Whether during a training course or just in casual conversations with others, most shooters have probably heard some version of the phrase: “Train like you’d fight.” Shooters who plan on carrying every day or defending themselves from threats at home should train for the situations they might encounter in the real world, and they should do so with the actual equipment they plan on using in those situations. A full-size 1911 is a great gun to shoot, but if you carry a compact, polymer framed pistol or a pocket .380, then you need to train and become proficient with that firearm.
The same principle applies to ammunition. If all you’ve ever shot through your firearm are target loads, the shock of firing a hotter defensive load during a stressful event might be enough to affect shot placement on the target or cause you to miss entirely.
Unfortunately, the cost of most defensive ammunition prevents many shooters from incorporating it into their training regimens. One solution that ammo manufacturers have come up with is offering FMJ training loads that are ballistically matched to a corresponding defensive load.
Federal Premium has recently introduced a new option for shooters looking for both quality defensive ammunition and matched training loads for realistic practice. The new HST Practice & Defend Combo Packs offer shooters one of the best defensive loads on the market in the company’s HST and pairs it with similarly weighted American Eagle training rounds.
These new combo packs are available in .380 Auto, 9mm Luger, .40 S&W and .45 Auto. In the 9mm Luger, .40 S&W and .45 Auto packs the weights of the defensive and training bullets are identical at 124, 180 and 230 grains, respectively. For the .380 Auto, the HST bullet weighs 99 grains, and the FMJ training bullet weighs 95 grains.
The new Federal Premium HST Practice & Defend Combo Packs come with 100 rounds of American Eagle target ammunition and 20 rounds of HST defensive ammo. Pricing on these combo packs is listed at $80.95 for the .380 Auto, $67.95 for the 9mm Luger, $84.95 for the .40 S&W and $96.45 for the .45 Auto.
Also Check Out:
Understanding Ballistics Tailor your ammunition choice to the task at hand and ensure you’re choosing the right bullet every time with Understanding Ballisticsby Philip P. Massaro. Narrow down the vast array of ammunition options with detailed information and expert reviews of available bullets, and come to a better understanding of bullet technology and performance. Plus, learn about the physics of the bullet and its effects once it hits the intended target. Get Your Copy Now
This cartridge was introduced in the United States in 1908 with the Browning-designed Colt-manufactured .25 Vest Pocket Automatic pistol. It had been introduced in Europe a few years earlier in the FN Baby Browning, which is practically identical to the Colt. The design of these two pistols has been copied by manufacturers all over the world. Dozens of different pistols have used this cartridge. American Arms, Beretta, Iver Johnson, Jennings, Lorcin, Phoenix Arms, Sundance, Taurus, Ortgies, Astra, Star, Kelt-Tech, Rohrbaugh, and Walther have all made pistols in this chambering. The .25 Automatic offers surprising velocity for such a small cartridge. However, delivered energy is quite modest. This, combined with the full metal jacketed bullet of the conventional load, adds up to very poor stopping or killing power on anything. Lighter, expanding bullets lack adequate penetration or delivered energy to suggest any significant improvement. The .25 Auto is not powerful enough for hunting anything but pests, nor is it adequate for serious self-defense. However, .25 Automatic pistols are popular because of their small size and low cost. Their principal usefulness might be as a threat, because no sane person wants to be shot. Winchester and Hornady recently offered hollow-point loads in an effort to improve terminal ballistics.
Editor’s Note: This brief is an excerpt from Cartridges of the World 14th Edition.
Dangerous game demands specialized cartridges with lots of stopping power and that are capable of penetrating thick hides. So which are the best dangerous game cartridges of all time?
Dangerous game—those two words pique my curiosity like a kitten at the sight of a laser-pointer. Hunting dangerous game requires a rifle cartridge larger than most of us use regularly, one with the ability to save your bacon and to end a confrontation quickly and without anyone getting hurt. There have been many designs over the years. Some are more than a century old; some came about in my lifetime. When the game animal has enough weight, strength and tenacity to send your mortal remains home in a mayonnaise jar, you’ll need a cartridge that you can handle effectively yet will get the job done. Let’s take a look at some of those cartridges that fit the bill.
The .375 Holland & Holland Belted Magnum The Three-Seven-Five is undoubtedly the most popular choice for dangerous game, on any continent, for good reasons. It is a cartridge that can use bullets up to 350 grains, and the recoil of the .375 H&H is mild enough that just about anyone can shoot it with a bit of practice. The classic recipe is a 300-grain slug at 2,550 feet per second (fps), generating just over 4,000 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle, but the main selling point of the .375 is the versatility. Want to use it on elk, moose or plains game? There are many good bullets in the 230- to 270-grain range that will make for a flat-shooting load. Want to pursue the heavyweights? The premium 300-grainers and the Woodleigh 350-grain bullets in the Norma African PH line of ammo will get the job done. For a sportsman who travels the world, the .375 H&H Magnum is a solid investment, one he or she can use for bears in America or buffalo in Southern Africa. My wife shoots one, in a Legendary Arms Works Big Five rifle, and she shoots it very well. When an African Professional Hunter tells you a .375 H&H is all you need, he means it; it’ll take any game animal on earth.
The .450/400 3-inch Nitro Express
This rimmed, bottle-necked cartridge was developed in the early 20th century by W. J. Jeffery, and was a redesign of the earlier 3¼-inch version. The beauty of the .450/400 NE is that it has the mildest recoil of all the valid dangerous game cartridges—many shooters find the .450/400 even easier to shoot than the .375 H&H. Driving a 400-grain bullet to 2,050 fps, the .411-inch diameter bullets will give excellent penetration, making it a perfectly viable cartridge, even for elephant. While it doesn’t feed very well in a bolt-action rifle, there are many double rifles available in this chambering, and Ruger chambers its fantastic No. 1 single-shot rifle for it. There are good, modern loads available from Hornady, using the DGX and DGS bullets, and plenty of good brass for the handloader.
The .416 Rigby
John Rigby & Co. released their proprietary big game cartridge in 1911, and it gained much favor among those who used it extensively. Certainly, it received a huge shot in the arm when Robert Ruark released “Horn of the Hunter” in 1953, immortalizing the cartridge in the hands of PH Harry Selby. The huge case was designed to give positive extraction to matter how hot the temperatures got (cordite, the common propellant in 1911, was extremely temperature sensitive), and the 400-grain soft points and solids, pushed at 2,400 fps, made for a great combination, and it still does today. While the Rigby does give a considerable increase in recoil, compared to the .375 H&H, it delivers another 1,000 ft.-lbs. of energy, with a larger frontal diameter. Because of the length of the cartridge—3.75 inches—it requires a magnum-length receiver. For those hunters who want to approach the energy figures of the .45-calibers, but who still want a trajectory that can make the longer shots, the Rigby is a good choice. Bullet weights range from 325 grains up to 450 grains, with the heavier weights being best for dangerous game work.
The .416 Remington Magnum
When the supply of ammunition for the British safari guns began to dry up in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, wildcatters took matters into their own hands. An American Professional Hunter named George Hoffman mated the .416-inch bullets of the Rigby with the case of the .375 H&H; the result was the .416 Hoffman, and it was and still is a good cartridge. Remington changed the design slightly, using their 8mm Remington Magnum case as a basis, and in 1988 released the .416 Remington Magnum. It delivers Rigby ballistics in a smaller cartridge, albeit at a higher chamber pressure. While that higher pressure was initially an issue because of extraction issues in extreme heat (I lay the blame on the small extractor used on Remington’s rifles), any controlled round feed rifle will give no issues when chambered to .416 Remington. I have used a Winchester Model 70 in .416 Rem. all over Africa and North America, with stellar results. It is accurate, as hard-hitting as the Rigby, and the recoil is noticeably less than the Rigby case. It can be produced in an affordable rifle, and ammunition and component brass is much more affordable than the Rigby stuff. I’ve used this cartridge to take Cape buffalo, and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again.
The .404 Jeffery While the .416 Rigby took the lion’s share of the popularity, the .404 Jeffery was quietly doing the majority of the dirty work. The game rangers of Tanzania, Kenya, and North and South Rhodesia were issued .404 Jeffery bolt-action rifles for game control work. The Jeffery design saw the light of day around 1909 (accounts vary), to mirror the ballistics of the earlier .450/400, but in a repeating rifle. The original “.404 Rimless Nitro Express” used a 400-grain .423-inch bullet at 2,150 fps and was not only effective on all game—including elephant and rhino—but was also very easy to shoot well. Modern steel has resulted in a more potent, modern load: a 400-grain bullet at 2,350 fps, putting today’s .404 Jeffery in the same league as the .416s. I absolutely love this cartridge; its sloping shoulder allows the cartridges to feed as smooth as silk, and the versatility of the loads will let it purr like a kitten or roar like a lion. As a handloader, I like the premium 400-grain bullets—like the Woodleigh Hydrostatically Stabilized solids—at around 2,275 fps. My Heym Express prints them into sub-MOA groups, and my, is it effective. I took a huge-bodied Zimbabwe bull elephant with my .404 Jeffery, giving complete penetration and exiting on two body shots. You really can’t ask for any more than that from a dangerous game cartridge.
The .450 3¼-inch Nitro Express This is one of the original success stories, coming at the end of the 19th century, setting the benchmark for the performance of dangerous game cartridges for decades to come. The John Rigby design from 1898 uses a 480-grain bullet at 2,150 fps for just under 5,000 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle. In a good double rifle, the .450 Nitro makes a great choice for elephant, hippo and buffalo, effectively taking all three for well over a century. I’ve seen its effects first-hand, and it is a true stopping rifle. While the trajectory is less than desirable at ranges over 150 yards, consider that most dangerous game is taken well within the 100-yard mark, so there’s no real handicap if you choose the .450 NE when picking a dedicated dangerous game rifle. Being a rimmed case, it doesn’t translate well to a bolt-action gun, but in a single-shot or double it’s a true classic.
The .458 Winchester Magnum Remember I told you that supplies of ammunition for the British cartridges dried up in the ‘50s? The same fate befell the .450 Nitro; ammo became more rare than hen’s teeth. To solve the problem, and gobble up a huge share of the market, Winchester developed a cartridge that would mimic the ballistics of the .450 NE, but in a bolt-action rifle of American make, which would be both affordable and available. Winchester engineers opened up the .375 H&H belted case to hold .458-inch diameter bullets, in a straight walled configuration, and cut the case length down to 2.500 inches, so as to fit in a .30-’06-length action. The .458 Winchester was born, claiming to drive a 510-grain bullet at 2,150 fps from the muzzle of the Model 70. It looked good on paper, but there were immediate problems. The case—being cut down—didn’t have the capacity to get those big bullets moving at the advertised speed. That, combined with the fact that the ball powder Winchester used to fuel the .458 had a tendency to clump, resulting in squib loads, almost equaled disaster for the .458 Winchester Magnum. The load and bullet were revised, and things were set right; however, I feel that there are still flaws in the .458 Winchester. The first is the case capacity. Should you try and handload your safari ammunition, you’ll find that there are only a handful of powders that will give you good velocity without having to be heavily compressed. Secondly, most of the factory loads are using a 500-grain pill and are struggling to get the velocity without generating really high pressures. I think the .458 would be best served with a premium 465- or 480-grain bullet to give a bit of room in the case. Nonetheless, many visiting sportsmen and Professional Hunters use the .458 Winchester with good effect.
The .458 Lott
Jack Lott, a veteran African hunter, had experienced those issues I outlined regarding the .458 Winchester Magnum—I’ve heard the story of how he was nearly killed—and decided to fix the issue. He thought the full-length case of the .375 H&H (2.850 inches versus 2.500 inches for the .458 Winchester) would alleviate the case capacity problem and maybe even give a bit more velocity, and Mr. Lott was absolutely correct. The 0.350-inch difference in length changed the entire game, and the belted Lott case will push a 500-grain bullet to 2,300 fps, for over 5,900 ft.-lbs of energy. As a handloader, I can use the Lott in a couple of ways. First, and most obvious, I can load it to its full-house specs for an extremely potent dangerous game cartridge. Secondly, and because I’m all about flexibility, I can very easily load the Lott down to the original .458 Winchester ballistics. This keeps the pressures very low, and the century-plus history of the .450 Nitro should alleviate any concerns about that ballistic formula. The Lott also has another really cool feature: Because the .458 Lott is nothing more (and nothing less) than an elongated .458 Winchester case, any .458 Lott rifle can and will shoot factory .458 Winchester Magnum ammunition without issue. If I were to choose a bolt-action .45-caliber dangerous game rifle, it would undoubtedly be a .458 Lott.
The .470 Nitro Express
An insurgence in India resulted in the British Empire banning all .45-caliber ammunition in the early 1900s, so as a result, gun makers needed to replicate the ballistics of the dangerous-game-proven .450 Nitro Express, yet in a different bore diameter. Joseph Lang took the .500 Nitro—a beast of a cartridge—and necked it down to hold 0.475-inch bullets, and the .470 Nitro Express was born. Mind you, the recipe is a familiar one: 500-grain bullet at 2,150 fps, but with a bit more frontal diameter and yet enough sectional density to penetrate even the honeycombed bone of an elephant skull. Among the diverse selection of Nitro Express cartridges that came along to replace the .450 NE—the .475 NE, the .475 No. 2 Jeffery, the .500/465 NE, and the .476 NE were others—the .470 became the industry standard as a Professional Hunter’s stopping rifle. It remains a popular choice to this day, with factory ammunition readily available, and many great double rifles being produced annually in this caliber.
The .505 Gibbs Magnum
Let’s make this simple: Any cartridge over .50-caliber that will push 525-, 570- and 600-grain bullets over 2,000 fps will make a good stopping rifle. Some of them are reserved for the double guns—like the rimmed .500 Nitro Express—and others designed for the repeating rifles—like the .500 Jeffery—but my favorite among these is the .505 Gibbs Magnum. The big Gibbs case will need 130 to 145 grains of powder to push those huge bullets, and it pushes the big 570- and 600-grain slugs to 2,100 fps, for just under 5,900 ft.-lbs. at the muzzle. Couple that with the huge frontal diameter (.505-inch) and you’ve got an elephant stopper that isn’t all that terrible on the shoulder. While it’s rather obvious that the .505 isn’t a long-range rifle, it has what it takes when the distances are measured in feet, not in yards. CZ makes a fine rifle, and Montana Rifle Company makes their DGR with a nice big muzzle brake that actually makes it quite comfortable to shoot. The .505 Gibbs is a specialty cartridge that is designed for the heavyweights; it really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to use it on lighter game, as there are much better tools for that job. But, if you want to put an exclamation point at the end of the hunting sentence, the .505 Gibbs will do just that.
Airsoft and air guns add another dimension to your training regimen, bridging the gap between dry-fire and live-fire training.
Anyone who has followed columns I’ve written over the past few months knows what a stickler I am for training. If you are serious about carrying a concealed firearm for self-defense, training from a competent source trumps all the gadgets and whiz-bang, voodoo magic mind spells currently the rage in the age of the YouTube “expert.” The skills you acquire from those competent sources are perishable, and you don’t want to lose those hard won skills you took the time and money to learn. Therefore, sustainment training becomes vital to maintaining response capabilities. The problem that comes up regarding our ability to attend training and to practice acquired skills can be brought down to a single word: adulthood!
SIG’s new line of replica models are perfect training tools.
We only have so much time between jobs, kids/grandkids, social life and other essential activities to dedicate to defensive skills practice. We need to get the most bang for our buck and available time. Dry fire, of course, is essential. Reams of information have been published on the positive value of dry fire, so I don’t have to re-hash the topic here. Simply stated, dry fire. It’s good! Do it! Can we, however, add an additional component to our non-ballistic training that pushes beyond the limitations of dry fire practice? Enter modern Airsoft and air gun equipment.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats a well planned out and executed live range session. That’s where some of the rubber meets the road. We have to be proficient with our defensive measures and practice with the actual equipment we carry on a day-to-day basis, but we also need to fill the gaps, especially when a range session isn’t in the cards for one reason or another. Use of Airsoft and air guns can bridge that gap by providing a means to hold us accountable for specific performance standards through visible results.
Here’s what I mean. Dry fire provides us with a system to practice various aspects of our response plan absolutely perfectly. When we press the trigger at the end of a presentation, we can easily see if there’s movement to the front sight or issues with grip throughout the press—really, all types of issues—because recoil and muzzle blast aren’t present. Again, essential practice. But, there is no accountability for the precision of the “shot” because there are no measurable results, i.e. a hole in the target. Ok, no worries. Dry fire is still valuable practice because of the very absence of recoil/muzzle blast, but what’s next?
Adding additional practice with Airsoft or air guns adds the accountability. You can see the results on a target and know graphically that your dry-fire actions were correct. Neither, of course, replaces live practice, but both add to your ballistic training. And you probably can use the same area for dry fire and Airsoft or air gun training. There’s no downside really.
Inexpensive pellets, like those available from SIG, offer more bang for the shooter’s buck.
Airsoft and air gun equipment is getting better all the time. Major firearms manufacturers, like SIG Sauer, are beginning to either make exact replicas of their product line or are having equipment produced under license agreements. That means you can procure a practice pistol or carbine that for all intents and purposes, looks, feels and functions exactly like the live firearm you operate on a day-to-day basis. Likely, you can use the same holster or carry system you use for EDC during your air gun or air soft training session. These are all positive aspects.
The quality of this equipment obviously varies with the price. As many are already aware, yes, you do get what you pay for. Function ranges from single-shot spring operated models to gas or battery operated models that provide extended semi-automatic operation in Airsoft platforms, while air guns are available in spring-piston, pneumatic and CO2-powered options. Ammunition for either choice is relatively inexpensive. Targets specific for Airsoft and air gun training are available and are worth the price. For example, I’ve shot Airsoft with a dedicated target that provides the ability to capture your pellets, which become insanely tiny when they escape and begin rolling around your training area. It can be like trying to clean sand from the beach out of your car. The more you clean, the more that appear. Plus, many of the dedicated targets provide the opportunity to re-cycle pellets which is not usually recommended if they are allowed to “free range.” I’ve also shot without Airsoft and air gun specific target systems, and it works just fine if the area is properly prepared. It’s really your call.
So, my recommendation for equipment to get the most from your money and time would be to acquire an Airsoft or air gun replica of your primary carry gun. It should either fit your EDC holster, or you should purchase a copy of your holster that fits the replica. Next, if it exists for your Airsoft or air pistol, get at least one extra magazine and mag pouch. Lastly, I recommend you buy a dedicated target system. SIG Sauer, for example, has an entire line of shooting targets that make training more enjoyable and rewarding.
Next, you need to prepare your training environment. I’ll talk about Airsoft for force-on-force training in a minute, but for now, I’m outlining the procedure I use for training that mimics my dry fire plan. First, in this context, I consider the Airsoft or air gun a live instrument since it has the capability to launch a projectile. That means I have a backstop that is capable of stopping the round expelled from the Airsoft or air pistol. Since I already have a dedicated target, I’m halfway home. I use the same area for my Airsoft training as I use for dry fire, that being the unfinished area of my basement. That means the target is placed in line with a blank concrete wall, which is underground—no way anything is escaping from that backstop! All procedures for ensuring a live, ballistic-capable firearm is not introduced into the dry-fire and Airsoft/air gun training area are followed. Remember, your next negligent discharge is just one trigger press away. Following established protocols will help push that unfortunate event back another day.
For me, this non-ballistic training usually follows an abbreviated dry-fire session. I say abbreviated dry fire because there are times I will perform dry drills only. If I add Airsoft or air guns, it’s usually in conjunction with dry practice. You may certainly do something else if you prefer. That’s just the procedure that my brain wraps around. My Airsoft and/or air gun training plan will follow the dry-fire training plan and is intended to add that vital verification aspect I talked about earlier. Nothing is perfect in life. You can perfect the wrong behavior with dry fire as easily as you can with live fire. Adding levels of verification helps ensure you are, indeed, ingraining the level of precision you want. I see some folks using Airsoft for force-on-force training, and with proper safety procedures, I see nothing wrong with this application for air soft equipment. The issue I see comes up when people shortcut safety protocols established in conventional marking round training. In my opinion, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Air guns allow shooters to evaluate technique while also seeing results. Here, SIG Sauer’s P226 air gun variant.
If you’re going to use Airsoft for force-on-force training, make sure you are performing actual training and not simply engaging in a game. And again, don’t get me wrong, games are fun, but they’re not always meaningful training. So to do it right, script a scenario based on an actual event or a compilation of real events. Have a coordinator who will brief role players and control the event so specific training goals are achieved. In addition to the event coordinator, you need a safety officer who will ensure nothing that can be used as a weapon enters the training environment. Once the scenario launches, play it out to the end. If necessary, the coordinator can push things in different directions to achieve the listed training goals.
Targets like SIG’s Texas Star Spinner, designed for air gun use, are excellent training options.
As for gear, many Airsoft guns can be calibrated to a point as to power. Some folks feel they need to crank them to the top limit of power so a significant amount of pain is experienced if trainees get shot. I don’t feel that’s necessary. First, it’s a safety hazard. Injury not only limits the amount of training that can be performed but also opens up aspects of liability and may lead to a prohibition on force-on-force training long term. Throttle back kids! A tiny owie is as good as a big one!
Next, whether it’s marking rounds or Airsoft, I require full-face protection, at least heavy clothing (marking round chest protection is better), neck guards, gloves and groin protection. In addition, the event coordinator will ensure there is adequate stand off between trainees to prevent the risk of “contact” injuries. There must be at least an arm’s length between participants for a round to be discharged. Any closer puts us in jeopardy of unnecessary injuries and all the aforementioned problems. That’s a lot of work, but a safe training environment is mandatory if we want to gain the most possible from the event. If there’s one significant injury, then your training event is wrecked. Don’t let it happen.
The addition of Airsoft and/or air gun equipment to your training regimen can add an additional link in developing and sustaining skills necessary to respond to a critical incident. Initial outlay costs are reasonable for most budgets, and the equipment is becoming more robust all the time, so maintenance should be modest. And, if you have 10 to 20 minutes of extra time, you can execute an effective training plan in an environment not conducive to live ballistic training. All in all, I’d say that’s pretty good bang for you buck.
Swarovski has long held a revered place in the optics industry, with the company’s name being synonymous with quality for many years. One of the brand’s more recent introductions was its impressive X5i riflescope, a dedicated optic for long-range hunters and shooters.
Now, Swarovski has followed up with the Z8i, a new riflescope tailor-made for hunters. The new scope is available in four different models, with magnifications ranging from 1x up to 18x depending on the model.
The new Swarovski Z8i features a slimmer and more low profile housing for the illumination and comes equipped with Swarovski’s BTF Ballistic Turret Flex, which is an independent turret that can be removed or swapped out with another turret. This allows the shooter to plug the relevant ballistic information into Swarovski’s online ballistic tool and then swap out turrets as needed when switching calibers.
As with all Swarovski scopes, the new Z8i uses quality glass and is ruggedly constructed. It uses a 30mm tube construction and offers exceptional 93 percent light transmission.
Gun Digest recently caught up with Dean Capuano of Swarovski during the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits to learn more about this great new riflescope line. Watch the video above to get the firsthand look at this great new optic.
Get the most recent advances in guns and gear to extend your range for hunting, informal target shooting, and formal competition. Discover new tools for long-range shooters both in the field and on the firing range, with coverage of new developments from advances in military applied combat theory. Learn more
Marksmanship isn’t the only factor in winning in competitive pistol shooting. Efficiently reloading a pistol is also a make-or-break element.
If you are interested in becoming more proficient in the action shooting sports, practicing the reloads is essential. All of the action sports (IPSC, IDPA, GSSF, 3-gun) require that the shooter fire a certain number of rounds, then either advance to another shooting position or engage a different set of targets, reloading in between or, sometimes, reloading either before or after the shooter moves from one position or another. Again, different games have different rules, and all the while, the clock is running.
Fortunately, this is a skill that can be learned because it’s all about fundamentals and muscle memory. Once the shooter understands the physical mechanics, it’s really just a matter of practicing and being able to repeat the drills on command in a match situation.
One point to remember when reloading the semi-auto pistol is to keep the finger out of the trigger guard, and keep the pistol at eye level and bring the pistol closer to the face. Watch the magazine go into the magazine well, and into the pistol. Seat the magazine, then extend the arms, pick up the sights and continue firing.
The type of competition you are engaged in will determine what type of reloading you will perform. In USPSA, the type of reload performed is the emergency reload, where the targets are engaged and at a convenient point, the magazine in the firearm is dumped on the ground while the pistol is recharged with a fresh magazine.
In IDPA, there are two reloads permitted, the emergency reload and the tactical reload, or reload with retention. In this scenario, the magazine is not just dumped on the ground, but has to be retained on the shooter during the entire string. Additionally, all reloading of the firearm needs to be performed behind cover, not so in USPSA. Always consult the rule book of the form of competition you are engaged in for specifics.
Footwork when reloading is critical, the shooter needs to be able to move and reload at the same time.
Regardless of the type of competitive pistol shooting you are engaged in, there are some fundamentals of reloading the pistol that are common to any type of practical shooting. The main point is that the finger must come out of the trigger guard as soon as the reload is initiated. The second is the pistol is held at eye level and drawn close to the face. The thumb presses the magazine release button, and at the same time, the weak hand moves toward the fresh magazine, assuming this is an emergency reload.
The new PSAK-47 Gen2 Classic Red remasters the iconic Soviet rifle south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
When you are in the red, it is not generally a good thing. There’s bump-in-the-night red, someone-walking-in-my-home red, or back-forty-with-hungry-wolves-between-you-and-your-mule red. In these situations, you need a weapon that you can rely on but one that is chambered in a caliber that will get the job done fast. You need something like Palmetto State Armory’s (PSA) Classic Red, a traditional take on the historic AK-47 rifle completely manufactured in the U.S.A. Think of it as a détente between Palmetto State and Mother Russia. Though the design might be Comrade Kalashnikov’s, PSA has redefined the AK-47. Not only does the Classic Red look retro cool, it also performs like only an AK can.
PSA has been creating quite a name for itself, essentially flying under the radar and churning out exquisite AKs, and yes, “exquisite” is not such an exaggeration when talking about PSA’s AK-47s. Not only are they made in the U.S.A. and run hard, they are also available at a very affordable price. The PSAK-47 Gen2 Classic Red is 100-percent manufactured in the U.S. Prior to Gen2 models, the trunnion, a critical piece in an AK build, was made offshore. When PSA decided to bring an American-made AK to market, it looked at Russian, Chinese, Romanian and Bulgarian blueprints and decided to build a rifle that was a blend of all the good characteristics.
“We took what we felt were the best features from each design and incorporated them into our AK design,” said Adam Ruonala, chief marketing officer at PSA.
Russian, Bulgarian and Romanian guns are known for their durability and can be considered the epitome of AK design. PSA AKs are a mixed breed, what PSA likes to refer to as an American Standard of AK design and manufacturing. While PSA tricks out some of its AK rifles with modern polymer furniture, the Classic Red is traditional.
“With the Classic Red, we tried to stay as close as possible to the original form of the AK,” said Ruonala. “We partnered with Boyd’s Gunstocks, which produces the buttstock, handguard and pistol grip in traditional wood.”
The Classic Red features a traditional slant muzzle brake.
Boyd’s uses maple stained with a reddish finish that almost looks like it is lacquered and allows the wood grain to show through. AKs are not typically known for the beauty of the wood stock and handguard, and part of the reason is that most AKs in the U.S. use surplus furniture that has seen honest and sometimes hard use. For the Classic Red, PSA kept the traditional lightening cut on the sides of the buttstock and placed a hard, course-textured buttpad. Not that the 7.62x39mm produces a tremendous amount of recoil, but the recoil pad is similar to military style and works effectively. The stock is also equipped with a sling swivel. The handguard has the traditional cooling slots, and the pistol grip is similarly shaped as a traditional grip. The Classic Red is a gorgeous AK.
Since there are limitations on importing AKs and other hurdles like 922r compliance, swapping U.S.-made parts for original parts, a few manufacturers have decided to build AKs here of totally U.S. made parts. From a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense because the quality of rifles can be controlled in lieu of rebuilding rifles from de-militarized, imported parts. AKs are made around the world, but an AK slightly differs depending on where and when it was built. U.S. manufacturers have taken that guesswork out of the equation.
AKs are legendary for reliability, and PSA takes an extra step to ensure that. PSA tests each rifle with both inexpensive steel-cased ammo and brass-cased ammo and runs through 15-20 test rounds to ensure reliable functioning.
“We wanted our rifle to not only perform exceptionally well but look good doing it,” Ronala said. “PSA wouldn’t produce a gun that was not 100 percent…When our prototype AK was in development, we took 25 rifles and ran them through a 10,000-round torture test. We wanted to be sure it would run smoothly and reliably.”
But this performance didn’t come at the cost of looks. The fit and finish were superb. The Red features a stamped receiver made of one-millimeter thick, heat-treated carbon steel that is mated via a trunnion to a 16.2-inch 4150 steel barrel that is melanite treated. The barrel has six-groove rifling with a 1:9.5-inch twist. The classic slanted muzzle brake is screwed onto the end of the muzzle, and a cleaning rod is secured on the underside of the barrel. Sights are classic 800-meter rear sight adjustable for elevation and the front sight is adjustable for windage. A side mount allows an optic to be mounted. A PSA mil-spec, single-stage, double-hook trigger is used along with the standard size magazine release. The trigger had a bit of take-up before it broke at a clean 5.5 pounds. The reddish wood furniture is smooth and feels good in hand. The stock has a 13-inch length of pull (LOP). The gun comes with a Magpul 30-round PMAG magazine. Total weight unloaded is 7.5 pounds; add another 1.5 pounds with a fully loaded 30-round magazine.
I fired it offhand using open sights at 25 yards. The five-shot groups were small and whetted my appetite for distance. I mounted a Russian-built PK-01 VS red dot optic from Kalinka Optics (KalinkaOptics.com), which offers a variety of surplus and new Russian-built optics. Simple and rugged, the PK-01 VS features a 1 MOA red dot reticle with eight brightness settings; turrets are open and marked in Russian. It runs off one AA battery. The optic uses a clamp mount that slides onto the side mount of the PSAK-47 and clamps down tight.
I expected accuracy to be 4 MOA or better. Using a rest, I was able to get well under 4 inches—about 3.7 inches—with Hornady 123-grain SST bullets and Wolf 122-grain HP. Inexpensive Tula Ammo ran at 4 inches consistently. The trigger is meant for combat and not precision target use, but I was still able to eke decent accuracy out of the Classic Red. That is good accuracy for an AK and good for the applications most shooters will use it for.
I also ran the rifle for speed wearing a Strike Hard (StrikeHardGear.com) AK chest rig, which holds four magazines secured with a shock cord retention system. It features an X-harness, so toting the magazines is comfortable. The 13-inch LOP on the gun made operating the rifle comfortable while wearing the chest rig. I ran the Classic Red with polymer PMAG and metal surplus Polish magazines. My preferred technique with AK reloads is rock-and-lock: using a fully loaded magazine to sweep the AK’s magazine latch to drop the empty magazine, then hooking the forward edge of the loaded magazine into the magazine well and rocking it into the magazine well until it locks. It ran flawlessly on all the ammo. While operating the Classic Red it was evident PSA put time into the action. It operated smoothly, and the safety selector worked positively, too.
The indigenous PSAK-47 Classic Red is an American take on traditional AK-47 design, and it looks as good as it performs. For more information, visit PalmettoStateArmory.com or call 803-724-6950.
Specifications
PSA PSAK-47 Gen2 Classic Red Caliber: 7.62x39mm Action: Semi-automatic, long-stroke gas piston Barrel Length: 16.2 in. Overall Length: 35.25 in. Weight Unloaded: 7.5 lbs. Buttstock: Red polished maple, fixed Length of Pull: 13 in. Handguard: Red polished maple, smooth Grip: Red polished maple, smooth Sights: Sliding tangent notch rear/winged post front; optic side mount Finish: Blued Capacity: 30+1 MSRP: $849
Performance: PSA PSAK-47 Gen II Classic Red
Hornady 123-gr. SST Average Velocity: 2,154 Accuracy: 3.75 in.
Tula Ammo 122-gr. FMJ Average Velocity: 2,336 Accuracy: 4.00 in.
Wolf 122-gr. HP Average Velocity: 2,347 Accuracy: 3.87 in.
This article originally appeared in the May 2016 Issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
SIG pairs its excellent Romeo 1 reflex sight with its dependable P320 in the company’s brand new P320 RX pistol.
For a long time now, SIG Sauer has been known for producing quality, reliable, effective semi-auto pistols, some of which have seen extensive service use among military forces. Lately, the company has been expanding into other avenues of the firearm industry, branching out into ammunition, suppressors, airguns and optics.
One of the advantages of this – aside from the fact that SIG is bringing its quality manufacturing standards to other industry products – is that SIG can now more effectively integrate the new accessories it’s producing with its classic firearms designs. An excellent example that is new for 2016 is the SIG P320 RX, which mates the manufacturer’s impressive P320 pistol with the company’s equally impressive Romeo 1 reflex sight.
The compact, lightweight and durable Romeo 1 is a miniature, open reflex sight that’s perfect for close engagements. On the P320 RX, the Romeo 1 comes already dovetailed into the slide, and the sights on the pistol are tall night sights to allow for co-witnessing with the red dot.
Gun Digest recently caught up with Tim Butler, a SIG Sauer product manager, during the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits to get a firsthand look at the new SIG P320 RX. Watch the video above to learn more about this great new offering from SIG Sauer.
Blackhawk has entered into the suppressor market with an all-new line consisting of seven different models.
Blackhawk has built a respected reputation in the firearms industry as a quality manufacturer of tactical accessories, apparel and holsters. But now the company is set to jump into a whole new category within the industry, one that has been rapidly growing over the course of the past few years: suppressors.
Just ahead of the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits in late May, Blackhawk announced that it was entering the suppressor market with the introduction of its brand new, full line of suppressors. Consisting of seven suppressor models ranging in caliber compatibility from .22 LR all the way up to .338 Lapua Magnum, this line represents an exciting development and a major addition to the company’s already large array of products.
Not a lot of information is known yet about the specifications for each model. However, according to a product sheet, the new suppressors offer best-in-class noise reduction, feature a lightweight construction providing an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, and incorporate a Turbine end cap to help direct gas downrange away from the shooter.
Pricing on the new suppressors will range from $389.95 to $1,395.99. The suppressors are tentatively slated to be available in late summer of 2016.
Some additional information on each individual model is available below:
Manufacturers continue to produce a host of great new ammo options for shooters. Check out the latest new loads for personal defense, hunting and plinking.
Just when you thought life couldn’t get any better, ammo manufacturers are once again showering us with a plethora of new products. It’s like Christmas in June. If you shoot big game, small game, steel, clays, tin cans or personal threats, there’s something new just for you and your favorite firearms.
Looking for a new personal defense handgun load? It’s your lucky day. How about a lead-free option for rimfires and for AR platform rifles? Yep. If that’s not enough, you’ve got fantastic new options for big game, precision target shooting and even subsonic applications.
The real Christmas may be many months away, but why wait? Besides, when was the last time you gave your favorite guns a gift? Load them up with all the ammo they can eat and then load them up some more. They’ll be as happy as kids on Christmas morning.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2016 Issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
You’ve had to defend yourself and your family. You think the threat is over. Think again. Potentially, this is just the start of your troubles because the wheels of the justice system have begun turning. And if you don’t know the ins and outs of the legal system, this monolithic machine can easily crush you. This is why you need to understand The Law of Self Defense.
Given that you’ve always thought of yourself as one of the “good guys” it can come as a shock to find yourself disarmed, handcuffed, and dumped in the back of a cruiser. Your new title is now “suspect.” Congratulations. That guy you stopped when he tried to take your life? In the eyes of the law he’s the “victim.”
The officers responding to the scene are not there to be your friend and provide solace after a harrowing experience. They are there to determine if what happened was a crime, and find the bad guy.
The people tasked with prosecuting you also don’t know you. Your file is just one of many hundreds that come across their desk. They will not consider what is in your best interest. They will prosecute you if they think your case is vulnerable. Period. That’s their job.
The judge knows nothing of you personally either. If the prosecution successfully indicts (and, as the author Tom Wolfe so famously put it, a decent prosecutor can get a ham sandwich indicted), then expect to go to trial, spend several hundred thousand dollars in the process, and burn through months to years of your life. All the while with a possible murder conviction hanging over your head and your entire future in doubt.
And then there’s the jury. The jurors will know less about your case, even at the trial’s conclusion, than nearly everybody else involved. The process carefully controls what facts are presented to them. There is a great deal of information known to you, and to the lawyers, and the judge, and the general public for that matter, that the jury will never hear before they render a verdict.
Now, all those treacherous legal waters I just described still assume that everyone is fair and impartial. That is not always the case. A “good bust” can get a cop a promotion; a large investigation can make a detective the Chief. Prosecutors routinely use their position to advance to political office, and those that are elected are politicians already. What better way is there to get favorable press coverage, and lots of it, than to take a big case involving violence? So what if the evidence is a bit wishy-washy around the edges? Even the judge, accustomed to dealing only with local matters, may enjoy that sweet, sweet, 15-minutes of national attention more than you find comfortable.
The bottom line is that we shouldn’t prepare ourselves for what the criminal justice system might do if favorably disposed to us. We owe it to ourselves and our families to prepare for the worst.
Over the years, Liberty Ammunition has established a solid reputation for producing quality self defense ammo. This has largely been in the form of the company’s respected Civil Defense ammunition.
However, earlier this year during the 2016 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Liberty Ammunition unveiled its very first hunting round – a .308 Winchester in the manufacturer’s Animal Instinct line, also brand new. Now this exciting new round is beginning to ship out from the factory.
The Animal Instinct .308 Win. uses a lighter-than-normal, 100-grain lead-free, copper, monolithic fragmenting hollow point bullet and has been touted as one of the fastest .308 Win. loads on the market at 3,500 feet per second (fps) at the muzzle. And with a muzzle energy of 2,700 ft-lbs., it’s also plenty potent to bring down tough big game animals.
“Speed kills, and our .308 round will stop your quarry in its tracks,” said Matt Phillips, VP of sales and marketing for Liberty Ammunition. “You’ll love the match grade accuracy, and your shoulder will thank you for the lower recoil. The Animal Instinct line is going to be the most lethal hunting round on the market, with the additional benefit of light recoil and match grade accuracy.”
The .308 Win. is, and has been one of the most popular sporting rounds for short-action rifles ever since its introduction in 1952, and fans of this great cartridge should be excited to see it pushing a 100-grain bullet to such velocities.
The new Animal Instinct .308 Win. from Liberty Ammunition will be available in a box of 20 for $51.99. Full specifications for this new round can be found below.
Product Number: LA-HA-C-308-045 Description: Copper Monolithic, Fragmenting Hollow Point, Lead Free Hunting Round Weight: 100 gr. Velocity: 3,500 FPS Kinetic Energy: >2,700 FPE Accuracy: 1 MOA @ 500 yds. Terminal Effect: >5″ W x 16″ D Rounds: 20 per box MSRP: $51.99
The sport of 3-Gun requires a lot from its competitors. Shooters must be well versed in pistol shooting, rifle shooting and shotgun work up close. They also must be able to move and engage targets quickly, and safely, sometimes around obstacles; switch rapidly from one discipline to another; and reload swiftly with all firearms.
The point being, that’s a lot of different actions for any shooter to practice and perform. Sometimes, in the pursuit of improving some of the more advanced skills, shooters can forget to ensure that their fundamentals are still solid.
In the video above, world champion shooter Jerry Miculek discusses some of the basics of action rifle shooting, including how to properly hold the rifle and the importance of a good shooting stance and posture. Watch the video above to learn more from one of competitive shooting’s best.
Burris is a well-know name in the optics market, offering a large and diverse line of quality-built riflescopes with hunting, tactical and long-range scopes well represented. For 2016, the manufacturer is continuing to expand its optics line as well as providing Burris optics users with an all-new online ballistic resource for custom, easy-to-use solutions.
Many optics manufacturers have begun to offer online ballistic tools for customers, so Burris’ new Ballistic Services page represents a wise move on the company’s part. The new resource provides step-by-step navigation that allows the user to put in all relative ballistic information (scope model, height above bore, ammunition and environmental factors) to generate a precise solution.
Gun Digest caught up with Sky Leighton of Burris Optics during the 2016 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits to get a rundown on a couple new and updated riflescopes and to learn more about the new Burris Ballistic Services tool. Check out the video to see the new products, and visit the Burris website to find out more.
Get the most recent advances in guns and gear to extend your range for hunting, informal target shooting, and formal competition. Discover new tools for long-range shooters both in the field and on the firing range, with coverage of new developments from advances in military applied combat theory. Learn more
CMMG is now offering a .458 SOCOM AR with its new, appropriately named MkW ANVIL.
For as long as the AR-15 platform has been around, 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington has been the most popular and widespread chambering for AR-style rifles. However, research and experimentation over the years has led to some other fantastic cartrides designed to be fired through the AR, and gun makers have followed suit by introducing complete rifles, as well as uppers and lowers to accommodate these other rounds.
One prominent AR manufacturer offering rifles chambered in a variety of calibers is CMMG, a Missouri-based company that first opened its doors in 2002. The gun maker has announced today that is adding to its already-diverse stable of products with a new rifle chambered in the potent .458 SOCOM, which was originally designed and developed to meet the needs of Special Forces operators who wanted a cartridge that would offer more power, fit in an M4 Carbine platform with a proper barrel, fit in standard 5.56 NATO magazines and be capable of firing at subsonic velocities for suppressed use.
The new MkW ANVIL, as it’s being called, is a mid-size AR platform that has been comprehensively engineered to more easily handle large casing diameters such as the .458 SOCOM. One of the central features of this new rifle is CMMG’s unique POWERBOLT design, which permits the rifle to utilize a larger, modified AR-10 size bolt for improved durability and ruggedness. Typically, to allow for proper functioning in an AR-15 with a large-diameter casing, material would have to be milled out of a standard-sized AR-15 bolt, resulting in a thinner and more fragile bolt face.
For similar durability reasons, the new CMMG MkW ANVIL is also built on an AR-10 frame. However, the frame is shortened by 3/4 inch to minimize weight and increase ergonomics, and the magwell on the lower receiver is designed to accept standard AR-15 magazines. This all allows the rifle to use the hardier AR-10 size bolt face with big-bore calibers such as the .458 SOCOM.
“Our experiences with .458 SOCOM have been extremely positive in terms of accuracy and lethality on large sized game. With the new MkW ANVIL, we’re offering our customers a rifle that’s been engineered to maximize the performance of this exciting caliber,” said Chris Reinkemeyer, CEO of CMMG.
The new rifle comes equipped with a carbine-length gas system with an SLR Rifleworks Sentry 7 adjustable gas block, which uses click adjustments to meter the flow of gas. This helps users more effectively operate the gun with different .458 SOCOM ammo, which can vary from lighter, supersonic loads in the 140- to 400-grain weight range at 1,600 to 3,000 feet per second (fps) to heavier, subsonic loads in the 500- to 600-grain range at 980 to 1,300 fps. The lighter, faster loads are quite accurate out to 150-200 yards and can be used for big game hunting, while the heavier, slower loads are ideal for use with suppressors.
Mounting options also abound on the MkW ANVIL. A full-length Picatinny rail runs along the top for optics and sights, while CMMG’s lightweight RKM15 KeyMod handguard offers KeyMod slots in the 3,6 and 9 o’clock positions. CMMG also has five-slot accessory rails available for accessories that aren’t KeyMod compatible.
Each rifle ships with one modified Lancer L5 magazine optimized for use with the .458 SOCOM cartridge, and additional magazines can be purchased from CMMG. The new MkW ANVIL is available in three different configurations and ranges in price from $1,849.95 to $2,149.95.
For more information on CMMG’s MkW ANVIL in .458 SOCOM, check out the specifications for each model below, or visit the CMMG website.
CMMG MkW ANVIL T Caliber: .458 SOCOM Barrel: 16.1″, 1:14 Twist, Medium Taper, 416SS, SBN Muzzle: CMMG SV muzzle brake, Threaded 5/8-32 Handguard: CMMG RKM15 KeyMod Upper Receiver: Billet 7075-T6 AL Mid-Size Lower Receiver: Billet 7075-T6 AL Mid-Size Trigger: Single-Stage Mil-Spec Style Trigger Furniture: Mil Spec Grip and Butt Stock Weight: 7.5 lbs. (Unloaded) Length: 33.5″ (Stock Collapsed) MSRP: $1,849.95
While I was hunting elk in the Madison Range of Montana last October, a brief snow storm rushed over the mountains and dropped about an inch of fresh powder. The sudden burst limited visibility and made crossing the boulders on the base of the mountain a slippery challenge, so my hunting partner and I sat out the storm under a clump of trees overlooking a river valley. When the brief storm ebbed and the first streaks of sunlight filtered through the firs and pines of the Madison Forest, we started down into the valley below to pick up the trail of the elk herd. That’s when we came upon the grizzly tracks.
The prints were unmistakably large, round and very fresh. The bear had crossed the trail no more than 10 minutes before we arrived. Being a born and bred Midwesterner, I was caught totally unawares; no one had mentioned the word “grizzly,” and this late in the season I imagined all the bears would be in dens. The crisp prints on the fresh snow were a clear indicator that I was wrong.
Every close encounter I’ve had with grizzlies has been a hackle-raising experience similar to that one. In Alberta in 2014, I had to abandon a productive black bear bait because a large male grizzly decided to claim the food for himself. While hiking the Russian River in Alaska in 2012, two terrified tourists broke out of the timber ahead of me in a hurry to get back to their rental car because they’d stumbled upon a pair of grizzly cubs at the water’s edge and knew the sow was close by. Thankfully, though, that’s been the extent of my encounters with bears, and even though they were a bit frightening at the time, each of those experiences has made my time in the wilderness richer. Still, if that unlikely moment arrives when I must defend myself from North America’s greatest land predator, I fully understand that my only hope of survival might be resting in my holster or on my shoulder.
The shotguns, rifles and handguns listed here come recommended by people who live alongside bears, from fishing and hunting guides to scientists, hikers and helicopter pilots. Before you head into grizzly country, it’s essential to be prepared; having the right defensive firearm should be a top priority.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the April 2016 Issue of Gun Digest the Magazine
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 of the best concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
Whether during a training course or just in casual conversations with others, most shooters have probably heard some version of the phrase: “Train like you’d fight.” Shooters who plan on carrying every day or defending themselves from threats at home should train for the situations they might encounter in the real world, and they should do so with the actual equipment they plan on using in those situations. A full-size 1911 is a great gun to shoot, but if you carry a compact, polymer framed pistol or a pocket .380, then you need to train and become proficient with that firearm.
Understanding Ballistics
