Firearms News Volume 71, Issue 8

(PHOENIX, AZ January 19) Back in November, 2015, when there were still four Democrats contending for the presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton took a potshot at Bernie Sanders, for having received favorable ratings from the National Rifle Association in years past. With that, the candidates entered into an argument over which of them had, or deserved, the worst ranking from the shooting organization. This argument prompted Shannon Watts, the professional PR flack who heads Mike Bloomberg’s astroturf, anti-gun group, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, to declare in a fund raising email; “This year, the myth of gun violence as a political third rail was put to rest in the Democratic presidential debate, where candidates fought over who has the lowest grade from the NRA.” Watts made a similar…

The 1911 and the .45 ACP are forever joined in our imagination, but it’s important to remember the caliber and the gun are far from exclusive to each other. Even the most casual pistol fan knows the .38 Super has been offered in the Colt Government Model since 1929, and the more astute will remember the .38 AMU that briefly was a sensation in the conventional pistol shooting community in the 1950s. The 10mm came along in the 1980s, while only advanced collectors will remember the .30 Luger Government Model sold in European countries that forbade civilians to own a 9mm. Colt has offered the Government Model in 9mm for many years, though with no great enthusiasm on either the buyer or seller side. After all, if you wanted a…

Our world is changing and we need to evolve with it, especially when it comes to protecting our family. To this end, many obtained firearms training and concealed carry licenses. Today, more men and women are legally carrying concealed firearms now than at any time in the history of our country. This is a good thing. However, due to the sheer magnitude of some of the more violent recent disturbances, and the possibilities of what the future might hold, some are looking beyond mere handguns. Many lawful firearm owners concerned with the safety of their loved ones have begun contemplating the value of having a long gun for self-protection. Not just something in the safe at home, but a dedicated piece they can store in their vehicle or discreetly carry…

I have been intrigued by SureFire’s MAG5-60 60-round aluminum quad stack magazines ever since they were announced. The Russians developed and fielded small numbers of quad stack magazines, and the SITES Spectre submachine gun featured a four-column 50-round magazine in 9mm. The result is SureFire’s 5.56x45mm design for the AR platform. Measuring 8.7 inches in length and 1.66 inches in width, it is immediately identifiable. Empty, it weighs 6.4 ounces, but this grows to just over 2 pounds when fully loaded with 60 cartridges. While the magazine is visually captivating, my question was, how well would it actually work? Brownells supplied three for testing and I have been using these regularly in a variety of review guns for a couple of years now. Recently they took part in the 10,000…

With age comes experience. That’s a clichéd saying, I know, but it’s true. Clichés exist for a reason, as do stereotypes. I was recently having lunch with Al, a friend of mine, a graphic artist who did the cover of my first book. I’ve known him for about 15 years. In that time, I’ve been divorced and changed careers. In that time, he’s gone through a bankruptcy and a life-threatening illness. Now we are both happy and making good money in jobs we like. At lunch I mentioned to Al how I’d just bought another AR. I don’t need another AR, but the manufacturer had offered me such a deal I couldn’t say no. Then it occurred to me to ask Al (who is a competitive bow and handgun shooter)…

While I have some technical expertise—I have to, given my occupation—I don’t approach products from a technical angle. I approach guns and optics from an end user perspective. I think this comes from my competition shooting background, where the driving question was always—How best can I make this work? And that’s why I think the Trijicon 4x32 ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) designed to the Marine Corps’ specifications is the best ACOG in the line (www.trijicon.com) Technically the model I’m referring to is the TA31R-CO-M4CP, the USMC Rifle Combat Optic with Chevron Reticle for the M4, which comes complete with a dual thumbscrew mount. Trijicon also makes a model for the M16A4 (-A4CP) that is identical but for with the BDC stadia adjusted for the bullet drop from the longer…