Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2022 i Tactical Life

COLT’S MFG CO. KING COBRA TARGET .22 Continuing the tradition of snake guns, Colt now offers a “baby” snake with the King Cobra Target .22 LR Revolver. Packing 10 rounds of .22 LR fun, the pistol is perfect for plinking, competition and small-game hunting. The revolver features U.S. forged stainless steel construction along with a stainless steel barrel that is topped with a fiber-optic sight and paired with an adjustable target rear sight. Hogue overmolded grips provide a sure grip. The revolver is available with either a 4-inch or 6-inch barrel, both with a 1-in-16 twist. (colt.com) BOND ARMS STAINLESS STEEL STINGER Known for compact but powerful personal-protection pistols, Bond Arms extends the Stinger line to include a stainless steel version. This new pistol features the same familiar fit,…

The 10mm round has become popular once again, and many companies are turning their attention to this growing market. While some companies are taking an “and also” approach there are some really nice options available to those of us with a love affair with the 10mm round. Most 10mms lean to the fullsize-fighter category. If you’re looking for a deep-cover 10mm, you owe it to yourself to check out the EAA Corp Tanfoglio Witness Polymer Compact model available at palmettostatearmory.com. Premier Italian manufacturer Tanfoglio has earned quite a reputation for itself “across the pond”…and now, they’re ready to make their mark here in the U.S. They sure know how to make a good first impression. The Witness Polymer is smooth, reliable, durable and just plain fun to shoot. But, as…

There is no doubt that the past few years have been a difficult time for our first responders. Increased hostilities toward police and correctional officers across the country have certainly changed the nature of their work. The job of peacekeeping has simply grown more dangerous and more thankless in recent years. A major focus has been put on the use of force continuum by both officers and the communities they serve. Compliant Technologies has stepped up to the plate to increase officer safety while providing tools to resolve conflicts with unruly subjects without injury. Compliant Technologies was founded by former Army pilot Jeff Niklaus. With more than 20 years of service on his record, including participation in several high-profile operations, Niklaus decided to channel his enthusiasm for service into developing…

Precision Rifle Series (PRS) matches have become one of the fastest-growing firearm sports. New comers and experienced shooters alike can make wise equipment choices by looking at what components are most popular in the sport. I contacted several top PRS shooters and asked what they look for in components. Here’s a run down on some of their responses and information on the five most popular manufacturers of actions, barrels and stocks/chassis for PRS matches. ACTIONS Top shooter Brian Pence says that because the action is the main building block of every rifle, it must feed, extract and fire with 100-percent reliability. Champion shooter Brandon Hembree added that he looks for the ability to easily swap barrels from one action to the next. BIGHORN ARMS: Bighorn Arms offers three actions with…

Two Hats Ranch is home to the entire Michigan learning experience in this article. Aside from hosting Outdoor Solutions and its guests, these folks offer some of the best guided hunts around. As we moved around the property, we spotted several 200-inch bucks that are all ripe for the taking. In addition to hunting, Two Hats is also a renowned facility for golfing, hiking, and just plain old kicking back and relaxing. Consider them for your next getaway, corporate event, or even the outdoor wedding of your dreams. For more info, visit twohats.com.…

LEGISLATION BANS JERRY MICULEK’S TRIGGER FINGER The recent ban on bump stocks and other such devices, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June, went a little further than some lawmakers likely intended. The impeccable legislation defines a bump stock as “any device that materially increases the rate of fire of a semi-automatic weapon, or approximates the rate of fire of a machine gun.” When it was pointed out that they were actually outlawing the trigger finger of Jerry Miculek and a few other very fast competitive shooters, Democrat lawmakers chose to add a provision letting those people keep their trigger finger, as long as they register it with the government and pay a $250 per year tax on the digit. FEINSTEIN OFF HER ROCKER REGARDING RED…

I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but guns have nothing to do with infectious diseases. So, what is the Centers for Disease Control doing poking their nose into “gun violence” research? Although it is doing it under the guise of gun violence as a public health crisis, it is clearly more like a backdoor attempt at gun control. Remember how much unconstitutional control they had during COVID? Imagine that but with the Second Amendment. Thanks to the Dickey Amendment, enacted in 1996, the CDC has remained largely out of the “gun control” business. However, after getting a taste for power and being emboldened by an anti-gun Biden administration, they are back at it. With COVID fear porn winding down, the organization is turning its eyes to gun violence…

In the entire firearms industry, there might not be any other item more misunderstood and undermined with misconceptions about ownership and onerous paperwork than suppressors. Yes, the “silencer.” Even the name is misused. Suppressors reduce the noise of a firearm report, but “silencing” a gunshot? Nay, nay, nay. People think that suppressors are too hard to obtain, too expensive and involve a lengthy process that ties up time and money for an excessive time. Not anymore. STEPS FOR DOING THE CAN-CAN Yes, there is a $200 tax, and the suppressors themselves are not cheap, but seeing the comparatively high cost of guns, optics and ammo, the benefits of having suppressors for hearing protection, making firearms easier to use and more practical at the range and in the field while hunting…

During the last 50 years, the interest in U.S. military rifles (as well as others) has grown tremendously by collectors and marksmen alike. Growing up in the ’40s with my grandfather’s Springfield “Trapdoor”.45-70 carbine, I got the “bug” very early. By age 14, I had a Colt 1911 followed by an M1 Carbine, an M1 Garand and so on. Having also owned a variety of Model 1903 Springfield rifles, I never owned a National Match version until a few years ago. In trying to unlock its history, it turned out to be a real head-scratcher. A LUCKY FIND The rifle was in the collection of a close friend for many years along with a dozen or so other 1903s, and the first time he showed it to me I asked…

Real Avid jumped into the gun tool business a few years ago with a bang. Their products were well designed and well-built with excellent values, and quite frankly, they looked really sharp. It wasn’t long before I had built a number of ARs in the garage using their stuff, and I even documented my eight-year-old daughter building one completely from Anderson Manufacturing parts in the April/May 2020 issue of sister publication Ballistic magazine. Since then, Real Avid hasn’t rested on its laurels. Each year they come out with several new products or complete kits that take being an armorer to the next level. I recently got the chance to do another build using Real Avid’s latest tools and I jumped at it. WORK ZONE Every workbench has its cornerstone and…

The 6mm ARC round has caught the attention of many serious shooters as well as manufacturers here in the United States. It is an intriguing round with some exceptional potential. The challenge has been to get this round into a gun that is worthy of its performance and capable of getting everything we can out of the round. Enter Wilson Combat and their new 6mm ARC Tactical Hunter AR. I have had the chance to shoot a couple of rifles chambered in 6mm ARC, but when I heard Bill Wilson had turned his attention to it, I knew something special was coming down the line. Wilson Combat does nothing halfway, and this new rifle was one I had to get a closer look at. ATTENTION TO DETAIL Wilson Combat has…

The sun broke through the clouds on a warm Arizona morning in April. We were caravanning from our hotel to what has become known as the Lambeau Field of shooting schools. We rode the winding road until the gate rose before us. It was a sight I have been fortunate to see many times, and yet I felt an excitement to once again pass under the large black raven guarding the gate. We had arrived at Gunsite with the team from Mossberg and we were about to put our skills and gear to the test. This whole odyssey began when Mossberg announced they were releasing the newest gun in their 940 Pro lineup. Emails were exchanged, phone calls made, and in short order, I was on my way to Gunsite.…

A lot of work goes into factory-made, long-range precision ammunition. I give the engineers at Federal a lot of credit for their ability to make a round that not only performs out to extended distances but does so out of a variety of rifles. While long-range equipment arrives on the field entirely shored up, often the most important part of the weapon system does not. That part, of course, is the nut behind the butt pad, better known as the shooter. This became wildly evident to Outdoor Solutions when it took its first few clients out on a hunt that involved shots beyond 200 yards. This lack of training spawned a multi-state, long range shooting academy that I had the pleasure of attending at its Michigan location earlier…

From internet forums around the world to the local gun shop coffee sessions, ammo is a constant topic of argument. Discussions about preference and performance are sprinkled in with nothing short of fairy tales. There is always the fight between the 9mm crowd and the .45 ACP disciples, with the central focus being stopping power. This is where I interject an eye roll as taught to me by my daughter. The general rule is that when we discuss the term “stopping power,” we do not include handgun rounds. In a majority of cases, they simply do not have the power to provide real-world, fight-stopping power. That is until we include one of the best handgun rounds out there—the 10mm. This round takes a handgun and brings it into a high-power…

Many people know that I am an avid hunter, meaning that most of the time that I am in the woods I have either a rifle or shotgun slung across my back. However, fewer people know that I also enjoy hiking and many other wilderness activities where a long gun isn’t part of my typical loadout. To this day, I have been getting by with smaller carry pistols and the occasional 1911 but, truth be told, I am not 100 percent confident that they could effectively protect me from some of the serious natural threats that inhabit the northern woodlands in which I roam. After being introduced to the 10mm Auto just a few short years ago, I was instantly hooked and put a gun chambered in this round high…

In recent years, there has been a number of brand-name firearms companies that have chosen to relocate to the friendly political climate found in the South. One of those is Taurus USA. In 2019, Taurus made the corporate decision to leave the Miami area and consolidate all production and assembly under one roof. The result is a 200,000-square-foot facility in Bainbridge, Georgia, that has been beneficial to the company and the community. The new facility gave the Taurus leadership the opportunity to improve and expand their line of products. One of those products is the G3 series of semi-auto pistols. According to the Taurus website, the G3 family consists of the G3, G3c and G3XL. Between these three series, Taurus offers a total of 28 different models. The G3 is…

An equipment test has its most value when a writer subjects it to rough service that mimics realistic use. Whenever I have the chance, I like to shoot matches with match pistols, hunt with hunting rifles and peer through scopes at both dawn and dusk. Sometimes, I get lucky and get an offer to do these things in faraway lands or extreme situations. When I’m fortunate, it’s both. Such was the case with my evaluation of the Trijicon 2x20 Compact ACOG and a hunt that would be tough to top. GUN, OPTIC, MISSION First, let’s get to know the Compact ACOG, which will illustrate why it was the best choice for this particular hunt. For those familiar with the original, the Compact utilizes that same bombproof prism technology that is…

Having been a fan of firearms basically since conception, I have fortunately or not, seen things come and go. Good ideas, bad ideas. Companies, products and maybe most unfortunate of all—people. The constantly changing landscape is inevitable. It’s no longer a surprise. Occasionally, what the industry offers in the way of innovation lands in the murky waters of been there, done that. In other words, no surprise, and every once in a while, something and some one comes out of the blue and you wonder why no one thought of that a long time ago. As a gun enthusiast, what does that name Dillon mean to you? For some, it’s reloading and progressive loading setups, and let’s not forget the timeless beauties of the Blue Press catalog. For some, it’s…

Skill and knowledge are important to hit a target at an extended distance. However, all that work is in vain if the round cannot produce a repeatable, predictable point of impact. Berger’s 130-grain, open-tip match bullet handles this task easily, and Federal knows how to consistently load them into cartridges. Federal holds these rounds to the tightest tolerances of any of its ammunition lines and only uses premium components that are on par with such a flawless projectile. Match-grade powders and small primer-pocket cases are used to create the lowest standard deviation possible, resulting in less vertical displacement while eliminating the pressure issue that previously plagued this cartridge. I used this ammo throughout the entire course and not only didn’t experience a single malfunction, but also hardly missed a shot.…

AIRFORCE AIRGUNS A Texas-based manufacturer of pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air guns, AirForce Airguns also owns the Rapid Air Worx (RAW) airgun brand, which introduced the Mini Tactical model having an all-black AR-style chassis paired with a folding stock and threaded muzzle in a very compact package. RAW’s HM1000 air rifle now comes outfitted in a Precision Rifle Series (PRS) style chassis using parts sourced from Gray Ops CNC, Kinetic Security Solutions and Modular Driven Technologies. Both models (the 1000 and the 1000x) have a carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel, and a larger knob on the side lever cocking arm provides better ergonomics. They’re available in .22, .25 or .30 caliber. AirForce itself introduced two arrow-firing rifles so new that they weren’t even named as of the SHOT Show. A longer version shoots full-length,…