Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2020 i Tactical Life

Fully tricked out, this CZ Scorpion’s customization journey started with an Innovative Arms IA-SC9 integral suppressor kit. The gun world is ablaze with pistol-caliber carbines, or PCCs. Fans appreciate the 9mm ammo savings and the shear amount of fun these guns can be. The competition world has embraced them, creating whole divisions around PCCs. While the vast majority of today’s PCCs are ARs that accept Glock magazines, those certainly aren’t your only options. When the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Pistol was introduced at 2015 SHOT Show, I got a closer look at it and thought, “Who would want that?” The whole thing felt a bit too plasticky, and the grip, with its FAL-like angle, was terribly uncomfortable for me. Frankly, I wasn’t that impressed and promptly forgot about it.…

Last year, Mossberg made the fire-arms world do a double-take when it released the subcompact MC1sc handgun. It was an immediate hit and has continued to perform well among a wide range of shooters. I was fortunate to be part of a group that got an early look at the MC1sc during an event at Gunsite Academy in Arizona. So it was that memory that came to mind when I received another invitation to attend a private event with Mossberg at Gunsite late in 2019. As always, the company was very quiet about what we would be seeing, and we didn’t learn any details until we arrived. Would they be launching yet another handgun? The answer came quickly once we arrived—absolutely! The new MC2c is the big brother to the…

THE FN SCAR should be well known to most tactical-minded shooters by now. Born from a user-driven requirement in the relatively early days of the Global War on Terror, the SCAR was unanimously selected out of all the weapons submitted. The SCAR was formally adopted for use with U.S. special operations forces and dubbed the Mk 16 in 5.56mm NATO and Mk 17 in 7.62mm NATO. Although the SCAR rifles were not adopted through-out the conventional services, they have been used in combat worldwide. As successful as the Mk 17 became, there was inevitably a need for a variant that could serve in the sniper or marksman role. The Mk 20 SSR is the beefed-up precision version of the Mk 17. Featuring a longer, heavier barrel, an extended receiver with…

The AR-15 has always been presented to the American public as a multi-use rifle. It has been used to win competitions, protect the home and take nearly every type of medium-sized game in North America. But, while it’s good for many tasks, there is one that has always eluded it: long-range engagements. Sure, you can cram a 77-grain bullet into a 5.56mm case and touch 1,000 yards with relative success, but you certainly are pushing it to do so. Staying on course requires absolute cooperation by the wind, which is unlikely across 10 football fields. The 6.5 Grendel took us a step closer, but its realistic use tops out at around 800 yards. Then Federal Premium introduced what looked to be the answer—the .224 Valkyrie. In its early stages, nobody…

If any one event could be pointed to and credited with making the reputation of the U.S. Marine Corps forever more, it was Iwo Jima. The ferocity of the battle was beyond all expectations and marked a turning point in Japanese defensive strategy. Hotly contested beach landings and foolish banzai charges were abandoned in favor of drawn-out defenses that made the Americans pay the highest possible cost in blood for every victory. Iwo Jima was barely 8 square miles of barren, volcanic c black sand and rock. The Marines expected to capture it in a week, ek, but it took 36 days to secure. By the end, the Americans had taken over 26,000 casualties, with more than 6,800 killed. The Japanese lost their entire garrison of 21,000 men, with more…

When sanctions hit Russia and word got out that Russian AKMs would no longer be filtering into the United States, I went in search of a nice Saiga. I was able to locate an older 100 Series Russian Saiga in 7.62x39mm for a reasonable price given the circumstances. But after seeing Definite Arms’ custom-grade DAKM-4150, I knew the next step. I packed up my new Saiga and shipped it directly to Definitive Arms for a similar customization package. I procured some of the conversion parts needed and shipped them separately. Then I sat back and waited for my newly converted Saiga to be finished. The timing couldn’t have been better, as the owner of Definitive Arms called and asked if I’d like to upgrade to the company’s brand-new adjustable front…

In the sea of guns available at the Texas Manufacturers & Law Enforcement Range Day, you couldn’t help but notice Dissident Arms’ 12-gauge AKs. While ARs are all the rage, and most police officers use ARs for mid- to long-range work and shotguns for close up, Dissident Arms decided to take a different approach and offer AKs that can serve as all-in-one solutions. Because they’re magazine fed, it’s easy to change your ammo type quickly in the field. At the event, I was informed that these guns create 3- to 4-inch groups at 100 yards with slugs. Then you can switch to 00 buckshot or less-lethal control rounds while using the same weapon. Talk about versatility! Shotguns are revered in the law enforcement community. But Dissident Arms has managed to…

The history of the M1 Carbine dates back just prior to the dark days of World War II. Between the world wars, the U.S. Ordnance Department knew handguns carried by the rear echelon were inadequate as offensive weapons and pushed for a “light rifle.” Funding for such a project was not forthcoming until the winds of war began blowing again. By mid-1940, the program was approved by the secretary of war, and a call went out for submissions from interested manufacturers or inventors. The weapon could not exceed 5 pounds, but its effective range was set at 300 yards. It could be a semi-auto, but full-auto operation was desirable. It also had to accept a sling and use a .30-caliber round being developed from the obsolete Winchester .32 self-loading cartridge.…

LAS VEGAS. It’s renowned for its larger-than-life shows, stars and spectacles. Whatever your desire, chances are very good that it can be had somewhere in Sin City. While that description tends to paint a picture of monstrous, opulent hotels and casinos, it also applies to something a little less spacious. Say hello to the smallest knife shop in the world: PVK Vegas. But the owners of PVK, Josh and Jeramiah Burbank, have also named their cozy headquarters “the greatest knife shop on Earth.” After spending some time inside the shop and visiting with the Burbanks, I believe their claim to be valid. “BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS THE HUMBLE FAÇADE BUT ONCE YOU’RE INSIDE, YOU’RE IMMERSED IN A WORLD OF HIGH-END BLADES AND STEEL.” A HIDDEN GEM PVK Vegas is sandwiched…

Every year we have to suffer through another Glock announcement boasting about a “revolutionary” new firearm that isn’t particularly innovative or spectacular. After skimming the press release, I usually think one of three things: Brand X already did that, all Glock did was mix parts from two existing models, or it just addressed a stark design flaw. In other words, the Glock design hasn’t really changed since the company’s newest ambassador, Chuck Norris, started making movies. In case you haven’t picked up on this by now, I’m not some Glock fanboy who swallows what-ever Kool-Aid is forced down his throat. In fact, I’ve nearly been thrown out of gun stores as a result of the argument that ensues whenever I hear some Fudd utter, “Just get a Glock.” I was…

Time has rapidly passed since I first reviewed Barrett’s MRAD (Multi-Role Adaptive Design) nine years ago. But the company recently expanded the platform’s flexibility to include the new .300 PRC chambering. Let’s start with some backstory. Back in December of 2009, the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) released its performance specifications for its new Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) program. The goal was to adopt a weapon system that would allow “USSOCOM snipers to use one or more shots to interdict enemy personnel, positions and non-technical vehicles mounted with crew-served weapons out to 1,500 meters (1,640 yards) or farther, and to defeat Level III body armor out to 750 meters (820 yards) or further.” USSOCOM also wanted a user-friendly switch-barrel rifle. Nine companies joined the competition with their respective designs.…

I don’t get to the local comedy club very often, so I like to visit online forums to supplement my need for laughter. One day while I was sitting on the john, I read a long post that rivals the length of this article about how precision shooting is a rich man’s sport and not for people “without the means.” I laughed so hard I almost responded. With today’s advanced manufacturing processes, it doesn’t take a lot to build a gun that will shoot sub-MOA groups. At the same time, quality optics have also become easier to manufacture at a lower price point. To prove it, I set out to build a precision setup that would cost less than $1,000—glass and all. ANDERSON FOUNDATION I decided to go with Anderson…

IT’S WELL ESTABLISHED THAT THE M16 WAS DEVELOPED AS A SINGLE SOLUTION TO REPLACE THE M1 GARAND, M1/M2 Carbines, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, M3 “Grease Gun” and Thompson submachine gun. Developed at the height of the Cold War by gun designer Eugene Stoner as the AR-15, it evolved into Colt’s M16, and in early 1966, this new fire-arm headed off to the jungles of Vietnam. The weapon had quite the baptism of fire. M16s were prone to jamming, made worse by the fact that the firearm was wrongly touted at the time as being “self-cleaning.” As a result, the M16 earned the nickname “Jamming Jenny.” To encourage proper care of the M16, the U.S. military responded by issuing a 32-page comic book, The M16A1 Rifle: Operation and Preventative Maintenance, written…

For years now, the seamless integration of ballistic data into an individual weapon sight has been solely the purview of science-fiction writers. Projecting a red dot or even a holographic reticle was obviously within our capabilities. However, incorporating navigational data and orientation information, or linking a tactical sight to a proper computer, was always too heavy, too bulky, too fragile or too expensive. But Meprolight has taken us into a brave new world of seamless tactical data integration. Glancing through the new Mepro Foresight is like getting a glimpse into the future. A CLOSER LOOK The Mepro Foresight isn’t just smart—it’s freaking brilliant. This is the Stephen Hawking of electronic weapon sights. If this sight were a high school buddy, it’d help you with your algebra homework. The Foresight wirelessly…

he wind was slight, maybe T 1 mile per hour, and snow drifted down as a group of writers and editors worked from one station to the next during Athlon Outdoors’ most recent Rendezvous in Idaho. This was an early look at several new products for 2020, and Zev Technologies brought along its new Small Frame AR-style rifle for all to see. When I got to the Zev booth, I immediately gravitated toward the rifle as it sat on a DOA Shooting Bench. I thumbed 20 rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo into a magazine, sat down and loaded the trim rifle. I asked about the distance to the farthest target and got a reply of “about 800 yards.” Everyone had been shooting targets that ranged from 15 to 1,100 yards…

In the world of competitive shooting, mere I fractions of a second can determine winners and losers. Physical ability and a trained mind are critical to success, but on par with those are guns and gear built for speed. Many companies cater to the competitive shooting industry and produce exceptional weapons. What is not well known outside of that arena is that even these high-end guns are often further modified by the shooters themselves. Some are minor tweaks, while others are larger scale in nature. The Miculek name is synonymous with competitive shooting. The entire family is made up of competitive shooters, but Jerry and Lena seem to find themselves in the limelight most often. As members of Team Mossberg, they have access to some of the finest engineers and…

Anecdotal information dominates the shooting world, and more than once I have been misled by fun-sounding facts. These days, I prefer to go to the actual experts and look at cold, hard evidence before I pass judgment. A few months ago, my friend J.J. Reich at Federal Premium asked me what I thought of the new .224 Valkyrie. When I answered that I really didn’t know anything about it, he began to tell me how fantastic it was. He must have seen the doubt on my face, because he gave me several boxes of Federal’s top-of-the-line .224 ammo to try for myself. A few weeks later, my editor had a brain-storm: How about a scientific comparison? Take two identical rifles—one in .224 Valkyrie, the other in .223 Remington—along with identical…

The AR-15 is undoubtedly America’s rifle. It’s everywhere due to its ease of manufacture and assembly, combined with decades of production. It has been chambered in multiple calibers, and specialty models for competition, precision and various types of hunting have been developed that all make it easy to forget the rifle’s original intent as a fighting instrument. Of course, the AR-15 continues to be manufactured for and serve in that role. While many have continued to produce and use variants like the M16A3 of the 1980s or M16A4 of the 1990s, a few companies have continued to advance the design as engineering and manufacturing permits. One such company is well known to soldiers but not as well known to civilians—LMT Defense, formerly known as Lewis Machine & Tool. BEYOND MIL-SPEC…

Pasadena, Texas, in early September. Can you say hot and extremely humid? I arrived at about 8:30 a.m., stepped out of the car and immediately broke a sweat. Pasadena is east of Houston, surrounded by salt grass, marsh, and oil and gas plants. But this particular event drew me to two shooting ranges at the Pasadena Police Training Center—a short range and a 100-yard range with plenty of steel targets to enjoy. Primary Arms created this unique opportunity by collaborating with a handful of other Texas manufacturers, then inviting members of the law enforcement community for the 1st Annual Texas Manufacturers & Law Enforcement Range Day. Here we had the chance to get hands-on experience with a wide array of firearms and products and talk directly with manufacturers. “The Texas…

For those who want to experience a little more intrigue but aren’t up for actually going undercover, a visit to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., can help them understand tradecraft as well as the history and contemporary role of espionage. The museum features the largest collection of international spy artifacts currently on public display. It moved to its new location in May of 2019 and traces the history of espionage from the Greek and Roman empires to modern day.…

For a long time, large-format distilleries defined much of the spirits market. That is beginning to change with the rise of craft distilling, much as craft brewing has redefined the beer market. New distilleries and brands are popping up around the country, and a growing number of them are owned by combat veterans. For many of these vet-erans, making spirits isn’t just a passion—it’s a way to support their brothers and sisters in arms and give back to the community. So the next time you’re looking for a drink, why not support our troops and heritage by considering one of these 10 veteran-owned distilleries? 1 • AMERICAN FREEDOM DISTILLERY American Freedom Distillery was founded in 2015 in St. Petersburg, Florida, by U.S. Army Special Forces veterans Scott Neil, John Koko,…