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For an inanimate object, a gun can be one hell of a storehouse of memories.
Guns can take you back in history like few others.
A gun with proper care can last several lifetimes and during those years as it is passed between family members or friends and is touched or used by various people it becomes woven into the fabric of our lives. This is the one reason I encourage every “gun person” I know to jot down their recollections so they may be passed on to other hunters that may follow them, that may one day use that gun for their own pleasure.
I guess this is the reason I like old guns so much; I can't help it, but every time I pick up a well-worn and hard-used rifle or shotgun I get the feeling that someone is looking over my shoulder, trying to tell me about the times that they and this piece of wood and steel spent together. I bought some junky old rifles and shotguns because of this; seeing more than the dollar value in their worn stocks and faded bluing.
There is a pitted, scratched, dented, and loose double-barrel Colt 12 bore in my safe and I see it riding on the wagon seat through a sea of tall-grass prairie. Its worn walnut stock is bloodied from the prairie chickens that blotted out the sun when they rose. Its graceful and blueless hammers worn blisters on a father's thumbs as he used it to feed and protect his children. The wrist of the stock is wrapped with leather now. It is brittle with age and the head of a hand-made nail shows in the center of the old repair.
It is too precious to replace with another gun or the only one its owner could afford. The gun speaks of a time when things bought were expected to last.
Next to it is the 1893 Marlin, built in a time when farm kids couldn't name the president but knew the names of Marlin, Winchester and Remington. It was a time when guns and hunting were an accepted, normal part of the world. It came in a trade from up north. Did someone once see a bull moose in Maine or a heavy Adirondack buck over its graceful octagon barrel? Did it wear a leather scabbard as it rode secure between a lathered horse and its owner's leg? Did it cross the Ausable and hear the howl of wolves?
There are two single-shot shotguns, still tight at the breech but that's the best part of them. Their stocks are cracked and gouged, their bluing gone gray, there are dents and dings in the brown barrels, and the beads are missing. They are 16 gauges; the Cherokee with its 30-inch tube and the Champion with its 28, both choked full. I touch them and can hear the hounds pushing the deer through the myrtle and honeysuckle and see the squirrels on limbs draped with Spanish moss. The hammer spur on the Ivor Johnson is broken off short and I can see a 10-year-old headed to the woodshed for that. I see paper shells and gun oil and the smell of the swamp at sunrise.
There is the 1897 16 gauge, unfinished with bare wood and metal. The grooves in the forend are worn slick from three brothers and thousands of pumps as New River ducks smacked the ice and the flushing grouse of Buck Mountain ended in clouds of feathers. It brings memories of sweet yellow hickory leaves and countless Appalachian Mountain sunrises and sunsets. The wrist of the stock is soaked black with gun oil and a faded canvas coat cushioned the receiver on the shoulder.
The Springfield '06, still green and brown, brought back from war and shifted from man killer to deer killer when the radio was the newest technology and electric lines were looked upon in awe. Still glass-slick and fine-sighted, the bolt knob is polished with palm sweat and the wood will still turn back the snow. It made a trip to Alaska and back and still has Teton dirt under the butt plate.
Then there are my family guns: my father traded his 1911 war pistol for a Remington .22. The barrel was shot smooth as I was taught the sight picture and to love the fall.
The Stevens .410 was bought at Matthews Hardware in Galax, Virginia for $25 and included a brown paper bag with ten red Winchester shells in it. It was carried by the proudest 10-year old in the world and it taught my sons to hunt as it taught me.
There is the beat-up, cut-down, five-times refinished Remington .308 that killed three first deer and hundreds more. There is the Stevens double-barrel 20 that dropped the only bird old Roy ever retrieved. The Arisaka was picked up in Saipan and reminded a mountain boy how good home really was. The crown jewel was the homemade 20-gauge percussion gun with a hardware store lock, gas-pipe barrel and hand-carved poplar stock dad and his brothers made and used in the '20s to shoot muskrats.
Write down your memories of your guns. They are Americana at its finest, the tools that separate us from the rest of the entire human world. Somewhere along the line someone will thank you for it. Now, thank you and God bless you, Sgt. Alex D., who today is headed to Afghanistan with his Special Forces team. We love you and pray for you and your brothers; whatever it takes, come home to us. Buck Mountain, and a few good guns, are waiting for you.
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Taurus recently announced that Pro Shooter Jessie Harrison-Duff was its new Shooting Team Captain.
Harrison-Duff (formerly Jessie Abbate) has earned 22 National and 19 World Champion shooting titles, in 5 different shooting disciplines, including the prestigious Bianchi Cup and the World Speed Shooting Championships. She also ranked in numerous regional and state champion matches as well.
Said Mark Kresser, president and CEO of Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc., “She is a dynamic young lady with excellent shooting skills. As Taurus moves forward into 2012, we intend on promoting youth, women and competition shooting. We are anxiously awaiting this year's competitions with Jessie shooting her new Taurus.”
“I was drawn to the Taurus brand after learning of their new commitment to their customer and their quest in promoting new shooters to the industry,” said Harrison-Duff. “My livelihood depends on the performance of this gun, and I'm anxious to start my new relationship with Taurus.”
A photo gallery of Kimber 1911 tactical pistols. These handguns are ideal for concealed carry, law enforcement and personal defense.
Kimber Tactical handguns have all the performance-enhancing features demanded by law enforcement professionals and cover every application, from concealed carry to tactical response. Frames wear KimPro II, a premium finish that is self-lubricating and extremely resistant to moisture. All are chamber in .45 ACP. The Tactical Pro II is also available in 9mm.
Checking zero after installing the Surgeon magazine well. The addition functioned perfectly, picking up fresh rounds and throwing empties. The magazines also dropped freely and were easily replaced.
A removable magazine on a sniper rifle provides one more level of versatility in the field. A magazine-fed sniper rifle allows for faster reloads and for the quick selection of different rounds as the mission dictates.
These are good options to have and you are starting to see them appear on rifles like the Ruger Scout and McMillan’s Tac 30, which is supplied with a five-round box. All the semi-auto sniper systems carry a removable box.
So, what if, after weighing all the pros and cons, you decide you need a magazine-fed sniper rifle, but already have a Remington 700 BDL? And further, there is no money in the budget for a new rifle and all the brownie points with the sheriff or the chief have been used up. You can build your own, or show this article to a competent gunsmith and have him do it. It starts by opening the Brownell’s catalog. Brownell’s carries a variety of systems to change a BDL over to a magazine-fed gun. I like the unit made by Surgeon Rifles. It is a well-made lower end that replaces the bottom trigger guard and floorplate of the BDL to accept a magazine of either five- or 10 rounds. This particular unit accepts magazines made by Accuracy International and I found these to be well-made, of high quality with a composite follower in a steel body.
The magazine release is on the front of the trigger guard and is accessible from the right or left side. Although I prefer steel bottom end metal on a professional rifle the aluminum trigger guard and frame of the Surgeon product is thick and robust. It is finished in flat black.
The old BDL door (top) the new well and the five- and 10-round magazines.
Before you start, realize that the stock needs some modification to accept the system. Be sure this is what you want because once you start cutting, you can’t go back. But one bonus is that you also get a set of aluminum pillars to pillar bed the action if you need to.
Here’s how I did it. After making the rifle safe I took the action out of the stock and removed the factory floorplate. I secured the stock in a vise on the bench with the bottom up so I could take the Surgeon trigger guard and center it over the existing hole to mark out the material that needed to be removed. It looked like I would need to take off around .100 or so off each side and front and back. The curved areas needed to be enlarged, the front and rear tang notch would need to be widened and the front would need to be lengthened quite a bit.
I dropped the screws into the trigger guard so they could line up with the holes through the stock. The kit comes with a set of pillars if you are putting it into a wooden stock and want to pillar bed it first or on the off chance the holes don’t line up in the stock you are using they can be drilled out and centered with the pillars glued in. The stock that I was going to modify was an HS Precision which has an aluminum block molded into the composite and machined to fit the barreled action. As it turned out the holes lined up when I was finished milling out the magazine well and I didn’t need the pillars.
I marked the stock on the bottom so I put it in the vise with the bottom up and was planning on milling it out by hand. The cut must go all the way through the stock to the area under the channel where the round part of the action rests. This will take an end mill at least 1 ½ inches long and a 2-inch cutting surface is better. I cut mine on one side and then flipped the stock over in the vise and cut the other side because the longest mill I had was just 1 inch. It worked, but I would recommend getting the longer mill and doing it in one cut. The mill diameter I used was .5 inch and it made the round sections fit perfectly to the part.
I removed small amounts of material at a time and check the part regularly. This will bring the hole size up slowly for a precise fit. Should you get a little wild and make a gap between the metal and the stock it is easily filled in with some Acra Glas from Brownells. The stock is composite and after the crack is filled and the paint is touched up there will be nothing to notice. Keep diligent and go slow and the cut will come out perfect.
The fitted magazine well.
Once the cut is complete and the part fits snugly, put the action back in the stock and put in the action bolts. If you deepened the tang slots to flush up the trigger guard to the bottom of the stock the screws may be a tad long and interfere with the action of the bolt. They will need to be shortened up either with a saw, a grinder, or both. A dab of cold blue on the end of the screws will keep them protected from corrosion.
Put the action and stock together and check the workings of the bolt. Make sure it picks up a fresh round from the magazine and throws out the empties. Also make sure the magazines fit freely into the well and that they drop out easily with gravity when you hit the release. The only thing left to do is take it to the range and check the zero.
Adding a detachable magazine system to the bolt gun can be a great way to increase firepower or provide the versatility of changing rounds to meet the needs of the mission. All it takes is a little skill in the shop, or gunsmith you trust and you can upgrade your rifle without breaking the budget.
Body language is the most effective way to spot a terrorist. Learn how in this book.
In this age of terrorism, society wrestles with how to combat the threat. As a result, the public is poked, prodded, sniffed and X-rayed as they move about the country and abroad. The average citizen often feels confused, helpless, and not part of his or her own defense effort. Public service announcements suggest to the public that if they “see something,” they should “say something.”
But what exactly should the public should be looking for?
On why the book needed to be published, Dr. Lillian Glass said, “The keen eye and ears of our own citizens can be even more effective than all the security machinery usually deployed to detect terrorist activity. Body language is virtually impossible to suppress. It's always there, to be spotted by those who know what to look for.”
Those with permits can now bring their concealed carry handguns on campus in Colorado.
This notice recently went out to all students and the Colorado School of Mines announcing that those with permits may carry concealed handguns on campus. This shows the right to self-defense does not stop at the campus boundaries. It also shows the extent to which Regents at the University of Colorado went to stop students from defending themselves. A legal concealed carry handgun in the hands of a law-abiding student is the most effective first response to a deadly threat on campus. You will not see a Virginia Tech style rampage on campuses in Colorado.
Dear Campus Community:
Earlier this week, the Colorado Supreme Court issued its ruling in the Regents of the University of Colorado v. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus case, affirming the right of individuals who have appropriate permits to carry concealed handguns on CU’s campuses. The court held that the General Assembly intended, through the Concealed Carry Act, to divest the Board of Regents of its authority to regulate concealed handgun possession on campus.
As a result of this ruling, Colorado School of Mines has modified its Firearms, Explosives and other Weapons policy. Individuals who possess valid concealed carry permits may lawfully carry their concealed
Students at CSU were recently notified that concealed carry handguns are now legal on Colorado campuses.
handguns on the Colorado School of Mines campus, subject to the conditions and requirements outlined in state law, C.R.S. 18-12-201, et seq.
Please note that the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling and Mines’ policy amendment apply only to concealed carry permit holders carrying concealed handguns on campus. The remainder of Mines’ firearms policy, which governs the possession and storage of other firearms, explosives, certain knives and other dangerous weapons, remains in effect. Further, only persons 21 years of age and older are eligible to receive a concealed carry permit in Colorado. Any person who does not possess a valid permit may not carry a handgun on the Colorado School of Mines property. The Department of Public Safety will continue to enforce these requirements.
Colorado School of Mines is committed to providing a safe educational environment, and will continue to assess the best ways to promote campus safety within the requirements of Colorado law. Colorado School of Mines public safety officers are in the best position to respond to any emergency situation on campus. If you believe that your safety is at risk for any reason, please contact the Mines Department of Public Safety immediately by calling 303-384-8045 or 911 from any campus or cell phone.
We will continue to update you on our efforts and appreciate your patience as we respond to this court ruling.
I had to look up the definition of “Deguello” before I started reading Scott Zastrow’s book of the same name. The first reference I found was the name of an old ZZ Top album. That’s not what I was looking for. The word means “a fight to the death, without quarter or mercy.”
"The Deguello" chronicles, through fiction, U.S. combat operations that helped bring down the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
This particular fight without mercy took place in Afghanistan not long after terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. The fight started in the mountains. It crossed Bagram Air Base and culminated in the ouster of the Taliban from Kabul by a coalition of Afghans called the Northern Alliance. And Scott Zastrow was there, up to his ass in all of it.
The fighters of the Northern Alliance were led and assisted (to say the Afghans were trained might be a bit of a stretch) by a group of 10 members of the U.S. Army Special Forces. The Green Berets of the 555th ODA (Operational Detachment Alpha), affectionately called “The Triple Nickel,” took the fight to the enemy at a time when most Americans were still staring in disbelief at the charred ruins in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. Zastrow and the rest of the team weres there, providing the payback every patriot wanted to dole out.
His new book, The Deguello, takes an inside look at the dedicated men who charged forward while the rest of the world sat wondering what to do. Their mission was to destroy the Taliban any way they could. So they moved in close, worked with indigenous personnel, and brought the full force of U.S. air power down on the heads of the enemy.
But this book is not all blood and guts, tech speak and tactics. In fact, there is very little of that. What you get is a look at a group of men thrust into an isolated and hostile environment carrying the weight of a nation in their rucksacks. So, they did what any group of young Americans far from home would do: they quoted movie lines and joked with their buddies.
They made the best of bad situations. And they used their skill, daring and bravery to unleash holy hell on their enemy every chance they got. From laser-guided close air support to a B-52 strike that shook the very ground and opened the door to Kabul.
Though it is a fictionalized account (the names have been changed to protect the men who served), Zastrow was there, and as you turn the pages you feel like you come to know the men of the Triple Nickel. Any historian can tell you about the war. It takes a veteran to tell you about the men who served. That’s what Scott Zastrow does. This book is well worth your time. Find it on Amazon and think about all you owe these 10 men.
Author Biography
Scott Zastrow was born in Wisconsin and grew up in the Milwaukee area; he is an Army Veteran with more than 23 years of service. Most of his career was spent in Special Forces with an incredible operational tempo which has taken him to more than 25 countries around the World. He has numerous combat depolyments as well as both humanitarian and non-combat missions. After leaving Special Forces in 2007, he went on to finish his Masters Degree as a Physician Assistant at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and now works as a PA full time in the Nashville area. His book, “The Deguello” has been touted as one of the most personable first-hand accounts of the inital response to the attacks of 9/11. The book was self-published through Lulu.com and is being considered for several indie book awards in both the fiction and military categories.
Gun Digest reviews two breaching tools used for entry.
The goal in any active shooter situation is to get in and stop the shooter as quickly as possible to end the killing. Once the shooter is stopped your team can safely clear the building and bring in medical. But the top priority is to get inside and get in the fight. If you cannot breach a door to get to an active shooter then your team's firepower and training are neutralized and the active shooter has time to kill more people.
Often it takes SWAT teams time to assemble and respond. Very few SWAT teams in the country and even fewer patrol officers use explosive breaching. So while you are waiting for a way to get in, the shooter is killing more people. Shotgun breaching without training and the correct shotgun ammunition can lead to wounds from ricocheting bullets or the deaths of civilians on the other side of the door if they are hit by penetrating buckshot. A round from an AR-15 can also ricochet off the lock, seriously injuring the breacher or members on their team.
What this all boils down to is that patrol officers will be the first on scene and should have a means to breach a do if the need arises. The decision to enter and engage an active shooter is personal and based on department policy. But if you know you want to be inside attempting to stop the shooter, you need a means of entry. You need a breaching tool you can carry on your emergency vest or in your patrol car.
1) Paratech Buster Tool
The Paratech Buster Tool in action.
Carrying an effective personal breaching tool provides the ability to breach outer steel doors to get into a building and continue to breach doors inside the building while clearing rooms. The Paratech Buster tool is small at 15.5 inches long and light enough at 5.7 pounds to carry in a tactical holster on the back of a water carrier while operational for 24 hours. The axe handle chops through drywall. The pike creates a hole in sheet metal and claw end cuts sheet metal.
Unlock the buster and you can “slam and ram” the claw into a door jam without a sledgehammer. This saves the weight of carrying a 5-pound sledgehammer. The tool extends to 21.5 inches which increases its leverage. The claw tool can be removed and inserted into a keyway in the axe head for twisting leverage in confined spaces. This will help break locks, hasps and even some chains.
This tool alone is not a guarantee you will breach an outer steel door. You have to train in order to know where to insert the claw in the door jam to defeat the locking mechanisms on different types of doors. Having a longer prying tool and a heavy sledge hammer to force the claw deeper into the door jam would be better, but the weight is just too much to carry with an 80-pound tactical load in a situation that can take hours to clear a building or a 24-hour tactical operation, as experienced during the Mumbai terrorist attacks in India.
2) Double-Tap X Breaching Tool
The Paratech Buster tool is an effective breaching solution for its weight but the ideal breaching tool to carry is significantly heavier. The “Double-Tap X Breaching Tool” at 14 lbs can breach some exterior and most interior doors, locks, windows, chains, cables, and bars. It is a higher strength multi-purpose breaching tool that is more powerful in hammering and prying ability than the Paratech Buster.
The Double-Tap X Breaching tool.
The Double-Tap X Breaching tool is 32 inches folded and 43 inches extended, with a 303 Stainless Steel shaft. One side is a hammer. The opposite side of the hammer is designed to cut cable, rebar, fence, or steel bar 3/8 inchs or smaller by twisting. It is not a perfect a cable cutter but it works most of the time. The top of the tool has a spike designed to concentrate the force of the slide hammer in a small point to poke out a lock. The groves cut into the handle help hold the tool when you are swinging it into the door. It's a hammer design that is easer to use and requires less training.
The Double-Tap X Breaching tool also comes with a laminated instruction sheet with example pictures as a quick reference guide for the operator. It is crucial to use a beaching tool of this strength that can hold up to the stresses of high-impact strikes. It is not uncommon for breaching tools to break because metal outer doors at schools and businesses are extremely well built and take a significant amount of force to breach. Brian Clement of Arc-Pro Welding who has significant real-world combat and breaching experience created the Double-Tap X. Operators all over the world use his tools.
Currently, Texans can use suppressors for firearms hunting of feral hogs, coyotes, and nuisance animals, with the proper authorization to own and purchase suppressors, of course. But suppressor use in the Lone Star State could be expanded and soon.
“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission is considering a rule that would allow the use of suppressors, which reduce the muzzle report much like a muffler dampens car noise, to be expanded for hunting game animals, game birds and alligators,” the Amarillo Globe-News reported. “The commission will review phone calls and online comments until March 28 and vote on the change the following day, said Scott Vaca, the agency’s assistant wildlife enforcement chief. If the agency approves the proposal, Texans can begin hunting game with suppressors on Sept. 1, he said.”
The Globe-News added that, “Proponents such as the National Rifle Association said that the use of suppressors results in increased accuracy, reduced recoil and muzzle blast, protection against hearing damage and decreased noise pollution.”
Texas officials are not alone in their consideration of suppressors. “Similar legislative efforts are under way in Arizona, Indiana, Oklahoma and Georgia.”
The AK-47 by Centurion: American-built all the way.
Different from all other AK-47 variants manufactured in other countries, the Centurion is assembled with American-made parts making it unique in the long list of examples of the most-produced rifle in the history of firearms.
Previous wars have proven that any peasant with no education can learn how to use the AK-47 within an hour and thus, the gun has found a home throughout the world’s revolutions, uprisings, and insurgencies. When Mikhail Kalashnikov designed it in 1947 he was just trying to fill a need for the Russian army. Often referred to as the Kalash in Russian, this rifle has been picked up by more countries then I can count as a standard military rifle.
The Centurion 39 is chambered for the 7.62X 39 cartridge, which delivers a strong downrange punch and penetrating ability; unlike its rival the 5.56 NATO. In my opinion, the only reason our military doesn’t use the same cartridge is that pride just won’t let the powers that be admit that this is one hell of a round.
The folks at Century Arms have seen the light by offering a completely American-made rifle where the level of quality can be controlled and production planning can be addressed. The end result is the shooter has a high-quality AK-47 that shoots straight with the dependability of its forerunners. This thing never quits in the field.
In some grades the receivers on AK’s tend to be a bit sloppy to say the least. Not so with the Centurion 39. This rifle makes use of a completely machined receiver from an 11-pound block of high-grade 4140 ordnance steel. This is the heart of the rifle’s quality and the basis for its ability to deliver accuracy down range. With a 16.5-inch barrel with a 1-in-9.5 twist, the rifle stabilizes bullets in the neighborhood of 125 grains very well.
Sights on this rifle are far better than most standard AK-47 systems. This rifle carries a red high-glow bright front sight post and is fully adjustable for elevation to 800 yards, with windage adjustment as well.
With a complete set of Weaver rails on the forend the rifle can be fitted with lights, lasers, broomhandles, or scopes.
The composite stock has an upgraded design that is an inch longer at the butt making a better fit for larger-frame shooters and yet is still fast handling in tight quarters. Century Arms uses a special flash suppressor, the V -shaped Chevron Compensator, that is designed to drive spent gas away from the muzzle, which aids in reducing muzzle jump when firing rapidly. The controls on the rifle are standard and simple like those on other AK-47 rifles.
Accuracy and Field Testing
Groups at 100 yards were much tighter with the use of a red-dot sight.
Test firing consisted of using Remington factory loads with a 123-grain full metal jacket bullet. We fired at 100 yards to test for accuracy.
Shooting 100-yard groups of five rounds with the standard open sights from a light bench rest produced a 4.182-inch group. Not fancy, but with a heavy front-sight blade, keeping everything level and on the money was a bit of a chore.
Later with an Aimpoint Comp M4 mounted on a QRP2 with a spacer and killflash, the groups shrunk to 2.821 inches. During additional testing the use of the Aimpoint would be very significant regarding raw, on-target, combat-related scores.
The Other Blue Man Group
During a series of test firings I used a new silhouette combat target offered by Birchwood Casey that I call “ Blue Targets” or “Blue Men” and simulated an advance group of 15 riflemen. The drill consisted of firing 15 rounds, five at each of three targets, then counting the hits.
The first target was at 100 yards, the second at 150, and the third at 200. Some would say this is a stretch for the AK and iron sights, but I was counting on the fact that these sights were better then the standard designs found on foreign-made rifles and the rifle was built tighter and more accurate. All shots had to be delivered down range within 30 seconds.
As a control, my volunteer shooter had military training and experience firing the M1-Garand at Camp Perry. It didn’t help him much. The game was on after a three-shot group fired at 100 yards confirmed the sights were adjusted correctly.
My test subject hit with two rounds at 100 yards. One round at 150 yards, and blanked out with a zero at 200 yards. During a second timed attempt he did a bit better but went way over on the time limit. The 200-yard target was still blank, indicating that he or the sights were the problem. Since most of his hits were a bit off to the left this indicated some trigger control problems. While the trigger did tend to creep a bit it has a very solid crisp let off at about six pounds.
Blue man targets from 100 to 200 yards. Better sights are required for longer distances.
My turn: I had an edge because I shot and handled the rifle earlier. I ended up with five kills on the 100-yard blue man, three on the 150-yard target, and zero on the 200-yard target. I could not seem to find the kill zone over those basic sights at 200 yards.
With my failure to hit the 200-yard blue man I decided to lock down my Aimpoint M4s TM. This is a red-dot battle sight with a sniper screen to reduce glare in a combat environment. The Aimpoint is not classed as a target variant in sighting equipment. Instead it is a tool that can get on a target quickly and keep you there until the threat has been eliminated. With the Centurion equipped with Weaver rails I had the Aimpoint up and shooting within several minutes while never leaving my station.
The zero work was fast in that the impact point with a test round at 100 yards was about 8 inches low. With windage dead on, I cranked up the elevation a bit, and then planted the next round dead on the target center. Now with a magazine loaded with 15 rounds I was back at my timed event against those three targets.
The target at 100 yards took five fast hits, and the 200-yard target showed another five kills. Reloading several times I selected random ranges and found the better target acquisition system to be a very distinct advantage. However, this is where a real flaw revealed itself. After firing quite a bit that day I noticed that the upper forward hand guard that retained the red-dot sight rail had become loose and sloppy. This was seriously impacting the sighting system.
Click the image to read an article about ARs of Russian inspiration.
A possible solution for this is the attachment of a left-side receiver rail that mounts a quick-release scope base directly in line with the top of the rifle’s dust cover. An example is of this outfit is common on the 54-C Dragunov sniper rifle. With this addition I believe the Model 39 could shoot tighter groups and extend its range. If I owned this rifle I would have a competent gunsmith install a side rail.
The Centurion Model 39 is a very solid combat and general defense rifle. In terms of function there were no issues with feeding or ejection, and all controls functioned perfectly. Furniture needs to be addressed for a tighter fit, and when cleaning it I found the bolt stiff when returning it to the receiver. That is the result of a well-machined receiver and bolt assembly.
When aligned correctly, and that means right on the nose, the bolt assembly drops in like the parts in a Swiss watch. Priced under $800 this is a lot of rifle for the money if you have your sights set on an AK-47.
The quality of the ammunition, moisture, altitude and temperature can affect performance.
A round that doesn’t go bang like it is supposed to can define heartbreak and disappointment for any operator, but it's especially true for gun collectors. Operable firearms are the crux of many collections. And that starts with good ammunition performance.
Here are four factors that affect ammunition performance.
1) The quality of the ammunition in the first place. Whatever we start with, it must be in the best possible condition.
2) Moisture. It's the big fish in the list of ammunition enemies. Any hunter could fill gun collectors in on this critical concept. Duck hunters can tell you of hunts gone to heck because he left his shells in a bucket stool overnight or allowed them to be splashed or sat on by a dripping retriever.
Rifle ammunition can be ruined just as quickly. Left in a hunting coat pocket after a foul-weather hunt, and then taken from a warm house into the frigid woods and then back again, these mistreated rounds can slurp up enough moisture in the form of condensation – even a tiny drop –to render them inert.
3) Altitude. This is something many gun collectors disregard when it comes to ammo performance. We all know that changes in atmospheric pressure can change external ballistics, but to what degree is the question. When I lived in Gloucester, Virginia, elevation 12 feet above sea level, and used ammunition for hunting, then took that ammunition to Buck Mountain, nearly 5,000 feet higher, the bullets did some amazing things on the target range.
Suddenly my groups were significantly higher above zero with some calibers and loads. At the higher elevation, the decreased pressure and thinner atmosphere acted to reduce drag and change the trajectory. I attempted to determine if there were any velocity changes by taking chronograph readings at sea level and at the higher elevation using 10-shot strings of four different calibers both at the muzzle and at 200 yards.
What I found was that initial velocities were virtually the same but the 200-yard readings were statistically different, with the higher elevation numbers coming in faster than those shot at sea level. The larger caliber, heavier bullets seemed to suffer more than the lighter bullets of smaller diameter, but both (.35 Whelen, 250-grain Hornady and 6mm Remington 87-grain Hornady) showed percent velocity changes that could be measured. All tested ammunition retained more velocity at higher elevation than that which was measured at low elevation.
So, gun collectors at sea level or thereabouts who plan to shoot above 10,000 feet need to check their zeros when they get to their destinations.
4) Temperature. It’s common sense that ammunition is temperature-sensitive. Ammunition left to bake on the dashboard can reach temperatures approaching 120 degrees in a closed car or truck. Ammunition left in the car on a frigid night can assume air temperature. If that temperature is low enough it can surely cause changes to ignition and pressure.
Going back and forth between high and low temperature extremes will, as mentioned, cause condensation to occur within the cartridge case. Here you have to use your best judgment. If you store your ammo over long periods of time do your best to keep the temperature of storage constant.
And remember, gun collectors, if one round is bad, chances are others in that bunch are likewise affected. Be smart, care for your ammo and it will consistently get the job done.
What do you get when you cross an AR with an AK? You get the Rock River Arms LAR-47, which accepts AK-47 mags and is chambered in 7.62 X 39 Russian.
Gracing the cover of the March 12, 2012 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine is the Centurion 39, an American-made AK-47, from our comrades at Century Arms. It may be domestically produced, but it’s hard to look at this black gun and not feel the piercing, menacing stare of Josef Stalin himself.
In terms of sheer numbers, probably more Mauser 98s have been produced historically than AKs. But if the Avtomat Kalashnikova is anything it’s prolific. It's the gun of choice for boorish anarchists and ravel rousing rebels everywhere.
The Centurion 39 is a homegrown AK chambered in 7.62 X 39 (Soviet M43), which is a stout little cartridge developed in 1943. That cartridge did not go into full production or use until later on as the Cold War ramped up. Today, it is one of the AK-47's two most common chamberings (the 5.45 X 39 being the other).
With more delivered energy than both the .223 Rem. and 30-30 Winchester — in the neighborhood of 1,500 ft. lbs on the average — it’s plain to see why this cartridge contributed to the breakdown of the German lines all along the Russian front during the latter stages of World War II. In fact, it was precisely because the Wehrmacht were armed with assault rifles chambered for the 7.92mm Kurz that the Russians were forced to quickly develop something competitive. The ‘39 was born.
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Today, American shooters can have an American AR-style rifle chambered for the heavy-hitting Russian 7.62 X 39 cartridge. And while it's true the contemporary AR platform is available in a myriad of configurations (6.8mm Rem. SPC, .300 AAC Blackout, 6X45, .30 Gremlin, .30 Remington AR, .308 Win., 6.5 Grendal, .458 SOCOM and more) the fact remains: The Russian 7.62 X 39 is still one of the very best military cartridges ever developed. Ammo is widely available and relatively cheap. And it hits hard.
It’s ironic that before the mainstreaming of the AR in present day America, and the subsequent development of short, 30-caliber cartridges for special applications like deer hunting or short-distance law enforcement marksman engagements, the Russians were making essentially the same thing nearly a century ago.
Rock River Arms LAR-47
Left to right: 7.92 X 33, 7.62 X 39, 6.5 Grendal, 6.8 Remington SPC, .223, 5.56 in steel case.
One example of a Russian-inspired AR-style gun is the LAR-47 by Rock River Arms. Shooting 7.62 X 39mm Russian, this AR-meets-the-AK accepts standard AK mags.
The LAR-47 lower and upper are proprietary. Most of the other features are standard AR, including the two-stage trigger group, 16-inch barrel, A2 flash suppressor, ambidextrous magazine release and RRA’s 6-position tactical CAR Stock. The LAR-47 gives you access to the heavy-hitting 7.62 X 39 ammo and AK mags all in the familiar AR platform. Это – большое оружие!
There are other options, too. Del-Ton, DPMS and Olympic Arms all make 7.62 X 39 uppers as does MGI Modular.
But why in the world would anyone want an AR/AK-style rifle? As Patrick Sweeney points out in the Gun Digest Book of the AK & SKS, most 7.62 X 39 ammo is Full Metal Jacket FMJ stuff — not exactly ideal for hunting big game animals.
The bullets found in surplus ammo is comprised of a mild steel core that doesn’t exactly exhibit stellar expansion properties. They ripped all matter of hell out of many German snipers’ bunkers, but weren’t developed with the big game hunter in mind. However, for the plinker and prepper, they’re pure gold.
If you’re a handloader you can concoct an excellent recipe for thin-skinned game thanks to several companies making dies and components for this cartridge. That’s the good news.
The bad news is, some American shooters just can’t warm up to the Kalashnikov, no matter how many of its virtues are extolled by proponents. Maybe that's because we're talking about a gun born of Stalin’s murderous dictatorship — a regime responsible for executing, imprisoning and forcibly relocating literally millions of people. Genocide doesn’t exactly engender warm and fuzzy feelings.
And yet while I’m no fan of Marxism, I can appreciate the gun and the cartridge for what they are. They helped to give the Red Army — and war-weary Troglodytes everywhere — an edge. The 7.62 X 39 was a great cartridge. And it remains a great cartridge. When loaded in an AR-style rifle or carbine, it’s even better.
Let me be the first to admit I didn’t use these boots to fast rope. I did, however wear them at the 2012 SHOT Show in Vegas. At the end of Day 1 my pedometer read 7.28 miles and I had very few complaints with my Danner DFA 4.5-inch GTX® Uniform Boots.
These Danner Flight Assault (DFA) boots feature low oil content Nubuc leather, a lightweight 1000 Denier nylon upper, a hexagonal low lug outsole with a patent pending Vertical Insertion Arrestor (VIA) technology insert which provides abrasion resistance and superior control in fast roping applications. I found them to be tough and comfortable, even if I had a bit of a challenge getting the lacing exactly as I wanted it. I mean, seven pairs of eyelets and five more interior loops? Yes that gives you plenty of options, but it also means you will also be doing plenty of adjusting. But once I got it just right, it was just right.
Danner builds these boots on what they call the 1368 last, claiming it is a sleek, streamlined last that is excellent for light trail, multi-sport and casual use and a running shoe-like fit. The first part I can believe, but don’t expect these boots to feel like a pair of Reeboks. They are duty boots and I found comfort in the fact that they offer plenty of support and protection. And after more than 20 miles, they were indeed quite comfortable.
What I really like is the free return shipping. If you buy from Danner.com you can rest assured that if the boot you receive doesn’t fit correctly, Danner will pay for return shipping to insure you get the size you need.
Boot Details
• 100 percent waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® liner is engineered to keep your feet dry and comfortable – even in extreme conditions • Durable, low oil Nubuc leather designed for the demands of fast roping combined with rugged 1000 Denier nylon upper for lightweight comfort and mobility • Cement down construction offers excellent durability in a light weight package • Variable lacing system locks the heel into the pocket providing a glove-like fit and superior control • Polyurethane footbeds are padded for comfort and arch support • Co-molded midsole plate for springboard toe return, impact absorption and puncture resistance • Extended sizes available for women or those with smaller feet • Patent pending Danner® Descender outsole featuring a Vibram® V-4 ultra-abrasion rubber compound built into the medial side arch for fast roping control. Multidirectional lug pattern for quick acceleration and braking in all directions • Bi-fit composite shank • 4.5″ height • 55 oz
Have you ever dreamed of doing something to challenge every element of your shooting skills? Point your truck toward Parma, Idaho and bring along a couple thousand rounds of ammunition, it is time to take on the MGM Iron Man 3-Gun Competition. You’ve got to be nuts to try it, but now that I have tried I can tell you nothing will come between the next match and me.
Are you asking, “What is the MGM Iron Man?”
The slide. Targets are engaged from the top in any position you can get comfy in and again from the ground.
“This match isn’t for weenies and crybabies,” says Mike Gibson, creator of this one-of-a-kind 3-Gun match developed to test your shooting, physical conditioning, and your ambition to finish the longest and most intense shoot you will ever attend.
Gibson owns Mike Gibson Manufacturing, and produces MGM Targets, those high quality steel targets you see on all the best ranges. I have been trying to wreck a couple he sent me for T&E a couple years ago. It can’t be done; a little white paint and they are ready to shoot again. They are reasonably priced and the price includes shipping. But enough of the commercial for MGM, this story is about the match he founded in 1999 and has been running ever since.
The Iron Man combines all of the tougher targets that everybody dreads in regular 3-Gun matches and moves them farther away requiring they be shot from tougher and more uncomfortable positions. If you shoot a limited or scoped tactical class there is no bi-pod option and the rests are not steady. One rifle rest was a hangman’s rope hanging from a beam and you fired while standing on a table.
There are many more targets per stage and the round count for a stage is as many as some complete matches I have been to. The squad I was on started out on Stage 10, which required 97 rounds; 32 rifle, 35 pistol, 19 shot, and 10 slugs. That was the minimum needed if you didn’t miss. For me, the whole match was about carrying enough shotgun shells. Not only do you have to have a way to carry them, you have to manage how you shoot to engage the slug targets and shot targets accordingly and with the greatest efficiency.
A $365 shooting range package won't guarantee a competition win, but it can't hurt. Click the image to enter for a chance to win one from Gun Digest.
The stage started with the pistol. We had to shoot through some barricades and the first shot knocked over a steel target to reveal a paper target that poped up and disappeared from view in a second and a half. This paper target had to be hit at least once in the A or B area or twice anywhere. Then we saw the “swinger” and it was not as exciting as it sounds. A pressure plate in front of the window through which it was engaged started things with the “swinger” and scoring proved to be a challenge.
Next up was a short jog around the berm to a table with a dummy weighing around 90 pounds. I had to carry this dummy a golf cart about 50 yards away and place in the cart without knocking over my shotgun that was staged on the seat. I had to engage some targets with the shotgun while driving the cart! Other targets included a variety of shotgun poppers, whirly gigs, plate racks, and clay bird targets. All this was followed up with 10 slug against on five targets at about 50 to 60 yards.
The most diabolical of targets seemed to be the Double Target Spinner. I had never seen anything like it before. The target consists of two round target plates of different diameters on arms of about the same length balanced on a stand. This leaves the heavier one at rest on the bottom. The spinner rotates on the stand when you hit one of the plates. The goal is to make it revolve over one full turn.
Hitting the plates, which is no easy task, is only half the challenge. You also need to time your hits to move the targets properly. I never did get used to that thing but it definitely is something to practice for next year.
This is no way to live. Learn the laws of your state so the use of your concealed carry handgun doesn't land you in jail.
The reality is your handgun can do nothing without you. But your use of the that handgun could land you in jail.
This space is not all good news about fancy concealed carry handguns and holsters. Time for a reality check. Once you drop a handgun into a holster and walk out the door you have accepted a giant responsibility; one with consequences some people never think about. Your CCW permit is not a license to act contrary to public safety. It is simply a permission slip to keep the means to your defense on your person. You are still required to abide by all the laws of your state or municipality. Once you pull your gun, you are suddenly under increased scrutiny. If you FIRE your gun, the post shooting investigation will be intrusive and thorough. Keep in mind that many police agencies and many more prosecutors are anti-gun and could go out of their way to find something to charge you with.
The point here is that gear is no substitute for training, an understanding of the law and common sense. The best concealed carry holster and the most accurate concealed carry handgun will be of little use if you cannot quote your state's justification for the use of deadly force.
If you make a mistake with your handgun you can end up in jail or dead. That mistake could also very likely mean that you have the blood of an innocent person on your hands. It is all well and good to talk big about stopping the bad guys with your pistol, but there are some things you can count on after a deadly force incident: You will be contacted by police. You very likely will be handcuffed and taken to the police station for questioning. The officers will likely take your gun for the investigation. Do not resist. Cooperate to the extent you feel comfortable without your attorney present.
Your goal is the make sure you do everything correctly before, during and after a deadly force incident. It is your responsibility and the consequences fall on your shoulders. Your life and your freedom depends on it.
For the record, here is Wisconsin, you can use deadly force when you are faced with, “Any action that has caused or imminently threatens to cause death or great bodily harm to another person or persons.”
Study hard, your freedom depends on what you know and how you use that information.
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.
