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SIG-
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Military’s Impact On Riding Shotgun In The
WAR on DRUGS
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Crimson Trace Leupold & Stevens
HUNTING GUN REVIEWS
AR Five Seven +Trick Out A Ruger 10/22
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ON THE COVER Max Michel, world shooting champion and captain of Team SIG Sauer, holds SIG’s powerful and accurate MCX airgun, one of the company’s new offerings in a product line that includes rifles, handguns, pellets and targets. (SIG SAUER)
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 12 • AUGUST 2016
GUN REVIEW: THE FULLY FUNCTIONAL FIVE SEVEN
46
Oleg Volk reviews the AR57, which features a 50-shot capacity and downward ejection – just two things among many that help make this semiauto an excellent yet affordable alternative for self-defense and varmint hunting.
(OLEG VOLK)
FEATURES 24
HISTORY YOU CAN HOLD
77
Our resident historian Frank Jardim walks us through the Contemporary Longrifle Association’s show, held each year in Kentucky and a must-see for anyone interested in early American weaponry, clothing and related material culture.
Shotguns are a perennial home defense fave, and modern 12-gauge slugs of many types – including penetrative, expanding, fragmenting and frangible – can be excellent at self-defense distances.
91 59
ROADHUNTER: FROM THE FRONT LINES TO THE FIELD Our military continues to influence many areas of society, and the hunting community is no exception, from equipment and gear to training and more.
AMMO REVIEW: SLUG IT OUT
BEHIND THE BADGE: RIDING SHOTGUN IN THE DRUG WAR Our Troy Taysom rides along as an elite narcotics team raids a drug dealer’s house, recruits and coordinates confidential informants, and foils a meth buy.
105 BLACK HILLS GOLD For nearly 35 years, Jeff and Kristi Hoffman have built Black Hills Ammunition into one of America’s top ammunition manufacturers, one quality product at a time.
153 DIALED IN Quality’s always in view at the Leupold & Stevens factory, where our Troy Rodakowski got a peek at how the company’s riflescopes and other optics are chiseled out of solid blocks of aluminum by state-of-the-art machines.
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 © 2016 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 // August 2016
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CONTENTS 33 COMPETITION: The Spring Southern 111 FACTORY TOUR: Crimson Trace’s Laser Focus On Quality 121 PRODUCT REVIEW: Two Top Compact Trauma Kits 137 GUN REVIEW: Tricking Out A Ruger 10/22 163 PRODUCT REVIEW: Echo-Sigma’s ‘Get Home’ Survival Kit 169 PRODUCT REVIEW: Magpul’s Remington 700 Rifle Stock 171 PRODUCT REVIEW: Zero Tolerance 0301 Knife
DEPARTMENTS 17 19 21 23
14
Editor’s Note Competition Calendar Gun Show Calendar Top Shooters
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
144 GUN REVIEW: SIGNIFICANT SHOOTER
ALSO INSIDE
(SIG SAUER)
SIG Sauer’s MCX Airgun is another winner in a successful new line of quality products that includes rifles, pistols, pellets and targets.
americanshootingjournal.com 15
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
EDITOR’S NOTE
H
i! I’m the new guy. I’ve been the new kid on the block several times in a fun and decidedly nonlinear career, but I’m as excited as I’ve been in a while to work with the American Shooting Journal team. For the past three years, I served as editor of Gun World magazine. In my time there, I worked with some talented people, and am thankful for the friendships I’ve developed with writers, fellow editors, media agencies and scores of dedicated employees at companies that make the outdoor industry an exciting and rewarding place to be. In short, I’m proud to be part of it. Before I get ahead of myself (a common occurrence, especially in conversation), I’d be remiss if I didn’t stop to thank the recently “retired” executive editor Danielle Breteau (although if you know her, “retiring” is not a word that would ever come to mind) for leaving me a nice batch of stories to prepare for this issue. Even though she’s now off with her husband sailing at least
one of the Seven Seas in their boat, the hard work she put in to help develop this magazine will continue to bear fruit for quite some time. This is a magazine for all facets of the national shooting community, so I encourage you to engage in conversations on our website and Facebook page, to send us photos for our Top Shooters gallery, and to let us know what sort of stories you’d like to read. We look forward to hearing from you. But more than anything else, thanks for making the American Shooting Journal part of your outdoor journey. - Craig Hodgkins
Website: AmericanShootingJournal.com Facebook: Facebook.com/AmericanShootingJournal Twitter: @AmericanShootingJournal
americanshootingjournal.com 17
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
Presented By:
COMPETITION C A L E N D A R
Avid USPSA shooter Emily Robinson takes aim with a shotgun during her first 3-Gun challenge. Robinson’s story was featured in our June issue. (RODNEY ROBINSON)
August 27-28 Minnesota State Championship Owatonna Gun Club Owatonna, Minn.
August 20
August 20
August 26-28
August 27
Alabama Precision – Shooter’s Challenge
AZ LRPRS – August Match
Precision Rifle Shooters of Idaho
Peacemaker PRS Challenge
Birmingham, Ala.
Buckeye, Ariz.
Vale, Ore.
Gerrardstown, W.Va.
August 19-20
August 20-21
August 20-21
Michigan State Championships Tier 3
New England Regional Championship Tier 4
Brooklyn Sportsmans Club Brooklyn, Mich.
Harvard Sportsman’s Club Harvard, Mass.
2016 Blade-Tech Washington State Championship
August 13-14
August 13-14
August 20-21
Magic City GLOCK Challenge I
Rocky Mountain Regional Classic XXII
Keystone State Ballistic Challenge XX
Weld County Fish & Wildlife Range Greeley, Colo.
Topton Fish & Game Association/TA&PS Topton, Pa.
August 20-21
August 27-28
August 27-28
Northwestern Regional Classic XXV
Midwest Regional Classic XXV
Northern California Regional Classic XXIII
Kitsap Rifle & Revolver Club Bremerton, Wash.
Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club Hallsville, Mo.
Richmond Rod & Gun Club Richmond, Calif.
August 11-12
August 13-14
August 13-14
Missouri Big Irons
Indiana State Shoot
Iowa State Championship
Missouri State Fairgrounds Coliseum Sedalia, Mo.
Hoosier Horse Park Edinburgh, Ind.
Ellsworth Community College Equestrian Center Iowa Falls, Iowa
August 13-14
August 20
August 27-28
Mississippi State Championship Shootout
Oklahoma State Championship
Wisconsin Championship at Mueller’s
Lauderdale County AgriCenter Meridian, Miss.
Tulsa RV Ranch Arena Beggs, Okla.
Mueller’s Arena Montfort, Wis.
Billings Rod & Gun Club Billings, Mont.
Renton Fish & Game Club Renton, Wash.
americanshootingjournal.com 19
americanshootingjournal.com 20
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
PRIMER
GUNSHOW C A L E N D A R
Skinner Sights are handcrafted in their small shop in St. Ignatius, Mont. All of their sights are machined from solid steel, stainless steel or brass bar stock, and each part is hand-fitted. (SKINNER SIGHTS )
Crossroads Of The West Gun Shows
August 13-14 August 20-21 August 27-28
Las Vegas, Nev. Costa Mesa, Calif. Ventura, Calif.
Cashman Center Orange County Fair & Event Center Ventura County Fairgrounds
Florida Gun Shows
August 6-7 August 6-7 August 20-21 August 27-28 August 27-28
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Bay County Fairgrounds Florida State Fairgrounds Central Florida Fairgrounds Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds Lee Civic Center
R&K Gun Shows
August 6-7 August 6-7 August 6-7 August 13-14 August 20-21 August 20-21 August 20-21 August 27-28 August 27-28
Oklahoma City, Okla. Cartersville, Ga. Kingsport, Tenn. Springfield, Mo. Knoxville, Tenn. Kansas City, Mo. Colorado Springs, Colo. Murfreesboro, Tenn. Lawrenceville, Ga.
Oklahoma City State Fairgrounds Clarence Brown Conference Center MeadowView Convention Center Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Knoxville Expo Center KCI Expo Center Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center MID-TN Expo Center Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
Wes Knodel Gun Shows
August 27-28
Centralia, Wash.
SW Washington Fairgrounds
C&E Gun Shows
August 6 – 7 August 20 – 21 August 20 – 21 August 27 – 28 August 27 – 28
Winston-Salem, N.C. Roanoke, Va. Harrisburg, Pa. Monroeville, Pa Richmond, Va.
Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Roanoke Civic Center PA Farm Show Complex Monroeville Convention Center Richmond Raceway Complex
Tanner Gun Show
August 6-7
Denver, Colo.
Denver Mart
To have your event highlighted here, send an email to chodgkins@media-inc.com.
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
PRIMER
TOP SHOOTERS
Left-hander Sarah Morris gets up close and prone behind the AR Five-seven. (OLEG VOLK) A SIG Sauer staffer puts the company’s new MCX airgun through its paces at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Newington, N.H. (SIG SAUER)
A kilted competitor heads to the firing line at the Deep River Sporting Clays and Shooting School in Sanford, N.C. (DANA FARRELL) U.S. Marine Sgt. Us Chanthavixay coaches students during the Combat Leader’s Course at Camp Pendleton, Calif. This course is designed to teach Marines tactical leadership principles, machine gun functions, combat orders and various other skills. (SGT. CARSON GRAMLEY)
To have your photograph(s) featured here, email chodgkins@media-inc.com with all the pertinent details! americanshootingjournal.com 23
HISTORY YOU CAN HOLD
THE CONTEMPORARY LONGRIFLE ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL SHOW OFFERS VISITORS A PASSPORT TO EARLY AMERICAN FOLK ART AND CULTURE STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANK JARDIM
T
he Contemporary Longrifle Association (CLA) holds its annual show each August in Lexington, Ky., and inexplicably, both the show and the association that hosts it remain two of the best-kept secrets in the modern historical firearms art community. The show is a must-see for anyone interested in early American weaponry, accoutrements, clothing and related material culture (including fine and folk art) from the mid-Colonial period through the 1830s. The CLA mission is to preserve the knowledge and skills used by early American artisans, and this show is a vehicle 24
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
for contemporary artists to show and sell their work. Make no mistake; this is not just another gun or primitives show. A great deal of the work displayed is of exceptionally high artistic quality and includes many true masterpieces that would rank among the best examples of these pieces in the world. Consider the years of study and practice needed to master the skills neccesary to create a new Kentucky longrifle, engraved powder horn or a brain-tanned, leather-beaded Cherokee satchel and you have an idea of what CLA exhibitors are all about. These men and women are artists in love not just
In most cases, the people you are talking to across the table are those who made the pieces you’re looking at and they know a lot about their subject matter, to say the least. At one stop, I received the equivalent of a master’s-level seminar on powder horns. 2. OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED There are all manner of parts, materials, books and videos for sale, as well as friendly
“THE SHOW IS A MUSTSEE FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN EARLY AMERICAN WEAPONRY, ACCOUTREMENTS, CLOTHING AND RELATED MATERIAL CULTURE …”
The annual Contemporary Longrifle Association (CLA) show is a mustsee for anyone interested in early American weaponry, accoutrements, clothing and related material culture.
with the creation of these pieces of art, but the process. In addition to giving exposure to these “lost” arts, the CLA helps connect kindred spirits and patrons who appreciate their efforts, purchase their art and allow them to continue working. Though not every exhibitor at the show will be a working artist, they are all contributors to the artistic community in one form or another. This year, 350 out of CLA’s 2,200 worldwide members will exhibit their wares for an estimated 1,000 visitors. Here’s a top ten list of what to expect at the upcoming (or any) CLA show: 1. UNIQUE WORKS OF ART The last time I attended, I felt more like I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City than the Rupp Arena, though the latter is a classy venue. Since everything at the show is handmade in the traditional manner, every object is unique. You aren’t going to find much of anything made by machine. The whole idea behind the CLA is to use traditional methods of fabrication.
Powder horns, like this one created and held by Mark Thomas, are often intricately carved, providing owners with an opportunity to commemorate specific events or express their personalities. americanshootingjournal.com 25
In addition to being available for purchase, clothing is often in the process of being handmade at the show.
people to help you learn how to make it yourself. Whether you want to learn to make longrifles, engrave powder horns, forge knives or do porcupine quill and moose hair embroidery, you can find a mentor in the CLA. Some of the gun makers have even created their own historically accurate custom kits to help new builders get started. 3. IT’S NOT ALL CONTEMPORARY The show features original artifacts as well. In fact, up to 25 percent of a table can be
Virtually every type is represented: slender long rifles, short stout Jagers, fowlers longer than a man is tall, and pistols of every size and style. Military weapons of the period aren’t usually exhibited because, even though they were generally handmade, they were mass-produced rather than made custom to order. Still, you’ll find a few here and there. In the past, for example, these included a replica of the U.S. Army’s first issue rifles that were used by the Lewis & Clark Expedition and built by Wayne Trout. Master builder Jim Kibler has exhibited a rifle with a burled maple stock of such visual depth, you would think you were looking into a nebula. It was unearthly in its beauty.
“CONSIDER THE YEARS OF STUDY AND PRACTICE NEEDED TO MASTER THE SKILLS …” antique on the contemporary side of the show. There’s also an antique side, where members exhibit genuine historic material of all types, and the Kentucky Rifle Association (KRA) sets up their displays, making it the perfect opportunity to study and, perhaps, buy original pieces. 4. HUGE ASSORTMENTS IN SOME CATEGORIES For example, there are probably more American flintlock weapons than you will ever see gathered in one place. Some are humble, unadorned hunter’s guns, while others are magnificently decorated with engraving, carved stocks and precious metal inlay in the style of those owned by the wealthy. Most are in the middle. 26
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
5. HAND-FORGED EDGED WEAPONS ABOUND From the cruel to the beautiful, everything is represented, and examples run the gamut from primitive Indian trade knives to fine swords. Knives made in the urban centers were often ground smooth and polished just like the blades we have today, but most of what was made by frontier blacksmiths focused solely on function. The blades were dark grey and pocked from being hammered on the anvil. Of those I’ve seen, Joe Scott made my favorite. It had a grip fashioned from a black bear’s jawbone, which made it only slightly less badass today than it would have been in 1750. William Fluke shared his
best knife with me. The handle was an intricately sculpted owl smoking a clay pipe standing on a turtle carved from antler. He combined it with a beautiful Damascus steel blade. It was fit for a king. 6. POWDER HORNS AS SELF-EXPRESSION Not only were they created in a variety of ways, but they were also frequently decoratively engraved by the horner who crafted them or personalized by their owners, making them true American folk art. European powder flasks were frequently made out of antler since those hunters didn’t need to carry anywhere near the amount that their American counterparts did
These hand-forged metal tomahawks make a striking display as part of a wide variety of Native American crafts.
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on the frontier. Antler is thicker and harder than horn and could be carved in deep relief. Mark Thomas shared a spectacular decorated horn he created for a retiring military couple and which included a pair of tiny frolicking schnauzers hidden behind a rotating nameplate under the flip-up domed end cap. 7. LEATHER ACCOUTREMENTS FOR EVERY TASTE These include people who want a beaver pelt shoulder bag where the flap is actually the beaver’s head with a red leather “tongue” sewn in to button it closed. Actually, I’ve seen only one of these, but I was clearly the target consumer. However, traditional “possibles” bags were in evidence in scores of authentic styles, materials and colors, as well as a wide array of wallets, pouches, straps, slings and the like. 8. CLOTHING PRODUCED EXACTLY AS IT WAS 200 YEARS AGO Handmade waistcoats, shirts, breeches, socks and everything else the average person of the era would wear, were in the process of being made before my eyes. Karen Hainlen of Apple Cart Creations spun handfuls of sheep wool into thread on a wheel on the exhibit floor. I learned it takes eight hours to spin enough wool thread to weave into a yard of fabric on a loom. It takes 3 yards of fabric to make a hand-stitched shirt. The result is a $600 authentic garment. Even if you assumed the value of labor in 1750 was a quarter of what it is today, you still have a rather expensive shirt, which illustrates that each article of
clothing was among a person’s more valuable possessions. 9. NATIVE AMERICAN CRAFTS ARE WELL REPRESENTED The beautiful beadwork – and the porcupine quill work embroidery that preceded it – is incredibly labor intensive, and clothing or equipment decorated with it was very popular on the frontier. Indian clothing used brain-tanned hides that were also laborious to produce, but extremely pliant and comfortable. I found all manner of Indian wooden war clubs and the hand-forged metal tomahawks that replaced them too. The latter were made by Europeans for trade and weren’t just used by Indians. 10. DECORATIVE ART, BOTH HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY These include sculpture, fine art and folk art paintings, and jewelry. The contemporary paintings and bronze sculptures are frequently of historical subjects, while the jewelry is historically inspired. The most curious original jewelry I saw was an obscenely engraved trade gorget that may have been the Colonial-era Indian equivalent of the modern naked lady necktie. The modern piece that fascinated me most was a reproduction of a silver passport badge presented by white settlers to those selected Indians who were deemed to be friendly trading partners.
This knife was crafted from carved antler and bears a Damascus blade.
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
TO ENCOURAGE NEWCOMERS, the CLA allows entire families to attend the show the first time for only $20. If you want to attend again, however, you’ll need to become members. If you are interested in these fascinating artists and their work, you should seriously consider joining. The CLA’s biannual magazine (American Tradition) alone is worth the membership dues. It is an exceptional informational resource with full-color illustrations and well-researched articles. For more on the CLA, visit longrifle.com – and be sure to keep Aug. 19-20 open so you don’t miss the 20th annual show.
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American Ame Am A me m meric eric rriic iican ca an n Sh Sho S Shooting ho hooti h ooti otttiing o oting ng J Jou Jo Journal ourrna ou rn na n al // // August Au ug ugu gu g usstt 2016 20 2 201 0 01 016 16
COMPETITIONS
STANDING SIDE-BY-SIDE
At The 17th Annual Spring Southern SXS Championship, Competitors Are Treated Like Friends And Family STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANA FARRELL
Team Parker on the line during the LC Smith vs. Parker Challenge Cup, a friendly competition between devotees of two different side-by-side shotgun manufacturers.
T
his past April marked the 17th annual gathering of side-by-side shotgun fans at an event affectionately known in the smoothbore world as the Spring Southern. Held at Deep River Sporting Clays and Shooting School in Sanford, N.C., this annual pilgrimage is often regarded by SXS lovers as the single most important shooting event of the year. Officially called the Southern Side-by-Side Championship and Exhibition Spring Classic, this combination sporting clays contest and vintage firearm show drew 393 shooters this year, and 78 vendors – enough to fill three large tents –
all for the love of what some people might consider an outdated, antiquated implement. Christine Brummer’s love of this traditional smoothbore configuration takes her to southwest Scotland every December for grouse shooting at the rural estate of Craigadam, but her shooting season unofficially starts each year at the Spring Southern. For Christine, who lives in Ann americanshootingjournal.com 33
COMPETITIONS Arbor, Mich., the Southern epitomizes what side-by-side followers love: great clay targets, tables full of wonderfully interesting guns to browse, and throngs of like-minded people who understand the passionate allure of lovely side-by-side shotguns. “It’s warm here after a long winter in Michigan,” she relates. “Everyone is welcoming … and the facilities are first rate.” Brummer brings a full array of shotguns to shoot, both hammered and hammerless, in .410 bore, 28, 20, 16 and 12 gauges. “The attitude is to do your best, but relax,” she advises. The generous side event schedule allows her to shoot at least seven rounds before she tackles the main event on Sunday. “I come here to shoot, but the whole package is just about having an enjoyable outing with like-minded people.” Deep River’s owners, Bill and Mary Kempffer, love hosting the Spring Southern. “This has become a mainstay of the Deep River experience, and we love having these people here because it’s like a big family reunion – and that family keeps growing,” says Bill. “We’re just happy to share the Deep River experience and share what we’re passionate about, which is double guns and being outdoors.” “It’s great to see old friends,” Mary adds, “and so many new shooters as well.” The couple exudes a warm, disarming Southern charm, bringing to mind that old adage: Choose a job that you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. The Kempffers are busy all TE RA T ! A FL PING 5 .9 IP $9 SH
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
Bill Kempffer, owner of Deep River Sporting Clays, is cohost of the popular Southern Side-by-Side Championship and Exhibition Spring Classic.
americanshootingjournal.com 35
COMPETITIONS
Marshall Harrell of Team Smith competes in the driving rain.
weekend, bouncing between the clubhouse, vendor tents and shooting grounds, making sure their patrons are well taken care of, but they’re never too busy to stop and chat. In a world that is increasingly numbers driven, Deep
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
River shooters are treated as friends and valued guests, a welcome respite from the hectic pace of today’s world. IN THE MIDST of the larger event is a competition within a
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COMPETITIONS Christine Brummer of Ann Arbor, Mich., brings a wide array of side-by-side shotguns to the Southern each year.
competition, where devotees of two vintage American side-byside manufacturers – LC Smith and Parker – face off in what has become for many the highlight of the overall weekend. The LC Smith vs. Parker Challenge Cup began in 2004 as a friendly competition between members of two dedicated collector organizations. Shooters must prequalify by shooting 60 rounds of five-stand targets, which allows only the crème de la crème of each team to join the final field. This year, Team Smith shot the finals round during a soaking downpour, but still managed to take home the Challenge Cup for their fourth consecutive win. This classic Purdey breech-loading double-barrel hammer gun was manufactured in London in 1868.
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COMPETITIONS David Defernelmont of New Holland, Pa., is a standout member of Team Smith and has helped his organization claim the coveted prize the last four years running. Defernelmont shoots clay targets year-round, including sanctioned National Sporting Clays Association events, which helps him keep his shooting edge. “I love shooting the Smith guns,” he explains. “I shoot registered NSCA, but also try to shoot as much double gun – little shoots, big shoots, both hammerless and hammer.” Defernelmont shot his custom-stocked LC Smith Grade II hammerless 12 gauge, a 30-inch barreled, double trigger, extractor gun, in the Challenge Cup. The old gun was in wonderful shape when he purchased it, but a previous owner had shortened the stock, so Defernelmont commissioned a new stock made to his dimensions, effectively merging vintage form with modern functionality. Mills Morrison of Savannah, Ga., is captain of Team Parker, the Parker Gun Collector Association that numbers just under 1,400 current members. He has what he describes as “a small collection of Parkers,” which he uses for upland hunting, ducks and clays shooting. Included in Morrison’s collection are a couple of early hammer guns – one of which is for display only because he says it may not be safe to shoot. Asked how hard it is to buy a vintage Parker these days, he replies, “Not that hard. You can
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AVOIDING HIGH PRESSURE Shooters of vintage-era shotguns concerned with potential damage from pressures generated by modern ammunition should check out RST Classic Shotshells. This Friendsville, Pa., company makes lowpressure, low-recoil shells in various case lengths and shot sizes, and all are suitable for shooting in many vintage guns. Many older guns have 2½-inch chambers. RST makes a wide variety of shells in 2½- and 2-inch lengths, as well as 2¾-inchers. For waterfowl hunters there are RST’s Nice Shot nontoxic loads for use in those tightly choked old duck guns many of us love to carry to the blind. Nice Shot is a tungsten matrix, which is denser than steel, so it is more effective downrange and safe to shoot in older guns that may be damaged by steel shot. Morris Baker, the owner of RST, is a frequent visitor to the Southern Side by Side. “All these men, my age and older, know they can start shooting right now and shoot until dark, and never be bothered with the recoil,” he said. For more information, visit rstshells.com.
get one for under $1,000 for not too much trouble … and of course, they go up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Although Team Parker didn’t win the Challenge Cup this year, Morrison knows winning is a secondary goal at this colorful gathering of side-by-side aficionados. And after all, there’s always next year at the Spring Southern.
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The AR57 upper receiver offers a 50shot capacity and downward ejection for ambidextrous operation, and is a less expensive alternative to a PS90 carbine. Here it rides a DTI-15 lower wearing a Crimson Trace CMR-201 Rail Master and an optic from Primary Arms.
THE FULLY FUNCTIONAL FIVE SEVEN
The AR57 Is An Excellent High-capacity Yet Affordable Alternative For Self-defense, Varmint Hunting STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLEG VOLK
T
he AR57 (also known as the AR Five Seven) upper receiver for the AR-15 has two claims to fame: a 50-shot capacity and downward ejection for ambidextrous operation. Operating by simple blowback, this upper is available in 6-inch pistol and 16-inch rie versions, with the latter being reviewed here. Manufactured by the eponymous AR57 LLC, and chambered in 5.7x28mm, this upper is less powerful than the standard 5.56mm version, but it has certain tangible
advantages, including reduced muzzle blast, a high practical rate of ďŹ re, nonexistent recoil, and the ability to use folding stocks. Since the buffer is located within the receiver, folding stocks may also be used for compact storage or carry. To load, place the baseplate of a standard FN P90 magazine into the recess on the front of the upper, then press the feed lip side down on the catch located above and slightly back of the bolt. To charge, pull on the right-side nonreciprocating handle and release. The right-side charging
gun reviews
hand placement makes it accessible for operation by the strong hand. Since it only has to be operated once every 50 shots, the time penalty for moving the hand off the pistol grip isn’t too great. Empties will eject downward through the nominal magazine well. Some people use a 20-round magazine body with the feed lips, spring and follower removed to act as a brass catcher.
“… THIS UPPER IS AVAILABLE IN 6-INCH PISTOL AND 16-INCH RIFLE VERSIONS …” The magazine has no provision for activating the bolt lock when empty, but the bolt can be locked open using the catch on the lower. The upper runs very cleanly and reliably, requiring no maintenance after the first 500 shots. The AR57 comes with a medium fluted barrel, reasonable for a varmint rifle but excessive for a defensive carbine. Burning around six grains per shot, 5.7x28mm runs much cooler than 5.56mm, which burns four or more times as much. That yields much reduced muzzle blast and far greater heat endurance, of course at the cost of a roughly 40 percent slower bullet. CHOOSING LOADS The adequacy of 5.7x28mm for stopping human aggressors has been in dispute ever since its introduction. Some of the lighter bullets available for the
gun reviews
The baseplate of a standard FN P90 magazine fits snugly into the recess on the front of the upper.
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caliber have traditionally been tipped or leadless hollow points prone to excessive fragmentation. Firing a 27-grain lead-free hollow point at a full, upright 12-ounce beverage can did not produce a complete penetration – an excellent result for a range or a small varmint round, but not a man-stopper. Expanding ammunition with better penetration is also available from FN, along with nonfragmenting 40-grain FMJ American Eagle. Recently, RR Weapon Systems introduced two 37-grain all-copper loads, 37F (fragmenting) and 37X (expanding). In testing 37X, I found it much hotter than the alternatives and a very reliable
BRAND
TYPE
GRAINS
FPS
MOA
American Eagle
FMJ
40 grains
2,020 fps
3 MOA
RRWS
HP
37 grains
2,680 fps
2 MOA
FN
Vmax
40 grains
2,600 fps
2.5 MOA
Handloads
Vmax
40 grains
2,175 fps
2 MOA
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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gun reviews With no protruding magazine, the AR57 allows shooters to get very low into a prone position.
terminal performer. The three-petal bullets expanded to fill 2/3-inch circumference and penetrated around 12 inches into gel. Velocity was around 2,680 feet per second with a standard deviation of under 10, so it was no surprise that
it produced groups a touch under 2 inches. Other than handloads with 40-grain Vmax, all other ammunition grouped closer to 2.5 to 3 minutes of angle when fired using a 2.5x scope.
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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gun reviews “... I WOULD RATE IT AS SUITABLE FOR SMALL RODENTS OUT TO 100 YARDS.”
The AR57 is an excellent choice for self-defense, especially for individuals of smaller stature.
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
The main limitation on the use of an AR57 for varmint control is the space available for optics. Because the magazine is lifted up for unloading, the potential length of the scope is sharply limited. I have been able to fit 2.5x or 4x prismatic scopes, but anything longer caused interference. Considering these sighting limitations, I would rate it as suitable for small rodents out to 100 yards. Accuracy is a less important consideration for defensive use. Follow-up shots with the AR57 are limited only by the trigger finger dexterity, as it showed no muzzle rise at all. Up close, this platform would be better served with a red dot sight and a laser for rapid aiming. I’d like to see a defensive variant with a pencil-thin barrel and a more skeletonized forend developed alongside the current version. Compared to the PS90, the AR57 is the heavier option, even when polymer lowers are used. It is also longer. But the advantages of an AR57 are numerous. Even a stock AR-15 has a better trigger than a PS90, and aftermarket options
This functional upper features several advantages, including reduced muzzle blast, a high practical rate of fire, and nonexistent recoil.
can enhance that difference a great deal. AR lowers allow adjustable length of pull, and AR ergonomics make more use of existing training, other than in the reloading process. The height of sights over bore is significantly less, making accurate hits easier. Compared to a 5.56 upper, the AR57 is simpler to clean, generates less felt recoil and much less muzzle blast. With no protruding magazine, it allows the shooter to get very low into a prone position. Two full 50-round P90 magazines weigh as little as one 5.56 30-rounder, so you can carry a lot of ammunition.
“THE ADVANTAGES OF AN AR57 ARE NUMEROUS.” At $745 direct from the manufacturer or an authorized dealer, it is less expensive than a PS90 carbine (which lists at $1350), even after the cost of an AR-15 lower is added in. The 5.7x28mm ammunition costs about the same as 5.56x45mm, though the variety of available loads is definitely smaller. The niche I see for AR57 – besides it being plain fun to shoot – is for self-defense by the same slightly built individuals who would have picked an M1 carbine in the past. It requires less upper body strength to use than most long guns, and gives 50 shots without reloading. A small teenager or a fragile senior can run it with ease, but the rest of us won’t need an excuse to enjoy using this upper. Editor’s note: For more information about the AR57, visit 57center.com. 54
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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ROAD HUNTER
FROM THE FRONT LINES TO THE FIELD The American Military Continues To Influence Many Segments Of Society, And The Hunting Community Is No Exception STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN
f
or those who’ve attended or read about the SHOT Show for the past 15 years, you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say that the American military has had an increasing positive effect on the shooting sports, especially hunting. This welcome development is nothing short of phenomenal, and it becomes more evident with each passing year.
I make my living as a hunter, TV host, writer and speaker, so it’s been intriguing and inspiring to watch the influence of our country’s armed forces transition into every facet of the world I love so much. Take equipment, for example. Many hunters took their first deer with a government-issued .30-caliber rifle, one that may have been their dad’s or granddad’s. Today, the
“… THE AMERICAN MILITARY HAS HAD AN INCREASING POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE SHOOTING SPORTS …” Veteran Orlando Gill gets a congratulatory handshake from author Scott Haugen on his first bear. Orlando served in Afghanistan, where he lost a leg in action.
americanshootingjournal.com 59
ROAD HUNTER and in more than 40 countries. Even though Trijicon has become well known to hunters, not everyone is aware that the company had made quality riflescopes and sights for military and law enforcement use for more than 15 years. Guns are another example. Some old school hunters didn’t like it when ARs entered the hunting world, but as people became more educated on what ARs were, the literal translation of what Settling in for a long-range shot at a deer, Haugen (right) relied on a bipod, shooting bags and a specially an AR platform rifle is and how they designed tactical scope to make good on the 960worked, they quickly gained traction. yard shot. Having a spotter made the hunt even more “special forces” like, and brought a unique element to First, predator, varmint and hog hunters the total experience. used them, now they’re popular with many deer hunters. Accessories that go with guns and hunting have also evolved, having been deeply rooted in America’s military history. Knives, flashlights, survival kits, boots, packs, navigation devices, even clothes, have stemmed from our military. Not long ago I was in Alaska’s Arctic with my son. For lunch one day we broke out some MREs, and although any current or former member of the military would know these as a field ration or “Meal, Ready to Eat,” it was
hunting rifle and optics world is dominated by military representation, and Trijicon scopes are a testimony to this. It’s been more than 10 years since Trijicon entered the hunting world, and a television show I hosted was the first one they sponsored. I later went on to host and produce Trijicon’s The Hunt, which currently airs on Amazon Prime
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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ROAD HUNTER Predator hunters have greatly benefited from military influences. From ARs to dualmounted optics, the end result has been more efficient hunts that help control predator populations.
something he’d never had. He’s 14 years old and loved it, and was intrigued when I shared stories of how this is what many military men and women survived on. MREs have come a long way, or so I’m told, but it’s just one more example of our military having an influence on hunting and the outdoors. The very first rifle sling I had was one given to me from
“FOR DECADES HUNTERS WENT AFIELD WITH THEIR RIFLES, MAYBE A PACK, BUT THAT WAS IT.” my grandfather, from when he served our country. It was an old leather sling with multiple holes for length adjustment. The sling was an inch wide and tough as nails, and it is still one of my favorites. Not only has military-designed gear had a visible impact on hunting, but on shooting form as well. For decades hunters went afield with their rifles, maybe a pack, but that was it. When it came time to take a shot, it was usually done standing, off-hand. If a tree was close, the hunter might try to lean on it to get steady. Or, if the grass wasn’t too high, the
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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ROAD HUNTER The author’s wife, Tiffany Haugen, connected on a one-shot kill on this pronghorn, thanks to shooting off a steady bipod from a prone position. For generations, hunters have benefited from what military personnel have shared with us, from gear to shooting form.
hunter might lay down in order to attain a stable shot. Then bipods, shooting sticks and shooting bags made their way into the hunting world, thanks again to our military. Attaching a bipod to a rifle was something I’d never heard of or seen while growing up hunting in the 1960s and ’70s. Like all things “new,” they came
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
into the hunting world, but many hunters from previous generations wouldn’t use these shooting aids, which is unfortunate. Last fall I was in deer camp in Wyoming. It was public ground and the sagebrush-studded hills were full of hunters. What amazed me was not the number of shots I heard during the first two days of the season, but how many people I talked to headed back to camp, transporting deer that had been shot in the leg, face, guts and everywhere bullets shouldn’t hit. None of them had used shooting aids. One hunter in our camp, an older, retired man, missed nine shots at three different bucks. When I asked him why he doesn’t use a bipod or shooting stick, he replied, “Never have, don’t need one.” “No, obviously you do!” I insisted. I took him aside, showed him how to work my Bog Pod tripod shooting stick, and told him to take it. He killed a buck with his next shot.
americanshootingjournal.com 65
ROAD HUNTER AR platforms, complete with specialized scopes, continue to grow in popularity among the hunting community. Here, an AR topped with Trijicon’s ACOG – a widely used scope in military and law enforcement circles – goes to work on a prairie dog town.
Many of our armed forces pride themselves on shooting accuracy, and more and more hunters are starting to do the same. We owe it to ourselves, our fellow hunters and the animals we pursue to deliver quick, clean shots.
For people like me who make a living hunting, we can’t afford misses. Every miss costs time and money for everyone involved on the hunt, from myself to camera crews, outfitters, producers, editors and even networks.
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ROAD HUNTER There’s pressure to hit the mark, which is why, for the past several years, all of my shots have come off a shooting stick, a bipod mounted to my gun, or shooting bags. A couple seasons ago I took my first buck with a longrange rifle, what my dad and his friends, in their late 70s and 80s, refer to as a “sniper rifle.” Now, the gun wasn’t really a sniper rifle, but the $4,000 scope I had atop it was
sense to make that one shot as accurate as possible. Many hunters who spend time in the dense deer woods, stalking with shotguns and open-sight rifles are now carrying their guns differently, thanks to the influence of the military and armed forces. Gone are the days when hunters trudged through thick brush, gun slung over their shoulder, and then quickly forcing it into a shaky shooting
“TODAY, WE SEE MORE HUNTERS SHOOTING FROM PRONE POSITIONS USING SHOOTING AIDS …” designed for snipers, and the sturdy bipod and shooting bags I relied on were used primarily by tactical shooters. I devoted many hours of practice to shooting that rifle from a prone position, learning about everything related to longrange shooting. I was able to connect on a nice buck at 960 yards while filming for a TV show. Today, we see more hunters shooting from prone positions using shooting aids on television, in magazines, and on the Internet. Why? Because it’s more accurate, that’s why. Think about it. We wait all year for hunting season, then spend days, even weeks afield, and yet our success or failure often comes down to a single shot. It only makes
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
position when a buck pops up. These days, guns are more frequently carried in a semishooting position, butt held above the shoulder, one hand on the stock, the other on the forestock. This allows a shot to be taken in a fraction of the time of the other hold, something that’s not only applicable in some deer hunting situations but when tracking dangerous game or wounded animals anywhere in the world. Last but not least, the discipline and hard work that our special forces are built on has entered the hunting world. Physical training and dedicated shooting practice has never been so prevalent, and our military is largely to thank.
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ROAD HUNTER I’ve never served in the military, but have many relatives and friends who have. My great uncle was a paratrooper who jumped on the beaches at Normandy and served on the front lines. I couldn’t get enough of his stories while growing up. To the men and women who’ve served our country over the years, and continue to serve, I thank you. You help keep America free, and great. Your efforts and dedication
have prevailed in upholding our Constitution and Second Amendment rights, and for that, all hunters in the United States should thank you. Keep up the great work, and may God bless you and your families. Editor’s note: Scott Haugen has been a full-time writer for 15 years. To see instructional videos on shooting, hunting and more, visit his new website, OutdoorsNow.com.
BIPODS & SHOOTING BAGS Caldwell Shooting Supplies (btibrands.com) has long been a leader in shooting aids, and the company’s XLA Bipod is a personal favorite. The XLA comes in multiple heights, and attaches to just about any firearm. The pivoting bipod allows for up to 20-degree range of movement, for leveling on uneven ground. A tension knob is easy to adjust, allowing for quick control of the pivoting motion and level of resistance. Caldwell’s line of shooting bags is all-encompassing. Whether you’re a varmint shooter, big game hunter or long-range advocate, these sturdy, reliable bags will help increase your level of accuracy. For hunters on the move in big country, where shots come from a standing position, the Bog Pod Red Legged Devil Tripod is my shooting stick of choice. Nothing has improved my shooting accuracy on big game more than these sturdy, easy-to-use sticks, and I’ve used them all over the world and on all types of game.
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ammo review
SLUG IT OUT
Modern 12-gauge Shotgun Slugs Can Be An Excellent Choice For Self-Defense Distances And Beyond
This 12-gauge slug from Team Never Quit delivered near-textbook expansion and penetration.
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLEG VOLK
S
hotguns are a perennial home defense favorite. They are generally inexpensive, very common and perceived as being simple to operate. Nearly every gun-owning household has at least one smoothbore. But, since research and anecdotal evidence point towards the relative ineffectiveness of birdshot against large intruders, buckshot is typically used to deliver multiple simultaneous impacts while adding some margin for aiming error. Buckshot, from .35 caliber 000 to .24 caliber No. 4, works fairly well on opponents up close and in the open, but doesn’t penetrate cover well. For people who want the ability to get through furniture, walls or auto glass, slugs provide another option. The same applies to rural residents who worry less about overpenetration but may have to fire in selfdefense at longer ranges where buckshot spreads too much, and individual pellets lack adequate penetration. Large-bore smoothbores and rifles have long been the first choice of dangerous game hunters. A typical musket was around .70 caliber, and black powder rifles varied from .70 to .45, with long conical bullets providing necessary penetration on ornery creatures like Cape buffalo or grizzly.
Jacketed bullets developed by the 1890s and monolithic solids introduced in the second half of the 20th century continued this trend. While traditional big game hunting rifles and ammunition have always been extremely expensive, North Americans and Russians, two populations with relatively widespread shotgun ownership in areas with dangerous ursine neighbors, developed a number of shotgun slug loads also optimized for penetration and massive stopping power. Century-old Brenneke hardcast lead slugs and the more recent Latvian steel Monolith load both offer accuracy and straight-line punch to put down a wild boar or a bear. For the same reason – great penetration – slugs aren’t favored for home defense use. Nobody wants to overpenetrate while hitting an intruder and endanger family members or neighbors behind the actual foe. SLUGS COME IN SEVERAL GENERAL TYPES: penetrative, expanding, fragmenting and frangible. Penetrative designs are generally excessively energetic for human foes: they are likely to make a .70-caliber hole and keep on whistling past, with all that power wasted on perforating the landscape or, worse, some innocent positioned behind the attacker. americanshootingjournal.com 77
ammo review Frangibles are designed to break up against solid backstops during training. D Dupleks Caviar 26L frangible, a plastic slug with embedded steel BBs, breaks up on flesh with about 8 inches of penetration and nearly 5-inch spread. That’s considered a bit shallow for reliable stopping, but not shabby. By contrast, the Remington Disintegrator round acts as a nonexpanding penetrator on flesh and only breaks up against hard surfaces, like steel range backstops. Expanding slugs are large-bore variations on hollow point pistol bullets. With much more energy and mass, and fewer constraints on the initial shape, they can be quite effective. For example, the new Team Never Quit 375-grain copper slug sits in front of a 90-grain plastic base. The slug is slightly subcaliber, so it can be fired through any choke. The plastic base acts as a gas check, but also as a drive band when used in rifled barrels or as a drag stabilizer when fired from smoothbores. With a full weight of just over an ounce and muzzle velocity of 1,200 feet per second, it has mild recoil. Spread was about 3 inches at 25 yards when fired through an Armagon G12 cylinder bore barrel, and 1 inch when used with a rifled choke. The same slug grouped 2 inches at 25 yards from a Benelli M3.
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The Rio Royal Expanding Fragmentary slug weighs 1 ounce, but produces 7-inch penetration.
ammo review SMOOTHBORE ACCURACY DEPENDS ON MANY FACTORS, including the concentricity and evenness of the bore, the amount of flex on firing and many others, so it is difficult to predict accuracy without testing individual firearms. Molot Vepr 12 and Fostech Origin 12, for example, are extremely accurate even in smoothbore versions, as are most Remington 870s. Similarly, nominal velocities listed here can vary by 10 to 15 percent based on the barrel length, choke and chamber used. In testing, the Team Never Quit slug delivered textbook perfect results, with about 12 inches of penetration through four layers of denim, and reliable 1½-inch expansion. Fired into bare gelatin, it penetrated 16 inches and had just enough energy left to penetrate halfway into standard residential drywall. While high-energy numbers make for easy marketing, this load minimizes overpenetration and reduces follow-up time, both of much value in home defense. This slug was designed for use in smoothbore defensive shotguns at ranges under 50 yards. With rifled barrels or with rifled chokes, it can be used for deer-sized game out to about 100 yards. OATH Ammunition recently introduced the Tango expanding slug, a 600-grain, 1,200 fps copper projectile available in traditional plastic or in a machined aluminum case. I was only able to obtain one unfired shell, and unfired
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and expanded slugs for photos, so I can’t comment on accuracy or recoil. I would, however, expect the sheer weight of the slug to produce a noticeable push on the shooter. The wasp-waisted projectile uses two rubber rings for obturation. The slug expands to an impressive 2.6 inches, with a ring instead of a solid base to reduce resistance. In gel, it penetrated 12 inches and then bounced back to 7-inch position from the resistance of the media. That’s consistent with how OATH pistol ammunition works, being designed for a penetration depth of 7 inches. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the company is in Chapter 11, so the future of this load is uncertain. D Dupleks makes two loads that combine fragmenting and expanding features, a 1.25-ounce Hexolit and a 1-ounce Dupo. Both are made of mild steel and have six preformed petals attached to a cylindrical base, then encased into plastic. The plastic provides obturation and improves aerodynamics. Both loads are very accurate from smooth or rifled barrels. Hexolit always expands to 1.5 inches and then produces six sharp 24-grain fragments penetrating about 12 inches with equally wide spread, and a base penetrating about 20 inches. Destructive effect on gel was greater than from a .308 Win soft point, and approaching that of .338 Lapua Magnum soft point. At longer ranges, Hexolit acts as a large hollow
ammo review point, penetrating up to 20 inches! The lighter Dupo acts similarly at close range or in case of bone impact, but stays together as a 1.2-inch expanded hollow point in soft tissue at longer ranges. As a hollow point, it penetrates about 18 inches. With the initial velocities in the 1,400 to 1,460 fps range, these rounds have more felt recoil than Team Never Quit but also a longer useful range. They were originally developed as medium and large game hunting loads, so they are accurate out to about 65 yards from smoothbores and past 100 with spin stabilization. Because of the highly penetrative base, however, both have the potential to hit bystanders beyond the target. All of these expanding loads are lead-free, which is helpful for indoor use. D Dupleks and OATH slugs, in particular, gain an efficiency from having relatively hard materials shaped with sharp edges facing forward to cut tissue. FRAGMENTING BULLETS have a poor reputation among handgun users, primarily because of insufficient penetration. With shotguns, each fragment has the weight similar to a complete pistol bullet and higher velocity, so they are rather more effective. Both Winchester and Rio loads proved very accurate, with groups around 1 inch at 25 yards from smoothbores. Both stayed together well through such
Winchester’s PDX1 slug.
obstacles as car doors and laminated glass. Winchester PDX1 is a 1-ounce load starting at 1,600 fps, and the high velocity makes firing one a bit exciting. When I fired it from a Vepr 12, a semiauto shotgun with some drop to the stock, the muzzle rise knocked my safety glasses off. It was much more comfortable fired from MKA1919 and Origin 12, since both are semiautos with straight-line stocks. The
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ammo review same high velocity makes it very effective on target. The slug breaks into three 145-grain fragments, each sufficient to go through 18 inches of gel with considerable cavitation around. The fragments dispersed about 6 inches by the end of their travel, pretty much destroying the 10-inch by 10inch by 20-inch block. If you can handle the recoil, this is a very effective round. The Rio Royal Expanding Fragmentary slug – there’s a nice mouthful of branding – also weighs at 1 ounce but comes out slower, at 1440 fps. Breaking up into four 45-grain petals and a base, it produces 7-inch penetration with 7-inch dispersion – meaning an approximately 22-degree cone of fragments. The base, about 60 percent of the whole and smaller than the bore diameter, keeps on going 18 inches or so. This load combines reasonable recoil and terminal performance with excellent accuracy and budget price. At $1.40 per shot, it’s the least expensive of the specialty loads. While most of these slugs can be used from a rifle bore, they are accurate enough at typical self-defense ranges to make it unnecessary. Rifling would make the shotgun less versatile by dispersing shot patterns into donuts, and so should probably be reserved for hunting use. With fragmenting projectiles, the spin would also cause slightly wider dispersion of petals.
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The Dupo 20 is one of two loads manufactured by D Dupleks with fragmenting and expanding features.
The last round to consider is the American hunting stand-by, the Foster “rifled” slug. With the ribs on the outside designed to pass safely through chokes, these projectiles are unsuitable for actual rifled bores. They stabilize by having
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most of the balance forward, and are hollow based. Remington Slugger, the most widely available (and cheapest at around $1 each) Foster slug, is thimble-shaped. On impact, at least up close where the 1,550 fps muzzle velocity is retained, it acts as a frangible despite its intended use as a solid. Further out, at ranges more typical of deer hunting, the slug holds together better. At room distance, Slugger turns into a cloud of small lead chunks extending about 9 inches deep and nearly 6 inches wide. The smaller 20-gauge Slugger does the same, but to 7.5 inches and 5 inches of width. This is less depth than is recommended by the FBI testing protocol, but probably noticeable to the hostile recipient. ALL MODERN EXPANDING LOADS are generally adequate for selfdefense. Except for D Dupleks Caviar, none of them would safely break up on typical residential walls in case of a miss. Caviar won’t stop for drywall, but tends to break up enough on wooden studs to pose reduced danger downrange. Given the massive variability of shotguns, be sure to test your selected load for functioning: I’ve seen Mossberg 930 autoloader run with plastic riot-control birdshot, and have also seen pump shotguns choke on standard slug or buck loads. Given the precision with which slugs should be applied for best effect, I would also recommend adjustable rifle sights or a red dot zeroed to your favorite load.
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The American Shooting Journal and American Tactical salute all members of the Armed Forces who have served, fought and currently fight to protect our nation’s freedoms.
WE THANK YOU!
A Marine with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, screams while pulling during the battalion’s Highlander Night tug-ofwar competition at the Corps’ Base Camp Pendleton, in southern California, on June 30. The Highlander Night tightens the bonds of brotherhood through competitions that pit unit against unit. (PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. TIMOTHY VALERO)
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BEHIND THE BADGE
RIDING SHOTGUN IN WAR ON DRUGS
Special Enforcement Teams Go Undercover To Stem Tide Of Heroin Trafficking Across America STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TROY TAYSOM
Undercover groups known as special enforcement teams (SET) or special investigation units (SIU) spend countless hours working with drug addicts and other informants to help take down dealers who present an ongoing threat to the general public. From left to right, Detectives Gigante and Polaris, Sergeant Santiago, and Detectives Noble and Puller pose with some of the tools of the trade.
I
finally got the call. “How fast can you get here?” Sgt. Santiago asked. “Five minutes,” I said. “Good. We have eyes on our guy, and we are a go.” I drove as fast as I could to the designated rally area, where I joined more than a dozen men, many with beards (some fairly long) and long hair. None looked remotely like stereotypical cops, but all were “kitted up” and ready to go. The group packed an impressive assortment of firearms, from MP5s, M4s and a Remington 870 to Glock 17s and a few high-end 1911s (one I recognized as an Ed Brown custom job). All of the guys were wearing body armor with rifle plates, and some had added ballistic helmets. There was no joking or laughing in the ranks. Several team members eyed me with suspicion, and for
good reason. I was being allowed to witness what most citizens will never see: the inner workings of an active special enforcement team (SET). These select groups of undercover detectives are tasked with gathering solid
“THE OCCUPANTS HAD NO IDEA THAT THE HAMMER OF JUSTICE WAS ON ITS WAY.” intelligence on drug activity to target drug dealers and users for criminal prosecution. In the case of some users, this insider knowledge will prepare them to become americanshootingjournal.com 91
BEHIND THE BADGE confidential informants. I asked permission before taking any recognizable pictures, but despite promising anonymity to the officers and their department for the sake of the mission and their security, several politely declined. Detective Blue, however, let me snap several pictures, and even smiled for a few. Others seemed to merely tolerate my presence, strategically turning their backs each time I raised my camera. But I understood. In an environment such as this, trust must be earned. The cops assembled for this specific raid were a mix of SET teams from the city and county, and included detectives and special weapons and tactics (SWAT) members. High-
The suspects were known heroin dealers, and in a city still reeling from four recent fatal overdoses, including a oneyear-old baby who got into its parents’ stash, the mission had taken on even more urgency. As the team swiftly mounted the stairs in a flurry of motion, chaos appeared to take over, but appearances can be misleading. This mission was anything but chaotic to these professionals. In a moment, the door was demolished, and a well-orchestrated group movement was quickly executed, one that could have made a dance company jealous. Within minutes, the targeted suspects were in custody, and the “all-clear” was given. No shots had been fired, and no one had been hurt. Perhaps most importantly, some very dangerous people were led away in silver friendship bracelets to be questioned prior to being booked into the county jail. A TOUGH BATTLE All across the country, SET detectives such as these are fighting a battle that is nearly impossible to win. It’s not a
The nationwide war on heroin continues at epidemic levels, and law enforcement agencies around the country are constantly in danger of falling far behind.
During an undercover buy, a female drug dealer sold the SET team four grams of methamphetamine. Although she was already on probation for multiple drug charges, the team found countless other drugs prepared for sale while searching her house.
tech equipment was already in place to monitor the targeted home in full high definition, so Sgt. Santiago would know if anyone attempted to enter or exit the house. After a short drive, we reached our destination. The cops exited their vehicles with lightning speed, knowing exactly where they were going and who they were looking for. They were executing a rare “no-knock” search warrant, which exempted them from having to announce their presence prior to entering. The occupants had no idea that the hammer of justice was on its way. 92
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thankless job, but it can sometimes feel like it. For every dealer arrested, dozens more are waiting in the wings to take over. There is no shortage of people willing to sell dope to our families and children, and there seems to be no shortage of family members and children willing to buy. “There’s a heroin tsunami coming,” one department captain told me. “It’s going to get much worse in the very near future.” Following the raid, the adrenaline rush of the raid may have been over, but the real police work was just getting started. Any search for drugs and their accoutrements is a tedious, time-consuming, messy and occasionally gross task. But these veterans have seen drugs hidden in all kinds of places, including shower-curtain rods and freezers, under mattresses, behind medicine cabinets, in heat registers on the floor, even inside kids’ rooms and toys. On this particular search, the SET team even took a fire extinguisher outside to make sure it was what it appeared to be. No stone or piece of
BEHIND THE BADGE furniture goes unturned. Users and dealers also hide drugs on their person. There are places on and in the human body where people are willing to hide drugs, and more than one person has died from an overdose using these foolish methods. Once the evidence is collected, documented and bagged, it’s taken to a central evidentiary holding facility to be entered into computer system, ensuring a strong chain of custody. This is the work life of a SET detective: observe, plan, observe some more, plan some more and chase what, at times, feels like phantom drug dealers.
At one time, physicians were told that less than 1 percent of people who take opiates become addicted. According to author Sam Quinones in Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, Oxycontin was originally marketed by Purdue Pharma as a drug that was “virtually non-addictive.” The drug cartels we read about or see on television are our neighbors. They are smart and well organized, making the SET detectives’ job even more difficult. Pursuing and investigating these businessmen and their businesses could be described as a high-stakes game of three-card monte, with the dopers dealing the cards. But this SET team continues the fight, always with hope that just one break will help stem the heroin overdoses that seem to have permeated the community. Most of the heroin in this small town is a variety known as Mexican black tar. Cultivated and processed on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, black tar is rolled and manipulated into tiny balls, and then inserted into balloons. The least processed variety of heroin, because of its purity it is the most lethal. Depending on the region of the country, a black
“THERE’S A HEROIN TSUNAMI COMING ...”
DRUG OF CHOICE The city where I’m embedded with this SET team is the embodiment of small-town America, but it is also a place where heroin has become the drug of choice, pushing meth and crack out of the way. Heroin makes its way into the U.S. primarily across our southern border, and many experts feel the opiate epidemic can be directly connected to opioid pills and the way they were marketed in the 1990s.
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BEHIND THE BADGE tar balloon will cost $10 to $30, and can keep an addict high for a few days. Compared to opioid pain pills that can cost $1 per milligram on the street, heroin is a deal. ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DEALER Not long after returning to the office following the raid, Detective Noble, one of the senior SET detectives, received a call from an informant. A lady was looking to sell some meth, but the deal had to take place within 15 minutes. The office quickly turned into a beehive. Noble got into a buy car, A sample of the drugs and paraphernalia seized in the initial SET raid.
an undercover vehicle only used for undercover drug deals, while the rest of us drove to different locations to set up a perimeter around the meeting point. During the set-up, the dealer kept changing the location in hopes of ensuring that her client wasn’t a cop. I was out on the perimeter with Sgt. Santiago, listening via a receiver to what was happening inside the buy car. Finally, the dealer approached Noble’s car and got in. She sold him 4 grams of meth for $120, but wouldn’t sell him the two balloons of heroin she had hidden on her person. When the take-down signal was given, all officers converged on the dealer as she exited Noble’s car right in front of her house. The look on her face was priceless. She denied having sold drugs until Sgt. Santiago explained that the man in the car was a cop, and that we had heard the entire deal. Since she was on probation for other drug offenses, the team called her probation officer, who came out and helped with the search. The search yielded Oxycontin, morphine, Clonidine, meth, heroin and Oxycodone, and other pills and paraphernalia were collected and bagged as evidence. A TEAM OF INDIVIDUALS Later, I had the opportunity to speak with several members of the team, including Detective Polaris, who surprised me
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BEHIND THE BADGE with his candidness and honesty. “I’m not here to make enemies,” he told me. “I’d rather make friends. These people are going through tough times, and they need to know that someone cares. It doesn’t mean I won’t take them to jail. Sometimes that’s what they need, but my hope is that they find a way out of the drug life.” Detective Polaris relayed a story, with tears in his eyes, of saving a woman’s life as she tried to commit suicide. The woman had a three-month-old baby, and was able to see and hold her infant once she was safe and in the hospital. According to Polaris, the baby just stared and smiled at him and his rookie partner. The woman still calls Polaris to this day to thank him, and to provide an update on her life. “This is why I became a cop,” he tells me. Detective Puller has been an officer for five years, and has been with SET for six months. A former active-duty Marine and now in the Army Reserve, discipline and service are his go-to attributes. He has a kind demeanor and a disarming smile. These qualities provide a unique ability to make suspects feel comfortable, and comfortable people talk. The newest member of SET, Detective Gigante is a
quick study in the art of interviewing a suspect. I watched him interview one on the street, and his calm demeanor kept the young lady talking until she had reached the point of no return. Gigante calmly showed her his phone and asked, “How do you think I got these texts?” The game was up, and the girl is now in the process of becoming a confidential informant. Others are more reserved and quiet. Detective Noble, who looks much younger than he is, tends to keep to himself. He’ll make small talk, but isn’t much on being interviewed. But you know that under his quiet exterior is a brain constantly at work, figuring out how to stay ahead of his targets. Sgt. Santiago is the “old man” of the bunch. He’s been a cop for more than 20 years, but remains in good physical shape and is a solid leader for his young group of detectives. There are no short cuts allowed on his team, and each process is done the right way. This includes everything from the way probable cause is acquired and writing search warrants to the gear he requires them to wear in the field. He expects his men to wear full-body armor including ballistic
“HE HAS GROWN TIRED OF SEEING THE WORST THAT MANKIND HAS TO OFFER”
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BEHIND THE BADGE Black tar heroin helmets when entering a house for a variety of reasons, in its most basic, including one that is very personal. powdered state (WIKIPEDIA COMMONS “I hate delivering death notices,” he confided. “And PHOTO) I refuse to deliver a death notice to the wife of one of my detectives because I let them forgo wearing their protective gear. The gear isn’t a 100 percent guarantee [on safety], but I won’t allow my guys to take that chance. There is no leeway or negotiation on this point.” The years of working SET and other drug taskforce assignments have taken a toll on Santiago. He has grown tired of seeing the worst that mankind has to offer. He would love nothing more than to open a beachside bar in the Caribbean, where he could make mojitos and scuba dive for the rest of his life. But that second career will have to wait. He still has a lot of police work left in him. Other than Santiago, each SET detective will return to regular patrol after the four-year stint on the team is up. This way, the SET squad gets to train more officers team duplicated on police forces across the nation, it is a on the ins and outs of the drug epidemic that continues to battle that will continue to be fought with commitment, plague every city in this country. knowledge and bravery. Just because you haven’t seen the problem first-hand doesn’t mean it does not exist. The opiate epidemic is growing worse by the day, with no end in sight. But Editor’s note: The names of the officers in this story have thanks to leaders such as Sgt. Santiago and his dedicated been changed to protect their location and identity.
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BLACK HILLS GOLD For Nearly 30 Years, Jeff and Kristi Hoffman Have Built Black Hills Ammunition Into One Of America’s Quality Manufacturers
BY JIM DICKSON * PHOTOS BY BLACK HILLS AMMUNITION
J
eff Hoffman’s love of guns and hunting developed early. Like many hunters, it was a family member – in Jeff’s case, his grandfather – who fueled the young man’s love of the shooting sports and the outdoors. A few years later, the 15-year-old Jeff started dating Kristi. Often a date would consist of taking a brick of .22s to shoot prairie dogs on Kristi’s father’s ranch. Jeff joined the Rapid City, S.D., police force at age 19, and the police chief had to get him a waiver because of his
Jeff and Kristi Hoffman of Black Hills Ammunition.
age so he could join. Not long afterward, the range master for the police department, Tom Perry, left the force to start an ammunition company, but soon ran out of money. He offered to let Jeff buy into the company. Kristi encouraged Jeff in the new venture, but the bank wouldn’t lend them the money, so Jeff’s father, a trucker, put his truck up for collateral to help the couple out. Jeff and Kristi, who had married in 1980, also took a second mortgage out on their home and car to pay the business’s expenses. In 1982, Jeff switched from full-time police work (GOOD FREE PHOTOS) americanshootingjournal.com 105
to the reserves so he would have more time for the business. After a year, he switched to the sheriff’s reserve because their schedules were more flexible. In October 1988, Perry and the Hoffmans chose to split the company, with Perry taking over Black Hills Shooters Supply and the Hoffmans taking full ownership of Black Hills Ammunition. Following this move, the couple decided to not compete with cheap overseas ammo. Instead, they chose to focus only on the development and production of high-quality ammunition, a gamble that has paid off handsomely. THAT GAMBLE PAID OFF IN 1996, when the couple won the bid to provide ammo for the Army Marksmanship Unit. By 1999, they had earned contracts for all of the U.S. military’s marksmanship units. That same year, the Navy wanted 5.56mm ammo developed for 600-yard use in a suppressed, accurized M16. Black Hills fulfilled the contract, eventually standardizing the ammo as the MK262 Mod 0. Now that Black Hills was an official U.S. Government supplier of combat ammo, sales boosted across the board. Since then, as a privately owned research and development firm for the government, they’ve continued to develop a variety of products, including the MK262 Mod 0 and Mod 1 5.56mm 77-grain bullet, currently the only precision 5.56 ammo in the U.S. military inventory. Among many other products developed for the military is the MK255 Mod 0 and Mod 1 ammo for the Navy. This is the only frangible 5.56mm dual-use (training and operational) bullet in the military’s inventory. Black Hills makes other special-purpose rounds for the military in 5.56, 7.62X51, 7.62X39, 300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 in various bullet types and weights, but some of these details are classified. THE HOFFMANS ARE A TEAM. Kristi handles human resources, advertising, all internal accounting and computers, coordination with their accounting and IT company, SHOT Show arrangements (a huge job), and manages office activities including payroll, dealer relations, policies, and resolutions of any conflicts that occur. She confers with Jeff on all details of business and is involved in all military contracts and ballistics. At the core of the success of this partnership is an exhaustive quality-control process. The production of each machine is tested daily for pressure and velocity at their Black Hills lab, and each round is hand inspected. This is extremely rare in the ammunition manufacturing business, but it ensures that customers will receive the highest quality merchandise possible. As you can imagine, each product is backed by a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. These days, the company continues to grow, and so has the Hoffman family. Jeff and Kristi have two daughters, Ashley and Rhianna, and also have two grandchildren. In addition to her many responsibilities at Black Hills Ammunition, Kristi is an accomplished seamstress and 106
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Jeff Hoffman on a sniper-training course. Though working full time on his business, he still serves as a sharpshooter with a local police force.
One of the many rounds developed by Black Hills for the U.S. military, the MK 262 MOD 1.
painter. Jeff still serves as a sniper for his local sheriff ’s Special Response unit, a responsibility he has undertaken since 1989. His rifle is a GA Precision Crusader boltaction in .308 and crafted by custom gunmaker George Gardener in Kansas City. He also uses it for hunting mule deer and antelope. A Benelli shotgun for pheasants rounds out his hunting battery. Black Hills Ammunition is a sterling example of the can-do American spirit and the fulfillment of one couple’s American dream. For more info on products from Black Hills Ammunition, please visit black-hills.com, or call (605) 348-5150.
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125 GR. 95 GR. 115 GR. 125 GR. 148 GR. 158 GR. 180 GR. 200 GR. 230 GR. 255 GR. 148 GR.
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158 GR. 180 GR. 230 GR. 240 GR. 240 GR. 305 GR. 260 GR. 325 GR. 430 GR.
SWC-HP/100 LBT-WFN/100 SWC/100 SWC-HP/100 SWC/100 LBT-WFN/100 SWC-HP/100 LBT-LWN/100 LBT-LWN/40
$25.00 $28.00 $32.00 $38.00 $38.00 $45.00 $41.00 $41.00 $24.00
This is a good cross reference of the bullets we offer. We have about 144 set of molds with new molds coming. Sixteen employees working 10 hr. a day shifts 4 days a week with 9 casters, 6 auto lubers, and 12 VWDU OXEHUV JDV FKHFNLQJ HYHU\ GD\ :H KDYH EXOOHWV PDGH ZLWK ¿YH different alloys that we order in 40,000 - 60,000 lbs at a time a mixed per our set alloys. By the time you read this ad we should be in our new state of the art 10 thousand square foot facility. Prices subject to change without notice.
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Crimson Trace headquarters in Wilsonville, Ore., which is just outside Portland.
LASER FOCUSED
A Tour Of The Crimson Trace Facility Reveals A Commitment To Quality, Attention To Detail STORY BY TOM CLAYCOMB * PHOTOGRAPHS BY CRIMSON TRACE
I
’ve worked in several high-capacity plant settings, so I am familiar with that environment. Most of my career was spent as a high-speed production man, but at one time I was a quality control director for ConAgra Foods and oversaw five beef plants. I share that bit of history because, in my experience, if you know what to look for, you can get a feel of how a plant actually runs. I recently had the opportunity to join a tour of the Crimson Trace plant just outside Portland, Ore. As a former production man, I liked the environment. People worked in sync and production flowed smoothly. I was especially impressed with their quality control system. They not only do 100 percent checks but also conduct an audit system.
In my day this was called statistical process control, where you randomly pulled a certain percentage of product and audited it for defects. The audit determines if an entire lot passes or must be reworked. Our group was able to see how Crimson Trace actually produces its products from start to finish, and we were also able to test the goods in a specially designed indoor shooting range in both lighted and blacked-out environments with the company’s nightlighting systems and lasers. This may not be as newsworthy, but I loved the advertising posters that lined the walls in the company lobby. One depicted a mature housewife pulling out her pistol with the caption, “The beam says there’s no victim at this address.” Another one with a young woman read, “He thought I wouldn’t be prepared. The dot on his chest proved
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The production area is one of the busiest parts of the plant.
him wrong.” A third depicted a mom and stated, “The laser confirms my overprotective nature.” As a dad of two daughters, I appreciated the posters. The posters and slogans may have been created for advertising purposes, but they are as descriptive as they are accurate. Few words in any language are more universal than a red dot on your chest. In that moment of illumination, even a gangbanger knows it’s time to find another customer to prey on. So a laser sight may prevent you from having to shoot someone. Laser sights are extremely popular for self-protection weapons, but I purchased my first one for another use. I do a lot of solo bear hunting and backpacking, and I wanted to mount one on my .44 Magnum for tracking a wounded bruin in the dark, or for when bears pay my camp a visit in the middle of the night. Crimson Trace is widely recognized as a world leader in not only establishing laser sights as standard equipment on concealed-carry and personal-defense firearms, but for helping to create the market in the first place. The company has been manufacturing laser sights and lights for firearms for more than 20 years. With more than 200 SKUs and products there’s no way that I can cover all of Crimson Trace’s products in this brief article, so instead I’ll offer a quick rundown from a 30,000-foot view: 112
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GREEN LASERS: Crimson Trace is now producing numerous laser sights in green. The greens can be found in the Lasergrips, Laserguard, Rail Master, Rail Master Pros and MVF series. These products fit firearms ranging from 1911s
Two Crimson Trace employees build Rail Masters, a top-selling product in the company’s line.
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The CMR-205 mounted on a Smith & Wesson M&P series handgun.
to models by Glock, Smith & Wesson, Ruger and others. LINQ: When it hits the market later this year, Crimson Trace’s LiNQ will be the world’s first wireless laser and white-light system. The replaceable control grip pairs with the remote module that houses the laser sight and 300-lumen LED white light. A few advantages include no wires to tangle or disconnect and no activation pads to search for. This ease of operation makes it simple to use, and the two components can be quickly transferred to another firearm. The product easily installs onto nearly any standard AR/MSR platform rifle. RAIL MASTER AND RAIL MASTER PRO: These compact units quickly install on
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ADM OFFSET SUREFIRE SCOUT MOUNT ͻ WƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ Ă ϭ͟ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ĐĂŶƟůĞǀĞƌ ƚŽ ŵŽƵŶƚ LJŽƵƌ ^ƵƌĞĮƌĞ ^ĐŽƵƚ Žƌ ƐŝŵŝůĂƌ weaponlight. ͻ dŚŝƐ ĐĂŶƟůĞǀĞƌ ĂůůŽǁƐ LJŽƵ ƚŽ ĞůŝŵŝŶĂƚĞ or reduce barrel shadowing while using weaponlights. ͻ ǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ŝŶ ďŽƚŚ ůĞŌ ĂŶĚ ƌŝŐŚƚ ŚĂŶĚ mounts.
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American Defense MFG, LLC • 2525 S 162nd St • New Berlin, WI 53151 americanshootingjournal.com 115
The Crimson Trace product line is put on full display at every major trade show.
any firearm equipped with a M1913/Picatinny or Weaver rail system. The Rail Master features tap-on/off activation, and the new Rail Master PRO features a laser and light combo in one small unit. You can select to use laser only, light only, light and laser, or disorienting strobe light with either a red or green laser. MASTER SERIES: These replacement grips fit many pistols. Available wood grips include rosewood, walnut, cocobolo, and G10 green, black and gray. This series incorporates Instinctive Activation, so the laser activates when the firearm is gripped normally. LIGHTGUARD: A series of powerful lights that snuggly fit onto a handgun’s trigger guard. All have Instinctive Activation, so when you pick up the firearm and hold it normally, you have a light – no searching for a flashlight or holding a light in one hand and the firearm in another hand. Lightguards offer a distinct advantage in the dark. You can also install a Lasergrip on the handgun for a combo system. INFRARED LASERS: Observable only through night-vision equipment, these laser sights offer the ability to mark a target invisibly, or without alerting it. This military technology on the civilian market is popular with predator-control specialists and security personnel. These lasers are offered as a Rail Master, grips for the 1911 full-sized handguns, and also 116
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for Glock full-size and compact pistols. IR can also be found in the Crimson Trace MVF-515 system. LASERGRIPS: The largest product line at Crimson Trace, these laser-emitting grips are designed to fit a wide range of pistols. Holsters are also available from Crimson Trace for several of these handguns with Lasergrips. LASERGUARD: Laserguards are designed to fit over the trigger guard on specific handgun models and keep the profile and sleek form of compact semiauto pistols. These products emit a single red laser beam. LASERGUARD PRO: Continues the popular Laserguard line with a combined 150-lumen white light and red or green laser in lightweight unit to securely attach to a handgun’s trigger guard. MODULAR VERTICAL FOREGRIP (MVF): Designed for railequipped long guns, including the AR (or MSR) platform rifles, this red or green laser and white light combo vertical foregrip is crafted of 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum. This unit is adjustable for windage and elevation, and will fit M1913/Picatinny or similar accessory rails measuring at least 4 inches in length. The MVF is also offered in an IR (infrared) version. Military units and law enforcement groups around the globe use these.
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DEFENDER SERIES: This series sets a new standard in laser sighting systems with cutting edge design and superior technology in an affordable product. Popular features include the Bean Lock adjustments, N-Gage activation with a large easy-to-find activation button along with a powerful red aiming laser. The Defender Series products are offered in red laser beams only. BASED ON MY FAMILIARITY with production and if my tour of Crimson Trace’s facility is any indication, I’d say that the Oregon company will remain a leader in laser sights and more for a long time to come – and that we just might see a few more cool posters hung up on the factory’s walls. Editor’s note: For more information about Crimson Trace products, visit crimsontrace.com.
Each Crimson Trace laser product is tested in lighted and blackout environments in a specially designed shooting range at the factory.
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Product FEATURE
COMPACT TRAUMA KITS FOR THE REAL WORLD
Accidents And Scary Situations Are Bound To Happen, But These Kits Will Keep You Prepared Dark Angel Medical vacuum packs a good deal of useful items into a tight space for their Gen 4 kit.
Folded up, the Gen 4 is deceptively small.
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICK ROSS
I
n life, stuff happens, and if you pay any attention to the news, you already know that much of the stuff that happens is not good. From political protests and terrorist activity to everyday crime, the odds of something happening to one of us good guys are increasing. It’s always been a good idea to stay prepared for an emergency, so I’ve carried some sort of first aid kit with me for years, even when working at resorts in foreign countries. But the times, they are a-changing, and not in a good way, so we all need to re-evaluate whether having a
Band-Aid, some Advil and a packet of Neosporin is enough. Fortunately, there are several useful compact trauma kits on the market, and the best one for you will depend on your priorities and preferences. For this assignment, I chose to evaluate one kit each from two respectable companies: Dark Angel Medical and Echo-Sigma. DARK ANGEL MEDICAL D.A.R.K. GEN 4 This is one cool kit. I called Dark Angel and spoke with “Hoot,” and a few days later, a nice green kit arrived. As it turns out, the new kits have become so popular that the only kits of this type left in stock at the time of my order were green. Typically, americanshootingjournal.com 121
PRODUCT FEATURE coyote brown and multi-cam are available. And by the way, D.A.R.K. stands for Direct Action Response Kit. At first glance, the kit appeared to be very small, but this impression was quickly dispelled when I discovered that the entire internal portion of the kit had been vacuum packed, keeping it safe from the elements and making it quite compact. The pouch itself is constructed from 500D nylon made by FirstSpear, and measures 9 inches tall, 6 inches wide and
The Echo-Sigma Trauma Kit comes in coyote brown, red and black.
“AT FIRST GLANCE, THE KIT APPEARED TO BE VERY SMALL, BUT THIS IMPRESSION WAS QUICKLY DISPELLED …” 3 inches deep, a size that allows it to easily fit into a vehicle glove box or a pouch on a range bag, among other things. On one side of the kit’s exterior is a color-matched pair of trauma shears held snugly in place with a Velcro strap. On the opposite side is a C.A.T. tourniquet. On the front of the pouch is another Velcro strip with a first aid
TRIPLE K MFG. CO. #777 Lucky Gator Holster You won’t want to conceal this holster. Complement your 4-5” 1911 with Triple K’s #777 Lucky Gator holster. The Lucky Gator is constructed in the USA with genuine American Alligator hides. These hand-selected alligator hides are paired with Triple K’s premium vegetable tanned steer leather and waxed nylon stitching. The Lucky Gator features a draw shield to provide comfort when the weapon is drawn or holstered. Made in the USA since 1946. Available in Brown or Black. MSRP $179
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PRODUCT FEATURE symbol patch attached. On the “hip” side, there are strong straps with room enough for a 2-inch-wide belt, or a new attachment system that eliminates snaps, the FirstSpear 6/12 system. The webbing is woven through the channels and tucked back under, holding the kit in place. When you open the top of the pack and pull a small strap, the rest of the contents are ejected. The sealed pouch measures 8 inches high by 3 inches wide by 2 inches deep, and is scored at both sides of the top of the pouch for easy opening. It includes: 1 HALO Seal (upgrade to HALO Vent Seals for $5 more) 1 hemostatic gauze 1 nasopharyngeal airway 1 emergency bandage 1 compressed gauze 1 pair nitrile gloves 1 Mylar blanket 1 polycarbonate eye shield 1 TacMed assessment card The kit is also modular. For example, if you don’t like the C.A.T. tourniquet, you can substitute a SOFTT-W one instead. A pair of rip shears is another available option, as is an ARS chest decompression needle. Vacuum-sealed refills
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for the kit are also available, and the pouch comes with a lifetime guarantee. And if you use the kit to save a life, the company will replace it for free. The D.A.R.K. Gen 4 turned out to be a product that I would like to have at a range or during a competition, so I bought it following my evaluation. Third-generation kits, with a slightly different pouch, are still available for a discount at the time of this writing. There are also others available in many different configurations, from pocket size to a really nice model that fits into a .50-caliber ammo can, all the way up to their largest offering, the ST MIKE (Severe Trauma & Medical Intervention Kit, Emergency) kit. For more information, visit darkangelmedical.com. ECHO-SIGMA TRAUMA KIT This is another handy and useful kit, albeit a bit larger than the D.A.R.K. Gen 4. It will easily attach to a range bag for a group outing, and just might make it into the glove box of your truck with a bit of coaxing. It is available in coyote brown, red and black, and the one I tested was in black. The kit measures approximately 8 inches high by 7 inches wide by 4 inches deep. The pouch is designed to rip away from the modular platform base, and attaches via MOLLIE or snaps around a belt. The strap on the platform keeps the pouch from falling off accidentally. It’s a trifold-designed
THE FERRARI OF TRIGGERS PERFORMS AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS. BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT. “This trigger is so clean and crisp that it amazes me every time... The reset is magic.” - Joe
“Once you squeeze this trigger and make a follow-up shot in the same hole, you’re gonna be so mad you spent money on any other trigger group.” - Doug
“I have used many different drop-in AR triggers in the past, but the RA-535 is without a doubt the best of the best! The break is so clean, I am almost surprised when it happens, and the reset is so crisp that double-taps and follow-on shots are a breeze.” - Joel
“I was able to have a much better feel between my finger and the trigger with no take-up, giving me a much more precise shot. And with the reset as crisp and solid as it is, my follow-up shots were fast and spot on.” - Les
“My grouping has become so tight, it’s hard to count the shots on the paper target at 100 yards with backup sights only… Amazing product. Amazing company.” - Daniel
THE RA-535 ADVANCED-PERFORMANCE TRIGGER Proudly designed and made in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma www.RiseArmament.com
PRODUCT FEATURE THE BASIC KIT INCLUDES: 1 Condor Outdoor MA41 Rip-Away EMT pouch 1 C.A.T. Combat Tourniquet 1 Celox Rapid hemostatic gauze 1 6-inch N.A.R. Emergency Trauma Dressing 2 N.A.R. Compressed Gauzes 1 pair trauma shears 2 rolls adhesive dressing tape 2 pair N.A.R. Black Talon nitrile gloves
There is plenty of room inside the Echo-Sigma kit for a few extras and personalization.
bag, and is opened by two large zippers. There is plenty of room inside for a few extras and personalization. Throw in a few Band-Aids and a couple of packets of Neosporin for the small stuff and a pair of hemostats and you’ll be good to go. My tester came with the Syringe/Suture kit, but an Echo-Sigma compact first aid kit is also an option.
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www.tomkatammo.com • 301-926-7068 18 Cessna Court Gaithersburg, MD 20879 126
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THE SUTURE/SYRINGE KIT INCLUDES: 1 Adventure Medical Suture/Syringe Kit 1 pair of gloves, nitrile, hand wipe 1 angiocatheter, 18G X 1¼ inches 1 sterile needle, 18G X 1½ inches 1 sterile needle, 21G X 1½ inches 1 sterile needle, 25G X 5/8 inches 1 suture, nylon, 5-0 1 syringe, 1 cc with needle 1 syringe, Luer Lok, 3ml 3 After Cuts & Scrapes antiseptic wipes 4 alcohol swabs A smaller compact trauma kit is available via the company website, along with a really cool Echo-Sigma
PRODUCT FEATURE “KEEP IN MIND THAT BOTH OF THE AVAILABLE KITS INCLUDE ITEMS THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL TRAINING TO UTILIZE …” Runner “CR” (Critical Response) pack that is a small backpack loaded with gear and available with plenty of options. Whatever the case, you will definitely be able to find something that will suit your needs. For more, visit echo-sigma.com. KIT TRAINING Keep in mind that both of the available kits include items that require special training to utilize so that you don’t end up doing more harm than good. Fortunately, both companies provide this. Dark Angel Medical provides classes to teach you how to use the kits, and informative videos and articles are offered on the company’s website. The classes are available around the country at various locations and times, so see their website for details. If you choose an Echo-Sigma Trauma Kit, there are
also online videos and articles available to better prepare yourself to handle an emergency situation. Details are included with the kits. Regardless of which kit you purchase, should an accident happen, having one close at hand can save a life, whether it be yours, a family member, a buddy, or the guy in the lane next to you. After all, emergency services can be more than just a few minutes away and a kit like these along with proper training can slow bleeding and preserve life until EMTs arrive. Of course you could also watch something on YouTube, but let’s get real here. We are talking about someone’s life, possibly your own. Get the proper training. Editor’s note: Rick Ross is a NRA Life Member and Pistol instructor, IDPA and GSSF competitor, and an AR enthusiast. The Echo-Sigma kit is a trifold-designed bag, opened by two large zippers.
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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HOLSTERS
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HOLSTERS A TACTICAL RIFLE SOLUTION
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TRICKING OUT A
RUGER 10/22
The famed Ruger 10/22 was already a great little rifle before author Tom Claycomb tricked it out using parts shown here.
For Half A Century, This Unassuming Rifle Has Made It Easy For Owners To Teach An Old Dog New Tricks STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOM CLAYCOMB
I
’m convinced that the Ruger 10/22 is the most popular .22 rifle of all time. Not only is it a great little rifle right out of the box, but there are probably a million aftermarket items available that enhance its functionality even further, making it the most “trick-out-able” gun on the market. Now, your vote may be swayed by the current AR
Not bad for a rifle that first hit the market in 1964. The 10/22 became my go-to rifle pretty quickly. How could I not love it? It’s extremely dependable, accurate and, as I mentioned, you can trick it out as much as you want. But it was my quest to hunt the elusive whistle pig (which in southern Idaho, where I shoot, refers to a Townsend’s ground squirrel) that led me to desire a higher level of accuracy, which in turn led to this article. I love hunting varmints in the spring, and on good days
“THE FIRST THING I DID WAS INSTALL A LEUPOLD VX2 4-12 AO CDS SCOPE …” platform rage, but that involves multiple calibers and brands. I’m talking about the most popular single gun, and the Ruger 10/22 owns that honor, hands down.
I’ll shoot 400 to 500 rounds at these ornery targets. But if you’re like me when shooting hundreds of rounds using a gun with a small capacity clip, you’ll get frustrated, and I americanshootingjournal.com 137
mean fast. In fact, it’s easy enough to get frustrated if you don’t have two or three fully stocked 25-shot banana clips on hand. As my experience progressed, it got to be fun to see how far out I could hit whistle pigs. I hit one a year or so ago at 197 yards, and then another at 207 yards. If they hold still and let you get three shots to zero in, you can hit them out there. Of course, the gale-like winds we encounter regularly
told me that even with good ammo, match shooters weigh their bullets and kick out those with the highest and lowest weights. I also shot his tricked-out 10/22, and although I thought he might have gone a little overboard with his, it got me thinking about which steps I should take with mine to achieve a higher level of accuracy. In other words, which items helped me and which ones did not?
To determine which item helped my accuracy and how much, I shot first with the plain 10/22 and economical scope, then I added the VX2 Leupold and shot it again, added the Timney trigger and shot, and then the Brownells barrel and Boyd stock. At each step I measured groups.
TRICKY, TRICKY Hunting whistle pigs requires a scope because they’re small targets. You may have to take head shots when they pop out of their holes, so I didn’t begin this test using open sights. In fact, with a cheap scope and Remington ammo I was already getting between .65-inch and 1.0-inch groups at 25 yards. Then I shot some Eley ammo and got my groups
Installing a Timney trigger is very easy. Remove the one screw holding on the stock and remove the stock. Many times the pins holding in the trigger will fall out, but if not, push them out. Install the trigger, replace the pins and remount the stock. That’s it.
“INSTALLING A TIMNEY 10/22 TRIGGER WAS SUPER SIMPLE.”
out on the high plains here in Idaho don’t help with longrange shooting. I noticed that while sighting in with a new scope, I’d have one or two fliers out of a 10-round group. Then, when I listened good, I observed that there’d be a difference in the loudness or volume of the report, which meant it had a little less powder than the previous shot. I then begin to doubt the ammo more than my shooting ability, a conclusion that was confirmed when my buddy
down to .4 inches. The first thing I did was install a Leupold VX2 4-12 AO CDS scope that I’d had painted in the company’s Custom Shop to match my new Boyd stock. Now I could really focus in and I was able to get my shooting down to groups of .6 inches with the Remington ammo and .4 with the Eley. My original trigger had a pull of 5.5 pounds but it had a rough spot and some drag, which hurt my accuracy. So after adding the scope I installed a Timney trigger with a 2¾-pound pull. This lighter setting aided my squeeze
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immensely. Installing a Timney 10/22 trigger was super simple. In fact, my son-in-law located a YouTube video that showed everything we needed to do, so we did the first one together. The video said to remove the stock and pull the pins. Well, we removed the stock and two pins fell out, so I looked at him and said, “I assume those are the two pins we’re
“THE NEXT STEP WAS TO PUT ON A BROWNELL’S BARREL AND A BOYD STOCK.” supposed to take out.” They had been held in place by the stock, so the process couldn’t have been simpler. Despite the wind being pretty bad, with the new scope and trigger I was able to shoot groups between .5 inches and 1.0 inch using Remington ammo, and with the Eley I was consistently getting .5-inch groups. I now felt as if I had a good shooting rifle. The next step was to put on a Brownells barrel and a Boyd Stock. Removing the barrel was also pretty simple. First you remove the stock, and then there are two Allen bolts holding a block that pins in the barrel. Remove them. My barrel was tight, so I ran home and used a wooden dowel rod to tap it off. To mount it again, just reverse the
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order of steps. Then I slid on the Boyd stock and tightened it down with the one screw. What a sweet-looking rifle! The following day I had to teach some seminars at Sportsman’s Warehouse, but as soon as I was done I took off for the plains. Now, I didn’t measure it, but I’ll estimate that the wind was blowing around 15 miles per hour. The next day there was a little less, probably 8 to 10 mph, so that helped. But with my new, tricked-out 10/22, I was able to achieve .4- to .6-inch groups with the Remington ammo, and .2- to .3-inch groups with the Eley. I now had a shooter. If you believe different brands of ammo vary in your bigger caliber rifles (and I do), the variance is even more so with a .22. So on the final day, just for the sake of this article, I shot four brands. Here were the best groups that I obtained with each brand. Federal Target Grade Performance Winchester M22 Remington Golden Bullet Eley Force
1.3-inch group .9-inch group .4-inch group .2-inch group
TEST PARAMETERS: Tests were performed at 25 yards off a stable bench with Altus shooting bags; Distances were set using a Leupold RS-1200iTBR/W Digital Laser Rangefinder; Five-shot groups were fired; Shooting was done out on the prairie, so wind was a
accuracy besides choice of ammunition: 1. Scope You must be able to pinpoint one spot or you just aren’t going to be accurate. 2. Trigger If you can’t get a good squeeze, you just aren’t going to be able to tighten up your groups. 3. Boyd stock My stock is super comfortable and I feel like I have a good grasp of my rifle. Does that really help the accuracy? I think it does, if only minutely. Your mind will not drift off thinking how awkward or uncomfortable it is to hold. And although it is not a factor on a .22, Boyd The Leupold Custom Shop matched the claims that they help reduce recoil on pattern of this Boyd stock. larger caliber rifles. 4. Bull barrel I think this add-on would play a bigger factor on hot days when you’re pouring out the ammo. A lighter barrel would get warm. 5. Cool factor If you want to have a factor. For example, using Eley ammo indoors, I believe I rifle that takes people’s breath away, a could have obtained .1-inch groups. scope out of the Leupold Custom Shop and a Boyd stock will surely help. Tell Leupold what type of stock you’re SUMMARY: buying and they’ll paint your scope to match it. What’s Here is how I would rank (from 1 to 5, with 1 being the cooler than that? In addition, both companies have most important) which item most affected and/or improved options too numerous to mention.
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-NIFICANT SHOOTER With Quality Guns Like The MCX And A Branded Line Of Pellets And Targets, SIG Sauer Is Establishing Itself As A Leader In The Airgun Market
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SIG Sauer’s MCX provides shooters with a “real gun” feel and the easy-to-use benefits of an airgun.
STORY BY TOM CLAYCOMB • PHOTOGRAPHS BY SIG SAUER
I
t’s probably a waste of our ink and your time to remind you that SIG Sauer makes some sweet guns, or how excited I was when my friends at SIG told me that they wanted me to test their new airgun line. americanshootingjournal.com 145
SIG Sauer’s MCX (above) features the same weight as the original model, and is designed to deliver comparable handling, ensuring that it will be fun and challenging to shoot (below).
For that small minority who may not have read last month’s review of SIG’s P226 airgun, not only did SIG launch an airgun line, they went the extra mile and developed a good selection of extremely accurate pellets and a large choice of airgun targets. This was extremely smart on their part, as this new line will be a huge drawing card for kids … and grown-up kids, of course. So with that said, let’s discuss the MCX. It is the same weight as the original model, and is designed to deliver comparable handling. This “real gun” feel guarantees that it will be fun and challenging to shoot, but as with the P226, it’s also great for training purposes. The MCX is charged by CO2, which is a new experience for me. Even as a kid I have never had an airgun that used a CO2 canister. My airguns have always been pump-ups, break-action or PCPs. The MCX is quite simple to operate. To begin with, it uses a 90-gram canister instead of the normal 12-gram ones. To install a canister you remove the butt stock, screw it in and replace the stock over it. I’m sure it was designed around a larger canister because it holds a 30 shot clip. And speaking of clips, the clip pops out the same as on your regular AR. Inside is a rotary belt that you insert pellets into, which will hold 30 pellets. To load it you pull back the bolt just like on your AR. 146
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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The MCX uses a 90-gram CO2 canister. To install, you simply remove the butt stock, screw the canister in and replace the stock over it.
The 30-shot clip pops out the same as on your regular AR.
SIG SAUER PELLETS Here’s a quick word on SIG Sauer pellets. I’ve tested quite a few airguns over the last few years and was frustrated with the accuracy of many of them, especially the break-action models. I conducted a semicomprehensive test on pellets and discovered that choosing the proper pellet in getting a good group is second only to choosing the right gun. I don’t know why any airgun companies would make cheap pellets. Wouldn’t that just frustrate current and potential customers? But I was pleasantly surprised with the pellets from SIG. In some tests they rated as high as the second most accurate that I shot, so they’re doing something right. So make sure to check out their line of pellets and see how they shoot in your gun – or one of theirs.
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The gun does have a forward assist bolt, but it is merely decorative, not functional. With it holding 30 pellets and being a semiauto, that makes it a fun gun to shoot. I fell in love with it right when I opened the box, and was impressed with how solid it felt. For the initial voyage, we went out to shoot and chronograph. There were a few ground squirrels out, but we tried to focus on the task at hand. We had a lot of guns to shoot that day and pellets to test. But we finally broke down and shot ground squirrels for a couple of hours when we were finished with the real work.
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The SIG MCX will make an excellent training rifle, as well as a fine varmint gun.
Although the gun is listed as shooting up to 750 feet per second, we attained only 590. But fps can vary greatly for a variety of reasons, such as if you have a fully charged canister or not, what kind of pellet that you’re shooting and variations in temperature. I think it’d be fun to chronograph it in 30-degree weather and then again in 105-degree conditions, conducting both tests on a new canister and the same pellets, and compare speeds. I was unhappy with the groups that I was getting on the range. But I took it along when we went to the mountains for some coyote hunting, and I was able to retest in the middle of the day when things slowed down. I got a little over a 7/8-inch three-shot group at 30 feet. That’s more like it. I wrote about hunting ground squirrels elsewhere in this issue, and mentioned that on a good day I’ll get 400 to 500 shots off, so the cost of .22 ammo can quickly add up. So for close shots in a similar hunting scenario, the MCX will not only be a fun little gun to shoot, but it’s also very economical. The MCX comes with a 1-4x24 SIG Sauer scope, and I was impressed by how crisp and clear it is. The crosshairs have marks for distance and windage. The only downside is that the scope is a 1-4x; as I’m shooting small targets and pushing the limit on yardage when I’m hunting with my airguns, I wish that it was at least a 3-9x. The trigger was really rough at first. But while I was trying to measure the poundage, it leveled out and pulled straight through at 6.25 pounds. Maybe it just had to break in to get smooth. Obviously, if it had a better trigger, I know that I could tighten my group. But despite the minor issues with the trigger and scope, it is a great little gun, and as soon as the ground squirrels come out in full force I’m going to burn the barrel out. Shooters of all ages will certainly enjoy it, but as with most modern airguns, it is definitely not a toy. Editor’s note: For more, see sigsauerasp.com.
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DECISION 2016 GET $50 BACK ON ANY VX-1 OR MARK AR MOD 1
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2. PURCHASE ANY LEUPOLD VX-1 OR MARK AR MOD 1 RIFLESCOPE 3. VISIT LEUPOLD.COM/REWARDS. FILL OUT THE ONLINE FORM TO SUBMIT YOUR CLAIM. OR DOWNLOAD. PRINT OUT AND SEND IN THE CLAIM FORM. LEUPOLD.COM/REWARDS
© 2016 Leupold+Stevens, Inc.
The Leupold & Stevens factory provides jobs for more than 650 people who produce top-quality riflescopes and other optics.
Leupold Blends High Capacity With Quality, State-of-the-art Recycling To Produce Top Optics STORY AND PHOTOS BY TROY RODAKOWSKI
T
he Leupold & Stevens factory in Beaverton, Ore., just west of Portland, stands on the far edge of a grassy, wooded hill at the end of a long, curving driveway, and the distance from the public street to the front door is just far enough to put one of their popular riflescopes or range finders to the test. Standing at the sign out front, the headquarters could be taken for a small college or public library. Instead, this unassuming facility houses a beehive of activity in a multistory structure that cuts deeply down and into the hill, making the factory much larger – and more secure – than it appears. Despite its humble appearance, the campus supports more than 650 employees. I recently visited Leupold for a tour courtesy of Dave Domin, one of the company’s marketing and communication specialists. My visit encompassed the entire production process from beginning to end and included a review of their state-of-the-art recycling program. Each year, Leupold uses enough raw T6061 and T7075
aluminum that, if laid end to end, it would stretch from Beaverton to Chicago. Due to a close partnership with INDEX, one of the world’s premium machine tool builders, they have the largest installation of that company’s products
“LEUPOLD USES ENOUGH RAW T6061 AND T7075 ALUMINUM THAT, IF LAID END TO END, IT WOULD STRETCH FROM BEAVERTON TO CHICAGO.” west of the Mississippi. All 45 machines are customized to a specific manufacturing need. But despite the high volume, nothing at the facility goes americanshootingjournal.com 153
to waste. The use of strike-forged steel and near-net-shape parts saves time and trash, but Leupold also boasts one of the best recycling programs in the West, as aluminum chip waste is systematically formed into “pucks.” These pucks, worth three times more than loose aluminum chips, are shipped back to fabricators and are in turn melted down and reformed into new bar stock to be used again.
“CONTINUOUS QUALITY CHECKS SPACED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS ENSURE NO DEFECT IS PASSED ALONG.”
Leupold marketing and communications specialist Dave Domin shows off some of the bar stock used to manufacture the majority of scopes at the plant.
In addition, the companywide recycling program includes coolant, paper, cardboard, wood and batteries. The base-and-ring-manufacturing section of the factory produces 440 different bases designed to fit more than 380 unique firearms. More than a million bases are manufactured per year, representing nearly 40,000 baseand-ring combinations. Leupold’s Custom Shop was founded in 2005, and leads the industry in custom exterior color and patterns,
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reticles, adjustments, engraving and more. Custom engraving is always available, with all markings on scopes made by high-speed laser. In addition, the company laser engraves more than 15,000 custom dials a year, with more than a million different custom combos available. The company boasts nine unique assembly lines incorporating more than 200 individual parts per scope. Continuous quality checks spaced throughout the process ensure no defect is passed along. All scopes are strenuously tested using live fire before departing the factory, and are pressure tested to ensure that the finished product meets the highest industry standards. All scope and optic assembly and testing occurs in climatecontrolled “clean rooms” free from dust and other organic particles that could possibly affect the performance of their
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Recycled aluminum is sent back in “puck” form to be melted down and re-used.
“LEUPOLD CONTINUES TO REPAIR SCOPES DATING BACK TO THE LATE 1940S …”
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
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Rough-cut aluminum scopes (right) take shape (left) as they make their way through Leupold’s precision manufacturing and cutting equipment.
*Go to our website for our 8 min. video
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product, and every employee working in this part of the facility wears a protective suit over their clothing. Anyone who has used Leupold optics knows they are dependable, durable and stand up alongside the top names in the business. I use a Leupold scope that was constructed in the 1960s, and this “outdated” instrument still ensures that one of my .308 rifles drives tacks at 100 yards. With a product service team representing more than 300 years of experience, Leupold continues to repair scopes dating back to the late 1940s, and if they aren’t able to repair them, they will replace them with an equivalent current model in an average turnaround time of just seven days. Their services include reticle changes, adjustment upgrades, cleaning and inspecting, among many other things. In addition to their Beaverton plant, Leupold has international repair facilities in Canada, Australia, Sweden and Germany, and these five service nearly 40,000 products annually. Each year, team members respond to 145,000 phone calls, 48,000 emails and process 47,000 product orders. With top-of-the-line products supported by exceptional service, it’s no mystery why Leupold scopes, binoculars, range finders, spotting scopes and other optics remain some of the most respected on the market.
F-1 FIREARMS BDR-15 3G RIFLE
The F-1 Firearms BDR-15 3G Rie is the agship of the F-1 Firearms brand. Designed to be lightweight, accurate, and rigid, this base rie is a must have for any shooter. The rie carries sub MOA accuracy, was machined with 7075-T6 aircraft quality aluminum in the recever set and handguard, was hand ďŹ nished, offers customizeable options and brings a look to the rie that is unmatched in the industry. • NiB bolt carrier group • Match grade stainless 16â€? barrel (base model) • Chambered in .223 Wylde, .300 AAC or 7.62x39 • C7K Contoured (KeyMod) rail at 12.75â€? over low-pro gas block • Oversized trigger guard • Magpul MOE adjustable buttstock and grip • Black - Type III Class 2 hard anodizing • Colors - Type II hard anodizing • 60° beveled magwell • F-1 Firearms 100% Product Guarantee
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Make the world a quieter place.
A silencer on your firearm can make the world a quieter place too. SilencerShop.com
Grenadier® .45, 9 mm & 9mm CBQ Suppressors Freedom Armory Machine Works is proud to introduce our revolutionary line of Grenadier® suppressors that utilize Gas Indexing Technology(GIT) • Patented GIT baffles configurable by operator. • TBT allows 100% of parts to be disassembled for easy cleaning. • Full auto rates for .45ACP and 9 mm. • All components are Titanium except stainless spring and O-rings. • Top rated noise reduction.
• The most durable .45 and 9mm suppressors in the marketplace. • Baffles/piston assembly minimize carbon leakage inside tube wall. • 1.375” diameter • Simple to assemble by hand using no special custom tools.
(717) 227-9060 • Suppressors@famachineworks.com • www.famachineworks.com 160
American Shooting Journal // August 2016
SUPPRESSOR
GALLERY SRT ARMS Model: Ruger 77/44 Length: 1 inch longer than factory rifle Mount: Integrally mounted Weight: 1 pound more than factory rifle Decibel: 120 dB absolute with 240-grain subsonic ammo Materials: 4130 outer tube, 7075 aluminum baffles and caps Notes: Optional fast-twist Douglas barrel available MSRP: $995 on customer-supplied rifle; add $365 for optional barrel upgrade More info: srtarms.com
HARDENED ARMS FREEDOM AR ARMORY Model: Minuteman Suppressor Caliber: .22 LR, .22 Mag, .22 WMR , .22 Hornet, FN 5.7x28 Length: 6.00 inches Weight: 3.9 ounces Sound reduction: 42 dB Material: Tube: GR9 titanium; baffles/end caps: 6AI-4V, annealed titanium MSRP: $600.00 More info: famachineworks.com
Model: Black Widow Monocore Suppressor Caliber: 300 Blackout Supersonic and Subsonic only Length: 7 inches Diameter: 1.6 inches Mount: Direct thread 5/8-inchx24 tpi Weight: 24 ounces Sound reduction: 37 db (subsonics) Material: 4150 steel alloy Notes: Utilizes a fully serviceable monocore technology tuned for 300 Blackout. The Black Widow is designed to be pinned to a 10.5-inch 300 Blackout barrel, but is warrantied on all 300 BLK. Rated for full and semiautomatic rifles. MSRP: $799 More info: hardenedarms.com
MACK BROTHERS Model: MB762S Caliber: .308 Length: 8.5 inches Diameter: 1.5 inches Mount: Ball Lock Interface Weight: 17 ounces Decibel: 29 dB Materials: Titanium/17-4 PH stainless steel Finish: Gun-Kote MSRP: $950 (includes one adapter) More info: macbros.com
SIG SAUER Model: SRD9 Caliber: 9mm Length: 7.2 x 1.38 inches / 182.8 x 35.0mm Mount: Direct thread Weight: 9 ounces / 255.1 grams Decibel: 128 dB (dry) Materials: Grade 9 titanium and 17-4 PH stainless steel baffles MSRP: $695 More info: sigsilencers.com
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Model: Desert Tech Selftightening .338 Titanium Caliber: .338 LM Length: 8.3 inches Diameter: 1.625 inches Mount: 1 1/16 x 18 Weight: 17.6 ounces Decibel: 146 dB Material: Titanium MSRP: $1,995 More info: deserttech.com
Model: Nitro Calibers: .17 HMR to .300 Ultra Mag Length: 7.35 inches Diameter: 1.562 inches Sound reduction: 35 dB Material: 17-4 PH stainless steel el Notes: Multicaliber sound suppression system MSRP: $950 More info: yhm.net
Manufacturer: Gemtech Model: Tracker Calibers: .300 BLK, 6.8mm, 5.56mm (.223), 7.62mm (.30 caliber up to .300 WM) Length: 7.9 inches Mount: Direct thread 5/8-inch x 24tpi Weight: 11.3 ounces Material: Titanium and aluminum MSRP: $599 More info: silencershop.com; gem-tech.com
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Product FEATURE
GET ME HOME!
Kit From Echo-Sigma Provides Wealth Of Emergency Options In Midsized Nylon Bag
The Get Home Bag from Echo-Sigma will help you do exactly what the name says.
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICK ROSS
A
lthough I don’t consider myself a prepper, I do like to be prepared, so it may simply be an issue of semantics. Many of us, perhaps you included, have spent a boatload of time and money on building our own disaster bags, but there are also many premade bags on the market. Some are very cheap and wouldn’t last 10 minutes in the real world, but Echo-Sigma bags are at the other end of the spectrum. Their GHB, or Get Home Bag (reviewed here), is a medium-sized bug-out bag. This well-
crafted kit seems perfect for one to three days’ duration, or simply to get you out of a sticky situation and safely home, hence the name. As I unpacked the bag, I was immediately impressed and wished I had found it years ago. It is stored in a nice nylon sack, which should work great to keep it out of sight. No one needs to know that you have something hidden away for an emergency. The pack is midsized, but has plenty of room to add personal items and additional supplies if you wish. Pockets and compartments abound on this bag, all with heavy-duty zippers or elastic tops to americanshootingjournal.com 163
PRODUCT FEATURE help keep things organized. Another great thing about this bag is that it comes loaded and ready to go. All the items – and they are plentiful– are neatly stowed and organized. No bulky packaging here.
Dozens of useful items are neatly stowed and organized in a medium nylon bag, available in red, black and coyote brown.
In addition to the great stuff, inside, the Get Home Bag features a 2.5-liter hydration system by Condor Outdoor.
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THE BASIC KIT INCLUDES: 1 compact backpack 1 2.5-liter hydration system by Condor Outdoor 1 Echo-Sigma 1-3 Day Provision Pack (arid, with a five-year storage life in a warmer environment) 1 Echo-Sigma Compact Survival Kit that includes: 1 compass 1 emergency whistle 1 emergency blanket by Coghlan’s 1 BIC-brand butane disposable lighter 1 magnesium fire starter with flint striker 40 waterproof matches by Coghlan’s 1 Live Fire Sport Emergency Fire Starter 50 inches of duct tape 1 bottle of water purification tablets by Coghlan’s 2 chemical light sticks by Coghlan’s 2 BIC-brand ballpoint pens 1 pad of paper 1 set of earplugs 1 Echo-Sigma Compact First Aid Kit with: 1 4-inch scissor 1 3-inch tweezer 1 first aid card 20 plastic bandages 12 alcohol swabs 10 wet wipes 10 antiseptic swabs 3 sting relief swabs 4 pain relief tablets 2 3-inch by 3-inch sterile gauze pads 1 2-inch by 5-yard gauze roll 1 5-inch by 9-inch sterile abdominal dressing 1 0.5-inch by 2.5-yard roll of tape Access to 14 exclusive online training videos 1 SOG Reactor multitool 1 waterproof LED flashlight by Fenix (187 lumen) 50 feet of military-grade 550 paracord 10 extra large zip ties 1 Coghlan’s Emergency Tube Tent 1 emergency poncho 1 plexiglass mirror for signaling help 1 Cocoon thermal sleeping bag by Survival Industries 6 premium AA alkaline batteries (guaranteed fresh for seven years) 1 pair leather work gloves 2 N95-rated respirator masks 1 pair of protective goggles 2 hand warmers by Coghlan’s
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PRODUCT FEATURE But this bag is not simply a “one size fits all” solution. You’ll find a wealth of customizable options based on your personal needs and preferences on the company website. First among these are three bag color choices: red, black and coyote brown. Want a more powerful flashlight? No problem, as even a headlamp is an option. Would you like more food? Add an MRE to boost calorie count and time in flight. How about a different multi-tool? Four are offered at different price points. Further website research reveals the availability of knives, axes, a folding shovel (entrenching tool) and more goodies, including a multi-powered radio. LifeStraw and other water-purification items are available as well, and did I mention the Geigerrig
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Pressurized Hydration System with inline filter? There, I did. The instructions for each item in the bag are also included in a small waterproof pouch. After all, depending on the scenario, you might just need something to read. But wait, there is still more! Want to step it up another notch? Echo-Sigma offers a SOG special edition Get Home Bag loaded with lots of gear. Feel as if you don’t need all the items listed above? Opt for the Runner bag, a slimmed-down bag geared for lighter weight and faster travel, although it is also available with plenty of options and upgrades. Desire something even larger? They have many fullsized bug-out bags with plenty of options and upgrades, plus a monstrous Emergency Roll Away for Two (ER2) kit that is packed with two bug-out bags and more gear. (Quick pause to drool – I do want one of these.) What if you are already working on your own bag and just need a few more elements? No sweat. EchoSigma can provide a wide variety of pieces and parts to top off your kit, including food and water, trauma kits, compact survival kit, knives, tools – you name it. I ordered an Echo-Sigma Provision Pack to supplement my own ever-changing pack, an addition that will provide three to 10 days of food and water, depending on my activity. This great company offers several other products, and among those are three I would consider “special” bags. First, a Range bag that includes magazine pouches, a first aid kit and a trauma kit (which I review elsewhere in this issue), and two Active Shooter Response System bags of different sizes. These are designed in conjunction with federal law enforcement officers to help keep them supplied in that type of situation. All Echo-Sigma offerings are very well thought out, packed in heavyduty packs and bags, correctly stowed and ready to use, so kudos to this fine company for doing much of the hard work for us. To start your research, or to continue planning and building a personalized kit for yourself or a loved one, visit echo-sigma.com.
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Product FEATURE
ADJUSTABLE HUNTER
Magpul Expands Into Traditional Rifle Stock Offerings, Including A Model For The Remington 700
The Magpul Hunter stock makes an excellent after-market addition to a Remington 700 short-action series rifle.
REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD SHARRER
M
agpul Industries has long been known for manufacturing superior rifle (and now pistol) magazines, as well as improved stocks for ARs. The company is now expanding into more traditional rifle stocks and is taking them to new levels. I was recently sent a Magpul “Hunter” stock for the Remington 700 series rifles to test. Now, admittedly, I’m not much of a hunter. I choose to spend my shooting time a bit more tactically, but with that said, I really do like this stock. The version I received was in basic black, but other available colors include flat dark earth, stealth gray and olive drab green. This stock features reinforced polymer construction, and includes such unique features as a spacer adjustable length of pull with a range of adjustment from 13 to 15 inches in half-inch increments. That is a wonderful addition to any stock, in my opinion. I think of myself as an average-sized guy (5-foot-9, 170 pounds), but I’ve yet to find a stock that fits me out of the box. The ability to simply add or remove spacers to get the gun to fit me the way I like it is an excellent improvement over a “standard” stock.
Another unique addition is the ability to adjust the height of the cheek piece. A high cheek riser kit is available that enables users to modify the height of the stock comb and allow a proper cheek weld behind a scope. Most “hunter” stocks seem to be set for iron sight use, and adding even a low mounted scope forces the shooter to compromise a good cheek weld to use the scope. This leads to less accuracy and a slower shot, as the shooter has to find the eye box behind the scope. Not with this set-up. Simply mount the gun to your shoulder, get a solid cheek weld and the crosshairs are right in front of your eye. Nice! The stock comes out of the box it set up to use both the OEM bottom metal and the blind magazine standard on the Remington 700 series rifles. There is, however, an option to replace that with detachable AICS-pattern magazines. A section of M-LOK compatible slots in the forend make attaching accessories easy and fast. This is a “drop-in product. No fitting or inletting is required. If you are looking to upgrade your Remington 700 stock, be that of your favorite deer rifle in .308 Win, a suppressed 700 SD in 300 Blackout or any other short- or long-action 700, you should give this option a good long look. americanshootingjournal.com 169
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Product FEATURE
A BIRTHDAY-WORTHY BLADE
Zero Tolerance 0301 A Perfect Knife For Zombie-occupied Zones – And Just About Everywhere Else REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICK ROSS
I
’ve had my share of knives, and the selection has run the gamut. There have been a pair of versatile Victorinox Swiss Army knives I picked up while backpacking through Europe and some really nice Cold Steel models, as well as a few cheap imports that didn’t last a week. No offense to the cheaper knife makers, but my father always told me that you get what you pay for. Maybe not in those exact those words, but you know what I mean. When I first saw the advertisement for the ZT 0301, I didn’t know what to think. The knives appeared thicker and a bit odd shaped for a traditional, selfdiagnosed machirologist (yes, there is a word for “knife collector”) as myself. But something spoke to me. So as a gift to myself for my 50th birthday (as I knew my wife wouldn’t get one for me), I ordered one. With a retail price of $340, I knew I was going out on a limb, having never held one in my hand. But my dealer assured me that he would take it back if I didn’t like it. That will never happen now. You can see that this hunk of steel is unique from a photograph, but what you can’t see is the extremely high-quality fit and finish of this edged beast. The patented Speedsafe Ambidextrous assisted opening system thrusts (yeah, baby!) the heavy blade out and it locks with a satisfying click. And by “click,” I really mean a noise like when the door of a truck slams shut.
The Zero Tolerance 0301. americanshootingjournal.com 171
PRODUCT FEATURE
The Quad-mount system allows four different ways to attach the pocket clip.
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American Shooting Journal // August 2016
You can feel the “thunk.” The 3.75-inch Ken Onion-designed blade is made of S30V steel, and wears a tiger-striped tungsten DLC (diamondlike coating) that not only looks really cool, but also actually serves a purpose by enhancing blade hardness and reducing friction and drag. The handle is also very unique. The “front” side is made of G-10, machined with a green scale pattern, while the black back, or lock, side is made from titanium and has the same scale pattern cut into it. I had always thought that a knife with rubber-type grips would have the best feel. I was wrong, but who’s counting? The knife as a package just feels right. And here’s another great point: A portion of the titanium back acts as the blade lock, keeping your fingers safe. I have never had this blade even budge a tiny bit while using it. Ever. Period. End of story. The knife also has Zero Tolerance’s Quad-mount system that allows four
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The 3.75-inch Ken Onion-designed blade is made of S30V steel.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS:
different ways to attach the • Made in the USA pocket clip. Right handed, left • Assisted opening handed, point up, point down • Titanium frame lock – you name it. Oh. I just did. • Quad-mount clip (tip up/down; left/right) Looking for a great knife? • Steel: S30V, tungsten DLC coating, tiger stripe Of course you are. So visit the • Handle: 3D machined G-10 front, titanium back company web site and check • Blade length: 3.75 inches (9.5 centimeters) out all the top quality models • Closed length: 5.1 inches (13 centimeters) from Zero Tolerance. • Overall length: 8.6 inches (21.9 centimeters) Heck, if it’s the right time • Weight: 8 ounces (226.8 grams) of year, you even can buy yourself a nice birthday present – just in case someone else won’t. Editor’s note: For more information, visit zt.kaiusaltd.com. 174
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