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After a massive shortage in the past year, AR-15 rifles are back on gun store shelves at reasonable prices. Supply has caught up with demand and manufacturers are producing new models for 2014. Retailers such as Bob’s Gun Shop in Norfolk, Va., are even offering great deals on ARs to consumers who are still eager to buy the popular rifles.
Tactical guns and ammo have been on short supply the last few years, but supplies are easing and the coming year may be a good time to buy.
The great AR panic and shortage of 2012-2013 now seems to be behind us. Until a few months ago it was almost impossible to find an AR-style rifle for sale in any gun store or gun show in America.
This was also true for other military-type semi-auto rifles and carbines. If you did occasionally find one, the price tag increased significantly, sometimes double the price or more.
Over the winter and spring ARs, AK’s, FAL’s, Mini-14’s and other rifles the media likes to refer to as “assault weapons” disappeared from the shelves at all levels of the firearms retail business, from local gun shops and sporting good stores, to the big outlets like Walmart, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.
Early Warning Signs
Why, and how, did this happen? It isn’t as if it hasn’t happened before. The push for tougher gun control laws has surfaced many times over the years, going back to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy just over 50 years ago.
Depending on which party controlled the White House or Congress, proposals for more restrictive controls on the design, ownership and sale of firearms has come and gone many times. In many cases shortages quickly occurred in the category or categories of the firearms being legislated against.
The Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, led to shortages of numerous semi-auto rifles and high-capacity handguns. When the legislation expired by way of its sunset provisions 10 years later during the Bush administration, the guns involved became available again.
Distrust of Government Motives
More recently, the long and contentious re-election campaign for President Barack Obama convinced many gun owners that a continuation of his administration was sure to bring new and more restrictive federal regulation of firearms.
Soon the “get’em while you can” slogan was being heard in gun stores and at gun shows. Long before the election, shortages began to develop in gun stores across the country, especially of AR-style semi-auto rifles.
After the re-election of President Obama, some concerned citizens opted to become gun owners and, believing AR-15s would soon be banned, decided that their first, and perhaps only gun, had to be an AR.
The .219 Zipper persisted fitfully from 1938 to 1962 in that purgatory reserved for cartridges that look good on paper but somehow never quite measure up in real life. At this late date, it’s difficult to determine exactly how the .219 Zipper ended up on the compost heap of shooting history.
The rosy-tipped dawn of the modern varmint cartridge broke in the early 1930s with the debut of the .22 Hornet, a smokeless version of the old blackpowder .22 Winchester Center Fire. With its little 45-grain jacketed bullet scooting along at 2500 fps, the Hornet proved that the high-performance varmint cartridge was a marketable proposition, and before long it faced a fusillade of competition.
One of these competitors, the .219 Zipper, persisted fitfully from 1938 to 1962 in that purgatory reserved for cartridges that look good on paper but somehow never quite measure up in real life. At this late date, it’s difficult to determine exactly how the .219 Zipper ended up on the compost heap of shooting history.
Some sources say the Zipper first saw the light of day in 1936; others say the Winchester 64, the first rifle chambered for it, didn’t arrive until 1938. We can speculate, however, that the sad story of the .219 Zipper really began with an even earlier cartridge, the .22 Savage High Power.
Introduced way back in 1912, the .22 Savage High Power was based on a necked-down .25-35 WCF case topped off with a 70-grain softpoint bullet that clearly marked it as a crossover varmint/deer load. Chambered in Savage’s time-tested, field-proven Model 1899 lever-action rifle, there was every reason to think that the High Power would succeed.
Despite impressive ballistics and aggressive marketing by Savage, however, the High Power gave consistently inconsistent performance on deer-sized game, and poisonous word-of-mouth resulted. Instead of loading the High Power with a lighter bullet and repackaging it as a varmint cartridge, Savage shrugged, said aw nuts, and dropped the .22 High Power in the early ‘30s. For a while it seemed as though the concept of a smallbore lever-action varminter was a dead letter.
But it wasn’t − not if Winchester Repeating Arms Co., Inc. had anything to say about it. By 1935, Winchester had become a true believer in the high-velocity varmint cartridge, having already developed the fiery .220 Swift for their Models 54 and 70 bolt-actions.
Watching the rise and fall of the .22 High Power from behind their curtains in New Haven, Winchester decided that a pure varmint cartridge similar to the defunct Savage .22 might succeed in a lever-action. After all, to many contemporary shooters, a rifle wasn’t really a rifle unless it had a lever hanging off it. And since bolt-action enthusiasts were showing some interest in the .220 Swift, perhaps lever-action fans would appreciate their own special varmint package.
So, taking hammer and tongs to everyone’s favorite guinea pig, the .25-35, Winchester’s engineers emerged in 1936 with a new .22 varminter designed specifically for a lever-action.
Whereas the obsolete High Power had featured a long .228” bullet requiring a fast 1:12” rifling twist, however, the new Winchester cartridge incorporated a 46- or 56-grain .224” bullet tailored to a gentler 1:16” twist. Playing fast and loose with their vernier calipers, Winchester named their hot new number the .219 Zipper.
So far, so good. With an advertised muzzle velocity of around 3100 fps with the 56-gr. jacketed bullet, the Zipper approximated the performance of the much-later .222 Remington, one of the best-balanced varminters of all time. Although the .219 couldn’t compare with the Swift − the H-Bomb of .22’s − it represented a huge theoretical improvement over the Hornet, which suddenly became yesterday’s news.
Unwilling to chamber the brand-new Zipper in the dated Model 1894 design, Winchester assigned it to a special variant of the 94, the sporty Model 64. The five-shot 64/Zipper featured a 26-inch round barrel to wring every last drop of velocity out of the .219 and also had a rather racy look to it, if such a thing can be said of a lever-action.
So there it was. Winchester began marketing their new 64/Zipper varmint package sometime in 1938. Licking their pencil tips and flipping open their order books, they waited patiently for the Zipper to catch fire. And waited. And waited.
Uh-oh. If word of mouth truly was the best advertising, the .219 was in big trouble. A growing number of field reports indicated that although the 64/Zipper was accurate enough for the first one or two shots, subsequent shots strung vertically as the barrel heated up.
At a time when the Model 70 was wowing everyone with its phenomenal long-range accuracy, varmint hunters expected more than the 64/Zipper could ever deliver. Speaking with one voice, they solemnly pronounced the Zipper a big fat dud. Faced with the inevitable, Winchester zapped the Zipper in 1941 and never bothered with it again after WWII.
So what went wrong? In the words of Cole Porter, it was just one of those crazy things.
Looking back, we see that the fault lay not so much with the Zipper as it did with its pairing with the Model 64. Based on the Model 55 action, itself a variant of the venerable Model 1894 action, the 64 was built around a long, rear-locking breechblock and provided acceptable woods accuracy in its .25-35, .30-30, and .32 Winchester Special chamberings.
The long-range, high-velocity .219 was an entirely different proposition. The 64’s receiver, cut at both top and bottom, wasn’t rigid enough to go toe-to-toe with the hot Zipper, and it couldn’t accommodate telescopic sights. More than accurate enough for woods whitetails, the 64 just wasn’t cut out for a long-range varminter.
What really nailed down the lid on the Zipper’s coffin, though, was the fact that factory Zipper ammunition, as loaded by Remington and Winchester, was available only with round- or flat-nose bullets. In those days, there was a widespread and not-unfounded belief that if you loaded multiple spire-point cartridges in a tubular magazine, recoil would cause the nose of one cartridge to detonate the primer of another, thus exposing you to serious injury or even the D-word.
Documented cases of such detonation are scarce at best, but it was and is a hypothetical possibility. As a result, the Zipper was life-sentenced to stubby soft- and hollow-point factory bullets that shed velocity, and hence energy, disappointingly quickly. Thus the .219 had a maximum effective range of only about 175 yards − not such a great practical improvement over the Hornet after all.
You might think that Winchester’s sad experience pretty much closed the book on the Zipper. Think again. The .219 was given a new, albeit brief, lease on life in 1955 when Marlin announced, to widespread wonderment, that its popular 336C lever-action carbine henceforth would be chambered in .219 Zipper. Why Marlin did so is something of a mystery.
The closest Marlin had ever come to a varmint chambering in a lever-action was its old proprietary flop, the .25-36, which was a crossover load in the spirit of the .25-35 Winchester and .22 Savage High Power. Perhaps Marlin felt that the 336C’s combination of a scope-friendly receiver and Micro-Groove rifling could help the Zipper perform up to its potential.
The nation’s varmint hunters, however, intoxicated with the .222 Remington (1950) and new .243 Winchester (1956), greeted the 336/Zipper with a huge collective yawn, and the chambering was dropped in 1960 with fewer than 6,000 sold.
Factory Zipper ammunition hasn’t been loaded since 1962 or thereabouts, but the handful of Zipper enthusiasts out there can still buy .219 reloading dies from some of the specialty die manufacturers. Cases can be formed without too much trouble from .25-35 brass which, at this writing, is still in production.
Loading data can be found in a number of older handbooks, Waters’ Pet Loads being perhaps the best-documented, and there is certainly no shortage of .22 bullets to fit the Zipper’s bill − keeping in mind, of course, the ancient admonition concerning spire-points in a tubular magazine. If you’re loading for a Model 64 or 336C, you can use any .224 spire-point bullet as long as you limit yourself to one round in the chamber and one in the magazine.
Be advised, however, that Marlin’s hair-deep Micro-Groove rifling will wear quickly under red-hot loads. With conservative loads, accuracy in the 64 or 336C can be quite acceptable for leisurely three-shot strings, 2-inch groups at 100 yards being easily obtainable.
Some custom bolt-actions and single-shots were chambered for the Zipper in the late ‘30s, the good Lord knows why, and such rifles can safely handle bullets of any profile. Most of them, though, have long since been rechambered for the blown-out .219 Donaldson Wasp or .219 Zipper Improved wildcats, which provide anywhere from 300 to 400 fps extra velocity. Of these, the Improved was the more practical cartridge because its case could be fire-formed from factory Zipper ammunition with no further modification.
The Donaldson requires case trimming and perhaps some other tinkering, depending on who furnishes the reamer. But as promising as these wildcats may have seemed half-a-century ago, they’re both seriously outclassed by the .223 and .22-250 Remingtons.
It remained for Browning’s later rotary-bolt BLR chambered in .22-250 to show that a lever-action could indeed succeed as a long-range .22 varminter. With its up-front locking lugs and box magazine, the BLR is in effect a lever-operated bolt action, and quite an impressive one, too, capable of MOA accuracy as far as you can see. In some ways, the BLR/.22-250 represents what the 64/Zipper and 336/Zipper should have been, but never were.
The 1930s were golden years in the evolution of the high-performance .22 factory varmint cartridge. The decade witnessed the birth of the .22 Hornet, the .220 Swift, the .219 Zipper, and the .218 Bee. Of these, only the first − the Hornet − enjoys basically good health.
Two of the others, the Swift and the Bee, have managed to cling to life despite occasional brushes with obsolescence. The lever-plagued Zipper, however, is remembered today only as proof that, as Claude Rains observed in The Invisible Man, there are some things that man was meant to leave alone.
Robin Ball — Sharp Shooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop, Spokane, Wash. Smith & Wesson Shield. The Glock 19 had always been undisputed number one seller at Sharp Shooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop. But this winter the Smith & Wesson Shield is in a virtual sales tie, owner Robin Ball said.
Available in 9mm or .40S&W, the Smith & Wesson Shield sells for $449 here.
Ruger handgun sales are strong, too, especially for the 22/45 Lite Target Pistol in .22 LR.
With a large percentage of the operation’s customers practicing concealed carry, the Galco line of gun holsters and accessories does very well here, too.
Ball also notes a steady and growing demand for Mossberg and Remington tactical shotgun models, mostly going to self-defense buyers.
Putting aside technology in the form of laser rangefinders and rangefinding reticles, there are several methods available to the shooter for range estimation.
Techniques such as the known-distance comparison, bracketing, map method, and short-distance method allow the shooter to make a structured estimate of the range, which is far superior to a flat-out guess.
Each of these methods results in estimations, which therefore are subject to inaccuracy and variance, but the strength of these methods is that they can all be used at the same time. This enables the shooter to develop a “composite range” that’s averaged from the results of all the methods. With practice, this does provide a reasonably accurate representation of real range.
1) The Known-Distance Method
The known-distance method takes a distance that is visually very well known to the shooter, such as a football field or the distance between power poles, etc., and then asks how many times that known distance fits into the space the shooter is trying to measure.
The known distance can even be the viewed distance to the target at the 100 yard/meter shooting mound. The shooter may decide that there are two football fields or eight power poles that can fit between their location and the target, thus yielding an estimation of the range.
2) The Bracketing Method
The bracketing method works on the same principle as the known-distance method, but applies it differently. Essentially, the shooter makes a best guess both on what the range could not be less than and could not be more than, then takes the middle point between these two. The result is generally fairly accurate.
3) The Map Method
The map method works with the shooter finding their position and that of their target on a map and simply measuring the range in between.
This method is reliant on the shooter’s ability to navigate and to locate features on the map and apply them to the ground to accurately place the target’s position on the map. If the shooter is proficient in these forms of navigation, the range can be accurately measured.
4) The Short Distance Method
The shooter can employ the short distance method. This method works by estimating the range to a secondary target on the path to the actual target, one the shooter feels they can accurately estimate the range of, and then multiplying this distance out to the actual target to achieve the estimate of range to the target.
This method works particularly well, when the shooter can accurately measure a short distance, but not far enough so as to range the actual target.
5) The GPS Method
Finally, a GPS can also allow the shooter to estimate the range to the target. This does require the shooter to pinpoint the position of the target on a map and measure the intervening range.
The key to using any of these methods properly is practice. The shooter should estimate range on all manner of targets in all manner of environments.
Further, the shooter can practice by learning what common objects look like at long range or, even better, borrow a laser rangefinder and practice by estimating the range using these methods, and then measuring the range to see how close your estimate came to the actual.
In the world of tactical shotguns, 12 gauges have reigned supreme. But as Legacy's Gladius proves, the 20 gauge is starting to make headway into the defensive shotgun market.
Mention tactical shotguns and what comes to mind?
Most likely a pump, maybe a semiautomatic, heck it could even be an over-under (there are models). While a multitude of configurations were most likely conjured, what was likely the same for all was their gauge. Few will argue that when it comes to tactical shotguns the 12 gauge reigns supreme.
But the winds are shifting.
Ever so quietly the 20 gauge has crept into the tactical shotgun scene. This year saw a number of firearms and ammunition manufacturers coming out with options in the smaller bore.
Legacy Sports International is one of those not being left out in the cold when it comes to tactical 20 gauges.
The company has recently released 20-gauge models of its popular Escort home defense tactical shotguns. The Gladius offers many of the same features as the 12-gauge MP/P-A pump and MP/S-A semi-auto models, only in the smaller bore.
The Gladius has a CNC machined aircraft-grade aluminum alloy receivers on both models each with anodized finishes and mounted on black synthetic stocks. And the 5+1-round pump and semi-automatic shotguns offer plenty of knockdown power. While they are a more petite gauge, each is chambered for 3-inch magnum shells.
The guns are designed for maneuverability in close quarters, with 18-inch barrels and 40-inch overall length. The models' also have a manageable weight, each tipping the scales at 6.8 pounds.
The lighter weight of the Gladius has the potential to increase the felt recoil. However, like the larger versions of the tactical shotgun, Legacy has incorporated a number of features to mitigate the guns' kick. The shotguns are outfitted with low-density rubber recoil pads and a muzzle breaks. The muzzle breaks also allows for accurate follow-up shots, reducing the shotguns' muzzle flip.
The shotguns are also made more controllable with the addition of a pistol grips and forward grips. The forward grip on the pump shotgun also increases its rate of fire, working the gun's short throw cycle.
The Gladius models have the ability to acquire targets quickly, each outfitted with a rear ghost ring sight and fiber optics front. The sights are fully adjustable, making the shotguns — with the proper rounds — more than just a close-quarters options.
Legacy has extended the shotguns' out-of-the-box tactical usefulness by making Picatinny rails standard. The shotguns have an upper rail, making the addition of optics a snap. And they include three rails — two more than the 12 gauge models — on extended forends.
Escort Gladius 20-gauge Semi-Automatic Shotgun.
Those inclined to use the Gladius for tactical operations will most likely aim to add a shell holder to the shotgun. But for home and personal defense needs, the shotguns' built in shell holder — holding two shells in the stock — should suffice.
The Gladius models check in at reasonable prices. The MSRP on the pump model is $485 and for the semi-automatic $579, within range of someone curious about a low-recoil tactical shotgun option.
Certainly, not everyone will get worked up about a 20-gauge tactical shotgun. It’s just not some people’s cup of tea. The addition, however, of a smaller bore to the defensive mix might open up the market more to those who once thought a shotgun was going to be too much to handle.
Drop into any local gun store or log into any firearms forum on the Internet and ask what the “best carry gun” is. You’ll get a raft of responses, almost all of which are based on what the responders personally like. What’s more, what they personally like may or may not be based on anything other than hearsay – or what their buddies like.
Let’s look at it a little more logically; choosing a concealed carry gun is really about reaching the right balance for you. You have to consider size, power, efficiency and capacity in your deliberations, and each variable affects the others.
Revolver or Auto for Concealed Carry?
This is an age-old debate. They each have their adherents, and they are somewhat complementary in their capabilities. There are some vital differences however, and you should go into either choice with your eyes open.
Arguments for the autoloader: -Greater capacity -Flatter for better concealment -Easier to reload under stress -Easier to shoot well (better triggers) -Greater selection of defensive ammunition -Generally greater tolerance to abuse
Arguments against the autoloader: -Perceived lack of reliability -Complicated manual of arms (operation) -Upper body strength required to rack slide -Generally lesser tolerance to neglect -Can be sensitive to ammunition variances
Arguments for the revolver: -Simpler manual of arms -Easier to verify loaded or unloaded state -Easier to shoot (lack of external controls) -Perceived greater reliability -Relatively immune to ammunition variables -Generally greater tolerance to neglect -Somewhat easier to fit to smaller hands
Arguments against the revolver: -Harder to shoot well (heavy, long trigger) -Lower capacity -Difficult to reload quickly -Somewhat lessened selection of defensive ammunition -Generally lower tolerance to abuse
Having written two books on the revolver, and being known as a revolver “expert,” it may surprise you that I usually recommend an autoloading pistol for most people. Why? Because the advantages of the autoloader generally outweigh the advantages of the revolver, except for some specific instances.
Reader Chris C. writes, “I listened to your great training on how to avoid gunfights (Living Ready University) and really like the tactic of aggressive gun presentation and sharp verbal commands, but you didn’t talk much about how to avoid risky situations in the first place. Isn’t that just as important?”
You bet Chris. Here are some simple tips to help you avoid being a victim of assault or home burglary that I learned in over 27 years as a cop dealing with the aftermath.
Tip 1 On Crime Avoidance (and it costs you nothing) (As my Field Training Officer pounded into my head)… “Keep your head up and your eyes scanning at all times.” Not only does this simple tip let you see a potential threat while you still have distance —distance always translates into tactical flexibility—but you look like you are aware and can handle yourself. “Meek means weak” to the bad boys. And, don’t forget your “6”—what’s going on behind you.
The reason smartphone theft is becoming an epidemic is because when your eyes are glued to your little gizmo you; (a) telegraph you have something worth stealing, (b) are so focused on the little screen that you do not see the predator moving towards you, and (c) you are probably too nerdy to fight back.
Tip 2 (especially for female readers) Don’t walk alone to your car at night or in a desolate spot. If you are shopping alone or meeting your girlfriend for dinner where it’s hip and happening, always ask a store clerk or the restaurant manager to provide an escort to your car.
One of the great advantages of the malls is that they have uniformed security staff happy to escort you. Even if you have a carry permit (good for you!) get an escort anyway. You don’t want to have to shoot an assailant when an escort is so much easier.
Tip 3 (for home defense) Get an alarm system. In all my years of residential burglar reports I never took one where an alarm system was installed. Alarms are affordable, reliable and act like a crucifix to a vampire.
Enhance it with wall mounted, battery powered sensor lights. You don’t need to make your house look like Ft. Knox… the bad boys scan carefully under eaves and around entry ways and side gates for little tips that they should pick a softer target. I especially like the fake cameras that have a flashing LED light on them.
Tip 4 (especially for the guys) Even if you have a carry permit, always have an impact weapon in your hands when out and about at night or in a rough neighborhood.
A small metal flashlight or big wad of keys on the end of a short nylon strap, an eight inch section of small diameter PVC pipe (painted black), or one of the new tactical pens all demonstrate you are not an easy target. If you get jumped, go for the face with the device as a distraction, take out the knee with a snap kick, run at a tangent and establish tactical distance.
Remember, the best gunfight is the one you don’t need to have.
In this early Smith & Wesson M&P-15 review, Patrick Sweeney's verdict on the AR-style carbine is in: Get one.
The major components of the S&E M&P-15 come from Continental Machine & Tool. Known in the industry as “CMT,” they are a big behind-the-scenes maker of parts for many manufacturers. In fact, a lot of the rifles tested in this book (and Volume 1 as well) were assembled using CMT components. So in that regard S&W is not alone.
The three rifles offered are a standard M4, a tactical carbine with a railed forearm, and a precision rifle built up by the Performance Center. I had quite some time testing both the M4 and the Tactical. My first hands-on of the two was on a Wyoming prairie dog shoot.
The Tactical and the A model come with Troy rear sights, marked “M&P,” of course.
I found myself along with several other gun writers at a ranch in the middle of Wyoming, to shoot prairie rats. We had a literal truckload of Winchester varmint ammo, and a selection of S&W M&P-15s to shoot. Being the sneaky, underhanded gunsmith that I am, I took a quick look at the rifles and found the one with the best trigger. That was serial number 221.
I then mounted the scope so far forward to accommodate my skinny frame and odd shooting stance that no one else could shoot it, thus guaranteeing I would have that one the whole trip.
For those who have not done so, prairie dog shooting is not hunting. Despite what some call it, it is plinking at animate targets. (Sssh, don’t let hunting haters know that.) You drive to a suitable spot, set up, and start shooting (“suitable” as in “lots of prairie dogs and other assorted vermin”). Vermin is what they are.
They’re members of the despised family rodentia, and we were warned repeatedly not to get too close to them, as they are all infected with various diseases and prone to carry ticks, fleas and God-knows-what. You shoot until you run out of targets, ammo or time. How big are the targets? Basically, one or two playing cards in size. How far can you shoot? As far as you can hit.
I found the optics passable, but the rifle superb. Here I’m taking a break from the bench and trying my hand offhand on 100 yard ‘dogs.
The rifles had off-brand scopes on them that limited my shooting time. They were clear enough to get my hits. I was shooting a hundred percent out to about two hundred yards, and only dropping to fifty percent out to three hundred. #221 really loves Winchester 40-grain varmint and 50-grain ballistic silvertip ammo.
My misses usually came from mis-doping the wind. I’m not usually shooting on targets that small out that far and rarely bother much with wind doping. But after a couple of hours I’d have to take a break, and then I used the Tactical model with iron sights on targets a hundred yards and in closer.
The rifles all had the 5.56 chamber and one turn in nine inches barrels, so reliability wasn’t a problem. The problem was the scope. It was just enough not-sharp that after shooting for a couple of hours I was starting to get a headache.
The flat top upper is numbered, so you can get your accessories back in the correct spots.
The irons of the Tactical model gave me a rest. I could also use the bolt gun with a Leupold scope on it, but I wasn’t the only one taking a break. I know I went through over five hundred rounds of Winchester ammo in both the morning and afternoon session.
The only maintenance I gave #221 was to lube the bolt and carrier after lunch. Once lunch was over we were back out again, slaying critters.
One of our shooting locations in the two days we were at it, gave us a slightly rising field out to almost four hundred yards. Out to three hundred the drop of the .223/5.56 was not that much, and easy to deal with. A bit of hold over and we could walk our shots in. As part of the experience, I had brought my 7X42 Conquest Zeiss binoculars along. Superb! Spectacular!
Taking turns using the binoculars as spotter, we could call the hits and misses for each other, and get on-target out in the field. The holdover at 400 yards was quite a bit. Depending on what ballistic coefficient you believe, and where you zero (a 200-yard zero would be good for this kind of work) the bullet will be dropping twenty inches or so out at 400 yards and drifting quite a bit, even in a light breeze.
We finished the first day and went back for dinner, talk and sleep. The next morning at breakfast there was the rumor that someone has stayed up late into the night cleaning rifles but if so Wyoming should hire better night-time gun-cleaning gnomes.
I oiled up #221 and went out to do more shooting. In the course of the two days of shooting I estimate that I shot something on the order of 2,500 rounds through #221. I oiled it now and then, and otherwise left it alone. It never failed me once.
Today, Smith & Wesson makes the M&P-15 in practically every conceivable style, including hot rod versions like this Kyle Lamb Viking Tactics model.
I mentioned to S&W that perhaps it would be fun to have them send me this rifle for the book, so I could take a closer look at it once I got home. In due time a long package arrived, and #221 was here. The tactical model I shot is off somewhere else, probably doing the rounds to some police department or shooting demo somewhere. I didn’t get that serial number. In the interim someone had actually cleaned it. (I was shocked.)
The trigger was as nice as I’d remembered, and the only thing to do was get it out and check accuracy. So I took a Leupold scope and bolted it into the Armalite scope mount I had on hand. That, and some Wolf performance (the Winchester ammo hadn’t arrived by then) went out to the range with me.
The boresighter had done its job, as the groups were dead-on. No need to adjust unless I wanted to be fussy, and very small indeed. MOA groups with M-193 ball are not supposed to be the norm, but my observation is that we have seen the days of a 3 MOA AR-15 being acceptable. At least in the well-built ones. One MOA is the new standard.
The S&W M&P-15 tested by Sweeney had a 1/9 twist rate barrel.
Number 221 is your basic A2-lower M4 clone. The telestock is the non-CAR type, with six positions.
The lower is marked around the selector with “Safe” and “Fire” on both sides. Interestingly enough, on the trigger mechanism sideplates we see the rollmark of “Model M&P 15” which is the usual location of the original maker who machined the lower. I guess a marking variance can include the change of the markings there, too.
On the magazine well on the left side is the basic info, the S&W logo, and serial number, all looking pantograph engraved. The later, four-digit serial numbered rifles I saw had the serial number roll marked. Not a big deal, just noticeable once you’ve looked at a few thousand ARs.
On the right side the mag well is laser-etched with the M&P logo that S&W now uses. This one has “15” as part of the logo. On the handguns the logo includes the caliber.
The barrel is marked “5.56 NATO 1/9” which tells us the chamber and the rifling twist. It does not indicate as to chrome-lining or not, but in this day and age, with S&W using 4140 as the barrel steel, I’d be greatly surprised if it were not chrome-lined. When I used it in Wyoming it did not have a rear sight on it.
You can have yours with or with the standard detachable M4 carry handle/sight. If you do not want the carry handle, you can opt for the M&P-15A, which comes with a Troy BUIS. The front sight housing is the proper “F” marked height for use on a flat-top, so you can swap for any other BUIS you want, if you take off the M4 and install an optic.
The Tactical uses Troy handguards and front and rear sights. Nestled inside the front sight housing of the M&P-15 and the A model is a mil-spec side sling adapter, complete with NSN part number. Out on the end is a standard A2 flash hider. However, the barrel is threaded so you can swap it out and replace it with something else if you so wish.
Inside, the M&P-15 uses an AR hammer, a modified M-16 carrier, and a standard-weight buffer. As an added bonus, a close inspection revealed a telling detail: the buffer tube castle nut is staked. In talking with S&W before the unveiling of the M&P-15, I mentioned there were a number of details on which AR builders were slacking off.
Staking the castle nut was one of them. Staking of the carrier key is another, and I’d be happier if the S&W rifle had a more-robust staking there. The fit of the upper and lower is tight. You won’t have shift or rattle, but for a while you may have to tap the rear pint to get it to move for disassembly.
.300 Winchester Magnum reloaded with Swift A-Frame bullets.
When it comes to reloading ammo, the .300 Win. Mag. can be tailored to take anything from whitetails to African plains game.
If you’re like me, you are constantly asking questions of other experienced handloaders.
Early on I learned that, when you ask a group of 10 handloaders a question, you’re likely to get at least a dozen answers, usually more. The ensuing debate is like an elixir for those of us who thirst for knowledge.
This time there was no group discussion, but I did have the ear of Phil Massaro, owner of Massaro Ballistic Laboratories.
Phil custom loads cartridges for the specific game and conditions in which his clients will be hunting. He’s not only a ballistician, but also an avid hunter who has taken game across North America and Africa. In short, he really knows his stuff.
Our conversation began with me asking why we Americans tend to carry what many consider to be too much gun, especially for whitetail deer.
With a laugh, Phil suggested that we were going to get along just fine. Then he answered, “Advancements in bullet construction over the past 30 years have really transformed the capabilities of what were once considered lesser cartridges. The old Elmer Keith versus Jack O'Connor arguments need to be revised. Bonded core, partitioned and mono-metal bullets have changed the game.”
He went on to explain that the old cup-and-core bullets—bullets that have a copper “cup” and a lead “core,” no bonding, partitions or anything to hold them together when they start to deform—wouldn’t remain intact like today’s bonded and partitioned projectiles.
Back then, a .270 was considered marginal for elk. Phil pointed out that now your deer rifle can take down an elk when loaded with a good bullet like a Swift A-Frame or the Barnes TSX.
When asked what he carries, Phil didn’t hesitate.
“The .300 Winchester Magnum,” he said—and by the end of our discussion about too much gun and advancement in bullet technology, my jaw was on the floor.
Load It Down?
Phil Massaro at his press. Photo courtesy J.D. Fielding
Of course I wasn’t surprised when he said that he could load it up for big game. That’s what the round was developed for. That he could “load it down” for a teenager to shoot whitetail and not walk away bruised and battered was a bit of a shock.
When hunting game on the African plains, Phil will likely have his Winchester Model 70 Classic loaded with a 200-grain Swift A-Frame backed by 75 grains of Reloder-25 that will push it to 2,750 fps. He also developed a load to duplicate the specifications of the .300 H&H, with a 220-grain Hornady Interlock backed by 53 grains of IMR4064 and zipping along at 2,400 fps. His all-around big-game load is 180-grain Swift Scirocco II with 73 grains of Reloder-19, which zings along at 2,900 fps.
Of course, we all know the .300 Win. Mag. is a great cartridge for elk, moose and bear, but I was really interested in the lower end of the spectrum. You see, I am as focused on developing new hunters as I am bagging my own game. If we want women and teens to embrace our hunting lifestyle, we don’t want them beat up by an unnecessarily heavy-recoiling rifle.
Too much gun can turn a would-be hunter into a “not-gonna-be” hunter. Even those committed to the sport can have issues.
“The recoil from full-house factory loads can be a detriment to new shooters, for sure. A flinch developed early on, especially from bench-rest shooting, can be very difficult to overcome,” Phil explains.
He also pointed out that using less gun can be an issue with an inexperienced hunter.
“The 6mm and .22 centerfires are often found in the hands of beginners. But I think that, due to the lighter bullet weights in these calibers, they are best left in the hands of an experienced hunter, one who is more willing to turn down a questionable shot and wait for the broadside shot that will kill effectively and humanely,” he says.
While I understand his point, I am not totally on-board with Phil’s assertion. It’s not as though we toss a rifle to a new hunter and say, “bring home some venison.” A new hunter is likely to be in the field with someone more experienced who is going to coach them.
Phil could tell I was unconvinced that the .300 Win. Mag. still wasn’t too much gun for a new hunter, especially one of small stature. So he went even further in his reasoning.
“Even a 10-percent reduction in velocity can result in a perceived recoil reduction of half,” he says.
Half? Really?
The .300 Winchester Magnum is known for its accuracy.
Yup. Chock a 150-grain bullet into a case with 28 grains of SR4759, and you are pushing it 2,050 fps. That’s close to .30-30 performance. A 165-grain projectile loaded in front of 27 grains of SR4759 nets you about 1,900 fps, while a 180-grain bullet with 31 grains of IMR 4198 lands in the 1,850 fps range.
Even at these velocities, though, the cartridges maintain the legendary accuracy the .300 Win. Mag. is known for—and it’s more than enough to kill a whitetail at 150 yards, and without punishing a smaller person.
“The 300 Win. Mag. is simply one of the most flexible cartridges for North America and African plains game,” Phil says.
I have to say his conversation made me a convert. When you can get a cartridge to exhibit this kind of breadth and depth then you definitely have a winner that is perfect for the game being hunted and the shooter doing the hunting.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the Oct. 21, 2013 edition of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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Only Colt makes M4s, and only Colt can call an Armalite-designed, direct-gas impingement rifle an AR-15. Forget that at your legal peril.
A quick briefing on a subject that consumes entirely too much bandwidth in arguments, web forums and gun shop debates: who really made your AR? Simple. Lots of people, and not always the one whose name is on the lower.
Let’s say you are a guy with a lot of money who wants to be an AR “maker.” But, you don’t have enough money to invest in CNC machining centers or the trained machinists to run them. You can buy all the parts, assemble them and sell them as rifles.
You’ll need a location, staff, insurance, papers of incorporation, etc., and you’ll need a manufacturers license, listed as 07 in the federal regs, known in the parlance as an “Oh-Seven.”
If you want the rifles to have your name on them, that, too, can be arranged. You simply contract with the company who is doing the actual machining of your lowers and, for a setup fee and a minimum purchase, they’ll put your name on them instead of theirs.
As part of the process, the company machining the lowers will send a form in to the ATF (before they do so much as unpack and degrease the first receiver forging of your contract) known as a ”marking variance” that informs the Feds that they are making lowers with your name on them, thus the setup charge and the minimum purchase requirement.
If it turns out that you cannot, for some reason, accept delivery of the lowers, they can’t sell them. How could they, the receivers have your name on them. They can only destroy the lowers, after informing the ATF of that action.
They won’t take a bet on you, you have to accept the burden of cost and risk. They’ll probably even make you pay 100% up-front, until you establish a track record with them.
As many makers use proprietary tooling and cutting paths, it is possible to get a sense of who made something by looking at the toolmarks left behind.
However, it is entirely possible for an end-assembler to have contracts with two or more makers, and marking variances with each, to keep them supplied regardless of contractual conflicts.
This situation leaves people trying to figure out who “really” makes the lowers that so-and-so sells. At this point I throw my hands up and move on to the next chapter.
When it comes to a shooting competition, there are few as fast-paced as the Smith & Wesson International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) Indoor National Championship.
The shooting competition puts participants through 13 stages, each with its own scenario challenging the judgment, speed and accuracy of the pistolier. It is no walk in the park with some of the shooting competition's more difficult stages pushing shooters to their limits.
The 2014 chapter of the shooting competition had some of the nation's top handgunners strutting their stuff Feb. 20-22, at the Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center in Springfield, Mass. Results for the competition are HERE. Unfortunately, there are few bleacher seats for the fast-paced competition, in turn not many get the opportunity to watch the championship unfold.
Smith & Wesson, however, gives a shooter's eye view of what it's like to throw shots down range in a series of videos from the championship. This is only a taste of the grueling shooting competition, but it gives a pretty solid idea of what each competitor is faced with over the course of three days.
Jerry Miculek never ceases to amaze. But even those well versed in the master marksman's shooting resume will be left slack jawed by his latest trick. Miculek uses his competition pistol — a tricked out Smith & Wesson M&P9 Pro Series C.O.R.E. 9mm — to nail a steel target from 435-yards out. And, holy cow, hits the target on his first try! Watch the whole thing, he gives a rundown on how he's had his pistol customized after he makes the shot.
Luger P08 ParabellumNewman Chittenden — NorthEast Gun Shows, New England States
At their 18 annual gun shows throughout New England, the trend in collectible firearms and accoutrements is that nearly everything from the World War II period is quickly snapped up.
Meanwhile, interest in Civil War era items, including Sharp’s rifles, is in steady decline, says show promoter Newman Chittenden.
It’s a trend he’s seen develop over the last two to three years. The show season started in September, and sales of AR-style rifles, handguns and ammunition were all strong, though not what they were during what Chittenden terms the winter and spring’s “panic buying.”
New Connecticut gun control laws now mandate a Certificate of Eligibility to buy firearms or ammunition at guns shows; to get that certificate, applicants must complete an approved safety course and pass a NICS background check.
“We dropped out of Connecticut because of that mess,” Chittenden said, whose popular East Coast Fine Arms Show, previously held in Stamford, Conn., was moved to Matamoras, Pa., January 4 and 5, 2014.
There is no shortage of outlets decrying the Second Amendment and those who hold civil rights dear. And in a couple corners of the map, some distasteful state-level legislation has been passed. But these should not be enough to bring the Eyeore out in firearms enthusiasts.
In fact, overall, gun owners should be heartened with recent times. On a number of fronts gun owers are winning, legally and culturally. The above GIF documents one such battle gun owners have been wildly victorious.
What it documents is the steady march of the right to carry — literally the “right to bear arms” — in America. As recently as 25 years ago, concealed and open carry were civil rights only a few citizens could fully exercise. But now it is a liberty that has and is being affirmed and reaffirmed coast to coast.
Dave Kopel perhaps detailed it best in a recent post at the Volk Conspiracy. The law professor at the University of Denver and Second Amendment advocate points out that in 1986 only 10 percent of Americans lived in states where “there were objective and fair procedures for the issuance of concealed handgun carry permits.” That trend has been completely reversed, now with 2/3rds of Americans living in “Shall Issue” states.
And, as Kopel reported in another post, the right to carry continues to move forward:
The Ninth Circuit’s decision in Peruta v. San Diego, released minutes ago [February 13, 2014], affirms the right of law-abiding citizens to carry handguns for lawful protection in public.
California law has a process for applying for a permit to carry a handgun for protection in public, with requirements for safety training, a background check, and so on. These requirements were not challenged. The statute also requires that the applicant have “good cause,” which was interpreted by San Diego County to mean that the applicant is faced with current specific threats. (Not all California counties have this narrow interpretation.) The Ninth Circuit, in a 2-1 opinion written by Judge O’Scannlain, ruled that Peruta was entitled to Summary Judgement, because the “good cause” provision violates the Second Amendment.
The Court ruled that a government may specify what mode of carrying to allow (open or concealed), but a government may not make it impossible for the vast majority of Californians to exercise their Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Subjective and arbitrary statutes that stand in the way of bearing arms are quickly and rightfully going the way of poll taxes and literacy tests. But it's not just in the realm of law gun ownership and carry rights have enjoyed success. There has been a shift on a societal level, as well.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig advocates an armed citizenry as a crime deterrent for his city — a metropolis that is among the nation's most dangerous. Gunownership is at its highest level in more than 20 years and has seen across-the-board increases in every demographic. And even those who were dubious about what full-realized Second Amendment rights would mean to the country have changed their tunes.
Columnist Michael Barone admits, he believed liberalized carry laws would lead to blood in the streets when they began being passed in 1987. But far from shootouts erupting from every minor traffic altercation — a favorite scenario conjectured by those who opposed carry laws — something quite different occurred.
In a recent column, Barone points out citizens fully exercising their Second Amendment rights have not elicited blood lust. In fact, expanded ownership and recognition of civil rights have correlated with of a precipitous drop in the nation's violent crime rate. He believes a couple things can be gleaned from this:
One lesson, I think, is that responsible citizens tend to behave like responsible citizens, even if — or perhaps especially if — they’re armed. Another lesson is that the national political dialogue can be totally irrelevant to what really happens in American life.
Certainly, there are worrisome fights for the Second Amendment rights (such as this and this). But there are also skirmishes in the fight of which gun owners should be pleased. We have made important and lasting changes to our country with carry rights and will continue to do so on other fronts.
A recent article in the Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer confirms many of Connecticut’s gun owners are indeed set to receive a letter from the state.
A letter will be sent to many gun owners who missed the Jan. 1, 2014 deadline to register their “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines”, according to the article:
The state now holds signed and notarized letters saying those late applicants own rifles and magazines illegally.
But rather than turn that information over to prosecutors, state officials are giving the gun owners a chance to get rid of the weapons and magazines.
According to the article, there was a limited amnesty for some late filers due to extenuating circumstances (the entire article can be read here). The state accepted registrations postmarked Jan. 4, 2014, as long as it believed they had been signed by Jan. 1.
A letter was released earlier this week, purporting to be the one the Connecticut State Police will send to the tardy gun registrants.
The validity of the letter at one point was called into question when Gun Digest contacted the Connecticut’s Special Licensing and Firearms Unit. A spokesperson for the department said no such letter had been sent from their office.
Ed Jacvino, however, shines some light on what the letter might be that hit the Internet.
The Journal Inquirer reporter who wrote the article documenting the state’s plans couldn’t vouch for the authenticity of the letter. But he believes it might be an early draft of what gun owners will receive. And he is certain the language to sell, destroy or move out of state the firearms and magazines in question in the letter is accurate.
In an email to Gun Digest, Jacvino said:
I have a feeling that you're looking at a draft of the letter that was going to be released before they reached an administrative decision to extend the deadline.
I don't know if a letter has been finalized yet. I was told last week that it wasn't finished. But I imagine whatever they do send will be similar.
The sell, destroy or move out of state language is accurate, and I'm told that's what it will say.
The letter wouldn't be dated Jan. 2 though. And it might include some explanation of the changes they made (namely accepting applications after Jan. 1 if they were signed and notarized by Dec. 31 and postmarked by Jan. 4).
Feb. 26, 2014:
A letter apparently mailed from the Connecticut State Police to residents who attempted to register their “assault weapons” and “large capacity magazines” but missed the Jan. 1, 2014, deadline has gun owners across the Internet up in arms.
The validity of the letter, however, has been called into question.
A spokesperson contacted by Gun Digest for Connecticut's Special Licensing and Firearms Unit said the letter was not sent from their office. And there are a number of news accounts and government documents that also question the letter's authenticity.
According to an article on the New Haven Register website, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy had announced plans for amnesty for gun registrations that arrived in the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) office after the Jan. 1 deadline.
In a Feb. 13 letter from the governor's office to DESPP Commissioner Dora B. Schirro, Malloy advised clemency for firearms registrations received after the Jan. 1 deadline. The letter also stipulated the department's discretion to accept tardy applications.
“Consistent with the Act, DESPP may choose to accept applications received after January 1, 2014, if the department has reason to believe that an applicant complied with the terms of the Act by attempting to submit the application on or before January 1, 2014, even if the application was not received by DESPP due to circumstances beyond the applicant’s control,” the letter from Luke Bronin, the general counsel to the Office of the Governor, read.
The commissioner of the DESPP agreed. According to a Feb. 14 letter, Dr. Dora B. Schriro wrote her department would accept the applications if it was believed an applicant attempted to submit before Jan. 1 or that it was received late due to circumstances beyond the applicant's control.
The questionable letter set the online gun world on fire, with scores taking to social media to sound off. Given the controversial gun legislation that passed in Connecticut in 2013, the document touched a sensitive spot among firearms enthusiasts.
The letter also hit the Internet just weeks after many news outlets reported thousands of Connecticut residents had failed to register their firearms.
Many people prefer the AK-47 platform to the AR-15, while others view it on par with ARs. Others say it's outdated. Watch this video demonstration of an Arsenal SLR-107FR AK-47 in action and make up your own mind.
“It is probably my favorite overall AK rifle right now,” writes Kal Kidd, “even over my Pre-Ban Yugo M70B1.”
Rifle: Arsenal SLR-107FR 7,62x39mm Red Dot: Primary Arms Micro Dot Optic Mount: RS Regulate AK300 Rear Mount w/ Micro Dot Adaptor Mags: Russian/Soviet Izhmash Bakelite AK47 Mags Chestrig: StrikeHard AK Chestrig Head-wear: Soviet Naval Admiral Pilotka(side cap) type 1
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
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