Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2021 i Ballistic

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main firearms and survival magazine event. Are you ready for the fight of your life? Or do you wanna graze with the sheeple? Sure that’s a bit over the top, but it cuts to the heart (and the covers) of this “Be Hard To Kill” issue. The truegrit American warrior Tim Kennedy is—hands down—the man you want by your side in the foxhole (or octagon) of life during these uncertain times. Here’s a truer than true fact: Kennedy has come out on top of more bloody battles fighting as a U.S. Special Forces Green Beret and in the MMA octagon than any man on earth. Ballistic content creators Robert Jordan and Alex Landeen spent a couple of days at Kennedy’s base of operations in…

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a draug, and what does it have to do with firearms? Usually absolutely nothing, but in this case… According to Norse folklore a draug (pronounced basically like the word dog) is an animated corpse, not to be confused with a ghost. Draugs are often bodies of deceased royalty who protect their burial mounds, treasure and sometimes even their former palaces. They are considered neither evil nor good, just an undead creature with chaotic neutral energy. I came to know of draugs by way of Odin’s Workshop, located in Michigan, which is owned and operated by brothers Cody and Cole. They are known for their amazing colorful work on Glock and Sig P320 frames. A recent visit to them and discussions about local native American folklore started…

tim Kennedy got tossed out of kindergarten for defending a young lady’s haircut to a loudmouth bully. Granted, Tim did pop the kid in the mouth and toss him off the top of the jungle gym, but the cause was just, and the die was cast. Tim’s total time in public school was measured in weeks, and his poor mother spent the next 10 years homeschooling him and trying to cultivate this hellion by immersing him in culture. The piano, dance and cooking classes turned out to be great places to meet chicks. Tim’s dad, a narcotics cop, recognized the boy’s talents and enrolled him in boxing and jiu jitsu. Thus the yin and the yang were balanced, and Tim rocketed into a world that he chose to shape as…

At the beginning of 2021, CZ announced their new TS 2—a single-action, semi-auto match pistol designed for action and speed shooting competitions. It’s an evolution of sorts over their first Tactical Sport model, originally introduced in 2005 and discontinued several years ago. The TS 2 has the same slide profile of the popular Shadow 2 as well as a redesigned frame with improved ergonomics to help minimize muzzle flip. The gun also includes match-ready features like an ambidextrous safety, dual cocking serrations and an extended magazine release. CZ outfits the TS 2 with machined aluminum grips with aggressive checkering as well as a magwell funnel. Additionally, the TS 2 will accept a wide variety of custom parts already developed for the Tactical Sport platform. CZ designed the TS 2 for…

Centuries ago, dedicated warriors fought with swords in hand across both Europe and Asia against those who opposed them, their beliefs and their kings or lords. Their skills were legendary—each a master of their weapon and the fighting style they honed for decades. Today, these sword fighters no longer fight to the death or to even draw blood, but instead use their ancient styles to score points in all levels of competition. One one side you have the fencers, chivalrous and classically taught practitioners that emulate the lightning-fast kills from the European swordsmen of years past. Their quick, yet subtle wrist movements directed the tip of their sword into their opponents’ flesh and plunged it deep into their heart, stopping it instantly. Today, the blunt tip of the fencer’s sword…

Nearly all muzzleloaders, whether of antique or modern design, aren’t regulated any more than cigarettes or liquor. If you are old enough, you can just buy them. Ownership of muzzleloaders still remains essentially invisible; and that, in itself, has a certain appeal among those of a mind that the government has no business knowing about their firearm purchasing habits. SilencerCo’s Maxim 50, a modern in-line, highly accurate, easily cleaned, big bore, suppressed muzzle-loading rifle, grabbed the attention of those tyranny sensitive, privacy loving and off-the-grid frontier types in a way no other muzzleloader had before. For hunting ranges under the 100 yards typical in wooded terrain, it had a lot to offer. With the right bullets, you could double that range. But, its main attraction was that it was discrete…

Welcome to 2021, a year when our Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms is under attack like never before. Too, strong? Perhaps you think you’ve run into one of those 2A conspiracy theorist nuts your liberal friends have warned you about? See if you still think so after reading all the way to the end. RECIPE FOR DISASTER President Joe Biden has been no friend to law-abiding gun owners for his entire political life spanning nearly 50 years. As a U.S. Senator, he was instrumental in passage of the 1990s-era Clinton Gun Ban. As Barack Obama’s vice president, he was in charge of all the Obama-era gun control proposals after the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. As president, he is already giving gun control more…

Trijicon is a pioneer in the battery-free optics market, with its ACOG at the helm. Using similar technology it offers several hunting options like the one used in this article. Illuminated with both Tritium and fiber-optic material, the AccuPoint is always “on” regardless of lighting conditions. The AccuPoint model I tested featured a singular triangular-post reticle that was just plain clean. The absence of subtensions and crosshairs left me with an unobstructed field of view, which allowed me to quickly pick up moving targets and lay down fast strings of fire with unparalleled precision. For more, visit trijicon.com.…

In the midst of “Ammogeddon,” we have all gotten a little desperate on how to get our fix of 9mm and 5.56mm. Rounds of ammo are more precious than bread and milk, and a damn site more expensive. Knowing this, we posed the following question: A full 58 percent will listen to morons spreading hate and lies while counting their rounds, while 42 percent were willing to give up their ammo in return for their mental sanity. I assume the 42 percent have less ammo squirreled away than I do. Best comments: jcd@jagoff17 said, “I can buy more ammo,” and Alexis@ElAmeroAlex replied, “I agree. Working eight hours to buy ammunition is better than torture for two hours a day to death.” Would you rather lose your entire ammo stockpile or…

A war hammer was always my choice as a melee weapon until I put hands on RMJ Tactical’s Wee Zerker. First of all, it is a perfect fit for a modern-day fighting Norseman. The balance and controllability of it is astounding. You can choke up on the handle for some finer blade work to lower your grasp to put some strength behind it for splitting wood. This do-it-all camp ax is based off of RMJ’s full-size Berserker ax. Zerker features a 5-inch cutting head, and the beard is also sharpened. The G10 handles have a groove texture that really grasps your hand. Weight is under 2 pounds. It comes with a Kydex scabbard and two lowride MOC straps. This is an awesome ax that’s pack ready. Check and RMJ’s other…

Okay, that might sound a bit harsh, but please just hear me out. “Illusory superiority” is a fancy-pants term for people who have a tendency to overestimate their abilities. We are all guilty of this, especially us “manly” men. (Broad brush warning.) Three examples of where this is most prevalent, at least in my experience, are driving, fighting and the art of love making. I have no interest in judging anyone’s bedroom activities and I have seen ya’ll drive, so not much of a question there (looking at you, SoCal). For the purposes of this sidebar, I will to stick to the topic of fighting and why I am currently in the midst of a self-defense sea change. But first, a little backstory. The last time I was in what…

PISTOL RED-DOT OPTICS ARE NOW A PERMANENT FIXTURE IN THE COMBAT/PERSONAL-DEFENSE PISTOL ARENA. Once reserved mainly for competition use, it has now trickled down to the EDC loadout of many Americans. Honestly, I initially thought this was a horrible trend. Before you pound out an email condemning me into the land of “old and stuffy” and accusing me of not embracing new technology and training techniques, just let me put this out there. I’ve had an optic on one of my main shooters since 2007. My M&P 9 had and still has an original Leupold DeltaPoint secured to the slide by expert machining from Bowie Tactical Concepts. In fact, it’s a separate slide that’s optics ready all the time. Bowie was running dots on pistols in 2004, before anyone would ever…

Since the beginning of our nation, Americans have relied on companies manufacturing a wide variety of firearms, ammunition and accessories to provide us with the very means to practice our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Without gun and ammunition companies—which should be considered true heroes—Americans would have no guns, and no ammo to shoot through those guns. While that might seem overly simplistic and obvious, it’s something gun owners often don’t consider. With the recent increased sale of both guns and ammo, however, the important role these companies play has once again been pushed to the forefront. Consider with me, if you will, what might happen to firearm manufacturers if the multitude of gun control schemes now under consideration in the U.S. Congress were to actually pass…

Considering that I married into a large, “traditional” Italian family, it’s in my best interest to mention one of the most famous gangster movies of all time, Goodfellas. This flick is a staple in anyone’s mafia movie library, and this particular scene shows how true gangsters handle their business. Billy Batts, a “made” member of the Gambino crime family, gets out of prison, and in a drunken stupor, insults an up-and-coming gangster named Tommy DeVito. One thing leads to another, and Billy ends up in a car trunk wrapped in bloodsoaked tablecloths. This scene is even more iconic because before they take Billy out into the forest to bury his body, they have to stop by Tommy’s mom’s house for some late-night Italian pasta. I mean, you can’t hack a…

When demand outpaces supply for products or services, prices go up and, usually, so do wait times. The firearms community is not immune to these economic fundamentals. No one knows this better than Bobby Tyler, whose business, Tyler Gun Works, turns ordinary guns into extraordinary heirloom pieces. When I first introduced readers to Tyler in the pages of Ballistic back in 2019, he had just erected a new building for his business. Just a couple years before he had started his company, specializing in color casing, working out of a second-hand building that a tornado had blown down. The years have been kind to Tyler. He now color cases firearms for 13 different manufacturers, in addition to his customization business that offers things like fine-tuning guns, fitting bone grips, refinishing…

A few months ago I accepted the fact that my eyes were no longer up to snuff for iron sights without assistance, especially handgun sights. The front sight was no longer lining up in the rear notch no matter how hard I tried to focus on it, and my accuracy went to hell. There was no choice. It was finally time to get some eye pro with prescription lenses. Of course, if you wear contact lenses, you bypass the need for Rx shooting glasses and can just use your regular range shades with protective lenses. But I have no practice sticking a synthetic lens to my eyeball with my fingertip, and I might be too old to learn. It still freaks me out every time I see my wife put…

While you shouldn’t go around looking for trouble, sometimes it’s impossible to avoid. Martial arts training and good weapons training could very well save your life someday. Reading this article won’t make you an expert, but these tips for defending yourself in real life attack situations could be the difference between a happy ending and becoming a statistic. For best results practice is everything. Head to your local boxing, MMA or BJJ gym to get practical training in defending yourself. 1 Attacked from behind with a sleeper hold The rear naked choke, or sleeper hold as it is sometimes referred to, is the most effective choke in any martial arts style or competition. The choke applies pressure directly over the carotid arteries, meaning if it’s slapped on perfectly it’s only…

Highland Systems is a producer of high-end survival, military and luxury vehicles based in the UK and the United Arab Emirates. Their catalog includes an array of armored vehicles, a line of armor-piercing ammunition and submersible yachts that look like spaceships and likely cost as much as my hometown. If ever you’ve wondered what might be the absolute pinnacle of all-terrain go-anywhere survival vehicles, the Highland Systems STORM is it. INTERESTING TIMES I have a t-shirt that reads, “The Hardest Thing about Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse is Acting Like I’m Not Excited!” Sadly, there is a fair amount of truth to be found there. It is undeniably cool to imagine the guns, gear and skills you might need to thrive in the face of unfettered chaos and anarchy. Reality…

LEUPOLD Leupold’s DeltaPoint Pro has come a long way from the original DeltaPoint that I ran. The DeltaPoint Pro is rugged and made from aircraft-grade aluminum. I like the window of the DeltaPoint Pro as it is generous without being too large. A large window can be a crutch and contribute to sloppy presentation. The window is protected by a steel sheath. The battery is accessible through a compartment on top and behind the window. You don’t need to re-zero after changing the battery, but I find having to adjust the brightness with my finger in the way of the dot a bit annoying. But it’s not a dealbreaker by any stretch. It features eight levels of brightness and comes in NV and non-NV models. Of course the non-NV model…

Regardless of where you find yourself on the political spectrum or what your opinion is of President Donald J. Trump, there are two facts that cannot be disputed. First and foremost, he was (and still is in the eyes of many) everybody’s president whether they liked it or not—the 45th president of the United States of America to be exact. Second, throughout his four years, President Trump amassed one of the largest groups of supporting patriots this country has ever seen. With his heartfelt slogan Make America Great Again (MAGA), he woke a sleeping giant that strived then, and still does now, to restore and continually fight for the principles and values that have made America the greatest nation in the world. It is also no secret that Auto-Ordnance and…

Poker is for tough guys—or at least that’s how Hollywood sees it. The game’s Old West and frontier history certainly plays a role in that. Real-life gunslingers like Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, Pat Garrett, Bat Masterson and Luke Short spent many hours at the poker tables in smoky, dimly-lit saloons. In those days, most players were packing, and gunplay occasionally came with the territory. Hollywood and pop culture have kept that spirit alive. From Westerns to more modern tales, shootouts and fisticuffs seem to play a role in portrayals of the game, whether that’s really a part of the modern game or not. Here’s a look at some of those classic scenes and songs—perfect to check out when hosting a nice poker game with a group of friends. FILMS…

It’s been a recurrent theme since 1776. Most Americans resist war. Since the advent of the 20th century we have eschewed expeditions of conquest. Protected as we are by two magnificent impregnable oceans, we strove to avoid the internecine quarrels that plagued Europe and Asia. However, when backed into a corner we become a force of nature. Americans may hate war, but when our interests are threatened, we do love to fight. We didn’t start World War II, but we did end it. Behind millions of screaming Russians were 152,000 American trucks and 12,700 tanks. Supporting our British allies were literally countless U.S.-made planes and guns. When the Japanese Empire prepared to fight to the last man, it was a pair of mushroom clouds birthed at Las Alamos, New Mexico,…

Leave it to Savage. In a year when most firearm companies are concentrating on higher output of traditional designs, these guys put the most unique rifle on the table that the industry has seen in decades. While new to us, the Savage Impulse is based on an old design—the straight pull. Straight-pull bolt actions are uber-popular in Europe, however, in the states few American options are affordable and up to the accuracy standards that Americans demand. Savage sought to change that and after a few days on the range, we believe they nailed it. WHY A STRAIGHT-PULL? That is typically the first question that is asked when a shooter is introduced to this platform. Before we answer that, let’s ask, “Why not?” This will help us better understand what Savage…

Half Face Blades was founded by Andrew Arrabito, a retired Navy SEAL and all-around outdoorsman who enjoys such activities as hunting, fishing and camping. After high school, Andrew joined the U.S. Navy and served on the SEAL teams. Afterward, he focused his attention on learning blade-smithing. His goal was to make simple designs for those who demand high-quality and longevity in their blades. “I wanted each person to have a usable tool, embodied with a warrior’s spirit, that will perform to their needs during their walk of life,” he said. Half Face Blades takes that message to heart by creating unique blade designs for those who appreciate only the finest products available. For more information, visit halffaceblades.com.…