RECOIL Issue 39 by Vadim Koval

EDC

NOW STANDS FOR EVERYDAY CHOICES

The Ruger® EC9s™ comes with no gimmicks, rebates or mail-in offers for gift cards... just the rugged, reliability of the strikerﬁred LC9s®, now with integral sights and a no-hassle price point that won’t break the bank. The Ruger® Security-9™ is an affordable, rugged, mid-sized pistol that provides everyday security in the perfect caliber, size and price point.

WHY CHOOSE BETWEEN THEM WHEN YOU CAN HAVE BOTH?

RUGER.COM

IS S U E 39

FEATURES 48

AN OLD DOG WITH NEW TRICKS Overhauling a Vintage West German P226

SHOOTOUT IN MIAMI The 15-Minute Gunight That Reshaped U.S. Law Enforcement Tactics

48 60

HI POWER REDUX We Pick Up Where JMB Left Off

NIGHT MOVES Three Days of Dancing in the Dark at TNVC’s Night Fighter Course

70 94

TWO WEEKS TO RETIREMENT

106

118

Breathing New Life Into an Aging Warhorse

106

HOT WASH The American Infantry Rifle and 25 Years of Lessons Learned

118

PILOTS, FROGMEN, AND SPIES The Knight’s Armament XM-9, Snap-On Silencer

126

THE GUNS OF BLACK HAWK DOWN Chronicling the Firearms of the Feature Film

138

NO. JOHN. WAYNE. A Gipperless Ode to Marlin Custom Shop’s Modern Lever Hunter

150

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE The Results of the Third Annual Firearms Industry Choice Awards

126

138

150

IS S U E 39

DEPARTMENTS 10

ON THE COVER

VISIT

4th Infantry Division Museum

184

SHOW US YOUR TATS

186

GOING HOT

.224 Valkyrie

DOWNRANGE Editor’s Letter

TRANSPORT

164

1989 Land Rover Defender

BUILDSHEET

ZEROED IN Jim Hodge

INCOMING New Gear

UNUSUAL SUSPECTS Historical Asian Swords

176

PT Debunking Fitness Myths

32 FIREARM SAFETY IS TOP PRIORITY RECOIL reminds you to be safe and always obey irearms safety rules: 1. Treat every gun as if it were loaded. 2. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. 3. Keep your inger off the trigger until ready to ire. 4. Be aware of your target’s foreground and background. All contents in RECOIL Magazine are professionally photographed in a closed studio or range. Do not attempt to re-create any photographs depicted in this magazine.

PRODUCT DISCLAIMER Prices and details for items featured in RECOIL are set by the manufacturers and retailers, and are subject to change without notice.

RECOIL (USPS 013-320), November/December 2018; Number 39, is published bimonthly by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10036. Copyright © 2018 by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY, and at additional mail ofices. Subscriptions U.S. and U.S. Possessions: $49.97 per year (6 issues); Canadian, $55.97, Foreign, $61.97 (including surface mail postage). Payment in advance. U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5): NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address changes to RECOIL, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Please allow 8-10 weeks for delivery of irst issue. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission. This book is purchased with the understanding that the information presented herein is from many varied sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy or completeness.

Throughout this issue you will see certain images are labeled as being 1:1 Actual Size. This designation is for the print edition of this issue. Because of the various screen sizes on different tablets and computers, we cannot always provide actual life size images in digital versions. We apologize if this causes any confusion and thank you for your understanding.

STREAMLIGHT’S TLR-7® & TLR-8® WEAPON MOUNTED LIGHTS •

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ON THE COVER 2 OPTIC

3 GRENADE LAUNCHER

MAKE:

Troy

Aimpoint

MODEL:

M16A2 SFOD-D

9000

MODEL:

MSRP:

M203 40mm

$1,299

$503

MSRP:

URL:

N/A

worldoftroy.com

aimpoint.com

MAKE:

VLTOR

COVER PHOTO BY STRAIGHT 8

1 RIFLE MAKE:

URL:

vltor.com

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REC O ILW E B .C O M

You know that high school girlfriend you think about every now

the outer fringes of the options currently available, and all of

and then? The one who keeps popping up unbidden, despite

us had fun indulging the ex-girlfriend fantasy.

the fact you love your wife and kids and wouldn’t ever dream of doing anything to jeopardize the good thing you’ve got going?

came away with the same conclusion. While it was a fun

Yet there it is, that memory that won’t go away.

exercise and produced some ine irearms that would just

Like most daydreams, the reality isn’t anywhere near as

plenty of good options currently available for about a third of

Despite the pitfalls it might entail, we decided to go back

the price. As gun consumers, we’re truly living in the best of

to the future. Rather than just pick 10 years beginning with

times, so despite that nagging thought that keeps popping

a zero and ending with a nine, we chose a chunk of time

up every now and then, enjoy what you have and don’t live

which spanned the end of the Cold War and the as-yet-

in the past. There’s a reason windshields are bigger than

unseen origins of the GWOT — think “Clash of Civilizations”

rearview mirrors.

guns from the period and were given the remit of dragging them kicking and screaming into the 21st century, without any editorial oversight or direction. As a result, some of us

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chose similar solutions to the problem, some picked stuff on

REC O ILW E B .C O M

about hang with anything we could buy today, there are

good as the fantasy — a situation that goes double for guns.

meets Lethal Weapon. Our staff then chose their favorite

After many thousands of dollars of modiications, we

Editorial. Editor/ Iain Harrison Executive Editor/ Rob Curtis Senior Editor/ Tom Marshall Managing Editor/ Laura Peltakian Contributing Editor/ Steven Kuo Editor // Social Media/ Dave Merrill Editor // Online/ Candice Horner Network Manager/ John Schwartze Director, Video Production/ Trent Stockton Photography Studio Manager/ Jorge Nuñez Contributors/ AZ Photo Man, Jake Blick, Earl W. Burress Jr., Amy Bushatz, Ryne Gioviano, Kenda Lenseigne, Joe Neuroth, RCP Photography, Straight 8, Peter Suciu, Patrick Vuong Special Thanks/ The Bullet Ranch, Gunsite Academy, Andy Larsson, Richard Mann, We Plead the Second

Art Direction & Design. Senior Art Director/ Gene Coo Art Director/ Sarah Lampert

Submissions. Recoil@RECOILweb.com

Subscriber Customer Services. Domestic/Canadian: 888.681.7064 Foreign: 386.246.0439 Recoil@RECOILweb.com

Advertising. VP, Group Publisher/ Mark Han General Manager/ Glen Castle 813.675.3495 Ad Sales/ Shawn Sloan 813.675.3552 Ad Sales/ Scott McGregor 435.657.5923 Advertising Operations Manager/ Monica Hernandez To advertise on this magazine’s website, or any of TEN: Publishing Media’s other enthusiast sites, please contact us at Advertising@RECOILweb.com.

TEN: Publishing Media, LLC. President/ Kevin Mullan SVP, Editorial & Advertising Operations/ Amy Diamond

Consumer Marketing, Enthusiast Media Subscription Company, Inc. SVP, Circulation/ Tom Slater VP, Retention & Operations Fulillment/ Donald T. Robinson III VP, Acquisition & Database Marketing/ Victoria Linehan VP, Newsstand Retail Sales/ William Carter

This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC., or the publisher as to legality, completeness and accuracy. Any submissions or contributions from readers shall be subject to and governed by TEN: Publishing Media’s User Content Submission Terms and Conditions, which are posted at http://www. enthusiastnetwork.com/submissions/ BACK ISSUES To order back issues, visit TENbackissues.com. REPRINTS For high-quality custom reprints and eprints, please contact The YGS Group at 800-290-5460 or TENreprints@theygsgroup.com EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS Editorial contributions are welcomed, but editors recommend that contributors query first. Contribution must be accompanied by return postage and we assume no responsibility for loss or damage thereto. Manuscripts must be typewritten on white paper, and all photographs must be accompanied by captions. Photo model releases required on all persons in photos. Recoil reserves the right to use material at its discretion, and we reserve the right to edit material to meet our requirements. Upon publication, payment will be made at our current rate, and that said payment will cover author’s and contributor’s rights of the contribution. Contributor’s act of mailing contribution shall constitute an express warranty that the material is original and no infringement on the rights of others. Mail contributions to: Recoil Magazine, 1821 E. Dyer Rd., Suite #150, Santa Ana, CA 92705. ADVERTISING INFORMATION Please call Recoil Advertising Department, (949) 705-3100. Printed in the USA Copyright © 2018 by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

PERFORMANCE WHEN IT MATTERS MOST Pro SeriesÂ® is used under license.

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The job dictates the tool. Applying some stucco? Grab a trowel. Installing a new turbocharger? Time to bust out the wrenches. But sometimes it’s enjoyable to have a tool that can do more than just one job. Take for instance the Flagrant Templar. This tomahawk is sharp enough for troops to stop bad guys in their tracks, whether through intimidation or blood loss. It’s strong enough for irst-responders to pry through barricades thanks to its 1095 high-carbon steel. And it’s comfortable enough for outdoor adventurers to choke up on the tapered handle for detailed work on irewood, fresh game, and more. This chopper features a Cerakote and comes with a Kydex sheath. It’s a multitool with more bite.

Assembling your own AR is the adult version of constructing a Lego set. It taps both the mechanical and the creative sides of your brain, resulting in a personalized build and a sense of accomplishment. That’s the fun part. The not-so-fun part is losing pins and springs or slipping and mangling the inish on your components. The AR15 Master Bench Block from Real Avid helps reduce those headaches. This comprehensive product lets you tap 13 vital pins, holds ive key components in eight ways, and secure loose pins with integrated magnets and a storage section. For convenience, there are component labels marked with pin punch sizes while the back and sides are wrapped with antislip over-molding.

MAKE:

MODEL:

Flagrant Beard

Pathinder SE Camo series

Trained by Nicholas “The Reaper” Irving (one of the greatest Army snipers in history) and fought alongside him, Staff Sergeant Paul Martinez served in Afghanistan as a sniper with the 75th Ranger Regiment. His 304page memoir from St. Martin’s Press, When the Killer Man Comes, focuses mostly on his platoon’s mission to hunt down the most dangerous Taliban and al Qaeda leaders just as the U.S. troop drawdown of 2011 approached — all while evading IEDs, RPGs, and small-arms ire. With cowriter George Galdorisi, Martinez gives us an insider’s look at the chaotic nature of combat, the complex political nature of the war, and perhaps most importantly the sacriices each military member makes when serving our country.

MODEL:

COMPATIBLE WITH:

MAKE:

MODEL:

Flagrant Templars

St. Martin’s Press

AR15 Master Bench Block

OAL:

Various, including Galaxy S9+ and iPhone 8.

MODEL:

MSRP:

12.75 inches

MSRP:

$50

When the Killer Man Comes: Eliminating Terrorists as a Special Operations Sniper

$30

MSRP:

$380

URL:

MSRP:

www.realavid.com

URL:

www.urbanarmorgear.com

$27

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It’s happened to the best of us. One second we’re enjoying the latest viral video, the next we’re looking at a spiderweb of broken glass. It doesn’t take much for a smartphone to slip out of our hands, land on concrete, and became a $600 paperweight. That’s why Urban Armor Gear makes lightweight composite phone cases that combine an impact-resistant soft core with an armored shell. They meet Mil-spec drop-test standards and are compatible with wireless charging. Its Pathinder SE Camo series features various camo patterns, including Arctic (white, gray, black), Hunter (green and orange), and Midnight (black and gray).

www.lagrantbeard.com

MAKE:

Urban Armor Gear

URL:

us.macmillan.com

REC O ILW E B .C O M

MAKE:

Real Avid

URL:

MAKE:

MODEL:

Barnes Bullets

Ruger MkIV Action Enhancement Kit

We’re digging deep into Marlin’s Model 1895 in this issue and if aftermarket support is an indicator of the big-bore 4570’s popularity, then we’re not alone in our fascination with the Tyrannosaurific rile. Ranger Point Precision recognized a few areas it could improve on the 1895. Chief among them is what we call the little big loop lever ($140) that’s a smaller version of the glove-friendly factory SBL lever. RPP’s version reduces the distance the hand travels to hit the back of the lever, getting the gun back into action faster. It doesn’t come with the 550 cord; we added that. We plugged RPP’s loading gate spring ($42) into the rile and our thumb thanked us for the reduction in effort needed ill the mag. Swapping out the plastic mag follower with RPP’s luted aluminum follower ($26) improves reliability with self-cleaning action by scraping the interior walls of the magazine as it travels.

MODEL:

MSRP:

MAKE:

Precision Match

$90

Ranger Point Precision

CALIBERS:

URL:

MODEL:

6 Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington

www.apextactical.com

Marlin 1895 Upgrade Parts

Apex Tactical Specialties expands its action enhancement products into the rimire category with its new MkIV kits. It offers two kits, one for the Mark IV and one for the Mark Iv 22/45. Both kits include an optimized trigger shoe, hammer, magazine disconnector, and safety plate. Taking 30 minutes to watch a few how-to videos and ripping into your Ruger makes for a splendid evening that pays off with a reduced trigger pull weight; 4.5 or 3.5 pounds on the Mark IV and 22/45, respectively. You also get less trigger travel, less overtravel, a cleaner break and, as Apex pointed out to us, it does all this without replacing or messing with the factory balanced sear … something it says Ruger told them would impact the pistol’s drop safety performance. MAKE:

Apex Tactical Specialties

We rarely go into the ield without a bipod on the gun or in the pack these days. There are a lot of good ones to choose from, but a common thread among the best is their use of interchangeable Atlas style bipod feet. Hawk Hill Custom brings Accu-Tac owners into the fold with its machined aluminum adapters that screw securely to the bottom of SR-5 and LR-10 bipods, imbuing them the power to run balls, sleds, pads, wafle cut, and wicked spikes such as Hawk Hill’s own Talon feet.

8 MAKE:

Hawk Hill Custom MODEL:

Accu-Tac to Atlas Bipod Feet Adapters MSRP:

$50 URL:

www.hawkhillcustom.com

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The recently launched Precision Match line is a departure from Barnes Bullets’ signature monolithic copper offerings. The new ammunition is based on a traditional copper jacketed lead round that the company loads for military customers. Barnes released the ammunition to the commercial market in 2015 and the initial offering encompassed military speciic cartridges: 5.56mm, .308W, .300WM, and .338LM. Now the company expands the meticulously made ammunition to popular precision calibers, 6 and 6.5 Creedmoor, and .260 Remington. The 6.5 and .260’s BC is an impressive .586, and the 6mm is pushing .624. Combine these high BCs with tight manufacturing and loading tolerances with extreme quality control measures and you’ve got a consistently accurate match load without spending Friday night in front of the press.

MSRP:

$26 to $140

$35/box of 20

URL:

www.rangerpointstore.com

19 5

6 8

REC O ILW E B .C O M

www.barnesbullets.com

MSRP:

Magpul’s continued march toward making everything for everything continues with the release of the Magpul Bipod. It’s designed to combine performance and value in a way that shames guys running $400 bipods while enticing guys running $50 bipods. The heart of the bipod is steel and aluminum while polymer is used in areas to save weight. The result is an 11-ounce support offering 6.3 inches to 10.3 inches of rise with 50 degrees of tilt and 40 degrees of independently locking pan movement. It also accepts Atlas style feet. The result is a capable, lightweight and inexpensive bipod that’ll punches above its price.

Magpul

Grey Ghost’s minimalist plate carrier carries standard 10x12inch ESAPI plates securely without a lot of frills. There’s enough PALS webbing to carry mag and radio pouches, irst-aid kits, and a Velcro ID pocket with a loop ield for patches. Grey Ghost also makes it’s own premium-featured, 4.8-pound Level III+ standalone armor plates. They are multishot rated and can stand up to light armor piercing projectiles. As an exclusive offer to RECOIL readers, it’s offering a package deal. Take 10 percent off a pair of the comfy, lightweight padded plates and the Minimalist plate carrier off when you order from Grey Ghost Gear using the code “DONKEYPUNCH” at checkout.

MODEL:

MAKE:

Bipod for M-LOK

Grey Ghost Gear

OPTIONS:

MODEL:

M-LOK, Picatinny Rail, ARMS 17S Style

Minimalist Plate Carrier and GGAP-31 Level III+ Armor Plates Kit

Say what you want about the idea behind themed AR builds, but the level of detail in Rare Breed Firearm’s new receiver sets is downright astonishing. The company igured out how to turn a CNC machine into a sculptor’s rifler, imbuing the Spartan helmet with detail, depth, and drama we’ve never seen on an AR. The lower’s premium feature set is what we’d expect from a part this pricey; 7075 billet construction, ambi-controls, and, on the one pictured, custom Cerakote that brings out the helmet. The custom safety markings and edging around the lower add to the 300/Percy Jackson feel. Available through Spike’s Tactical, the Spartan is available as a stripped lower, a receiver set and as complete pistols and riles. Take your molon labe game to the next level with a Spartan build. It may end up a safe queen … but it’s an excellent conversation starter (or ender) that’s bound to become a collector’s item, right out of the (Hot) gate.

$110

MSRP:

Waxed canvas with a bison leather strap

$888

MAKE:

URL:

WEIGHT:

www.magpul.com

Rare Breed Firearms

URL:

MODEL:

5 pounds (heavy ill), 3 pounds (light ill)

Spartan Bronze Helmet Lower Receiver

DIMENSIONS:

MAKE:

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MSRP:

www.greyghostgear.com

REC O ILW E B .C O M

While the new Pint-Sized Game Changer shooting bag looks like a smaller version of the Reasor Precision-designed, Armageddon Gear produced Optimized Game Changer shooting bag, it isn’t. It’s illed with much smaller, silica-based beads mimicing the look and feel of sand that combine with the waxed canvas exterior to make the Pint-Sized a dense, yet pliable shooting support. The bag works as both a front bag or a rear bag and excels at turning barricade shooting positions into stable supports. The move from nylon to waxed canvas should mean the bags will break in with use and become even more supple and grippy. We’ll have a full rundown on how to use the Game Changer bags on RECOILweb.com.

MAKE:

Armageddon Gear MODEL:

Pint-Sized Game Changer MATERIALS:

MSRP:

7 by 4.5 by 5 inches

$400

MSRP:

URL:

$85

www.rarebreedirearms.com

URL:

www.armageddongear.com

PRECISION ENGINEERED // RUGGED FIBERGLASS CONSTRUCTION // DESERT TAN FINISH

McMillan A-5 Tactical Stock on custom McMillan .338 Lapua Mag. rifle

You’ve put your heart and soul into the SHUIHFW ULÁH EXLOG 6KRXOGHU LW ZLWK SULGH 7KLV LV WKUHH JHQHUDWLRQV RI VXSHULRU LQQRYDWLRQ 7KLV LV D OLIHWLPH RI SHUIRUPDQFH This is McMillan.

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4TH INFANTRY REC O ILW E B .C O M

DIVISION MUSEUM

A STEADFAST MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY BY PETER SUCIU

At the 4th Infantry Division Museum at Fort

esteemed father, actually had to make multiple

Carson, Colorado, there’s a simple display of

petitions to be on the irst wave of Normandy

a fairly plain World War II oficer’s uniform on

landings at Utah Beach. As ADC or assistant

a mannequin with a hand-painted sign nearby

commander of the 4th Infantry Division, he

that says, “The War Starts Here.” The quote

argued that his place was with his men, and,

isn’t exactly what was said, but together this

like his father, he didn’t want to command

exhibit honors a man who had some big shoes

from a safe distance.

to ill. The display is of Brigadier General Theodore

However, no one in the Allied high command wanted the son of a former president of the

Roosevelt Jr., the son of President Teddy Roo-

United States to be killed in action. Requests

sevelt, the assistant commander of the 4th In-

by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

fantry Division, who, at 56, was the oldest man

to be on one of the ships that made up the

to take part in the D-Day landings and the only

invasion fleet had already been denied, but

general to land with the irst wave of soldiers.

Roosevelt was granted his wish and landed

On June 6, 1944, the general truly would’ve made his more-famous father proud by

with his men. It could be argued that he was the right man

going ashore with his men. Roosevelt, who

for the job, as the landing craft drifted almost a

had already reached a higher rank than his

mile before making landfall. General Roosevelt

4TH INFANTRY DIVISION MUSEUM The 4th Infantry Division Museum at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Left: Various equipment used by the 4th Infantry Division during World War II — this includes the gaiters that were worn over low boots as well as the later war “double buckle boots” most soldiers favored. In addition, this exhibit features a late-war Browning Automatic Rile (BAR) with carrying handle, but with the bipod removed to reduce weight.

assessed the situation as only a commander in the ield could do, and rather than try to lead his troops back to the original landing zone, he said instead,

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“We’ll start the war from right here!”

REC O ILW E B .C O M

In many ways that statement and the ighting spirit could also sum up the 4th Infantry Division, whose motto remains “Steadfast and Loyal.” The unit’s story, from its foundation to the modern day, is told at the small but impressive museum that stands just outside the main gates at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs.

THE WORLD WARS TO THE MODERN DAY The 4th Infantry Division was organized at Camp Greene, North

After World War II, the 4th ID was

Carolina, in December 1917 as

the deployed in Germany as part of

part of the buildup of the American

NATO operations. In 1966, it was sent

Expeditionary Force, which was soon

to the Central Highlands in Vietnam. It

to head to France and join the ighting

saw intense ighting with the People’s

on the Western Front in World War I.

Army of Vietnam along the Cambodian

The unit took part in the brutal ighting

border. From 1970 to 1995, the unit

during the St. Mihiel Offensive followed

was stationed at Fort Carson.

by the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, where it served with distinction. The unit was reactivated in June

The 4th Infantry Division has played a substantial role in the Global War on Terror with units deployed in both

1940 and took part in the D-Day

Afghanistan and Iraq. Members of

landings — with members of the

the unit’s 1st Brigade Combat Team

8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th ID

participated with United States special

claiming to be the irst surface-borne

operations forces in Operation Red

Allied units to land in France on June

Dawn in December 2003, and captured

6, 1944. The unit later saw action in

Saddam Hussein, the former president

Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.

of Iraq.

Top, right: The weapons and gear of the enemy! This exhibit includes a Waffen SS visor cap to an oficer, a German Model 35 steel helmet, K-98 Mauser rile, MG-42 machine gun, MP-40 submachine gun, and C-96 “Broom handle” pistol. Bottom, right: Among the small arms in the museum’s collection are a long-barreled German 9mm Luger and a Colt Model 1917 Revolver — the latter was produced due to shortages of the Colt Model 1911 pistol. Both Colt handguns ired a .45-caliber round.

A pair of captured German “stahlhelms” (steel helmets) and a rare German gas mask are on display with an early “egg style” hand grenade. All of these items were donated to the museum.

FASTER TARGET ACQUISITION. INCREASED RANGE. OPTIMAL VERSATILITY.

4TH INFANTRY DIVISION MUSEUM In total, 20 men who served in

is very real. The rifle was reportedly

the 4th Infantry Division, including

a gift to Uday Hussein, Saddam’s

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., were awarded

eldest son, and was captured at one of

4TH INFANTRY DIVISION MUSEUM

the Medal of Honor, proving again

Saddam’s palaces, later occupied by

ADDRESS

that this unit had some seriously hard

the 4th ID.

6013 Nelson Blvd, Fort Carson, CO 80913

chargers in its ranks. These men have

This museum is quite kid-friendly,

a itting place of honor in the museum

featuring a number of hands-on items,

as well.

including helmets and other gear that the younger (or even older) visitors can

THE MUSEUM COLLECTION

try on. For a compact museum, it’s illed

ADMISSION

The 4th Infantry Division Museum

with history of the hard-ighting unit.

Free

chronicles the history of the hard-ight-

The 4th Infantry Museum also

ing unit with key pieces that date back

features a notable “vehicle garden,”

to the First World War, including cap-

with several World War II and Cold War

tured German small arms, helmets, and

armored vehicles, as well as a current

equipment. The bulk of the collection

M1A1 Abrams tank on display. This

currently on display highlights the role

serves to denote the lineage of tank

the unit played in the D-Day landings

companies within the unit throughout

as well as in the liberation of France,

its distinguished history.

Belgium, and Luxembourg. 39

by 4th Infantry Division veterans, and

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Many of the items have been donated some are especially unique. These

REC O ILW E B .C O M

HOURS

Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed all federal holidays.

include a French bicycle from the 1940s, used in Vietnam by communist forces to move material down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It was donated to the

PHONE

(719) 524-0915 URL

www.carson.army.mil/ museum.html

Top: A gold-plated Al Kadisa rile (the Iraqi copy of the Soviet-designed SVD “Dragunov” sniper rile) that was reportedly given as a gift by Saddam Hussein to his eldest son, Uday Hussein.

museum by a Vietnam combat veteran, who managed to get it back to the United States. While photos show that hundreds of bicycles were employed by the Viet Cong, this is one of only a handful that’s believed to exist. Another unusual piece is a common block of polystyrene foam, painted to resemble a concrete block, and used to conceal Saddam Hussein’s “spider hole,” where he hid from coalition

Middle: A French bicycle that was modiied to move equipment down the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam. This was brought back circa 1970 by a veteran of the 4th Infantry Division.

forces after Operation Iraqi Freedom. At the time of his capture in December 2003, Hussein was found with $750,000 in U.S. currency and two fake gold bars. The museum currently has the original box, displayed with replica currency and the two “gold bars.” It isn’t clear if Hussein knew the bars were fakes, or if it was part of some ploy. The gold plating on the Al Kadisa rifle — the Iraqi copy of the Soviet-designed SVD “Dragunov” sniper rifle — however,

Bottom: An M4 Carbine that was issued and carried by Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Kamdesh in 2009 in Afghanistan. Romesha has served tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

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C O L O R S AV A I L A B L E

1989 LAND ROVER

DEFENDER 130

1996 FOUR-CYLINDER 2.5L TURBO DIESEL 300TDI R380 FIVE-SPEED

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WWW.METHODSV.COM

REC O ILW EB.C O M

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH ONE DEVOUT COMPANY’S MISSION TO RESURRECT A VINTAGE LAND ROVER BY JOHN SCHWARTZE PHOTOS BY KENDA LENSEIGNE

There was a time when the words

became the one to carry on the legacy

Land Rover brought images to mind

of this particular ’89 130 model.

of robust safari vehicles chasing lions

Dillon Aero, who previously owned

across the African plains. Over the

the vehicle, modified it to serve as a

years its reputation has changed con-

test mule for their M134D minigun.

siderably. A new Discovery or Velar

The truck began life as a 110 model,

would be out of place anywhere other

but Dillon Aero had the chassis

than a valet-attended country club.

extended an extra 17 inches. This is

Although the brand has moved more

the same process used by Land Rover

into competing with other luxury

to create the 130 model (technically

SUV companies, vintage Land Rovers

127 inches) from the 110 in the years

have an ecclesiastical following. The

prior to producing the chassis with

older versions still see considerable

the 130 wheelbase.

use overseas, and there are a few

After testing was completed, Dillon

boutique companies passionate about

Aero decommissioned this Defender

retaining the brand’s off-road, utili-

and parked it in a warehouse, where

tarian roots. Phoenix, Arizona-based

it was essentially forgotten. Through

Method SV is one such outfit.

a local club, Frazier learned about its

First, a little history on the De-

availability, came to see it in person,

fender. The model became part of the

and was immediately enamored with

company’s lineup in 1983, but was

its uniqueness. “As far as I know,

originally called the 90 or 110. The

it’s the only one of its kind in the

Defender’s simplicity and ease of ix-

world,” Frazier says. And so began

ing out in the ield if you’re stranded

the second phase of its life, which

make it highly sought after among

Frazier named Project Bronson, after

aicionados. The Defender moniker

the infamous British prisoner.

didn’t come attached to the vehicle

Not much left on the vehicle is still

until 1991, and Land Rover ceased

original. Everything from the firewall

production of the model in 2016.

back had essentially been modified

Since Method SV only focuses on

by Dillon Aero or a company they

restoring Land Rover Defenders, it was

used to build a particular feature

fortuitous that its owner, Brent Frazier,

they wanted. Although stripped of

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH its former combat appointments, it did still have a full soft top with custom rollcage, custom removable doors (the second row of which are suicide doors), custom side panels and tub, 55-gallon auxiliary gas tank, dual fold-down windshields, aircraft tracking in the bed for locking down loads, an externally mounted deployable weapons bench with ammo can compartments, and a host of other one-off modifications. Hutchinson beadlocks with 35-inch

it, the truck had seen better days

tires. An AlliSport full-length inter-

and much was due for replacement.

cooler and radiator with integrated

The drivetrain was upgraded to a

Spal fan and new turbo boost pin

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;96 four-cylinder 2.5L turbo diesel

were installed to offset the power

300tdi motor with a five-speed R380

loss from the larger rolling stock. Ter-

trans and LT230 transfer case. Brent

rafirma caster-corrected radius arms

felt that its 33-inch tires reminded

and new bushings firmed up the ride

him of a bodybuilder who skipped leg

on the preexisting Asfir/Bilstein long-

day, so he upped the ante to 16x8

travel suspension.

3 TIRES

1 LIGHTS MAKE:

MAKE:

Truck-Lite

BFGoodrich

MODEL:

LED

Mud Terrain T/A KM2

URL:

www.truck-lite.com

bfgoodrichtires.com

2 FRONT BUMPER

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By the time Brent got ahold of

4 WHEELS

MAKE:

Asfir

Hutchinson

MODEL:

Warn winch with front axle and belly skidplates

WA-1352 Beadlock 16x8

URL:

hutchinsoninc.com

URL:

asfir.com

5 SKID PLATE

MAKE:

REC O ILW E B .C O M

EQUIPE 4x4 MODEL:

Steering/sump URL:

equipe4x4.com

5 4

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TOWING PRODUCTS & INSTALL

MONTHLY SALES AT: 4WP.COM

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SUSPENSION & LIFT KITS

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH Residing in the interior are take-out

The aftermarket, while fairly ripe with

Puma front seats from a ’14 Defender,

options, is fraught with poor-quality

a Tuffy 12-inch locking center console,

replacement parts. Think of vintage

and Uniden CB and Kenwood Ham

Land Rovers like mail-order brides.

radios. To bring the vehicle back to ac-

Since many are sourced from over-

tive duty, Brent procured an NOS turret

seas, what may look appealing on the

from Crane Technologies and did some

outside is really hiding lots of prob-

1 SEAT COVERS

MAKE:

Knightsbridge Overland

Crane Technologies

MODEL:

Custom with MOLLE accessories

Browning M2

URL:

knightsbridgeoverland.com

cranetechnologiesinc.com

2 REAR BUMPER MAKE:

mods to the roof to make it work. It’s

lems you won’t discover until after the

itted with a Browning M2HB, which

money has changed hands. Assume

understandably gets some dumbfound-

you may spend over $150,000 on

Custom

ed looks when cruising the city streets.

having one properly restored by a

URL:

Saved from a questionable future,

3 TURRET

MAKE:

Dillon Aero MODEL:

dillonaero.com

reputable company, but if you have the minerals to pay the full whack or

ighting spirit back into this old British

take on the project yourself, you’ll

bulldog. Considering restoring one of

undoubtedly have one of the coolest

these yourself? Proceed with caution.

trucks ever made.

IS SUE

Method SV has deinitely put the

REC O ILW E B .C O M

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UNUSUAL SUSPECTS Asia’s history was carved

HISTORICAL ASIAN SWORDS BY PATRICK VUONG

FLIP THE PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS ON EACH SWORD.

out in large part by ierce warriors. Mongols. Samurai. Shaolin monks. Sikh warriors. Persian Immortals. Tactical mall ninjas — OK, maybe not that last one. But there’s no doubt that this region birthed some of the mightiest military cultures. So, in a RECOIL irst, we’re taking a sharper look at big blades from yesteryear that have been 39

been inspired by those

IS SUE

used on the battleield or that have.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

But note that this buyer’s guide isn’t comprehensive. There have been way too many swords crafted by too many civilizations over too many centuries across the biggest continent on Earth to include them all here. This is just a small slice (pun intended!) of the countless cutting instruments created in that continent. Secondly, we excluded crappy replicas made from questionable materials and sold by shady retailers. Instead, we chose to focus on faithful recreations or innovative swords inspired by Asian

45 MAKE:

1 Cold Steel

39 MAKE:

2 Boker Magnum

30 MAKE:

3 Dragon King

MODEL:

Mizutori (Crane) Katana

Akito

Kungfu Jian

OAL:

41.25 inches

40.2 inches

39 inches

BLADE LENGTH:

themes that come from

29.75 inches

28.5 inches

reputable manufacturers

BLADE MATERIAL:

1095 high-carbon steel

1045 carbon steel

3Cr13 stainless steel

only. Read on to see if there’s a historical edged

WEIGHT:

2.7 pounds

2.47 pounds

1.63 pounds

MSRP:

weapon that makes the

$770

$182

$309

URL:

cut for you.

www.coldsteel.com

www.bokerusa.com

www.casiberia.com

21 MAKE:

4 Hanwei Forge

18 MAKE:

5 Condor Tool & Knife

9 MAKE:

6 Traditional Filipino Weapons

3 MAKE:

7 Traditional Filipino Weapons

MODEL:

Kouga Ninja-To

Dynasty Dadao

Banyal

Barong

OAL:

33.5 inches

31.6 inches

24.5 inches

21.5 inches

BLADE LENGTH:

22 inches

20.72 inches

18.5 inches

15 inches

BLADE MATERIAL:

1566 carbon steel

1075 high-carbon steel

Blend of 5160 steel and D2 tool steel

WEIGHT:

2.19 pounds

3.4 pounds

2.25 pounds

1.06 pounds

MSRP:

$510

$150

$245

URL:

www.casiberia.com

www.condortk.com

www.traditionalilipinoweapons.com

INTERROGATING THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS COLD STEEL

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MIZUTORI KATANA

REC O ILW E B .C O M

BOKER MAGNUM

AKITO

DRAGON KING

KUNGFU JIAN

HANWEI FORGE

KOUGA NINJA-TO

CONDOR

DYNASTY DADAO

TFW

BANYAL

TFW

BARONG

411: Appearing around the 1400s in Japan, the katana was a twohanded, single-edged curved sword that’s now considered by many historians as one of the most respected cutting weapons in military history — not just for its slashing and stabbing capabilities and its durability, but also for the intricate craftsmanship that went into making each one. This Cold Steel model has both the form and function of an ancient katana, but made from top-notch materials using modern technology. It comes with a lacquered wooden scabbard.

411: The Akito from Boker’s Magnum lineup is a fantastic (and relatively affordable) recreation of the samurai’s weapon of choice. A fully functional sword, it can be used for Iaido (the art of drawing the blade), tameshigiri (the art of test cutting), and for kata (prearranged movements of techniques) practiced in many martial arts. The Akito comes with a lacquered wooden scabbard and features an authentic hamon (the temper line along the side of the blade that’s created during the bladesmithing process).

411: Distributed in the states by CAS Iberia, the Kungfu Jian kinda has a misleading name. Jian refers to the doubleedged straight sword from China that dates back 2,500 years — and not necessarily that it’s used only by kung-fu practitioners. It’s often depicted in classic novels and ilms as “the gentleman of weapons.” Unlike the laughably bendable jian that wushu athletes use for lashy exhibitions (but not combat applications), the Kungfu Jian is a lexible but realistic replica with solid construction.

411: As the ancient equivalent to today’s special operation forces, the ninja served as spies, bodyguards, saboteurs, guerillas, and sometimes assassins. According to Japanese lore, two schools originated the art of ninjutsu: Koga-ryu and Iga-ryu. Though spelled differently, the Kouga Ninja-To from Hanwei Forge is a tribute to the former school. (U.S. wholesaler CAS Iberia also offers Hanwei’s Iga Ninja-To.) Despite being constructed in China, the sword is sturdy, well made, and attractive.

411: Don’t mistake the dadao for a machete. It was created centuries ago for one purpose: hack off heads and limbs. Though the literal translation is “big knife,” it’s more appropriately interpreted as “war sword” or “grand saber.” It became (in)famous during World War II when Chinese soldiers used them against the invading Japanese. Condor’s Dynasty Dadao is unexpectedly not made in China, but rather in El Salvador. Condor specializes in shovels, machetes, and other hard-use tools, so this dadao will hold up.

411: Students of kali, escrima, or other similar Filipino martial arts might mistake this for the ginunting (the oficial sword of the Philippine Marines), but this TFW sword is actually a modern reproduction of the banyal, which like the barong comes from the Moros of the Southern Philippines. The forward-weighted banyal was meant to be a light and fast hacker, but with an effective tip for thrusting. It comes with an ornately designed scabbard and, like all of TFW’s edged weapons, a blade made from a blend of 5160 and D2.

411: This leaf-shaped blade is one of the most distinctive weapons of Filipino warrior culture … and one of the most feared. Popularized by the Moros of the Southern Philippines, the barong can chop, slash, and stab with tremendous force. And its curved handle is great for striking, trapping, and retention. Though based in Connecticut, TFW has preserved this short sword’s classic looks and deadliness by having it handmade in the Philippines from a modern blend of 5160 steel and D2 tool steel.

PROS: High-quality katana that would make Miyamoto Musashi smile. Meaning “crane” in Japanese, the Mizutori features an elegant bird motif. Incredibly strong, ridiculously sharp, and just plain badass

PROS: As a part of Boker’s Magnum lineup of affordable edged weapons, the Akito is a great price. The blade is laser sharp, whether you’re swinging, draw cutting, or puncturing. Subtle good looks accented with quality furniture.

PROS: Light-years better in quality than the “wallhangers” we ind in various Chinatowns or lea markets. Handle feels good in hand, and blade feels well balanced. Composite scabbard looks like wood but will last longer.

PROS: The iron handguard (or tsuba) and 1566 highcarbon steel blade are surprisingly robust. Balanced for both a one- or two-handed grip. If you’re a kid of the ’80s (Revenge of the Ninja, anyone?), you’ll love the sword’s movieinspired aesthetics.

PROS: Need to intimidate a Grizzly or ight off an undead horde? This’ll do the job. Thanks to its thick blade and balanced weight, this is a beastly chopper. Great value for the price

PROS: It chops like an ax, cuts like a laser, and stabs like a dagger. The combo of 5160 and D2 steels gives the blade a balance of strength, toughness, wear resistance, and edge retention. Perfectly balanced for fast one-handed techniques

PROS: TFW owner Ron Kosakowski is a martial arts master — and it shows in the quality and authenticity of his products, including this barong. Crazy sharp cutting edge Blade remains tough and resilient after our test cuts.

CONS: Some might scoff at the $770 MSRP (though the street price is far lower, which is still way cheaper than the thousands [or tens of thousands] for an authentic made-inJapan katana).

CONS: Our review sample arrived with a loose habaki (or metal collar at the base of the blade above the guard), so the sword can pop out of the scabbard when we’re not careful.

CONS: It’s unsharpened, which is a shame because it has the qualities and materials of what would have been a reliable working sword.

CONS: Could this ninjato lop off a tyrannical shogun’s head? Sure, but its edge wasn’t as razor sharp out of the box like some of the other blades in this buyer’s guide.

CONS: The guard and ring have 90-degree edges that could result in hot spots on your hand after prolonged use. Our test cutting surprisingly scuffed up the 1075 carbon steel blade.

CONS: The scabbard’s spring lock, which holds the blade in place, arrived covered in rust — a not-so-friendly reminder that the Philippines is a really humid place.

CONS: Scabbard lacks reliable retention, using only friction to keep the blade in place. There’s a small gap in the seam between the wood planks that make up the scabbard, which could let in moisture and debris over time.

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RESURRECTING OLD PARTS FOR THE NEW

BY CANDICE HORNER

Old gun parts that are laid to rest and rust in a rubber bin are quickly forgotten thanks to the next new and shiny things that UPS delivers. But when we were sent a complete Cross Machine Tool .224 Valkyrie upper, those old parts needed to 39

that we can double-dip

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be resurrected. It’s rare parts from one sport for use in another. In this case, three-gun gear was reincar-

REC O ILW E B .C O M

nated into a precision rifle gas gun setup. Competitive shooters constantly chase what will give them the advantage to gain ground. Federal’s .224 Valkyrie can do everything a .223 can — but better. The ballistic performance is closer to that of 6.5 Creedmoor, but the felt-recoil mirrors a .223. While Federal has different loads for plinking, hunting, or precision, this build had only competitive precision shooting in mind. We usually wouldn’t base a whole Buildsheet on a complete upper receiver, but we couldn’t turn down the opportunity to try the CMT .224 Valkyrie with integrated brake and crown (IBC) machined into the barrel. We’ll run suppressed at every opportunity, but this wasn’t possible with the

out to 800 yards. The targets are

the barrel, trigger, and optic. All the

IBC barrel. We were willing to ignore

usually 2 MOA or larger, but a well-

other components of the rifle usually

the lack of threads if the IBC barrel

shooting rifle will be more forgiving

boil down to personal preference and

was accurate.

in awkward shooting positions when

accessibility of the parts. Past that the

wobble increases. Items that mat-

ammo and the shooter must be able to

ter the most for a precision rifle are

perform with the rifle.

For the PRS Gas Gun series, competitors can expect to engage targets

too much magniication isn’t a problem, just as long as the lower end of the magniication isn’t so high that you get lost behind the scope. In this case, it’s ive-power, which is good and low, making it easy to ind targets while looking through the scope. For PRS Gas Gun matches, you can expect to stay in the 10 to 20 magniication area when engaging targets. Other than setting up this rig with all the items of a precision AR-15, we had to go one step further and ind a couple of 6.8 SPC rifle magazines. Because the cartridge is a necked down 6.8 SPC, a standard .223 magazine cannot be used. Fortunately, 6.8 SPC magazines are easy to ind online and relatively cheap. After setting up the rifle, we needed bipod, rear bag, fat bag, ballistic en-

gine, and a dope card for your wrist or

IS SUE

a few more items for the PRS game, a

one that can be attached to the rifle. The complete upper arrived as

The TACMOD buttstock was selected because of its adjustability. The main

components were CMT-labeled. The

feature that helps you get on target

only item we replaced on the upper

faster is the fact that the cheek piece

was the cheese grater quad rail for a

is adjustable. This provides consistent

15-inch Luth-AR Palm Handguard.

eye relief every time you place your

This exchange was done for personal

head on the rifle. A long base on the

preference and comfort when hold-

buttstock gives more area for a rear

ing the rail. Barrel specs make this

bag to be moved forward or backward,

upper interesting solely because it’s

raising the muzzle down or up.

Setting up a new rifle is always fun and gratifying, but when you’re able to reuse parts that had been long forgotten, the reward is even sweeter. So, the next time you’re thinking about junking used and abused parts, look into other ways to reuse them for a new project. We’re looking forward to using this new setup at one of the upcoming PRS Gas Gun matches.

chambered in .224 Valkyrie and runs

Some people frown upon running light

off of a rifle-length gas system. We’ve

triggers, but they’re beneicial in competi-

heard of people having trouble getting

tion if you’re proicient with them. Being

the 90gr SMKs to stabilize and shoot

able to press the trigger and make the

accurately out of a 1 in 7 twist rate

gun go off right as the crosshairs float

Luth-AR Palm Handguard 15-inch Keymod $90

barrel, but we didn’t experience that

over the target while you’re in an unstable

JP Rifles Billet Lower Receiver

$400

with this rifle and were shooting groups

position can be the difference between

AR Gold Adjustable Trigger

$280

around .75 MOA consistently out to

a hit and a disappointing run at the prize

TACMOD AR-15 Buttstock

$270

800 yards.

table. It’s hard not to push the gun off

Harris Bipod 6 to 9-inch

$90

target while pulling a heavy trigger, so we

MagnetoSpeed M-Series Pistol Grip

$32

billet lower receiver, AR Gold drop-

sidestepped that handicap by dropping

Reasor Precision Game Changer Bag

$109

in trigger, JP Rifles Silent Captured

the trigger weight down to a 1-pound pull.

Armageddon Gear Large Bag

$70

Armageddon Gear Competition Data Armband

$30

Kestrel 5700 Elite Meter with Applied Ballistics

$700

Totals

$3,356

The lower was built using a JP Rifles

Spring, and TACMOD AR-15 Buttstock.

This .224 Valkyrie resurrection build

Small internal parts and springs were

was topped off with a SIG SAUER

scavenged from other guns or found in

Tango6 5-30x irst focal plane scope

the bottom of bins.

with an MRAD Dev-L reticle. Having

ITEM

MSRP

Cross Machine Tool .224 Valkyrie Complete $1,285 Upper with 24.5-inch IBC Barrel

47 REC O ILW E B .C O M

the title implies — complete. All the

Gear that’s used for bolt gun matches can also be used for gas gun matches. After trying out multiple bags, the Reasor Precision/Armageddon Gear Game Changer bag gets the most use at matches. This spread is what’s usually needed to complete a stage (the extra ammo is just in case and rarely needed).

OVERHAULING A VINTAGE WEST GERMAN P226

BY DAVE MERRILL

Like most love stories, it started in a

ets. After all, it was a very popular LEO

a plastic Paleolithic pre-Pelican case.

gun shop.

pistol through the ’80s and ’90s. There

It’s like we stole at least $200 from

are many out there who have either

them. (Before you cry foul, understand

remains a desirable and acquirable pis-

inherited an old duty P226 or will very

that they asked us if we “had felonies”

tol to this day. Whether it’s due to the

soon. And a lucky few will come across

at least three times before calling in a

unique mandrel-stamped slide, sheer

one in a gun shop for a song — count

NICS check. Us having an FFL/SOT be

nostalgia, appearance in awful action

us among the latter.

damned, apparently).

The West German SIG SAUER P226

movies, or history, we know not. But

In fact, we picked up this gem at

Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s

inding one at a decent price and cham-

a gun shop full of awful owners. And

useless or a mere wall hanger though.

bered in 9mm always brings the boys to

the only reason we felt good buying

No, it doesn’t have an accessory rail.

the yard. There are probably thousands

it from them is because it was priced

Yes, that “battle worn” inish was actu-

of old P226s languishing in old desk

at just over $400, including three

ally earned. No, it isn’t the latest and

drawers or shoeboxes tucked into clos-

period correct “zipper” magazines and

greatest tactical weapon, but there’s

AN OLD DOG WITH NEW TRICKS still some ight in it yet. Today, we’ll go through our reconstruction and modernization, and look at the troubles and warts along the way. Our normal order of upgrades with any new pistol purchase would be sights, mags, and lights, in that order. However, since we’re dealing with a gun that was born before at least half of our readership, there are some additional considerations — namely, reliability. Which brings us to our preliminary point.

SPRINGS The irst thing you should do when overhauling an old pistol is to replace all of the springs that you can. There’s no way to know how many rounds have been put through that vintage SIG, and it’s a fairly easy upgrade. There are

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some caveats, of course.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

Installation is fairly standard, and can be performed with a brass punch, non-

The new-style trigger bar spring will

marring hammer, and a careful hand.

drop right in, but it may not necessarily

Bear in mind that it’s not terribly hard

work with the original grips. Oftentimes,

to snap off the front sight during instal-

a relief cut will have to be made on the

lation, especially the taller suppressor

right-side grip to accommodate it. Hello

front sights. If you’re unsure of your

Dremel tool. Of course.

own prowess, well, send it someone

One of the real motherf*cks of these

who knows better. Actually, that last

old guns is the mainspring housing.

piece of advice goes for damn near ev-

We’re sure they were never intended to

erything we’re covering today. If you’re

be removed, and we have a cut or two

not handy with a hammer or a punch,

to show for it. The newer E2 mainspring

just read, enjoy, and send off your pistol

isn’t only in three easy-to-install pieces,

to the SIG Pro Shop. You’ll save a lot of

but doesn’t involve a hammer, punch,

disgruntlement.

and profanity to remove. Once again,

The new parts (right) have some similarities to the old warrior ones, but still some significant differences.

While a red dot would certainly be

your grips may or may not accommo-

nice, we’re not about to mill out a

date the E2 mainspring — but if they

mandrel-stamped slide. Your mileage

don’t, that’s a worthy upgrade for this

may vary.

feature alone.

SIGHTS We’re not sure if the sights on this

INTERNAL UPGRADES (AND BLOOD) We set out to make this pistol a

P226 were considered “low light” when

sleeper. Have it look externally like the

the gun was made in 1984, but they cer-

old warrior that it is, and have it entirely

tainly aren’t in 2018. We took advantage

full of new guts, parts, and pieces. This

of the new suppressor-height SIG SAUER

is easier said than done, however. The

X-Ray3 sights. In the daytime, they have

SIG P226 has changed several times

a blacked-out rear and a bright, easy-

throughout the years, to a point that it

to-ind green dot on the front sight. At

leaves us scratching our heads a bit.

nighttime they’ll pop like any other green

Surely there would be some changes

tritium lamp three-dot sights.

when manufacturing was moved from

The suppressorheight X-Ray3 sights are absolutely a worthy upgrade

AN OLD DOG WITH NEW TRICKS West Germany to New Hampshire, but that doesn’t explain the subtle seven or so different variations that have

The new production SilencerCo barrel took a considerable amount of fitting.

cropped up over the years. You absolutely cannot expect every new part to just drop into an old pistol without some tinkering, testing, and modiication. Oh yeah, and a bit of hair pulling and frustration along the way. We purchased a brand-new SilencerCo P226 threaded barrel. And it took us two hours to get it to it properly. Granted, we were going slow, as to not dicker the new barrel, but in gunsmith hours that adds up to a few hundred bucks. New parts for the lower involved some similar grievances. Did you know that a new P226 trigger bar has to be modiied to it an old

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P226? Well, we know now.

The added parts and pieces of the (formerly on-fire) SureFire.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

52 Ultimately upgrading the internals to current-spec smooth and nice DLCcoated parts meant a lot of testing and trials. And just because something worked for our particular pistol doesn’t mean it’ll work for yours, the variances being what they are. Like the Dutch boy with his inger in the dike, every ix seemed to furnish new issues. This isn’t for the lighthearted. One upgrade we deinitely liked was the short reset trigger (SRT) parts kit. You can’t mix and match these sear and safety levers with old ones, but man does it make for a much nicer trigger. After replacing the trigger, sear, hammer, safety lever, and mainspring housing, our single-action trigger pull didn’t change terribly too much; both sat comfortably at just over 4 pounds. But the double-action trigger pull? It went from just over 12 pounds down to a smooth 10 pounds and 5 ounces. Put a check mark in the win column.

AN OLD DOG WITH NEW TRICKS It’s been said that a gun truly isn’t

When SureFire irst began producing

your own until you bleed on it. If that’s

weapon lights and lasers, the pistol Pica-

true, this one is unconditionally ours,

tinny rail didn’t exist. They had to develop

as one hand was pouring blood prolii-

workarounds, and they did so for the SIG

cally at one point, and we admit that

P226. The SureFire P114-series was spe-

a mainspring housing spring possibly

ciically designed for the non-railed 226.

made our face bleed. Whoever owned

There were several variations, some al-

this pistol prior must’ve cursed it,

lowing for constant-on, while others had a

but now no one else can own it like

kill switch. All of them included a plastic

us. Call it voodoo, but it runs like a

adapter that secured to the trigger guard

bastard now.

with four screws. They accepted standard P60 bulbs, usually 65 lumens.

LIGHTS (AND FIRE) Back in the ’80s not too many

39 IS SUE REC O ILW E B .C O M

The P60 bulb format is über-com-

people were rocking weapon-mounted

mon. Old SureFire 6P? P60 bulb. G2?

lights. Double-so on handguns. How-

P60 bulb. Millennium series rifle light?

ever, it isn’t the ’80s anymore. We

P60 bulb. M900? P60 bulb. We think

consider a white light to be essential

you get the idea ...

for a irearm used for home defense,

And that’s when the ire started.

They’re so common, in fact, that a

and a few of us even have them on our

whole cottage industry exists just to up-

carry guns.

grade these old low-powered incandes-

But we wanted to keep it looking traditional and still be functional by modern standards.

cent bulbs to something more useful. So of course, we dropped an all-flood 1k+ lumen triple bulb head into it. For

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AN OLD DOG WITH NEW TRICKS

REC O ILW E B .C O M

a split second when we powered it on,

took apart and carefully rewired the

everything seemed right in the world.

now-burned WML with wires capable

Then, it shut off. And smoke started

of handling the new juice over the

pouring from the sides. In a panic, we

course of a weekend.

turned off the power switch and removed the now blazing-hot batteries. As it turns out, SureFire used

Looks old school. Pumps out a ton of lumens. Winning all around. If you’re not married to the look of a

The NC Star adapter (we know!) is sturdy and worthy of an X300U.

LOOSE ROUNDS We learned a lot about the internal workings of the P226 during this revamping, and also came to some hard lessons. If you ind yourself with a West German SIG P226, we recommend not doing all sorts of f*ckery with the internals, but

small ribbon cables in these older

’90s movie SWAT cop, you have other

instead focus on changing springs and

lights. While they were more than ca-

more modern options. The NC Star

sights. While the SRT trigger system is

pable of the current draw of a 65-lu-

WML adapter actually works very well

certainly better than the Cold War con-

men light, the amperage required of

(believe us, we’re as surprised as you).

tents, the amount of pain in the ass with

this aftermarket bulb was more than

Not only is it a lower proile than the

testing and modiication and testing again

it could handle. All was not lost,

SureFire adapter, it’s metal, locks up

likely isn’t worth it for a pistol you won’t

for two reasons. First, someone at

tight, and allows the use of something

be relying on for defensive use.

SureFire found a replacement P114

distinctly more modern such as an

WML in the back of an old dusty

X300U. Even a broken clock is right

journey than the destination — but we hit

closet someplace, and second, we

twice a day.

a sh*tload of potholes along the way.

Like many trips, it’s more about the

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THE 15-MINUTE GUNFIGHT THAT RESHAPED U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT TACTICS BY AMY BUSHATZ PHOTOS BY FBI; MIAMI-DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT

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If any of the FBI field agents in Miami

REC O ILW E B .C O M

The Miami Shootout, as the now no-

they had stolen their Monte Carlo

on that pleasant April morning sensed

torious event has come to be known,

getaway car, he was able to describe

what was about to happen, they

demonstrated with lethal accuracy

the thieves and pass the car’s license

haven’t said so publicly. Acting on a

just how behind the weapons and

plate number to police.

hunch, they picked this particular day

tactics curve the FBI was in 1986.

to stage a bank stakeout, watching for

And although the gunfight has now

And when the pair didn’t bother to ditch the car’s original tags, they vir-

a pair of unidentified bad guys in a

been parsed, dissected, and exam-

tually guaranteed they’d be spotted,

stolen Monte Carlo on the off chance

ined in law enforcement classrooms

eventually.

they’d show up. They weren’t looking

for decades, one overwhelming truth

for a gunfight, particularly not one of

emerges: It never really had to hap-

the deadliest days in the FBI’s his-

pen to begin with.

11, 1986 in a duplex driveway in

9:30 a.m. on April 11, 1986.

THE SHOOTOUT

tory. But that’s what they got. The morning in question was April

Which is exactly what happened at

THE PLAYERS Army buddies Michael Platt and

Fourteen FBI agents were staked out at banks in a 60-block radius

Miami, Florida. Make that a crowded

William Matix had a lot in common.

around Miami, waiting for the elusive

driveway: by the end, the ight in-

Both of their wives died under suspi-

bandits to hit. Other robberies in the

volved two bad guys with two .357

cious circumstances, both seemed

string had occurred on Friday morn-

Magnum revolvers, a Ruger Mini-14,

fairly normal to their Florida friends

ings, and since the last haul for these

and a shotgun, plus eight good guys

and neighbors, and neither had a

guys had been small, only about

with ive revolvers, three pistols, and

criminal record.

$8,000 according to those involved,

two shotguns. By 9:45 a.m. two bank robbers

It wasn’t until after the duo had

agents guessed they’d hit again soon.

killed a man for his car, seriously in-

And they were right. As Matix and

and two agents were dead, five

jured a second man while stealing his

Platt cruised by one of the banks,

agents had been seriously injured,

black 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo,

Special Agents Benjamin Grogan and

and everything the FBI knew about

and shot up eight FBI agents that

Jerry Dove spotted and followed the

arming agents and shooting in and

anyone even suspected they shared a

stolen Monte Carlo, first north, then

around cars was called into question.

common hobby: robbing banks.

east, then south. A series of two

The event sparked near-immediate

After knocking off a string of banks

other unmarked bureau Buicks joined

changes to how the Bureau arms and

over several months and attempting a

the low-speed tail as it meandered for

trains every agent from the desk guys

few armored car heists, they eventu-

two minutes a few blocks each way.

to SWAT agents, with local police

ally made a mistake. When they didn’t

forces nationwide following their lead.

actually kill the man from whom

Then, the action started: a brief car chase, a decision to ram the Monte

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REC O ILW E B .C O M

prapann, alubalish/istockphoto.com

SHOOTOUT IN MIAMI Carlo into stopping, and a gunfight with more than 140 rounds fired. From start to finish, the whole event lasted a mere five minutes. Matix got off as many as three shots with his shotgun, and injured Special Agent Richard Manauzzi before he was shot by Supervisor Gordon McNeil and temporarily sidelined. Meanwhile, Platt went to town with his Ruger Mini-14 iring so fast that one agent later told a TV reporter that he thought Platt was shooting a fully automatic rifle. Platt also ired a total of six shots from two .357 Magnum revolvers. Special Agents (SA) John Hanlon, Edmundo Mireles, Gilbert Orrantia, Ron Risner, McNeil, Grogan, and Dove fired back with their service revolvers, shotguns, and pistols. 39

maneuver, Platt simply replaced his

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While they struggled to reload and magazine and continued to fire.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

Despite multiple injuries, including a shot to the lung by Dove’s 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol that would later be credited with the bandit’s ultimate death, Platt climbed out of his car, which was pinned between

Agent Edmundo Mireles’ red jacket and shotgun as well as blood from the agents and perps were left behind on the scene when the shootout was over. (FBI)

bureau Buicks and a pair of civilian vehicles, and continued to fire. With his buddy knocked out, he maneuvered to the side of a nearby civilian Cutlass, and fired using his revolver before he dropped it after taking a hit through the arm. But he didn’t actually give up the fight. Propping his Mini-14 against his

to engage the agents. As Grogan and

FIVE-MINUTE EVENT, 30-YEAR ANALYSIS

Dove struggled with a malfunctioning

In the immediate aftermath, one

pistol, Platt leaned over their car and

fact was glaringly clear: the Miami

killed them both; a shot to the chest

Shootout didn’t go well. A Bureau

for Grogan and two shots to the head

investigation into the fight completed

for Dove. He also shot Hanlon in the

just over one month later lays out

groin as he lay nearby.

each step of that day, with details

uninjured left shoulder, he continued

Still taking fire, Platt and Matix, During the crash Platt and Matix were pinned between a civilian Oldsmobile Cutlass (left), a tree, and FBI Agent Manauzzi’s bureau Buick. (FBI)

down to every shot fired. And while

who at some point had come to,

it explicitly doesn’t assign blame

jumped in Grogan and Dove’s Buick,

— “this document contains neither

ready to flee.

recommendations or conclusions of

That’s when Mireles, who was seri-

the FBI” — it does over and over

ously wounded in the left arm early

again lay out the agents’ key prob-

on, saw his chance. “I took my arm

lem: firepower.

and tossed it over on the side, and

First was the matter of the weap-

picked up my shotgun and started

ons themselves. The agents were sim-

focusing on survival,” Mireles told

ply outgunned. “With the exception

RECOIL.

of minor wounds to SA Manauzzi by

Advancing on the car, he fired his

shotgun pellets, all serious wounds

pump-action shotgun at Platt five

inflicted on FBI personnel were

times, injuring his feet. And as the

caused by Platt firing a Ruger Mini-

pair attempted to start the Buick,

14 .223-caliber rifle. It’s known Platt

Mireles pulled his .357 revolver and

fired a minimum of 40 rounds from

fired six rounds, killing Matix by sev-

his weapon,” the report states.

ering his spinal cord, and killing the

Mireles, who has recently pub-

already fatally wounded Platt with a

lished his own book, Five Minutes

shot to the chest.

that Changed the Bureau, detailing

The fight was over.

the day, agrees.

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SHOOTOUT IN MIAMI

“We were all armed with everything we were legally authorized to carry on that day … A bad guy can carry whatever the heck he wants,” Mireles told RECOIL. “If everyone on the team had had semi-auto pistols or

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rifles, that gunfight would’ve lasted

REC O ILW E B .C O M

15 seconds.”

Above: The rear of Agent Ben Grogan’s Buick was left coated in Platt’s blood as he worked around it, irst killing Grogan and Agent Jerry Dove, and then shooting Agent John Hanlon. (FBI)

Most of the agents weren’t wearing body armor, but even if they had been, “tests reveal the vests issued to Agent personnel would not stop the .223-caliber rounds that were fired by Michael Lee Platt,” the report states.

Above right: The Monte Carlo was riddled by shotgun blasts as Agent Grogan returned ire at Matix, who irst ired at his shotgun at the agents. (FBI)

thanks to blood and bone fragments

more than enough inspiration for the

in the cylinder, and was instead

FBI to take a hard look at exactly

forced to retreat to cover. Hanlon was

what their agents carry on the street.

hit in the arm while trying to reload,

Within four years — a blink of the

before getting hit a second time and

eye by bureaucracy standards — the

temporarily paralyzed. And Dove and

FBI was fielding the Smith & Wesson

Grogan were executed, reports say,

1076 in a move from 9mm to 10mm

while distracted by Dove’s weapon.

rounds, and sparking many local

“If I could change something I’d

police forces to do the same.

change that, Mireles said. “If I could

That particular pistol model, what

change anything at all, I’d implement

one expert called “that sh*tty Smith

to carry semiautomatic weapons,

the issuing of assault rifles to agents

& Wesson,” didn’t last long before the

Mireles said.

the year before.”

FBI moved on, but it was the start

Unless agents were part of a SWAT unit, they simply weren’t authorized

Agents on the scene had 12-gauge

And then there were the bullets

of an ongoing change. It wasn’t until

shotguns, Smith & Wesson Model

themselves. Had the good guys been

2015, almost 20 years later, that

459 9mm pistols, and Smith & Wes-

using a heavier caliber or more ef-

ballistic technology had advanced

son Military and Police .357 Mag-

fective cartridges, the fight would’ve

enough to warrant the FBI’s return to

num revolvers shooting .38 Special

ended very early, experts agree. Platt

the 9mm.

+P. The revolvers were limited to

was shot in the chest before any FBI

six rounds, while the pistols had

agent was seriously injured — a bet-

based on cost, but after that they

14-round magazines. One agent,

ter bullet would’ve likely killed him

started the Ballistic Research Facility,

McNeill, was using a five-shot Smith

immediately.

which has changed everything … af-

& Wesson Model 36.

“In retrospect, sure, we’d have

“The FBI was strictly buying ammo

fecting law enforcement ballistic forces

liked to have the 9mm rounds we

across the nation,” said William Petty,

stakeout had more firepower, but

have today,” Dave Winters, a Miami-

a vehicle tactics expert with Certrifuge

they didn’t get there in time, with one

Dade Police sergeant assigned to

Training LLC who has studied the Mi-

agent missing the initial radio call

the crime scene told RECOIL. “That

ami Shootout as part of his work. “This

because he had stopped to pee.

158-grain hollow point is a good

one shooting affected every subse-

round if it hits the person … but it

quent law enforcement shooting.”

Other agents elsewhere on the

It was the need to reload that proved particularly fatal, analysts note. McNeill was unable to reload his five-shot revolver early in the fight

had minimal penetration.” Two dead agents and a very public law enforcement safety failure was

About a year after the shootout, the agents and Winters headed to Quantico, Virginia, to reenact the

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SHOOTOUT IN MIAMI

REC O ILW E B .C O M

fight and conduct interviews for an FBI training video “Firefight.” Not long after, the FBI’s interim director told a TV news reporter that the agents’ experience had made the

The position of the vehicles and the agents at the start of the April 11, 1986, shootout. (Courtesy of Edmundo Mireles)

their personally owned irepower, with

knows he can thank it for his current

“every agent who had the funding to

position as a contract instructor in

buy an assault rifle and then qualify

vehicle-based tactics for both the FBI

with it,” Mireles said. By 1989, the

and other local police departments.

Bureau had also purchased enough

The Miami Shootout, he says,

Bureau think long and hard about its

shotguns and submachine guns to arm

schooled the law enforcement

arming choices.

one in two agents, he said.

community on how little they under-

“You don’t have to have aggressive

The irearms lessons from the shoot-

stood about shooting in and around

irepower brought to bear in every situ-

out have been studied and restudied

ation, but we want to have it available

and, even today, are still referenced

and readily available for a situation

when discussing law enforcement’s

taught by the FBI, and no vehicle ma-

such as the Miami incident,” John

use of force. But of at least equal im-

terial taught by anyone. It just wasn’t

Otto, acting director of the FBI at the

portance is how the shootout changed

in the thought,” he said. “Before that,

time, said in a 1987 news documen-

the FBI training scene.

nothing had ever happened; it’s just

tary on the shootout. Even as the new weapon ielding process unfolded, the FBI also changed its rules to allow agents to up

vehicles. “There was no vehicle material

a bunch of guys saying ‘let’s go kick

CARS AND COVER Perhaps no one is more familiar with that impact than Petty. He

crime in the face today.’ … They were not ever taught how to ram cars. So you have guys who are trying to figure

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SHOOTOUT IN MIAMI made out of metal they perform bal-

can work to something better.” he

listically,” he said. “But the higher

said. “Honestly, it never had to hap-

the crash safety rating, the better the

pen. We’ve learned after 34 years of

vehicle is going to perform.”

cop-ing that there’s a reason that a

Yet the most important rule for gun fighting around a car is incredibly

or no pursue policy, because the juice

simple: don’t.

isn’t worth the squeeze.”

To Petty, the biggest takeaway

39 IS SUE REC O ILW E B .C O M

something out on the fly. They are improvising.” If weapons are the hardware of law enforcement, tactics are the software, Petty says — and you’ve got to have both. There’s a reason, he says, 83 percent of all officers who are killed in the line of duty during self-initiated activities are killed in or around cars:

Left: William Matix and Michael Platt killed two FBI agents before they were also shot and killed during one of the FBI’s most notorious shootouts. (Driver’s license photos) Right: Agent Dove’s pistol, covered in blood and photographed at the scene, was shot through the center of the slide, locking the slide to the rear. (FBI)

tactics matter. “The hardware only gets you so far. Would better weapons have helped? No one is ever going to dispute that. We have better weapons today, but we’re still having a crisis in law enforcement of officers losing gunfights around cars,” he said. That’s why Petty focuses on training. By studying natural human reaction during vehicle-involved shootings, for example, he helps students understand how to use cars for both cover and concealment. For the most, part oficers today are also far better off around vehicles than the ’80s-era agents, he said, thanks to improvements in overall car safety. “One of the common misnomers is because older cars are heavy and

The FBI’s irepower, in blue, would’ve been much greater had the entire collection of agents on area stakeouts that day arrived at the shootout. Instead, Matix and Platt’s weapons, in orange, went against agents’ ive revolvers, three pistols, and two shotguns. (FBI)

If nothing else, more than 30 years

from the Miami Shootout is that the

of dissecting the Miami Shootout has

incident didn’t have to happen at

shown an endless appetite for what-

all. If the officers had decided to tail

ifs over that day.

Platt and Matix instead of sicking Above: Agents Jerry Dove and Ben Grogan were shot and killed by Platt during the shootout. (FBI)

lot of departments have a very strict

But analysis and examination aside,

three Buicks on them, for example, a

in the end Mireles believes it ultimate-

gunfight may have been avoided.

ly came down to one key component

“Is the car cover? F*ck yeah, it’s cover. It’s what you have until you

that no improved training or weapons could’ve changed: luck. “There’s a saying in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 9:11,” he said. “The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to man of skill, blah blah blah, time and chance happen to them all.”

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WE TAKE UP WHERE JMB LEFT OFF

Back in the 1980s, if you wanted a 9mm handgun for serious purposes, your

BY IAIN HARRISON PHOTOS BY KENDA LENSEIGNE

the adoption of the 92 by the U.S. military, and everyone who tried CCW’ing

choices were severely limited. The Glock 17 had just been introduced and was still getting the side-eye from just about everyone, Beretta was cashing in one likened it to stufing a fat chick into a Miata — and the S&W model 59 variants were OK, but DA/SA operation and slide-mounted safeties are not everyone’s cup of tea.

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71 REC O ILW E B .C O M

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HI POWER REDUX

REC O ILW E B .C O M

Original gun is shown above, and wound up as you see here. Pretty isn’t she? With contrasting small parts against the most advanced PVD coating we could find, our Hi Power MkIV stands out in a sea of drab plastic.

and blood of its user’s hand, and given

ries the other iconic JMB pistol who

its size, 13-round magazines aren’t

elects to lug around an ’80s vintage

all that and a bag of chips. Unfortu-

version of that gun. Instead of just

nately, FNH froze development of the

wondering about it, we chose to get

Hi Power with the introduction of the

off our arses and do something —

Mk3 version in 1988, and there’s a

as if we needed an excuse to start

strong case to be made that noth-

another gun project.

ing of great signiicance happened to

There’s no denying the elegance

the design from 1982 onward. With

of the basic design. Even ratty, old

increased competition from polymer-

military examples of the Hi Power are

cognoscenti there really was only

framed, striker-ired handguns, sales

more aesthetically pleasing than most

one choice, the one which had been

slumped and parts production was

striker-ired pistols today. It’s like com-

adopted by the armed forces of over

halted in 2016, although the factory

paring Lana Turner to Lena Dunham —

50 countries, the one gifted to the

didn’t oficially announce its death

not all progress is forward. Could we

masses from the hands of the prophet

until two years later.

keep the features that attract us, while

Now, if you were a member of the

John Moses (peace be upon him). The one, the only, GP35. The Hi Power isn’t without its faults.

We were left to wonder what might have been, had FN continued to develop the pistol, rather than subject

dressing the shortcomings? We’ll leave that to you, dear reader, to judge. Jodi Gritus took our beat-up sow’s

Its trigger isn’t the inest example of

it to institutional indifference. After

ear and turned it into the silk purse

an interface between man and ma-

all, 1911s still have a cult following,

you see on these pages. Follow her on

chine, it has an appetite for the flesh

and we can think of no one who car-

Instagram @hipowerprincess.

HI POWER REDUX

THE SMITH

RECOIL: What got you interested in gunsmithing? Jodi Gritus: I developed a love for firearms around the age of 18. I started out with some of the free programs at Ben Avery Shooting Facility. They taught the basics of safety and how to shoot pistols, rifles, and shotguns. A girlfriend and I were hooked on the sporting clays course for a while. My mom bought my first gun for my 19th birthday, a 12-gauge SKB pump shotgun. Anyway, I was working a boring, dead-end (customer service) job and wanted to ind a steady, hands-on career. I searched courses for local community colleges and found out that Yavapai College had a gunsmithing program. That immediately sparked my interest. I told my husband about it, and he said that he wished both moved to Prescott, Arizona (from North

me lots of Hi Powers to work on. I was eventu-

Phoenix) for two years to attend YCC. I prefer to

ally deemed the “Hi Power Princess.” On a

The head gunsmith, Marty, started giving

work with my hands and build something that I

side note, I work on all kinds of pistols and am

IS SUE

he would’ve thought of it! Long story short, we

can take pride in, something that’s dependable

still learning about different firearms.

enough for someone to trust with their life. I’m

REC O ILW E B .C O M

intrigued by the inner workings and function

What’s the biggest problem you face when

of irearms. I really enjoy running a machine,

dealing with customers?

especially a manual mill.

JG: It’s always tough when I have a project that’s only based on aesthetics ... I cannot

How did you get started?

wrap my head around having a gun that looks

JG: The head instructor at Yavapai, Alan Lohr,

gorgeous, but is unreliable.

had worked for Robar years prior. He referred

Also, people who don’t realize the comple-

both my husband, Jim, and I to Robar. We

tion date is an estimate. I very rarely work

were very lucky to get hired for such a great,

on something where I don’t come across ad-

well-known company. My husband did rifle

ditional issues that end up taking more time to

work mostly, and I was more geared to pistol

fix. I treat each firearm as if it was my own, so

smithing.

I want it to leave here as perfect as it can be. Which project are you most proud of? JG: Gertrude. Gertrude is my FN Hi Power. I bought her from AimSurplus and she was a mess. I did a hi grip mod, beavertail, cut dovetails, and installed Novak tritium sights.

Jodi Gritus’ FN Hi Power, Gertrude.

I installed the C&S type II hammer (skeletonized), trigger pull reduction spring kit, C&S sear, match-grade sear lever, wide combat trigger, and extended slide stop. I stippled the front and backstrap. I also stippled a center line down the top of the slide and cut a border. She’s finished in NP3 complete with a matte to guard slide and VZ grips. She’s my favorite gun to shoot and probably always will be!

HI POWER REDUX Our project started with a surplus Hi Power with FNH, rather than Browning rollmarks. Part of a consignment of Mk3 variants, which ended up in Israeli service in the late ’80s, it landed on these shores a few years ago and was snapped up for the irst issue of CONCEALMENT, where it was featured in an article on bargain handguns. It had the usual Mk3 reinements, but also that model’s drawbacks: hammer bite, 12-pound trigger (yes, that’s not a misprint), smallish sights and, due to being dropped by some careless conscript, a big ding in the barrel crown. It was inished in epoxy, which was showing signs of abuse, and while still a very viable defensive handgun, it wasn’t one which inspired pride of ownership. 39

ciency to be addressed was the lack

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Down to business. The first defiof a beavertail. For those of us with

REC O ILW E B .C O M

man hands, the Hi Power hurts. Its hammer and frame tang combine to pinch the web between thumb and forefinger, and I can usually send about three rounds downrange before blood starts dripping. This has been a Hi Power feature since 1935, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t have been addressed from the get-go. To fix this chronic oversight, a chunk of steel is welded to the frame, then contoured and blended by hand until

Custom guns are expensive, because just about every individual part is reworked by a fellow American who actually gives a sh*t about why they show up for work. Want to save a few bucks? Learn to do it yourself (which is something we wholeheartedly endorse), or send it to China. Oh, wait ...

was consigned to the scrap pile.

Slide extended version, which snicks

These changes combined to make for

into place with an air of quality. To

a sweet, 4-pound trigger pull with

complement the safety, we picked a

about 1/8 inch of take-up, a short

C&S slide stop.

reset, and just a hint of overtravel.

It’s almost impossible to checker a

The base gun arrived with an ambi

Hi Power, as the front strap is paper

safety, whose stock levers looked like

thin and there’s an ever-present risk

dead slugs lying on the frame and

of cutting through into the magwell.

weren’t too positive when it came to

In order to provide better traction,

engagement. Unless you’re wrong-

our ’smith stippled around the serial

handed, ambidextrous safeties on a

number, but before doing so she

single-action carry gun are a mixed

undercut the frame adjacent to the

blessing and we’ve experienced

trigger guard, to allow a higher hold

kit. These were teamed with a Garth-

several instances when a 1911 wound

and greater control under recoil. The

waite flat trigger, which allows for

up with the safety disengaged due to

backstrap was treated to the same

better finger placement and feel, as

the right-side lever catching clothing

texturing, which was deliberately kept

well as a stronger trigger return spring

or bumping against car seats. It’s

to the lower half so that the master

to increase reliability. As a rule of

not too much of a contortion to reach

hand could slide up under the beaver-

thumb, anything inflicted on weapons

around the beavertail with your thumb

tail without much friction, but once a

design by the French government is a

if you have to sweep it off left-hand-

firing grip was taken the pistol would

bad a thing, so our magazine safety

ed, so we spec’d out a Cylinder and

stick like sh*t to an army blanket.

it looks like it came from the factory that way. Which it should have. To fix the gratuitously bad trigger pull (not all of them suck — I have a nickel Mk3 with a crisp, 5-pound break from the factory) a Cylinder and Slide sear and hammer were installed and tuned, along with a Wolfe spring

HI POWER REDUX Once all the gunsmithing work had been decided on, it was time to pick

Robar’s NP3 plus, electroless nickel

a finish. One advantage of polymer-

for small parts, such as the controls,

framed guns is their resistance to

extractor, and grip screws, due to its

corrosion — just don’t set them down

lubricity and corrosion resistance.

too close to a fire — and we wanted

The result is a nod to the Cocaine

something that would stand up to

Cowboys era, while being relatively

everyday carry. Traditional blue-

subtle and understated.

ing, while attractive and fitting for a

Our surplus pistola appeared as if it had been carried by indifferent recruits, who likely used it as a convenient combination door stop

SPEC BOX

That beavertail took several hours of welding, grinding and finishing by hand. It could have shipped from the factory that way for a few pennies, but no.

black frame. So for contrast we chose

So did we achieve the goal of

weapon designed in the 1930s, was

dragging the Hi Power into the 21st

considered then dismissed for practi-

century? Yes and no. Despite our best

cal reasons. As luck would have it,

efforts, there’s still no place to mount

Robar was in the process of finishing

a light, which would require a whole

up trials of a new surface treatment,

new frame, or a lot of machine work

which showed considerable promise.

and welding. Everything else has been

Lured by tales of its performance in

reworked to address weaknesses.

salt spray tests, we signed on. Known

Sights are first class, reliability has

as ArmorLube, it’s a specialist physi-

been improved, ergonomic problems

cal vapor deposition (PVD) process

with the original are addressed, and

using a proprietary cocktail of exotic

there’s a night-and-day difference in

(and deadly) organic gases applied

terms of trigger quality. We think it’s

in a vacuum under high voltage. The

the gun FN should’ve been selling

result is very slippery, very hard, and

during the Bush administration —

available in any color, so long as it’s

done at the factory in a production

black.

environment, economies of scale kick

While the two-tone look was all the

in, and the cost of improvements is

rage in the ’80s, we didn’t want to go

driven down. When you sit on them,

to the extreme of a silver slide on a

laurels just don’t last too long.

FNH, BY WAY OF ROBAR

CUSTOM HI POWER MK3

and gardening implement, but shot it perhaps once every couple of years, so the barrel was in good shape internally. We elected to keep it, but have it recrowned. The chamber end was throated and polished to aid with feeding hollow-point bullets, which were carried in a pair of updated Mec Gar 15-round magazines. These are a big step up in quality from the

CALIBER

standard, phosphated Mil-spec num-

9mm Luger

bers, and allow for two more rounds,

BARREL LENGTH

without increasing overall length.

OVERALL LENGTH

It was a no-brainer to swap out the original nylon grips for a pair of VZ’s palmswell G10 models, which were in keeping with the understated, professional look we were aiming for.

COST OF HI POWER

$ $360

4.6 inches

8.25 inches

WEIGHT (UNLOADED)

30 ounces

MAGAZINE CAPACITY

15 rounds

COST OF WORK

$ $2,156.01 URL

robarguns.com

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OPTIMIZE STABILITY. MAXIMIZE ACCURACY.

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Notice how we said “reasonable price” and

made earnest strides in recent years to reach

stuff of action movies. While it did, in fact,

not “cheap.” While it’s possible to ind night

further into the consumer marketplace. As

exist somewhere in the real world, nobody of

vision devices for $250, those pieces aren’t of a

part of this effort, they’re not only selling

even remotely average means was ever going

quality we’d recommend for anything more than

the equipment itself, but also offer training

to touch, see, or experience night vision short

showing off to your friends in your backyard.

courses for end users.

of a few hazy green cutaways in a flick full of

Any NV device that’ll be integrated with the use

TNVC’s Night Fighter course comes in

roundhouse kicks and amazing one-liners. For-

of irearms needs to be of a quality guaranteed

two flavors: Night Fighter Level 1 and Night

tunately for the rest of us, advances in tech-

to save your life if and when necessary.

Fighter Armed Professional. The former is

nology typically come with the added beneit

Enter TNVC — Tactical Night Vision

of making existing technology more affordable

Company. (Hey, at least the name leaves

to Mil/LE end users. We recently had the

and more accessible. Once coveted by guys

no doubt as to their product offerings.)

opportunity to attend one of the Armed

with bushy beards who storm airplanes, green-

TNVC produces all manner of night vision

Professional courses, offered at Alliance

eye goggles are now more available at a more

devices, primarily under military contract

Training Center in Ohio. While the Armed

reasonable price to the commercial consumer.

or agency purchase order. But they’ve also

Professional course is restricted attendance,

open to civilians, while the latter is restricted

83 REC O ILW E B .C O M

Not terribly long ago, night vision was the

BY TOM MARSHALL PHOTOS BY DAVE MERRILL

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THREE DAYS OF DANCING IN THE DARK AT TNVC’S NIGHT FIGHTER COURSE

NIGHT MOVES Proper selection and configuration of gear is vital to using night vision effectively.

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE Regardless of whether you’re running single- or dual-tube NVGs, your ield of view through the tubes is only about 17 degrees. What’s that mean for you as a shooter? It means you’ll quickly learn just how much you take peripheral vision for granted. Our instructors continually reinforced the importance of deliberately scanning your environment. The old axiom of keeping your head on a swivel becomes quite literal under NVGs since, essentially, you must be looking directly at something to see it. In the shoot house portion of the class, our cadre made this point through the inconvenient placement of furniture in and around entryways. The author, three months later, still has a scar on his shin from inadvertently trying to

ing through a doorway. Why? Because

IS SUE

punt a coffee table while button-hookhe didn’t properly scan his surroundings on the move. In addition to the reduced ield of

REC O ILW E B .C O M

view, night vision also severely limits depth perception. The use of multiple lenses in the physical construction of the tubes, as well as the monochrome Don Edwards of Greenline Tactical was our primary instructor for this course.

it covers all the same material as the

green (or white) display, distorts how

open-enrollment Level 1, with the

your eyes perceive distance. Bump-

addition of a Team CQB portion.

ing into doorframes and car doors is a

We’ve always been a fan of seeking

pretty common occurrence for irst-

out the best subject-matter experts

time night vision users, but the brain

in a given ield we want to talk about.

can be trained to compensate for this.

Who better to teach us about the use

One exercise suggested by TNVC staff

of night vision than law enforcement

is to play catch while wearing NVGs.

and military veterans who’ve not only

Rebuilding the hand-eye coordination

used NVGs in the real world, but now

required to catch an object mid-air will

work for a company that manufactures

translate directly to other, more im-

and sells night vision as well. While this

portant tasks like reaching out to open

author, and most of the RECOIL staff,

or close doors, execute a magazine

used night vision at one point or anoth-

change, or clear a malfunction. There

er in their previous lives, nobody’s too

are few things more embarrassing, and

badass for the basics, and the TNVC

potentially dangerous, than stabbing

Night Fighter course brought back a

a full magazine blindly into the air be-

couple long-forgotten lessons that we

cause you can’t ind your mag well.

now pass on to any of you who may

Another technique to help navigate

consider making night vision a part of

is to manipulate your environment from

your hunts, personal protection plan, or

large to small. It was explained to us

even just your next night at the range.

this way: When you approach a door to

NIGHT MOVES make entry, irst reach out and touch the door. Then, use the door to ind the doorframe. Then, use the doorframe to ind the knob. While it may not be necessary to perform this process by the numbers every single time, it’s an excellent index method that can help

Additional considerations for those in team environments include incorporating comms and identification markers like IR strobes.

when you’re either still readjusting that spatial awareness or entering an unfamiliar environment.

KNOW WHERE YOUR GEAR IS The process of integrating night vision into your shooting, regardless of the context, needs to start long before you drop those tubes down over your eyes. In fact,

Piles of ammo on a concrete floor is usually the beginning of a good night.

it might begin before you even purchase your night vision at all. Since your ield of view will be greatly restricted, you’ll not be able to see what you’re shooting at and 39

be wearing. Whether it’s a plate carrier

IS SUE

also see your gun or any gear you may or a fanny pack, any place you may be

REC O ILW E B .C O M

storing extra ammo or equipment will have to be accessible instinctually. The

If your NVGs are a duty or defensive tool, make sure your night-fighting kit is stowed for a fast jock-up. TNVC instructors put on a rather in-depth block on instruction on how to conigure both your weapons and your personal kit for night vision operations. While the examples used in class were geared toward tactical operations, including things like chem lights to mark cleared rooms and flex cuffs for securing detainees, the principles are universally applicable.

NIGHT FIGHTER LOADOUT Being properly equipped for night vision

The key for gear on your person is

shooting goes well beyond goggles and a

consistency and ease of access. Do you

gun. We had the chance to run a bunch of

always put your car keys in your left

really good gear at the TNVC class. Here’s the

front pocket? Do you always put your

lowdown on the kit you see here …

wallet in your back right pocket? Those

Glock 19 modiied by TMT Tactical and

items you can likely retrieve upside

Johnny’s Custom Glocks

down in the dark. But what about your

Sionics Weapon Systems Patrol III XL

irst aid gear? Or your spare mags? If

Inforce WMLx IR

you catch yourself looking down at

B.E. Meyers MAWL C1+

those items to retrieve them during day-

Hard Headed Veterans Level IIIA ATE helmet

time practice, you may wind up groping

TNVC white phosphorous “Sentinel” goggles

around for them in the dark. There’s

TYR Tactical Basic Plate Carrier

no one magic “spot” to put stuff that

Spartan Armor Systems Lightweight Level

works for everybody. Take whatever

III+ plates

vest, pack, or plate carrier you may

Lancer Systems AWM Magazines

use and practice reaching every single

Patriot Cases hard sided rile case (not shown)

NIGHT MOVES pouch or pocket in a dark room or blindfolded. If you can’t unzip, unsnap,

ers MAWL C-1+. The MAWL is awe-

or unbuckle a pouch without seeing it,

some. But the MAWL is also $2,500 —

it might be time to sub out some kit.

rifle not included. You can also use an

The same principle applies to

or EOTech, both of which have dedicat-

ily a carbine class, and the weapon

ed IR settings. But trying to get a cheek

setup portion was focused on this. For

weld with NVGs hanging off your face

example, if you run both a light and

is challenging, to say the least. It’ll also

laser on your carbine, are you running

severely limit your effective engagement

two separate tape switches? Can you

range. This can be mitigated with the

seeing them, and can you actuate them instantly every time you take up a iring grip/stance? This is where hand stops and vertical foregrips can offer a real advantage — they essentially force you to place your support hand in exactly the same spot every time you pick up your carbine. If you set a stop or grip 39

then build your light/laser placement

IS SUE

where it’s most comfortable for you, around that forward index point; it’ll be

REC O ILW E B .C O M

NV-capable optic, such as an Aimpoint

your weapon itself. This was primar-

remember which one is which without

As an example, we used a B.E. Mey-

much easier to use your illumination devices quickly and only as needed.

KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS Night Vision technology is not the be-all-end-all of making darkness into light. There are physical and technological limitations to be considered. One of the biggest ones is the use of sights and optics. Shooting an iron-sighted pistol through NVGs is just about impossible. During our time in the Night Fighter course, we saw a lot of red dot–equipped pistols. Since we were running irons on our sidearm, it gave us the opportunity to try both on the range. The beneits of optics-equipped handguns become abundantly clear within a few rounds. There are a couple of IR laser options for pistols, but the proliferation of slide-mounted optics has even eclipsed these for the most part. When referring to carbines, there are a couple of conigurations that can get the job done. The military community has long been running rail-mounted IR lasers. This is probably the most user-friendly solution, if not the most expensive for the consumer.

Impaired depth perception make simple tasks like walking down the stairs somewhat more hazardous.

NIGHT MOVES Achieving a proper cheek-weld with goggles on your face is a losing proposition. This is where rail-mounted lasers make all the difference.

use of an IR weapon light, but the cheek weld problem remains. It also narrows

As night optics technology continues

your selection of optics. If you normally

to advance, currently available models

run a red dot, it’s zero impact. But with

of night vision will only continue to

more and more shooters using low-power

proliferate. In addition to their intended

variable optics, it could cramp your style.

role as a force multiplier on the battle-

Lastly, as a warning against the

The author and instructor Phil Veloso work hallways as a two-man element.

NIGHT FEVER

ield, they’ve become an excellent tool

dreaded Mr. Murphy, if you do decide

for hunters who prefer nocturnal prey —

to run night vision in whatever applica-

particularly across western Texas where

tion suits you best, be sure to have a

night-dwelling hogs are a varmint that

white light backup if and when the $3

damage crops and livestock. Aside from

batteries in your $3,000 NVGs take a

all of this, shooting under night vision

sh*t at the most inopportune of times.

is just plain fun. For most of us, the

Several high-quality weapon lights

zeroes in our bank accounts would have

on the market today have dual-mode

to line up just right to make a qual-

operation. For the class, we used an

ity night-shooting setup truly feasible.

Inforce WMLx IR, which has a manual

If this is the case for you, make sure

toggle to switch back and forth be-

you set aside a few duckets for quality

tween white light and IR. Regardless of

instruction from somebody who has

how you skin this cat, remember that

experience working under NVGs. Then

having a white light option will give you

take the time to set up your gear and

a redundancy that’ll probably come in

practice with it. After that, put fresh

handy just when you don’t think you’ll

batteries in your NVGs, light a cigar,

need it.

and wait for sundown.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

94 IS SUE 39

BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO AN AGING WARHORSE BY TOM MARSHALL PHOTOS BY RCP PHOTOGRAPHY AND AZ PHOTO MAN

as a standard-issue sidearm, even as

of the creature comforts of its more

its replacement trickles slowly into the

modern counterparts.

tested creds and sheer sex appeal, this

mother of invention, gave birth to a

IS SUE

old warhorse leaves a lot to be desired.

niche industry of custom shops and

supply lines. But underneath the battle-

Its overall size isn’t particularly

Necessity, being the ever-loving

smiths specializing in updates and modiications to one of Italy’s most

Its slide-mounted safety is dificult to

proliic exports. Two of them, Langdon

manipulate. And that double-action

Tactical Technologies and Robar, have

trigger pull feels about a foot-and-a-half-

teamed up to offer a series of upgrade-

long and almost 25 pounds. We’re not

and-reinish packages for 92 owners

saying there aren’t redeeming qualities.

that we couldn’t resist putting through

The relatively tame 9mm round shot

the wringer.

As the oldest continuously operating

out of a metal-framed pistol makes the

gunmaker in the world, Beretta and

recoil impulse downright pleasant. Field

their pistols need no introduction.

stripping is simple. Service life and

Anybody who’s seen an action movie

endurance have been proven through

Technologies spent 12 years in the

made after 1980 could probably pick

generations of hard use and neglect at

Marines and over two decades on the

a Beretta 92F out of a lineup, not

the hands of soldiers. But, considering

competition shooting circuit, in addition

to mention the thousands of military

that the 92 frame is older than some

to his extensive career as a professional

personnel who continue to carry them

of our staff, it’s certainly lacking some

instructor and product consultant

IT’S WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE The big cheese at Langdon Tactical

95 REC O ILW E B .C O M

friendly to shooters with smaller hands.

IS SUE

TWO WEEKS TO RETIREMENT

REC O ILW E B .C O M

for Beretta. So when we looked at

trigger fully cocks the hammer on

re-vamping our stock ’80s action hero

the double-action pull. By pulling the

gun, he seemed like a good person to

hammer back almost as far as it sits

start with. Ernest Langdon has years

in single action, you gain more energy

take longer to master. Once you start

behind a Beretta 92 and has spent

on the forward “swing” of the hammer,

to achieve high levels of consistency

a signiicant amount of time bringing

allowing you to get away with a lighter

with your other fundamentals, a

the aftermarket a better trigger for this

hammer spring than normal, according

good match trigger simply offers less

legacy platform. He has performed

to Langdon. In addition to these parts

mechanical disturbance to the weapon

thousands of trigger jobs on 92 series

swaps, all contact surfaces, as well as

in the critical tenths of a second

pistols, and his process is so highly

the hammer and sear contact points,

before that round leaves the barrel.

reined that, at time of writing, you can

are polished.

The person behind the gun still has to

purchase a “trigger job in a bag” direct

Will a trigger job make you a better

put their work in. But, all other things

from LTT’s website with the optimal

shooter? Absolutely not. Can you

being equal, a honed trigger offers the

combination parts needed to upgrade

run your pistol effectively in stock

opportunity to achieve quicker, more

your trigger, pre-polished.

coniguration? Sure you can. But a well-

consistent shot placement.

Our base gun received what LTT calls

tuned trigger can do a couple of things

their Level 2 trigger job. This consists

for you. As you progress through your

of chrome silicon springs, including a

training, it has the potential to reduce

12-pound hammer spring, and a trigger

your learning curve, as heavy triggers

bar from Wilson Combat. The Wilson

with excessive travel or stacking will

The excellent Robar finishes aren’t only easy on the eyes, but enhance both durability and dry lubricity.

Of course, the trigger isn’t the only thing inside the pistol. Robar Companies offers a number of packages for Beretta 92 series pistols. The one we selected, their Mod 5 package, includes

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TWO WEEKS TO RETIREMENT

replacement of all the OEM plastic parts with steel, including the trigger shoe and guide rod. The recoil spring and all 39

Wolff Gunsprings counterparts. Not

IS SUE

magazine springs were replaced with only are all these bits and pieces more

REC O ILW E B .C O M

durable, but they’re all coated in Robar’s proprietary NP3 inish. For the uninitiated, NP3 is an electroless nickel base impregnated with Teflon. This little bit of science provides the end user with a irearms coating highly resistant to both corrosion and carbon buildup. The inclusion of Teflon in the chemical makeup also adds an inherent dry lubricity regardless of how much or what kind of liquid lubricant you use as part of your maintenance plan. Metal parts coated in NP3 sliding against each other results in an incredibly smooth, gliding sensation when running the gun. Not to mention that our experience shows that NP3coated parts can usually be wiped clean by a dry rag even after high-round-count training. With Robar’s Mod 5 upgrade package, NP3 plating is used on the barrel, trigger, hammer, mag release, slide release, lanyard loop, grip screws, and up to three magazines. The inal major internal change that comes with the Mod 5 package is what’s commonly called the “G conversion.” The original Beretta 92

Above: Part of the upgrade process included swapping the safety for a dedicated decocking lever. Below: The plastic guide rod and trigger shoe were also replaced with steel counterparts.

FS comes equipped with one of the

automatically de-cocks it. In the

most awkward safety systems we’ve

author’s opinion, there’s absolutely

had the misfortune of being ordered

nothing whatsoever even remotely

to carry into combat. The lever itself

redeemable about this safety

is mounted as high on the slide as

coniguration. By comparison, the

physically possible, directly flanking

Beretta 92 G is equipped with simple

the rear sight notch. Mechanically, the

spring-loaded de-cocking levers.

safety’s function is inverted from what

Chamber a round, drop the hammer,

most folks would consider “normal”’

holster. When you need to go to work,

function. That is to say that the lever

draw and press through the now-

must be flipped upward to be in the

buttery-smooth double-action irst

“ire” position and flipped down to be

stroke. This conversion, paired with the

in the “safe” position.

LTT trigger job, gives you a silky double

Also, the pistol cannot be run

action that not only runs more quickly

cocked-and-locked in single-action

than the stock trigger but also leaves

mode. Putting the pistol on safe

the manual of arms greatly simpliied.

TWO WEEKS TO RETIREMENT A BOOK BY ITS COVER While internal parts are what make the gun function exactly how you want, the outside is what the shooter actually interacts with. We already discussed Robar’s NP3 coating and the functional beneits it offers when applied to the right parts. But the Mod 5 package includes a complete exterior reinish as well. Customers have the option of getting the frame and slide inished in NP3, Roguard, or PolyT2. We chose the latter — an epoxy-based inish that’s also impregnated with Teflon. Unlike NP3, PolyT2 is available in an array of colors. We selected desert tan, with a set of matching thin panel grips from VZ Grips. Finally, Robar’s smiths cut and re-crowned the barrel so that it sits flush with the slide. This 39

function, but we liked the aesthetic. For

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doesn’t make any noticeable change to those interested, the Mod 5 package includes an additional option to bob the hammer as well as the barrel. We

100

didn’t go this route, but there’s no extra Robar has à la carte options for both a nose bob, as seen here, and a hammer bob, which we skipped.

charge for it.

ROUNDS DOWNRANGE Gutting an old gun and rebuilding it from the inside out is a pretty cool project. But what good is it, actually? We previously mentioned that a customized pistol doesn’t inherently make you a better shooter. But if you already have a firm grasp of the fundamentals and an effective training plan, these improvements can reduce the number of mechanical variables that must be overcome to make that perfect shot. In order to collect some data on this point, we took LTT’s

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TWO WEEKS TO RETIREMENT

REC O ILW E B .C O M

102

tactical pistol skills class with our bone-stock Beretta 92. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable. But it gave us a good baseline. We used two drills to get our initial data points — the FAST drill and LTT’s own 6-in-5 drill. The FAST drill consists of two rounds

The LTT/Robar 92 not only gives you plenty to look at, but offers significant performance increases for those who struggle with the longer, heavier factory trigger.

total time of 11.56 seconds. Certainly nothing to write home about. But the same shooter, with the LTT/Robar Mod 5 Beretta, shot the FAST in 6.53 seconds with no misses. Our second veriication drill was the 6-in-5 drill. This is shot on an 8-inch

STOCK 92 FS RAW TIME: 8.56 sec PENALTIES: + 3 sec FINAL TIME: 11.56 sec

ired at a 3x5-inch headshot target

circle from 10 yards. As the name

followed by a slide lock reload, inished

implies, you draw and ire six rounds

with four rounds to an 8-inch circle.

in ive seconds. The drill is repeated

Max par time is 10 seconds. Anything

four times for a total of 24 rounds

under 10 is considered “intermediate.”

ired. With our out-of-the-box Beretta,

Anything under 7 seconds is considered

we turned in an average time of 6.34

STOCK 92 FS

“advanced.” Add one second for each

seconds across the four runs, with a

missed shot.

total of ive misses. With the Mod 5,

1ST RUN: 6.48 sec (-1) 2ND RUN: 6.58 sec 3RD RUN: 5.58 sec (-2) 4TH RUN: 6.71 sec (-2)

With our OEM Beretta 92, we shot

that total average dropped to 4.44

the FAST in a disappointing 8.56

seconds with a single miss out of all

seconds, with three missed shots, for a

four runs.

FAST DRILL 92 FS MOD 5 RAW TIME: 6.53 sec PENALTIES: Clean FINAL TIME: 6.53 sec

6-IN-5 92 FS MOD 5 1ST RUN: 4.28 sec 2ND RUN: 4.48 sec (-1) 3RD RUN: 4.56 sec 4TH RUN: 4.45 sec

TWO WEEKS TO RETIREMENT WHAT DID WE LEARN? In the overwhelming majority of cases, it’s the shooter who needs work, not the gun. Having said that, the right set of modiications can make a signiicant difference, particularly on an aging pistol that doesn’t come out of the box with all of the most recent lessons learned. LTT’s vast experience with the Beretta 92 platform gives them a particularly poignant insight into what that particular pistol needs to run like a scalded dog. Robar’s top-of-the-line coatings and well-executed modiications leave you with a literally Teflon-slick sidearm that performs more eficiently and consistently than it could ever hope in factory coniguration. If your action 39

collecting dust in the safe, consider

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movie icon or military service relic is letting a well-regarded Beretta ’smith take a run at it. You might just see a perk in performance and a newfound love for this oft-maligned pillar of irearms pop culture.

SPEC BOX

REC O ILW E B .C O M

104

BERETTA

92 FS

ACCESSORIES

LTT Level 2 Trigger Job: Robar Mod 5 Package: CALIBER

9x19mm BARREL LENGTH

4.9 inches

$325 $875

MSRP

$ $670 PRICE AS FEATURED

$ $1,870

WEIGHT (UNLOADED)

URL

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39 IS SUE REC O ILW E B .C O M

106

THE AMERICAN INFANTRY RIFLE AND 25 YEARS OF LESSONS LEARNED BY TOM MARSHALL PHOTOS BY IAIN HARRISON

About the time this issue hits the newsstands, the U.S. Special Operations community will likely be taking a look back at one of the most high-profile operations in their history: Operation Gothic Serpent, which included the infamous Battle of the Black Sea, made famous by the book-slash-movie Black Hawk Down. That mission, which took place in October of 1993, is officially 25 years old this fall.

HOT WASH This carbine was considered stateof-the-art around the time Meatloaf topped radio charts with “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).” If that doesn’t make you feel old ...

Several veterans of that operation

conducive to deadlines or production

are currently active in the irearms

budgets. So, in several cases, we had

industry and have given their histori-

to make do with “close enough.” Good

cal accounts of the mission to various

enough, as the saying goes, for gov-

media outlets. Instead of trying to

ernment work. This particular Gothic

retell someone else’s war story, we

Serpent sample is outfitted with a

wanted to take this anniversary to

SureFire 6P, complete with a whop-

examine the progress of America’s ev-

ping 60-lumen incandescent bulb,

eryman rifle over the ensuing two-and-

mounted on a single scope ring with

a-half decades, and perhaps reflect

their push-button tactical tail cap.

on just how good we have it now.

The optic is an Aimpoint 9000, which uses the longer tube style of the older

BLAST FROM THE PAST tinues to gain momentum, several

to a weapon isn’t exactly new, the

companies are now producing period-

technology to do so in a manner that’s

themed AR-pattern rifles to commem-

both convenient and ergonomic is a

orate past iterations of Stoner’s most

relatively recent development. As late

famous design. Troy Industries was

as the early years of Operation Iraqi

one of the irst to offer an out-of-the-

Freedom, line units were using duct

box solution to collectors and enthusi-

tape and hose clamps to hold D-cell

While the idea of mounting a light

asts wanting a “period” rifle with their

mag lights onto their rifles. The SOF

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As the rise of the retro rifle con-

5000 with updated electronics.

My Service Rifle line, commemorating

community, having a larger budget and

REC O ILW E B .C O M

108

famous military operations,

more time dedicated to R&D, found

and the associated rifles

that you could use weaver scope rings

used to win the day.

to mount the then-new smaller lights

Their recent release of

made by SureFire onto their guns. Cer-

the M16A2 SFOD-D carbine

tainly better than the methods used by

made an all-too-appropriate

conventional units even a decade later,

cornerstone for this project.

this small measure of convenience

This no-frills rifle was state

came with two primary pitfalls — actu-

of the art at the time it was

ating the light and lumens.

used by small-team elements

Though night vision, and the earlier

of the U.S. Army and Air

starlight technology, dates back to

Force in the late ’80s and

Vietnam and somewhat before, dedi-

early ’90s. It’s a 14.5-inch

cated night-fighting gear isn’t a catch-

barrel, carbine-length gas system af-

all for “intermediate” lighting situ-

fair with traditional CAR handguards,

ations. Think about entering a dark

iron sights, and an A2 carry handle

room in the middle of a bright desert

upper. The gun ships with a length of

afternoon in Africa. You need some

rail mounted on both the carry handle

kind of artificial light to see your

and the 6 o’clock position at the for-

target, but early night vision goggles

ward end of the handguard.

— prone to washout or permanent

As a preface to all of you firearm

damage from ambient light through a

historians out there, please note that

window or hole in the ceiling — were

this was an “in the spirit of” build

the wrong answer. So weapon lights

and does features accessories in the

became the best compromise.

style of this period, as opposed to the

Even though any advantage is

actual items. Attempting to procure

better than no advantage, less than

the actual lights, sights, and mounts

100 lumens doesn’t buy you much

from two-plus decades ago was hardly

reaction time. As your eyes are rapidly

HOT WASH adjusting from bright light, to no light,

gotta hit it. The early electro-optical

stock, which is unnatural, uncom-

ability to identify friend from foe is

sights, also of Vietnam vintage, were a

fortable, and offers a floating sight

marginal at best. Tape switches were

huge boon for rapid shots under tight

picture at best, particularly while

available at the time, but far from uni-

constraints. The optics themselves,

shooting on the move.

versal and far from reliable. They had

to include the Aimpoint 3000s and

to be taped on and, if you’ve ever had

5000s of the Black Hawk Down era,

a piece of tape peel off something in

didn’t have the kind of battery life or

the heat, you know that taping things

reliability that we now expect from any

progress that’s been made in conigur-

together isn’t the most ironclad at-

red dot worth its salt. But mounting

ing the AR or M4-style rifle, we contrast

tachment method.

them on an A2-style receiver created

Troy’s My Service Rifle SFOD-D gun

Once you get the light mounted,

an additional issue: height over bore.

to their own cutting-edge carbine, the

you have to be able to actually turn it

For the uninitiated, height over

SOC-C. The SOCC (Special Operations

on. With the light at the bottom of the

bore is exactly what it sounds like.

Compatible Carbine) also sports a 14.5-

handguard, thumb activation is out of

Mounting your scope several inches

inch barrel chambered in 5.56mm —

above your barrel creates the need for

which is squarely where the similarities

both mechanical offset when you zero

end. The SOC-C features a mid-length

as well as for manual holdover when

gas system. Recent testing by USSO-

trying to make precise shots — like

COM has proven what the commercial

headshots, which are a common point

market has known for years —that the

of training for hostage rescue units.

longer gas tube makes for a cleaner and

Furthermore, these high-mounted

softer shooting weapon.

work, we had to shift our support handgrip to just past the magwell and use the index knuckle of that hand to trip the light. It works, but not well. 39

enough pressure on the switch to keep

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While iring, we had trouble keeping it on. The other option is to twist the

REC O ILW E B .C O M

optics require a “chin weld” on the

to a little bit of light the “increased”

the question. To make this placement

110

Once you can see your target, you

tailcap for constant-on, but then you run into the fairly obvious issues of battery life, and of giving away your position between engagements.

Synergistic advances in handguards, lights, and forward grips provide a support-hand hold that’s more ergonomic and offers better control over the weapon.

LATEST AND GREATEST As a demonstration of the technical

HOT WASH Things like lower height-overbore and shorter overall length give the SOCC carbine a distinct edge over it’s partner. Internals and fire controls are also highly improved over Mil-spec.

The SOCC covers that gas tube with

ers to full-length top rails provide a

a 12-inch M-LOK handguard. This

laundry list of beneits on a ighting

single feature offers the warighter a

rifle. The aforementioned height-

level of modularity that hasn’t been

over-bore issue all but disappears.

known since the M16’s introduction

This simpliies zero. It also simpliies

six decades ago. Now you can mount

unconventional shooting positions like

your lights and any other accessory

shooting over or under a barricade and

wherever you want. In our case, we

allows a proper cheek weld. Addition-

used SureFire’s new 600DF weap-

ally, the full-length top rail allows

onlight attached to the rifle by way

end users to utilize different types of

of an Arisaka Defense inline mount.

optics. The vast increase in mounting

The 600DF produces 1,500 lumens,

space means that force multipliers

which not only restores small rooms to

like variable-power glass and clip-on

broad daylight conditions at the push

thermal or night-vision units can be

of a button, but can probably be used

mounted quickly and securely with no

to signal low-flying aircraft or heat up

tools, as the mission changes.

your MRE. the Bakara Market in Mogadishu,

While lights and sights were our

soldiers had to mount a rail to the

two most obvious observations, there

handguard, a scope ring to the rail,

are other less prominent improve-

ALL THE SMALL THINGS

and the light into the scope ring.

ments that are equally important. One

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When Super 6-4 went down near

This system creates poor ergonom-

is the advent of ambidextrous con-

ics and multiple points of failure for

trols. While, statistically, the number

your light to shoot loose or fall of

of left-handed shooters is pretty low

completely. With the 600DF/Arisaka

throughout the ranks, if you happen

combo, the mount is screwed directly

to have one on your team you want

into the body of the flashlight, and

them to reap all the same benefits

then attached directly to the hand-

everyone else in the stack does. Ambi

guard. Not only is this a simpler sys-

selector levers, charging handles,

tem less prone to mechanical failure,

and mag and bolt releases all create

but the advent of modular hand-

a perfectly mirrored manual of arms,

guards provides adjustability in where

regardless of which hand is pressing

the light is places, both lengthwise

the trigger. But it’s not only south-

along the fore-end and around its

paws who get something out of it.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

112

circumference. The biggest single

The advent of urban warfare has

benefit to come from this advance-

forced U.S. soldiers to enter a battle

ment is that, now, you can configure

space full of walls, windows, and hard

the gun around the operator’s natural

angles. Being able to transition your

stance and hand placement instead

carbine from strong side to support

of changing how you fight just to ac-

side as you adapt to available cover

commodate a flashlight.

offers a very real increase in soldier

Optics have gotten smaller, smarter,

survivability. Ambidextrous buttons

tougher, and more diverse in the last

and switches allow all shooters to

25 years. Our SOCC sports an Aim-

switch-hit off of barriers without

point Comp M5. It’s their smallest and

having to change anything about how

most eficient rifle-mounted red dot.

they drive their gun.

With battery life measured in years

The last, but perhaps most critical

and a slew of brightness settings that

upgrades we’ll discuss come in the

include night vision compatibility. The

form of the almighty bang switch.

move from carry-handle upper receiv-

After executing proper stance/grip/

HOT WASH sight alignment/sight picture, trigger

the box with a Geissele G2S trigger.

press is the shooter’s last physical

While not marketed as a match trig-

have embraced progress, get quickly

input into the weapon before that

ger per se, it offers a gliding smooth

adjusted to the ease with which a

round leaves the barrel. Sloppy or

take-up with a consistent break

modern, properly conigured rifle can

harsh trigger press can throw a shot

that snaps like a carrot each and

be run hard under demanding condi-

even if you do everything else right.

every time. It’s this consistency and

tions. While the events of Operation

This becomes a literal matter of life

predictability that gives a shooter an

Gothic Serpent can be labeled as both

and death for units that fight in very

opportunity to improve their marks-

tragic and heroic, the lessons learned

close quarters where hostages and

manship more quickly, as well as

from those units and their experience

innocents are all in play.

imparting a confidence that the trig-

cobbling together a “best possible”

ger will do exactly what you want it

solution with the parts they had set in

standard Mil-spec trigger that was de-

to every single time — a not insignifi-

motion a ripple effect that helped birth

lightfully rocky and inconsistent. By

cant comfort when entering situations

the cutting-edge carbines we now use

comparison, the SOCC comes out of

measured in tenths of a second.

to defend our country and our homes.

The M16A2 SFOD-D sports a

Newer shooters, and older ones who

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REC O ILW E B .C O M

118 IS SUE 39

BY DAVE MERRILL

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THE KNIGHT’S ARMAMENT XM-9, SNAP-ON SILENCER

119 REC O ILW E B .C O M

The design of the Snap-On is fairly

Back when The A-Team and Knight

greatest in silencer technology, it still

Rider were still must-see TV, Knight’s

holds a special place both in our hearts

rudimentary by modern standards,

Armament was working on something

and in history.

but remember, we currently stand on the shoulders of giants. The majority

a little different. The common name would be the Snap-On, but the oficial name when issued would be the XM-9.

DESIGN The upgrade to the Frogman 1960s

of the silencer itself is dedicated to a large gas expansion chamber, and

Ultimately, 3,800 KAC Snap-On cans

Hush Puppy, Snap-Ons were initially

then the projectile runs through a se-

were purchased by the U.S. Air Force

developed as a thread-on–type sup-

ries of polyurethane wipes and spac-

for use for pilot escape and evasion

pressor that we commonly see today.

ers. As each bullet passes through the

kits in case they were downed in enemy

The second generation featured a

wipe, the wipe seals gases behind it

territory, and also for Air Force Special

locking gate-latch that was truly

— at least until they wear out. We’ve

Operations teams. An indeterminate

quick-attach when using a barrel ma-

seen many conigurations of Snap-On

number also went to the U.S. Army —

chined speciically for this purpose.

wipes, from simple small apertures to

and probably more than one clandestine

We’re told this taper pin mechanism

crosscuts, to straight-up make-your-

service still has a handful in their inven-

was the baby of then-KAC engineer

own-hole-with-a-bullet. Quite hon-

tory. While it’s no longer the latest and

John Anderson.

estly, the latter works very well.

PILOTS, FROGMEN, AND SPIES The wipe and spacer assembly consists of seven (or eight!) PU wipes with two separate spacers. Wipes are certainly consumable items, and their longevity depends on the ammunition used and the rate of ire achieved. While one could just disassemble the Snap-On and repack with wipes after they wear out, the design of the SnapOn allows you to just swap out the wipe and spacer assembly right in the ield if need be. We’re not entirely convinced it was

called Neilsen Device or muzzle

a coincidence that the wipe size of the

booster. These recoil boosters were

Gemtech Aurora, the successor to the

initially used on Vickers and Maxim

Snap-On, shared the exact same dimen-

machineguns in the early 20th

sions. If you happen to own both, this is

century, but many years later found

quite a boon. Let’s just say we were more

use in suppressed pistols. Since

than happy to discover this.

silencers add weight to the muzzle of a pistol, they can cause cycling

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SIGHTS

REC O ILW E B .C O M

120

The dimensions of the Snap-On

malfunctions; a Neilsen Device temporarily uncouples the weight of

make it wide and squat, with a diameter

the silencer when firing and allows

bulging at 1.5 inches and sitting a

for consistent, suppressed, semi-auto

hair below 5.5 inches in length. You’re

fire from a tilt-barrel action firearm.

not going to be able to utilize modern

While the Beretta 92F doesn’t utilize

suppressor-height sights very well, let

such a mechanism, many other

alone those on a stock 92F with the

pistols do. A slide-lock allowed for

Snap-On mounted. But KAC had a

a quiet shot, as well as ensuring

solution: Mount the sights directly to

cycling malfunctions weren’t present

the silencer.

when using a silencer. Once Mickey

The top of the rear gate-latch

Finn of Qual-A-Tec popularized the

mechanism serves as a rear sight, and a

use of a Neilsen device with pistol

simple bead is threaded in place for use

suppressors, slide-locks went the way

as a front sight.

of the dinosaur. In fact, in the early ’90s, when the

SLIDE-LOCK While this modiied Beretta 92F

U.S. Government was developing the Mk23 Offensive Handgun Weapon

wasn’t anywhere close to being the only

System (OHWS), the irst solicita-

pistol at the time equipped with a slide-

tion required a slide-lock to be

lock, it’s probably among the last, if not

incorporated. However, with

the last. From our modern perspective,

silencer technology improv-

a slide-lock seems to only serve one

ing at a rapid pace

purpose: to have a shot as quiet as

and recoil boosters

possible — no action noise, no ejection

becoming more com-

port exhaust, no ejection port flame.

mon, the updated

However, they were initially developed

government so-

for a different reason entirely.

licitation removed

Something that we take for granted

the slide-lock

with modern pistol silencers is

requirement

the near universal use of a so-

entirely.

The majority of the Snap-On is dedicated to a gas expansion chamber.

Stacked sights definitely take some getting used to.

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PILOTS, FROGMEN, AND SPIES AT THE RANGE

Speaking of sights, we found the

Knight’s Armament displayed

stacked sights to be rather optically con-

their Snap-On with a box of Super

fusing at irst. When bringing the Beretta

Vel 147-grain subsonic 9mm, the

92F equipped with a KAC Snap-On to

ammunition for which it was intended.

bear, you’re presented with two totally

Not having any of that on hand, we

distinct sight pictures — the standard

opted to use both Israeli 158-grain

(blocked by the can), and then the ones

subsonic and 165-grain Freedom

you’re supposed to use right on top.

Munitions subsonic for our purposes. The accuracy was, hmm, rustic.

With supersonics, we were consistently high at 20 feet, and consistently right with subs. Neither grouped very well.

What we were very pleasantly surprised with was the function of the

What you have to keep in mind is that

slide-lock. As previously mentioned,

each projectile is passing through

the slide-lock allows for the quietest

more than three-quarters of an inch

shot possible, because all action noise

of polyurethane before it exits the

and ejection port exhaust is eliminated.

silencer. Coupled with the fact that

After every shot with the slide-lock in

the rear sight literally moves every

place, it automatically dropped down

time the silencer is mounted, and

from the slide and allowed for a very

you get some fairly inconsistent

quick and eficient rack/eject/load.

shifts. But let’s be real here: This

Some time was certainly spent with the

was never intended to be an Olympic

design of this one.

signiicantly less shift than those at

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target setup. Groups at 20 feet had 30 but were still quite a bit to the

REC O ILW E B .C O M

122

LOOSE ROUNDS In the year 2000, Advanced

right. Hey, this is one of the reasons

Armament Corp released their own

wipe-only cans went out of style.

version of the Snap-On. While it shared

That and the fact you can’t use any

the same attachment mechanism,

sort of hollow point or expanding

instead of a replaceable wipe pack, they

ammunition, unless for some reason

rocked standard baffles. It was also

you want a guaranteed endcap strike.

considerably longer than the Knight’s

When utilizing supersonic ammunition, which absolutely degrades the wipes much faster, we hit consistently high.

version. Trade-offs with everything. While the Knight’s Armament SnapOn is far from a modern-day pistol

The ambidextrous slide-lock is very easy to lock and unlock, even with gloved hands.

39 IS SUE REC O ILW E B .C O M

124 Below you see the contents of the entire kit, ammo and all.

The AAC version of the Snap-On was skinnier, but considerably longer than the original.

suppressor, it holds an important place in the history of silencer development. Looking back, you can’t help but feel like you’re looking at photos of yourself back in middle school; You can recognize yourself, but you dressed really awkwardly. Knight’s broke out their old tooling (or maybe checked a dusty warehouse) and offered up 188 silencer/barrel combos for $1,999.95 each, and a mere 19 full kits as you see here for $8,684.12 a pop. Despite the Snap-On and Beretta slide-lock being dated, there are very few that wouldn’t be more than proud to have one in their collection.

CHRONICLING THE FIREARMS FROM THE FEATURE FILM IS SUE

STORY BY DR. EARL M. BURRESS JR. PHOTOS BY JON DAVEY AND COLIN BLOUNT

127 Ironically, many of the M16s and CAR-15s

ible mark in the minds of United States mili-

used on screen were actually built as an export

tary members and gun enthusiasts alike. The

variation of the Colt M16. Simon Atherton,

movie recounts the story of Operation Gothic

Black Hawk Down lead armorer and owner

Serpent, involving the Task Force Ranger

of Zorg Limited, provided examples of M16s

mission on October 3 and 4, 1993. Released

and CAR-15s used in the movie. The CAR-15,

mere months after Sept. 11, it was one of the

notably, was conigured with components used

irst ilm depictions of urban combat in a post-

on the backup Gary Gordon hero prop rifle. The blank-iring M16A2 in these photos

Operation Desert Storm world. Firearms for the ilm were provided by lead

was, in our best estimate, used as a Third Bat-

armorer Simon Atherton (whose ilm credits

talion, 75th Ranger Regiment rifle. It’s nearly

include The Killing Fields, Aliens, and Saving

identical to the rifle carried by real-life Ranger

Private Ryan) with the assistance of U.S. Navy

Matt Eversmann, played on screen by Josh

S.E.A.L. veteran and military ilm advisor

Hartnett. The Ranger M16s were ex-Guatema-

Harry Humphries.

lan military M16A2s itted with slings secured

When discussing ilm props, the term “hero”

with green duct tape. The blank-iring M16 has

is used to describe the main prop weapons

been photographed, for comparison, with one

used by the lead characters in the ilm.

of the rubber dummy rifles, still conigured as

Hero props are frequently used in close-ups and often garner the

used on set for Black Hawk Down. The rubber dummy prop M16 shows the

most screen time, becom-

on-screen coniguration for Ranger M16s.

ing publicly recogniz-

Although the dummy’s M16A1 “slab side”

able or sometimes iconic.

lower is slightly different than the blank-iring prop — cast from a civilian Colt HBAR Sporter

REC O ILW E B .C O M

The ilm Black Hawk Down has left an indel-

THE GUNS OF BLACK HAWK DOWN

M16A2 Export Lower. The Guatemalan export M16A2 was configured with the M16A1 style lower emblazond with Colt M16A2 roll marks as pictured. The fire control group markings were stamped on both sides of the lower (which is the common configurations for M16A2s) but with a BURST marking replacing the more common AUTO marking.

The M16A2 barrel conversion. Photo by Jon Davey. Most CAR-15 rifles were modified M16A2 rifles. This barrel was cut to approximately 10 inches and the front sight post was moved back to accommodate the modified handguards, while retaining the traditional triangular M16A2 handguard cap.

The 3/75 Ranger M16A2s. The blankiring M16A2 (top) was an export M16A2 from Guatemala manufactured by Colt and redressed for The Green Zone. The rubber dummy prop (bottom) was used in the production of Black Hawk Down and carries the distinctive green duct tape used to recreate the Rangers’ weapons.

Polaroid: Production photo of actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, playing Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, shows the prop equipment and one of the CAR-15 hero weapons used in filming.

— it’s similar enough to pass unnoticed

As a result, the handguards have eight

to most viewers.

holes (instead of the six- or seven-hole

After receiving the M16s, Atherton’s

handguards found on production 723

team converted many of the ex-Guate-

and 727 carbines). This rifle, and many

malan Colt M16A2s into CAR-15s. The

other of Atherton’s CAR-15s, retained

Gordon CAR-15 blank-iring prop is the

the triangular M16A2 handguard cap

most iconic weapon in the ilm. Chris

instead of the circular handguard cap

Atherton, Simon Atherton’s son and

found on Colt-produced carbines.

Zorg employee, was able to immediately

Analysis failed to conirm that the

locate the last known surviving Gary

speciic stock and dummy suppressor

Gordon hero blank-iring prop CAR-15.

in the photos appeared on screen, but

Master Sergeant Gary Gordon’s Colt

the paint scheme on those components

Model 723 was represented in the ilm

leaves no doubt that those parts were

by a Guatemalan export Colt M16A2

used on an authentic Gordon hero prop.

modiied into a carbine coniguration

Although it’s impossible to conirm

similar to a Colt Model 727. The most

that the CAR-15 pictured was one of

signiicant visual difference between

the Gordon hero rifles, it has been

the Colt 723 and Colt 727 is in the rear

conirmed that this weapon was later

sights. The Colt 723 uses an M16A1

used by Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood

sight, while the Colt 727 is itted with a

Diamond. The Zorg staff indicated that

blockier “movable” sight.

the rifle may have been repainted in the

To produce the prop, the M16’s 20inch barrel was cut to approximately 10 inches and the front sight post was

current tan paint scheme for the ilm The Green Zone. This CAR-15, manufactured by

moved back. A commercial two-position

Enhanced Tactical Arms in Las Vegas,

buffer tube and stock was also added.

Nevada, is a replica of the on-screen

A 5-inch section of the center of the

prop representing Master Sergeant

M16A2 handguard was removed to con-

Gary Gordon’s CAR-15 — a replica of a

struct improvised carbine handguards.

replica, as it were. These images were

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THE GUNS OF BLACK HAWK DOWN Photoshopped to represent the rifle in

2008 and 2009. Kate Atherton from

its Class III coniguration. The replica

Zorg provided speciic serial numbers

is itted with an Aimpoint CompM red

for the eight weapons used in the pro-

dot optic.

duction. Travis Pierce, Enhanced Tacti-

Although Aimpoint 3000 and 5000

cal Arms M14 Subject Matter Expert,

optics were used during the real-life

then used these serial numbers to

operation, they were out of produc-

determine that most of the rifles were

tion by 2001. Filmmakers selected the

produced in the ’90s.

CompM, itted on a B-Square Mount

The reproduction Shughart M14 ilm

with a 30mm Weaver split ring mount,

prop is an M1A built on an LBR Arms

as a substitute. The dummy suppressor

receiver with primarily USGI Winchester

used on the hero prop wasn’t available,

parts. It was originally assembled by

so an OPS Inc. suppressor was used

M14 enthusiast Cody Vaughan and then

in its place. Although Zorg provided

reconigured to match the ilm prop by

access to the Gordon CAR-15 prop,

Enhanced Tactical Arms with an ARMS

they indicated that the props used to

18 scope mount, Aimpoint CompM red

represent Sergeant First Class Randall

dot optic, M1907 sling, and given a

Shughart’s M14 were rented from Gib-

screen-matching camouflage pattern by

bons Limited and returned after ilming.

Enhanced Tactical Arms retro irearms

Limited Entertainment Armory pro-

The Norm “Hoot” Gibson CAR-15

expert Augee Kim.

vided eight Federal Ordinance MDL.

rubber dummy prop, built as a rubber

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Mike Gibbons, owner of Gibbons

M1A rifles to the production. Mike

stand-in for Eric Bana’s blank-iring car-

revealed that the weapons used to

bine, is an iconic prop worthy of special

represent Shughart’s M14 were sold to

attention. The rubber dummy, cast from

Independent Studio Services between

a semi-auto Colt AR-15A2 Carbine with

REC O ILW E B .C O M

130

Lower, left: The Gordon CAR-15 blank-firing prop and replica. The Gordon blank-firing prop (top) is fitted with a commercial stock and fake suppressor that carry the original paint scheme used during production. The rifle was subsequently used as the on-screen hero prop in Blood Diamond. The live-fire replica, manufactured by Enhanced Tactical Arms, (bottom) features a fully functional OPS Inc suppressor. The image of the semiauto replica has been Photoshopped with BURST fire control markings and a full auto sear.

ENHANCED TACTICAL ARMS Enhanced Tactical Arms, LLC (www.etacarms.com) is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, and conducts original scholar-level defense industry research and produces museumquality replica irearms. ETAC Arms replica weapons, screen-used ilm props, and supporting equipment have been used for historical projects, weapons accessory development, and educational efforts. ETAC Arms personnel have assisted the U.S. military, museums, civilian law enforcement organizations, and partners within the irearms and entertainment industry. Feel free to contact ETAC Arms at sales@etac-arms.com with any questions.

The Gordon CAR-15 blank-firing prop 8-hole handguard. The 8-hole CAR-15 handguards were manufactured from full-length M16A2 handguards when many of the M16A2s were configured into the CAR-15 configuration.

The Gordon CAR-15 prop rifle 8-hole handguard. The ETAC Arms live-fire replica is equipped with an 8-hole carbine handguard constructed from an M16A2 full length handguard and a Surefire tactical light. The duct tape and zip tie matches the configuration shown in the film.

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THE GUNS OF BLACK HAWK DOWN

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Reinished stock from the blank-iring hero M14 prop. The ire control selector switch cutouts on the tan Federal Ordinance MDL.M1A have been illed in and the external surfaces reinished. Almost all traces of spray paint had been removed.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

132

a removable carry handle, was used onscreen in the close-up of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is my safetyâ&#x20AC;? scene. The prop was weathered with water-soluble aging spray and is itted with a sling constructed from a piece of strap taken from a parachute lowering line assembly, looped through 550 cord and secured with black polycloth laminate tape. The live-iring prop replica, constructed by Enhanced Tactical Arms, was created using screen shots from the ilm, production photos, and the Hoot rubber dummy carbine as references. Although the Colt Gray lower on the Hoot CAR-15 appears to be an export M16A2, the black upper is distinctive. The Hoot blank-iring CAR-15 is conigured with a 14.5-inch barrel, six-hole handguard, circular handguard cap, flat delta ring, and M16A1 birdcage flash hider. When we asked Mr. Atherton if the rifles used in the ilm were painted using an airbrush he laughed, indicating that the rifles were painted quickly, using techniques recommended by military advisor Harry Humphries.

The Shughart blankfiring props were Federal Ordinance MDL.M1As provided to Simon Atherton by Mike Gibbons. Gibbons sold the eight MDL.M1As to Independent Studio Services in 2008 or 2009. The ISS armory staff indicated that it was likely that the two tan weapons were used as the hero props in filming. Photo analysis by William DeMolee indicates that it is likely that the top MDL.M1A, which is equipped with a Leatherwood scope, was the hero prop used in close-ups. The live-fire replica was painted to match onset production photos and screen shots by Augee Kim.

This production Polaroid photo of actor Johnny Strong, in his role as Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, shows both, one of the hero M14s used in ilming and another glimpse of the Gordon CAR-15.

THE GUNS OF BLACK HAWK DOWN Black Hawk Down is one of the irst ilms to capture post-Vietnam warfare in a realistic manner and set the standard for how modern warfare (and weapons) would be represented in ilm. When discussing the long-term impact of the ilm in a 2013 interview, First Sergeant Matt Eversmann (U.S. Army, retired) stated, “…what I’ve found over the last decade is that, there are a lot of folks that really aren’t touched by the war on terror … watch Black Hawk Down and you have a really fair, accurate, and pretty

Bottom Left: The rubber dummy used in the close-up of the “This is my safety” scene shows signiicant differences from the live-ire prop. These include the type of handguard, delta ring, castle nut, stock, lower, and carry handle coniguration. The lighting and camera angle make the differences dificult to detect as the story unfolds.

The Hoot live-ire replica. The Hoot replica, which is similar in general coniguration to a Colt 727, weighs in at slightly over 6 pounds and is as reliable and accurate as a modern M4. The helmet, goggles, and American lag were props used during production in 2001.

authentic view of what urban combat is like … it is the reference point, both the book and the movie, that people are going to look at when they talk about getting involved in these type of conflicts in these countries

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we’ve never heard of …”

REC O ILW E B .C O M

134

This endorsement, in conjunction with the pair of Academy Awards earned in 2002, illustrates why the ilm continues to receive praise from many ilm aicionados and military veterans nearly two decades after its release.

Bottom Right: The Hoot “This is my safety” rubber CAR-15 dummy. The Hoot character is reported to be a composite of several Special Forces veterans involved in Operation Gothic Serpent.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Earl W. Burress Jr., Ph.D. (Major, USAF, retired) holds a doctorate in business administration (with specializations in homeland security and aviation operations). While serving as an active-duty Air Force oficer, Dr. Burress was qualiied as a Minuteman III Missile Combat Crew Commander/Instructor and a C-130 pilot/instructor. He completed six combat deployments and logged over 1,000 hours of combat lying throughout AfghaniAcknowledgements

stan and Iraq. While serving as a member of

The following individuals receive special recognition for their help in making this article possible. Eric Fordon & Augee Kim (Enhanced

the 34th Combat Training Squadron at Little

Tactical Arms, LLC replica build team), Simon, Chris, and Kate Atherton (Zorg Limited staff), Jon Davey, Colin Blount, Kelsey Burress, &

Rock Air Force Base, Dr. Burress developed

William DeMolee (photographic team), Larry Zanoff, Karl Weschta, & George Cavallo (ISS staff), Mike and Patti Gibbons (Gibbons Limited

Air Mobility Command’s irst Irregular Warfare

staff), Cody Vaughn & Travis Pierce (M14 Subject Matter Experts), John Enloe (Aimpoint Inc., USA), Matt Eversmann & Ryan Ellis (U.S.

Training Program and inished his career

Army Subject Matter Experts), Nathan Machula, Jean-Andre Parmiter, Bob Corcoran, Scott Walker, Kurt Waldron, & Judy Fordon (Technical

developing tactics in Joint Test & Evaluation.

Reviewers), John Thomas (Retro Arms Works), Owen Lincoln (Optics Subject Matter Expert), Harry Humphries (Military Advisor), TJ Tijerina

Dr. Burress has contributed content to Soldier

(Security Reviewer), Ident Markings, U.S. Anodizing, the sales team from Advance Tapes Group, and all others who assisted with this

Systems Daily, The Vickers Guide: AR-15, and

project who were not mentioned by name.

holds two irearms-related patents.

There’s something incredibly gratifying about

The bullet in a 45-70 cartridge might only

for any lever gun. Not to mention, 45-70

the sound of 45-70 Gov’t brass hitting the

be a fraction of an inch larger than a more

recoil is hell on everything from guns, to op-

deck. The sound is deeper than the tink tink

familiar .30-caliber rifle bullet, but that 0.15

tics, to middle-aged men. If something were

of smaller, bottlenecked brass. It’s more of a

inch translates to a 46-percent increase in

to give on the gun, we’d ind out there.

thud. Just like its big .45-caliber bullets, even

diameter — a big difference when reminding

the empty brass of 45-70 hits with authority.

something large and charging that it’s their

That gratiication continues when you pick up Marlin Custom Shop’s Model 1895SBL

time to die. For this review, we ran the customized

HISTORY We’re not sure how Marlin came up with the modern Model 1895’s name. Its indus-

Modern Lever Hunter package. The rifle is

1895 hard, extremely hard. We took Marlin’s

trial lineage flows like a meth head’s family

slim for what it is, but it feels stout — dense,

Modern Lever Hunter to Gunsite’s inaugural

tree. The gun was released in the early 1970s

even. All that steel in the action, the heavy

Craft of the Lever Gun class taught by senior

and named after Marlin’s original Model

barrel, and the epoxy-coated composite wood

instructors Lew Gosnell, Ed Head, and Gary

1895, the year of its introduction.

stock. It’s tightly itted and well balanced.

Smith. It was a three-day leverama that put

No faint interior ticking suggesting its me-

about 400 rounds of 45-70 Government

336, which was itself an updated Model 36

chanical purpose. Just the feeling that we’ve

down the gun. Considering it’s essentially a

released in 1936. The Model 336 improved

picked up the meanest man-club ever made.

hunting rifle, that’s a career’s worth of ammo

on the Model 36 in a few ways, most notably

Yet the new 1895 is based on the Model

The gun comes with a Pic rail that hoisted our MRDS to chin-weld heights. We used a Bradley Adjustable Cheek Rest to tame the setup.

the change from a squared-off bolt to a round bolt, and the open ejection port. The

bullet with 70 grains of black powder. Because the cartridge was designed to run

loads and full pressure loads. Ammunition makers such as Buffalo Big Bore Ammunition

36’s steel action was strong, and the 336

in relatively weak 1870’s Springield Trapdoor

load 45-70 Gov’t in both SAAMI compliant,

updates made it stronger. With the locking

conversion actions in use by the U.S. Army at

28K psi loads and in high-pressure loads

bolt in place, it’s supported on three sides,

the time, the chamber pressure was limited

that it calls “45-70 magnum.” Tim Sundles

as opposed to two in other lever designs of

to 28K psi. That number stuck, and it’s still

of Buffalo Big Bore says its 45-70 magnum

the time. It was strong enough that Marlin

the SAAMI-stated pressure limit listed for the

loads run from 39,000 to 43,000 psi.

chambered it for the .444 Marlin (3,000

cartridge more than 100 years later.

foot-pounds at the muzzle!) before choosing it for the 45-70 chambered Model 1895.

45-70 GOVERNMENT 45-70 Gov’t is a straight-walled Mack truck compared to Corvette-ish bottleneck rifle cartridges. The name refers to the original, post Civil War-era cartridge load: a .45-caliber

Running 40 rounds of Buffalo Big Bore’s

While the Springfield Trapdoor didn’t

45-70 300-grain magnum-rated loads in one

survive, the 45-70 lives on. Knowing the

sitting was a white-out, arrhythmia-inducing

Model 1895/336 action ran 444 Marlin with

experience that had us trying to get out of

pressures in the 42K psi range, it’s clear the

the back seat for the rest of the day. It was

1895 can handle chamber pressures gener-

accurate, and based on the muzzle energy

ated by modern powders.

calculations it should drop large bears and

This gave rise to the confusing bifurcation of the 45-70 cartridge into standard pressure

small buildings within a couple hundred yards of the muzzle.

NO. JOHN. WAYNE Barnes 300gr 45-70, left, is a flying tank compared to other popular lever gun cartridges, such as 30-30 and 44 Magnum. The bullet expands to 3/4 of an inch in ordnance gelatin.

a pissed-off bear will cover 60 yards

He deburrs and polishes every single

in 6 seconds to get to the juicy client,

part, and that, he says, does a lot to

we compared the number of shots we

smooth out the action. Then he re-

could get off with our reflex sight-

crowns the barrel, performs a detailed

equipped Model 1895 to a scoped

action job, and starts replacing parts.

Remington 700. Standing, unsup-

The stock trigger is pitched and re-

ported, we aimed in on generously

placed with a Wild West Guns Trigger

sized 12x12-inch steel and emptied

Happy trigger. The Happy trigger is

the 1895’s magazine in the time it

two pieces like the original part, but

took to get off a pair of shots with the

instead of the shoe flopping around

bolt gun’s scope zoomed out to 5x

unsupported as it does on the stock

magniication. The reflex sight and the

version, it has a spring holding the

enhanced ergonomics of the lever gun

shoe out. We measured the break at

are much more of an advantage at

a crisp and repeatable 2.7 pounds, a

close range than all the quarter MOA

far cry from the creepy stock trigger.

groups your bolty can produce.

The fore-end is replaced with a Midwest Industries Marlin M-LOK

CRAFT The Modern Lever Hunter begins life

Handguard, and a house-made hammer extension is added. Cerakote is

the 1895SBL from “Hey, nice looking

composite wood stock gets an epoxy resin treatment to match.

applied to the metallic parts, and the

gun …” to “TAKE MY MONEY!” the

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as a stock Model 1895SBL. To take

Marlin Custom Shop spends 15 to 20

The Custom Shop offers the option

The cartridge we shot the most,

hours on each gun. A gunsmith in St-

of threading the muzzle for a brake or

though, was the all-copper Barnes

urgis, South Dakota, evaluates the it

silencer, but that modification comes

300-grain VOR-TX. Shooting 400

of the components and their function,

at the cost of one round because the

rounds of the stuff over a few days got

then renders it into a pile of parts,

full-length magazine has to be cut

us used to mid-grade 45-70 recoil.

pins, and screws.

back to allow room to thread anything

REC O ILW E B .C O M

140

We settled on it as our standard load, and at home the 1895 idles with a full mag of VOR-TX and one in the pipe, as it waits for the world’s most unlucky coyote to harass our dogs.

GUIDE GUN The Model 1895 with open or reflex sights, or a low power optic, does good work inside 400 yards, but it does its best work between 150 yards and the muzzle. For this reason hunters refer to it as an ideal guide gun. We ran an informal 6-second test to suss the guide gun idea out. Figuring

The hallmarks of the Model 1895/336 action are its simplicity and durability. There’s only a handful of moving parts in the action ... and none of them are dainty.

Jeremiah Ransom, the Marlin Cus-

on the barrel. We chose capacity over

tom Shop team leader, says, “We’re

cans, since that one round represents

looking for any fit issues, metal on

15 percent of the gun’s 6+1 load.

metal contact areas that we can

When the gun’s reassembled, any

improve and take the gun to the next

it deiciencies are addressed. For

level of appearance, feel, accuracy,

instance, the 1895SBL’s composite

and reliability.”

wood stock is completely reitted to

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NO. JOHN. WAYNE the action. The tang slot is illed with

We ended up splitting the differ-

Bondo and sanded till it its as snugly

ence with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro

as a prison wallet. The gun gets its XS

reflex optic. We shot a lot with it

Lever Rail and peep sights reinstalled.

mounted on the XS rail, but decided

The inishing touch is the 550-cord

our scopeless setup could be made

wrap on the big loop handle. It’s re-

more elegant with a direct mount.

garded as either an aesthetic flourish

Nobody made a DPP plate for the

or as a functional comfort upgrade,

Marlin, so we asked our leverthusiast

depending on the beholder.

friends at Skinner Sights for an assist. They made us a mounting plate

NEVER LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE It’s an old argument. Putting a

for under $50. We pulled the rail, filled the barrel slot with a dovetail filler from Ranger Point Precision,

spoiler on a Honda Civic. Lever gun

classic lines of the gun, mostly, and

purists complain it ruins the lines of

accrued the speed advantage of a

the gun. We imagine slick-backed-

reflex sight.

haired gentlemen saying this as they

As neat as that SBL lever was, we

twist waxed mustaches. The classic

felt we could run the gun a little more

buckhorn sights are reliable and snag

efficiently with a smaller loop. We

free. We can’t argue too strongly

swapped in a Ranger Point Precision

and marveled at how we kept the

against this aesthetic attack when we

lever that combines the shape of the

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scope on a lever gun is like putting a

too love the balanced feeling of the

glove-friendly big loop with the speed

gun when grabbed mid-action, thumb

and reach of a smaller lever.

REC O ILW E B .C O M

142

We swapped out the factory SBL lever for Ranger Point Precision’s Marlin lever for a small increase in efficiency. BelowSkinner Sights’ new mounting plate for the Delta Point Pro offers reduced height over bore and lighter weight than running a Pic rail and adapter.

HAMMER TIME One of the most disconcerting things for any responsible shooter picking up a lever gun is the use of the hammer as a safety. While there’s a cross-bolt safety on the guns, it’s thought of as an

over the top. Fast handling is one of

abomination brought about by litigation.

the most endearing qualities of the

The preferred lever gun manual of arms is

lever gun. So, we’re loath to strap a

to leave the hammer half-cocked, cocking

scope on top that makes it

it as the gun is shouldered. In the half-

more than a handful to hold.

cocked position, the sear sits in a second, lipped notch on the hammer that prevents the sear from moving. The hammer never rests on the firing pin, and it can’t move any lower in this configuration anyway, rendering the gun safe. The uncomfortable part comes when you cock the hammer or run the action on a loaded magazine, but decide not to shoot. You could snap the cross-bolt safety and call it good, but because the hammer still falls on a safe gun, and there’s so much going on with the shotgun-like manual of arms you could pull the trigger three times before you realize the gun isn’t broken. So, as Lew Gosnell teaches at Gunsite, the preferred method to safe a lever gun is to place a thumb on the hammer, pull the trigger, and lower the hammer to half-cocked. It’s unsettling, but it becomes second nature. And there’s still the cross-bolt safety if you want to run the gun that way.

NO. JOHN. WAYNE HANDLING

off in strength and callus. We

One of the things we notice when

were loading fast

probably been bracing for some John

generates. It feels like there’s a small

enough that we

Wayne reference, and we’d love to

galaxy being born in the chamber.

appreciated the

oblige. But the closest we’ve come to

Compared to other big-bore lever

lack of sharp

sitting through a John Wayne western

gun fore-ends we handled during the

edges on the

was watching Old Yeller projected on

Gunsite class, the Midwest Industries

loading gate and

a baseball diamond backstop during

Handguard was noticeably cooler

the loading gate

a hometown community movie night.

after strings of fire. In fact, we had

spring.

So, we can’t say the gun ran Gipperri-

no idea how hot the chamber end of

The lever re-

icly, but we can say we watched Wind

our barrel was until we put a thumb

spects authority.

River and immediately considered ac-

a rack between strings. It felt like a bee sting, but the handguard below was cool and comfortable. Keeping the Marlin loaded was tough on the thumb. It didn’t take long to realize the value of athletic tape when loading a hundred-plus 39

stiff loading gate. After three days of

IS SUE

rounds a day through the 1895’s load-one, shoot-one, the regimen paid

REC O ILW E B .C O M

Older guys reading this article have

shooting 45-70 all day is the heat it

over the top when putting the rifle in

144

PERFORMANCE

While we didn’t get cut by the welldeburred loading gate on the MCS 1895, after 150 rounds we did get a blister that called for some athletic tape.

As long as we worked the lever like

cessorizing the 1895 with a ixed 2.5x

we meant it, the rifle collected hits

Leupold and a snowmobile.

like a mafia enforcer. Go soft, and

With a 50-yard zero, we could

there’s a hitch as the bullet tip kisses

estimate bullet drop on the fly, ring-

the outside edge of the breech.

ing 12-inch steel at 200 yards from

DOUBLE EDGE - DOUBLE DAMAGE

www.extremaratio.com follow us

NO. JOHN. WAYNE

NOTES FROM GUNSITE’S ART OF THE LEVER GUN CLASS Running a lever gun is like running a pump-action shotgun. Ammo management is key. Keep extra rounds at your fingertips and learn to automatically top off the gun. Run the gun from the ejection port and practice

Load with your head up — don’t

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shoot-one-load-one drills to get faster.

sacrifice situational awareness while the scope withstood more than 200

reloading

rounds on that day without issue.

146

Loading over 100 rounds with a 45-70,

REC O ILW E B .C O M

WRAP UP There’s some wear where the Cera-

we felt no shame in wrapping athletic tape on our thumb.

kote wore off the loading gate, but

Lever guns are hungry. Keep ammo on tap on the gun or on your person … or both. Versacarry supplied us with their new dual position Ammo Caddy in 45-70 Gov’t. It’s an efficient and versatile way to carry a reload. The Velcro-backed carrier attaches to a leather belt loop and/or an adhesive-backed loop field placed on the rifle butt.

that’s all there is to complain about.

The hammer stays uncocked until it’s

This isn’t your grandpa’s Marlin, and

time to work. Just like pressing out with

even though Marlin’s quality was an

a pistol, habitualize cocking the rifle as

issue as a result of Remington moving

it comes up to the shoulder.

unsupported prone, and dropping

the factory from New Haven, Con-

100-yard poppers while on the clock,

necticut to Ilion, New York, in 2010,

Work the reload lever while the gun’s

standing, kneeling, and running the

this gun bears none of that mechani-

shouldered and maintain your sight

Gunsite Scrambler.

cal malaise.

picture.

We poured one out for the Leupold

The 18.5-inch barreled MLH is the

Mark 8 3.5-25 we feared might die

modern incarnation of a century-old

Nobody likes cross-bolt safeties on a

mounted to the 1895 during accu-

design. Compared to its longtime

lever gun. But the alternative is pulling

racy testing. We shot our standard

rival, the Winchester 94, the Marlin

the trigger and lowering the hammer.

layout of five, five-round groups with

1895/336 is simpler and a bit more

Yikes.

a handful of ammo types, plus ran

elegant. When running the lever on a

a few reload drills. The rifle’s best

94, you watch the bottom of the gun

The guns handle well. Take advantage by

groups were under an MOA, which

come apart, the top slide back, and

practicing the motions of getting a slung

is damned good for a big-bore rifle.

the receiver open up. The mechanics

rifle into action. Two well-known options

Those big, heavy .45-caliber bullets

of the 336/1895 action feels simple

are African Carry (rifle on support

drop slow and shed energy a lot faster

and sturdy. In comparison, the inter-

side, muzzle down) and American

than a .30-cal bullet, which is why we

nal clicking and whirring of the 94

Carry (strong side, muzzle up) using a

think of it as a 200-yard fist with 1x

reminds us of the clockwork inside a

Rhodesian-style sling with a standing

sights or a low power optic. Oh, and

Victorian boardwalk arcade game.

arm loop.

NO. JOHN. WAYNE AMMUNITION

VELOCITY

BEST GROUP AT 100Y (MOA)

Barnes VOR-TX 300gr TSX FN

1,904

Black Hills 325gr Honey Badger

1,736

18.4

0.79

Buffalo Big Bore Lower Recoil Standard Pressure 300gr JHP (8K)

2,030

22.1

1.54

Buffalo Big Bore Magnum 300gr JHP (8E)

2,329

13.9

Hornady LeverEvolution 250gr Monolex

1,960

28.9

102

1.14

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After running more than 850

REC O ILW E B .C O M

148

of labor into each gun. Doing the

rounds, about half of that over just

math, we figure Marlin is collecting

package before they realize how much

three days at Gunsite, we declare

barely $27 an hour for gunsmith la-

they’ve undervalued their time and

the MLH is supremely reliable and

bor; compare that to the $50 to $100

raise the price.

exceedingly accurate. Looking beyond

many gunsmiths charge. If you’re in

the gun’s performance and at its

the market for a top-shelf, no-non-

semi-auto or have a 30-round mag,

value, we were shocked to hear the

sense guide gun, jump on the Marlin

but our custom Modern Lever Hunter

Custom Shop invests 15 to 20 hours

Custom Shop’s Modern Lever Hunter

has a heart far blacker than any AR.

And, best of all … it might not be

We further customized the Modern Lever Hunter by axing the Pic rail and directmounting our MRDS, using a smaller loop, flyweight loading gate, dovetail filler, and mag follower from Ranger Point Precision.

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MADE IN THE U.S.A.

2018 brings us into the third year for the

This gives end users and consumers an

attended this event every year and can attest

Industry Choice Awards, as it begins to hit

awards process thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unbiased, while partici-

to the quality of the match and the oppor-

its stride with yet more categories and more

pating manufacturers receive all of the feed-

tunity to get to know others in the industry.

companies involved. Hosted at Rockcastle

back from testers. Additionally, all the com-

We deinitely encourage companies to submit

Shooting Center in Kentucky, the Industry

panies are invited to come to Rockcastle in

products and participate in the awards.

Choice Awards focus on conducting objective

the summer for the Industry Team Challenge

testing and evaluation of products by a panel

match and awards ceremony. Designed by

ing partner to report on the Industry Choice

of unbiased and experienced evaluators, in

Andy Horner, the match features everything

Awards. This year, the number of product

order to award product of the year accolades

from three-gun to action pistol to long-range

categories expanded to 13. The winners are

in a variety of categories.

precision to trap and sporting clays. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

detailed in the pages to follow.

Once again, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the exclusive publish-

IS SUE 39

151 REC O ILW E B .C O M

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

PATRIOT ORDNANCE FACTORY

RENEGADE PLUS SPR CALIBER

NOTES:

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.223 (Wylde), .224 Valkyrie

POF seems to be making a habit of winning ICA awards, notching its second win in the rile category with its Renegade Plus SPR. POF’s known BARREL LENGTH for its gas piston designs, but decided to bring its engineering lair to the 18.5 or 20 inches, direct impingement market. While the world of DI AR riles is pretty saturespectively rated, the Renegade Plus SPR still stands out with a number of innovative WEIGHT features in a functional and attractive package. Notable features include 7.7 pounds its ambidextrous controls, roller cam pin, heat sink barrel nut, nine-position MAGAZINE CAPACITY adjustable gas block, straight gas tube, and integrated gas key on the bolt 30 rounds carrier. It’s available in .223 with a Wylde chamber and 18.5-inch barrel or MSRP .224 Valkyrie and 20-inch barrel; both barrels are 1/7 twist, match grade, $2,030 and nitrided. The rile sports an M-LOK handguard, three-port muzzle brake, URL lat 3.5-pound trigger, Mission First Tactical grip, and Luth-AR buttstock. www.pof-usa.com Evaluators highlighted the gun’s features, craftsmanship, and attention to detail, with compliments such as, “The rile stands out when side by side with other ARs,” and “It’s a high-end AR in a world of plain AR riles.” One noted that in his testing, the rile “put 15 of 20 Russian Wolf 55-grain bullets into a 6-inch steel gong target at 400 yards on a very windy day.”

RUNNERS-UP Kimber Hunter 6.5 Creedmoor Patriot Ordnance Factory Renegade 5.56mm

REC O ILW E B .C O M

152

STURM RUGER

PC CARBINE CALIBER

9mm

NOTES:

Ruger’s new PC Carbine won the new pistol-caliber carbine category. In a market replete with products based on AR platforms, the seemingly 16.1 inches traditional Ruger stands out. Take a closer look, as we did in issue 25 WEIGHT of RECOIL OFFGRID, and you’ll realize how modern it really is. It quickly 6.8 pounds breaks into two for transport or storage, and magazine wells can be MAGAZINE CAPACITY swapped out to accept Ruger or Glock mags. The action features a 17 rounds tungsten dead-blow weight, shortening bolt travel and resulting in a MSRP soft recoil impulse. The stock and controls can be customized to suit $649 the shooter. We found the iron sights a bit iddly, but a top Picatinny rail URL awaits your optic of choice. www.ruger.com Evaluators appreciated the PC Carbine’s solid build and thoughtful design. In particular, many highlighted its takedown capability and versatility as a truck, survival, backpack, or competition gun. Some weren’t totally enamored with the magazine release and crossbolt safety, but it’s pretty hard to beat the ergonomics of an AR platform. Everyone loved sending rounds downrange with it, enjoying minimal recoil and muzzle rise — many noted that they would be adding the Ruger to their wishlist. BARREL LENGTH

RUNNERS-UP American Armament Arms Daily Duty American Armament Arms SRO

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INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE SIG SAUER

P365 NITRON MICRO-COMPACT CALIBER

NOTES:

9mm

We reviewed this gun ourselves in Issue 9 of 3.1 inches CONCEALMENT and WEIGHT declared it one of our 1.1 pounds favorite self-defense guns MAGAZINE CAPACITY on the market, a polymer10 or 12 rounds framed subcompact that MSRP you can shoot all day long. $600 Accurate, reliable, and URL incredibly concealable in www.sigsauer.com a package smaller than a Glock 43, it still offers up 10-round lush-it magazines and 12-round extended mags. And with night sights included in its $600 retail price, it’s a good value too. Evaluators agreed, loving the packaging of the P365. While a few felt it didn’t quite it their hands just right, most found it very comfortable, even for those with large mitts. One wrote that it was the “irst small frame pistol able to it my big hands.” They touted its ergonomics and design, noting that it “feels and operates like a much larger irearm” and that “everything on the pistol is properly placed, accessible, and manipulated.” In summary, tester reports were illed with comments such as “best small nine I’ve ever shot,” “best pistol I have shot in this class of gun,” and “one of the best and unexpected pistols I shot.”

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BARREL LENGTH

RUNNERS-UP Canik TP9SF Elite 9mm Springield Armory 1911 TRP 10mm Operator

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154

SIG SAUER

MCX RATTLER CALIBER

NOTES:

300 Blackout

Just two issues ago, this little beast graced the cover 5.5 inches of our magazine. Built to provide WEIGHT some high-speed end users with a lot 5.1 pounds of irepower in a very small package, MAGAZINE CAPACITY it’s now available to civilians 30 rounds as a rile-caliber pistol and MSRP won the ICA award in $2,719 this new category. After URL no small amount of effort, www.sigsauer.com SIG shrunk their MCX shortstroke piston-operated platform down to a 5.5-inch barreled, 300-BLK chambered bundle of fun. In pistol form, it comes with a three-position collapsible brace. The stubby M-LOK handguard provides a bit of real estate for your support hand, which you must religiously honor lest you reach too far forward and make a mistake that you (and your hand) won’t soon forget. We concluded that the Rattler is well-engineered and a hoot to shoot, though it ills a specialized role, and it’s not for beginners. Evaluators couldn’t help but be drawn in by its undeniable badassery, highlighting its good looks and ergonomics, durability, and it and inish. Like us, they complained about its gritty trigger, felt it needed a hand stop, and some thought it was rather heavy. Nevertheless, the consensus loved shooting it, noting it would make a great “quickly deployable truck or home-defense gun.” BARREL LENGTH

RUNNERS-UP Century Arms C39v2 Blade 7.62x39mm Springield Armory SAINT AR-15 Pistol 5.56mm

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INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

TACTICAL SOLUTIONS

AXIOM CALIBER

NOTES:

.22LR

The suppressor category is also 5.9 inches new this year, with WEIGHT Tactical Solutions’ 6 ounces Axiom taking the MSRP top spot. The Axiom $394 is constructed URL of titanium with www.tacticalsol.com a stainless steel split tube to make for easy removal and cleaning of the bafle stack. At just 1 inch in diameter, under 6 inches long, and only 6 ounces, you’ll barely notice the Axiom. It’s rated for full ammo and will take .22LR, .17MH2, .22WMR, .17HMR, .17WSM, .22 Hornet, and 5.7x28mm. Threaded ½x28, it comes with a pouch and wrench. As you might expect with a suppressed 22, the evaluators had a blast with the Axiom. They found it to be easy to install, disassemble, and clean. They praised its quality, craftsmanship, design, and effectiveness at noise reduction despite its compact size.

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LENGTH

RUNNERS-UP NG2 Defense Maxflo 3D AFD Suppressor Ruger Silent-SR ISB 10/22 Takedown integrally suppressed barrel

REC O ILW E B .C O M

156

LEUPOLD

MARK 5HD 5-25X56 RETICLE

NOTES:

TMR, CCH, H-59, Tremor 3 (Front focal plane with optional illumination)

High-quality optics are worth their weight in gold when you have serious work to do, whether you’re on duty, hunting, or competing. And LENGTH with the hefty prices of high-end optics, it 15.7 inches does seem like they might actually be made WEIGHT of gold. But settle in behind one, and you 30 ounces might be ruined forevermore on anything MSRP less. Leupold’s new Mark 5HD 5-25x56 $2,600 to $3,640 rilescope will do that to you, taking home URL the top spot in the optics category. www.leupold.com The scope offers a wide and versatile zoom range, going from 5x to 25x magniication with a irst focal plane reticle and a girthy 35mm tube with 120 MOA of elevation adjustment. Yet at 30 ounces, it occupies the lightweight end of the spectrum compared to other offerings on the market. The turrets feature onetenth mil increments and the M5C3 Zerolock system, which prevents the elevation knob from turning unintentionally while still being easy to adjust. Just depress the lock release button on the turret to turn it; once you move past your zero, you needn’t continue pushing the button. It’s a convenient system that also gives visible and tactile indicators of how many revolutions you’ve turned the dial. Evaluators lauded the build quality, it, and inish, as well as the glass and low-light performance. The Zerolock system was a particular favorite. Many felt it was reasonably priced and a good value for everything the Mark5HD offers.

RUNNERS-UP Kahles K16i 1-6x24 riflescope Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 binoculars

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE TRU-SPEC

24-7 XPEDITION MEN’S PANTS COLORWAYS

NOTES:

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Black, Black/Charcoal, Charcoal, Coyote, MultiCam/Coyote, Ranger Green, Ranger Green/Black

There’s nothing quite like a good pair of pants. Tru-Spec has a winner in the 24-7 Xpedition pant, topping the new apparel category. The 6.5-ounce poly/cotton rip-stop SIZES fabric is lightweight and durable, 28- to 44-inch waist, while a DWP coating helps keep 30- to 36-inch inseam you dry. You won’t mistake these FABRIC pants for a pair of Dockers, but 6.5-ounce polyester/ they’re chock full of features for cotton rip-stop those who’d rather be outside than MSRP $117 on a couch. The pant has soft lex URL panels, gusseting, and articulated www.truspec.com knees to ease movement, a sliding waistband, zippered cooling vents, zippered leg openings, and loops, straps, snaps, and pockets galore. Testers really liked the 24-7 Xpedition, with some opposing viewpoints on the two-tone colorways. The functionality and design of the pant really struck a chord, with its many wellthought-out features and quality construction appealing to the evaluators. The lex panels drew accolades for articulation but some wondered if it might come at the expense of durability in those areas over the long term. While a premium product, most evaluators felt the Tru-Spec was a good value in the full-featured tactical pant arena — “a cut above with price point to value.”

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158

CRIMSON TRACE

CMR-300 RAIL MASTER PRO MSRP

NOTES:

TBD

Crimson Trace won the premium www.crimsontrace.com accessory category with its new weapon-mounted light and laser. The CMR-300 mounts to any Picatinny rail and outputs 300 lumens of white light to identify your target and a green laser to make sure you hit it. The unit is very compact, with the ability to activate the light or laser only, or both at the same time. Evaluators felt that Crimson Trace did an excellent job building a light/laser that can be used for training, duty, defense, and competition, concluding that the CMR-300 “stood out in addressing complex function, streamlined design, and an ergonomic design.” With its highly visible green laser, most also felt it was a good value. Several testers expressed a desire for a momentary mode and a pressure switch as an accessory. URL

RUNNERS-UP Leupold LTO Quest HD thermal imager Trijicon 45 Degree Offset Quick Release Mount for MRO or RMR

RUNNERS-UP 5.11 Tactical Women’s Defender-Flex Slim Pants Vertx Recon Multicam Combat Shirt

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INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE CANIK

TP9 SERIES MAGAZINES CAPACITY

NOTES:

15, 18, and 20 rounds

How exciting are magazines, $26 to $30 really? They’re URL critically important, www.centuryarms.com but hardly sexy. Sometimes, though, it goes to show that offering a solid product at a reasonable price, even if it isn’t tacticool, can rule the day. Although 20 rounds on tap is pretty tactical and also cool. Evaluators found the magazines to be well constructed, reliable, and a good value. What more needs to be said? MSRP

RUNNERS-UP

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Comp-Tac International Holster MGM Switchview Lever

REC O ILW E B .C O M

160

RUNNERS-UP MOSSBERG

JM PRO ADJUSTABLE MATCH AR TRIGGER TRIGGER PULL WEIGHT

4 pounds

NOTES:

This year’s winner in the $161 trigger category URL is from Mosswww.mossberg.com berg. Designed with the one and only Jerry Miculek, it earns the JM PRO designation. It’s a drop-in cassette style trigger, making installation so simple a caveman could do it. It comes set to 4 pounds, but you can adjust it down to 3 pounds or up to 6 pounds. You can also customize the amount of overtravel. Testers liked the ease of installation, ability to personalize the trigger, and, most importantly, its crisp break and reset. With many triggers available on the market these days, evaluators felt the Mossberg distinguishes itself with quality, performance, and value. MSRP

JP Enterprises JPFC-M Fire Control Module with flat trigger JP Enterprises JPFC-M Fire Control Module with roller trigger

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INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

HORNADY

140-GR ELD MATCH CALIBER

NOTES:

6.5 Creedmoor

Reach out and touch whatever you damn well please. There’s a reason 140 grains some people jokingly refer to this round MSRP as “6.5 Cheatmore.” $39 (20-round box) Hornady’s 6.5 Creedmoor ELD match URL is manufactured with the utmost in www.hornady.com anal-retentiveness, to ensure maximum uniformity and precision. Cases are specially selected to maintain consistency, and quality control is held to the highest standards. The ELD match bullet also has a new tip design to optimize performance. We’ve gotten great results with this load, printing small groups with precision rigs that we’ve tested. Evaluators gave the ammo rave reviews, with one even suggesting Hornady could increase their prices because of how good it is. BULLET WEIGHT

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RUNNERS-UP Federal American Eagle Syntech 115-gr 9mm Speer Gold Dot Personal Protection 10mm

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162

INNOVATIVE TARGETS

DUELING TREE HEIGHT CALIBER

12 gauge BARREL LENGTH

18.5 inches

MOSSBERG

WEIGHT

72 inches WEIGHT

120 to 140 pounds MSRP

$500 to $600

7.8 pounds

URL

MAGAZINE CAPACITY

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590M 5, 10, 15, 20 rounds MAG-FED PUMP-ACTION $721 12 GAUGE www.mossberg.com MSRP URL

NOTES:

Mossberg’s 590M adds a detachable double-stack magazine to its longstanding 12-gauge pump-action shotgun design. Mags rock and lock into place, and with huge 20-round magazines available, that’s a lot of lead at the ready.

NOTES:

The Dueling Tree from Innovative Targets features six 3⁄8 -inch-thick and 6-inch diameter AR500 target plates, along with a ¼-inch-thick center column. The legs can adjust for uneven terrain, and the plates pivot smoothly from one side to the other.

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JIM HODGE TURNED HIS OVERSEAS CONTRACTING EXPERIENCE INTO A BUSINESS MAKING THE MOST PRACTICAL AR RIFLES AVAILABLE

BY JOE NEUROTH PHOTOS BY JAKE BLICK

Engineer. Designer. Mad scientist. Jim Hodge has been called a few of those as well as some other descriptors besides. The fact is, there’s no one word that can accurately describe Jim Hodge. When asked, he refers to himself as just a “normal guy.” However, the name Hodge is synonymous with irearms innovation. As the owner of Hodge Defense Systems, he’s pushed the edges of the envelope of an industry that’s anything but innovative these days. His contribution is the Hodge Defense AU MOD 2 rifle. Just when people thought Eugene Stoner’s classic rifle design was pushed to its material limits, Hodge continued to question industry standards, ultimately finding a material that had never before been used in modern firearms. lighter and stronger than the 7075-T6

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aluminum commonly used in many

The material, aluminum lithium, is

AR-15 receivers available today. While previously unused in rifle manufacturin the aerospace, space exploration, and Formula 1 auto racing worlds as a replacement for titanium parts. With an increased market demand for lighter profile weapons, it’s no surprise that Hodge rifles are hard to find. We recently had a chance to sit down with the understated Hodge and talk about life, liberty, and his rifle. RECOIL: Were you into firearms at a young age? Jim Hodge: Yeah, when I was growing up in the country I rode my bike around a bunch and just about everywhere I went I had a .22 rifle slung on my back. I hunted and camped when I was a kid. I can remember going to the small-town convenience store to play arcade games and propping the rifle up in the corner. I was also into golf, football, and baseball. I was really into model building; it sounds dorky and geeky, but I love building

REC O ILW E B .C O M

ing, aluminum lithium is heavily used

165

ALWAYS PUSHING they used them or not. With that ex-

JH: The relationships I formed were

perience within the industry I learned

a good barometer for being in this

quite a bit about how products were

industry.

developed and processed from start to inish. That knowledge helped me

What gave you the inspiration to bring

toward my goal of wanting to build the

your products to market?

best combative rifle in the industry.

JH: A lot of those ideas came from me thinking about if I was king for a day,

and creating. I was also the kid who my parents would hide technology

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from so I wouldn’t take it apart.

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166

You were a tinkerer growing up? JH: Yes. Is that the reason you started Hodge Defense? So you could tinker more? JH: Yes … I’m 50. I have had my real jobs. This is still a real job, and I take it very seriously. I’m trying to build an empire not in the way most people think is a gun company, but in the way that my kids can inherit one day

Above: Hodge came of age in the early ’80s and developed a taste for fun and risk behind at the handlebars of a Mongoose BMX bike. Right (clockwise from top left): Living with a rile 24/7, Hodge’s experience as an overseas contractor from 2005 to about 2013 gave him a good idea what a combat carbine should be.

or leave a legacy. Other than being a good dad, being a good husband, and good follower of Christ, I still want to leave my mark in the industry that I’m passionate about. I’ve been around this

Hodge worked in more than half a dozen countries with the most time spent in Afghanistan.

industry for a long, long, long time. What gave you the idea to start Hodge Defense Systems? JH: Actually, it was my wife’s idea, she gets all the credit on that one. Living the life of a government contractor, I was gone for many holidays and birthdays; therefore, my wife wanted me to stay home more. As an end user, companies often sought out my opinion on various products. I would share with them my opinion whether

Right bottom: Hodge and fellow contractor Clay Richardson enjoy an evening out at the Gandamak Lodge in Kabul while working overseas in 2006.

How did you go from being a govern-

and could implement whatever features

ment contractor/consultant to starting

and material speciications, and I also

your own company? There had to be

wanted to make the best combative

some kind of learning curve?

rifle I could. That’s where a super

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ALWAYS PUSHING ing research and making phone calls.

I pay attention to the materials, but

Before I knew it, I was talking with the

I also took the human engineering

VP of Alcoa Defense, and he pointed

aspect into account.

me in the right direction. I was pretty

I paid attention to how people pick

lucky with how it all turned out. From

up a rifle. They typically pick it up

there, we established relationships

close to the bottom of the rail near

with the technical branch and engi-

the receiver, so I made it pleasant to

neers from Arconic.

pick up and took out all of the square

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and sharp angles, to get positive

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sturdy rail, parts made from bar stock tool steel, a very long barrel life, and suppressor ready with no adjustable gas block came from for the rifles. Not only did I want those features, but I also wanted tight tolerances on everything that gets put on my products. One thing that really bothers me is when you pick up a gun and it rattles. [Picks up a MOD 2 rifle]. Notice this gun doesn’t rattle or wobble when you move it around. I just wanted to take Hodge Defense and make the best product I could period. I don’t care how much it costs to make, if it’s expensive to my consumer then hopefully they’ll understand and want to buy it. How did you come to make aluminum lithium receivers? JH: I learned about aluminum lithium from my friend Kel Whelan. He told me Alcoa had been working with some new alloys that were lighter and strong than the conventional 7075 alloys in the conventional receiver groups that are on the market today. I started do-

Your guns aren’t cheap. What do you

tactile response. You’ll notice that

have to say to people when they com-

my guns have a great balance when

plain about the cost of your rifle?

you pick them up. I knew that some

JH: I tell them my guns aren’t just

guys were going to put panels on the

parts builds. I am not just an assem-

rail, so I didn’t want it to be so big

bler of parts; every part that gets put

you couldn’t put your hand around

into my guns are carefully selected

it. It’s the little things; check out the

and specified on how I want them to

trigger guard, I put a bevel there for

perform. I also take the time to vet all

a reason, to help it feel natural like

of my products, I take careful selec-

a high cut on a 1911. It’s the alloys,

tion of product selection, and product

processes, and the machine time that

design. For example, it took me a full

are used that help to define the cost

year to develop my rail. Not only did

of the system.

ALWAYS PUSHING I do to my products, and you would

out of a little bird with their nun

either appreciate it or you wouldn’t.

chucks. Folks I know in the industry and guys I have worked with have all

A lot of people refer to you as a mad scientist because of the different kind of materials, the design process, and marketing. What would your response to that be? JH: I’m not mad; I’m happy. I’m not a scientist, heck I didn’t even graduate 39

stuff that hasn’t been done before. I

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college. I’m not afraid to play with am definitely not an engineer. I am

REC O ILW E B .C O M

170

You have unique advertising and mar-

seen and done that, it’s over-played.

keting in relation to other manufac-

To me, that doesn’t sell a gun.

turers in marketing and social media?

As far as the quirkiness and the

Why are you doing it a little different?

weirdness of my social media and my

JH: When we first started we didn’t

advertising, we wanted to do some-

want to be another “me too” brand

thing that was a little more Ameri-

that was wasting imagery of dudes

cana. We have a pretty dark sense

stacking up on a door or rappelling

of humor here at Hodge Defense and

Above: Hodge’s desire to advance small arms led him to pioneer the use of Alcoa Defense’s lightweight aluminum lithium in AR receivers as he continues to look for other top light materials.

just a normal guy and family man. Hodge Defense is more like an architectural firm. We do more design work and research than we do build work, some of which are not exclusively for Hodge Defense. It’s just easier to explain to people. And I’ll tell you what I’ve learned, though, is people can be as creative as they want to be, but when it comes to machining that creativity and efficiency, having it work, and still be bombproof, develops a whole new train of creative thought. When you actually are trying to work around the limitations of machining, or I think about something, I think about the machining process for it. You use the slogan “if you get it, you get it” on your advertising and social media, what does that mean? JH: It’s a double-edged sword really. Some people won’t understand it, but in the terms of my gun if you buy one and then you love it, then hopefully you’ll understand. I could sit here all day and tell you the specs, features, tolerances, the different things that

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ALWAYS PUSHING

we try to appeal to our audience via a sense of fun and a little bit of levity. I just rather have some fun and enjoy what I do, and whether they buy my product or not, I’m OK with that. A

market, as well as many other folks. I

helps me with the graphics, tone, and

look around and see what other great

have always respected Marty Bordon

spirit with our ads. My friend Kel is

ideas have been developed?

at Badger Ordinance as a mentor and

JH: Absolutely! I am always learning

a friend in which I have immense

new things, and I will always have

respect for.

Do you take a chance and to stop and

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buddy whose humor is akin to mine

the artist behind the feel of our social media. It’s serious enough building

REC O ILW E B .C O M

172

Above: Hodge took inspiration for his company’s logo from the periodic table. “I’m a nerd that way,” he says.

what I’m building. You still need to have a little bit of a fun outlet. You have been involved in the firearms world for quite some time, have you seen it change that much since you started? JH: When I first started dabbling on

Above right: Hodge eschews the darker side of irearm industry marketing as evidenced in this behind-thescenes image from a catalog shoot with friends. “I want to be the Gary Larson of gun marketing,” says Hodge.

the AR platform, there were less than 10 AR manufacturers, now there are hundreds. There are many manufacturers in the industry now that source from the same vendors. With that, there are many customers who choose brands that don’t understand the parts that are commodity-based. Technology has changed so much that quality and accuracy of machining

HODGE’S EDC Light Saber: “An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.”

ences in brands. I know there is more

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money tied up in advertising now than

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before due to the use of social media,

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has improved compared to the past when it was easier to find differ-

print, and pseudo-celebrities to develop brand awareness. I know those different marketing approaches are influencing how consumers choose what brand of gun to buy.

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appreciation for the work of others. I have many rifles and a lot of prod-

Knowing what you know now, what

ucts from my direct competitors in

would you say is important when you

which I respect. One example of that

started Hodge Defense?

would be Kinetic Development Group.

JH: Relationships, they are very

Nate Murr is doing some pretty

important in this industry. I truly

great things over there with some of

care about what people think about

the concepts that he is bringing to

me and my brand. Doing the right

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ALWAYS PUSHING thing in conjunction with my vendors, personal, and business relationships, I feel strengthens everyone involved. I have learned that I cannot please everybody because that is beyond my influence, though I can control my reputation with those I do business with. I think it’s important to call people and chat and see how they are doing, not just call them and then ask them for something at the end of the phone call. It’s important for me to show them I care about them as people, as much I care about them as associates. Based on the relationships I have formed over the years, it has allowed me to get honest feedback on product development, business strategy, and an ultimate sanity check. These are all important to the

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success of any young company. What’s next for Jim Hodge? JH: I think the Stoner design has peaked in terms of performance and

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174

what we can do with it. I will continue

JIM HODGE

to make improvements and build upon

AGE: 51 WIFE AND CHILDREN: Marisol; Gabby and Jax HOMETOWN: Houston, TX

respect what Eugene Stoner as well

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Big Lebowski LAST BOOK READ: Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century by George Friedman FAVORITE BAND: Toss up between Rush and Iron Maiden FAVORITE FIREARM: Accuracy International AXMC FAVORITE WEAPON: light saber JEDI OR SITH: Darth Vader, duh DREAM CAR: 1974 Porsche 911 RS CHILDHOOD HERO: John Wayne FAVORITE QUOTE: “Does your dog bite?” — Pink Panther, Inspector Clouseau URL: hodgedefense.com

my current offerings. I honor and as other pioneers have given us, but I think it’s time to change the way we think about the next level of weapon development … AU Mod 3ish?

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THREE EXERCISE AND HEALTH MYTHS THAT NEED TO DIE

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BY RYNE GIOVIANO

REC O ILW E B .C O M

176 “Crunches are the best way to get a six-pack!” “Cholesterol is bad for you!” Regardless of how much experience you have in the gym, there always seems to be some new study out or a health “expert” who proves everything you’ve been doing wrong. For many, it can be downright frustrating to think the workout program you just started or the change you’ve made to your diet is now considered completely ineffective or pointless. Well, we’ve done the “heavy lifting” on some common itness myths in order to separate fact from marketing.

HIGH-INTENSITY BEATS LOW-INTENSITY TRAINING This may sound counterintuitive, but chances are you need more long-duration, low-intensity cardiovascular exercise in your life. These days, everything is about high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and how it’s good for everything itness related. While it’s undoubtedly good for goals like fat loss and improvement in many sports, it’s not necessarily the best or only choice for cardiovascular training. Let’s talk about the many beneits of longer-duration, lowerintensity exercise. While it’s the slowest energy system our bodies have, it provides the most energy for us to use. Because of this, it can improve our recovery from both exercise sessions and intense periods of exercise in general, like an intervaltraining workout. Neustockimages/istockphoto.com

FITNESS FALLACIES One thing in particular that low-intensity training is excellent for is the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is part of our autonomic nervous system and activates our ightor-flight response when we are feeling anxious, and our heart rate jacks up. On

Looking to de-stress? Look no further than some lower intensity training. For most of us, we’ve placed far too much emphasis on high-intensity training. Stress is stress regardless of what it is.

result of daily stressors. This often

A well-rounded program should have a

equates to lower stress levels, better

mix of different training modalities, like

sleep, and better recovery from exercise.

lifting weights and high-intensity interval

The biggest knock on low-intensity

training, which will easily balance out

training is usually that it’ll make you

any of the perceived adverse effects as-

slower. “Train slow, be slow” is a com-

sociated with long, slow cardio training.

mon saying in the itness ield with the

What this could mean for shooting

the opposite side, the parasympathetic

main point being that the lower intensity

performance is actually pretty substan-

system is synonymous with a rest and

training will negatively affect your speed

tial. When shooting guns and rifles,

digest state where we’re relaxed and

and quickness. The thing is, though, that

breath control is important to accuracy.

have a lower heart rate. More extended,

you don’t just start being slow from one

More inclusion of this type of exercise

slower exercise bouts lasting between 30

type of exercise modality. If, say, you

can lower your resting heart rate and im-

and 90 minutes are great for getting our

were only to do slow jogs for an hour and

prove recovery leading to better accuracy

bodies to switch off that ight-or-flight

nothing else, perhaps there may be some

in both stressful situations and normal

response many of us are living in as a

truth to that, but that’s not the norm.

ones alike. Needless to say, picking one or two days per week to include a lowintensity jog can make a huge difference for you.

CHOLESTEROL IS BAD TO EAT 39

This is a widespread myth that has IS SUE

been around for a very long time. The basic premise behind low cholesterol diets is that eating cholesterol supposedly causes cardiovascular disease through

178

the buildup of plaque in the arteries,

REC O ILW E B .C O M

which will eventually create a clot, which can result in a heart attack or stroke. So, because of this, it would then make sense to reduce your consumption of cholesterol, right? Well, not so fast. Cholesterol is actually an essential substance that helps produce hormones, cell membranes, and plays a role in cognitive function, among many other things. There’s some evidence to show that dietary cholesterol has little impact on blood cholesterol in most people. Not to mention, a study done in 2009 showed that most people who suffer from a heart attack have cholesterol levels that wouldn’t be considered high. It has even been reported that as many as half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in people who have LDL cholesterol levels that are below the threshold for statin treatment. What can you make of all of this? Cholesterol isn’t the boogeyman it’s made out to be. What’s worse, however, is jacoblund/istockphoto.com

inflammation. This can be a cause of a

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FITNESS FALLACIES whole slew of health problems up to and including heart attacks and strokes. This may even be the reason why statins appear to work so well; they can help to re-

Your liver makes about 3/4 of your cholesterol. If cholesterol was bad, would your liver produce it?

Cecilie_Arcurs/istockphoto.com

duce inflammation. A recent article from the British Journal of Sports Medicine stated that coronary heart disease isn’t caused by saturated fat or cholesterol intake, but instead by chronic inflammation that can be reduced with lifestyle changes like eating a healthier diet. Inflammation can come from many sources including sugar and processed carbohydrates like bread, soda, pasta, and breakfast cereals. The best things you can do to reduce your cholesterol are to slowly make lifestyle changes designed

Believe it: High cholesterol isn’t caused by what you eat. In fact, your cholesterol really doesn’t tell you much about your heart disease risk.

to improve sleep duration and quality, increase the number of whole food sources like fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, and

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seeds, exercise regularly, and manage or

REC O ILW E B .C O M

180

reduce your stress levels.

BLAB ABOUT ABS Walk into any gym, and you’ll see many gym-goers doing any number of variations of sit-ups, crunches, and twisting exercises (oftentimes with additional weight) with the intent on earning their

Health issues like obesity, strokes, heart attacks, and even Type 2 diabetes can be at least partially related to higher levels of inlammation.

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FITNESS FALLACIES way to a killer six-pack. We’ve heard

one side and put pressure on the ring.

midsection and protect your back. This

REFERENCES

for years that these exercises, among

Over time with repeated bending and

technique, combined with a full exhale,

many other exercises, are a great way

twisting, this fluid can slowly work its

is considerably more effective at train-

to work their abs. While these exercises

way out of the disc and push on a nerve

ing and improving core muscle strength

may work your core muscles, you’re also

root leading to back pain.

and stability as compared to traditional

Kratz, M. (2005). Dietary cholesterol, atherosclerosis coronary heart disease. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, 170, 195-213.

posing quite a risk to your spine. Research from Dr. Stuart McGill,

39 IS SUE REC O ILW E B .C O M

sit-ups and crunches.

cises that focus on resisting movement

CONCLUSION

professor of spine biomechanics at

are the way to go. Exercises like planks,

the University of Waterloo, has proven

side planks, bird dogs, and the “stir

many of these exercises to be just

the pot” are fantastic alternatives that

mon myths around itness oficially

awful for your back long-term. The

don’t involve bending or twisting at

debunked. While these particular myths

issue with twisting and bending at the

the spine. Not only do a lot of these

just scratch the surface of all that’s out

lumbar spine (lower back) is that this

exercises make training safer on your

there, at least you can have peace of

is the area of the spine with the least

lower back, but they also recruit more

mind in knowing you’re getting cur-

amount of mobility suggesting that

activation of deeper muscles than an

rent information on the topic. For other

stability and not mobility is best for

exercise like a crunch when done with

commonly held beliefs around itness

training that area.

an abdominal brace technique. To do

and nutrition that we haven’t covered,

the brace, imagine you were just about

look to scientiic literature or at least a

ring around it with a molasses-like

to get punched in the stomach. When

reputable source to support any of the

fluid inside. When you do a sit up, for

you tighten up, you’ll be recruiting

claims made. With all the misinformation

instance, the spine will compress and

four layers of abdominal muscles that

out there, some fact checking can go a

squeeze that disc forcing the fluid to

effectively create a corset around your

long way.

Each disc in your spine has a tougher

182

As alluded to before, stability exer-

So, there you have it. Some com-

Sachdeva, A., Cannon, C., Deedwania, P., LaBresh, K., Smith, S., Dai, D., Hernandez, A., & Fonarow, G. (2009). Lipid levels in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease: An analysis of 136,905 hospitalizations in Get With The Guidelines. American Heart Journal, 157(1), 111-117. Malhotra, A., Redberg, R., & Meier, P. (2017). Saturated fat does not clog the arteries: coronary heart disease is a chronic inlammatory conditioning, the risk of which can be effectively reduced from healthy lifestyle interventions. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(15), 1111-1112.

The more you can train your core to resist movement, the healthier your spine will be. The bird dog exercise pictured here is a fantastic spinal stability exercise that’s a staple in many spine health and rehabilitation programs.

McGill, S. (2010). Core training: evidence translating to better performance and injury prevention. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 32(2), 33-46. Cholewicki, J., Radebold, A., Panjabi, M.,

izkes/istockphoto.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ryne Gioviano is the owner of Achieve Personal Training & Lifestyle Design located in Aurora, Illinois. He earned his master’s degree in exercise physiology and is a certified personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. You can find more information at www.Achieve-PersonalTraining.com or reach him on Facebook or on Twitter and Instagram at @rgioviano.

& McGill, S. (1999). Lumbar spine stability can be augmented with an abdominal belt and/or increased intra-abdominal pressure. European Spine Journal, 8(5), 388-395

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Shad Burns: This tattoo represents my passions as a red-blooded American. The ammo is my love of irearms, hand loading, and shooting. The Spartan helmet represents “Molon Labe” or “come and take them!” (I dare you to try.) The punisher skull represents ighting for and making things right for those who cannot. I’m not law enforcement or military, but the lag is to honor those who’ve made the ultimate sacriice for all of our God-given rights as Americans. Images 1-3.

Paul Morgan: This is my American lag and eagle wing tattoo done by Hugo at Heroic Ink in Ames, Iowa. The lag, shown torn and tattered, was created from the lag lown for the entire year I was deployed in Iraq in ’04-’05. The dog tags are replicas of my father’s, my grandfather’s, and mine — we’ve all served in the military during time of war. Images 4-5.

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Artist: Wade Rogers

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some well-lit, high resolution photos to recoil@ recoilweb.com, along with your name, the tattoo artist’s name, the studio name and city in which it was done, and 50-70 words on what the tattoo is of and why you got it. By sending in submissions, you grant TEN: Publishing Media the unrestricted, transferable and sub-licensable, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, and perpetual license to reproduce, distribute, publicly display, make derivative works of, and otherwise use the Submissions in any media whatsoever now known or later invented throughout the world for 2

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39 IS SUE REC O ILW E B .C O M

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