Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Tactical Life

Lying prone atop a shooting mat spread out on the rocky, windswept Arizona desert floor, veteran and former U.S. Army Sniper School instructor Dave Bremson intently examined a Kestrel weather and wind speed meter in one hand along with his cell phone in the other. Under a slate-gray overcast sky, he silently checked and re-checked the instruments while hunkering down behind his Bergara B-14 HMR in 6.5 Creedmoor, outfitted with a Timney Calvin Elite trigger, a Vortex Viper PST scope and a Dead Air Sandman-S suppressor, and prepped to fire hand-loaded Hornady 143-grain ELD-X rounds. After interpreting and corroborating the data being displayed between his devices, he made a quick adjustment to his scope and locked in on his target downrange—a steel plate precisely 1,004 meters away per his rangefinder,…

Hopefully you already know this, but movies, television shows and video games aren’t real. Self-defense is simpler and less cinematic. Encounters outside of a military engagement can be solved with a simple carbine, iron sights and a couple magazines. Sure, there are scenarios where iron sights aren’t exactly ideal, but such events aren’t common. I believe a trained shooter can handle most situations with a solid set of iron sights. The vast majority of civilian shootings occur inside 50 yards or across a room. Combining statistics of recent police engagements using carbines shows that they occur mostly between a couple houses, in the front yard, behind a car or across the street. So, using realistic parameters, let’s take a look at what to do in a real self-defense situation and…

It all started with a kid who got sick of working weekends. Randy Luth originally toiled away in a print shop while in high school. He eventually got into tool grinding simply because that shop was closed on Saturdays and Sundays. By the 1980s, Randy had his own precision machine shop and made a living doing odd contracts. Eventually he secured government deals to make parts for the M16, M1911 and M203. That led to Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services, or DPMS. After five years or so spent consulting, Randy filed a Freedom of Information Act request to see who was making parts for Uncle Sam. In 1986, that was Bushmaster, Olympic Arms and Colt. Eagle Arms and Randy’s DPMS dove in soon thereafter. In 1992, he started making his own…

Most of us have drunk the Kool-Aid. The prevailing wisdom holds that the AK is an indestructible tire iron while the AR is a finicky sewing machine. Many chair-borne commandos claim that the AR is an expensive paperweight while simultaneously asserting that the AK could be abandoned in the core of the sun for a year with no ill effects. The reality isn’t quite so simple, however. I’ve been at this for decades, and I have indeed had lots of failures with AR-platform rifles. I’ve broken a bolt carrier key, dislodged a front sight base and lit up the countryside after a case failed spectacularly and spilled fiery detritus out of the ejection port. However, I also once fired 10,000 rounds through a Battle Rifle Company BR4 Spartan rifle over…

I always thought CZ pistols were Eastern European—all steel, clunky and heavy. I never cared to learn more. But a few years ago, I tested a high-end custom competition pistol that was based on the CZ 75 and fell in love. The frame’s full-length rails really locked the receiver to the slide and made the action super smooth. I began to rethink CZ. Earlier this year, I took an instructor carbine class from Mike Pannone. During a lunch break, we were chatting about our favorite handguns, and Mike shocked everyone when he started talking about how much he loved CZ pistols. Like me, Mike has trained a lot of counterparts overseas, so he has been exposed to a lot of weapons that aren’t as common stateside. I have a lot…

As I write this article, the price of ammo, including some of the best tactical ammo on the market, is at its lowest point in a decade or more. Though I’m an avid handloader, and I enjoy the process of handloading enough to have written books and articles on handloading for years now, even I have succumbed to the allure of cheap factory ammo and let my reloading press sit idle for weeks at a time. But there’s a solid and lasting place for handloading in the tactical shooter’s inventory of skills and equipment. Throughout this year, we’ll go through the why, what and how of handloading duplicates of some of the most popular tactical ammo available. This will be a multi-part series, so hang onto each issue for future…

Golf has got to be one of the stupidest game on the planet. Otherwise normal adults whacking little plastic balls around a big open field while declaring it to be high art just seems inane. Perhaps I harbor such unvarnished animosity because I suck at it so badly, or maybe it is indeed a stupid little game. Regardless, I have finally found a way to transform golf into the manly pursuit it was always meant to be. This involves a Civil-War-era artillery piece, your favorite black gun and some really broad-minded groundskeepers. ANCIENT HISTORY → Most professional golf historians (likely not a real job) theorize that the modern game of golf arose from an ancient Roman sport called paganica. Romans playing paganica used a bent stick to smack around a…

ALAMO PRECISION RIFLES APR G2 ACTION → A collaboration between Alamo Precision Rifles and Thompson Leh, the APR G2 action has several features previously reserved for custom high-end models while still being very affordable. This Remington-700-style action uses a fluted, one-piece bolt with a mechanical ejector and a double-pinned recoil lug. Upgrades include 1-1/16x20-tpi threads, wire- EDM raceways for smoother cycling, a pinned 20-MOA rail and a smaller ejection port for rigidity. The entire action has a DLC finish. (aprifles.com) COMP-TAC EVADE HOLSTER → The eVade is an appendix inside-the-waistband (AIWB) holster that is designed for casual EDC as well as deep-concealment applications. The eVade’s holster body is made of Kydex for comfortable wear and a smooth draw. The rig attaches to your belt with a tuckable nylon clip that…

Like many people, when I hear the name Steyr, my mind goes to the movie Die Hard and the main German henchman toting a Steyr AUG. The gun is iconic in terms of looks and performance, and it’s on an astronomical number of wish lists. But Steyr also has a handgun side of the house. As an instructor, I have seen Steyr pistols off and on in classes since the mid-1990s, and they have always performed well. This is no surprise considering that Steyr Mannlicher has been producing guns for over 155 years. With this as a backdrop, I was excited to learn that Steyr had developed a new handgun and AUG, and I got my hands on both for testing. Let’s start with the pistol. DIGGING IN → The…

The legend of John Henry was born about 50 miles from my home. If you are unfamiliar with the folktale, it’s about a big—very big—man who worked as a steel driver during the building of the Big Bend Tunnel in Talcott, West Virginia. History has it that, during a competition, John Henry outworked a steam drill. No doubt, ol’ John was swiftly wielding a mighty hammer. The tale is a great analogy for the new cartridge recently introduced by Wilson Combat. Chambered in Wilson Combat’s Ultimate Hunter, a hybrid AR-10-style rifle, it will drive a lot of power in a hurry. THE CARTRIDGE According to Wilson Combat founder Bill Wilson, a legend in his own right, the aim of the .458 HAM’R was to develop a cartridge that improved upon…

Special Missions Units within the U.S. military are always looking outside the box for weapons, ammunition and gear. It’s a constant battle for our most specialized forces to adapt to the requirements of their missions. Much of what’s used today has come from their requests for equipment suited to their needs. In some cases, it comes from a request for information (RFI) and may even result in a formal contract. More often than not, it’s on a smaller scale, even at the unit level. Most of these requests stay pretty compartmentalized. Others, like what would become the Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR), drive the industry into a frenzy. Often, something unique comes out of all that hoopla. One such item is the .300 Norma Magnum, which was chosen as the Advanced Sniper…

My Polish AK-47 started earning gouges, scratches and dents when The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” was Billboard’s top hit in 1968. I’m sure each mark has a story behind it. Although the rifle’s furniture has seen a lot of hard use, its metal components would tell a different story. They were rebuilt in America for 922r compliance and look factory fresh. But I thought the rifle’s furniture could use some rehab to catch up with the metal components’ recent facelift. Swapping out the original furniture with Magpul Original Equipment (MOE) parts seemed like the natural solution, because it provides a fresh look and better ergonomics, making the gun more maneuverable and easier to control. Plus, the rifle can now host a number of accessories more easily. The tools required for a…

The popularity of precision rifle competitions has made chassis systems all the rage. Most are machined from aluminum and require no bedding, so they’re simple upgrades. And they’re typically geared toward competition with a wink and nod to hunting or tactical deployments. Some are quite expensive, too, coming in at cost close to a grand or twice that. If that’s what you need, great. But there are alternatives. Many chassis systems are just as useful and practical, and far more reasonably priced. Improvements make bedding unnecessary in most cases, and several have pillars molded into the stock, making them essentially drop-in designs. One such stock is the Grayboe Ridgeback, the latest injection-molded chassis designed for hunters, competitors and tactical shooters alike. ORIGIN STORY → Grayboe is the brainchild of Ryan…

LEUPOLD DELTAPOINT PRO The DeltaPoint Pro isn’t new to the market. I bought mine a little over two years ago. I tried out a lot of different reflex sights on pistols but kept coming back to the Leupold because of its easy-to-use controls as well as the viewing window’s size and clarity. I also like how thin the metal is around the glass, making it far easier to see threats downrange. The batteries are easy to replace, too. My DeltaPoint Pro is starting to show a little finish wear, but it still performs flawlessly. I was also pleased to hear from a Special Forces friend about how well his DeltaPoint Pro fared in testing and held up to hard use. (leupold.com) CRIMSON TRACE CMR-208 RAIL MASTER The CMR-208 Rail Master…

“THIS VEHICLE NEEDED TO GO WHEREVER I WANTED—COMFORTABLY, RELIABLY AND IN ALMOST ANY WEATHER CONDITION, DAY OR NIGHT.” Say the words “gun truck” and most people will picture a vehicle set up for some sort of survival or Armageddon scenario. Most of these bug-out rides support the use of firearms, but it’s not a priority, nor should it be. Firearms will come into some end-of-days or disaster scenarios, but shelter, water, medical supplies, food and even electronics are more critical. Survival in such an event is something I’ve made some preparations for, but it’s not critical in my life. My priorities are actually quite different. As a shooter, trainer, photographer and gun writer, guns come first. It’s all about supporting the use and photography of firearms, both on the range…

The proliferation of sniper movies like Shooter and American Sniper has brought long-range shooting skills into the mainstream. And that’s just what I experienced while attending the Steyr Training Academy’s Precision Rifle course in Alabama last spring with a few civilians and police countersnipers. The allure and satisfaction of learning to make long shots predictable rather than a matter of luck is the driving force behind the large numbers of shooters attending precision rifle courses around the country these days. Personally, I’ve attended many supposed “long-range training” events, but most were short on actual skills training. That wasn’t the case here. Steyr’s event was a three-day mix of classroom instruction followed by two days of trigger pulling at an Olympic-grade shooting range. COURSE RUNDOWN → The Steyr Precision Rifle I…

Like any good carpenter, the .458 HAM’R isn’t the only hammer in Bill Wilson’s toolbox. If that one’s a sledgehammer, Wilson’s new .300 HAM’R is a framing hammer that you can use for just about anything. Engineered to duplicate the ballistics of the .30-30 Winchester, the new .300 HAM’R finally establishes the AR-15 as a true big-game hunting platform. This effectively drowns the anti-gun argument that no one can or should hunt with an AR-15. Operating at AR-15-safe pressures between 50,000 and 58,000 psi, this little cartridge performs exceptionally well from carbine-length barrels. And bear in mind that this isn’t a subsonic cartridge. You can simply switch your .223/5.56mm AR-15 to this supersonic chambering by swapping out barrels. The new barrel uses a 1-in-15-inch twist rate and spells death to…

What does a government do when it has hundreds of millions of rounds of surplus ammunition? A logical choice is to build a weapon to shoot that ammo. After Yugoslavia had built 1.2 million Zastava M48 bolt-action rifles from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s, the Yugoslav army needed a modern rifle to put its hoard of 8x57mm Mauser ammo to use. Specifically, the Yugoslavs wanted a semi-automatic squad DMR, and the M76 was born. When the Soviets designed the SVD, or Dragunov, they chambered it for the powerful rimmed 7.62x54mm cartridge. That helped the Soviets use their stores of ammunition and manufacturing capabilities to create more rounds originally designed for the 1891 Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifle. Faced with similar circumstances, the independent-minded Yugoslavs went another route. Several years ago, Zastava…

Just a couple of years ago, any article that included the .22 LR cartridge would have inspired anger and distain. We were right in the middle of an ammunition shortage, and rimfire cartridges were as rare as unicorns. There were those who firmly believed that the shortage was contrived and others who just didn’t want to be reminded of what they couldn’t obtain. Time passed, and as is the case with all shortages, the market regenerated, so shooters could once again expect to find boxes of .22 LR ammo sitting on dealer shelves. Granted, somewhere during this process, the retail price grew substantially. It is said that dark clouds have silver linings, and this shortage did bring the lowly little .22 LR back to the attention of the average shooter.…

Walther’s new PPQ Sub-Compact (SC) is built to serve as a concealed-carry companion to the duty-sized PPQ M2 9mm. This down-sized version has a lot of the same features as its larger sibling, but the barrel length and overall length are reduced by a half-inch, the height by 0.9 inches and the empty weight by 3.3 ounces. The width is the same at 1.3 inches. This dimensional difference doesn’t look like much, but it all adds up to making this handgun easier to hide and carry. And Walther includes an extended 15-round magazine as well as a flush-fitting 10-rounder. The PPQ M2 and PPQ SC share the same ergonomic grip design with interchangeable backstraps; reversible push-button magazine release; hooked triggerguard; integral dust-cover accessory rail; extended, ambidextrous slide stop; front and…

“THE SKO SHORTY HANDLES SURPRISINGLY WELL AND IS A VERY FUN GUN TO SHOOT.” Pistol-grip shotguns are experiencing a renaissance, with more selections available now than ever before. While only a few years ago this class of shotgun was derided by some as a near-useless novelty, there are now many pump actions and autoloaders made with either tubular or detachable box magazines. Novelty guns? No, but clearly niche weapons where their shorter length and lighter weight make them suitable for extreme close-quarters fighting from a vehicle or within the confines of a home—places where a handgun would suffice, but the more decisively empowered shotgun works far better. The 12-gauge SKO Shorty introduced by Standard Manufacturing in 2017 is one such example of this specialized breed now making a comeback. GUN…