The new Streamlight TLR-6 light/laser combo sheds some light on the Glock 42 and 43.
As would be expected, Glock’s recent venture into single-stack pistols has spurred a ton of new accessories.
From holsters to night sights, nearly every conceivable doodad has hit the shelves to outfit the G42 (.380 ACP) and G43 (9mm). And recently, Streamlight has gotten into the action with a device certain to shed some light on the petite pistols.
The Pennsylvania company added a combination weapons light/laser sight tailored for Glock’s new single-stack handguns. The Streamlight TLR-6 appears to offer shooters a solid light source and aiming solution in a package that shouldn’t weight down the compact platforms.
To that end, the light/laser only adds 1.27 ounces to the relatively light pistols and measures in at 2.3 inches long and .85 inches in width. The size is made all the more manageable, given the device attaches to the trigger guard, thus maintaining the pistols’ balance and trimness.
While small, the TLR-6 packs plenty of power.
The device’s C4 LED illuminator kicks out 100 lumens of light and has a beam distance of 292 feet. Streamlight boasts the TLR-6’s parabolic reflector shoots a trim and intense beam of light, while allowing for some peripheral illumination. As far as the device’s sight, it has a 640-660nm red laser, which should prove to be versatile and fit most shooters’ needs.
The TLR-6 can operate its weapons light and laser independently or in unison and is controlled by a button located on either side. The ambidextrous control should allow for ease of use, naturally positioned for an indexed finger.
The Steramlight TLR-6 gives shooter plenty of power and accuracy in a compact package.
The device operates off two CR1/3N lithium batteries, which provide enough juice to power the LED or LED/laser combo for one hour or the laser only for 11. Streamlight has also included a number of other features that make the power source even handier.
The TLR-6 has an automatic shutoff, that powers down the device after 10 minutes. And its batteries can be changed without removing the device. This is especially nice, given this allows a swap without having to resight afterwards.
The sight itself is fully adjustable, with its windage and elevation screws mounted in brass bushing to help maintain the device’s zero. The TLR-6 also boasts a impact-resistant polymer housing, which is rated IPX4 water resistant.
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the TLR-6, however, is its price tag. The American-assemble device won’t break the bank with an MSRP of $175 and comes with Streamlight’s limited lifetime warranty.
Snubbies and handgun accessories are hot commodities in gun shops around the country.
This recent winter, Roger Howe, owner of L&R Arms Exchange, has been selling a large number of handguns for concealed carry customers. But whereas the in-demand handguns in 2014 were .380 semi-autos, now his customers are much more interested in buying “snubbies,” or snub-nosed revolvers. Leading the pack here are Taurus Model 85’s in .38 Special and various Rossi revolvers in .38 Special, as well as .357 Mag.
“Each of those revolvers sells in the mid-$300 to the upper-$300 range,” Howe noted. “That’s $100 to $150 less than most of the Rugers and the Smith & Wessons, and that lower price point seems to be driving sales towards these models.”
With a customer base extremely interested in self-defense and concealed carry, it is no wonder that Center Target Sports in Post Falls, Idaho, sells a steady stream of handgun accessories. Owner Edward Santos says mini red-dot optics for pistols are increasingly popular with his customers, especially the Trijicon RMR at $349.99 and the Burris Fast Fire priced a little less at $269.99. His top aftermarket handgun sights are models made by AmeriGlo and TruGlo. For laser sights, “Crimson Trace models are still number one in this store,” Santos said. “We do carry other makes. But they are no competition to Crimson Trace.”
Center Target could not keep the 9mm Beretta Nano in stock when the small carry pistol first came out.
“But those sales have dropped way off,” Santos said. “They pretty much had that market at first, but today I think there’s just too much competition in this style and size of gun for the Nano to dominate.”
Now, the demand in this segment of the concealed carry market has shifted to the Glock 42 and Sig P238, while Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolvers are doing very well here, too.
When it comes to 1 pound carry pistols, it doesn’t get much sweeter than the Glock 43.
Why the single-stack Glock 43 was necessary:
Provides a slimmer concealed carry option.
Large enough to remain highly manageable.
Enough grip to engage entire hand.
Offers caliber upgrade on the single-stack Glock 42.
Strong law enforcement appeal as a backup gun.
Back in 2015, we broke the news about Glock’s long-awaited single-stack 9mm, the G43. At the time, those observations were limited to my experiences and those of a handful of writers who got to preview the gun at Glock’s Smyrna, Ga., training facility. Now that we’ve had a bit more time to learn about the Glock 43, it’s time to round out the story.
The first and most obvious question from a practical standpoint is why a single-stack 9mm from Glock is even necessary. After all, one major draw for Glock fans is the double-stack magazine with its higher ammo capacity. Doesn’t the Glock 43 (6+1 capacity) run counter to the very thing Glock is known for? Not surprisingly, Josh Dorsey, vice president at Glock, Inc., thinks not, and offered a compelling defense for the Glock 43.
“With the G43, I believe we’ve hit the ‘sweet spot,’” Dorsey said. “It’s small, but not so small that you can’t handle it. Its design means not a lot of recoil is transferred to the shooter. We’ve replicated the trigger pull of the larger Glock models, and it’s got that familiar Glock balance that so many shooters favor.”
Expanding on Dorsey’s “sweet spot” analogy, the G43 fits right in between the Glock 26 and the Glock 42. Compared to the G26, it’s .2 inches narrower at the grip and 6 ounces lighter. The G43 specifications are more in line with the Glock 42: the Glock 43 is just a couple of ounces heavier and a fraction of an inch wider. The big difference, of course, is that the sweet-shooting G42 is chambered in .380. For consumers and law enforcement professionals who rely on the 9mm as their go-to caliber and main carry gun, the G43 is great news indeed.
The new Glock G43, left, shown with the Glock G42 in .380, released a year ago. Both models are slender as can be.
“The bulk of our G42 sales have been commercial sales in the U.S., with some sales to law enforcement as a backup gun,” Dorsey went on to explain. “The G43 will have strong crossover to the L.E. market as a backup gun because it replicates their duty round, and we anticipate a larger demand from L.E. because of that.”
The advantages of replication don’t stop with the L.E. market. Anyone who carries a 9mm and wants a trustworthy yet compact backup will find the G43 worth consideration. In true Glock fashion, the G43 I tested digested a variety of ammo without a hiccup.
In addition to the random range ammo I fired in a prototype G43 in early March, I’ve since pounded through nearly 300 rounds of Winchester “white box” 124-grain FMJs, followed by a couple mags each of self-defense ammo: Hornady Critical Defense 115-grain Flex Tip; Hornady Critical Duty 135-grain FlexLock; Hornady Custom 147-grain XTP JHP; and both the T (FMJ) and D (JHP) versions of Winchester’s 147-grain Train & Defend loads. So far the Glock G43 has functioned without fail during two different outings and with no cleanings.
The G43 is extremely manageable with all of the loads mentioned above. I purposely didn’t run any +P through it because I was more interested in seeing if it was enjoyable enough to shoot during extended, meaningful range sessions—the kind of practice that really counts. Shooting the Glock 43 isn’t as drastically different from shooting the G26 as I thought it would be. Yes, there’s less surface area to wrap the paws around, but I liked the familiarity of the high grip, the similar distance to the trigger and the distinct Glock trigger pull to which I’m accustomed.
The Glock 43 has more snap to it than the Glock 26, but with less weight to suck up the recoil, that’s not surprising. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t have any issues crushing off 100 or more rounds in a practice session, and that’s a compliment I haven’t bestowed on any other sub-1-pound carry gun.
Glock 43 Specs
Caliber: 9mm Barrel Length: 3.41 inch Weight: 20.64 ounces (loaded) Magazine Capacity: 6 Overall Length: 6.26 inch Slide Length: 6.06 inch Overall Width: 1.06 inch Slide Width: .87 Height Including Mag.: 4.25 inch Sight Radius: 5.24 inch (Polymer), 5.20 inch (Steel), 5.16 inch (GNS) Trigger Distance: 2.56 inch
Roland Gleixner — Hermann Historica oHG, Munich, Germany
The German auction house Hermann Historica has seen steadily increasing demand for Walther and Mauser pistols made between 1930 and 1945, noted the establishment’s firearm expert, Roland Gleixner.
Top bids are going for any of these World War II firearms made for the German Wehrmacht, “and other state institutions with the corresponding military, police, navy, air force, NSDAP and protection squad markings,” said Gleixner.
At a recent auction, for example, a Walther PPK ZM in 7.65mm, of the type given to political leaders, complete with the original holster and produced in 1937, sold for 9,600 Euros, far above the minimum estimated pre-auction price of 5,500 Euros (1 Euro equals $1.13 U.S.).
Even more impressive, a Walther PP ZM owned by Col. Walter Oesau of the German Luftwaffe, and manufactured in 1940, sold for 32,000 Euros. Oesau, Head of Fighter Command Bretagne, was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, flew 300 missions and was killed during his last mission in April 1944.
For 20th-century military rifles, Gleixner notes the K98 Mauser carbine is in greatest demand at his auctions, with top prices paid to those examples with German military and other German state institution markings. German military semi-automatic rifles of all kinds also sell very well, including the G 41(M), G 41(W), G 43 and K 43.
There’s also a strong market for deactivated World War II machine guns. Offered recently were an MG 42 on field carriage, chambered in 8x57mm and produced in 1943, and an original MG 42 with original bipod, also in 8x57mm. Each of these non-functioning relics of the war years brought in 5,800 Euros.
This brief originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Author has done multiple “cocked revolver/hair trigger” cases, in some of which the allegation was false. He recommends defensive revolvers be rendered double action only.
Massad Ayoob on why to avoid the so-called “hair trigger” in concealed carry.
The Glock New York trigger costs just $2 and installs in just minutes. It increases trigger pull weight and changes the pull force orientation to give a double action revolver feel.
In three and a half decades as an expert witness in weapons and shooting cases, I’ve run across three arguments from the other side which, even though sometimes bogus, are so tough to defeat that it’s better not to have to fight them at all. This goes down hard with the naïve folks who believe “a good shoot is a good shoot,” which is somewhat akin to the belief that every Christmas a fat guy in a red suit is going to come down a chimney and give them presents, too.
First and foremost among these is what a layman would call a “hair trigger,” that is, a trigger pull lighter than what the gun’s manufacturer recommends for a defensive firearm.
It is within the common knowledge that good people forced to fight criminals with guns are likely to be nervous and shaky. We’ve known for well over a century that in the grip of “fight or flight response,” blood flow is directed away from the extremities and into major muscle groups and internal viscera, to “fuel the furnace” for the strenuous effort primal brain believes is about to take place. It’s called vasoconstriction. It’s the reason why frightened Caucasians turn visibly pale, and it’s one reason we all become extremely clumsy under stress. Mixing that with a “hair trigger” is like mixing fire with gasoline.
What, exactly, is a “hair trigger”? It depends on the gun design, just as the question “what is a safe adjustment of brakes” depends on the specific vehicle. The manufacturer’s specification for trigger pull weight on that particular firearm, and the “common custom and practice” for adjusting such guns, constitute the standards.
Despite the heavy trigger pull on this Glock, accuracy was still excellent at 7 paces.
In the timelessly popular 1911 pistol, the Colt company, which has manufactured more of those guns than any other company, tells its armorers that 4.0 pounds is the red-line bottom limit of pull weight for a duty gun used for police, military, or civilian defense purposes. The National Rifle Association requires a 4.0 pound minimum trigger pull on 1911s used in their Distinguished matches, and enforces it with referees equipped with trigger pull weight measurement devices. Do we see a pattern here?
The most popular pistol in the USA today is the Glock. Since its introduction in this country in the early 1980s, this pistol – issued or approved by over 60% of America’s police at this writing – had a 5.5 pound standard trigger pull. Some departments have gone heavier: Miami and some others went with an 8.0-pound trigger connector.
The New York State Police demanded what is now known as the NY-1 trigger, which gives firm resistance from the beginning of the trigger press and brings total pull weight up to around 8 pounds. NYPD demanded more: first called the New York Plus and now known as the NY-2 module, the trigger system in their Glocks approaches 12 pounds, which for this writer passes the point of diminishing returns. The reason, in all cases, was safety against accidental discharges; with thousands of cops using guns under stress, the firearms instructors on those departments wanted a greater safety buffer.
In the late 1980s, Glock came out with a target model sporting a 3.5-pound connector; weighed from the bottom tip of the trigger, that was the pull weight, and leverage being what it is, it ran about 4.5 pounds from the center of the pivoting trigger; they later renamed the exact same part the 4.5-pound connector. However, from the beginning of all that, it was adamant Glock policy that this trigger pull weight not be used in a duty or defense gun.
Tip: Join the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network and get a FREE download. Click Here to see the benefits!
Their models with this light trigger, then and now, are listed in their catalogs and websites under “sport,” not “duty” or “self-defense” pistols. Target models ordered by police departments are, by policy, shipped with 5.5-pound or heavier trigger pulls.
Would installing a lighter trigger in a duty Glock be a problem? Look up the case of Santibanes v. Tomball, TX and see for yourself. The short answer is, “Yes.”
Before the Glock, revolvers were standard in American law enforcement. Cocked revolvers with light single-action pulls proved conducive to unintended discharges. Decades ago, LAPD set the trend of converting the guns to double action only. Could, say, a cocked Colt Detective Special with 4.5-pound pull be seen as “reckless and negligent” for taking a criminal at gunpoint? Look up the Appellate Court decision in New York v. Frank Magliato, and find out for yourself that the answer is yes.
Why would 4.5 pounds be seen as negligent in a cocked revolver or a Glock, but OK for a 1911? Partly because the 1911 has a passive grip safety and an active manual thumb safety the other two guns don’t have, and partly because their own factory literature, court-discoverable, said so. My own practical advice would be to stay above 4 pounds in a 1911 and 5.5 pounds in a Glock, and render a defensive revolver double action only, an easy gunsmith job.
Why is it an issue at all in an intentional self-defense shooting? Because the hair trigger gives opposing counsel a hook upon which to hang a false allegation, whether criminal or civil. In the criminal case, it’s easier to sell a jury on a theory that the gun went off by accident due to a negligently too-light trigger pull, sustaining a manslaughter charge, than to convince them that a good person turned into Mr. Hyde and became a murdering monster. In a civil lawsuit, the motivation is different: plaintiff’s counsel is looking for deep pockets.
Few defendants have a million liquid, unprotected dollars that the plaintiff can seize to satisfy the judgment if the jury decides in the civil case that you deliberately, maliciously killed the deceased.
But most people HAVE a million dollar homeowner liability insurance policy if a burglar was shot, or the same for automobile liability if a carjacker was shot, and the insurance company has the money! However, the vast majority of insurance policies won’t pay off on an intentional tort, a deliberate act that harmed the plaintiff. But they will pay off for a negligent accident. Voila, the theory of “he shot my client by accident when he negligently pointed a hair-trigger gun at him” is born.
CMMG is now offering the Mk4 (pictured above) and Mk3 rifles with a flat dark earth finish.
Two of CMMG’s most popular black rifles are getting a heck of a lot less, well, black. The Missouri manufacturer recently announced it is now offering the Mk4 RCE and Mk3 CBR in a Flat Dark Earth finish.
The move follows a bit of an emerging trend in AR-style rifles, with more and more manufacturers offering different finishes to existing models. And CMMG’s move to FDE on two of its carbines does have some practical potential.
Depending on the area of operation, the finish could help a shooter blend into their surroundings better. This could be a particular perk for individuals, such as western coyote hunters. But, as one of CMMG’s co-owner’s points out, the new finish also continues the ethos of the AR being a rifle that can be tailored to any situation or liking.
“Flat Dark Earth finish gives our rifles a new look and allows customers to further customize the rifle to their liking,” Jeff Overstreet said. “For us, it’s a great opportunity to provide something different and further enhance our rifle line-up.”
The Mk4 RCE in FDE is available in 5.56x45mm NATO or .300 Blackout and the Mk3 CBR is chambered in .308 Winchester.
Both are outfitted with 16.1-inch medium taper barrels. In both cases, the barrel has a salt-bath nitride finish (black), which is corrosion resistant. They are also outfitted with SV muzzle breaks, which should aid in reducing recoil.
The Mk4 and Mk3 each boast Geisseler SSA 2-stage triggers, which should provide a much cleaner, less gritty trigger pull over standard MIL-SPEC. Both rifles also feature Magpul MOE Pistol Grips.
The Mk4 and Mk3 both have KeyMod handguards, made from milled 6061 T6 aluminum. And each rifle features a full-length Picatinny rail along its 12 o’clock. Both rifles are also outfitted with Magpul adjustable stocks.
The Mk4 ships with a 30-round PMAG, while the MK3 comes with a 20-round PMAG. The Mk4 has an MSRP of $1,499 and the Mk3 a price of $2,149.
The author on the business end of a .338 Lapua ready to demonstrate his long range shooting skills at a 1,000-yard range.
Of all the factors that come into play in achieving long range accuracy, ammunition is among the most controllable. This offers handloaders unparalleled opportunity.
We shooters have long been enamored with hitting distant targets.
The tales of military snipers, making impossible shots at equally impossible distances. Hunting stories in which the intended target was far enough away to measure the distance in city blocks. And the current trend in the hunting shows that game being taken at ranges in excess of 500 yards. All these can imply that it is simple to hit these distant targets.
Allow me to testify that it isn’t.
Long range accuracy requires precision equipment that is well tuned and proven, in addition to a skill set that takes quite a bit of time to acquire. Most certainly you must have a rifle capable of delivering the goods — it needs to be accurate — and optics that not only will give you the clarity and magnification necessary to connect, but that will stand up to the rigors of field conditions. But the ammunition, this is where the deal can be made or broken.
Factory ammunition (especially the match grade stuff) is better than it has ever been, and I’ve seen rifles that will shoot factory ammunition much better than any handload. But, the majority of my experiences indicate that a long-range rifle will shoot best with a well-tuned handload.
That said, a certain amount of care must be taken to achieve the hair-splitting level of accuracy required to hit a bullseye or cleanly take a game animal at longer ranges.
Ethics are a personal thing, and I have my own individual limits regarding how far I will take a shot at unwounded game. Under good conditions, meaning little wind or mirage, I try to keep my hunting shots to within 400 yards. There is unseen wind, energy levels that can fall off rather quickly, and other factors that can affect the bullet’s flight.
Paper is a different story, as the worst outcome from an errant shot is my wounded pride, but it can be a fantastic educator. You can easily get a feel for the level of accuracy required when shooting paper at 300, 400 or 500 yards.
If you’d like to try your hand at the long distance game, think about the game in reverse. Just as tiny variations in trigger squeeze and follow through can send a shot awry, tiny variations in ammunition get magnified at long distances.
Bullet weights should be checked on a balance beam scale, and the projectile separated into lots, using those that weigh the same within 0.1 or 0.2 grains. Cases should be of the best quality, consistently resized — whether full-length or neck sized is your decision — and trimmed to a uniform length.
Quality components are a must for long range accuracy. Norma case, for instance, make for a good starting point.
Primers should also be the best you can get; I like the consistency of Federal Gold Medal Match primers in both Large Rifle and Large Rifle Magnum, but I would suggest some experimentation with different primers. I’ve seen a rifle or two, using identical components and powder charges, become a much better performer when a different primer was used. In the cases I recall a Remington primer was the answer, when a Winchester and CCI didn’t get the job done. Primers can be finicky creatures.
All of your powder charges should definitely be weighed. I know that there are many benchrest shooters that shoot tiny groups when loading by volume, but I feel the best accuracy comes from a powder charge of uniform weight.
Projectiles should have a good Ballistic Coefficient, so as to deliver the flattest trajectory and best defy the effects of wind drift. The long range game is the place where the compound radius ogive and severe boat tail will show their worth.
The chronograph will help you better predict the trajectory of your load. While the reloading manuals are a very valuable guide to predicting the long-range trajectory of your loads, a chrono will give you exact velocities.
I’d also recommend some really good reloading dies, like the Redding Competition Dies. These can give the most repeatable results when it comes to bullet seating, keeping the Cartridge Overall Length to a uniform dimension and minimizing bullet deformation. Measure all of your long range cartridges with a caliper, and set any that don’t quite measure up aside for practice, leaving only the best rounds for distant shooting.
I’ll warn you: the long range game can be addicting, and so can reloading for it!
STI’s DVC Open (pictured above) and Limited have all the extras to make them champions among competition pistols.
STI’s 2011 line of competition pistols have a couple new additions with all the bells and whistles to put a shooter at the top of the podium.
STI has cut a wide swath with its 2011 line of competition pistols.
From defending hearth and home to gunning down top honors at a match, the unique 1911 pistols have been tailored for every situation. But there is little doubt the newest additions of the series were definitely engineered for one thing.
The DVC Limited and DVC Open were both built for speed. And the Texas-based STI has provided plenty of extras to make sure these pistols help shooters to the top of the podium.
Perhaps the most helpful aspect in doing this is a feature common to the entire 2011 line — capacity. In a unique twist, STI has made the august John M. Browning design a double-stack, a feature that is certain to help shave seconds by cutting down on reloads.
Both the DVC Limited and Open feature all new sear designs that look to give shooters an edge. The triggers have a snappy 2- to 2.5-pound trigger pull, which should make it simple to quickly break shots, while keeping the pistols on target.
The competition pistols are outfitted with hand-textured grips that have been reduced and undercut by Extreme Shooters of Arizona. This should give shooters a greater purchase on the pistols, thus helping the handguns’ controllability, and reducing recoil and muzzle flip.
The two new models utilize Dawson Precision tool-less guide rods, an addition that STI said is a first among factory guns. Like its name implies, the guide rod does not require a tool or a wire to capture the recoil spring, making it possible to field strip the gun anywhere and anytime.
The DVC Limited and Open have 5-inch bull barrel, coated with titanium nitride. The thickness of the barrels should help it dissipate heat more quickly, while the coating increases the hardness, lubricity and longevity of the barrel.
Milled slide, tool-less guide rod and bull barrel are a few of the outstanding features STI is offering competitors with their DVC Limited and Open models.
The pistols each have material removed from their slides to give them more desirable tendencies. The cuts increase the firearms’ cycle rate and keep them balanced, while reducing forward recoil.
Both of the competition pistols have hard-chrome finishes and come with two 140mm magazines. Concerning the magazines, this equates to 20 rounds of 9mm or .38 Super or 17 rounds of 40 S&W.
The DVC Open has a couple of extras to make it perfect for the wild west of Open Division competition. These include a Trubor style integrated compensator (another recoil reducer), a reversible dual detent slide racker and a C-More 6 MOA Dot Sight.
The DVC Limited is available in 9mm and .40 S&W, while the Open comes chambered in .38 Super and 9mm. Presently the MSRP on the Limited is $2,799, while the Open is listed at $3,699.
When it comes to gifts for gun owners on Father’s Day, we’ve got you covered with 10 exceptional hand-picked choices … all under $100 and sure to please.
Get away from the bench and practice the kneeling position. During hunting season you’ll be glad you did.
The kneeling position in shooting is fast and stable when done properly. Once mastered it will pay big dividends in the hunting fields.
While much of the preseason tuning up we do as hunters happens at the range from a bench, likely at 100 yards on a paper target, it’s important that our big game training matches what we’ll face in the field.
Especially when hunting in the wide-open spaces of the West, it’s imperative to come ready to shoot from a variety of field positions at various ranges out to 200 or 300 yards. You can’t really know your maximum effective range from each position until you’ve practiced shooting from each of them, so training is obviously paramount.
One of the most effective is the kneeling position. It’s relatively quick and easy to get into, requires fairly minimal flexibility and allows the hunter to keep the rifle in a ready position while standing up. In turn, this provides for quick follow-up shots without taking your eyes off the animal.
To get into the kneeling position, start with your feet shoulder width apart, facing your target. Place your left foot in front of your body, toes toward the target, and drop to your right knee. Lower your torso into a rigid posture as you sit against your rear leg (your legs should now be perpendicular to each other).
Place the back of your left arm against the front of your left knee, avoiding the unstable bone-on-bone contact that happens if you perch your elbow atop your knee. To get out of the kneeling position, simply rise up with the rifle in the ready position, muzzle at eye level, giving yourself the chance to make a quick follow-up shot as necessary.
These shooting tips appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Gunsite instructor Il Ling New uses a remote-controlled deer target to teach shooters the fundamentals of making a shot on a moving target in Paulden, Arizona.
Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona, is offering the ideal training for hunters, whether you’re an old pro tuning up for another adventure or a first-timer.
If you’re serious about your chances for success, gearing up for big game hunting season takes more than a few shots at the 100-yard range from a bench just a week or two before opening day.
The Gunsite Hunter Prep course can be tailored to individual and group needs and hunts, including dangerous game in Africa or elk in the Rocky Mountains.
Expert instructors Mario Marchman and Il Ling New, also a professional guide in the U.S., equip you with necessary skills like mastering field positions, shooting with sticks and slings, marksmanship training, proper trigger control and executing shots on moving or charging targets.
You’ll also have the opportunity to do plenty of shooting and live-fire drills at the range, including the walking simulator with one of the instructors as they guide you through different field scenarios. Replica game targets are placed in various locations along the course and have steel plates in the vital zones to help confirm hits.
Not only does the course force you to utilize shooting skills in a real world scenario, it also makes for an incredibly good time with friends. As for lodgings, the Little Thumb Butte Bed & Breakfast provides amazing views, close proximity to Gunsite and the best home-style food you’ll find in the area.
On the Internet since 1997, AntiqueGuns.com is owned and operated by Rob Robles, and strictly deals in firearms made prior to 1898.
AntiqueGuns.com auctions run almost continually because Robles’ turnaround time from receiving a gun to offering it for sale is usually one week, two weeks at the very most.
“If there’s one gun I’d say I am always on the lookout for, and never have any problem finding buyers for, it’s the Colt Single Action revolver, especially the larger bores, the .44 and .45 caliber models,” Robles said.
He credits much of the enduring interest in the Colt SA to Hollywood movies and television shows portraying the Colt SA as being carried by nearly everyone in the Old West.
“That’s not exactly true,” he added. “There were actually many models used in the Old West, many different manufacturers. But the Colt SA was popular, and it’s a durable handgun with a simple, dependable action. Buyers today still love it.”
Interest in Civil War-era firearms is mixed—strong among his American customers, soft with his European buyers.
“A lot of people don’t realize it, but European collectors are a huge part of the market for Civil War-era firearms,” Robles noted. “But Europe’s been in a recession and it has definitely hurt sales here. Over the last six months, I’d say my shipments of firearms sold to Europe have dropped by 80 percent.”
Big-bore rifles need not be fed on dangerous game loads alone. With the right components, cartridges can be tailored to chase after a variety of game.
When you have decided that a big-bore rifle is for you, and you’ve ironed out your dangerous game loads for hunting purposes, there’s still more fun to be had.
We are all aware of the fantastic reputation of the .375 with 300-grain bullets, the .416s and .404 with 400-grain bullets, and the various .458s with their 480 and 500-grain bullets. But there are ways to extend the versatility of those big guns, so you can spend more time afield with them.
We hunters, generally speaking, don’t get as much time as we’d like to use a true big bore rifle. And, as much as I love the rifles chambered to 6mm through .30 caliber (they definitely get the lion’s share of the time afield), I have a love of big guns, from .375 and up.
As handloaders, we can extend the versatility of the big guns, so we can hunt with them more often. There are many specialty bullets on the market that can do just that.
Cutting Edge Bullets from Pennsylvania comes quickly to mind. Their Safari Raptor bullets are constructed of brass, lathe turned and feature a deep hollowpoint. Like other monometal bullets, they are easily produced in light-for-caliber weights, and can offer an increase in velocity and a reduction on recoil. This is a great combination for lighter game, especially if you want to use your big bore for elk, moose or bears.
On a recent safari with deMoulpied & Son Outdoor Adventures, Dave deMoulpied asked me to cook him up a load for plains game in his .416 Rigby. Dave was after zebra and wildebeest, both tough animals, but they don’t necessarily require the tough 400-grain softs and solids that buffalo and elephant do.
Monometal bullets can expand the usefulness of big-bore rifles.
We picked out the 325-grain Safari Raptor from Cutting Edge, and seating it over an even 100.0 grains of Alliant Reloder-22, we obtained MOA accuracy and a velocity of 2,550 fps. Dave had a great safari, taking impala, wildebeest and his zebra, with the shot on the zebra being almost 200 yards. The additional velocity flattened out the trajectory a bit, yet there was still plenty of bullet to take the tougher plains game.
The same can be said for what I consider to be the most useful cartridge ever made: the .375 H&H Magnum. The heavy bullets are certainly available, like the 300-grain slug that made the .375’s reputation and even the newer 350 grainers that will give a bunch of confidence, but the 235-grain Barnes TSX and Cutting Edge Safari Raptor can turn your .375 into a long range rifle. With handloads, you can push those lighter bullets to around 2,900 fps, giving a very flat trajectory for longer shots, yet comfortably taking smaller game.
Even the .458s can be loaded with 350- or 400-grain bullets, to approximate the performance of the .45-70 Government. Take a look at lighter bullets for the big bores, and have fun making some new ammunition so you can use your big gun more often. Don’t be embarrassed to take your big gun into the whitetail or black bear woods.
The use of hollow point bullets by armed citizens is defensible, argues Massad Ayoob. And here’s how a prosecutor might try to trip you up.
Why use hollow point bullets, which in my experience opposing counsel will make a point of more times than not in an armed citizen shooting?
Not because the police do – that would open us up to the “wanna-be cop” tar-and-feathering – but for the same reasons police do. Those reasons are:
The “mushroom” shape of the hollow point that opposing counsel loves to mention, perhaps hoping to invoke visions of a nuclear cloud over Hiroshima, is also a “parachute” shape intended to slow the bullet down and keep it inside the body of the offender, so it won’t pass through and strike an unseen innocent bystander.
Highly recommended: Mas Ayoob serves on the board of the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network. Click Here to find out why you should join!
The cookie-cutter shape of the hollow point tends to bite into hard surfaces and bury itself there, if the bullet misses, instead of ricocheting and going on to endanger innocent bystanders as would the supposedly “humane” bullets the uninformed critics say we should use.
Every single department that issues hollow points will tell you that since the transition from older ammo, these bullets have been more effective and stopped fights faster. Stopping the criminal immediately from stabbing or shooting or otherwise mauling the innocent is the whole reason there is such a thing as “justifiable homicide” in the first place. The sooner he’s stopped, the fewer innocents he can harm.
Finally, we can make a good argument that since this ammunition stops him faster, the Bad Guy will sustain fewer gunshot wounds and may actually be more likely to survive the encounter.
If the above arguments had been effectively put before the jury, the verdict in Arizona v. Fish might have been different.
Editor’s Note: In the next part of this series, Ayoob looks at arguments that should be avoided while defending an armed shooting in self-defense.Click here to read Part I.
Really, there is no shooting accessory that swims in more intricacies than scopes. Even the simplest examples of indispensible devices have a number of concepts that must be grasped to get the most out of them. More and more, a facet that has confronted shooters is choosing between a first and second focal plane scope. Mechanically speaking, the difference is purely where the reticle is located in the erector lens assembly. If it’s in front of the assembly, toward the objective lens, then the reticle is on the first focal plane; if it’s at the rear, toward the eyepiece then it’s on second focal plane. It’s a pretty simple concept, but as the above video from Vortex Optics shows it has a huge impact on how variable-power scopes operate. And if you are in the market for an optic, it is most definitely an aspect of which you’ll want a firm grasp. Each has its pros and cons, of which shooters should carefully weigh before dropping hard-earned cash on an accessory that can cost a small fortune.
Colt and U.S. Armaments Corp. are releasing a limited run of the classic Model 1903 Hammerless.
When you’re a firearms enthusiasts it doesn’t matter what direction your fancy wonders off, sooner or later you’ll run into John M. Browning.
Many of the rifles, shotguns and pistols the prolific gun designer came up with a century ago are still with us today. Heck, just think of the profusion of the iconic 1911 pistol or venerable over-under shotgun today just to get a grasp of his impact.
Some of Browning’s other designs, however, have fallen to the wayside for one reason or another over the years. One, however, is making a comeback, albeit on a limited scale.
Colt is has teamed up with U.S. Armament Corp. to produce a limited run of the Model 1903 Hammerless pistol. It was a project that came out of the woodwork at the 2015 SHOT Show and looks to be coming to fruition soon (test pistols are being sent out to the media as this is being written).
This is the second such project the companies have partnered up to tackle. Colt and U.S. Armament’s made a Gatling gun a few years back.
For obvious reasons, the 1903 should have much wider appeal that that venture, especially for fans of authenticity. The new pocket pistols are designed to be spitting images of the originals.
The bad news is there won’t be many of the .32 ACPs available with a run of around 3,500 initially planned. Of that run, 500 of the pistols will be commemorations of the General Officers issue pistol.
These pistols will have the same markings, finish and grips as the original. And they will also have a special run of serial numbers coinciding with originals pistols that were issued to Generals such as Eisenhower and Patton.
The new Colt Model 1903 is dang near a spitting image of the original.
Adding a little bang for the buck, the guns will come with a historical fact sheet discussing the General of which the particular serial number was issued.
The 1903s will be Type 2, which means they come without a magazine disconnect and have separate barrel bushing. The majority will be Parkerized, but there will that will come with a blued or nickel finish.
The base model MSRP is said to be $1,395. Latter on, additional magazines and barrels will be available. There is also talk the companies might release a Model 1908 (a .380 version of the 1903) some time in the next couple of years, as well.
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.
