Browning’s ProSteel Pistol Vaults appear to be more rugged options in quick-access handgun safes.
Browning is perhaps best known, historically, for its firearms. From rifles to shotguns to pistols, the Utah-based company has become the choice of many shooters.
In more recent times, however, Browning has also become pretty adept at producing another product — gun safes. The company has more than made a name for itself with its high-end firearms storage options.
For the most part, Browning has focused on larger safes, designed to hold a slew of firearms — no matter their shape and size. But recently, the company has endeavored to tackle a more petite form of storage.
Browning has added handgun storage options to its catalog with the release of the ProSteel Pistol Vaults. And while the new 500 and 1000 models have some familiar features, they do break from many other handgun safes on the market in marked ways.
Perhaps the most notable departure Browning has taken from its competition is the ProSteel Pistol Vaults' construction. With the body of the vaults constructed of 10-gauge steel (.1406-inches U.S.G.), they are design to take a licking.
The heavy-duty steel composition also endows the vaults with another desirable attribute — heft. The ProSteel 500 weights in at 21 pounds and the 1000 at 25, which would seem to give the vaults fairly solid footing, no matter where they’re planted.
This is a feature sometimes overlooked, but can be an important advantage for a quick-access safe. The weight means the vaults aren’t going anywhere when a pistol is retrieved, even if the situation has blunted fine motor skills.
In addition to resilient construction, Browning’s ProSteel Pistol Vaults features other handy aspects, such as spring-loaded lids and LED lighting.
The ProSteel Pistol Vaults’ main access point is a programmable four-button touch pad that runs off eight AA batteries. But the safe has a slew of redundancies that should help soothe the nerves of those skeptical of electric entry systems.
First and foremost, the both models of the vault come with a unique four-sided key that gives access to them anytime. On top of that the vaults have external electrical contacts that in a pinch can quickly power up the keypad with a nine-volt battery.
While these are some of the more notable features, the ProSteel Pistol Vaults have a number of other assets, including: ½-inch diameter locking bolts, internal LED lighting and spring-loaded lids.
The 1000 model is 7.5-inches high, 14.5-inches wide and 11-inches deep. The 500 has the same width and depth as the larger model, but has a slightly lower profile at 4.5-inches high.
The MSRP on the 1000 is $219, while the 500 is presently priced at $199.
Given how much you use it, figuring out your dominant hand is a no-brainer. But deducing your dominant eye can be a bit less intuitive.
Since almost all of us use our eyes in concert, the lines are blurred as to which one we favor. But determining which eye is dominant is extremely important, especially when it comes to pistol marksmanship.
Thankfully, figuring out which eye is in charge is a fairly simple task, one that Chris Cheng breaks down in the above video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The Top Shot champion, however, doesn’t stop with a system to help determine your dominant eye. He also gives some solid strategies in how to put this newfound knowledge to good use.
Perhaps the most beneficial information Cheng goes over concerns those that are cross dominant, such a left-hander who has a dominate right eye. But the whole thing is worth a watch no matter which eye you aim with, given the concept is among the bedrock of shooting.
The M1911A1 could be sold through the Civilian Marksmanship Program, if everything goes smoothly. Photo Wiki Commons.
An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act has the potential to send military arms aficionados into the stratosphere. That is because it could make one of the U.S. Army’s most venerated side arms available to the civilian market.
An add-on to the NDAA by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, would transfer the remaining stock of the U.S. Army's M1911A1 pistols to the Civilian Marksmanship Program to sell. And as a positive step in that direction, the legislation has move from the House Arms Service Committee and is due for debate on the house floor this month.
“As a gun owner and strong believer in the Second Amendment, my proposal is a common-sense approach to eliminating an unnecessary cost to the Federal government while allowing the very capable CMP to handle the sale of these vintage firearms that otherwise would just sit in storage. This amendment is a win – win for the taxpayer. I was pleased the amendment passed the committee and appreciate the support my colleagues on this proposal,” Rogers said in a press release.
There were no hard numbers on how many pistols would become available through the CMP. However, a press release by Rep. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma, discussing the potential cost savings to the Federal Government in selling the .45 ACP handguns gives a rough estimate that it is somewhere around 100,000.
“… [A]t a cost of roughly $2.00 per pistol per year to store these weapons, we were spending $200,000 a year in perpetuity. This sensible change will save the taxpayers millions over the years to come, as well as aid a great organization that serves the public,” he said in the release.
If passed into law, Rogers' amendment would authorize the CMP to sell any surplus military firearms. Presently the Federally chartered non-profit corporation is limited to selling .30 caliber and .22 rimfire rifles.
While the move is a positive for gun collectors, it could take some time to own a surplus 1911. Mark Johnson, CMP COO, estimated in an article on AL.com it will be two years before the non-profit receives any of the pistols, that is if the bill passes.
The historic pistols would be an intriguing addition to the CMP's catalog, but there are still hurdles that need to be crossed. In recent years, the non-profit has had difficulty just procuring its bread-and-butter stock. President Obama’s administration has continually blocked the importation of Korean-war era M1 Garands and M1 Carbines from South Korea.
The M1911A1 is a slightly modified version of John M. Browning original M1911 and came into being in the 1920s. The variation served until replaced in 1985 by the Beretta M9. Though, the .45 ACP pistol has found its way back to the battlefield in recent years.
According to Rogers’ press release, some 8,300 M1911A1s have been sold from the stock to law enforcement or transferred to foreign countries.
It is no surprise Rogers saw the opportunity to expand their sales though the CMP, given the southern base of its operations is in his district. And as it is with the CMP’s available rifle stock, shooters would have to complete a number of steps to purchase an M1911A1:
Proof of U.S. citizenship
Be an affiliated club member of the CMP
Participate in a marksmanship activity approved by the CMP
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Glock, a company known for closely guarding its operations in secrecy, for the first time opened its Smyrna, Ga., facility to select media for a factory tour. It was a whirlwind experience providing a rare view of Glock and Gun Digest was there. Glock Photos
We went behind the scenes at Glock’s new Smyrna, Ga., plant to see how one of the world’s most dependable handgun manufacturers gets it done.
From the outside, one might think keeping things running smoothly at Glock, Inc., is pretty simple. After all, it’s a single brand with a well-defined manufacturing process that follows a common design across its many models. However, the management of that brand across two continents and multiple markets has the potential to make things a bit complicated.
That sums up the challenge for the employees at Glock. Replicating the exact processes from Austria in the company’s Smyrna, Ga., manufacturing plant would seem like a daunting task, but the vision, philosophies and expectations of Gaston Glock himself drive success at a somewhat mind-numbing level of detail that has to be seen in order to be believed. The end result, regardless of what the Internet “experts” say about the differences between Austrian- and U.S.-made, is that a G19 is a G19. Period.
This past March, I joined several other media members for an exclusive first look inside the manufacturing operations at Glock’s Smyrna plant. This was a “golden ticket” visit for sure, and it was exciting to be one of the first outsiders to get a chance to understand what makes a Glock a Glock. The visit tied in with the top secret introduction of the new single-stack 9mm G43, and our group of six was among the first from the public to enjoy the chance to send lead downrange with the compact model.
The company serves four separate markets with firearms that roll out of Smyrna: U.S. commercial, U.S. law enforcement, U.S. government and export. Frames, slides and barrels are all manufactured in the U.S. using the exact same processes that are used in Austria. Small parts, including magazines, all come from Austria.
Inside the factory, Dr. Michael Jacquorie, senior executive vice president, walked us through the plant’s major manufacturing processes. For the barrels and slides, there is tool pre-setting, milling, forging and turning, and surface treating, while a polymer process accounts for the frames and boxes.
Glock has insulated itself from material shortages and quality issues by “insourcing rather than outsourcing,” Jacquorie explained. Pointing to a rack of tools with labels such as “milling cutter,” “end mill,” “slot mill” and dozens of others, he emphasized that Glock “makes all of our own tools in Austria. We have no reliance on outside vendors. It guarantees quality, a perfect match every time.”
Glock further guards against supply chain interruptions by using two vendors for its steel and two more for its polymer supply.
“We are market-driven, not shareholder-driven,” Glock’s Jacquorie emphasized. “We keep six to nine months of stock on hand. That’s on top of our regular forecast.”
While the details of our tour were an exercise in sensory overload as Jacquorie whisked us from one machine to the next, the biggest takeaway was that so much of Glock-Austria and Glock-U.S. is interchangeable. From the layout of the machines on the factory floor to the duties of the workers, the process is designed so that an Austrian could come to the U.S., or vice versa, and be up and running at his specific task immediately.
Simple Genius of Glock
Josh Dorsey, Glock’s vice president, calls this the “simple genius” of Glock manufacturing.
“In the operational side of the house, there are two major reasons why Glock is so successful,” Dorsey said. “One is the simplistic design with 34 parts. That’s versus the 200-some parts in a 1911. The more parts you have the more parts can go wrong.
“The second part of the genius is the control of the mass production of the product. The chain of custody of the parts is very transparent, and people are held accountable up and down the chain for the work they do. That control is the secret to how we can mass produce with a high degree of certainty and can replicate the part, which gives us the interchangeability between the guns.”
Everything that happens inside the walls of any Glock production location is driven by what Dorsey refers to as the company’s ethos, or character.
“Mr. Glock’s challenge to us each and every day is to personify perfection,” Dorsey said. “Our focus is on those who go in harm’s way. We understand the seriousness of what it is we do here and why the products we produce need to be used, and how important it is for those who go in harm’s way that the firearm, regardless of what environment you’re in, will function when it’s time to use it.”
“We focus on the military and law enforcement because of the environments they’re in,” Dorsey continued. “If the firearm functions as it’s supposed to in those environments, it will function in the commercial environment. Ask anyone who carries one as a professional why they rely on Glock. It’s because they understand that this can be a very unforgiving business.
“Your ability to react, to succeed and to survive in a bad situation basically comes down to one word: confidence. Confidence in yourself. Confidence in each other. Confidence in your training. Confidence in your equipment.”
Along every step of the manufacturing process, 20 percent of personnel are solely dedicated to quality assurance. Further, each new model endures 40,000 rounds of punishment before it goes into production.
“We’ve got the reliability part down,” Dorsey said as the tour wound to an end. “That’s what drives the confidence. If we stay focused on those things while maintaining our ability to evolve with the market, Glock will continue to be successful.”
This article appeared in the May 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Seeking artificially high levels of precision, beyond what the target requires, during an incident is counterproductive to efficient defensive shooting. Working to simply become a better shooter, in other words spending time learning to deliver artificially high levels of precision, may not be the best way to train to survive violent encounters.
There isn’t a single level of precision appropriate to all encounters. Your need for accuracy (actually hitting the target area) doesn’t change, but the recognized precision (which tells you how carefully you need to shoot) certainly does.
Your highest efficiency in training is attained by focusing your efforts on being able to deliver appropriate levels of precision – no more, no less – on demand, as quickly as you can, without cognitive thought as to the application of your skill. The recognition of the precision needed should trigger a recall of the skills necessary to achieve it.
Allowing yourself to shoot the same target over and over, focusing only on speed, is not practicing realistically. You have nothing to recognize (or, more precisely, nothing to practice recognizing) because the precision needed has been statically and arbitrarily predetermined. Your drills become a choreographed and overly mechanical test of muscle control, and you end up focusing on the anticipation of the shot as opposed to the recognition of the need to shoot.
In order to build the recognition and associative recall ability that makes for expertise, you must reduce anticipation by including options in your drills. Those options must be presented randomly, forcing the you to recognize the precision needed and then recall the necessary skills to make accurate shots inside of that area.
It’s the association of the recognition and the recalled skill that forms the links necessary for this highly efficient decision making to happen. That can’t occur unless for any given drill there is more than one option, and it’s presented randomly.
Any attempt to define a “good defensive shooting group,” regardless of what the definition may be, dooms the process to failure because there is no recognition for you to have.
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Morphy Auction holds four large firearms auctions a year, with 80 percent of the offerings in the form of firearms, the remainder in ammunition, accessories and knives. Nearly all Morphy firearms are collectible pieces rather than current production items.
Morphy’s firearms expert, Dan Bushing, says that no matter the time period, collectible firearms in average condition just are not moving that well—and prices are low when they do sell.
“There’s no shortage of these brown and grey firearms on the market,” Bushing notes. “At our last auction, we had all sorts of Winchester 94s in that condition, good, shootable lever actions, and over 100 years old. They averaged between $800 and $1,200 per rifle. Then we had one Winchester 94 with 98 percent or better of its original finish and in fine condition—$3,500!”
If you have a collectible firearm in the original box, you may have hit the lottery, he adds. At their January 2015 auction, Morphy offered 10 Winchester Model 63 semi-automatic rifles for sale, all in extremely good condition. They sold, on average, for $800 apiece.
“Then we had one Model 63, same condition as the others, but in the original box,” Bushing says, “that sold for $3,600. So that original cardboard box, in effect, brought in three times what the rifle did!”
On the slower end of collectibles, he finds, are Civil War-era firearms. Bushing says many of the older Civil War collectors have retired or passed away, and the younger collectors just don’t seem to have the interest in firearms from this period like the “old guard.”
Editor's Note: This brief originally appeared in the March 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
It’s a matter of being human that we all mess up from time to time. After all, you can’t break every clay or put every round into the 10 ring. However, when it comes to firearms and screw ups there seems to be one group that goes out of its way to step in it again and again — the news media.
Even the lightest lifting when it comes to proper firearms terminology or knowledge makes their knees buckle. In turn, their audience is left with a palm full of face, lungs full of sighs, and a burning sensation at the base of the skull induced by the derp.
Oh yes, the world of journalism is rife with examples of its practitioners butchering the basics of firearms that gallons of digital ink could be spilled over. Here are four that caught our eyes — then made us want to gouge them out.
Nesting Behavior
Sniper Rifle?
Fox 32’s alerted the good folks of Chicago of a potentially deadly situation with this well measured and thoughtful headline: Snipers Nest discovered near Kennedy-King College. They go on to describe the marksman’s potential perch of death:
Officials say they found a high-powered semi-automatic weapon about a block from the campus of Kennedy King college, near 64th and Lowe last Thursday. Officers say the nest was found on top of a garage across from a soccer field on campus.
Wow a snipers nest, with a high-powered semi-automatic weapon in it! What was the weapon? It had to be an M110 right? Ooh, ooh, was it a Vietnam era M21? So Fox 32, what exactly was the long-range implement of doom?:
At the scene, officers recovered a fully loaded Mac-10.
Ah yes, the Mac 10 — wasn’t that Chris Kyle’s weapons system of choice when part of the Navy SEALs? The pure carnival barking of this headline, however, ends up being worth it, if for no other reason it elicits an all-star comment:
Well done sir! Well done!
Unable to Get the Point
This next example comes from the New York Times and not only draws into question its journalists’ grasp of firearms. It also makes one wonder how good they are using this new-fangled invention called the Internet.
Really, for a firearms novice, it would not have taken an inordinate amount of time to have discovered the proper use of a decimal point in regards to caliber and gauge notation. Case in point:
A picture caption on Thursday for a special report about Americans’ relationship with guns referred incorrectly to the gun that an 8-year-old boy used to kill his first turkey. It was a 20-gauge shotgun, not a .20-gauge.
Try throwing .20-gauge into a search engine and see how many false positives turn up. Dang near zero, well outside of maybe a Times' article. It gets worse when these scribes grapple with metric calibers and decimal points:
A photo caption for an article on June 9 about innovations in the design of bullets misstated the caliber of the Speer Gold Dot hollow-point round. It is 9 millimeter, not .9 millimeter.
There are four articles documented in the blog of the misuse of decimal points in caliber identification, along with one admission the times identified a shotgun as a rifle. In surveying these mistakes the blog's author does have a moment of clarity as to the gravity of these mistakes:
In one sense, it’s a tiny lapse — an unnecessary decimal point. But it’s the type of error that might leave some skeptical readers wondering whether we know what we’re talking about on this subject.
I don't know about it being a tiny lapse, given it's dang near akin to a sports reporter talking about basketball bats or football diamonds. But he hit the nail on the head regarding one point, readers wondering if the Times has any idea what they're talking about.
Calling Shotgun
Why do I get the feeling the word “perky” appears more than “research” in Chicago NBC 5 News’ job descriptions? Call it a hunch:
To be fair, there are handguns designed to fire shotshells. But color me skeptical this newsreader had the Taurus Judge or Smith & Wesson Governor in mind in referring to a shotgun in the report. Of course, as was correctly reported in other outlets, the Uber driver had a concealed handgun he used to put a halt to this potentially deadly situation earlier this year.
Plug Ugly Reporting
Finally perhaps the most famous firearms media flub of recent times emanated from that beacon of enlightenment the Huffington Post. Submitted without comment (just a chuckle):
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When preparing for hunting season, it’s important to practice field shooting positions that replicate real-world scenarios.
Most North American big game hunting doesn’t afford you the opportunity to use a bench rest or even shoot from the prone position, so it’s critical that you become proficient at shooting from the standing, kneeling and sitting positions.
When performed correctly, the sitting position can be one of the more comfortable and easy to master in the field.
First, cross your feet and bend your legs, lowering yourself steadily to the ground. As you do so, place your right hand on the ground while keeping the rifle in your left as you come to a seated position.
If you’re physically able, crossing your legs at the ankle provides additional support; if you lack the flexibility to do so, you can adapt a position with your feet spread on the ground in front of you.
Leaning forward, place the backs of your arms against the front of your shins to create a natural sandbag-like rest with your body.
Avoid the common mistake of placing your elbows on the tops of your knees, since the bone-on-bone contact makes for an unstable shooting platform.
Since big game hunting often requires that you use slow, steady movements when approaching game for a shot, it’s important that you’re comfortable getting in and out of your preferred field shooting positions. Like everything else in life, practice makes perfect.
Leatherwood has introduced a new, more powerful model of its trajectory compensation scope — the M1200 ART-XLR.
The Leatherwood M1200 ART-XLR gives shooters a more powerful option in bullet drop compensating scopes. Compared to the M1000, this version has more magnification, among other noteworthy features.
U.S. Military history buffs, particularly those interested in arms, should be familiar with the name James Leatherwood. After all, his creation was at the heart of one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic weapons systems — the M21.
The semi-automatic sniper rifle was a deadly and precise weapon in the right hands, allowing a solider to deliver fast and accurate fire at variable distances. And a sniper was able to get the most out of his modified M14 rifle due to Leatherwood's creation sitting atop its receiver.
For all intents and purposes, the inventor's Automatic Ranging and Trajectory scope took all the heavy lifting out of quickly shooting at different ranges. All the sniper had to do was identify targets, dial in the scope and pull the trigger. From there, the round went where it was suppose to go.
Now, the Leatherwood ART Scope has been updated making it a much more useful tool in an era where long-distance shooting has pushed much further. The new 6-24x50mm 1200 ART-XLR provides more than enough magnification to tackle any conceivable shooting situation.
California-based Hi-Lux Optics has not only beefed up the glass of the scope, but also its calculating components. The ART’s Camputer has been enlarged to be calibrated for a wider range of cartridges and distances. Even with these upgrades, the scope remains as simple to operate as the original.
The 1200 ART's load input is programed beforehand off the bullet's ballistic coefficient and velocity data. Then in the field, the bullet drop is compensated for by simply zooming in until the target fits into range brackets within the reticle. At this point, dropping a bullet in on the bull's eye is simple as squeezing the trigger. Engaging a target at a different distance is a rinse-and-repeat process of zooming and bracketing.
Like all other high-powered optics, the M1200 ART-XLR has fully adjustable windage and elevation controls. The scope is outfitted with large turrets for each and moves the bullet’s impact in ¼-inch increments at 100 yards with each click.
Hi-Lux also helps the scope stay honest with a side focus parallax adjustment. This should be just the ticket in helping maintain a clear and sharp image at longer ranges, as well as reducing the reticle's swim. The scope features an illuminated, etched glass reticle that is available in red or green. And all the ART’s lens are multicoated for optimum light transmission. The MSRP of the M1200 ART-XLR is $649.
Given the advancements made over the years in power and components, you should rely on more contemporary pistol reloading data.
While old reloading data can be useful, you must be careful applying the information to handguns rounds. Advancements in powders and components have made much of this info outdated.
I’ve been known to put into print that old reloading data, and old reloading manuals, should be saved and still used to develop loads. While I stand by that statement, I should have put some qualifiers in there to further explain and avoid any confusion.
In the rifle world, where I do most of my loading, many of the powders and bullets that were used to develop the test data are still with us, unchanged, and where the specifications used for the testing remain constant, it is perfectly fine to use older data. The pistol world is a bit of a different story altogether.
Some pistol bullets that previously had been plated are now jacketed, and the reverse holds true as well. The difference in pressures between the two types of bullets can be huge, and if one is substituted for the other there could be devastating results.
It is imperative that you verify the model number, type and weight of a pistol bullet before trying to use old data, lest tragedy befall. Always, always, always start at the lowest load listed, and slowly (read .1 to .2 grains at a time) work the load up, watching for the signs of excessive pressure along the way.
As a matter of fact, I’d sleep better if all of us who load pistol cartridges were to go out and purchase the latest manual, with data verified on modern pressure machines.
I have it from a reliable source, one gentleman that has worked for a major reloading company for decades, that some of the older manuals contain pistol data that was never even tested in a handgun; the data was produced from theoretical pressure curves and other calculations. This makes the hackles rise on my neck, and scares me to death. In respect to pistols, and especially loading with modern bullets, let’s go with the new data.
The instances I’ve noted before, such as the Sierra Reloading Manual that my dad purchased c.1970, have worked well in my rifle loads. This is primarily because the Sierra bullets of 1970 are virtually unchanged in the last 45 years, with the exception of bullet models that didn’t exist then.
Modern pistol reloading data gives the handloader the peace of mind it was tested on contemporary pressure-measuring machines.
Looking through the old manual, one will find that many powders that were tested no longer exist, Reloder 11 and 21 coming quickly to mind, but there are others. Many of the IMR powders still exist in the same formula that they did in that era, now manufactured by Hodgdon rather than DuPont. When you can be certain of continuity, there is no problem using that rifle data, especially when you follow the mantra of starting at the lowest charge listed and working up slowly.
That same rule applies to the pistol data, but with some more caveats. Nickel plated cases didn’t exist in yesteryear, and there are cases on the market that weren’t even conceived of at that point in time, such as Starline (which I love) and DoubleTap.
One interesting tidbit that I’ve noticed: the older manuals seem to list a higher maximum powder charge for both rifles and pistols than are published today. I’m not sure if that has to do with the influence of legal counsel, or whether some folks refuse to adhere to the “start-at-the-bottom-and-work-up-slowly” rule.
As much as that rule can be a pain in the arse, it keeps your anatomy in it’s current configuration.
Gun Digest has tackled one of the biggest annoyances of gun safes with these handy Gun Safe Lights. This pack of two motion-sensitive lights is just what you need to illuminate your safe or locker. And with an automatic off switch, these lights are absolutely no fuss and no muss.
From cleaning stuff to gun cases and devices to make our guns shoot better, one thing all of these new shooting accessories will do is make your time at the range in 2015 one helluva lot more fun.
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This photo gallery is adapted from the April 30, 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
FNH USA’s M249 is coming to the market fall as the semiautomatic M249S.
Your wait until the fall is just about to get longer, particularly if you have a yen for military hardware.
FNH USA announced this past month it is set to release a semiautomatic variation of one of its most iconic firearms — the M249. The light machine gun has seen action in every American conflict since its adoption by the U.S. Military in the late 1980s.
What has been designated as the M249S will be produced at the Belgian-based company’s South Carolina factory. And for the most part is an exact replica of the battle-harden Squad Automatic Weapon.
The M249S is also an overall push on the part of FNH to cash in on the prowess of its military firearms with the civilian market. The company is introducing the FN 15 Military Collector’s Series this year, as well. This includes semi-auto versions of the manufacturer’s M4 and M16 rifles.
The M249S might not be fully automatic, but still appears to be a handful weighing in at a hefty 17 pounds. But it comes with a slew of goodies that should get military-firearms enthusiasts’ hearts a pumping.
Chief among these are the 200-round box and links that will allow shooters to take full advantage owning a belt-fed firearm. And with a crisp 4.5- to 6-pound trigger pull, it should be a fairly easy to get it to chew through copious amounts of 5.56 NATO ammo.
There appears to be one drawback of this piece of heavy metal, its price tag. It’s been reported that M249S will run north of $7,000. No word on the FN 15 Military Collection’s price point.
Ruger has expanded its selection of Mini-14s with the addition of a .300 Blackout model.
Ruger is introducing its fifth chambering of the Mini-14 with the addition of the .300 Blackout.
There’s just something about the Ruger Mini-14. The design is as rugged as the day is long, and there might not be a more versatile firearm available. Truly, the semi-automatic rifle is a jack-of-all-trades.
Given these attributes, there is little wonder that the iconic firearm, based on the M-14, is drawing near its 50th anniversary. And while it may be a bit long in the tooth, the Ruger Mini-14 is still keeping up with the times.
Most recently, the New Hampshire/Arizona manufacturer has chambered the rifle in a round that is gaining traction in tactical circles — the .300 Blackout. This is the fifth cartridge the design has been adapted to shoot and there is reason to believe it could be highly popular.
For the most part, those who yearn to shoot the .30-caliber intermediate cartridge out of a semiautomatic are pretty much relegated to the AR-15 market. Ruger gives these shooters another solid option with the new Mini-14, particularly those who prefer shooting from a more traditional rifle platform.
With that said, the company is definitely shooting for the black-rifle market with its new addition, given it is being released in the Tactical Rifle variant. This style is a slightly more agile model of the rifle and comes with some odds and ends that helps it take advantage of aftermarket accessories.
This style of the Mini-14 has a shorter 16.1-inch barrel, which should help it move from target to target more quickly. And the barrel is designed to be decked out with one of the top accessories used in conjunction with the round — a suppressor.
The barrel has a 5/8”-24 thread allowing it to be topped off with the noise-reducing device. But if shooters don't want to go the way of a tax stamp, the Mini-14 comes with a birdcage style flash suppressor factory installed.
Those who have suppressors will be pleased to know the Ruger’s new .300 Blackout Mini-14 comes with a threaded barrel.
Another attribute of the new rifle that shows Ruger has turned an eye to quieting down the .300BLK is the barrel's twist rate. At 1:7”, the rate is conducive to shooting heavier bullets, which are common in the subsonic rounds.
Of course, the twist rate is a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul proposition. The faster rate won't be as favorable to lighter rounds.
The new Mini-14 weighs in at a manageable 6.75 pounds with the much of the cost savings coming from its light, glass-reinforced, nylon stock. Other features include: adjustable ghost ring rear sight, receiver-mounted Picatinny rail and integral scope mounts for conventional optics.
The .300 Blackout Mini-14 ships with two 20-round, steel detachable box magazines. The rifle is also outfitted with front and rear sling swivels. Presently the MSRP on the rifle is $1,019.
With 700 tables, 300 booths, thousands of knives and the most respected names in the knife world. It’s the biggest, baddest and best knife show in the world. But don’t take our word for it. See for yourself.
EXHIBITORS Busse, CRKT, Southern Grind…big manufacturing names like these and hundreds of others will be waiting for you at BLADE Show 2015. They’ll bring thousands of quality forged knives with them — bushcraft and survival knives, tantos/Japanese-style knives, tomahawks, kukris and everything in between.
BLADE U When you come to BLADE Show, you won’t just leave with a new knife, you’ll leave with knife know-how! We’re offering the sharpest seminars for collectors and enthusiasts, alike, with informative, exciting BLADE University classes. Find out how to choose the best knife. Learn bladesmithing techniques. Discover knives made from meteorites. Each and every course is designed to give you the most useful knife info possible–and all taught by industry leaders!
BUNDLE AND SAVE We don’t just offer knowledge…we offer value! Choose a 1 or 3 day Bundle package to save big on your BLADE Show ticket and BLADE University classes! Options are:
1-Day Bundle: $50 (includes s 1-Day Ticket + 2 BLADE U Classes*)
3-Day Bundle: $85 (includes a 3-day Ticket + 3 BLADE U Classes*)
*Bundle packages exclude the GRS and ABS class, but those classes can be added during registration.
Plenty of ink is spilled over choosing the right revolver or pistol for concealed carry, the same is not true for home-defense handguns. But there are important design features and attributes that should be taken into consideration when searching for the right gun to defend hearth and home.
Handguns that pull night duty are vastly varied. Most gun owners just use whatever they have or whatever they’re most comfortable shooting. Those are both good reasons to use what you use, but the truth of the matter is, there are characteristics that make some handguns more suitable than others.
Those characteristics can be defined as the attributes that make for an honestly capable combat handgun. Attributes that will help you deal with whatever threats you may face when that bump in the night tells you that it’s time to patrol the home front. Whether you end up facing a single assailant with deadly intent or a civilization-wide state of emergency caused by foreign invasion, you want that one handgun to be the most capable, versatile tool possible.
Full Size Full size is what allows a proper combat-capable handgun to be all it can be. Hand-filling grips aid recoil control and enhance rapid-fire capability. Generous magazine wells (the inside part of the grip that houses the magazine) provide room for high capacity magazines. Longer barrels offer accuracy-enhancing sight radius and aid velocity, which translates into more downrange energy and thus better projectile impact performance. And so on.
Controllable Several things tame recoil, weight and grip design among the most important. Weight is the most effective, but a gun can get cumbersome if it’s too heavy. You want a gun that is light enough to carry. I particularly like polymer-frame high capacity semiautos in the lighter calibers (9mm and .40 S&W), because they provide a good balance of an adequate cartridge that kicks comparatively little, plenty of rounds, and quite light weight. I’m also partial to a good metal-frame .45 ACP—the weight in the metal frame dampens recoil and aids quick follow-up shots—but they are heavier. An alloy-frame .45 ACP is a good compromise for a full-size gun that will be carried a lot.
Reliable In full-size semiautomatic handguns of reasonably good design, it could accurately be said that almost all malfunctions are caused by one of two things: poor ammunition or faulty magazines. Assuming you use correct, high-quality ammunition, consistent malfunctions can usually be remedied simply by discarding the magazine or magazines causing the problem, and replacing them with top-quality mags. (I’m not ignoring revolvers in this section, it’s just that they don’t suffer from bad magazines.) Other, less common causes are neglect, where the owner overlooks the need to clean and/or lubricate his or her firearm. A good, thorough cleaning and oiling works wonders on tired, abused semiautos.
Accurate Contrary to popular opinion, short, compact handguns aren’t necessarily less accurate than their full-size counterparts. Rather, they are simply harder for humans to shoot accurately. Locked in a machine, many compact guns shoot very accurately. Locked in a fist, full-size guns do much better. Why? Two primary reasons. First, a full-size gun fills the hands better, making it easier to hold steady. Second, it has a longer sight radius (the distance between front and rear sights), making it much easier to achieve a consistent sight picture.
Light Rails I used to mentally scoff at the concept of attaching a flashlight to the bottom of my handgun, but I kept my contempt to myself in case that attitude might eventually prove me an idiot. Good thing, too: I’ve grown into the realization that anyone who does not do all he can to have illumination—very, very powerful illumination—available during a potential nighttime encounter with a person of deadly intent is foolish indeed.
Whether it was high-end gunsmithing tips or a visit with master firearms instructor Massad Ayoob, the first season of Modern Shooter on the Sportsman Channel was a wild ride. And viewers get one more shot to enjoy the best of this riveting T.V. show, targeted at the most diehard shooters.
Weapon of Choice: Best of Season 1 takes a look at some of the most memorable times from the show’s high-powered first season. Some of the must-see moments include tours of the Colt and Ruger factories to meeting up with Glock pros and Hollywood icons. And, as always, these stories will be recounted with the eye-catching cinematography, which has become the show’s trademark.
The final episode gives viewers a taste of a show that covered a wide variety of topics in the world of shooting and firearms. Modern Shooter took a backroom look at how gunsmiths ply their trade. It got hot takes on self-defense and shooting from some of the top names in the industry. It even hit the mean streets with a metro police force to observe how they train and utilize their firearms.
The new episode airs 8 p.m. Monday on the Sportsman Channel. The episode airs again 9 a.m. Tuesday and 12 a.m. Sunday. Modern Shooter is produced for shooters who look for the best in firearms programming and is sponsored by the top names in the firearms industry. Those sponsors include Glock, Colt, Ruger and Silencer Shop.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
