Magpul: Genius At Work

Such a weapon would make a great emergency kit item for downed airmen. More accurate than a standard pistol because of the stock and the 33 round magazine lets the firer stay in the fight longer. Really, bodyguards, SF, or "covert" agencies would probably find a lot of uses for such a compact weapon. Home defense is another great application, but this would be classified as a "Short Barreled Rifle" and be illegal in more than a handful of states. It would also require the purchaser to get a special tax stamp, and comply with all local laws. I sure would love one though!

Oh, To Dream....

It's true, I have a lot of cool toys. In fact, I just finished a grueling two-year 1911 build-up based on a Springfield GI 1911. (Long story short, just buy the trim level you want and save the time of doing it yourself.) Lately, however, my heart has been lusting after cowboy guns. There's just something cool about big-bore single action revolvers, and lever-action rifles. I'm planning on getting one of each, chambered in the venerable .45 Colt (aka .45 Long Colt). My choice for a revolver is the mighty Ruger Blackhawk (with 5.5" barrel), and for a rifle, the classic Marlin 1894. Heck, I might even get one of those cheesy leather cartridge belts and a ten gallon hat.

Why .45 Colt? Well, quite simply, it is cheap and easy to reload. Also, it can be loaded down for plinking, or stuffed full of powder and tiptoe into .44 magnum territory. I plan on loading rounds that are just a little stiffer than factory ammo, so I can use them in the pistol and the rifle. I say this because master gunsmiths like John Linebaugh have shown that Ruger Blackhawks can take absurd levels of pressure-- levels that would reduce most wheelguns to shrapnel. NOTE: I AM NOT ADVOCATING EXCEEDING RECCOMMENDED LOAD DATA. RELOAD AT YOUR OWN RISK. ALWAYS FOLLOW MANUFACTURER AND LOAD DATA PUBLISHER DIRECTIONS. Loading .45Colt rounds into the stratosphere of load data may cause damage to mechanisms like those found in lever action rifles. Therefore, I'm going to keep my loads in the realm of the reasonable.

The Ruger New Model Blackhawk is available in any flavor you like. Go to www.ruger.com to see the full menu. The one I'm after is the one pictured above. I may put either rosewood or fake pearl grips on it. Either way, the Blackhawk is a tried-and-true, rock solid platform. The thought of holding one while a 200 grain lead flat nose bullet downrange at 1000 feet per second makes me smile. Aside from being built to withstand a nuclear holocaust, the Blackhawk isn't too hard on the eyes.


Now for the rifle; the Marlin 1894. This rifle is also available in .357mag, and .44 mag. It is relatively lightweight at 6.5lbs, and fairly short at 37.5" end to end (An M-4 is 35" with the stock fully extended). It has an octagon barrel, and buckhorn sights. It is simple to use, and holds 10 rounds of .45 colt. It makes for a handy "walkin' around gun". The combination of the two should keep two and four-legged pests at bay at most practical ranges. Without loading .45colt into silly levels of pressure, the rifle is only really useful out to maybe 200 yards tops. Plan on keeping most shots inside the 150 yard mark.

So why do I want these guns? My Glock 17 and M&P 15 will do pretty much the same thing, and do it faster and at longer ranges. Well, sometimes a guy just wants to be John Wayne for a few hours. Sometimes I don't feel like dragging around a 12 pound rifle with a 3 pound scope and a pistol that holds 33 9mm rounds. Sometimes you just need to shoot a gun with a bore you can roll a marble down. No, I don't really need more guns, but these two sure would be fun.

I Love Me

The last remnants of a fly at 25 yards, courtesy of my Savage MkII.

I was once again at my favorite shooting grounds, putting a few rounds through my .22LR Savage MkII rifle. My shooting buddy and I were taking turns putting up 10 round groups at 25 yards; he with his Remington 597, and me with the trusty Savage MkII. About five rounds into my string, a fly landed at the top of my target. I quickly chambered another Federal Champion 40 grain bullet, and took aim. I never thought I would connect, but I went through the motions: Breathe, release, aim, squeeze....bang! The fly exploded all over my target! I quickly placed my rifle on "safe", removed the magazine, and called the "range" clear so my buddy and I could go inspect my target. I sprinted downrange, spotting the blood splatter.

Same target as shown before; this is as close as my Nikon point-and-shoot will get with decent resolution.

I could not have been any prouder of my self than at that moment, or so I thought. We returned to the firing line, and I reloaded to finish my 10 round string. Just as I flipped my selector to "fire", another fly landed on the shoulder of my buddy's IPSC silhouette target. Pushing my luck, I lined up and started my routine; breathe, release, aim, squeeze....bang! Fly guts dotted the left shoulder of his target. I know, I know, I don't have any pictures posted of the second fly. I will get them if I can find that silhouette again. Or I'll just go shoot another fly.

Aside from my ego-massaging, the point is that once again, my $149 Savage bolt action rifle has proven to be far more than I paid for. Another point is that, with practice, you can also attain this level of marksmanship. Granted, I have been shooting since age 8, and I have been trained by the Army. However, everything I have been taught is available through friends, the internet, books, and good old fashioned practice.

Happy shooting!

Gear Review: Surefire Sonic Defenders Earplugs

I lost a lot of hearing in the war. Earplugs are usually uncomfortable, and make communication with your team nearly impossible. Because of this, a lot of troops don't wear them as much as they should. Communication in combat is crucial. If you can't hear your team, then you don't know what is going on, and confusion kills. Unfortunately, you can't call "time out" in combat so you can put your earplugs in. In the very near past, the choice was either save your hearing, or communicate with and understand your team. Surefire has a solution.

I picked up a pair of Sonic Defenders from my favorite gun stuff site recently. I went shooting with a buddy of mine and gave the Defenders a workout. I shot a shorty 20ga. shotgun, my 1911A1, and a Taurus PT1911 for a total of about a hundred rounds. First of all, the Defenders use no batteries, and don't weigh any more than traditional reusable plugs. In addition, you can convert them to standard ear plugs by inserting a removable stopper into the hole that allows you to hear. I put them in and noticed that they did muffle wind noise, and a little bit of "normal" sounds. However, they allowed me to engage comfortably in conversation with my friend, and even use my cell phone with them in. In fact, I could still hear so well that I cringed at the thought of our two pistols barking at the same time. As we walked to the "range" (a desolate area of my friend's property), I noticed that the Surefire plugs were very comfortable, and didn't slip out of place. I had just about forgotten I was wearing them as my friend pulled up his shotgun and shot twice. The Surefire plugs muffled the noise to a very comfortable level. This is a product that does what it claims to do. I give them the FGN Seal of Approval.

Savage 10FP HS Precision: 1/2 MOA

Splotchy, basic cammo designs blend in just about everywhere- even in the urban jungle.

It was a calm evening, about 8:30 p.m., and I was packing up to leave my favorite shooting grounds. I left my Savage 10FP, chambered in .308Win, pointed downrange with a plastic ammo box lying open nearby. Three rounds remained of the eighteen I had brought for testing. A flock of starlings swirled around some trees at about the hundred yard mark. My shooting buddy bet I couldn't hit one at that range, and being a competitive type, I took him up on it. One unlucky bird landed on a low branch. (Relax, the trees were well below the top of the hill at the 200 yard mark.) I sprinted ten yards over to the rifle, put a single round into the magazine, and closed the bolt on a handloaded 168 grain Nosler Competition HPBT. I watched the bird bob and weave on his branch, happily unaware of his fate. The bird turned broadside (if a starling has a broadside), and I squeezed the trigger. A puff of IMR 4064 flashed across the bottom third of my scope, and the crosshairs settled to reveal the bird falling from the tree, dead as a hammer.

Earlier in the evening, my shooting buddy and I both turned in sub-MOA groups with my 168gr HPBT handloads. In fact, the worst group of the outing was just over 1.10" according to my electronic calipers. I was testing two different loads for accuracy, and found my pet load for now. All of my groups for the evening measured .49"-.64". Not bad for a former machinegunner.

Yes, that's a dime in the middle. Holes with check marks were my alternate load; hotter, but less accurate.

This rifle will shoot big bullets in small groups, but what about ergonomics? Well, It fits me like a glove. This is the HS Precision stock, available as a factory option. It costs about $860, while a Model 10FP standard is about $580. In my estimation, it is worth every penny. The stock has a wide, flat forearm that is comfortable for offhand shots, and handy for shooting over sandbags/obstacles/etc. It also comes with three swivel studs- a brilliant move by Savage. One stud is for your bipod, and the other two for your sling. The stock has a coarse, porous finish that really soaks up a good paint job. My favorite feature is the generous recoil pad. It really soaks up recoil, and is sticky so it doesn't shift around on your shoulder.

The bolt action is smooth, but not the best I've felt. Sako has it beat by a mile, but it also cost about twice as much. After an injection of Wilson Combat gun grease, things smoothed right up. The bolt itself has an oversize bolt knob, and a relatively short throw. The business end has four massive lugs that lock up tightly and positively. The action is fed by a four round detachable box magazine. I usually leave the mag locked in place and feed it from the top like an old Remmington 700. The mag aids in clearing the weapon, but really isn't a "must have" in a weapon like this. Still, it isn't a detriment either. Oh, and before I forget, the barrel is free floated and the action is bedded with aluminum pillars.

The Accutrigger on the "law enforcement" series is something of legend. It adjusts down to 1.5lbs, or up to 6lbs. It has no creep or overtravel and breaks like the proverbial glass rod. There's no reason to "upgrade" the trigger in this rifle.

All in all, the 10FP HS Precision is brilliantly designed, and a bargain to boot! There aren't too many out-of-the-box sniper rifles in this price range. Actually, there aren't any. Mine is kitted out with a Millett 4-16x 50mm scope, B-square one-piece base, Warne permanent rings, and a Harris 6-9" bipod. All in all around $1200. Out of the box 1/2 MOA. What more can I say?

M&P15 User Review

I was in the market for an M-4 clone (or AR-15 carbine, as it is known in the civilian world), and at the top of my list was Bushmaster, Armalite, and Rock River Arms. I had used both the Bushmaster and RRA carbines, and was impressed with both. However, my favorite gun store didn't have RRA in stock (the cheapest of the three makers), they were sold out of Armalites and the Bushmaster had a price tag well over $1,000. The kind salesman pointed out that there was a fresh shipment of Smith & Wesson M&P15's. S&W makes the M&P15 in several configurations: a fixed carry handle A2 style, A3 detachable carry handle, and a flat top with front and rear flip-up sights and a quad rail handguard, just to name a few.

I selected the A3 model, as it has the utility of the picatinny rail, and the lightweight carbine length handguards. This makes for a lightweight package with nearly endless optics possibilities. It came in just under a thousand dollars. The M&P15 came with a padded hard case and a 30 round magazine. The case is okay, and the magazine seems to be very high quality.

I've had the little carbine out to the range a few times and put about 200 rounds through it. I've used Wolf ammunition, both 55 grain and 62 grain full metal jacket. The M&P chowed down on both quite happily. I have yet to sit down and to a serious accuracy test, but I have done a number of 25 yard zero and cqb "double tap" drills. I have also shot a few 100 yard groups kneeling and standing unsupported. I put up about a 6 inch group kneeling, and about a 12 inch group from standing. I'm guessing a prone supported group would come in at about 2 inches, maybe a little more. Add some match grade ammo and that might shrink down toward 1 inch.

Fit and finish are what you would expect from Smith & Wesson. The stock has a little bit of wobble to it, but so does every M-4 I've ever shot. The only collapsable stock I've used that didn't wobble was a VLTOR Clubfoot. In addition, the trigger is about what you would expect from a military rifle. It is a little gritty, and trips at about 7lbs. It breaks very cleanly, but could be better. Rock River's two stage trigger is among the best factory AR triggers.

All in all, the M&P is a very nice M4 clone. It is just a shade cheaper than Armalite and Bushmaster, and is just as high quality.

The M&P15 after a few minor changes:
Millett DMS-1, , Weaver picatinny riser, and Falcon Industries ergo grip.

.22 Talk, Or Everything You Didn't Want To Know About .22LR

Since I'm a broke college student, I mainly shoot my .22LR pistol and rifle. Sure, I have the "Fat Man and Little Boy" pairing of the 10Fp .308Win and Mk.II .22LR; and .45ACP 1911A1, as well as a Ciener .22LR slide. Shooting .22LR isn't the same, but it saves HUGE amounts of money, and still sharpens basic skills. In addition, the .22LR has virtually no felt recoil, so you don't develop a flinch while shooting. The following is an incoherent rambling of things I've picked up about .22LR practice sessions:




First of all, .22s have a lot more grunt than you might think. A month or so ago I killed a starling at roughly 120 yards with a single round of Federal Champion 40gr lead round nose. I have started regularly practicing at 100 yards and beyond with the rifle shown above. The plain jane 4x scope is about the be replaced by one with target style adjustment turrets so I can practice adjusting for elevation and wind with more than just hold-over or hold-off. While I don't recommend shooting small game at ranges over 100 yards, the .22 is lethal at those distances. I've heard tales of old men shooting two liter bottles at 200 yards with custom made .22LR's. What's the point? You can get a lot of quality training/practice out of a .22LR. This can save you money or time at the reloading bench.

I bought a Ciener .22LR slide for my 1911A1 in May. I've put about 1000 rounds through it so far, and I love it. It works flawlessly (or nearly so) on my Springfield Armory 1911 frame. I use the .22 slide for all of my practice. My double taps have become infinitely more fast and accurate. Best of all, because it is the same pistol, I am just as fast and accurate with the .45 slide. God knows how much money I have saved by shooting .22LR instead of .45ACP.

A word on ammunition

I have used a wide variety of ammo, and can tell you that there is indeed a difference. If you are looking to get the most accuracy out of your rifle, use the same type of ammo every time. I shoot Federal Champion high-velocity 40 grain lead round nose. It feeds well in my rifle, and is very accurate. I have also used CCI 40 grain standard velocity with great effect. American Eagle 32 grain plated hollow point high velocity is a close third place.

I consider "Hyper Velocity" and "Subsonic" rounds to be oddballs. Both tend to be very expensive comparatively, and not a lot more useful than cheaper loadings. I have used CCI Velocitor, and keep some on hand for big, particularly nasty critters like possums or coyotes at uncomfortably close range. Velocitors are very accurate and should pack a decent punch, according to my muzzle energy calculations (Velocity squared x bullet weight /450436).

I also tried some Remington Subsonic rounds, and found out a lot about the sound barrier. A lot of widely available SS rounds fly at about 1050fps. This is only subsonic at certain altitudes and temperatures. They are not much quieter than standard rounds. The "advantage" is that subsonic rounds never cross trans-sonic turbulence, hence, they are said to be more accurate and are popular at matches. If you are looking for a quieter round, use.22 CB Long. It shoots a 27 grain bullet at 710 feet per second. They are nearly silent (quieter than my 1000fps BB gun), and have a very short effective range. I would not hunt with them, and they drop FAST past 15 yards. This load is great for teaching new shooters. The lack of recoil and noise builds confidence and reduces flinching or jitters.

Conclusions

If you're looking for a way to polish up your shooting skills, why not go with a .22LR? Pick a rifle or handgun that mirrors your full size rig, and shoot more! Shooting with a .22LR will improve all your basic skills; and in shooting there are no advanced skills, merely advanced applications of basic skills.