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The Xtreme Defender is based on the popular Xtreme Penetrator product line. The XD ammunition has an optimized nose flute, total weight, and velocity to achieve a penetration depth up to 18 inches* with a permanent wound cavity (PWC) that is just simply enormous; no other expanding hollowpoint comes close to achieving anywhere near this diameter and volume. Not only is the PWC over 100% larger than any other expanding bullet, expansion is achieved despite being shot through barriers. The solid copper body ensures that wallboard, sheet metal, and automotive glass will have no effect on the PWC.
5730 Bottom Rd. Sparta, Illinois 62286
*Falling within FBI guidelines This round offers: A permanent Wound Cavity (PWC) that is 2 times greater than any expanding bullet reduced recoil. CNC machined from solid copper to overcome barriers to penetration Radial flutes that force the hydraulic energy inward to build pressure Minimal surface area to increase the force at the point of contact and sharp cutting edges that defeat barriers.
Call us: (618) 965-2109 www.underwoodammo.com
A MERIC A N
SHOOTING JOURNAL Volume 9 // Issue 1 // October 2019 PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andy Walgamott OFFICE MANAGER / COPY EDITOR Katie Aumann LEAD CONTRIBUTOR Frank Jardim CONTRIBUTORS Jim Dickson, Scott Haugen, Phil Massaro, Mike Nesbitt SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Celina Martin, Leslie-Anne Slisko-Cooper PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Kelly Baker, McKenna Boulet WEBMASTER / INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@americanshootingjournal.com
ON THE COVER Denny Tippmann of Tippmann Armory shows off his Indiana-based company’s new Gatling Gun in 9mm, debuted at this year’s SHOT Show. (TIPPMANN ARMORY)
Website: AmericanShootingJournal.com Facebook: Facebook.com/AmericanShootingJournal Twitter: @AmShootingJourn
MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S. Ste. 190 • Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
CONTENTS
VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 1
FEATURES
42
28 EIGHT BARRELS’ WORTH OF 9MM FUN “Fun is what this little gun is all about,” writes Jim Dickson about Tippmann Armory’s new hand-cranked Gatling Gun, a throwback to early machineguns, albeit cheaper to fire as it uses 9mm bullets. Dickson details both the development of Gatling guns in the 1800s and this latest take on a fascinating firearm. 63 BLACK POWDER: HE ‘CAN’ ‘CROW’ ABOUT THIS SHOOTING! When a local muzzleloader club held a hybrid primitive-style match with paper targets, member Mike Nesbitt gave it a shot – and then some – with his halfstock .50-caliber Pennsylvania-style rifle. Check out his report from the match! 69 ROAD HUNTER: INTEREST RISES IN D.I.Y. ALASKA MOOSE HUNTING It’s definitely not easy, but with enough planning, hardy sportsmen can enjoy the adventure of hunting North America’s largest deer species without a guide. If you’re among the growing number of hunters interested in this challenge, Scott Haugen shares tips for how to make it happen in the wilds of the Last Frontier.
(FULL CONCEAL)
GUN REVIEW:
FULL CONCEAL’S FOLDING GLOCK CONVERSIONS OFFER MORE GUN IN LESS ROOM
If you’re looking for a safer, more compact everyday carry option, Full Conceal’s folding full-size M3D and subcompact M3S high-capacity 9mm pistols might be just for you. Frank Jardim shares the story of this Nevada-based company that converts late-model Glock 19s and 43s into foldable handguns.
83 BULLET BULLETIN: ‘FUSION’ OF PERFORMANCE, PRICEPOINT Federal’s Fusion line of ammunition and component bullets are a great buy for deer hunters, but don’t go thinking that price makes them second-rate in any way, argues our Phil Massaro, who calls them “among the best projectiles available” for the job. Find out why. 93 GUNS FOR SMALL GAME There’s more than just a scoped .22 rifle that will bag bunnies, bushytails, etc., for the pot. Jim Dickson looks at some of the alternatives for pursuing small game, whether you’re just getting into one of America’s proudest, most long-standing hunts or are interested in trying another firearm for your tasty quarry.
AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2019 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
CONTENTS
23
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE company spotlights Telor Tactical holsters keep carrying concealed cool, comfortable 101 Lucid Optics’ rugged new 8x42 B-8 binoculars 55
DEPARTMENTS 17 Competition Calendar 21 Gun Show Calendar
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
PRIMER
COMPETITION C A L E N D A R
October 4-5
October 18-19
October 4-5
October 22
Indiana State IDPA Championship Match Atlanta, Ind. idpa.com
Mountain Valley Melee IDPA Regional Lonsdale, Ark.
2019 SC State Championship Belton, S.C. SIG Sauer PCC National Championship Talladega, Ala.
October 11-12 Holiday Havoc 2019 Evansville, Ind.
October 4-6
October 18-19
October 4-6
October 24-27
October 4-6
October 24-27
October 5-6
October 19-20
October 5-6
October 26-27
October 12-13
October 26-27
OCTOBER 4-5
October 11-12
October 5
October 11-13
October 5-6
October 15-19
2019 Carolina Classic Creedmoor, N.C. Virginia State USPSA Championship Fredericksburg, Va.
uspsa.org
Missouri Fall Classic Newburg, Mo.
Showdown at Big Creek VIII Mobile, Ala. gssfonline.com
Eastern Nebraska Glock Classic IV Louisville, Neb. Charleston Glock Challenge IX Charleston, S.C. PA State Championships Centre Hall, Pa.
cmsaevents.com
2019 Indiana State Shoot Edinburgh, Ind. Georgia State Championship Gainesville, Ga.
2019 Arkansas Section Championship Van Buren, Ark. Delmarva Section Championship Hedgesville, W.Va. 2019 Louisiana Gator Classic Princeton, La.
Bluegrass Regional Classic XXII Lexington, Ky. Silver State Glock Showdown XI Reno, Nev. Hoosier State Regional Classic XXII Atlanta, Ind. 2019 Nevada State Championship Las Vegas, Nev. Lone Star Classic Vernon, Texas
October 5-6
CMSA World and AQHA World of Mounted Shooting Horses Amarillo, Texas
October 4-5
October 19-20
Northeast Regional Championships Centre Hall, Pa.
PTO at the University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah usashooting.org
Team Shooting Stars PTO Carrollton, Texas
October 17-21
NCSSA Mega Shoot & USAS Qualifier Kerrville, Texas americanshootingjournal.com 17
PRS RESOURCE GUIDE Bolt Gun Series October 4
GAP Grind Bushnell Tactical Pro/Am
Finger, Tennessee
October 12
Bakersfield Long Range Round Up
Bakersfield, California
October 19
Kestrel Ballistics Fall Classic
Baker, Florida
November 1
Blue Ridge Ranch PRS Match
Benge, Washington
November 2
Frontline Defense Road to Redemption
Warrenton, North Carolina
November 15
PRS Finale
Finger, Tennessee
For more information visit www.precisionrifleseries.com
PARTS, ACCESSORIES & GEAR
See us on page 25
See us on page 18
See us on page 19
americanshootingjournal.com 19
THE REAL TEXAS
GUN SHOW GUNS | AMMO | KNIVES | BUY | SELL | TRADE | LOOK
GONZALES, ORANGE, CROSBY, BELTON, BRENHAM, TAYLOR, PORT ARTHUR and N. HOUSTON, TEXAS! CHECK OUT OUR WESITE FOR DATES AND LOCATIONS Aubrey Sanders Jr. -Promoter
www.TheRealTexasGunShow.com
P.O. Box 300545 Arlington,Tx 76007 (713)724-8881
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
PRIMER
GUNSHOW C A L E N D A R
C&E Gun Shows
Crossroads Of The West Gun Shows
Florida Gun Shows
R&K Gun Shows
Real Texas Gun Shows Tanner Gun Shows
Wes Knodel Gun Shows
October 5-6
Fayetteville, N.C.
Crown Expo Center
October 5-6
Lebanon, Tenn.
Wilson County Expo Center
October 5-6
Sharonville, Ohio
Sharonville Convention Center
October 12-13
Salem, Va.
Salem Civic Center
October 12-13
Springfield, Ohio.
Clark County Fairgrounds
October 19-20
Columbus, Ohio
Westland Mall
October 26-27
Dayton, Ohio
Montgomery County Event Center
October 26-27
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Winston-Salem Fairgrounds
October 5-6
Ontario, Calif.
Ontario Convention Center
October 11-12
Provo, Utah
Utah Valley Convention Center
October 12-13
Reno, Nev.
Reno Convention Center
October 12-13
Prescott, Ariz.
Findlay Toyota Center
October 19-20
Las Vegas, Nev.
The Pavilions
October 26-27
Ventura, Calif.
Ventura County
October 5-6
Fort Myers, Fla.
Lee Civic Center
October 12-13
Orlando, Fla.
Central Florida Fairgrounds
October 19-20
Tampa, Fla.
Florida State Fairgrounds
October 26-27
Palmetto, Fla.
Bradenton Area Convention Center
October 12-13
Springfield, Mo.
Ozark Empire Fairgrounds
October 19-20
Sedalia, Mo.
Missouri State Fairgrounds
October 19-20
Memphis, Tenn.
Agricenter International
October 26-27
Lawrenceville, Ga.
Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
October 26-27
Kansas City, Mo.
KCI Expo Center
October 26-27
Knoxville, Tenn.
Knoxville Expo Center
October 5-6
Brenham, Texas
Brenham Fireman’s Training Center
October 12-13
Taylor, Texas
Williamson County Expo Center
October 5-6
Pueblo, Colo.
Colorado State Fairgrounds
October 12-13
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Norris Penrose Event Center
October 19-20
Denver, Colo.
Denver Mart
October 12-13
Medford, Ore.
Medford Armory
October 19-20
Centralia, Wash.
Southwest Washington Fairgrounds
To have your event highlighted here, send an email to kaumann@media-inc.com.
americanshootingjournal.com 21
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
CYLINDER STOVES Enjoy all-night wood heat, a flat cooking surface, hot water for a shower and even an oven for baking with a Cylinder Stove. Built in the mountains of central Utah, Cylinder Stoves are crafted by hunting and camping folk who know what is expected of a good camp stove. cylinderstoves.com
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 1112
CDNN SPORTS, INC. Now available from CDNN Sports is the DPMS AR-15 Upper M4 16-inch chromelined barrel with extended quad rail with an MSRP of $189.99. Specifications and features include: • Barrel length: 16-inch M4 DPMS marked chrome-lined barrel; • Barrel thread pitch: ½x28; • Chamber: 5.56 NATO; • Twist rate: 1:9 inches; • Gas system: Carbine length direct impingement with A2 front sight gas block and bayonet lug; • Muzzle device: A2 Flash Hider; • Handguard: 11.75-inch anodized aluminum quad rail with T-markings. cdnnsports.com
MICHLITCH COMPANY Newly developed by Michlitch Company, the Brisket and Roast Rub is excellent for grilling, pan-frying or roasting. Rub the spice blend on both sides of a brisket, roast or steak before cooking. Buy at retail online. Commercial bulk pricing is also available on their products. Call (509) 624-1490 for pricing. spokanespice.com
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ALFORD DESIGNS LIMITED, LLC Alford Designs Limited offers handcrafted fashionable leather concealed carry purses, made in the USA. They offer a variety of styles and sizes of handcrafted purses, bags, wristlets, matching leather earrings and accessories, as well as a selection of men’s briefcases and satchels. Pictured are two purse styles: Item 1311 is 12 by 9 by 3 inches and Item 1112 is 10.5 by 9 by 3 inches. Both models have a 1-inch cut-resistant strap, inside holster, and both are available in a variety of textured leathers. Shop early for best selection! Find Alford Designs Limited online at etsy.com/shop/AlfordDesignsLTD or at their own website. paulaalford.com aulaalford.com
AMERICAN REBEL American Rebel’s Black Smoke Safes represent the strength and rugged independence that America was built upon. It is constructed of pressure-formed American-made 11-gauge steel, three times stronger than 14-gauge steel used in most China-built containers. The door uses 11-gauge inner steel and a multi-layer 7/16-inch edge reinforcement – six times stronger than imported safes. There are six different sizes to choose from, from home safes to 50-gun safes. americanrebel.com
BARNAUL Barnaul offers a wide range of ammunition. From small to large game, to sport shooting and personal protection, Barnaul has the right ammunition for your application. You can find this premium Russian-made ammunition at your local firearms dealer, or many online firearms websites. barnaulammo.com
TIPPMANN ARMORY Just in time for the 2019 hunting season, the Tippmann Rolling Block comes in .357 Mag., .44 Mag. and .45-70. Whether you’re an experienced hunter or training the youngsters, the Tippmann Rolling Block is sure to provide some awesome memories on opening morning. Give them a call at (800) 671-1498. tippmannarmory.com americanshootingjournal.com 23
HOLIDAY
GIFT GUIDE PICKETT’S MILL ARMORY
CUSTOM METAL PRODUCTS
Pickett’s Mill Armory provides high-quality yet affordable AR-15 components. They focus their efforts on producing American-made complete upper receivers in 5.56 NATO, .300 Blackout, .223 Wylde, 6.5 Grendel and more. Complete upper prices start at $199.99. pmarmory.com
Custom Metal Products has you covered for high-performance AR500 steel targets, sized just right for .22-caliber fun. CMP Steel Targets are reactive moving targets to keep the shooting challenging for the beginner or expert. Get the classic .22 Dueling Tree, the .22 Tactical Torso, or the .22 Texas Star, available now! custommetalprod.com
V-LINE IND.
TAP RACK HOLSTERS Tap Rack Holsters IWB offers function and form with safety and comfort as two principles in their line of handmade holsters. They mold to your specifications for a correct fit. No buckets here. Holsters feature adjustable retention, a 550 corded loop for securing to a belt or belt loop, semiclosed bottom that can be left open for threaded barrels on request, different body shield heights in low, medium and high upon request, and nonbinding smooth edges with no sharp points in their designs for comfort. Different colors and patterns available upon request. taprackholsters.com
V-Line Ind. introduces the “Brute” quick-access security case. The Brute is the perfect solution for keeping handguns and valuables safe and out of reach of the wrong hands. It is constructed of rugged 10-gauge steel with an overlapping lid, making it virtually pry-proof when bolted down to a solid surface. The Brute is nicely finished in a durable tactical black powder coating. Features include heavy-duty 10-gauge all-steel construction; sleek custom anti-pry clamshell design; heavy 12-gauge handle with anti-pry lock protection; oversized solid-steel lock block and dead bolt; break-free 360-degree rotation clutch knob; reliable quick access mechanical push button lock; and more. The Brute measures 12.5 by 9.5 by 3.6 inches, weighs 21 pounds, and is California DOJ approved. vlineind.com
EXQUISITEKNIVES.COM
PROLIX
The Xtreme Defender has an optimized nose flute, total weight and velocity to achieve a penetration depth up to 18 inches (falling within FBI guidelines) with a permanent wound cavity that is simply enormous. No other expanding hollowpoint comes close to achieving anywhere near this diameter and volume. underwoodammo.com American Shooting Journal // October 2019
The Seal 1 Complete Tactical Gun Care Kit includes: • 4-ounce container of their multipurpose CLP Plus Gun Care Paste; • 4-ounce container of their multipurpose CLP Plus Gun Care Liquid; • Seal 1 CLP Plus Pre-Saturated EZ-Cloth; • 12-inch by 12-inch square microfiber cloth; • Double-ended nylon utility brush; and • Two 6-inch hardwood cotton swabs. seal1.com
Exquisiteknives.com grew out of ABS Mastersmith Dave Ellis’s love of all things edged. Dave is personally involved in most aspects of the custom knife industry and has established relationships with top makers, dealers and collectors worldwide. Knife pictured is from the three-brother team from Argentina, CAS. Choose Exquisiteknives.com for the finest in custom knives. exquisiteknives.com
UNDERWOOD AMMO
24
SEAL 1
PrOlix will get a new look for the holidays and a new easy-to-handle 16-ounce size with their three-way adjustable nozzle Pro Trigger Sprayer! PrOlix made no changes to their great formula, even with their gun-oil and grease replacer, Xtra-T Lube. prolixlubricant.com
aksportingjournal.com | MAY 2017
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
24
As seen at
Brownells.com & BeyerBarrels.com
Ultralight rimfire barrels
For the Ruger 1022 and 1022 takedown barrels as well as the AR15 dedicated uppers. Match chambers and 7075 aluminum. Bull barrels, mid weight and factory taper barrels now with straight or diamond fluting. To buy direct call Clint at 360 640 1497 Also available at Brownells or other various dealers.
Custom Rifle Actions www.defiancemachine.com 406-756-2727 189179 HWY 101 Forks, WA 98331
americanshootingjournal.com 25
HOLIDAY
SKYLINE TOOLWORKS LLC The Woodman’s Pal is an iconic land management tool with a long, storied history dating back to 1941. Whether you are clearing brush, blazing trails or building blinds in the woods or trimming, digging and planting in your backyard garden, the Woodman’s Pal is a versatile tool for every outdoorsman. clipdraw.com
GIFT GUIDE
EAR PHONE CONNECTION Keep the situational awareness; minimize the loud background noise. The NR Noise Reduction Lapel Microphone features noise-reduction technology, “easy-grip” Push-to-Talk (PTT) and your choice of coiled, short tube or new tubeless earpiece. To top it off, the kit is upgraded with the NAB Sound-Blocking Ear Tip for clear audio and all-day comfort. earphoneconnect.com
BEYER BARRELS Beyer Barrels offers Standard 10/22, Takedown 10/22 and AR Rimfire barrels, from rifle to pistol length. Crafted from 7075 aluminum, Beyer’s premium aluminum alloy barrels are precisely machined, highly accurate, and weigh only 13 to 18 ounces, using Chromalloy steel liners. Manufactured in the USA by Clint Beyer, USCG Chief Engineer, retired. Go Beyer, and let your barrel “speak for itself.” beyerbarrels.com
RANGESTORE.NET Inspired by Team Steel Target Paint shooter Heather Martin, the clear Range Box Sampler provides a safe and dry environment to store ammunition or other range gear with confidence. Six cans of Steel Target Paint, a Can-Gun, and a Plastic “Target Zone” Stencil are included in the box. rangestore.net
WHITE OAK ARMAMENT Introducing the new TR M-Lok Handguard from White Oak Armament. The handguard is available in 12.6-inch and 14.6-inch lengths, octagonal with full-length top Picatinny rail, M-Lok sides and bottom. Two key goals in designing the rail were: 1) to ensure a stable, free-float handguard with minimal flex when pressure is applied; and 2) to make a rail that will work with virtually any gas block. whiteoakarmament.com/ 1tr-handguard.html
KIRKPATRICK LEATHER With the Rifle Shell Holder from Kirkpatrick Leather, rifle shotshell reloads will be close at hand for your next hunting trip. Constructed of premium 8-ounce saddle leather, the rifle shell holder is offered for a wide array of rifles. Choose from plain with laser-engraved name for $105 or plain with laser-engraved logo for $115. kirkpatrickleather.com
SIERRAPAPA, INC. AMERICAN REBEL American Rebel backpacks are made from the absolute best materials available, focusing on quality, functionality and style that conveys the spirit of the Second Amendment. They feature a proprietary Protection Pocket, plus a concealed compartment. The Freedom Pack has a designated compartment that fits American Rebel’s optional 2A ballistic shield. americanrebel.com 26
American Shooting Journal // October 2019
Fans of the popular CX4 Storm from Beretta looking to improve the performance of their carbine will be delighted to know that SierraPapa specializes in upgrade replacement parts for this particular piece. Available upgrades include a machined aluminum trigger housing, stainless steel hammer/aluminum trigger/spring kit, and steel guide rod kits. Enjoy smoother operation, improved reliability, and a heightened level of enjoyment on the range. Let SierraPapa take your CX4 Storm to the next level. sierrapapacx4.com
americanshootingjournal.com 27
EIGHT BARRELS’ WORTH OF 9MM FUN
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
In the same state as the first one was tested, Tippmann Armory makes a modern take on the famous Gatling Gun. STORY BY JIM DICKSON PHOTOS BY TIPPMANN ARMORY
“Fun is what this little gun is all about,” writes author Jim Dickson about the hand-cranked Tippmann Armory Gatling Gun, here being fired by the company’s Denny Tippmann. It’s a throwback to historical machineguns, albeit a less expensive one to fire as it uses relatively cheap 9mm bullets. americanshootingjournal.com 29
T
he story of the Gatling gun dates back to the Civil War when Dr. Richard Gatling incorporated the best features of the earlier Agar and Ripley guns into what would become universally famous as the Gatling gun. Constant refinement resulted in a magnificently reliable design, where turning a crank handle operates a set of beveled gears to transmit this rotation to the main shaft, which carries the bolt cylinder, carrier, barrels and bolts. As the barrels turn, each cartridge drops into its corresponding groove of the carrier from the feed. The spiral cam surfaces engage the bolt and it pushes the round into the chamber. The cocking lug of the firing pin is shoved against the cam as the bolt goes forward, compressing its spring, which then releases as it passes the cam and fires the cartridge. The continued rotation brings the bolt to the rear. The extractor hooks pull the empty case out of the chamber until the case hits the ejector and is knocked out of the gun. Each barrel is fired in turn when it reaches the lower righthand position and the operating cycle of the bolt and barrel assembly takes one revolution of the shaft. The ammunition loads at the 11 o’clock position, it fires at the 4 o’clock position, and ejects at the 7 o’clock position. Since there are multiple barrels, a high rate of fire is possible and it is easy to fire at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. The maximum amount of fire at one time was 4,000 rounds, or about 10 minutes of firing. After that, ammunition in the feed could cook off. In 1893, Gatling patented an electric motor-driven gun that fired at a rate
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
of 3,000 rounds a minute. In recent years, that gun was resurrected as the 20mm Vulcan and the Navy’s Phalanx Weapon system. What’s old is new. Gatling even patented a gasoperated version to compete with the new automatic machineguns being invented.
FAR AHEAD OF its time, the Gatling gun
was misunderstood and not properly employed by the military in the 19th Century. General Custer had four 90-pound tripod-mounted .45-70 Gatling guns that could have resulted in the Battle of the Little Bighorn being a massacre of Sioux Indians instead of 7th Cavalry men, had he not left them behind. But then Custer was known for his brashness and dash, not his brains. It was not until the SpanishAmerican War in Cuba that they were properly employed in the assault. Captain John H. “Gatling Gun” Parker had been opposed by his superior when he wanted to organize a Gatling gun unit against the Spanish in Santiago. But he went over his head to General Joe Wheeler, who authorized it. His use of the Gatling guns was so successful that the high command of the Army commissioned him to “devise a form of organization for machineguns to be attached to regiments of infantry.” At the battle of San Juan Heights, his Gatling guns were used on both San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill,
providing covering fire for the American forces. At a range of 600 to 800 yards, Parker’s three Gatling guns raked the heights with 18,000 rounds fired over an 8½-minute period. Trooper Langdon stated that they would never have been able to take Kettle Hill without the Gatling guns. Captain Boughton found the trenches at the top of San Juan Hill filled with the dead and dying victims of Parker’s three Gatlings, while the open ground behind the trenches was filled with Spaniards cut down by the Gatlings as they attempted to retreat. Once in possession of the Heights, the Americans braced for the expected counterattack. It was not long coming. Parker had brought up two of his Gatling guns and sited them near the crest of San Juan Hill. Only one was in shouting distance when a force of 600 Spaniards was sighted about 600 yards away. Parker ordered Sergeant Green to open fire. The results were devastating. There were only 40 Spanish survivors. Parker then moved the guns to avoid counter battery fire by Spanish artillery. At a range of 2,000 yards, they engaged the crew of a Spanish heavy artillery piece, killing or scattering the lot of them. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt said that he thought Parker deserved more credit than any other one man in the entire campaign. That’s an understatement. Considering how many casualties the surviving Spaniards, with their M93 Mauser 7mm rifles, inflicted on the American troops making an uphill frontal assault, it is obvious that the attacks would have been failures without the Gatling guns and there would probably never have been a President Theodore Roosevelt. The obsolete tactic of having troops make a human wave assault on an entrenched enemy had proved disastrous during the Civil War when tried on troops equipped only with muzzleloaders, and to do it against modern Mausers was suicidal. The excessive casualties of the assaults on the San Juan Heights led to the adoption of the American version of the Mauser rifle, the M1903
Custom Guns
“Perfect Packin’ Pistol” When it comes to full custom guns, the name to remember is GARY REEDER CUSTOM GUNS. We have been building full custom guns since 1978. Building full custom 1911s, single shot barrels for the Encore and Contender, large caliber rifles for Africa and full custom revolvers like the Perfect Packin’ Pistol shown. We build custom guns to your specs, on your gun and on ours. For more info check our web site at www.reedercustomguns. com or give me a call at 928-527-4100.
Springfield. A large part of this was to divert attention away from the American commanders’ cavalier attitude toward the lives of their men with their obsolete tactics. Parker went on to an illustrious career, finishing as a brigadier general covered with medals for valor in the Spanish-American War and World War I.
THE GATLING FARED better with the
British, where it was a major factor in civilizing their native opponents as they set up their colonial empire. It was decisive in many far-flung battles, where it was a bigger force multiplier for the British than the breechloading rifle had been, and that’s saying a lot. They saw service first in the AngloAshanti Wars in Africa in 1873. Before long, Matabele and Zulu tribesmen were being mowed down like wheat with the Gatling gun. Further north in Africa, it did yeoman service on attacking Bedouins and Mahdists. They played a major role in Kitchener’s defeat of the Mahdist forces. If General Nickel-plated 4140 steel is used to strengthen key moving parts on the Tippmann Gatling Gun, while the frame and rails are 1018 cold rolled steel. Its turret and cylinder are aluminum, and it sits on a wooden carriage and rubber tires. It has an MSRP of $5,000.
“Chinese” Gordon had been supplied with them, Khartoum would not have fallen at the start of that war. As late as the Boxer Rebellion in China, a relief column rushing to try to rescue a British outpost with little hope of finding them alive was surprised to find that a very busy Gatling gun had preserved the lot of them. Gatling guns continued in service in the U.S. and U.K. until 1911, when they were declared obsolete. They came back several decades later in the aforementioned weapons systems, as well as the 30mm tank buster cannon on the A-10 Warthog antitank airplane. Obviously they weren’t obsolete after all. Due to their size and weight, the Gatling gun has proved a problem for gun collectors. They do tend to take up the whole room when mounted on an artillery carriage and most wives are not in favor
of them as the centerpiece of den décor. You need a horse to pull that artillery carriage and they don’t let horses on the roads in most places nowadays. Some of the cartridges they chamber are more than a little expensive. While those in .30-06 and .30-40 Krag or .45-70 are bad enough to buy ammo for, you are in big trouble if you want Gatling gun shooting quantities of .50-70 or .577450. Heaven help you if your Gatling is in .58 rimfire or 1-inch Gatling. You’d better be rich for those because custom-making that ammo is going to cost enough to make a Vanderbilt weep. You will have to go overseas to get .58 rimfire ammunition made because the laws in the U.S. make it impractical to make big rimfire cartridges. But the manufacturing hazards are enough that you will still have trouble finding someone to make it for you, no matter how rich you are. You might have to even build your own factory to make the priming compound and the rest of the cartridge. Better be rich, m’boy. Really rich.
americanshootingjournal.com 33
ENTER TIPPMANN ARMORY with the
solution: a small 27-inch-long, eightbarrel Gatling Gun that stands 18 inches high on its wheels and is 20 inches wide. It weighs 60 pounds. A tripod is available. It is small enough to be displayed on your coffee table or desk and it is a real attention-getter. This little gem shoots regular 9mm Luger ammo in 32-round Glock model 19 magazines. Now you can afford to have some fun with a Gatling gun! Fun is what this little gun is all about. There is nothing more fun to shoot than a machinegun, but they are heavily restricted under the National Firearms Act of 1934. Well, Gatling guns are exempt from the NFA machinegun category. They can be sold just like any manually operated rifle on a standard Form 4473. The only thing to remember is where the dealer fills out their part of the form. On section B #16, mark “Other firearm” and under Section 27, label it simply “Firearm.” Gatling guns are designed to
operate with very little wear on their moving parts as the gun operates. This makes for a very long life. The parts of the Tippmann gun that face wear or need strength are made of nickelplated 4140 steel. These include the barrels, bolts, cam at the firing point, gears, and firing pin. The frame and rails are made of 1018 cold rolled steel. All of the shock of firing is transferred to the frame, so there is very little stress on the gun’s working parts. The front sight ring and the cascabel are brass. To save weight, the turret and cylinder are aluminum. The carriage is wood. Rubber tires were used instead of wood wheels to make it clear that this gun was intended to shoot. They also are easier on desk and coffee table tops than the traditional iron-shod wooden wheels when time comes to put the gun up. Nine-millimeter Luger was chosen for the caliber because it is the cheapest available ammo, next to .22 LR. If you encounter a dud, it will be
ejected as the crank turns and there will be a momentary skip in the burst as one round is missed. Thanks to the improvements in ammunition in the 1920s, the dreaded hangfire is almost unknown today. A hangfire is when a cartridge does not fire immediately when the primer is struck. They were common before the 1920s and were the bane of all manually operated machineguns, as a cartridge going off outside the chamber meant a serious jam. This was one of the reasons the automatic machinegun was so welcome. It stops when the cartridge does not fire. Wait a few seconds and then eject. No more problem. While a 32-shot magazine is a lot of bullets, there are a couple of other options available. ProMag makes a 50-round drum magazine for the Glock Model 19 and this works well with the Tippmann Gatling Gun, as does the Beta Company’s 100-round twin drum for the Glock 19. The ProMag 50-round drum sells for
In addition to 32-round magazines, Glock drum mags are also compatible with the gun. Tippmann and crew debuted it at this year’s SHOT Show.
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
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$99.49, while the Beta Co. 100-round twin drum sells for $350. The Tippmann Gatling Gun sells for $5,000. That’s because there is a small output made by 20 men, as opposed to Colt mass-producing them for a large government order. Workmanship is first-class. The Tippmanns have been manufacturing in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for three generations. Coincidentally, the very first Gatling gun was first test-fired in 1862 100 miles south of them, in Indianapolis. Over the years, they have made refrigeration units, paintball guns, air guns, miniature Browning machineguns in .22 LR and .22 Magnum, rolling block rifles and other items. In 1984, they made 24 halfscale Gatling guns in .380 caliber. They have the experience you want and need in a gunmaker. Equally important, they have always been known for their customer service. That’s how a firm lasts through three generations. Reputation. While the Tippmann Gatling Gun is intended as a fun shooting gun, one look at the newsreels of the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian showing residents formed into militias and standing at barricades to defend against looters is enough to show how welcome this little Gatling gun would have been there. That is a common situation after any disaster of this magnitude. A warning burst at a rate of fire of 500 to 600 rounds per minute is a lot more persuasive than single shots on a mob. If persuasion doesn’t work, the effect of that rate of fire on attackers has been well proven for over 146 years, since the British first used them on massed native attackers. That $5,000 price tag suddenly seems awfully cheap when you need this kind of firepower in order for you and your family to stay alive. The Tippmann is a quality piece of work that will not fail you. Just make sure you have plenty of magazines and ammo. Editor's note: For more on the Gatling Gun, see tippmannarmory.com.
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
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MORE GUN, Here’s a look at Full Conceal’s folding full-size M3D and subcompact M3S high-capacity 9mm pistols. STORY BY FRANK JARDIM • PHOTOS BY FULL CONCEAL
C
onsider this. Sales clerk Christina Alcala was spending her lunch break looking over sunglasses at one of the vendor kiosks that dotted the wide-open floor-space between stores in the mall. It was a witheringly hot July 4th weekend. Where she stood 60 feet from the mall’s glass entrance doors, she could actually feel the hot outside air let in by the continuous stream of people pouring through to catch the first matinee at the multiplex. Most of them wore only shorts and T-shirts, and it was so hot they were sweating through them on the walk from the parking lot to the mall doors. Sales were slow despite the mall being full of people and she figured more were there for the air conditioning than the shopping. The combination of their many private conversations, the shrill voices of happy kids in the play area, and the piped-in music created the low din that clerks on commission love to hear and hourly employees dread. Christina was the latter and she couldn’t wait for her shift to end. 42
American Shooting Journal // October 2019
LESS ROOM Nevada-based Full Conceal converts third and fourth generation Glock 19s, among other models, to folding handguns for an alternative, safer way to carry concealed.
Then the glass at the kiosk exploded in front of her and the retail din was instantly replaced with screams and gunshots and pounding feet. Frozen from shock, in the first instant she could only move her eyes as events unfolded in apparent slow motion. Not 50 feet from her, a bulky figure clad in long pants and sleeves with a slung gym bag lumbered left and right with a pistol in each hand, calmly firing at fleeing and hiding people. A space opened around the attacker as the rapidly thinning crowd raced wildly past her. Shopping bags, flip-flops, drink cups, purses and four crumpled bodies now littered the newly vacated area of polished mall floor. The lumbering killer, who she could now see was a middle-aged man, seemed to pick his targets
at random. Before her eyes, he unhesitatingly shot a woman and two children hiding behind a trash can, ignored some teenagers diving for cover in a planter, and then began firing at the targets behind her. At that point, he was 25 feet away. When he looked directly at her, Christina’s survival instinct finally kicked in. She ducked behind the kiosk, falling directly on top of a middleaged woman in yellow pants, who was sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up and arms tight against her sides, madly texting on a smartphone. Christina didn’t notice her until she piled on top of the woman, knocking her into the open from her covered position. As the woman tipped over onto her left side, the phone she’d been texting on skittered across the
floor and a second one she must have had under her arm dropped heavily right next to her. The woman grabbed it and disappeared on her hands and knees around the right side of the kiosk. At the same time, a shadow fell over Christina from behind. From the corner of her eye, Christina saw the lumbering man aiming his pistol at her and she knew she was about to die. She didn’t close her eyes. When the shot came a moment later, the blast was deafening. She was surprised she didn’t feel anything. It wasn’t until the fifth blast that she became aware the shadow of the lumbering figure was gone and she heard what she thought to be the weak tinkling of small bells. Tiny bright objects began to dance on the polished granite floor in front of her … americanshootingjournal.com 43
Inventor Mike Full with two of his conversions.
fired shell casings. Someone screamed “Run!” By the seventh blast she was on her feet sprinting for her storefront, which she remembered had a rear exit. The blasts continued as fast as a jackhammer and Christina chanced a glance over her shoulder as she ran to safety. To the left of the sunglasses kiosk, its merchandise scattered thickly on the surrounding floor, she saw the lumbering man had fallen to his knees and now had only one of his pistols. The middle-aged woman with the yellow pants was on the other side of the kiosk. She looked like she’d jumped into it, almost lying across the middle with her arms and torso hidden and only her tiptoes on the floor. There was one more blast and the lumbering man fell instantly, like a marionette whose strings were all simultaneously cut.
CHRISTINA RAN A few more strides
before stopping. The immediate area was now completely silent except for the low background muzak. People were poking out of their hiding places, crying and calling out for each other. Looking up at the mall clock, Christina saw she still had 10 minutes of break time left. The whole murderous horror, which seemed like an eternity, had lasted less than three minutes. Suddenly people were running back toward the door. Some ran straight out. Others ran to aid the victims. Some men grabbed up the motionless gunman’s gym bag and pistols and 44
American Shooting Journal // October 2019
started pulling open his clothes. “He’s got a bulletproof vest on!” she heard one of the men say. “No wonder she had to shoot him 20 times to stop him.” The woman in the yellow pants was there too. She’d recovered her phone and was talking on it. Her second phone was tucked under her arm again. She was crying and talking loudly. Christina recognized the voice and rushed over to her as the woman finished her call. “You were the one that told me to run,” Christina said. “You saved my life.” “You had that deer-in-theheadlights look,” the woman said, wiping her eyes. “You killed him! How did you get his gun from him?” Christina asked. “I had my own gun,” the woman said, taking the rectangular object Christina had thought to be a second phone from under her arm and amazingly unfolding it into a full-sized handgun. “I would have used it sooner but I had to get a message to my kids to get out of the mall first. Then you knocked me over and I almost lost it. The crazy thing is I didn’t carry a gun before this one because I was always afraid it would go off in my purse. My husband got me this fold-up gun and it doesn’t take up much space and it can’t accidentally go off while it’s folded. The darn thing has 21 shots plus one loaded in the chamber too, which I thought was crazy, but, wouldn’t you know it, I
needed every one because that wacko had some kind of body armor.” The woman refolded the pistol and put it in the front pocket of her yellow pants. “By the way, my name’s Michelle; Michelle Walterham.” A young bearded man in shorts and sandals carrying a little girl no more than three was walking briskly toward the exit but stopped abruptly in front of them. “I saw what you did, ma’am,” he said. “I’ve been leaving my pistol at home a lot lately because it’s been so damn hot I thought I couldn’t stand any more discomfort.” Then his voice choked up and he added, “I thank God that you didn’t do the same.” After offering her a sincere “thanks,” he resumed his brisk pace toward the exit, leaving Christina and Michelle alone again. Christina leaned in and hugged her and began to sob, as the sounds of sirens filled the air.
THE PISTOL THAT ended the rampage
in this story was a Full Conceal M3D Folding Pistol (a Glock 19 modified to fold) loaded with 22 rounds of 9mm. Michelle Walterham, our yellowpants, soccer-mom, afraid-she-mightshoot-herself-accidentally, unexpected heroine was hardly what anyone would call an “operator,” but she was armed like one during a life-or-death situation, when it was critical to have enough gun. In fact, she had a little bit more gun than most policemen have, but it took up a lot less space and nobody ever noticed it, despite it being in her pants pocket until the madman made his entrance. No one noticed because it didn’t look like a gun in her pocket. Its rectangular footprint, 3.9 inches by 6.5 inches, looked more like a cell
“I’m giving you an option that fits into your lifestyle and your comfort zone right now,” says Full of his products.
phone than a typical “L”-shaped handgun. Michelle’s Full Conceal M3D folding Glock 19 held 21 rounds in the magazine and one more loaded in the chamber ready to go as soon as the pistol was deployed (unfolded), but was totally safe in the transport mode (folded), whether she put it in her minivan center console, purse, pocket, under her arm, or dropped it on the floor. A Full Conceal pistol cannot fire until it is nearly fully unfolded and the trigger is fully depressed. Since you don’t unfold it until you need it, it’s as close to “adultproof” as a handgun can be. Accidental discharges while drawing and reholstering a conventional handgun are a constant danger that only training can diminish. How many people have actually devoted the time to achieve the level of firearms training needed to prevent accidents while under the tremendous, adrenaline-pumping stress of a deadly encounter? Michelle, like most, knew she did not. On top of that, she found wearing holsters uncomfortable, was terrified of catching the trigger on something and setting the gun off while reholstering, and hated having to dress around her concealed gun. In short, she was unwilling, if not really unable, to deal with the added complexities of making the carrying of a concealed handgun a core element of her daily life. She, like a lot of people, needed self-defense simplicity in order to even consider carrying a concealed firearm. That self-defense simplicity might have taken the form of a tiny six- or seven-shot .32 or .380 ACP Kel-Tec “mouse-gun,” double-action, semiauto pocket pistol, with an empty chamber, slipped in her purse or pants pocket. Expert shot placement with guns of this general type has left many a villain stone-dead, but expert shot placement with them is difficult for experts. How much more so for the average self-defense shooter under tremendous stress? The Full Conceal M3D is a better solution for self-defense simplicity. In Michelle’s case, the ease of carry and concealment freed her to make unfettered wardrobe decisions and its 46
American Shooting Journal // October 2019
The conversion includes a steel hinge and triggerguard, and an aluminum trigger that collapses into slots milled in the polymer frame.
foolproof safety gave her the confidence to take it with her to the mall that fateful afternoon. Untrained and terrified in a violent encounter, she, like a lot of self-defense gun owners, should be expected to miss the target more than hit it. The 9mm M3D’s 22-shot capacity gave her more chances to hit the bad guy and make those hits count.
THOUGH THE INTRODUCTORY scenario
I presented in this article is fictional, there’s enough real-life precedent for similar attacks that we should take pause to look at our personal defense strategies as concealed carry permit holders. An easy-to-tote five-shot .38 snubnose or six-shot micro-9mm pistol in your pocket is a good way to derail a mugging, robbery or attack where the assailant isn’t looking to get in a gunfight with his victim. But what about the mentally deranged or terrorist attacker motivated by a desire to kill? These mass killers, bent on murder and mayhem, frequently plan and equip themselves for a protracted engagement. They are usually heavily armed and sometimes even armored. A Glock 43 probably wouldn’t be anyone’s first choice to fight off a madman in a bulletproof vest with a semiautomatic rifle. Mike Full is a father and husband, and the CEO of Full Conceal. He spent a lot of time thinking about worst-case defense scenarios and how to give the typical “non-tactical” defenders a fighting chance. The challenge was how to get them to carry a serious fighting
handgun for self-defense, when many had already compromised on caliber effectiveness, accuracy, shootability and ammunition capacity for the sake of convenience. To this end, he invented and patented a means to convert popular conventional Glock handguns into compact, inconspicuous and ultrasafe folding guns that people can use without the safety worries and lifestyle changes that come with carrying conventional handguns. The folded guns can be dropped in the pocket and are no more dangerous to you than your keys, wallet or phone. Though the Full Conceal folding pistols look odd, they are not a novelty. They are the beginning of a paradigm shift in the world of self-defense handguns. People who buy self-defense guns do it to make themselves safer. But the irony is, without adequate training, carrying a loaded conventional firearm can result in some profoundly unsafe and even fatal accidental consequences for the user and bystanders. Full Conceal has addressed the single greatest, and most likely, danger facing concealed carry gun owners, and it’s not a madman shooting people in the mall. It’s accidental discharge. The Full Conceal pistols retain all the functional characteristics of the parent Glock pistol (accuracy, reliability, controls, weight, etc.), which includes all three safe-action features on a factory Glock, plus a fourth folding mechanical trigger safety of Full’s own design.
The Full Conceal M3S is for those who are looking for a thinner, smallerprofiled folding handgun. It comes with a 10-round magazine.
CURRENTLY, FULL CONCEAL INC. offers consumers three ways to own their folding pistols. They offer finished folding pistols made from the standard polymer Glock frame. The M3D model is based on the Glock 19 frame with a folded dimension of 6.5 inches long, 3.9 inches tall and 1.26 inches thick, with its 21-round Magpul PMag magazine. For those wanting a thinner, smaller pistol, the Full Conceal M3S is based on the Glock 43 and measures 6 inches long, 3.9 inches tall and .86 inch thick, with its new Full Conceal 10-round magazine. Despite being easier to conceal than a standard Glock 43, the Full Conceal M3S’s magazine holds four more rounds and gives the shooter’s hand full support that goes below the pinky for even the biggest hands. Its bigger grip surface allows for better control and shootability than the
standard Glock 43. Either pistol costs $999 for the base model, or $1,100 when you include the Full Conceal Light mounted in the guide spring housing. This 90 lumen light is activated by pressing the take-down latch from either side with your fingertip. They sell their integrated guide-rod light by itself too for $150. All new M3D and M3S pistols come with the same Glock warranty honored by Full Conceal Inc. and a lifetime manufacturer defect warranty. New Full Conceal pistols can be bought directly from their website and shipped to your local gun shop. Full Conceal will also convert a Glock 19, 23, 25, 32, 38 or 43 you already own to their patented folding frame for only $499. This is full-service that includes three-way shipping (they mail you a prepaid shipping box) and covers round-trip costs
The M3D-AL complete aluminum lower pistol frame is compatible with certain Glock 19 upper assemblies.
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
of UPS Next Day Air Shipping. Once they get your gun, it’s a 10-businessday turnaround time to do the conversion. If you must have a pistol in .380 ACP, .40 S&W, .357 SIG or .45 GAP, a conversion is how you’ll get it. Finally, Full Conceal offers a complete aluminum lower pistol frame called the M3D-AL that is compatible with Glock 19 (Gen 3/4/5) upper assemblies (slide, barrel and recoil spring). If you already own a Glock 19, you can remove the upper assembly and attach it to the M3D-AL for a metal version of the M3D. There is a special recoil adapter that must be put in front of the recoil spring for Gen 3 upper assemblies and the spring diameter is smaller than a Gen 4 or 5. The M3D-AL frame includes everything you need to make a folding pistol except the upper assembly and the magazine. All Full Conceal pistols will accept standard Glock magazines of any capacity. The M3D and M3S are optimized for 21- and 10-round magazines, respectively. Longerthan-optimum magazines will still fit, but they will create a larger folded footprint that will extend beyond an inconspicuous rectangle, though not by much. An M3D pistol with a factory 33-round magazine extends 1.5 inches beyond the rectangle. In terms of your shooting grip, the bottom of the shooting hand actually grips the protruding magazine and your offhand finger can get a good bite on the front of the triggerguard since it’s a pair of steel bars. There’s a slight amount of wiggle between the top and bottom section of the frame, but not so much that you could flex it significantly when locked closed. The Full Conceal pistols have an added undercut where your middle finger touches the trigger guard. This is to reduce the spread between your middle and trigger finger and create a more natural trigger pull motion. On the M3D, the grip is reduced to two finger grooves, but the extended magazine creates the necessary gripping surface for your pinky and supporting hand to get a solid hold on the firearm. On the M3S,
the grip is not reduced (it’s already equivalent to two finger grooves), but the extended 10-round magazine gives you the same benefits as on the M3D.
THE FOLDING MECHANISM that Full
With a little practice, the pistols can be quickly deployed, and more safely than a conventional handgun because it can’t be accidentally fired until nearly completely unfolded. (FRANK JARDIM)
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
designed uses a rugged steel hinge and triggerguard, and an aluminum trigger that collapses into slots milled in the polymer frame to accomplish a solid lockup of all parts during folded transport mode. The parts are pinned solidly in place with close tolerances. The grip is locked and released via a spring latch on its spine that engages a steel pin in the upper frame. The latch snaps over the pin and locks the grip together automatically when you unfold it. There’s no way you could accidentally unlatch it while shooting. The 5/64-inch gap at the juncture between frame and grip permits a little flex between the two, and the magazine can wiggle in the shortened well a bit, but apparently not enough to affect reliability or accuracy in any way I could notice. As you would expect from a Glock, function is flawless. The Magpul PMag 21-shot magazine that the M3D comes with is just the right length to give the folded pistol a rectangular form. Magazines up to 21 rounds are self-indexing, which means they slide right into the upper portion of the magazine well during the unfolding motion. Longer magazines (that extend past the point of self-indexing) will need to be pulled down to within 1.5 inches of the magazine catch to index (basically anywhere the first round can enter the upper portion of the magazine well). If you pull any magazine down further, it’s no problem, as the magazine catch will lock it into place and the magazine will still index perfectly. Under stress, you can be confident that the magazine will engage and feed reliably. Obviously, a folding pistol is going to require a little familiarization. Both the M3D and M3S are now equipped with grip-retention devices (GRD), which use simple friction to hold the pistol in its rectangular folded shape. Earlier models without the GRD could unfold slightly in the pocket,
making them harder to draw. The GRD eliminates that problem and can be retrofitted to older models by the user. On the M3D, the GRD friction is adjustable. On the M3S, it is not adjustable. The Full Conceal deploys quickly with a little practice. Once you have it down, it’s a lot safer than drawing a conventional handgun. I found the pistol rode comfortably in my front pants pocket, muzzle down, with the slide towards the front. To draw, I pull the pistol out of my pocket with my shooting hand and grab the top rear of the slide with my offhand. As I move the folded pistol toward the front of my body, I shift my firing hand to the grip, and with my offhand, push down the top rear of the slide to connect with the grip and lock it against the spring latch. The general flow of motion is similar to racking the slide but easier because the Full Conceal only requires a light tap to latch and be ready to fire. Once latched, I move into a firing stance, pushing my firing hand up and into the correct spot and then rolling my offhand down into the recommended firing grip for a semiauto. Mike Full calls this maneuver the “push-tap-roll.”
FULL CONFIDENTLY CARRIES the
M3D and M3S pistols muzzle up, knowing there is no way they can discharge while folded. He can draw and deploy from that position in less than two seconds. Having said that, Full acknowledges it takes less time to draw a conventional pistol from an appendix holster, but what is unique about the Full Conceal is that you can discreetly start drawing without anyone knowing. For example, you can pull your Full Conceal pistol out from your pocket and transition it under your arm (crossing your arms) without anyone taking notice because it looks like you are holding a cell phone. You can walk to your car with the Full Conceal hidden under your arm, already cleared of all clothing and at chest level. From there, the pushtap-roll deployment is faster than drawing a traditional pistol from a conventional concealed holster. If someone noticed you predeploying a conventional handgun,
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Full calls the drawing, unfolding and preparing to fire process “push-tap-roll”. He can perform it in two seconds. (FRANK JARDIM)
you might end up getting the cops called on you and having to explain why you were brandishing a firearm in public. Even worse, someone may think you are about to commit a crime and attempt to stop you. The Full Conceal folding Glocks have gone from the stuff of imagination to highly refined consumer products in a remarkably short period of time. You would expect Mike Full to be a defense industry engineer, but he’ll readily tell you he never formally studied engineering and doesn’t have any college degree. Having the heart and mind of an engineer, coupled with a good imagination and a solid work
ethic, has obviously worked pretty well for him. He is a big Disney fan and travels with his wife and kids to Disney World every year. If you think the Full Conceal has a science fiction quality to it, you won’t be surprised to learn that Full loves the genre and especially Star Wars and Star Trek. He also enjoys playing ragtime piano (“Maple Leaf” is his favorite song). It helps him relax and with a commute like his, I suspect he needs to more than most. Full lives in California, where they have some of the strictest anti-gun laws in the nation, yet every week for the past two years he flies to the Full Conceal headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, so he can continue
to innovate life-changing products and better serve his customers. Full summed up the intent of his folding designs in this way: “I’m not trying to fit you into a box when it comes to concealed carry. I’m giving you an option that fits into your lifestyle and your comfort zone right now. Not everyone has a tactical mindset and wants to shop through tactical holsters, belts and pants. It’s not about the gun; it’s about the lifestyle you live and if the gun will fit into that lifestyle.” Editor’s note: For more on Full Conceal, see fullconceal.com.
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
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KEEPING CARRY COOL – AND COMFY Telor Tactical’s IWB, body band and ankle holsters feature breathable, washable materials; Ride-Along hides handgun on front of car seat. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TELOR PRODUCTS
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fter spending 17 years designing, developing and manufacturing products for the wheelchair industry, David Leverett wanted to expand his scope to reach a broader audience. So he started Telor Products, LLC in 2011 to develop products in other industries, ranging from medical and orthotics to hunting and fishing to tactical gear. “Shortly after starting Telor, a friend of mine, who is a law enforcement officer, asked me if I could help him with a holster issue,” says Leverett. “He said he had worn his backup on his ankle for 20-plus years, but the ankle holsters he had been using had created problems. The holsters were causing circulation
The Comfort-Air Ankle Holster features medical-grade mesh material to allow airflow and reduce heat retention.
problems, the gun dug into his ankle, and, most of all, they were so hot and sweaty he couldn’t stand to wear it through a shift.” He continues, “When I looked at the top-selling holsters, I could see why he was having these
Unlike traditional in-the-waistband holsters made from hard plastic, Telor Tactical’s holster features breathable and soft material for pressure and temperature management.
issues. I used my knowledge of material and design that protects the wheelchair user’s skin to stay healthy and to keep them comfortable in the proper position when designing a new ankle holster. The result is the Telor Tactical Comfort-Air LE Ankle Holster, which is breathable and cool, stays in position even during a run, allows for much better circulation and is machine-washable.” From that initial holster, Leverett and his team have since developed an entire line under the Telor Tactical brand, specializing in “concealed carry in cool comfort.” Their most popular products include the ComfortAir In-the-Waistband, the Comfort-Air Bodyband, and the aforementioned Comfort-Air LE Ankle Holster. “It is simple why they are so popular, as the In-the-Waistband is by far the most comfortable and cool option available, and the versatile Bodyband is so much more comfortable and cool than other belly americanshootingjournal.com 55
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
The Comfort-Air Bodyband is perfect for everyday wear under a wide variety of outfits. It is designed to keep you cool and comfortable.
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bands,” explains Leverett. “The LE ankle holster is the only one on the market that can be worn comfortably all day, and each product is machinewashable!” Another noteworthy offering from Telor Tactical is the Ride-Along, an “automobile holster that puts the weapon on the front of the seat, where it is convenient to draw and is not seen from outside the car,” says Leverett. Available in right- and lefthanded draw, the Ride-Along is easy to install and very secure and discreet. With a focus on comfort and security, Telor Tactical manufactures all of its products in Ringgold, Georgia. Editor’s note: For more information, visit telortactical.com.
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The Ride-Along holster keeps your handgun at a secure and discreet position at the front of your seat.
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The Comfort-Air Bodyband Holster is perfect for everyday wear under a wide variety of outfits. Designed to keep you cool and comfortable, the bodyband features medical-grade, breathable mesh material, with a stretch to fit holster to secure your handgun. Available in sizes S-4XL, compact and subcompact, right or left-handed draw. $49.99-59.99
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Tap Rack Holsters IWB offers function and form with safety and comfort as two principles in their line of handmade holsters. They mold to your specifications for a correct fit. No buckets here. Holsters feature adjustable retention, a 550 corded loop for securing to a belt or belt loop, semiclosed bottom that can be left open for threaded barrels on request, different body shield heights in low, medium and high upon request, and nonbinding smooth edges with no sharp points in their designs for comfort. Different colors and patterns available upon request.
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TRIPLE K MFG. CO.
The #671 Crossdraw Concealed Carry Holster is for gun owners who prefer a dedicated crossdraw-style carry. Open top allows for easy draw and a leather stiffener assures easy reholstering. Adjustable tension screw ensures proper gun retention. Made in USA by Triple K Mfg. Retail: $53. Available for a variety of revolvers and semiautomatic pistols in tan color.
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A new addition to Bullard Leather holsters is the thumb break snap, designed to be used on most of the company’s holsters. The back is reinforced leather to keep from breaking down, and the strap can even be made with exotic leather. The holster pictured is a Combat Holster for a Glock 19/23/32 with the thumb break snap.
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BLACK POWDER
HE ‘CAN’ ‘CROW’ ABOUT THIS SHOOTING A hybrid primitive-style match with paper targets is a hit with local muzzleloader club.
Author Mike Nesbitt’s halfstock .50-caliber Pennsylvania-style rifle used in the shooting competition described in this story.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE NESBITT
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here are several aspects to “primitive shooting” with our muzzleloading arms. This includes “loading from the pouch” instead of using a shooting box. It certainly includes using a patched round ball rather than the modern elongated bullets. And primitive shooting does include using targets that are not the typical bull’seye style, and usually not paper targets. However, my club recently enjoyed a very good shoot that was primitive in nature, even though all of our targets were paper and they were all shot for what we might call the typical “bull’s-eye” score. I want to illustrate how a primitive match can be held while using paper targets. It is easy and it’s a lot of fun. A couple of our targets did have scoring rings; it’s hard to get away from that. And the four targets I’ll mention were all posted at 25 yards for offhand shooting. Each of the targets will be described and talked about as the match is covered. The rifle I used in this match was my Kunz-style .50-caliber flintlock with the 42-inch barrel. This rifle “got fed” with 50-grain charges of GOEX FFFg powder under .495-inch Speer
swaged balls, which were wrapped in .015-inch prelubed patches from Bridgers Best. The match was for five shots at four different targets for a total of 20 shots, filling the morning quite nicely. One thing that worked really well was my rifle’s flint. It was one of the English black flints from Track of the Wolf, selected and put in the gun’s cock just before the match started. All 20 shots were fired without giving that flint any attention, other than to “check the edge” by feeling its sharpness with my fingertip, carefully. No knapping was needed or necessary and my rifle spoke with good, fast ignition for all shots fired.
somewhat in the middle. The scoring rings do not refer to any kill zone and they basically ignore the head or heart of the turkey. You could miss the turkey and possibly still receive a score (of 6) for that missed shot. If we were hunting, we would certainly consider putting a hit where bagging that turkey would be a rather sure thing. My first shot did not give me a “dot in the white,” which I could have seen from the firing line, so I could only guess that it was in the black part of the turkey. That first shot might have been the 8, which hit slightly high, but that is just a guess. With my second Nesbitt’s turkey target with a score of 45.
THE FIRST TWO targets I posted were the “turkey” and the “tin can.” I selected the turkey as my first target mainly because it seemed to be the largest, giving me something that was easy to see. That turkey target also had a white bull’s-eye “aiming point” in the middle. The tin can target was posted next to it. That turkey target had circular scoring rings that have no relation to the turkey, other than starting
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BLACK POWDER
The “beer can” was tougher; only hits in the can scored.
shot, I could see a hit in the white bull’s-eye, which told me to just keep goin’ without any changes. NEXT, OF COURSE, was the “tin can,” which had been posted right beside my turkey target. This picture of the tin can, or “beer can” as it is called on the target, has scoring lines around it, but our scorekeeper made sure every shooter understood that only shots that hit the can would be scored. That takes away a lot of the possibilities for earning points and puts us closer to the “hit or miss” conditions of more
The buffalo target with another score of 45.
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primitive shoots. And that tin can is smaller than the common size, only measuring 2½ inches wide by 4½ inches tall. It’s a good target, for sure, and shooting at it is certainly different from shooting at a bull’s-eye target. Hits couldn’t be seen while shooting at the tin can. At the same time, while I was shooting, I couldn’t see any hits “in the white” beside the can, so that was a good indication and I just kept shooting. I’d fired four of my shots at this target when our scorekeeper called out to see who wasn’t finished. I had one shot to go and the others were waiting for me to shoot before a ceasefire would be called so we could change our targets. That really didn’t make me hurry but I will always believe that the “high 10” on my target was my last shot. When we went forward to change our targets, my group on the tin can delighted me, to say the least. My score of 50-4X was the top tin can score for the day, but my partner Bob DeLisle was barely one point and one “X” behind. We were both doing some rather good shooting, but the match wasn’t over yet. DURING THE CEASEFIRE, I pulled my
turkey and tin can targets and posted the buffalo and the crow. Like my first two targets, these two were posted side by side and I shot the buffalo first. The buffalo might qualify for being the most primitive of the targets we used in this match. The buffalo is black, of course, and it is divided into scoring areas, but not scoring rings. The scoring areas are relative to the areas where a shot should be placed for a good kill, if this was on an actual hunt. Like an actual hunting target, there is no aiming point or bull’s-eye on this buffalo. A shooter still needs to be selective with shot placement, just as if those shots were made while hunting. The most difficult target of these four was certainly the crow. This crow was only 2¾ inches tall through the body, and while it did have scoring rings, the high score area was not in the middle. The 10-area was slightly forward of the thickest part of the crow, which meant that the best aiming point was not where most of us would automatically hold our sights. And those scoring rings were only partial rings; only shots that hit the crow would earn any points. Bob and I both saved this target for last and we shot at our crows at the same time. After I had fired my first shot at the crow, Bob signaled to me with his fingers that I had hit slightly high and to the left. When I fired my second shot, Bob held two fingers together, meaning that I had doubled (to shoot through or near the same bullet hole) or nearly doubled my first shot. After my third shot, Bob held three fingers together. That went on for all five shots and my shooting at the crow target gave me my best group of the day. Bob’s crow target was also very good, with a group that was close in size, if not smaller and “bettercentered” than mine, which gave him two more points. Bob and I were the only shooters who scored over 40 on this tough target. WELL, THAT’S HOW OUR little match went. I just wanted to show how
BLACK POWDER a paper target match could lean toward the primitive side of shooting traditional muzzleloaders. It’s a lot of fun. Enough fun to be thought of as more relaxing than stricter bull’s-eye shooting, as well as being inviting enough to bring some new shooters into our circle. Let’s hope these “fun matches” bring in some new faces.
The author was proud of the group he shot on his crow target, and his partner’s was even better.
Nesbitt takes a moment to reload “from the pouch.”
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American Shooting Journal // October 2019
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ROAD HUNTER
INTEREST RISING IN DO-IT-YOURSELF ALASKA MOOSE HUNTING STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN
It’s definitely not easy, but with enough planning, hardy sportsmen can enjoy the adventure of hunting our largest deer species without a guide. he most common do-ityourself big game hunt I’m asked about is elk, and until recently, mule deer were second. But over the past year, I’ve been getting more folks asking about DIY moose hunting in Alaska, pushing it ahead of mule deer hunting inquiries. Back in the 1980s and early ’90s, moose hunting was of keen interest to many hunters. Over the past few years, there’s been a resurgence of interest in hunting these massive members of the deer family. In this month’s Road Hunter column, we hit the road – or should I say air, or river – in search of what it takes to tackle a do-it-yourself moose hunt in Alaska.
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MOOSE HUNTING IN Alaska requires a lot of preplanning and work. Start by being honest with yourself, and others in your party (you don’t want to do this hunt alone), making absolutely certain your outdoor skills are to the level where you can survive in the wild under any conditions. If bears, freezing weather, snow, mosquitos and being out of touch with civilization make you nervous, then a guided moose hunt might be more to your liking. The next consideration is to accurately pinpoint your level of health
Once a bull moose is down, the work begins. No doubt that planning a successful do-ityourself hunt for North America’s largest member of the deer family is just as much work, but it’s also doable for those on a budget.
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ROAD HUNTER and physical fitness. Moose hunting can be extremely tough, especially when you get a bull down. Hiking across the tundra, through bogs, over snow and in rivers is the norm. One recent moose hunt I went on with a buddy found us carrying waders, knee boots and hiking boots in order to efficiently negotiate the variety of mountainous and boggy terrain we’d have to hunt; we used all three pairs of boots. Many people rank the physical demands of moose hunting as the toughest of all Alaskan
big game due to the tundra and water that’s often negotiated. ONCE YOU KNOW you can physically handle a moose hunt, research the state and find a place to go. Thoroughly explore your options, making sure there are moose in the area you plan to hunt. Decide if you’re going on a river hunt or a mountain hunt, or maybe a combination of the two. On a river hunt for moose, you’ll likely get dropped off by an air charter
Packing out moose meat sometimes takes longer than the actual hunt, and being prepared to tackle this project takes serious planning and effort.
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in one spot, and picked up seven to 10 days later at another spot. Here, you’ll navigate rivers in a raft, so be certain you’re comfortable doing that with all your gear and 800 pounds of moose, per bull. On a mountain hunt, you’ll probably stay in one camp that’s reached by bushplane, then hiking and glassing each day. If you get on a big bull, you might spike camp out for a few days. Make sure you can physically handle hiking in the terrain you’ll be hunting in, survive with minimal
ROAD HUNTER Floating remote rivers in a raft is one of the most effective ways to hunt moose on your own in Alaska. Such hunts require detailed planning and competent outdoor skills.
rations, and navigate in fog, snow and other conditions that may pop up. As for gear, pack light. On my last 10-day moose hunt, I wore the same outer clothes every day, and I wore some of those on my flight into Alaska on the commercial flight. I hunted in Dry-Plus waders every day, and took a medium-weight rain jacket, a few pairs of socks and underwear, thin gloves and a stocking hat, along with a couple base layers, and that was it. You don’t need a lot of gear, but it’s got to be good quality. If renting your camping gear from a bush service, insist on going through it all before it’s loaded onto your plane for the drop. In addition to the wrong raft frame being given to hunters, I’ve heard of rafts with holes in them and tents that didn’t hold up to high winds. Some air services even pack all of your food for a hunt. This can be a big time-saver when flying out of remote villages with no stores, or very limited, pricey selections. Make sure the food is what you want, and that it’s included. Perhaps the best piece of gear you can invest in is a satellite phone. If there’s an emergency, you want to get out. Sometimes simply surviving a remote hunt in Alaska means the hunt was a success; filling a tag can be secondary. One packing tip that works great for me is putting all my gear into a single large dry bag. I then use three, 5-footlong LoopRopes to lash it to my pack 72
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frame. Now I can check it in as one piece of luggage with the commercial airlines, and use the LoopRopes and pack frame to haul meat. EFFECTIVE MOOSE HUNTING comes down to gaining elevation and glassing. The goal is to spot a target bull, then figure out how to get to it. Cover as much ground as possible with your eyes, not your feet. You can walk several hours a day on tundra and through bogs, which is some of Alaska’s most challenging terrain to negotiate. If you do walk, get from point A to point B fast, as you want to spend time looking for game,
not walking. If you can set up camp and glass directly from there, that’s ideal. A spotting scope and stout tripod are a moose hunter’s best friend. I like a thick carbon fiber tripod, as it’s sturdy and light. A quality spotting scope is necessary to size up bulls to make sure they’re legal, and to plan a stalk. A lot of hunters think they can float a river in a raft and bulls will be standing around every corner. These hunts can produce, but the number of moose that are standing just out of view is surprising. Spend some time glassing these river bottoms from an elevated vantage point and you’ll see more moose. For a first-time moose hunter, the most surprising moment comes when they walk up on a downed bull. A big bull moose can stand over 7 feet tall at the shoulders and weigh 1,500 pounds. You’ll get about 700 pounds of boned-out meat off a big bull. If you’re going to have your bull mounted, add at least another 150 pounds for the antlers and cape. Be sure to have the proper tools to handle a downed bull. The same knife you use on deer will work fine, and be sure to have a sharpener. If hunting near water, having a one-man inflatable raft is a great way to pack out moose meat. If not, then make sure your pack frame is a good one. Start with quartering the bull, then
Optics are required tools for a moose hunter. A spotting scope allows you to efficiently cover ground with your eyes, size up bulls from a distance, and plan a stalk.
ROAD HUNTER removing the backstraps, rib meat, neck and brisket meat and securing it in game bags. All shank meat and the tenderloins must also be taken. Alaska meat salvage laws are very clear, and there’s no hiding a moose carcass from troopers patrolling from the air, so make certain to abide by the regulations and recover all the required meat. Prior to finalizing your moose hunt, make sure you have a plan to get the meat out of the field, all the way home. A couple seasons ago, three buddies filled their moose tags. They weren’t planning on that much success, but it happened. Six planeloads later, their meat was out
of the field and it took two more loads to get the hunters and their gear. That cost them nearly $6,000 they’d not planned on, and they still had to get the meat and antlers home. IN THE EARLY 1990S, the cost of a guided moose hunt in the best places of Alaska ran about $3,000. Today, guided moose hunts in those same areas are going for over $20,000. Some high-end outfits are charging more than $30,000, and are booked years in advance. While the cost of a guided moose hunt can be pricey, know that do-ityourself moose hunts aren’t cheap, either. The cheapest DIY moose hunt
takes place along the road system. These are usually meat hunts for small bulls, and some places require getting a tag through a lottery system. Where you stay and how you travel impacts these hunt costs. Most hunters choose to fly out for their moose hunt and get dropped off. For an air taxi service to supply your gear – complete with tents, cooking gear and a raft – and haul you in and out of the field, along with your moose, the starting cost is around $3,500. The more the transporter provides, like food and survival gear, the more costly. There are multiple transporters in Alaska’s hub villages, and they can be Author Scott Haugen has been hunting throughout Alaska for nearly 30 years, and ranks moose hunting among the most physically demanding hunts the state has to offer.
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contacted for options and price quotes. Then there’s the cost of getting the moose out of the field, packing it and sending it on to Anchorage or Fairbanks, then home. Those costs can total up to $2,000. If you want to ship the antlers and cape home for a mount, that’s another $800 or more. The current cost of a nonresident hunting license is $160, and $800 for a moose tag. If you want to pick up a wolf tag, that’s an additional $60, and $350 for a wolverine tag. Always leave room for incidental costs. A do-it-yourself moose hunt can be one of the world’s most rewarding adventures. But moose hunting is far from easy, or simple, which is what makes it so appealing. Nonresidents don’t have to hire a guide for moose hunting in Alaska, as is required when hunting brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep and mountain goat. Moose numbers are doing well in Alaska, and the last two seasons have seen a tremendous success rate on monster bulls. If you’ve ever dreamed of hunting big bull moose in Alaska on your own, now is the time to live that dream. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s best-selling book, Hunting the Alaskan High Arctic, send a check for $38 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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Federal’s Fusion, a perfect choice for the deer hunter. Shown here in .30-caliber 150-grain, it pairs wonderfully with the .308 Winchester.
‘FUSION’ OF PERFORMANCE, PRICEPOINT
For deer and midsized-game hunters, Federal line ‘among the best projectiles available’ for the job. STORY BY PHIL MASSARO • PHOTOS BY MASSARO MEDIA GROUP
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or over a century, ammunition and bullet companies have worked diligently to produce the best hunting projectile possible. Sometimes the technology was the challenge – could you imagine if Jack O’Connor and Elmer Keith had today’s projectiles? – and sometimes it was the cost of bullet production, and thereby the cost to the consumer, which had an effect on success. Federal – who, through its Premium ammunition line has embraced many different premium bullets – has been spending lots of time tweaking and refining their own
bullet lineup. There are most definitely some fantastic bullets in the Federal stable, like the Trophy Bonded Tip, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Edge TLR and Trophy Copper. But for the budgetminded, Federal’s Fusion offers a lot of performance for the price. While the Fusion is most definitely designed to be a deer hunting bullet, it is that and more; it is also effective on feral hogs, black bear, antelope and caribou. It gives an excellent blend of expansion and deep penetration, due to a couple of design features that are very important to the success.
FIRST, AND PROBABLY most important, the copper jacket is electro-chemically bonded to the core, to virtually eliminate jacket/core separation. Perhaps this warrants a bit of explanation, for those unfamiliar with the process, and why it is a gamechanger. A traditional cup-and-core bullet consists of a lead core with a copper jacket drawn around it. Most have a bit of lead exposed at the nose – or meplat – in order to let the front expand in the classic mushroom configuration, but if the impact is too violent the jacket and core can and will separate, and the penetration will americanshootingjournal.com 83
bullet bulletin
The Fusion has a spitzer profile, but with a slight boattail and a flat tip.
The bonded core of the Fusion makes the .223 Remington much more versatile; the 62-grain load will take both deer and hogs.
most definitely suffer. Chemically bonding the two components allows the bullet to expand uniformly and maintain its structural integrity for deep penetration. The process allows for traditional materials and designs to be used, with just the addition of the bonding process. The second design feature that helps the Fusion deliver the goods is a skived ogive. The skiving allows the nose of the Fusion bullet to mushroom at very low velocities (read: longer ranges, once the bullet has had an opportunity to slow down), yet the bonding process will hold it together if the impact velocities are high at close ranges. The Fusion is all about performing across a wide spectrum of hunting situations. Federal uses a pressure-formed lead core to give uniform densities and weights to the bullet’s core, resulting in excellent accuracy and consistency. If a bullet’s core has any voids, bubbles or other inconsistencies, the accuracy will surely suffer; I've found the Fusion to be a very consistent design. For most of the rifle calibers – excluding the .30-30 Winchester and .45-70 Government loads – the Fusion bullets are of a spitzer design, yet the very tip is flat. While this will certainly handicap ballistic coefficient values, it will make little difference at sane hunting ranges, and by that I mean inside of 300 yards or so. Federal markets the Fusion as a boattail bullet, and while there is a small boattail on most of the bullets, it is a slight one, nothing like the true long-range bullets. But then again, the Fusion is about performing at traditional hunting ranges, and I’d say that if 84
American Shooting Journal // October 2019
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bullet bulletin The .338 Winchester Fusion load, an accurate and hardhitting choice for any North American game.
A 140-grain 6.5mm Fusion, shown unfired and upset. This is characteristic of a recovered Fusion.
you’re the type of hunter who feels comfortable with shots on deer at 500 yards and over, there may be different bullet designs for you. THE FUSION IS an affordable bullet, with many of the popular deer calibers like .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield carrying a street price of $22 per box of 20 cartridges; that’s a deer hunter’s dream. It is available in most popular calibers, from .223 Remington and .22250 Remington, up through the .243 Winchester and .25-06 Remington, to the 6.5x55 Swede and 6.5 Creedmoor, to the 7mms and .30s, and up to the .338s and even the .375 H&H and .45-70 Government. The classic deer calibers need no explanation, but loads like the 62-grain .223 Remington certainly take the little cartridge into the realm
The .30-06 Springfield loaded with a 165-grain bullet is a very versatile combination, made better with the bonded Fusion bullet.
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of a deer/hog gun, and the 225-grain .338 Winchester Magnum, 300-grain .375 H&H Magnum and 300-grain .45-70 Government load will work well for bear, elk and African plains game of all sizes. What we have here is a load that is flexible in the field, yet affordable for practice, especially for The author’s Browning BLR in .30-06 Springfield likes the Fusion factory load.
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bullet bulletin the magnum calibers. Federal also offers the Fusion bullet in component form, currently in five different calibers: 6.5mm (140 grains), .277-inch (130 and 150 grains), 7mm (140, 160 and 175 grains), .308-inch (150 and 180 grains) and .338-inch (200 and 225 grains). This allows the handloader to customize the load for their particular rifle, and enjoy the Fusion experience. While you may have noticed that factory-loaded ammunition has bullets with a cannelure, the component bullets do not. This takes away the ability to roll crimp your cases, but improves the ballistic coefficient of the bullet.
The .338-inch-diameter 225-grain Fusion in loaded form from the factory in the .338 Winchester Magnum, and component form for handloaders.
The 225-grain .338-inch Fusion will work in the hard-hitting .338 Winchester Magnum, as well as lighter cartridges like the .338 Federal and the .338-06.
The .25-06 Remington is well served by the strength of the Fusion bullet.
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DOES IT SHOOT? Absolutely, it does. I have had Fusion ammunition give excellent results in many different rifles and cartridges. I have also had the component bullets give accurate and consistent performance in standard cartridges like .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield, as well as in .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Winchester Magnum. And does it get the job done terminally? Hard yes to that as well; the whitetail does that have succumbed to this bullet didn’t go far at all before piling up. My little Ruger 77 MKII in .308 with handloaded 150-grain Fusion bullets makes one of the most effective whitetail rigs ever, putting three shots into less than an inch at 100 yards, at 2,790 feet per second – not too fast and not too slow, but as Goldilocks would say: “just right.” While the Federal Fusion ammunition and component bullets are a wonderful value, please do not think that they are second-rate in any way. As a matter of fact, they are among the best projectiles available, when you consider their primary application. Whether you prefer factory ammunition – Federal uses the same reloadable cases, the same excellent primers and primer sealant, and same powders as their Premium line – or are the hunter who likes to handload his or her own hunting ammunition, the Fusion line has something to offer. We’re all deer hunters at heart, after all.
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BROUGHT TO YOU BY
GUNS FOR SMALL GAME There’s more than just a scoped .22 rifle that will bag bunnies, bushytails and more for the pot. ‘Hare’ is a look at alternatives.
Hunting for bigger, larger, or more dangerous critters gets all of the attention these days, but for many, pursuing rabbits, squirrels and other small game is both a long-standing tradition and a great way to bring home dinner, and it all starts with having the right gun for the job. (RICK SWART, ODFW)
STORY BY JIM DICKSON
F
or rabbits and squirrels, the most efficient and humane gun is a 12-gauge shotgun with number 6 shot. This provides the quickest and cleanest kills with the least chance of a wounded animal escaping to die a lingering death. It is by far the surest way to bring home dinner. I prefer a double-barreled shotgun choked improved cylinder and full. My favorite load is 3 drams of powder behind 1 ounce of number 6 shot. This once was the most popular load in America, back when many men hunted with light single-barrel
shotguns. It patterns most perfectly and kills reliably at all normal shotgun ranges. I have used this on wild turkey and it was devastating on them, even at long range. Recoil is very light, making the gun extremely pleasant to shoot. My second choice would be the old farmer’s standard, the hammer singlebarrel shotgun. This is solely because of its good handling qualities, which exceed those of the over-and-under, the pump, and the semiautomatic shotgun. The O/U is an aberration that is popular only because it is
fashionable. It lacks the splendid handling qualities of the side-by-side and you always have to worry about the fact that the dominant eye sees only a narrow rib, while the other eye sees the great mass of both barrels and may fight for dominance as a result. If it wins, and it will at odd times, you miss to the side. Remember, the O/U was the first double gun made and its shortcomings quickly led to it being abandoned in favor of the superior side-by-side configuration. The semiautomatic shotgun is popular, as it tends to mitigate recoil, americanshootingjournal.com 93
For those who want an early-style rifle for small game, Rossi makes their version of the M1892 Winchester in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt. (ROSSI USA)
while the pump shotgun can be had at very reasonable prices. While they hold more shells than a double, their rate of sustained fire is actually less than the fast-reloading double. WHILE .22 LONG RIFLE is the most popular small game rifle caliber, it requires absolutely perfect shot placement for quick humane kills. Ever since it was first used on game, there have been hunters condemning it as inhumane on game due to the large number of wounded game that escapes to slowly die from their wound. The .32-20 in the M1873 and M1892 Winchester, as well as in the Remington Rolling Block and other rifles, was considered the ultimate small game round, as it was the perfect balance between clean fast kills and not ruining too much meat. The .38-40 (which is really a .40-caliber and by all rights should be called the .40-40) and the .44-40 did excellent service as well.
The bigger bullet made a larger hole, but the amount of extra meat missing was inconsequential. All of these calibers could be and were used on anything else that came along. They were the true allpurpose cartridges, able to take both small and large game. Of course hunters exclusively after big game generally chose a heavier caliber more appropriate for big game, but for those just hunting for their dinner, the smaller calibers were the best answer. The .32-20 high-velocity load for rifles was a far cry from the dinky cowboy action load of today, as it was basically a .30 carbine equivalent. Firing these in a revolver was a bad idea due to the tremendous deafening muzzle blast when fired in a pistol. There is an old saying from those days that every .32-20 revolver has been dropped once when the owner first shot it and grabbed his ears in pain. The same thing happened when Kimball came
out with their automatic pistol in .30 carbine and Ruger chambered his single-action revolver for the .30 carbine. You will note that you don’t see many of those for the good reason that they were so rough on the ears to fire. Army Ordnance found that out quickly in World War II when they experimented with a .30 carbine pistol. That project came to an abrupt end upon firing it. THIS BRINGS US to the Army M1 carbine. While the case of the M1 carbine cartridge bears no resemblance to the .32-20, ballistically they are equivalent. Anything the .32-20 high-velocity load will do in a M1873 Winchester, the .30 carbine will do in the M1 carbine. These rounds are as fast as you can go without ruining a lot of meat. If you don’t believe me, try shooting a squirrel with your 5.56 or .30-06 and see how much is left. While some
The .44 Magnum Ruger semiauto carbine (top) was author Jim Dickson’s wife Betty’s rifle for everything. Below it is Jim’s well-used World War II M1 carbine. (JIM DICKSON)
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The Colt SAA accounted for much game on the frontier. The singleaction revolver is still commonly used for hunting. (COLT)
like to call the .30-06 an all-round cartridge, it cannot qualify because it is too destructive to small game. The M1 carbine is just as superior to the Winchester lever-action as a hunting rifle as it is as a military weapon. At 5½ pounds, it is as light as a .22 but it is far livelier in the hands and its military wood stock seems to fit everyone so well that the gun always seems to have its sights aligned on the target as fast as it is shouldered. On top of all this, the little M1 carbine is one of the steadiest guns to hold on target ever made. The reasons for this are deep and those depths have still not been fully plumbed. When Bill Ruger made his .44 Magnum semiauto carbine and its .22-caliber companion the 10/22, he copied the M1 carbine’s overall length, weight, balance, stock length of pull and drop at heel and comb, yet these guns are no more
steady than any other gun. The M1 carbine really shines at instinct shooting. The late Lucky McDaniel invented the method of teaching instinct shooting using a BB gun and he taught the Army how to do it during the Vietnam War. The Army called it the “Quick Kill” instinct shooting. The M1 carbine is a natural at this and that is important because instinct shooting is the fastest and most accurate method of shooting that there is. When you have only a fleeting shot at a fast-moving squirrel or a darting, maneuvering rabbit on the run, instinct shooting is often the only sure method to bring them into the game bag. All these wonderful attributes helped make the M1 carbine the weapon that had the most hits on enemy soldiers per rounds fired of any U.S. rifle before or since. It can do the same on the hunting field
The 4-inch-barrel .45 Colt Ruger Redhawk revolver is a fine double-action revolver for hunting. (RUGER)
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for you today. With the M1 carbine you also have a flatter-shooting round than the .22 LR, though small game is usually a close-range shot, as they are hard to find at long range due to their small size and the thick cover that they are found in. For those enamored of the romance of the Old West, Rossi makes their version of the 92 Winchester in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt. All of these are fine small game rifles. They are light, well balanced, and easy to hit with. Lever-action rifles are an American tradition and a lot of people just like the way working one feels. Ruger’s .44 Magnum semiauto carbine was a wonderful all-around gun that should never have been discontinued. It is light, accurate and powerful. My Betty used hers on everything. She thought they had made that rifle just for her, it was so perfectly suited to her. It works just fine on rabbits and squirrels and anything else in North America. It does not ruin too much meat when used on small game. PISTOLS HAVE TAKEN a vast amount of small game over the years because they are there when the game is encountered. The old Colt Single Action Army probably brought more game to bag than any other pistol in America because of its widespread use on the frontier, where a ready meal was not to be wasted. A very easy gun to hit with, it proved a ready provider of meals to many a hungry frontiersman. You cannot have a rifle handy at all times when you are working, but the pistol can always be in its holster at your side. The need for skill with it to protect yourself in areas beyond the law led many men to master it, and shooting small game for the pot was a useful and lifesaving practice. Today most hunters still shoot their revolvers single action at game, even if they have a double-action revolver, as few truly master double-action shooting. Instinct shooting with the pistol is the best method of hitting with it and indeed the only method to always connect with a fast-maneuvering
rabbit at close range. You don’t need adjustable sights on a hunting pistol. You don’t really even need sights at all. They are just a crutch to help you zoom in on where the pistol is pointing. The real accuracy comes from instinct shooting. With instinct shooting you can hit accurately with the gun in just one hand, the way the pistol was meant to be fired. Using two hands is slower and particularly so when you have to move the pistol from side to side. That’s a big deal when a rabbit flushes close to you and starts zigzagging away. To learn to instinct shoot with a pistol, begin with strict form until you master it. Then you can shoot from any position, but you have to learn to crawl before you can learn to walk. Set out a row of matchsticks or empty .22 cases as far away as you can easily see them, keeping them far enough apart that your shot won’t knock out more than one of them. Now assume the classic duelist stance with your body sideways to the target and your arm fully extended, holding both elbow and wrist rigid. Look intently at the target, ignoring the gun. Now squeeze off a round at each target in turn. If you miss one, go on to the next or you will just miss again in the same place. You will soon get the hang of it and start hitting. THE BEST DOUBLE-ACTION hunting revolver I have encountered is the 4-inch-barrel .45 Colt Ruger Redhawk. This gun can be fired single action, but its double-action trigger pull is so superb that it can be fired just as accurately double action with practice. I certainly can’t say that about every revolver. This gun has virtually no felt recoil thanks to its weight and well shaped rubber grips. It is extremely pleasant to shoot. That’s important, as it lets you shoot a lot at one time while watching your hitting improve after the first few boxes of shells. If you have ever watched a man shoot a box of .44 Magnums in a revolver, you have watched his accuracy go down as he fired instead of up because of the muzzle blast and recoil. That’s not the 98
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The German P08 Luger is the easiest pistol to hit with ever made, with the finest produced by Krieghoff in World War II. They were the only ones made to such close tolerances that no hand-fitting was required. (KRIEGHOFF)
The M1911A1 is a fine hunting pistol capable of killing anything in North America. This is a new Mil-Spec one made by Inland Manufacturing. (INLAND MFG.)
way it’s supposed to be. You need a pistol that is not punishing to shoot if you want to attain a high level of accuracy with it quickly and easily. Another gun that has brought a lot of small game to bag is the German Luger. The most accurate and easy to hit with military pistol ever made, it is no wonder that it was a success as a hunting weapon. I even know of at least two grizzly bears killed with Lugers. A good man with a Luger will not go hungry where game abounds. An often overlooked hunting pistol is the .45 ACP M1911A1. When Betty and I were living in a one-room trapper’s cabin deep in the Alaskan interior, our World War II
Remington Rand M1911A1 pistols with government surplus G.I. Ball ammo were our do-everything guns. They never failed us. Remington Rand is no more, but Inland Manufacturing is making a fine MilSpec M1911A1 today. Small game hunting is the most widely available game shooting in this country, affording both sport and serious challenges to your shooting skills. It is an American tradition and a lot of fun as well. Plus it can still provide dinner for you and your family. The seasons are long and bag limits generous. The best guns for it are pleasant to shoot and easy to hit with. What more can you ask for?
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COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Lucid Optics touts the quality of its 8x42 B-8 binoculars and says it’s as good as what other companies charge three times as much for.
B-8 AN A-PLUS SET OF BINOCULARS Lucid Optics’ rugged new 8x42s a good fit for those who hunt wide-open landscapes. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY LUCID OPTICS
w
hen scouting wide-open spaces and covering expansive distances, a hunter’s best friend is their set of binoculars. This is why Wyoming-based optics manufacturer Lucid Optics has unveiled its latest offering: the new 8x42 B-8 binoculars. The full-size, lightweight, ED glassdriven high-definition binoculars are designed for the high-altitude hunter and the adventure bird watcher. Lucid Optics knows that when balancing weight and optical performance, there can’t be a compromise. The B-8s are simply in a class all by themselves. The superior 8x crystal-
clear high-resolution ED glass with “fluoride” lenses drives resolution in these binoculars, creating stunning imagery. The wide field of view (342 feet at 1,000 yards) makes it easy to find your quarry. In true Lucid Optics fashion, the B-8s are overbuilt, packaged in a rugged hard case with functional neoprene covers. They are waterproof, fogproof and ready for action, and are backed by the company’s lifetime warranty, making this optic nearly worry-free. Over the past 10 years, Lucid Optics has taken pride in offering high-quality optics at affordable
prices. With an MSRP of just $679, the B-8’s quality compares to that of binoculars three times the price. This product truly exemplifies the company’s slogan, “Stretch your adventure, not your budget.” Editor’s note: To learn more and see the full list of specifications and features, visit lucidoptics.com. americanshootingjournal.com 101