle models that even wore iron sights — usually brush guns or big-bore dangerous game rifles. Today, it’s rare to even see a new bolt gun that bears irons, but I can’t name one production rifle that doesn’t come with a receiver that is drilled and tapped, or machined with integral scope bases.
Not only have riflescopes become more popular, they’ve also become better. Far better. Optics technology has increased at a frenetic pace, and modern red-dots, reflex sights and scopes are significantly improved over models that were being released just a few decades ago.
But what, exactly, has gotten better with riflescopes?
Riflescopes 101 To understand how scopes have improved, you must first understand how they are constructed. Riflescopes utilize a main body tube that’s invariably constructed from anodized aircraft-grade aluminum, which is lighter that the steel previously used. There’s an objective bell located at the bow of the scope, an ocular bell at the stern, and inside each of those bells is a lens of the same name.
Within the main body tube are additional lenses and prisms, and a reticle that can be adjusted for windage (to impact farther left or farther right) and elevation (up-and-down impact adjustments). Light enters the objective lens, travels through the main body tube and the network of lenses and prisms held within, and reaches your eye with an image of the reticle superimposed on the aiming point to give you some notion of where your bullet is going to go.
Reticle Location The reticle can be located on the front of the erector tube — also known as front focal plane — or the rear/second focal plane. Until very recently, rear focal plane scopes were the standard, but long-range shooting has prompted more companies to add a front focal plane reticle.
What’s the advantage? In first focal plane scopes, the size of the reticle changes with magnification. Zoom to 10x and the size of the reticle increases. Zoom to 3x and the reticle seems to shrink. This offers two advantages: First, you can accurately range objects using a known standard at any range and magnification, and secondly, elevation and windage adjustments remain consistent across the magnification range. If you stopped reading mid-sentence on the last part, then a second focal plane is probably what you’re looking for. Unless you’re planning to do some very dedicated long-range shooting, a second focal plane scope works just fine.
Modern riflescopes utilize multiple lenses to ensure a crisp image. One-inch tubes were once standard, but 30mm and 34mm tubes offer more adjustment range for longer shots.
Main Tube Diameters Scope tubes have traditionally been 1 inch in this country, although European scope makers favored a larger 30mm tube. Now, 30mm scopes are trending on this side of the Atlantic, and they do offer a greater adjustment range for long-distance shooting and, perhaps, transmit a bit more light. Speaking of light transmission, it’s important to answer a few questions about the topic and clear up some “dark” areas.
Light Transmission For starters, there’s no such thing as 100 percent light transmission unless you use an ice pick to clear out the guts of your scope. Light traveling through the various lenses in your scope is absorbed or reflected and — at least a small portion — is lost at each lens. Light that’s reflected does not reach the eye, bouncing around in the main tube. Under low-light conditions, you might not be able to see an animal or target if your scope is reflecting too much light.
Aside from light transmission, many scope companies use lenses that manage light (Leupold’s Twilight Max Light Management System is one example). This technology not only allows for maximum light transmission, but it also manages light so that images are crisp and clear.
Lens Coatings The primary way that scope makers accomplish maximum light transmission is via the use of lens coatings that reduce reflection. This technology has improved, become more commonplace and more widely available — meaning that affordable scopes now transmit more light than more expensive models did a few decades ago thanks in part to AR (anti-reflective) coatings that transmit more light to the shooter.
Lens coating serve a variety of functions besides their anti-reflective duties; they protect against lens abrasions from grit and debris, and some hydrophobic lenses cause water droplets to bead so that they don’t affect the image, an obvious advantage in wet weather. The number and quality of lens coatings affects overall performance — and scope price. Additionally, most modern scopes are filled with inert gases like nitrogen that prevent moisture from entering the scope and fogging the optic.
Tactical scopes have turrets that can be quickly adjusted for windage and elevation. This Leupold VX-5 features 0.1 Mil adjustments and a zero-stop for quick, accurate returns to zero.
Adjustability Adjusting the erector tube allows the shooter to adjust for elevation and windage, and this is done via the turrets on the top and side of the scope. The turrets act like screws and move the erector tube up, down, left and right. Each “click” of the turret moves the point of impact about one-quarter of an inch (1/4 MOA) for most riflescopes — at least in theory. In truth, the complex inner workings of the scopes and all the “geegaws” that go into proper adjustment don’t always give the end result desired. Some scopes have turrets that move more than a quarter-inch per click, some less. Proper adjustments are beneficial when sighting in a scope, but they’re absolutely essential when adjusting an elevation turret to strike an object that’s a half-mile or more away.
Why Some Scopes Cost More Than Others If the internal structures of most scopes are similar in overall construction, then why do some scopes cost $150 and others cost $3,000? Fair question.
For starters, more expensive scopes tend to have more robust hardware with more precise adjustments and better lens coatings, though I’ve witnessed expensive scopes fail and I’ve seen cheap scopes withstand terrible abuse and still function flawlessly. The real difference, though, is the quality of the glass. Better glass is clearer, ground more precisely, and it offers a better view in low-light conditions because more light travels through the glass and reaches the eye.
I got a very clear demonstration of this on my first trip to Africa a decade ago. At night the pans (ponds or lakes) near camping areas in Etosha Park in Namibia are illuminated with floodlights so that visitors can witness lions, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants and a variety of other game coming to drink. It was just before midnight and I was at the pan watching a pair of jackals wrestling at the water’s edge when a group of Austrian tourists came and sat a few feet away. All week I’d been watching game through the $200 binoculars I brought along, and one of the Austrians lent me his Swarovskis. The difference in the images was astounding. The Swarovskis provided a very clear, crisp image — so much so that I remember seeing individual hairs on one of the jackals’ raised hackles.
Would you be willing to pay an extra $1,000 for that kind of clarity? That’s up to you. But expensive scopes use expensive glass, and that extra detail can make a difference. It might help you identify an errant branch that would deflect your bullet or take the shot of a lifetime on the edge of darkness — a shot you might not get with cheaper optics with lesser glass.
Reflex sights like the Trijicon RMR are popular on handguns because they are light and durable while offering a bright, illuminated aiming point for rapid target acquisition.
Non-Magnified Dot Sights The rise in popularity of modern sporting rifles has no doubt led to an increase in the popularity of non-magnified optics, so let’s examine their effectiveness and purpose. For starters, we’ll need a classification system for these optics because the traditional term “red-dot” can be confusing (especially since there are now multiple aiming point colors from which to choose).
The most common type of “red-dot” is a reflex sight, which uses a projected image (usually via LED) on a piece of glass to serve as an aiming point.
Prismatic optics offer a similar sight layout with a slightly different design; the reticle is etched on the glass itself and the prism acts as a lens in a scope to flip the image so that it appears right-side-up to the shooter.
Holographic sights use an image of the reticle captured within layers of glass.
Which style you choose is largely a matter of personal taste. If you want the option of magnification, a holographic sight is best, but other than that, all three of these sights will serve you well. They’re great for defensive work, but they’re also effective for hunting game, especially in low-light conditions. Non-magnified red-dots make it easy to keep both eyes open for increased awareness, and they’re surprisingly accurate out to several hundred yards.
Additionally, these sights are light and rugged because they don’t require the number of lenses found on a traditional magnified optic. And non-magnified dots appear on the same focal plane as the target does, so there’s no worrying about parallax error. For close-range shooting, especially at fast-moving targets, these types of optics are ideal. They also work well for most hunting situations, too; I used an EOTech 512 holographic sight on a Mossberg rifle for an elk hunt in Montana and it proved to be an effective combination, especially when paired with a magnifier that allowed for improved versatility.
Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from the Winter 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A groundbreaking study compared red dot sights with conventional iron sights, green-dot laser sights, and slide-mounted red-dot sights with and without backup iron sights (BUIS) on the pistols. Which sights are best for concealed carry?
What the study showed on concealed carry optics:
The study found optics weren't significantly better than iron sights at 5 to 10 yards.
However, at longer ranges, there is a 10- to 20-percent improvement with an optic.
Time was the biggest factor in muting the effectiveness of optics and lasers.
When visible, shooters spent added time on placing a shot exactly with a laser sight.
Trying to find the dot is the biggest hurdle to an optic achieving a fast, aimed shot.
Rehn finds iron backup sights a must if shooters turn to either aiming solution.
Advanced practice in any discipline has to take into account the latest trends. Concealed carry is no exception. One recent trend is in carry optics.
Shooter in foreground is doing very well with carry optics.
Red dot electronic sights captured the appreciation of bullseye target shooters as soon as they came out. Brian Enos at Bianchi Cup in 1984 and Jerry Barnhart by 1990 in IPSC, the International Practical Shooting Confederation, pioneered their huge popularity in speed shooting and practical shooting competition. As with computers and telephones, the technology eventually became sufficiently miniaturized that it could fit on a concealed carry pistol, and “carry optics” were born. We are seeing more and more of them at classes, most often in the hands of tech-oriented millennials and geezers like me with fading eyesight. What do they bring to the table?
To answer that question specifically for this book I turned to a colleague who, to my knowledge, has done more scientific study on this topic than anyone else on the planet. Karl Rehn is a master instructor and owner of KR Training in the Austin, Texas, area. I was one of the many who took part in his ground-breaking comparison of carry optics with other sighting systems. You can hear him discuss it in more depth on the ProArms Podcast at proarmspodcast.com.
Matthew Schinzing came in top shot at his MAG-40 class in South Dakota with a concealable red dot on his 9mm Glock, a combination he uses for daily carry.
Karl’s study encompassed 118 shooters over a year and a half to examine the red dot sight’s practicality vis-à-vis conventional iron sights, laser sights projecting a bright green dot onto the target downrange, and slide-mounted carry optics type red dot sights with and without backup iron sights (BUIS) on the pistols. The study was supported by university grant funding.
Karl explains, “My background is engineering and tech, 23 years evaluating security systems. I look at gear through that lens. When something new comes out, how can we measure whether it’s better?”
Says Karl, “A lot of the data we had before involved United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA, the American arm of IPSC) competition in the 1990s, and red dots on military rifles. The big difference is these were all frame-mounted sights, not slide-mounted guns, and those guns’ sights didn’t move every time firearm cycled. Also, both dot and tube were typically larger on those. Carry optics are different, smaller. A lot of people think carry optics will be the same as what’s found on an ‘open gun’ in pistol competition or on a rifle. They’re not.”
Bill Quirk was a city detective working a task force with the U.S. Marshal’s Service when he showed me his daily carry. That’s a Trijicon RMR on his Glock 17, which is otherwise highly customized with department approval, and riding in a concealable Safariland holster designed expressly for carry of optic-equipped pistols.
Rehn is proud of the impartiality of his test. “We had no equipment donated by vendors. Another study was done in Northeast funded by Trijicon. They didn’t have every shooter shoot all the guns. We had every shooter in our test shoot all four guns on exactly the same test. We randomized the order of guns so there would be no bias; 25% shot each gun first. We did multiple trials with each shooter to level out the data. It took about 15 minutes per shooter. We had total novices to IPSC grandmasters and career trainers, a broad spectrum that allowed us to break out different categories.”
Rehn continues, “Our tests didn’t show the carry optics to be significantly better; many people struggled to find the dot. Some of the things that would have made red dot look better, we didn’t test, such as long range. We teach primarily defensive pistol; on a carry gun any accessory must not degrade skills from 3-10 yards, with the first shot probably the most important one. We did one shot at 5 yards and one at 10, all one-shot drills from low ready. Difficulty of getting first shot on target was a focus. We’re talking about life-safety equipment.”
He added, “We used M&P COREs. The carry optics were Trijicon RMRs, with and without tall backup sights. We had several of these in different configurations, one of which was with the Streamlight light/laser unit under the barrel. All guns were the same as far as barrel, trigger, etc. Each shooter had 1.5 seconds to make their shots. Most with iron sights were able to do that regardless of skill level. We did it two-hand and also dominant hand only. We did three trials per test type, recording raw time and points, on IDPA targets, and scored like IPSC: five points for a center hit, then three points for the next zone out, then one point for the outer zone as in USPSA Production division. We didn’t study low light or shot-to-shot recovery or multiple targets or long range; there’s plenty of room there for further study.”
Karl Rehn demonstrates one of the several S&W M&P CORE pistols used in his research, this one mounting Trijicon RMR and suppressor-height BUIS.
Recalls Karl, “Roy Stedman, a Grandmaster shooter and R&D engineer, looked at the Steel Challenge years ago, which was noteworthy because shooters fire iron sight and red dot on similar courses and stages. There, longer range targets and basically one shot per target, he saw a 10-20% improvement with frame-mounted red dots. It shows for sure they do allow for improved shooting. That data does exist.”
How It Works
Karl explains, “The number one problem people had was that when you have irons you’re adapting to what you see as gun comes up to target. You see sights and top of gun and target and adapt as gun is coming up. With the green projection laser, if you can find the laser on anything it’s very natural with target focus to drive the laser dot to the spot you want to hit. With slide mounted red dots, what happens is when you bring gun up you see no dot, there is no indicator to tell you where the dot is. You move gun and head to find it. It takes time. Many of the pioneers in this, like David Bowie, the gunsmith who worked on this many years ago, started putting BUIS (backup iron sights) on pistols. Getting irons on target lets you see the dot. Most who have worked with these advocate tall, suppressor-height irons.”
He continued, “Last summer I committed myself to earning Grandmaster in Carry Optics in USPSA. From May to August 2016 I shot nothing but Carry Optics. I made Grandmaster. What I learned was that for the most part I looked for the backup irons and found them essential. I consider BUIS mandatory.”
MAG staff instructor Ray Millican, retired Sergeant-Major from Special Forces, demonstrates rapid fire control with S&W M&P CORE and carry optics.
Karl said that perhaps the biggest thing that came out of the study was that so many shooters ran out of time trying to find the dot without iron sights. He says adamantly, “Any skill you can’t do ten times out of ten on demand, you don’t own and can’t count on under stress. Some shooters claim, ‘If I can’t see the dot, I’ll just tube it,’ that is, line up the window with brown of target. I measured that deflection. With an RMR with just the window in the center of an IDPA target without the dot visible, at best at 5 yards your field of view through the window is 8”. We found the window four times bigger than width of rear sight notch. So, here’s the deal: if you bring your carry optic up and can’t see the dot, it is physically impossible to put a shot in the A-zone unless you’re pointing high right and jerk low left. Beyond 2 or 3 yards, tubing won’t work. You have no way of knowing how far the sight is misaligned if you can’t see the dot.”
Breakdown Of Results
The Rehn study had 118 participants, from 19 to 76 years old, male and female. He broke the participants into four categories of experience: (1) Novice, with no significant training or experience; (2) Had passed Texas Concealed Handgun License (CHL) shooting test at 90% or better; (3) Anyone with anything beyond CHL level, which according to a separate body of Karl’s research encompasses about 1% of those with carry permits; and (4) Instructors/high level shooters/those with at least 40 hours of training/B-class or higher competition shooters.
Karl Rehn is a leader in research on effectiveness of carry optics on handguns.
Karl defined an acceptable outcome as how many got at least a 5 to 3 point hit. 94% did so with iron sights. With green laser it was 90%. Hybrid (with both RMR and BUIS) were 84% and 76%, respectively. The test saw a lot of people run out of time, or fire an unaimed shot when they knew time was almost gone, when working with the carry optic as their only index. One-hand versus two? “One-handed didn’t really change the time for the first shot more than a few percentage points,” Karl determined.
He added, “One thing we ended up doing, we took iron sight scores as the participants’ basic skill indicator. We moved some based on iron sight score to better sort them by skill level.” He was able to determine different effects at different skill levels. Novices with irons averaged around 80%, with laser 70% plus, and less with red dots. Instructors did better with the slide-mounted red dot than with green laser or hybrid. Intermediate, post-CHL shot about as well with laser and hybrid with red dot. More experienced shooters struggled with the laser because they’re used to looking at sights, not for laser dot on target.
Rehn frankly noted, “A weakness of the test was that no one did a 200-round familiarization with the dot. Last summer, USPSA had Production and Carry Optics National Championships, many competitors using the same gun for both. This provided a fair amount of data since many stages were exactly the same. There were no dramatic changes in hit factors. Even at top shooter level, we didn’t see the 10-20% improvement we saw with frame mounted optics. At best, scores were 5-10% higher with carry optics. Don’t expect miracles. At best you’ll get 10%, in reality probably less than that.”
This Glock 17 has been customized with Lone Wolf frame and other components, and Trijicon optic and its owner shoots it very well under pressure in her qualification run.
It seems logical that older shooters with older eyes would benefit most from carry optics, but Rehn’s study puts this hypothesis in question. He observed, “We did not really see a significant improvement in that regard. We didn’t see older shooters any better or worse than younger. If you can’t focus at close distance, green laser works quite well, as good or better than trying to focus on slide mounted dot or irons. My advice to older shooters is to try the less expensive green laser first, which also still leaves your regular iron sights usable. I really think green lasers may be under-rated.”
It should be noted that Rehn had nothing personal to prove with this study. “As someone with zero fiscal interest in selling any sights or training specific to any type of optic, I tried to look at it with less bias than some, who make money from the proliferation of carry optics,” he says. “ Lasers are carried by far more people than carry optics, which I for one think should be allowed in competitions where they are currently banned.”
Bottom Line
Some of Karl Rehn’s conclusions from the eighteen-month study? “At 5 to 10 yards iron sights are still better for most people. The green laser is a very close second. If you’re going with carry optics, put backup irons on the pistol. Baseline your performance with similar drills yourself. Use drills that are hard for you to max at 100% to better measure relative improvement. You have to answer the question, ‘Do I actually shoot this better?,’ based on rational analysis and logic. If it works better for you, use it; if it doesn’t, don’t.”
Karl Rehn does not personally carry optical-sighted guns. He does like the Veridian light/green laser combo for carry. He shot the entire 2016 Rangemaster event using green laser exclusively, and came in 7th out of over 200 serious shooters despite a time-consuming malfunction. “John Hoelschen has done a great deal of work with carry optics in low light in force on force,” Rehn comments, “and he likes the ability to look through the tube and watch people’s hands. He carries a gun with a red dot on it and shoots it very well.”
In the long-distance shooting ring, air temperature plays a much bigger role in ballistics than simply how comfortable you are while shooting.
How does air temperature affect bullet trajectory in ballistics?
Ambient air temperature has an inverse effect on air density.
This can create a balancing effect in elevation change.
The change in air temperature can affect bullet drop measured in inches at some ranges.
Air temperature also effects powders, making them burn hotter and faster.
As a refresher from the last few columns on ballistics, the reason your bullet falls more by the time it reaches a 900-yard target than it does for a 100-yard target is because it was exposed to gravity longer. Therefore, the longer it takes to reach the target, the more gravity and wind will move the bullet off of its original path.
A Bullet’s Speed
There are three variables that determine a bullet’s speed on its way to the target:
The initial speed of the bullet
The efficiency of the bullet
External/environmental variables – Air Pressure – Temperature – Humidity
In discussing a bullet’s speed, we’ve already covered the initial speed of the bullet, the aerodynamic efficiency of the bullet and the first of the external/environmental variables — air pressure. Now it’s time to explore temperature’s effect.
Air Density
Each of the three listed variables can change the density of the air. Simply, a bullet doesn’t travel as well through dense, thick air. In the last column, we learned that air pressure is directly related to air density — when one goes up, so does the other.
More air pressure = denser air = slower bullet = lower impact on target
Now it’s time to move on to temperature’s role. Temperature affects a bullet’s speed in two ways: The ambient air temperature plays a role in the air’s pressure, and the temperature of your cartridge — more accurately, the temperature of the powder in your cartridge — will cause varying velocities.
Ambient Air Temperature
Ambient air temperature has an inverse effect on air’s density. As the air’s temperature increases, its density decreases.
This can create a balancing effect of changing altitudes. Typically, when you go higher in altitude, the air pressure decreases (all else being equal). However, the higher you go, the temperature also typically drops. Therefore, increased elevation will likely cause less air pressure (resulting in a faster bullet through less dense air), but it will also cause lower temperatures (resulting in a slower bullet through more dense air).
The point at which these two variables “cancel” each other out is different for each bullet and velocity combination. As we’ll cover in the next column on humidity, there is a universal figure that we can use that takes all three of these environmental variables into account.
Air temperature can actually be the most important environmental variable because it’s so often overlooked. When you’re aware of environmental effects and you zero your rifle at one altitude before going on a once-in-a-lifetime sheep hunt at a different altitude, you aren’t likely to forget to account for the air pressure difference. However, when you’ve been busy and haven’t been able to make it to the shooting range in a while, it’s fairly common to forget to account for the difference in temperature from a few months earlier when you last zeroed/gathered data on your rifle and ammunition.
How much of a difference can this make? Great question. If you’re shooting 175-grain Federal Gold Medal Match bullets out of a .308 Win. rifle at about 2,600 fps on a 55-degree winter day, you can expect about 223 inches of drop from your 100-yard zero at 800 yards. If you didn’t get back to the range until it was 95 degrees in the summer and you expected to make an adjustment on your scope to account for the 223 inches your bullet previously dropped at 800 yards, then you’d miss where you were aiming by about 10 inches.
Cartridge Temperature
The other influence on bullet velocity due to temperature has to do with the temperature of the powder in your cartridge of ammunition. This variable is unique because it doesn’t just change with the outside air temperature and weather: It can change even though the environment is exactly the same. If you’re shooting multiple rounds and heat up the chamber of your rifle, and then you let the next round sit in your chamber for a while, you can increase the temperature of your powder.
Hotter temperature creates a hotter and faster-burning powder. This usually results in higher muzzle velocities.
How much of an effect hotter powder has is dependent upon the type of powder you’re using and the bullet/cartridge combination you’re shooting.
Certain powders are more affected by temperature changes. These are called “temperature-sensitive” powders. Now, despite what some manufacturers might claim, all powders are affected by temperature. However, some are not as sensitive as others.
It’s not required that you use a temperature-insensitive powder. Of course, it can help (especially if you don’t want to/don’t know how to account for temperature change). All that’s required is that you track how your rifle and ammunition perform at different temperatures.
You should either invest in a chronograph or make friends with someone who owns one. Then, when you’re shooting in a different temperature, take the time to shoot a couple of rounds through the chronograph to record how sensitive your ammunition is to temperature changes. You should also shoot at distance and note any changes to impact due to the temperature (both due to the different initial bullet velocity and also the different air pressure).
If you need the forward assist to close your AR’s bolt, something is wrong with the gun.
What is the forward assist, and what is its purpose?
The forward assist, or bolt-closure device, is a way to manually close an AR's bolt.
Eugene Stoner did not originally design the M16 with an external forward assist.
The U.S. Army demanded an external forward assist on the rifle.
If the bolt won’t close under its own power, the rifle's telling you there’s a problem.
You are better off unloading and reloading to solve the problem.
A press check is used to ensure a round is in the chamber.
The M16/AR-15 has done a lot of evolving since the original concept. Most of the improvements have been a good thing — changes that created a more reliable platform. However, some of the changes, especially between the original configuration of the AR-15 and “military improvements” that would come later, are questionable.
The forward assist, or bolt-closure device, is located on the right rear of the upper receiver. It uses a ratchet action to force the bolt forward into battery. The upper receiver (pictured top) is an early model without an external forward assist.
This is especially true of the external forward assist. A sure way to spark up a debate among true AR guys is to bring up the topic of forward assists: A lot of new AR owners don’t have any idea what the forward assist is — or what it was originally designed to do.
So, what is the forward assist? What does it do? And, what do you do if your AR doesn’t have one?
The Long-Lost ‘Button’
The forward assist, or bolt-closure device, is a way to manually close the bolt of the rifle. For example, you might have a round of ammunition that’s dirty or slightly deformed and doesn’t want to chamber.
Regardless of the cause, when the normal spring pressure on the bolt group doesn’t successfully chamber a round, locking the bolt into position, the forward assist is used to manually force the bolt forward, seating it in place.
The M1, M14 and .30 Carbine all have “external” forward assists on the charging handle. The same is true of the AK, SKS and other Soviet designs. The exposed charging handle on these rifles allows you to manually force the bolt forward. As originally designed, and on purpose, the M16/AR-15 did not have an external forward assist.
Stoner didn’t want the M16 to have an external forward assist because he saw no need for it. According to The Black Rifle — the ultimate source on the M16 platform — Stoner stated that after many types of testing programs, “I never saw an instance where it would have done any good … under sand and mud and every type of firing conditions in the world.” He also stated, “… when you get a cartridge that won’t seat in a rifle and you deliberately drive it in (to the chamber), usually you are buying yourself more trouble.”
Plus, Stoner wanted as few parts as necessary in order to make the overall design as lightweight as possible. As Colt went after government contracts, the testing continued with various military branches. The Air Force was happy with a rifle lacking a forward assist, and in fact their first order for M16s specified them to not have one. The Army had different thoughts: they demanded an external forward assist be added to the M16.
To seat the bolt without a forward assist, use a finger — or thumb for left-handed shooters — of the support hand to lock it in. If the bolt still won’t seat with finger pressure, the rifle is telling you there is a problem and you should unload to inspect.
Even though the Army mandated a forward assist for the M16, they admitted that it was more of a psychological matter than a mechanical one. They stated that, “The frequency or infrequency of the type of malfunction correctable by a manual bolt closure capability is immaterial. The knowledge among troops that such as malfunction is merely possible would lower confidence in a weapon lacking (such) a device.”
Since the M16/AR-15’s charging handle rides inside the upper receiver, it was more difficult to come up with a way to modify the existing design in order to add an external forward assist. Colt experimented and tested a few different ideas, and after considering several possibilities decided to add the forward assist onto the right, rear side of the upper receiver.
The modification that won out consists of a plunger, a pawl, two springs and two pins to hold everything together. A “tube” was added to the outside of the upper receiver to house everything. The plunger rides inside the tube on the receiver, and when pressed forward the pawl indexes with corresponding teeth on the bolt carrier to force the bolt group forward. When pressure is released on the plunger, a spring forces it back to the rear and the pawl retracts with it.
Life Without Forward Assist
So, what do you do if the bolt won’t seat on its own, and you believe as Stoner did that it’s a bad idea to force a round into the chamber?
Let’s say you’re loading the rifle, manually cycling the charging handle in order to chamber a round. You release the charging handle, ensuring your hand comes completely off the handle, letting the buffer spring force the bolt forward with full spring pressure. For some reason the buffer spring doesn’t have enough force to chamber the round — the bolt is out of battery, which means the gun won’t go bang.
This could be due to a faulty round that has been damaged, distorting its shape. It’s also possible the chamber is really dirty, with carbon and powder residue built up, preventing the round from chambering. Maybe you put too many rounds in the magazine, and the resulting spring pressure is too tight to allow the bolt to strip a round out of the mag smoothly. And the most dangerous condition is when you have a throat or barrel obstruction — for example a bullet that stripped from the case during unloading. If you try to force a round behind this and into chamber, eventually it will go, and now you’ve got an explosion coming up when you attempt to fire the next round.
If the bolt won’t close under its own power, that’s the rifle telling you there’s a problem. Instead of using the forward assist to jam the round in — forcing the round into the chamber will probably create a stoppage or malfunction — you’re better off unloading and starting the process over. Unload, and load. If it turns out the chamber is fouled, and attempting to load again isn’t successful, then you’ll need to give everything a good cleaning.
After loading, we teach students to perform a press or chamber check to confirm that they did indeed end up with a round in the chamber. Just because you went through all the actions to load doesn’t guarantee you got one chambered. Confirming you are truly loaded is cheap insurance.
To perform a press check, pull the charging handle back slightly, exposing the round – which is hooked onto the extractor. You visually or physically confirm there is a round chambered. Once confirmed, you release the charging handle, letting it snap forward with full spring pressure on the bolt. If for some reason the bolt doesn’t seat, you put a finger or thumb of the support hand into the concave cutout area of the bolt carrier — which is exposed in the ejection port — and press the carrier forward. When finger pressure doesn’t seat the bolt, you’ll need to unload and load. Again, don’t try to force it by hammering on the forward assist.
If your AR doesn’t have an external forward assist, don’t sweat it. You don’t need one. “But,” you say, “my AR has an external forward assist.” My advice is ignore it — treating it like a vestigial organ — and manipulate the AR the way Stoner designed it.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Springfield is shooting for the long-range crowd, releasing its flagship M1A in the ballistically gifted 6.5 Creedmoor.
Does the new M1A have what it takes to score a bullseye with shooters?
The 6.5 Creedmoor M1A is offered with composite stock or precision-adjustable stock.
It has a .062-inch wide front sight and match-grade .052-inch adjustable rear aperture.
The M1A's 22-inch barrel has four-groove rifling at 1:8 twist.
This means it should be able to stabilize a wide spectrum of 6.5 bullets.
The rifle is $1,985 for the composite stock and $2,045 for the precision-adjustable.
Having crept into every corner of the shooting world, AR-15 style rifles have seemingly sucked the oxygen out of the market for most other semi-automatics, save one. No matter the AR's wiz-bang upgrades, new chamberings or configurations, the Springfield M1A soldiers on in the face of the black rifle army.
Why not? At once, the rock-solid rifle is accurate, deadly and nostalgic. Fewer and fewer production rifles can make all three of those claims nowadays, which is perhaps why the M1A continues to win new generations of shooters' hearts and minds. However, let it not be said that Springfield hasn't done its part to keep this semi-automatic version of the M14 relevant.
A number of years ago, the company released a variety of M1A configurations tailored to specific pursuits of the highly divergent shooting world. And recently, and perhaps as weighty, the gunmaker has taken its flagship rifle another step into the contemporary with the release of an M1A Loaded in 6.5 Creedmoor.
Springfield expanding from strictly .308 Win./7.62 NATO is logical, given the growing interest in the ballistically gifted 6.5 round, particularly in competition circles. While ARs have dominated in high-powered rifle matches, the M1A is still a top choice of many shooters and might be more so with the new chambering. But those aiming for the X-ring aren't the only ones who stand to benefit from the Springfield venture into Creedmoor country. Given the 6.5's mild recoil and inherent accuracy, matching it to the highly shootable M1A could be a match made in heaven for hunters, target shooters, preppers and what have you.
No matter its application, Springfield has set up its new M1A 6.5 Creedmoor to excel at drilling bullseyes.
Offered with the choice of solid black composite or a precision-adjustable stock, all of the rifles are constructed with 22-inch National Match-grade stainless-steel barrels, topped with a muzzle brake. The medium-weight profile of the barrels gives shooters an extended sight radius with iron sights, while its four-groove rifling at 1:8 twist should stabilize a wide spectrum of 6.5 bullets.
The rifle is equipped with a .062-inch wide front sight paired with a match-grade .052-inch adjustable rear aperture. The aperture is adjustable in .5 MOA increments for windage and 1 MOA increments. The 11.4-pound M1A is 45-46.25 inches long and comes outfitted with a two-stage National Match trigger, factory set at 4.5-5 pounds. It ships with a 10-round magazine. Presently, the rifle has an MSRP of $1,985 for the composite stock and $2,045 for the precision-adjustable.
This is not the first time Springfield has steered the M1A away from the venerable .308 Win./7.62. But only time will tell if the 6.5 Creedmoor has what it takes to stay in the company's catalog or go the way of the 7mm-08, .243 Win. and .30-06 examples of the past.
Specifications:
M1A 6.5 Creedmoor Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor Length: 44.33 in. Front Sights: National Match .062-in. Post Barrel: 22 in., 4-Groove, 1:8 RH Twist, Stainless Steel NM Medium Weight Weight (with empty magazine): 9.3 lbs. Rear Sight: NM Grade Non-Hooded Aperture .052 in., Adjustable, 1/2 MOA Windage and 1 MOA Elevation Magazines: 10 Round, Parkerized Stock: Precision Adjustable; Black Composite MSRP: $2,045 Precision Adjustable; $1,985.00 Black Composite
Redesigned, with enhanced geometry, ZRODelta's Gen 2 Cowl Induction Brake shoots to take the kick out of a rifle.
Why you'll get a kick out of the Gen 2 Cowl Induction Brake:
Gen 2 Cowl Induction Brake reduces recoil by up to 72 percent.
Its length and diameter make the Gen 2 CIB 3-Gun Competition legal.
Built from chrome-moly steel, the muzzle device is field tough.
Want to throw a wet blanket on a gun conversation? Broach the topic of muzzle devices. The under-loved accessory falls somewhere between corporate training and a vodka soda on the excitement scale. However, is it fair to relegate the humble muzzle device to Rodney Dangerfield status and move on to sexier upgrades — drop-in triggers and handguards? In a word, no. Choosing the right one, after all, can do everything from make you harder to detect to clear your line of sight to even create a more manageable rifle.
To that last point, ZRODelta is shooting to tame a majority of a rifle's buck with the release of the next evolution of one of its most popular muzzle devices. With improved geometry, the Gen 2 Cowl Induction Brake has the potential to vaporize recoil on .223 Rem./5.56 NATO, .308 Win./7.72 NATO, and everything in between.
The obvious question is exactly how much kick will the Gen 2 CIB evaporate out the muzzle-end of the rifle? Depending on the caliber, up to 72 percent — which is a game changer for marksmen who need to stay on target during long strings or make quick follow-up shots — say in 3-Gun competitions.
ZRODelta definitely had those who run and gun in mind with its enhanced Cowl Induction Break, keeping its length (2.86 inches) and diameter (from 0.88 up to .99 inch diameter at muzzle) well within the competition regulations. Even further, the trim dimensions of the tapered break actually reduce the device's weight over the original CIB, maintaining a rifle‘s overall maneuverability. Not a bad thing to have when you're gunning for fast target-to-target transitions.
Typically, the trade-off for muting the recoil is increasing the report, given the rifle's gases are divert back toward the shooter. However, ZRODelta has mercifully optimized CIB's port angles to deaden the kick without a noticeable sound increase. Really, that's a quiet coup. Competitor's aren't the only ones who have the potential to reap benefits from ZRODelta's improved break. Field tough, the chrome-molybdenum alloy device can take a beating and still deliver. This makes it ideal, whether a shooter is looking to create a precision platform for some bench work or a rifle that stays true in the heat of battle.
Of course, there is a price to pay for performance; in the case of the Gen 2 Cowl Induction Brake, it's $199. Nobody ever said top-notch comes cheap. But for those shooting to shave seconds in competition or creating a rifle that stays on target shot to shot, the price isn't too step.
Nighthawk Custom’s T4 is an elegant work of art, but it’s also a fine pistol that serves equally well in defense of life.
Why the Nighthawk Custom T4 is a serious consideration for defense:
Nighthawk's “One Gun, One Gunsmith” approach ensures the highest quality production.
It features a shorter 3.8-inch match grade barrel.
This allows the gun to be concealed but remain highly shootable.
The entire gun is beveled and dehorned for comfortable carry.
The Tritium night sights are highly useful in low light, when most shootings occur.
The beginning of the 20th century was a classic age for shotguns. High-quality shotguns were being made here in the United States and around the world. Most guns sold were standard-grade guns, perfectly serviceable for hunting and recreational shooting, but during that time — and continuing on through modern times — there has been a demand for high-quality ”bespoke” guns. That desire for firearms that are a cut above the norm continues today in shotguns, rifles and pistols.
I’ve said many times that it’s harder today to buy a bad gun than a good one. Modern manufacturing techniques, the open information stream of the internet and a more educated gun buying public have stifled the sales of inferior, poor-quality guns, and such firearms simply don’t survive.
Of course, the computer-designed and machine-formed guns widely available perform reasonably well. They function reliably, they’re reasonably accurate, and they produce the same terminal ballistics as their handmade and much more costly counterparts, but they lack the feeling of being truly crafted by the hands of a true gunmaker.
On a practical basis, there’s no practical reason to spend several thousand dollars for a handgun, but there are several companies across the country who are doing a thriving business building them simply because there’s a demand for a firearm that’s a cut above the norm.
A Cut Above Such are the 1911s built by Nighthawk Custom. According to Tim Lehr, Director of Marketing, “It all revolves around one gun, one gunsmith. Every Nighthawk Custom pistol is stamped with the initials of the gunsmith who builds it.” Forged frames and slides, machined parts, match-grade barrels and bushings, all hand-fitted by a master gunsmith, create a gun that’s not only functional and accurate beyond the capability of the best shooter, but also an heirloom that can be proudly handed down for generations.
Nighthawk’s T4 is such a gun. Designed for concealed carry with a 3.8-inch match-grade bull barrel for more reliability than the shorter-barreled T3, the T4 also features the Everlast flat spring recoil system for more manageable recoil and faster follow-up shots. It’s built on a forged Officer-sized frame, making it more compact — but still maintaining a seven-plus-one capacity in .45 ACP. Other features include a thinned frame for more concealability, weight-reducing cuts on the front of the slide and thinner G10 grips. It’s available in 9mm Luger and .45 ACP.
There are coarse cocking serrations on the rear of the slide and 25 lines-per-inch checkering on the front and back straps. The beavertail is generous and melted for comfort, as is the thumb safety. In fact, the entire gun is beveled and de-horned for comfortable carry.
The rear sight is a Heinie Straight Eight Slant Pro Tritium night sight with a Tritium front sight, and the blade width of the front matches the rear notch well for fast and precise shooting. To enable a higher grip, the front strap is cut higher than normal and smoothly contoured. Both hammer and aluminum trigger are skeletonized and adjustable for backlash.
Where Brawn Meets Beauty As would be expected on a firearm of this level of quality, each gun is tested before shipping and comes with a target that reflects the name of both the builder and the tester. My test gun was built by K. J. Phillips and tested with three bullet configurations for reliability. The test group was a slightly elongated hole. I suspect there are few, if any, shooters capable of fully utilizing the accuracy capabilities of this gun.
Shooting the T4 was pleasant and comfortable. The front and rear checkering, along with the G10 grips, provided ample purchase but weren’t rough on my hands. The smoothly melted safety was positive in both engagement and disengagement, and the trigger was exceptional, breaking on my scale at 2.8 pounds, crisp and with no discernible backlash.
At my standard test distance of 15 yards, it was possible for me to shoot ragged holes in deliberate two-handed shooting. Fast shooting resulted in good groups and follow-up shots easy for a smaller 1911 in .45 ACP. Recoil was mild, partially due to the 34-ounce empty weight but also quite smooth, making it feel less abrupt for a downsized .45.
I fired more than 250 rounds during the test, mostly Winchester Win3Gun 230-grain ammo, but I also ran about 60 rounds of Winchester Kinetic HE 185-grain hollow-points. There were no malfunctions with either, and while this is hardly a definitive test, there’s no doubt of Nighthawk’s reputation for reliability.
Going For A Walk While shooting targets is the standard method of testing a handgun, the Nighthawk T4 is designed for personal defense and concealed carry. If you live a t-shirt and soccer shorts kind of life, you might find the Nighthawk a bit bulky and heavy. If you wear a jacket or leave your shirt tail outside you pants, the T4 is easily concealable.
It’s slimmer than normal 1911s due to the trimmed-down frame and thinner G4 grips. Yes, it’s a bit heavier than some compacts, but if you like 1911 .45s, it’s only five more ounces than an alloy-framed Commander, and it has a forged and machined steel frame that will last several lifetimes.
Other features of the T4 indicate its dedicated mission to personal defense. The safety is easily disengaged, but unobtrusive, and engagement is positive in both on and off positions. When carrying single-action semi-autos with manual thumb safeties in position one — round chambered, hammer cocked, safety on — a vague feeling safety can become accidently disengaged while fastening a seat belt or other maneuvers. That’s not a concern here.
Disassembly for cleaning is a bit off the norm for 1911s, as are all bull-barreled 1911s. To disassemble, clear the chamber and remove the magazine, lock the slide to the rear, insert the disassembly tool in the guide rod, and slowly release the slide. You can then remove the slide lock, and the slide comes off the front. The guide rod and barrel will then drop out of the slide.
I carried the T4 for a few days in a Galco Concealable Belt Holster, and it was quite comfortable, though it would have been a bit difficult to hide in my normal summer dress of shorts and a tucked in shirt. Depending on your preference, a lighter and smaller striker fired gun might be more suitable, but no one will argue that a gun like the Nighthawk Custom T4 is a gun that’s a cut above the average and likely to be passed down to the next generation with pride. Pricing starts at $3,495.
Specifications:
Nighthawk Custom T4 Type: Semi-auto, single-action Caliber: .45 ACP Frame: Forged, Officer sized Barrel: 3.8 in. Overall Length: 7.4 in. Height: 4.99 in. Width: 1.32 in. Weight: 34.3 oz. Grips: Thinned, G10 Trigger: Skeletonized aluminum with backlash adjustment Capacity: 7+1 Sights: Heinie Straight Eight Slant Pro Tritium Rear, Tritium Front Finish: Black nitride MSRP: $3,495
Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from the December 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Colt’s classic 1911 still remains America’s favorite handgun, and there are a host of different models that draw in premiums on the collector’s market.
Things to know about the classic 1911:
It was the official U.S. military sidearm from 1911 to 1986.
One of John Browning's many designs, the 1911 proved itself utterly reliable.
During field trials, it fired 6,000 rounds without a single malfunction.
There are loads of different models and variants of the 1911 — perfect for collectors.
More has probably been written about the Colt 1911 series of pistols than any other handgun. Without a doubt, it’s the most popular handgun design in the United States and in many other parts of the world. The .45 Auto 1911 was the official U.S. military sidearm from 1911 to 1986 — through WWI and WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. To this day, the 1911A1 is still in service with some Special Forces units of the Army, Navy and the Marine Corps, in part because of to its popularity among the troops.
During the past 100-plus years, many manufacturers have made 1911-style pistols, but most of the collector interest is with Colt, where it all began. There are dozens of Colt variants — too many to include them all here — but we will cover some of the more significant models. Many collectors are interested in the U.S. Military Series made by Colt and several other manufacturers.
This is one of the finest early production Colt Model 1911 pistols in existence. It sold for $109,250 at Rock Island Auction Co. in 2011. This pistol was assembled by Colt during the first week of production of its U.S. Government contract on December 28, 1911, and shipped to Springfield Armory on January 4, 1912. It has the high-polish blue finish on the hammer, thumb safety, slide stop and trigger. The serial number is 33.
The Birth Of A Champion During the last years of the 19th century, famed firearms inventor John M. Browning was working on a self-loading pistol design that had a moveable breech block/bolt carrier that operated by sliding along the frame. In 1897, he received a patent for the design that would become Colt’s first successful semi-auto pistol, the .38-caliber model of 1900. This gun evolved into the Colt Model 1902 and then the 1905.
The U.S. Army Ordnance Corps wasn’t satisfied with the performance on the battlefield of the .38 caliber and decided that a .45 caliber similar to the .45 Colt Single Action Army revolver cartridge was the answer. Browning, working with Brigadier General John T. Thompson of the Ordnance Corps, developed a .45-caliber pistol cartridge that fired a 230-grain full-metal-jacketed bullet. The cartridge came first, and then the gun. (Thompson went on to develop the famous machine gun that came to be known as the “Tommy Gun.”)
You have a piece of history in your hand when you pick up this 1911 A1 pistol. The simple rollmark “S. MFG. CO.” identifies the manufacturer as the Singer Corporation, maker of one of the rarest models of the WWII Military Series.
Browning worked on improving his earlier pistol designs and, in 1906, when the Army sent invitations to several manufacturers to compete for the government contract for the next-generation military pistol, he was ready. Among the competition were Smith & Wesson, Luger, Savage, Webley and several others.
Except for Colt and Savage, all the tested models had problems and were eliminated. When the final field trials were held on March 15, 1911, John Browning took a hands-on position and personally supervised the assembly of every part of every Colt pistol. Each Colt and Savage fired 6,000 rounds, and the Savage 1907 model had numerous malfunctions. The Colt had none. On March 29 of 1911, Colt’s Model 1911 became the U.S. Army’s official handgun.
This is a Military 1911A1 made by Remington Rand during World War II.
A Pistol Of Many Faces We want to thank renowned Colt 1911 collector Karl Karash for the following excerpt on the early days of the pistol from Standard Catalog of Military Firearms, 8th Edition from Gun Digest Books, 2016. Karash also provided a lot of the information on the various models and their values.
“The first 40 pistols were assembled on December 28, 1911, with an additional 11 pistols assembled the next day. The first shipment, a single wooden case of M1911 pistols serial number from 1 to 50 was made on January 4, 1912, was shipped from the Colt factory in Hartford, Conn. To the Commanding Officer, Springfield Armory. This single crate, marked on the outside ‘Serial Numbers 1 Through 50’ has become ‘the stuff that (M1911 collectors’) dreams are made of.”
The M1911 pistol was the most advanced self-loading pistol of its time, and in the eyes of many, it has remained so to this date. Yet, while this is probably an exaggeration, elements of its design have become adopted in most subsequent self-loading designs.
The 1911’s flat surfaces have long been a favorite of engravers. This postwar Combat Commander shows the work of Dennis Reigel. Photo courtesy Dennis Reigel.
Colt’s manufacturing changes, Ordnance mandated changes (including M1911/1911A1 improvements), marking, commercial derivatives and part variations amounted to over 200 variations, enough to keep even the most ardent collector in pursuit for decades.
Students of the 1911 place these pistols into several different categories. Not long after the first military models were shipped in January of 1912, the Commercial “Government Models” followed. Technically, the civilian commercial pistol was a “Government Model” and the military version was the “Model of 1911.”
It should be remembered that military pistols would most likely have seen service duty on the battlefield. The condition standards should not be expected to be the same as those of Commercial Models.
ESTIMATED VALUES COLT 1911/1911A1 (courtesy Standard Catalog of Firearms27thEdition, Gun Digest Books 2017)
EARLY COMMERCIAL GOVERNMENT MODEL Serial numbers through approximately C4500. All parts had a high polish with fire-blue finish on the trigger, slide stop and thumb safety. Pistols through about serial number C350 had a dimpled magazine catch. Mainspring housing pin rounded on both ends through about C2000. Add 30 percent for 3-digit serial number, 60 percent for 2 digits, up to 100 percent for 99 percent finish.
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$15,000 $10,000 $7,500 $3,500 $2,000
COMMERCIAL GOVT. MODEL WITH UN-NUMBERED SLIDE Serial number C4500 to about C127300bgb
NIB Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$8,000 $5,000 $2,500 $1,500 $1,100 $850
COMMERCIAL GOVT. MODEL WITH NUMBERED SLIDE Serial number C127300 to about C136000
NIB Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$8,500 $5,300 $2,700 $1,600 $1,200 $950
MODEL 1911 U.S. MILITARY SERIES Serial No. range 1-17250 (aka Model 1912)
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$12,500 $8,500 $5,500 $3,000 $1,500
Colt 1913-1915 Serial No. ranges: 17251-72570, 83856-102596, 107597-113496, 120567-125566, 133187-37400
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$7,500 $6,000 $4,000 $2,000 $1,400
Colt 1917-1918 Serial No. range 137401-594000
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$4,500 $3,000 $2,000 $1,000 $500
Springfield Armory 1914-1916 Serial No. ranges 72751-83855, 102597-107596, 113497-120566, 125567-133186
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$9,000 $6,000 $4,500 $2,640 $1,600
Remington-UMC 1918-1919 Serial No. range 1-21676
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$7,500 $4,750 $3,500 $2,000 $1,300
North American Arms 1918 One of the rarest 1911 models. Less than 100 were manufactured. Made in Canada but none delivered to U.S. military forces. Beware of fakes. Get an expert appraisal.
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$110,000 $55,000 $40,000 $25,000 $10,000
COLT 1911A1 COMMERCIAL GOVERNMENT MODEL PRE-WWII Manufactured from 1925 to 1942. Serial number range C136000-C215000
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$4,500 $3,500 $2,500 $1,000 $500
Super .38 1929 Model, Pre WWII Identical to .45 ACP model in outward configuration. Chambered for .38 Super cartridge. Marked “Colt Super .38 Automatic.”
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$10,000 $7,000 $5,000 $3,000 $1,000
Super Match .38 1935 Model Specially fit and finished target grade with adjustable sights. Only 5,000 made.
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$11,500 $8,000 $5,000 $3,000 $2,000
MODEL 1911A1 U.S. MILITARY SERIES Manufactured for U.S. Military Forces between 1924 and 1945.
Colt Serial number range 710000-734xxx Add 100-400 percent for Army or Navy variations with blue finish, made 1937-1941.
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$3,500 $3,200 $2,500 $1,000 $500
Ithaca
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$2,500 $1,800 $1,200 $900 $600
Remington Rand
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$2,250 $1,700 $1,200 $900 $600
Union Switch & Signal
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$7,000 $4,800 $3,800 $3,000 $2,000
Singer Mfg. Co.
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$100,000 $70,000 $50,000 $29,000 $15,000
Only 500 models were made of this highly collectible variation. Beware of fakes. An appraisal from a Colt expert is advised whether buying or selling. Deduct 50 percent for un-serialed or presentation models.
COLT 1911A1 POST WWII 1946-1949 Serial number range C220000-C220500 No “Government Model” marking. Many parts are leftover military. Add 50 to 100 percent for 99-100 percent finish.
NIB Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$8,500 $6,000 $4,000 $2,500 $1,500 $1,000
Serial number range C220500-C249000 Marked “Government Model.” Add 20 to 30 percent for 99-100 percent finish. Deduct 30 percent for foreign markings.
NIB Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$4,500 $3,500 $2,500 $1,500 $1,000 $750
Serial number range 249000C-335000C “Government Model” marking.
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$1,600 $1,100 $750 $500 $400
Add 20 to 30 percent for 99-100 percent finish. Deduct 30 percent for foreign markings.
Serial number range 334500C to about 336169C BB marked for barrel bushing. “Government Model” marking.
NIB Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$3,300 $2,200 $1,750 $1,350 $1,000 $750
Add 20 to 50 percent for 99-100 percent finish.
ACE MODEL PISTOL This .22 Long Rifle rimfire variant appeared in 1931. With a highly modified frame and a straight blowback operation, it was designed for use as a training firearm. Features include an adjustable target rear sight, 10-round magazine and “Colt Ace 22 Long Rifle” marking on the slide. About 11,000 were made. There were functioning and cleaning problems and in 1937 Colt introduced an improved version, the Service Model Ace.
NIB Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$7,000 $4,500 $3,000 $1,800 $950 $700
Service Model Ace Approximately 13,800 were made between 1937 and 1945. Slide is marked “Colt Service Model Ace .22 Long Rifle” with serial number prefix “SM.”
Blue Finish up to serial number SM3940
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$11,000 $7,500 $4,000 $1,500 $1,000
Parkerized finish after serial number SM3940
Exc. V.G. Good Fair Poor
$5,000 $3,000 $1,800 $950 $700
SUGGESTED READING Many reference and historic books have been published about the Colt 1911 pistol. Listed here are several that are recommended by the author. Most are available through Amazon.
Collector’s Guide to Colt .45 Service Pistols by Charles Clawson (AbeBooks.com, Note: rare and expensive)
1911 – The First 100 Years by Patrick Sweeney (Gun Digest Books, 2010)
The Model 1911 and 1911A1 Military and Commercial Pistols by Joe Poyer (North Cape Publications)
U.S. Military Automatic Pistols 1920-1945 by Edward Scott Meadows (IDSA Arms Books)
The Government Models: Development of the Colt Model of 1911 by William H. Goddard (AbeBooks.com)
Editor's Note: This “Collector's Corner” column is an excerpt from the January 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
John Moses Browning is one of the most prominent names in firearms design. He holds a place of reverence among shooters and firearms historians, and deservedly so.
Over the course of his life, Browning devoted himself almost fully to advancing firearms design. He was granted over 100 patents and is credited with developing some of the most influential and enduring guns within the past 100 years or so.
Many, if not most, of these truly innovative firearms are still in use today, either among civilian shooters or among military and police forces in the U.S and around the world. It’s been a little more than 90 years now since Browning’s passing, but his firearms legacy is certainly alive and well, and his contributions are still relevant.
As far as which of John M. Browning’s firearm designs are “best,” that’s a matter of some debate. Listed below are nine of Browning’s most timeless designs. These influential guns clearly don’t represent all of Browning’s important developments in firearms design (being more of an arbitrary “best” list), but they are a good sampling of some of his greatest works and cover categories ranging from single-shot rifles to fully automatic heavy machine guns.
Current production Winchester Model 1885 High Wall rifle. Photo courtesy Winchester Guns.
Winchester Model 1885
Marking something of the beginning of John Browning’s long and productive career in firearms design, the Model 1885 was one of his earliest creations. He developed what would eventually become the 1885 at the young age of 23, and originally built the rifles by hand along with his brother before being approached by Winchester some years later, and thus beginning his longtime collaboration with that manufacturer.
Winchester engineers made a few tweaks to the design and began offering the rifle in both a Low Wall and High Wall configuration — the Low Wall being designed with an exposed hammer and intended for less powerful cartridges and the High Wall a beefier version built for more powerful cartridges.
During its heyday, the Model 1885 was believed to have one of the strongest actions available. It was a significant challenger to other popular single-shot rifles of the era from companies like Sharps and Remington.
Production on the Winchester Model 1885 ended around 1920. However, in recent years, manufacturers have begun offering modern Model 1885s for single-shot rifle fans. Uberti USA, Cimarron Firearms and, of course, Winchester are among those gun makers currently offering the 1885.
Current production Model 1894. Photo courtesy of Winchester Guns.
Winchester Model 1894
One of the most prolific and enduring lever-action rifles of all time, the Model 1894 first entered production the same year as its model designation, and a number of companies, including Winchester, still produce it today. Built originally to chamber and fire the metallic black powder .32-40 and .38-55 cartridges, the Model 1894 was later chambered in a number of smokeless cartridges. However, the most popular, and the one most closely associated with the rifle was the .30-30 Winchester, also known as the .30 WCF.
Over the years, the Model 1894 in .30-30 Winchester has taken countless whitetail deer. The gun is extremely lightweight, handles comfortably (especially in thicker brush) and packs adequate power for the hunter’s purposes, provided shots occur at reasonable distances.
This usefulness translated to a previously unheard of level of popularity. Well over 7 million Model 1894s have been produced since its release, and it’s still popular among Cowboy Action Shooters, as well as hunters who prefer the classic feel of a lever gun.
A well worn Browning Auto-5 12-gauge shotgun.
Browning Auto-5
Widely acknowledged as the first successful, mass-produced semi-automatic shotgun, the Automatic-5 design also marked a turning point for Browning, in which he ended his collaboration with Winchester. As it goes, he offered the design to Winchester first, but tried to negotiate for a royalty fee on unit sales instead of a one-time, up-front payment, as had been standard, which Winchester refused to do. He then tried to pitch the shotgun to Remington, but the manufacturer’s president died from a heart attack before he was able to do so. Eventually, Browning’s design wound up with FN Herstal of Belgium and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Auto-5 featured a unique long recoil operated design (patented by Browning in 1900) in which the barrel and bolt recoil together following the shot, then separate as the barrel begins to move forward again. At this time, the bolt stays behind to eject the spent shell, before moving forward again to chamber the new shell.
FN Herstal produced the gun for much of the 20th century, and it was also produced under license by a number of U.S. manufacturers such as Remington and Savage Arms, among others. The Auto-5 was produced from a bit after the turn of the 20th century until 1998; however, the Browning Arms Company reintroduced a version of the Auto-5, or A-5, a couple years back. This new version does use a different short-recoil operating system, though, which Browning refers to as Kinematic Drive. Both older and newer models of the “Humpback,” as the gun is endearingly called due to its distinctive high rear end on the receiver, have continued to remain popular.
Browning's Hi-Power is considered to be the first of the “wonder nines.” Photo by Robert Campbell.
Browning Hi Power
Also known as the Model 1935, P-35, HP35, GP, GP35 and High Power, this pistol was one of Browning’s last designs. In fact, being the devoted worker that he was, it is written widely that Browning died of heart failure while working at the bench on this self-loading pistol in his son Val A. Browning’s design shop. Belgian small arms designer Dieudonne Saive completed the design.
Chambered in 9mm Luger, the Hi Power was one of the first true high-capacity pistols, able to hold 13 rounds. This was roughly twice the capacity of other common pistols, such as the M1911 and Luger P08, at the time of its introduction in 1935. Like Browning’s earlier 1911, the Hi Power was a single-action design. And it operated via a unique short-recoil mechanism.
More than 1 million Hi Powers have been produced, and the gun has seen many years of service with foreign military forces. In fact, it remains a standard sidearm with the Australian and Canadian armed forces. Of course, it’s also popular among many civilian shooters here in the U.S. as well.
The Model 1897 is considered one of the first truly successful pump- or slide-action shotguns.
Winchester Model 1897
Just as Browning is credited with designing the first successful semi-auto shotgun, so too is it with the pump gun. The Model 1897, also known as the M97 and simply the “Trench Gun,” was based on Browning’s earlier Winchester 1893 pump-action shotgun but addressed many of the flaws in that prior design.
Produced from 1897 until 1957, the M97 was viewed as kind of the standard by which later pump-action shotguns would be judged. The 1897 introduced a takedown design in which the barrel could removed — this is now a standard feature in pump guns today — and featured an external hammer and lacked a trigger disconnector. This lack of a disconnector permitted the user to “slam fire” the gun, or simply continuously depress the trigger while working the action to fire shots if so desired.
As a historical side note, the M97 “Trench Gun” was so effective and deadly during the First World War that Germany issue a formal protest against its use, stating the use of a shotgun violated the 1907 Hague Convention. The later Winchester Model 12 would eventually supersede the Winchester Model 1897; however, it can still be found in use.
The air-cooled version of Browning's earlier M1917, the M1919 served U.S. forces in a number of wars, usually in a mounted support role.
M1919 Browning
An air-cooled version of Browning’s earlier water-cooled M1917, which saw some use in World War I, the M1919 was originally similarly chambered for the .30-06 Springfield. However, it would later be adapted to a host of popular military chamberings such as 7.62×51 NATO, .303 British and others.
This belt-fed, short-recoil-operated machine gun has served in many of the U.S. conflicts — World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War — and many foreign militaries have also used it over the years. However, the emergence of general purpose machine guns, like the M60, and squad automatic weapons, like the M249 SAW, in later years has largely relegated the M1919 to more specialized and secondary roles, such as mounted use on vehicles.
More than 5 million M1919s were produced, making it another of Browning’s top designs.
Turnbull 1911 Heritage Edition Commander. Photo by Alex Landeen
M1911
The Browning design that Americans are likely most familiar with, the M1911, and later M1911A1, was the U.S. military’s standard sidearm until 1985, when Beretta’s M9 replaced it — a move that some still might argue against. In addition to its success as a military arm, it has been, and continues to be, wildly popular among civilian shooters. And a whole host of manufacturers ranging from large to small currently produce 1911s. In short, if there’s one Browning design that unequivocally deserves a spot on this list, it’s the 1911.
The M1911 is a short-recoil-operated single-action hammer-fired pistol. Like some of Browning’s other pistol designs, this one incorporates a grip safety, as well as a thumb-activated (for righties) safety lever on the frame.
The gun, as originally introduced, fired Browning’s .45 ACP, which he designed for the pistol. However, as we know, later 1911s and variants have been offered in a number of other popular calibers such as .380 ACP, 9mm, .38 Super and others. Coonan, Inc. even makes some to chamber the .357 Magnum, and Guncrafter Industries offers 1911s in its proprietary .50 GI for those looking for a true .50-caliber option.
The heavy M2 Browning has been serving the U.S. Armed Forces, and other foreign military forces, for many decades.
M2 Browning
Bigger and badder than Browning’s earlier M1919 machine gun, the M2 Browning was and is a potent heavy machine gun. Known by its official designation of Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible, and more colloquially as the “Ma Deuce,” this 80-plus-pound beast spits Browning’s .50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun) — designed for and named for this weapon — at a rate of 450 to 1,300 rounds per minute, depending upon the model.
The air-cooled, belt-fed M2 is a short-recoil-operated design that fires from a closed bolt. Due to its heavy weight, its predominant deployment has been as a mounted weapon on vehicles, naval vessels and aircraft and as a support weapon for troops on the ground. However, it has also been used as a sniping tool, most notably by decorated Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock during Vietnam.
Like the 1911 and some of Browning’s other designs, the M2 has had a fairly long production life. Produced since 1933, the M2 Browning is still in service with the U.S. and a host of other foreign militaries.
The Colt Model 1903/1908 Pocket Hammerless became popular due to its ease of concealment and streamline, elegant appearance. Photo courtesy of Steve Gash.
Colt Model 1903/1908 Pocket Hammerless
Sort of a culmination of some of Browning’s earlier pistol designs preceding and in the few years after the turn of the 20th century, the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless in .32 ACP — and later Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless in .380 ACP — became quite popular with the military, law enforcement and civilians. Building upon earlier designs like the M1902 and M1903 Pocket Hammer pistol, the Pocket Hammerless featured a 4-inch barrel and, despite the name, utilized a hammer that was recessed and hidden from view under the rear of the slide.
Although it was only produced from 1903 to 1945, making it one of the shorter production lives of the Browning designs listed, more than 570,000 Pocket Hammerless pistols were made. It was popular in large part due to its ability to be effectively concealed due to the hidden hammer, which was less apt to snag on clothing.
Due to its classic, elegant appearance and its interesting history, both the 1903 and 1908 Pocket Hammerless remain popular collector items. Although it is currently not produced to the degree that some other guns on this list are, a few years back, Colt did license U.S. Armament Corp. to produce a limited run of new Pocket Hammerless pistols, for those looking to buy new.
Browning's Superposed over/under shotgun was no doubt a looker. Its relatively high manufacturing cost eventually spelled its downfall, though.
Honorable Mentions
I feel obligated to mention a few other notable John Browning firearms that I did not include above and which were right on the edge of inclusion.
The Browning Superposed, an innovative yet classically stylish over/under shotgun, was the last firearm to be designed by Browning prior to his death, and probably one of his most elegant. It had a decent production run before it was ultimately decided that it was too expensive to manufacture and thus relegated to being a specialty, limited-production item from Browning Arms Company.
The M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and its later variants represent another potential inclusion. The BAR saw some service in the First World War; however, its role was much more extensive in World War II and in Korea. More than 600,000 were produced.
One of Browning's less-considered pistol designs, the Woodsman was a fine rimfire pistol with a decent production run.
Remington’s Model 8 was another of Browning’s celebrated designs, though production figures are lower than most, if not all, of the other firearms on this list. It was, however, one of the first semi-auto rifles to see true success. At the time, most were content with their lever guns or the increasingly potent and accurate bolt-action rifles available. Produced under various names from 1906 until 1950, the Model 8 featured a long-recoil-operated design not unlike that used in Browning’s Auto-5 and was chambered in .25, .30, .32 and .35 Remington, as well as .300 Savage.
Manufactured by Colt from 1915 to 1977, the Woodsman is also deserving of a brief mention. More than 690,000 of these little semi-auto .22 pistols were produced, and in a host of different configurations with varying barrel lengths and features.
As previously mentioned, this list is by no means comprehensive. There are a number of other excellent Browning firearms designs that were not included. If one of your favorite and deserving John Browning designs has been omitted, let us know about it in the comments. We always enjoy hearing our readers’ opinions.
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