When it comes to 9mm pistols, few guns have reached the heights of the Glock 19. Check out this video to see how the 4th generation of this pistol — which has been available long enough now to pass the test of time — performs on the range.
The Austrian-made Glock 19 has become one of the most popular handguns ever produced, giving shooters a dependable, accurate pistol in a sleek package.
And the futuristic handgun has continued to evolve as the years have gone on. Like the rest of Glock's firearms, the 19 now has a Generation 4 model, with a few tweaks that make it more useful and flexible.
The video by TyFromMD doesn't go into the minutia of the handgun, but it gives a pretty good idea about what a shooter will get when they buy a Glock 19 Gen 4.
A bit of a spoiler: Perhaps the most striking new feature is the gun's adjustable back straps. As an added bonus, TyFromMD gives us a sneak peek at his first shots with his new 19. Given the ease at which he is able to double tap, the pistol appears to have a pretty snappy trigger reset.
The ability to read the wind in long range is probably more important than shooting ability. At 1,000 yards the slightest change of wind speed or value will put you out of the 10 ring. Photo: Dick Jones.
Dick Jones won the North State Regional 1,000 Yard Championship at Camp Butner, N.C., two consecutive years. The competitive shooter relays some of the tricks, tips and considerations of high-performance long-range shooting.
Going Long I’ve been encouraged by the recent interest in long-range shooting. I enjoy almost every form of shooting, but precision position shooting has always appealed to me.
While I like the precision of benchrest competition because it involves extremely accurate rifles and ammunition, I prefer a broader kind of long-range shooting, where the skill of the shooter is more emphasized. Most of my competitive shooting career was in the field of NRA High Power, and my definition of long range might be different from someone from a different background.
In High Power, long-range shooting begins at 800 yards as part of the Palma course of fire. Mid-range shooting is done at 600 yards, and 200 and 300 yards are considered short range.
For most hunters and recreational shooters, any range beyond 300 yards is often considered long range, and this comes with good reason. Any shot at a game animal beyond 300 yards should only be attempted if the shooter has a good working knowledge of the trajectory of his rifle, and some idea of the effects of wind.
The primary reason for this is that a properly sighted-in rifle can stay within 4 inches of point of aim out to about 300 yards. In most situations, staying within 4 inches of point of aim is a reasonable goal and will suffice in most situations.
Knowing Your Zero Beyond 300 yards, almost all rifles begin to require holdover or elevation adjustment, and the effects of the wind become much more critical. The ability to consistently make good shots at long range doesn’t require any special talent. It only requires preparation and judgment based on that preparation.
Once you’ve put the work in, there’s no excuse for not getting the elevation right. We now have range finders, ballistic calculators and even scopes with the elevation knob calibrated to the drop numbers of a specific load.
Even though all this information is quite good, there’s no substitute for actually checking the point of impact at different distances for assurances the numbers are correct. It’s been my experience that the numbers are almost always off a minute of angle or so, in most instances due to weather conditions, barrel length and other factors.
The bull’s-eye on the conventional 1,000-yard target is 48” across and looks like the period at the end of a sentence at 1,000 yards. The 10 ring is 20” with a 10” X ring. Photo: Dick Jones.
Windage All the elevation information in the world won’t get you on target unless you can figure out what the wind is going to do to your bullet in the time it takes to get to the target.
At 1,000 yards, it takes a 180-grain Matchking from a 22-inch M1A barrel about two seconds to get to the target. By the time it gets there, my match loads were no longer supersonic, and dropped through the target with no supersonic snap. During this time, the bullet is high above the range.
Remember, to hit a target at 1,000 yards, I had to bring the sights up 38 minutes or about 34 feet. The trajectory takes the bullet even higher than this, so the wind the bullet is traveling through is not just a few feet off the ground.
When scoring and coaching at 1,000 yards, a good coach can pick up the trace of the bullet as it drops through the tree line behind the berm at Camp Butner and follow it into the target. This is a lot of exposure to wind. Miss the wind by 2 mph and you’re going to shoot an eight or seven. Miss the wind by 5 mph, and you’re off the paper with little chance of getting back on.
This all means the little wind meter you hold in your hand may not help. It only measures the wind where you’re standing, and that may be substantially different from the wind where your bullet has to pass.
On KD, or Known Distance ranges, there are normally wind flags, but the apparent angle of the flag can fool you based on your position on the range and these can be confusing. Probably the most reliable wind indicator is mirage, the refraction of light waves by heat.
Mirage indicates wind direction, speed in frequency and amplitude. I find it on average to be the most reliable way to gauge wind. Under certain conditions of low light, there can be an absence of mirage, so it can’t always be counted on.
To properly read the amplitude and frequency of the mirage, you need some sort of horizontal line to compare. I like to read the top edge of the target, provided that’s a straight edge, as it is on a KD range. At 600 yards, this is a good representation of the space where the bullet spends the most time.
Remember to read an area above the target because it will give you a more realistic reading. Ground speeds tend to be lower than higher elevations where the bullet travels. When you read mirage through a scope, do so with the scope focused at mid-range to give a better representation of strength and direction.
The common theory is that deflection at short range has more affect because it’s exaggerated by the distance, but it’s been my experience that wind deflection has about the same effect through all the bullet’s flight because when the bullet is further down range, it’s going slower and therefore more affected. In competitive shooting situations, most long-range shooters fire their shots in a very short length of time, reducing the opportunity for wind changes.
Learning to reliably read wind is time consuming, and I don’t think there’s any other way to do it but to shoot in the wind in situations where you know within seconds where your last bullet went. Until recently, the only way to do this was to shoot on a range with pit targets where someone pulls and marks your target on every shot.
Now, there are several companies who make cameras that will transmit your group to your IPad, computer screen, or Smart Phone. Most of these devices even flash or mark the last shot. This is going to make learning to read wind a lot easier for those dedicated enough to actually shoot and pay attention.
A view from the 1,000-yard line at Camp Butner, in North Carolina, the tiny targets and number boards are six feet square. Photo: Dick Jones
Ammunition Ammunition choices for long-range shooting are different from hunting or short-range shooting. The aerodynamic characteristics of the bullet become an issue of paramount importance, since the bullet stays in the air for such a long time.
Up to about 300 yards, the shape of the bullet has little effect on trajectory. This is because the trajectory at short ranges is based on the bullet at velocities very near muzzle velocity. Once you get past 600 yards, velocity falls off drastically and the falling rate of the bullet remains the same. As an example, the 600 yard zero on my M1A .308 was just 13 minutes higher from 200 yards to 600 yards but I had to add another 28 minutes to be on at 1,000 yards.
Of course, the effects of wind are similar but quite a bit more linear. Obviously, the faster the bullet travels, the less the effect of both wind and gravity because the time of flight to the target is shorter. This is why high velocity rounds are more popular with long-range shooters.
The problem with the extreme end of high velocity cartridges is throat erosion. Most of the hyper-velocity cartridges suffer will burn the accuracy out of a good barrel in under 1,000 rounds while rounds like .308 Winchester might get as much a 5,000 rounds.
Relating to barrel life is the practice among most conventional long-range shooters of not tailoring loads to a specific barrel/rifle. With a practical barrel life of no more than 1,000 rounds, load testing in lots large enough for statistical relevance to find the best load, could possibly use up the entire life of the rifle’s barrel. The normal practice is to find a load that works well and use it without spending time on load development for a specific rifle/barrel combination.
Putting It All Together As complicated as all this sounds, long-range shooting is still simply a matter of learning how to accomplish a task, and using that knowledge to accomplish it. No two shots are ever quite the same, and successful long-range shooting requires good skills and equipment, but it’s one of the most rewarding of all the aspects of shooting. Once you’ve put a shot exactly where you want at 1,000 yards, you’ll always remember the feeling, and if you’re like me, you’ll want to do it more than one time.
Editor's note, this article original appeared in the March 27, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.
This video really doesn't require any introduction, it just needs to be watched. The shooter, who goes by the handle “Big Toe” on his YouTube Channel, does a bang-up job manipulating his 1911, all without the use of his hands. This is pretty inspiring marksmanship, to say the least.
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??) The author’s 1943 M1, about 1986, by which time the barrel had been replaced, displayed and photographed here with vintage ammo and U.S.M.C. militaria, on a World War II vintage camouflaged shelter half.
The M1 Garand's rich history continues to grow as this rifle remains a popular option among collectors and competitors.
The rifle taking shape on John Cantius Garand’s drawing board in the 1920’s, even to 1932, was a very radical departure from its predecessors, not merely because it was a semi-automatic.
Garand conceived and designed the rifle and the tools and machines that would produce it. For the first time, it was a truly unique U.S. design. The Springfield single shots had been mundane but reliable, nothing that startled anyone. The Krag-Jorgenson rifles, from 1892, were beautifully made, the work of Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jorgenson, but genuinely obsolete from their inception. The ’03 Springfield was a fine rifle, based purely on the Model 1898 Mauser, license arrangements resulting in the payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the originating firm in Oberndorf.
Any new military firearm stirs up the “old guard.” This wild new thing, controversial from the very first announcements, stirred up imaginations and resentments far and wide.
Using the “gas trap” system, involving a false muzzle, handling a huge volume of hot, still expanding gases, was radical enough with the then-new .276 Pedersen Center Fire cartridge. There was considerable use of stainless steel in the gas cylinder and the piston of the operating rod. Using new, faster powders, it seemed the new cartridge would obviate the issues of sludge, residue and secondary ignition that plagued other such contraptions in the U.S., Great Britain, Belgium, Germany and Russia.
For the first time in a modern infantry rifle, simple snap-apart field strip for ordinary cleaning was built into the design, and even detailed stripping was possible with only a bullet as a tool, albeit often when finished such a projectile often wound up distorted beyond normal parameters.
About 1932, Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur determined that the new cartridge was uneconomical and ordered that the new rifle had to be redesigned to utilize the millions of rounds of .30/06 ammunition still extant, produced for World War I. This was the second major change, as the original design had been primer actuated. Garand was resourceful, and by 1936, the rifle was adopted and in production.
Talk concerning ammunition wastage and safety issues began immediately in the popular press. Digging out old newspaper articles can be fascinating; some refer to the firearms blowing up, others spontaneously disassembling. Rumors about excessive cost and other “boondoggle” whispers got rolling. Many firearms writers of the times jumped on this bandwagon. During the Great Depression, it seemed extravagant. And firearms companies who had (or more often, simply claimed they had!) competing designs were not at all averse to planting tales about weapons allegedly cheaper and better in every way.
They weren’t. They weren’t even close. Some, especially the Johnson variants, could boast a tiny advantage here and there, but over the long term, none were close in terms of overall durability, accuracy and reliability.
The M1 in this 1942 photo is less than two years old. The early finish on gas cylinders was paint, supposedly high-heat enamel, but not very durable.
Telltale Rifle That the rifle is still discussed, analyzed in detail and shot in competition well over a decade into the 21st century, and the names of many of the competitors are barely remembered, all by itself, pretty much tells the tale.
Had the Garand had all or most of the maladies ascribed to it, there’d be no way, eight decades later, the descendants of the prototypes, specially prepared, would even be prepared for high-power completion, or discussed with reverence. Nor would it still be winning matches once in a while against competitors designed by Gene Stone over 30 years later.
Still, a great deal of its legend is the sheer joy of shooting the rifle. My late brother-in-law, Lyman Pollock, half track driver with 2nd Armored Division in World War II, remarked, it was “fun, even for kids, and they all shot it well and fast once they got used to it.” And they did, constantly.
The valid early critiques were being diagnosed in the field. The gas trap system and seventh round stoppages were annoying enough that the company modified production techniques and also modified earlier rifles. By July of 1940, the gas port, a much older propulsion setup, was standardized, and older rifles were modified to the new gas system. Only slightly later the drawing misinterpretations that had caused the jamming issues were addressed, older receivers being precision welded and machined to the new standard.
By late summer of 1940, the M1 rifle was getting very close to the reliable, accurate, comfortable machine we know today.
By the end of World War II, Springfield Armory and Winchester Repeating Arms had produced around 3.6-3.8 million rifles. Receiver production ceased somewhere beyond 3.8 million, winding down in 1945.
No other combatant had a standard semi-automatic rifle in general service. The Soviet Tokarev and German G.41/G.43 series rifles were nowhere near as reliable or rugged, nor did they see common infantry duty.
Even the Marine Corps had, before the end of the Guadalcanal campaign, changed their minds about the rifle. They had landed in August of 1942 with M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifles, but by early 1943, had acquired M1’s and found them superior in all respects, repealing their earlier rejection and adopting the M1 as their baby.
The Tipo 2 and standard length .308 M1 Garand rifles, due to the more efficient and, therefore, consistent cartridge, seem to maintain accuracy longer and easier than the older, longer .30/06 cartridge and, ironically, the loading is far closer to the one for which the rifle was originally designed.
Sold From the Beginning How good had it been in its early form?
In the 1946 match season, using ordinary military ball ammunition, the M1’s shot scores higher than the old M1903 had before the war with some of the finest match-quality ammunition ever to leave Frankford Arsenal. Some of those scores were shot again with the older bolt rifle, and again, aggregates scores with the M1 were higher, and the bolt guns didn’t win many. The M1’s fired were “accuracy selected,” by the way, not modified, and were most often shooting against match-prepared but military-configuration ’03 specimens. N.R.A. publications noted the scores and the results. This trend continued for years until the “aught three” pretty much disappeared from military-style/open competition.
Postwar, the safety-modified operating rods were supposed to be installed on extant rifles, and all new replacements featured the inbuilt relief. The T105E1 sights replaced all earlier sights, proving so sturdy with their internal springs that even current M16/AR15/M4 receiver sights use the same principles and function identically.
Quality and strength had improved consistently at the Armory throughout the war, and even while the rifle was out of production, further progress was made.
Winchester had not kept up with quality and revision requirements during the war, but when production resumed in the ’50s, two private U.S. firms were included in planning, Harrington and Richardson and International Harvester. Having never before produced a precision product, IHC had great difficulty, resulting in several bailouts, but H&R easily adapted to production of the big military rifle. In Europe, Breda and Beretta were sent worn-out tooling, drawings and a considerable supply of parts, and began producing rifles circa-1954. The Italians continued longer than anyone else, delivering the very last Berettas as late as the 1980’s, according to some reports. The BM.59 in fact used an intact M1 receiver, slightly refashioned.
U.S. military production of the M1 Garand ended in 1956, replaced by the M14, which is a direct descendant of Garand’s rifle. Indeed, in those years when I was doing production articles, it was at Smith Enterprises International I was advised of the actual production processes, out of 1930’s machine technology. Ron Smith stated unequivocally that the production processes were such that the operating rod raceways on both rifles simply could not be formed completely by computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines. When I asked for illustrative details, Smith rattled off the names of several failed businesses that tried, already then, around 2003. The companies were entirely out of business. Reconfiguring the operating rod raceways of many aftermarket cast non-issue receivers is, in fact, still one of the recurring nightmares of shooters who purchase them thinking they are saving time and/or trouble.
Generally, the later an M1 is, the better made it is, and the higher overall quality will be. As a bonus, such a rifle has likely missed a lot of combat as well, and is likely to be in far better condition, having also missed the brutal attentions of generations of raw recruits.
The rifles have been on the civilian market since not long after World War II, albeit always priced higher than all its ordinary bolt-action contemporaries. They’re the last general-issue U.S. military service rifles that civilians can own without a nightmare of paperwork or nosebleed prices, usually both, because they are not selective fire.
A 5.6 million Harrington and Richardson rifle, import marked, acquired in almost unused condition, all collector correct except for the operating rod, photographed here while the stock was being degreased.
Alive and Well There are some easy rules to keeping the M1 alive and well, most of them applicable to other firearms, too.
Barrel life is greatly extended if kept clean and if rate of fire is kept moderate. A service M1 barrel can last far longer than the old 6,000-round military accuracy estimate. Commercial barrels last longer, but again, keeping them clean is prudent and economical. Commercial barrels, especially heavies, are generally more accurate than service barrels, and those in .308 even more so. The newer caliber is recommended for shooters, and even more enthusiastically for reloaders. It is decidedly more accurate, easier on the rifles, and in the years to come, high quality surplus will still be available. The shorter round is also fairly close in configuration to .276 Pedersen Center Fire, the original cartridge for the M1 Garand.
The correct lubricant for heavy moving parts on the M1 and related rifles is panthermic (tolerant and usable in a wide range of temperature parameters) grease. “Lubriplate,” in fact, was invented for the M1 rifle. But newer wheel bearing greases are even better performers. I buy them in large tubs at auto parts stores for a few dollars. There are more expensive lubricants, including synthetic machine assembly greases, but they won’t work any better. Don’t use oil. It won’t work. No manual has mentioned oil for a very long time, except for the admonition not to use it. In fact, I haven’t used thin gun oils on firearms for almost 40 years, and haven’t had lubrication-induced malfunctions or heavy wood damage from oil since.
The troubleshooting charts in the detailed manuals need to be kept on hand and regarded with respect. Internet twaddle not so much. And of course one has to remember that substandard, non-issue parts, especially clips, are changing certain equations. The premature dumping of the clip along with several live rounds is correctly solved by replacement of the bullet guide and/or operating rod catch. However, if one has an out-of-specification operating rod catch, a chronically defective third-rate bootleg civilian clip, and so on, well, this difficulty can prove unsolvable. In fact, it’s smart to avoid clips that look new unless one can affirm they are G.I. marked.
Shooting unmodified wartime or prewar operating rods with the square corners illustrated here is unwise and can be expensive. Not too many years ago, a competition shooter at Rio Salado in Mesa, Ariz., told me something odd was happening with his rifle. It was binding, he said. It bore an expensive heavy barrel, was securely glass bedded, someone had done a lovely trigger job, but it bore a circa-1938 unmodified operating rod that was already showing stress cracks. I advised him the rod, even fatigued, was probably worth several hundred dollars to a collector, and that he might want to replace it with a later unit. Advising him to go some other way seemed to annoy him. He said it was original to his “DCM rifle.” He seemed to think someone was conspiring to cheat him. A few weeks later, at a high-power match, it distorted, jumped its track and partly separated. A more suitable “77” series National Match operating rod in new condition could’ve saved the match, and those could be had for about a third what his now mangled unit was worth.
The author ordered his first M1 Garand, a remilitarized, welded specimen, in 1963, for $77.85 from P&S sales. It was a wonderful, accurate rifle.
An Enduring Rifle The literature of the M1 is vast. Duff’s industrial histories cover parts appropriateness/correctness in detail. Harrison’s books contain many errors, but the illustrations are still some of the best. Hatcher’s Book of the Garand covers the rifle’s development but is by no means complete. My two volumes are for shooters, collectors, reloaders and enthusiasts, but are not intended for the kind of minute parts detail information needed to restore rifles, and are marketed as practical histories, written in an inverted-pyramid journalistic form that would be inappropriate to industrial histories. It was important to me to include the Italian rifles, since I have used and enjoyed them since the early ’70s or so, and when I initiated by projects, there was very little information on them at all. Other than the gas traps, the Italian rifles are probably the most rare of the Garand rifles. Some enthusiasts doubt there are 1,200 in the entire United States, almost all Danish-marked.
It’s imprudent, at least, to not pursue the literature of any firearm with both a shooter’s and a collector’s value. If nothing else, a late-issue manual is absolutely imperative.
My first M1, a re-milled rifle, welded together from condemned receivers, front and rear, was ordered in May of 1963 from P&S Sales. My second came some months later. I first fired an M1 about 1957.
Hitting the target is not as easy as it was a couple decades ago, but I have learned some tricks—pulling the eye back to reduce conceptual size of the peep aperture to aid discrimination, for example, when the natural tendency is to get closer and hunker down. Eyesight deterioration has taught me to shoot almost by feel, and I can sometimes equal the groups of three decades ago in very short times just from familiarity with Garand’s great instrument.
And why has the entertainment value of the rifle lasted so long?
It’s fun.
Sources for Collectors To find out more about obtaining your own M1 Garand, the U.S. Government source for qualified individuals is: Civilian Marksmanship Program—United States Army 1401 Commerce Blvd., Anniston, AL 36207 www.odcmp.com/sales.htm Phone: (256) 835-8455 As of this writing, the CMP is the only predictable source of M1 Garand rifles in the United States. Their stock of rifles includes U.S.-produced return donations from foreign countries.
The primary source of up-to-date collector-centered data on the M1 Garand is: Garand Collector’s Association POB 7498 N. Kansas City, MO 64116 www.thegca.org Phone: (816) 471-2005
While the Garand has been out of production for decades, new data about production and sometimes quality controls pops up periodically, and is often seen first in The GCA Journal. The marketplace in that publication is also an excellent source for parts.
This article appeared in the June 12, 2014 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The .270 Winchester has become one of the most celebrated hunting cartridges 90 or so years. Famed outdoor writer Jack O'Connor could say enough good things about the cartridge.
One of my favorite cartridges, and the one I've personally used more than any other in a lifetime of hunting, is the .270 Winchester.
I was turned on to the cartridge by reading Jack O'Connor's magazine articles and books. I grew up reading O'Connor's prose when he was the Arms & Ammunition Editor of Outdoor Life magazine, and arguably the most influential outdoor writer ever.
Winchester engineers developed the cartridge in 1923, and introduced it to the shooting public in their new Model 54 rifle in 1925. The hype accompanying the introduction advertised it as delivering a velocity of 3,160 feet-per-second using a 130-grain bullet. That got O'Connor's attention and he ordered one with a Lyman 48 receiver sight. It proved to be a lifelong partnership between O'Connor and the cartridge.
In the December 1943 issue of Outdoor Life, he wrote, “Assuming that a cartridge can make its way on merit alone, that cartridge is the .270 W.C.F. In its early years it sat in the corner, dressed in sackcloth and covered with ashes, while few riflemen suspected that underneath it had a figger like Miss America, a disposition like an angel, and that it could bake pies like Mother used to make.”
O'Connor used the cartridge all over the world and wrote reams of material about how well it performed in the hunting fields.
I got my first .270 chambered rifle in about 1963 or so. I've not been without at least one rifle in that chambering since. I presently have five in my battery. Several others have passed through my safe during that time.
All together, I've probably owned fifteen or twenty rifles, perhaps more, chambered for the .270, and all I've owned, except one, were superbly accurate. That one rifle had a nagging problem of putting the first shot through a cold barrel some 12 inches higher that the second and subsequent shots. After that first shot, it too placed the rest of its shots in very tiny groups.
The rifle was a very lightweight Husqvarna Mauser with a pencil thin 22” barrel, and stocked to the muzzle `ala Mannlicher. I sold it to a fellow that was going to have it custom stocked and he was sure that would solve the problem. I never found out if it did or not. All the rest that have come my way have been trouble free and deadly accurate.
My favorite and the one that I've used the most by far, is my old David Miller Co. custom that I've owned since the mid-1980s. David started with a Mauser actioned Browning factory Safari Grade rifle. Before starting on the project, he took it to the range and found it was very accurate, shooting under MOA groups, so he retained the factory barrel. He went through the action inside and out, built a fine custom stock from English walnut, and sent it on its way to a client. Whether he cut the factory barrel or not I can't say and I never asked.
When I got the rifle, the barrel was 22”. I suspect that in its factory guise, it was probably 24” but can't say for sure.
A couple years later, the owner of the rifle got seriously into competitive shotgun shooting, and traded the rifle in on a high-grade shotgun. David found out about it, and bought the rifle from the dealer and offered it to me for a reasonable price (for a Miller rifle).
I've used it for most of my hunting since. My handload for it consists of 59.5 grains of H4831 pushing any good 130-grain bullet. That gives me 3130 fps through the 22” barrel, and that load has taken everything from a 50-60 pound roe deer up to and including a 1500 pound Alaska-Yukon moose, and about everything in between those extremes. If there is a better killer of animals in those ranges, I've yet to find it.
The .270 Winchester (right) compared to the .32-40 Ballard (center) and .223 Remington (left).
O'Connor wrote of loading his .270s a bit hotter than I do. His load was 62 grains of H4831 pushing a 130-grain bullet at about 3,200 fps. He must have used a super drop tube for those loads as that has to be a really compressed load.
I loaded a few rounds at 60 grains, but they weren't as accurate as my 59.5-grain loads, so I standardized on that load. It has worked exceedingly well in all of my .270 rifles except one. I have a Heym SR-20 rifle that must have a tighter chamber or tighter bore as my load is a bit warm in that rifle. I dropped back to 58.0 grains in that rifle, which works just fine, and I lose very little velocity for some reason.
As an aside that some might find interesting, the parent case for the .270 is most often thought to be the .30-06 case. However, Winchester, when developing the cartridge, did not use the .30-06 as the parent case, but rather the earlier, and slightly longer, .30-03 case. Why they did so is a mystery to me. Whatever the reason, the .270 has worked very nicely for almost nine decades now, and is still going strong.
At my age, I'm sure I could keep one of my .270s, and get rid of everything else, and use but that one rifle for the remainder of my hunting that I have ahead of me. That, and my AYA Nr. 2 28 bore, would cover the waterfront. Hmmm, that's a thought!
The Mk4 V (above) and V2 are CMMG's newest additions to its catalog. The AR-style rifles are decked out with features that are sure to set varmint hunters' hearts aflutter.
It’s been a busy year in Fayette, Mo.
The crew at CMMG have come out with a slew of new products and refined versions of existing rifles this year. And though 2014 is beginning to draw to a close, the well-respected AR-style rifle manufacture keeps churning out new goodies.
The company's latest editions to its catalog are coming out at the right time. The cool evenings that are becoming ever more common means that coyotes will soon be in full pelt. And CMMG is ready to help harvest them with its new Mk4 V and Mk4 V2.
The rifles are based off the manufacturer’s popular line, but include a number of features making it perfect for popping ‘yotes, varmints or other long-distance targets.
Perhaps the most striking features of the 5.56x45mm rifles are their 24-inch fluted 416 stainless steel barrels. The barrels are longer than most found on AR platforms nowadays, but there is a reason why CMMG went big.
The lengthier barrels are designed to extract better ballistic performance from the 5.56, in velocity in particular. In turn, the rifles are ideal for reaching out and touching even the most distant whistle pig or prairie dog.
The longer barrels also tend to aid in accuracy, with the added weight providing more stability to the platform. The fluting on the barrel is a solid addition for those days shooters pull the trigger a ton. The feature helps keep the rifle on target by exposing more surface area to dissipate heat more quickly, thus keeping the stiffness of the barrel.
The barrel has a 1:8 twist rate, making it highly versatile. The twist rate has been reported to stabilize bullets up to 80 grains, but still can shoot the lighter, more accessible rounds, as well.
While the Mk4 varmint models feature a heavier barrel, the rifles have been engineered to remain somewhat svelte. The guns tip the scales at 7.5 pounds unloaded, making it practical to hump it out a few miles to a stand.
CMMG, however, did not strip the rifles to mitigate weight. Instead, much of this is achieved by the addition of KeyMod hand guards. The material removed to make the slots makes the rifles lighter and slimmer than ones with traditional quad-rail handguards.
At the same tick, the handguards do not lose any function. The KeyMod slots are found at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions allowing the quick addition of accessories compatible with the system.
Accessories that do not marre with KeyMod slots can be easily attached by using one of CMMG’s 5-slot accessory rails – 1913 Picatinny compatible. The rifles also have a Picatinny rail running atop the rifle, from charging handle to the fore end, making the addition of optics a snap.
There are a few superficial differences between the V and V2 models of the Mk4. But the main distinction between the two is in fire control. The V model comes outfitted with a single-stage Mil Spec Trigger, the V2 a Geissele Automatics SSA two-state trigger.
The rifles’ price tags aren’t through the roof, but are more than entry-level ARs. The MK4 V has an MSRP of $1,249.5 and the V2 $1,499.95.
CMMG Mk4 V Specifications: Caliber: 5.56x45mm Barrel: 24″ fluted medium contour, 1:8” twist Hand Guard: CMMG RKM14 KeyMod hand guard Receiver: Forged 7075-T6 AL Trigger: Single Stage Mil Spec Trigger Furniture: A2 Pistol Grip and A1 Butt Stock Weight: 7.5 lbs unloaded Length: 41.5” Magazine: 30-round PMAG MSRP: $1,249.95
CMMG Mk4 V2 Specifications: Caliber: 5.56x45mm Barrel: 24″ fluted medium contour, 1:8” twist Hand Guard: CMMG RKM14 KeyMod hand guard Receiver: Forged 7075-T6 AL Trigger: Geissele Automatics SSA two-stage Furniture: Magpul MOE Pistol Grip and Butt Stock Weight: 7.5 lbs unloaded Length: 41.5” Magazine: 30-round PMAG MSRP: $1,499.95
Perhaps one of the most important reloading habits to get into is keeping a diligent records of your loads. This is vital data is as important as any tool on your reloading bench. Photo courtesy Massaro Media Group and JNJphotographics.
Keeping your reloading bench clean and organized is paramount to safe and effective handloading.
We all form habits, be they good or bad.
I’d like to give some advice that you may already adhere to, but I’ll sleep better having shared it with those of you who are new to reloading. Let’s form good habits, and stick to them, please.
Keeping a clean and tidy reloading bench is a must. Owning a custom ammunition shop, I have the privilege of loading many different cartridges in a number of configurations for my customers, which is awesome. So come safari season and the North American fall hunting seasons, things get rather hectic around here. I do my best to keep the Laboratory as neat and organized as I can, but it isn’t easy.
When you’re dealing with multiple calibers and cartridges that require different primers, powders and bullets, confusion lurks around every corner. As a self-imposed rule, I only keep the items I’m using for the particular load at hand on the bench: one box of primers, one canister of powder, one set of dies and one type of bullet at a time. This prevents any possible mix up, and the resulting dangerous load. It requires digging out new stuff for each project, which gets to be a pain in the butt, but in the name of safety I’ll deal with that.
Keeping your tools clean is a must also. Dirty, gummed up reloading dies can produce inaccurate ammunition. I keep a good supply of cotton swabs and a bottle of solvent – like Hoppe’s No. 9 – on hand for a quick cleanup of my dies.
As things start to slow down, I actually give my dies a nice warm bath in the ultrasonic cleaner to remove all of the gunk that builds up from the flakes of brass, nickel, copper and lead as it mixes with the case lubricant. You’ll be surprised what comes out of them!
Storing components can become a nightmare if you let it get out of hand. I keep my projectiles organized by caliber, and within each caliber by bullet weight. By keeping things well organized, I know just where to look for whatever I’m after.
Brass cases are organized in the same manner. If they’re once fired, I clearly mark the bag or container with the cartridge name so I can find them at a glance. Heavy duty freezer bags or empty coffee canisters (especially the newer plastic ones) make a great storage method for brass cases.
Keep your powder in a dry, dark place, safe from any possibility of sparks or open flame. And please, don’t ever store powder in a gun safe. God forbid it were to ignite, you’ve just created a half-ton bomb, a rather insalubrious notion! I keep my primers well organized and separated to avoid grabbing the wrong size or type of primer. And I keep them well away from the powder canisters.
When I store my reloading dies in their handy plastic boxes, I save the little silica gel packets you find in bags of beef jerky and put them in the die box. This draws all the moisture away from the dies and helps prevent rust. I also keep the presses well lubricated with gun oil so they don’t rust. You’d be surprised at how quick things can get rusty in the humid summer months here in Upstate New York.
I screwed a narrow strip of plywood to the wall and drove little finishing nails about 1.5” apart to store all my different shell holders. They are clearly labeled in permanent marker by number, and I even jotted down which cartridge they are appropriate for. Saves an awful lot of time, and is much easier than digging through a pile of shell holders.
Tricks, such as organizing case holders by number and appropriate case, can save time and create a safer reloading environment. Photo courtesy Massaro Media Group and JNJphotographics.
Not everyone can have a loading area that is removed from the comings and goings of daily life, but do your best. What you want is a well lit space, as distraction-free as possible. Turn the cell phone off (you’ll live, trust me!), and keep the children at bay. “Oops” is a word that can lead to disaster in the reloading world.
Keep diligent records, please. After all the hard work that we reloaders go through, if you were to lose your load data, well, I’m getting teary-eyed just thinking about it. My notebook is invaluable to me, and I even keep things backed up on my computer.
One last point, and this may be the most important of all: Never mix alcohol with reloading. It just doesn’t work.
You all know the guy who likes to crack a beer or sip whiskey while reloading. Don’t do it, please. It can be tough enough get things right while sober; reloading while under the influence of your particular form of recreation can lead to trouble. Save it for when the powder and dies are all put away!
The space-age LCR is Ruger’s latest revolver, one that’s a marvel in design and modern material. The letters LCR stands for “Lightweight Compact Revolver.”
Introduced in 2009, the polymer-framed (that’s plastic!) LCR is chambered in .38 Special +P, .357 Magnum, .22 LR, and .22 WMR.
It features a five-shot stainless steel cylinder in the two larger rounds, while the .22 LR is an eight-shot and the .22 WMR is a six-shot.
The stainless steel barrel is a short 1.875 inches, keeping with the compact theme, the LCR has fixed sights, and it’s available with rubber Hogue grips or Crimson Trace laser grips. The frame is finished in a matte black. The little LCR tips the scales at a whopping 13 ounces!
The LCR is unique in a number of ways. In a more conventional revolver design, the hammer and trigger assemblies are located in two separate housings (e.g. in single-action revolvers, a cylinder frame and a grip frame).
In a more conventional revolver design, the hammer assembly and the trigger assembly are located in two separate housings. In the case of the LCR, the hammer and trigger—the “fire control center”—are located in the same fire control housing.
In the case of the LCR, the hammer and trigger—the “fire control center,” as Ruger calls it—are located in the same housing (the fire control housing), eliminating the increase to the tolerance stack common in conventional revolver configurations and their separate housings.
By locating the entire assembly in one housing, Ruger gets a rigid, repeatable fire control system that requires no fitting or gunsmithing to achieve a best-in-class trigger pull.
True stories of everyday armed citizens taking action to defend themselves and others.
A gas station owner in Shelby, N.C., saw a man entering his gas station carrying a canister of pepper spray. The owner immediately drew his concealed carry handgun and pointed it at the would-be-robber, FOX Carolina reported. The robber turned tail and fled and was later apprehended by local police.
A husband and wife were spending a quiet evening at their home in Miami-Dade County, Fla., when they heard the sounds of a break-in. The husband secured his handgun and headed toward the noise, Local10NEWS.com reported, and discovered two men in his home. The husband fired, hitting one man; both home invaders ran from the scene. Police found the wounded man in a local emergency room.
An employee at Joe’s Used Cars, Amarillo, Texas, recently discovered a burglary in progress and held the alleged burglar at rifle-point until police arrived. According to the Amarillo Globe-News, “The employee told officers the dealership had been targeted by criminals several times over a period of weeks and employees had started staying at the business to guard the lot overnight. Authorities said the employee heard noise in the shop area of the business and took a semi-automatic rifle to investigate.”
A man holding a knife entered Mac’s Convenience Store in Rutland, Vt., and told store clerk Don Pitaniello to empty the cash register. Instead, Pitaniello, a Vietnam War veteran, drew his .380 concealed carry pistol. The man immediately left the store. Pitaniello told the Rutland Herald that he could very well lose his job—the store prohibits employees from carrying firearms. “That store has been robbed eight or nine times and I always work nights,” Pitaniello told the newspaper. “I’m a firm believer in having a gun and not needing it rather than the other way around. I can always find a new job.”
Colt sponsored shooter Mark Redl continued his fantastic season Aug. 16-17, winning the Custom Defensive Pistol Division at the New England Regional match.
Colt sponsored shooter Mark Redl has been on a roll this season and kept it going recently in Harvard, Mass.
Redl earned first place Aug. 17 in the Custom Defensive Pistol Division at the New England Regional IDPA Championship. Redl scored 277.82 match points in the CDP Master Class in the two-day match at the Harvard Sportsmen’s Club, with 82 points down.
This victory also increases Redl’s lead in his division for the 2014 King of New England title, which he looks to claim again after his victory in 2013.
“We are all very excited for Mark and another outstanding win,” Joyce Rubino, Vice President of Marketing for Colt’s Manufacturing Company said. “It is wonderful to see him continue to put in the hard work and get closer to achieving his goal of repeating his King of New England CDP Division title. Colt’s Manufacturing Company is also proud to have been a sponsor of this popular IDPA match.”
The King of New England series pulls scores from four stages, plus one alternate stage, at three of New England’s IDPA competitions. The four stages from the New England Regional Championship that count towards the King of New England rankings are stages one, three, six and seven, with stage 10 as the alternate.
Redl finished first in his division in three out of the four stages.
“This match was an extremely technical one, with very tight shots,” Redl said. “I relied on a Colt Combat Elite factory gun to navigate through each stage with precision and match-grade accuracy. I am ecstatic about the win and look forward to the final match in the King of New England series in October.”
The New England Regional Championship is the second match of the three-leg concurrent King of New England series. The first leg was the Massachusetts State Championship in June. The third and final leg is the New Hampshire Live Free or Die Blockbuster State Championship in October.
Up next for Team Colt’s Redl and Maggie Reese is the USPSA Area 8 Championship Aug. 28 – 31 in Fredericksburg, Va.
After a few years off the market, Ruger has re-released its Red Label over-under shotgun. And from initial reports, the New Hampshire-Arizona manufacturer has made all the right refinements.
Brad Fitzpatrick did a review for us on the shotgun and gave a fairly interesting perspective on the shotgun. He competed in college with the old model Red Label and while he liked that iteration, he was blown away with the smoothbore’s evolution.
In particular, Fitzpatrick found the redesigned Red Label a more forgiving shotgun with a much improved receiver. But our Gun Digest the Magazine scribe isn’t the only one to find the shotgun a winner.
Jeff Quinn over at GunBlast.com also found the stainless steel and walnut of the shotgun too much to resist.
Quinn admits, his forte is not over-under shotguns and that breaking clays is not his area of expertise. But he knows guns and knows what he likes in guns and he likes Ruger’s Red Label.
One aspect of the shotgun not mentioned in other reviews that Quinn points out in his, is the ease of the Red Label’s break. Opening the shotgun is effortless, a definite plus for anyone who’s had a double-barreled shotgun that requires two hands and sometimes a knee to reload.
Quinn gives an excellent rundown on what the Ruger Red Label is all about and the entire video is worth a gander. But be warned.
If you happen to have the shotguns MSRP of $1399 lying around, watching this review won’t do much in helping you save it for a rainy day.
In this Ruger SR-762 review, see why Ruger's piston-driven .308 is a standout in the crowded AR-10 platform market.
The Piston Driven Part
The SR-762 is capable of excellent accuracy with iron sights. These groups were shot from a bench at 50 yards using only the irons. Author Photo
The system runs cooler and cleaner than a gas one, and there are a number of serious AR fans who prefer piston systems to gas systems. Among them is Kyle Lange, a crack helicopter hog pilot from Texas (see page 64). Lange sees dozens of AR’s firing thousands of shots every week, and he believes that the piston system is the very best.
The SR-556 is a reliable, accurate rifle, and plenty of shooters understood why the gun cost a little more. On the heels of the success of the SR-556, Ruger has now introduced a bigger, beefier AR-10 version of the rifle, the SR-762. It’s chambered in 7.62×51 NATO (.308 Winchester), and it has the same type of high-performance piston-powered operating system you’ll find in its little brother, the SR-556.
The SR-762 is a hefty gun, but it’s not heavy by typical AR-10 standards; at 8.6 pounds, it’s still actually light enough and portable enough to be carried in the field. Furniture wise, the SR-762 has a telescoping M4 stock with 3.25 inches of adjustment and Ruger’s lightweight aluminum handguard that is comfortable and easy to grip and is drilled and tapped to accept additional accessory rails at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions.
The flattop receiver has a Picatinny rail that extends to the front of the handguard, so you’ve got more than enough space for mounting optics and other accessories. The flip-up combat sights are easy to adjust and are surprisingly accurate; at 50 yards from a fixed bench, the sights were dead-on and produced tight groups.
Ruger SR-762 Sights
The front sight is adjustable for elevation and has a square blade profile, and the rear aperture is windage adjustable. In addition, the rear sight has two different aperture sizes, a large one for close shooting, and a smaller peep for shooting at longer ranges.
Rotating the rear aperture allows the shooter to switch between aperture sizes, and both the front and rear sights fold down and lock securely in place if you opt for a different sighting system.
When you need the irons, simply pressing a button raises them and you’re ready to fire. The sights are biased toward battle, and the flat-topped front sight isn’t designed for precision shooting.
No matter, you’ve got about a mile of Picatinny rail to mount whatever sighting system you’d like, and the sights will serve as backup for close-range work. From a fixed rest, the iron sights were plenty accurate. During the course of the test, the piston system didn’t need adjustment, and it fired Winchester Razorback XT ammo without a hitch.
The real beauty of the piston system is the ability to adjust the piston to match your desired load. If you’re shooting suppressed and you choose to shut the system off that’s easy to do as well.
Ruger SR-762 Maintenance
The piston system is also extremely easy to maintain, and cleaning the rifle primarily consists of wiping down the internal parts without the need for hard scrubbing or heavy solvents. The bolt and bolt carrier are chromed, so the SR-762 is an easy gun to keep in working order.
The rifle sports a 16.12-inch fluted barrel that is cold hammer forged and chrome lined, topped with a flash suppressor with 5/8-inch 24 threads. If you’ve got a suppressor and you want to tone down the SR-762’s impressive bark, you can simply remove the flash suppressor, install your suppressor and turn off the piston system.
Each SR-762 rifle comes with a zippered carrying case that unfolds into a fine shooting mat and has three pouches that house 20-round magazines and a trio of rail covers. Overall, I was impressed by the SR-762. I think Ruger made a rather unexpected move by utilizing a piston system and pricing their guns higher than most of the competition.
Shooting the SR-762
The Ruger SR-762’s piston system is easily adjustable and can be customized to match different loads. Author Photo
But there’s a reason that the gun costs a bit more because of that piston system, which the more I shot, the more I really liked. Accuracy was pretty good with the iron sights, and I spent quite a bit of time firing the rifle at different ranges and from a variety of shooting positions.
No matter how I positioned myself, I never felt uncomfortable shooting the rifle. I am a big fan of the soft Hogue Monogrip, which is comfortable and offers a secure grip on the rifle, which also helped in maintaining the rifle’s comfortable impression.
Admittedly, the trigger wasn’t exactly the best, breaking at roughly six pounds, a bit stout for my preference. That was about the only negative I could find, because otherwise this is an extremely nice shooting and carrying rifle.
Despite the uninspiring trigger, the SR-762 is a solid choice for a tactical rifle. I think that the handguard, stock and pistol grip are all well thought out (and if you disagree you can swap them out; this is, after all, an AR rifle).
The sights are pretty good, and the rifle has a lot of nice features like the removable flash hider and the chrome-lined bolt.
To me, however, the functional and effective piston system is what sets this rifle apart. It runs clean, and it can put up with some serious punishment.
Is it worth the money? That is hard to say. It is, however, a functional and effective piston-powered AR-10 platform rifle that is worthy of the Ruger name.
This article is an excerpt from the July 17, 2014 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Sightmark's new Ultra Shot M-Spec Reflex Sight promises to be a rugged addition to any firearm.
Reflex sights continue to grow in popularity for a simple reason, they work. And Sightmark's new reflex sight looks to have all the bells and whistles shooters are looking for in the handy optic.
Reflex sights have grown in popularity over the recent years. There is a logical reason for the the expansion of the optics’ acclaim – they work.
The biggest advantage of such sights is they encourage shooting with both eyes open. In turn, reflex sights have shown they produce faster target accusation and more accurate shooting, even by beginning shooters.
Sightmark have given shooters hunting for the optic another choice with the Texas manufacturer expanding their catalog of reflex sights. The company is now selling its Ultra Shot M-Spec Reflex Sight, a sight solution that looks to come with all the bells and whistles, but without the typically hefty price tag.
The Ultra Shot M-Spec appears to have a number of features aim for in a reflex sight, but one of its big selling points is its digital switch controls. The controls allow for a vast amount of adjustment on the sight to match whatever light conditions are present with six variable brightness levels for daytime use and six settings in night vision mode.
With 1x magnification, the sight is perfect for close-range work. This is enhanced with its 65 MOC outer circle, which helps for quick target acquisition. The sight, however, is set up to do some long-distance work, with its 2 MOA central dot small enough to aid a shooter who needs to reach out.
Ultra Shot M-Spec Reflex Sight allows for a vast amount of adjustment on the sight to match whatever light conditions are present with six variable brightness levels for daytime use and six settings in night vision mode.
The Ultra Shot M-Spec isn’t just on target when it comes to drawing a bead, but also has the features that make it rugged. The optic is housed in a magnesium-alloy body that is water resistant up to 40 feet and has been tested to handle the recoil of a .50 caliber rifle.
The optic is outfitted with an intuitive quick release throw lever, which makes attaching it to a firearm literally a momentary task. The device is compatible with both Weaver mounts and Picatinny rails, making it a snap to add to almost any modern firearm.
The Ultra Shot M-Spec stays in the fight with minimal energy usage. The optic operates off a single CR2 3V battery, which runs 90-1000 hours, depending on usage. It is also a relatively light unit to add to a firearm, weighting in at a svelte 8 ounces.
Sightmark has made getting into the Ultra Shot M-Spec fairly easy. The optic has an MSRP of $239.99, making it quite a cheaper option than most reflex sights on the market.
For many years, the .30-30 was the most popular cartridge in North America. In part, this acclaim grew due to the cartridge's usefulness in deer hunting.
Introduced to the public in 1895 and mated up with the Winchester Model 94 lever action rifle, this duo was the most popular rifle and cartridge in North America for a long time. They are both still quite popular today.
The Model 94 was the first commercial rifle specifically developed for use with smokeless powder. Last count I had, more than 7.5 million had been produced and sold, the vast majority of which were chambered for the .30-30.
Other manufacturers have also manufactured rifles chambered for the cartridge. Two other lever action rifles, ones made by Marlin and the Savage Model 99 were available in .30-30. Mossberg also made a few lever action models for the cartridge.
Some single shot rifles have also been available in .30-30, most notably those made by Thompson-Center, and I believe that I've seen a Stevens and Savage single shot rifle so chambered.
Very few bolt-action rifles have been made for the .30-30 as the cartridge uses a rimmed case which is generally unsuited for bolt actions. A few did make their way to market though.
Early on, Winchester chambered its Model 54 bolt-action rifle for the .30-30, but it did poorly in the marketplace. Stevens and Savage produced a bolt-action model or two for the cartridge and the Remington Model 788 was also available for the .30-30.
The cartridge got its name from the fact that it had a bullet diameter of 30 caliber, and its original loading used 30 grains of smokeless powder. Although it has been factory loaded for an assortment of bullet weights from 110 grain to 170 grains, plus an assortment of cast bullet weights are available for it, the 150-grain and 170-grain factory loads are the most popular.
Until the introduction by Hornady of the Leverevolution bullet, all bullets intended for the cartridge were either flat-nosed or round-nosed in design and construction. This was caused by safety concerns with the tubular magazines of the Winchester and Marlin lever action rifles.
Like so many American cartridges, the .30-30 has a somewhat confusing name. The .30 connotes the cartridge is a 30 caliber, the other 30, however, is less intuitive. It comes from the cartridges original loading using 30 grains of smokeless powder
It has been a very popular round for deer hunting in the eastern US, and equally popular in the western US as a saddle gun/pickup truck gun. Lever action Winchester model 92s and 94s were popularized in Hollywood western movies, which, I suspect, had much to do with its overwhelming acceptance. The compactness, lightweight, and very modest recoil, of most rifles chambered for the .30-30 also had a great deal to do with its popularity.
Even though the cartridge is loaded to modest velocities, these days the 150 grain around 2,400 fps, the 160 grain around 2,300 fps, and the 170 grain at 2,200 fps, it is perfectly adequate for moderate range hunting for animals the size of deer and black bear.
I would estimate that Canadian hunters have taken a ton of moose and caribou with it. It is difficult to make a satisfactory argument with success, although I wouldn't personally take one on a moose hunt unless it was all that I had. There are better choices.
I have two friends of mine that have Thompson Center handguns chambered for the .30-30, and they are superbly accurate. They use handloaded ammunition with pointed boat-tail bullets in their single shot TCs, and they are as scary accurate as any rifle I've come across, and more so than most.
One of these days when I have nothing better to do and a few extra bucks in my pocket, I'll pick up a TC Contender rifle chambered for the .30-30 just to see how well I can make it shoot. I'd almost bet that groups in the .2s are achievable. It'll be fun to find out.
I don't have a lot of experience with TC rifles, having owned but one, but the seem to be exceptionally accurate. The two that my friends own chambered for the .30-30, and my rifle chambered for the .338 Federal, are all capable of teeny tiny groups.
There are reasons why autoloaders are more popular than revolvers today. However, many fail to maximize semi-auto handgun performance by overlooking firepower and shootability.
While double-action revolvers still offer certain advantages in some tactical situations, law enforcement has followed the military into virtually total reliance upon the semi-automatic pistol as a sidearm.
However, many users don’t gain the full tactical potential these modern handguns offer. Let’s examine a few different areas.
Firepower
Some purists like to say that firepower is an element that doesn’t kick in until the discussion reaches the level of squad automatic weapons. I beg to differ.
Firepower has been an advantage in any sort of human combat since the first two tribes of Cro-Magnons started throwing rocks at each other and figured out that whoever threw the most rocks fastest and straightest generally won. Unfortunately, many people who discuss firepower miss a word in that last sentence: straightest.
There are two components to handgun firepower: cartridge capacity when fully loaded, and reloading speed. It takes three six-shooters to equal the in-gun firepower of a Glock 17 pistol loaded to its full designed capacity of 18 9mm Luger cartridges.
That’s why the semi-auto, usually with double column magazine, is what you’ll likely find in the holster of your friendly neighborhood policeman, and why you may have to go to a police museum to find an example of the old .38 Police Special. Moreover, in a sustained firefight, a reload may become necessary with any firearm.
It takes a five-shot and a six-shot .38 snub to equal the 11 rounds of 9mm held in the Glock 26, shown at right with Tactical Advantage sights. Author Photo
World Champion Jerry Miculek is on record firing six shots from his.45 revolver, reloading with a moon clip, and firing six more in an incredible 2.99 seconds overall. There is only one Jerry Miculek. Most folks take longer to recharge a wheel gun.
The single most popular revolver speedloader, the HKS brand, originally was advertised as the “Six Second Loader.” When you look at how long it takes to reload a revolver one cartridge at a time from cartridge loops or belt pouches, a six-second reload was indeed a major selling point, and that’s not a bad time for the average shooter to recharge his six-gun.
By contrast, a committed shooter can quickly learn to perform a two-second reload with a semi-automatic pistol. The spent magazine is ejected by the firing hand at the same time the support hand snatches a pre-loaded fresh magazine from the belt pouch, brings it to the pistol and slams it home. The slide is closed on the next live round, and the shooter is quickly back in business.
Maximizing Firepower
If you lawfully carry a gun, for heaven’s sake, carry spare ammunition. A spare magazine on the belt takes up less belt space than a six-loop slide of spare revolver cartridges, and bulges less than a single revolver speedloader in most comparisons.
A popular theme in gun forums when concealed carry is under discussion is, “Do you carry spare ammo?” There are always a few people who post, “Why should I? I’ve already got 16 rounds of 9mm in my Glock 19! When would I ever need more than that?”
To answer that question, since there’s no central repository gathering statistics from shootouts involving law-abiding armed citizens, we have to look at the police departments that keep track of such incidents involving their own officers.
True, the average guy with a CCW isn’t a cop, but he’s carrying that gun to protect himself and his family from the exact same bad guys the cops carry guns to protect us from. Seen in that light, the gun-carrying private citizen stands in the same shoes as the lone officer.
In the last statistics I was able to find from the NYPD and LAPD, three percent of the officers involved in gunfights in The Big Apple needed more than 16 shots to finish the fight, and five percent of the cops in shootouts in the City of Angels went past 16 rounds, too.
Three percent and five percent, respectively, doesn’t sound like a lot, until you ask yourself whether you’d turn down a raise in pay of that amount or extending your lifespan by three percent or five percent.
We can’t base our choices on averages because the very fact that you need to fire a gun to survive means that you’re already in a statistically improbable situation. There’s no such thing as a “statistically average aberration of the statistics.” Better to prepare for the worst.
Another reason to take advantage of the convenience and speed of a spare magazine on your person is that a huge number of auto pistol malfunctions involve a defective cartridge or a damaged magazine.
With many such stoppages, the quickest fix is to simply dump the bad magazine with the bad ammo, reload and start over. Thus, a spare magazine is the best, fastest fix for a jammed gun in many cases.
It’s important to remember that a substantial cartridge capacity doesn’t need to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Spray and pray” is an irresponsible strategy. We want to shoot our autos as we would a revolver that simply had a larger ammunition reservoir attached, just in case we needed more rounds
The Austrian-made pistols have become icons to a certain segment of the handgun world; for good reason. It is fair to say, the forward-looking company was one of the main movers in popularizing polymer frames on pistols, as well as the striker-fired system.
Glock has been so ahead of the curve, it is easy to forget the company has been producing pistols since 1982. Truly, that’s enough time for the company’s handguns to build a pretty dedicated following. And it has.
To be sure, the main thing that gets Glock fans’ hearts a thumping are the pistols themselves. But for those who can’t get enough Glock, there is some swag they can hunt after to compliment their handguns.
Some of the coolest out there and most obtainable, with patients, are early reviews of Glocks. The video above from Gun Websites documents the first review of the company's pistol in an American publication.
The article ran in the October 1984 edition of Solider of Fortune and was written by Peter Kokalis. As the video points out, Kokalis traveled to Austria to get a first-hand look at the European pistol and was blown away by the company's first gun – the Glock 17. The review turned out to be highly positive, helping lay the groundwork for the pistol's dominance in the American market.
The other interesting point the video touches on in regard to Kokalis' article is why Glock did not enter the race to replace the M1911 as the U.S. Military's sidearm in the 1983 trials. To get the skinny on that part of Glock's history, however, you'll have to watch the video proper.
For Glock fans out there, early reviews – especially the very first one – are a pretty cool additions to a collection. And they are certainly a reason to keep eyes peeled for more than just firearms at a gun show.
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.
