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Joe's Blog:
Why do you need to carry a firearm? What, you have a fantasy about being a hero? Do you walk around afraid? Aren’t you worried that someone will take it from you? Those are just some of the questions that I have heard when discussing carrying a firearm. At times, in the past, I would be surprised that people could be so far off base as to why I choose to carry a firearm. The notion that other people carrying a gun can be such a negative concept, is very difficult for me to understand. For me, and most everyone that I know who carries a firearm, deciding to be responsible for the safety of myself, my family and those I love is the priority. In fact, the opposite of each of the opening questions is the reality. We absolutely do not want to be a hero. The vast majority of people that carry a firearm genuinely hope that they never need to take their gun out of their holster and use it for self defense. We are not walking around afraid. We are walking around while being aware and paying attention to the environment around us. Again, taking measures to avoid a confrontational situation. My preference is to carry a firearm in a concealed manner. Due to most peoples lack of paying attention to their surroundings and the fact that my firearm is concealed, most of the time people are not aware that I have a gun on me and that means that they can not attempt to take it away from me. Response time for police to respond to an emergency varies greatly depending on the area you live, the fact does not change that they can not be everywhere. When the police are nearby, there is nothing to say that they will take immediate action. We have seen that be the case in a couple of school shootings. In one of those instances a court even ruled that the police are not obligated to protect society. What it all comes down to is that I carry a firearm so that I can act, with immediate response, to a life threatening occurrence that risks the safety of the people around me that I care about. As should you.
The second amendment of the United State Constitution reads: A well regulated Militia, being
necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be
infringed. It seems pretty simple and straightforward, right. Well, it is. However, for various reasons,
some of which have been stated and some that have not been stated, citizens of this country have seen
their right to own firearms drastically reduced. An argument can be made that over the past ten to
fifteen years, gun owners have fought for and re-established some of those liberties. My frustration
exists because there never should have been a need to fight for those natural born rights. So if the
meaning of the second amendment (2A) is so obvious, why is there so much debate over it. The main
reason people have the ability to argue for control, as I see it, is because of the verbiage that was used
to write it. The reason politicians want to revoke that that’s ownership, I believe , is that it is much
easier to control a society that is not armed. The British Government was trying to implement a similar
philosophy, and that didn’t work out so well for them. “A well regulated Militia”, means what? For
those who do not want free ownership of firearms, say that the word “regulated” is the first part of the
amendment, so of course the framers of the bill of rights meant to allow regulation. What they either
don’t know, or don’t want to admit, is that what was actually meant is “Well Functioning/Well
Operating”. The same group of people will most likely also tell you that an individual needs to be part
of a militia, to fully enjoy the 2A. That is also not accurate, both according to courts and U.S.
Constitution experts. When the 2nd Amendment was written this country was expanding, and
individuals having a firearm on them was all but necessary. Protecting family, land, oneself or property
was virtually impossible without a gun. Today, our citizens aren’t doing a lot of exploring but the need
to defend ourselves or family from an attack is as real as the explorers faced. Not today, but our
government may morph to a tyrannical organization, and that is very significant reason that the 2A was
written. The authors had just witnesses a government that had imposed drastic over reach. They were
able to free themselves buy fighting that government with guns. Of course they included it in the Bill
of Rights, to insure that future generations were able to secure their freedom. Your freedom and my
freedom. So what does the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution mean?
Citizens of the Unites States of American are allowed to own and carry a firearm.
I have long had the belief that most people that are not familiar with firearms base their beliefs on what they have “learned” from either the media or television. Neither of which, is a reliable or accurate source of information. Anti-Gun proponents have been perpetuating and manipulating this ignorance to gain support for decades. Their goal is to get officials elected to offices, through the country, so they will eventually have enough sway to impose gun restrictions. In 1988 Josh Sugarmann, who was the former director for the National Coalition to Ban Hanguns which is now the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, wrote a book. The books title is”Assault Weapons and Accessories in America”. In it he states:
“Assault weapons—just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms—are a new topic. The weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these weapons.”
Anti-Gun politicians an organizations have implemented that strategy to convince people that guns need to be banned. The movement to stop U.S. Citizens from being able to purchase and possess firearms is significant and dangerous. That is why educating as many people about firearms and the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is so important.
Leigh's Blog:
Shocking Knife Attack Teaches Us Valuable Lessons About the Realities of Personal Protection and the People Who Rule Us.
A few weeks ago, on a sunny morning in Annecy, France, a mentally deranged man began stabbing children and infants. Video of the attacker shows that he seemed uninterested in the adults but focused on pursuing and stabbing only the children. The attack presents those of us who accept responsibility for defending ourselves with numerous takeaways that can help us focus on the realities of personal protection and preparedness. In this entry I will focus on three observations about personal protection even though there are many more. I am providing a link to a news video of the event for reference. (400) On Camera, Man Stabs Baby In Pram At Park In France, Casually Walks Around – YouTube
Lesson 1 – Violence can be random, sudden, and unexpected.
When it comes to keeping yourself safe from violent attacks, practicing avoidance is king. Your only 100% guarantee of complete safety from an attack is to not be there. I like to say that violence happens in places and especially some places more than others. Knowing those places and keeping them in the forefront of your mind can help you remember not to go to them. That is true strategic avoidance! My PSD team would spend hours planning routes for diplomatic visits we oversaw protecting US VIPs during the war in Iraq. When avoidance is practiced effectively you will never know if you were successful because the attack never happened.
Reality, however, dictates that we cannot always avoid places where violence has a history of occurring but knowing those places and having them in the forefront of our mind when we must visit them enables us to purposefully ramp up our awareness. When we ramp up our condition yellow, we can also be more decisive in our actions when we detect signals that violence may be afoot.
All this being said and absent specific knowledge that the park was prone to violent crime, even I would not likely have been at a higher state of alertness at a sunny park at almost ten in the morning. The fact of the matter is that you can make prudent decisions about the places you visit and your awareness levels and still wind up facing a violent attack. Murphy’s law is known to buck the odds.
One final thought on a related self-defense software skill: namely, detection. Whenever we are in public, we should avoid being task fixated. We want to habituate ourselves to casually take note of people that come into our surroundings and quickly assess them. When we notice someone whose behavior is incongruous with the environment then they require further scrutiny and possibly even evasive action on our part. When you click the link to the video of the attack you will notice both a man and a woman who carelessly jog right into the danger area and yet they appear not to notice attack happening just feet from them. They did not hear the desperate screams of the woman whose children were under attack. You might think they were simply looking in the other direction, but they did not seem to notice the person hiding behind the tree and filming adjacent to their jogging path either. Even professional soccer player out for a workout was warned by several people leaving the park that a man was on a stabbing spree. He too continued to run into right into danger and found himself shouting at police to shoot the lunatic as he stabbed at an elderly man on a park bench. Had any of them trained and understood the realities of violence they could have detected these incongruent behaviors they could have evaded the situation. In short, this attack could have been much worse. Detecting to evade or to defuse violent actors are skills that can be honed through proper reality based personal protection training.
Lesson 2 – Carry a gun because you never know when you might need one.
The most realistically employable and effective tool for stopping a deadly attack is the modern handgun. At my training company Castle Defensive, I have a few maxims. “Have a gun when you need one” is one of them. There are many ways that violence takes place, and it is a big and complicated subject to wrap your mind around let alone to prepare yourself for. We can categorize violence in a few ways to help us understand and to effectively manage it. Conceptually there are two kinds of force. On the one hand we can be faced with force that is unlikely to cause great bodily harm. On the other hand, we can experience an attack that is likely to cause a devastating injury or death. Thankfully, it is very unlikely that we will be faced with a deadly force encounter. However, if we are attacked with deadly force, I would argue that the most effective tool for stopping that attack is a gun. So why a handgun? Why not a rifle or a shotgun? My answer to that is simple. You are most likely to have a handgun on you at the moment you need it. It is unlikely that you will be bearing a shotgun or rifle which means if a deadly force attack happened you would need to retrieve that long gun. There may be situations that may afford you the time to retrieve a shotgun or rifle and still be justified the using deadly force but those are even more unlikely. At Castle Defensive our training goal is to develop our clients’ skills and confidence while helping them with gear choices intended to elicit carrying consistently and safely with a round in the chamber. Had a mom or parent had a handgun in that park that day several people could have been spared.
Lesson 3 – “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” -Benjamin Franklin
From my perspective as a personal protection specialist, I was most impacted by the futility of trying to stop a killer without the proper tool for the job. Imagine being a parent or bystander in that park in France during the attack. As I have argued above, a handgun is the optimal tool for responding to the realities of deadly attacks. It is illustrative that when the French police finally arrive, they quickly stop the threat using what? Handguns! It was quite uncomfortable for me to watch the inadequate attempt of the sole man brave enough to respond. Not being armed, he did the best he could by swinging and throwing his backpack at the attacker. He succeeded in distracting and slowing the attack and is a truly a heroic man. He also put himself at enormous risk of becoming a victim himself.
Anti 2nd Amendment politicians and their supporters think that a world where only government agents have guns would be a safer one. What about knives? As this video demonstrates, even if every gun in the world magically disappeared, evil people will still try and kill you with knives, swords, fire, you name it. In fact, we see countless knife attacks in every country where firearms are restricted from the public. Imagine yourself as a parent in that park in France enjoying the day with your children. I am sure that no rational person would deny that a gun in the hand of the woman in blue protecting her babies would have been preferable to her screams for help or mercy. Gun control advocates want to make it difficult or impossible to use the very tools that could most effectively and safely stop the threat. They would prefer, it seems, for us to resort to backpacks as a tool of self-defense. I have spent decades studying violent human behavior, and I am utterly dismayed that anyone can still think that disarming or limiting good people is an effective strategy to deal with the eternal problem of human malevolence.
I encourage you to take responsibility for your own protection by educating and arming yourself with the right training and gear. I also hope that our efforts here at the 2AToday project helps increase awareness of the realities of freedom, security and firearms for responsible families and people of all walks of life so they may live ready and fear less.
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Firearms:
Brigade Manufacturing is a firearm company that is located in Miami, Florida. By using the latest technology and high quality materials, their AR uppers and lowers have been looked at highly by the firearms community since they came to the market in 2013. It didn’t take very long before they also started to manufacturer their own hand guards that featured a patented “U-Lok” system which allows the attachment of accessories using both the “M-Lok” and “Key-Mod” system, without requiring any adapters. The natural evolution of the business continued to the point that they now make complete firearms. One of their firearms the BM-9. It is an AR-15 platform pistol that is chambered in the 9mm caliber. The pistol has a 9inch barrel, KAK M2 stabilizing brace and A2 pistol grip. The rail is 8” long and I felt compelled to install an angled fore grip, to help insure I do not reach out near the muzzle. This firearm is an absolute blast to shoot. The right handed paddle style magazine release, drops the included 33 round Glock magazine smoothly. I have taken several carbine classes with it and it performed flawlessly. With a zero magnified red dot on it, keeping a 1” group at 15 yards is simple. The trigger that was installed at the factory has not been modified or polished and feels good. The specific pistol I shot is finished in “Tungsten” cerakote. It is available in several colors with a few options for the brace. Barrel options are 5.5”, 7.5” and 9”. The BM-9 is also available in the “Fostech” edition. That particular model comes with a Fostech ARII trigger. The various options make it highly likely that everyone can find a version that they like, and I encourage people to do so. With how much fun this firearm is to shoot , its practicality, and its reliability, it should be near the top of the list for anyone that has considered purchasing an AR pistol.
Black Rain Ordnance (BRO), out of Neosho, Missouri is a manufacturer of firearms and components. While their product line consists of a variety of rifles, the widest range of configurations is the AR15 class. They offer what most would consider an “entry level” AR15 called BRO A2. Recognizable with the fixed front post that was typical on AR15’s for many years. A major factor in the popularity of the AR15 platform is it modularity. The ability to install, remove or alter so many of the components on the AR15 means that a person can customize their rifle to look and function exactly as they desire. This is where Black Rain Ordnance really sets itself apart from other manufacturers. They took a very good foundation of a firearm, that they manufacture, and offer variations to satisfy most peoples preferences. Being able to choose calibers, including some pistol calibers, colors, length of hand guard and style of adjustable stock, means having to modify a firearm after bringing it home will be limited. The BRO Spec.15 is the model that I have had the most amount of experience with. I put approximately 1,600 rounds through it in conditions varying from 98 degree temperature with high humidity to 40 degrees and slightly damp outside. The only issue I encountered was a failure to feed. It happened three times. It got a little frustrating until I realized that each time it occurred when I was using an after market magazine. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I did not pay attention to who made the magazine before discarding it. Hopefully I do not purchase another one from them. The Spec15 shoots pretty soft and very accurate right out of the box. With a unique color choice, an A2 flash hider at the end of the barrel and so many of the components manufactured out of metal, having a foregrip installed on the 15” hand rail made maneuvering the heavier than average carbine a bit easier. I was a little surprised to not see more option for installing a QD sling mount. However, the hand rail with m-lok mounts on the sides and bottom, in addition to the picatinny rail on the top mean that there is plenty of room to attach virtually anything do you want on the rifle. With the option to buy an AR15 in a preferred configuration while being able to rely on its ability to shoot very well, consistently, I would encourage anyone that is looking to purchase an AR15 to consider purchasing one from Black Rain Ordnance.
The FN 509T is a 9mm double action pistol. I decided to purchase this firearm because of the optic’s mounting system it has. On the rear of the slide there is plate that fills the cut out for the optic plate and extends up, for when you do not have an optic on the firearm. Those extensions are designed to both protect the rear sights and give the user a very viable option to rack the slide against an object, with one hand. I took several weeks to research and decide on which optic I ultimately wanted to install on this firearm. While I was doing the research on the optic I took the pistol to the range several times to start getting familiar with it. During that time I did not shoot the Blazer CCI 115 grain or the 124 grain ammunition very well at all. The trigger had a reasonable amount of take up, but it was very gritty. There
was more creep to the break than I like and the trigger pull was heavy. I did some searching on the internet and discovered that this is typical of the 509T, along with FN having a long production run of strikers that failed. With the information I found on the web I decided to order a new striker from Apex. I knew that I may eventually use this firearm as part of my daily carry rotation and having a weak component in the pistol is not an option. Over the following weeks I received and installed the new striker, which was a very easy swap, and continued to take the firearm to the range. The grittiness of the trigger did not get any better and neither did my bad groupings. I was consistently unable to get better than 3” groupings of 7 shots at 7 yards. That is not typical or acceptable. I decided to order a new trigger assembly from Apex along with a specific jig that is designed to be used to replace the trigger. This trigger is not easy to replace and it does take quite a while. With the new trigger in place and having installed a Trijicon RMR, I went to the range to “zero” the optic. With the firearms suppressor height sights, co-witnessing the red dot to the iron sights was easy and favorable. It did not take many shots to realize that the swapping of the trigger was the correct decision. There is less creep, no grittiness and the
break is very crisp. The pull is now in the 4.5lb range, compared to the approximate 8lb range, prior to being replaced. Groupings are now at an acceptable point, which is consistently 1” with 5 shots at 7 yards. When I bought the FN 509T, I got it from my local gun store. It came with a nice range bag that
had an assortment of optic plates, screws to install a very wide variety of optics, one 17 round magazine, two 24 round magazines and replaceable back straps. This pistol is regularly used as a daily carry firearm and it shoots very well, and only has had a “failure to feed” when I intentionally didn’t clean it, as a test.
My only negative comment about this firearm is that it required a considerable investment into after market parts to make it reliable and for me to be able to shoot it very well.
Are you a Ford guy or a Chevy guy? Is the NBA G.O.A.T Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Do you prefer blondes or brunettes? Are you a Glock guy or a Sig guy? When discussing all of the above questions, the only one that isn’t a debate is “The G.O.A.T”. That is M.J. Hands down. It isn’t even a real debate. As for the others topics, it isn’t that simple. I like Ram trucks. Some people prefer red heads. When it comes to manufacturers of firearms, it gets even less simple. There are several fantastic companies that are manufacturing firearms. However, there are a lot of people that will vehemently defend their preferred gun maker. When it comes to Glock, they have an almost cult following. I definitely do not fall into that category. I also don’t have anything against Glock. I like several of their firearms and am a fan of the way they came to market, and the way they marketed and promoted the company in its early years. One of their models that I am fan of is the Glock 48. A model that was introduced at Shot Show in 2019. Although they did not state it specifically, many people believe that it was designed and manufactured in response to the slim design of the Sig Sauer P365. For many years the Glock 19 was considered by many to be the ultimate firearm to have when you want to carry a firearm in the “Concealed Carry” manner. Not to say that others did not have great options, but it is well known that the Glock 19 was, and still is, a top selling self defense pistol. The 48 is not a huge departure from the 19. It makes sense. Why change a formula that works so well? The changes that were made, were to accommodate the desire to have a “Smaller” 19. It does not have the feel of a compact pistol, which is the category it falls into. Although The 48 has a similar line of sight, is chambered in 9mm and has a barrel that is actually slightly longer. The slide width and overall width are both reduced by about 10%. The firearm also uses a single stack magazine, that has a 10 round capacity. The 48 also weighs about 10oz. less than a 19. Those slight changes equate to a gun that is very easy to hide under clothing. As of the writing of this review, I have only put about 300 rounds through the 48, but it ran flawlessly with both types of the lower grade range ammunition that I loaded into it. This firearm should satisfy anyone that is looking to have a very capable, yet concealable firearm to carry on a daily basis.
The Glock 49. A pistol that is finally available from the manufacturer, that people have been creating for years. How have people been creating them? Very easily, by taking a Glock 19 and replacing its slide and barrel with those from a Glock 17. Some would say that the Glock 19 is the ideal firearm to be used as a “conceal carry” gun. I do not adhere to that philosophy. However, with it’s favorable grip length and width, while still having a standard capacity of 15 rounds, I understand the argument. If it is an ideal configuration out of the factory, why have people been changing them? The answer is “To make it more accurate”. In general, a longer barrel and a longer site radius increase a firearms accuacy. By increasing both variables of the Glock 19, while making its concealment barely changed, a more accurate pistol is created. That is the Glock 49. The features of the Glock 49 are in line with the rest of Glock’s 9mm offerings. A decent grip angle, while having the option to use a variety of double stack magazines. Ambidextrous controls and the ability to install the backstrap that helps a shooter get a comfortable hold on the gun. The option to purchase the firearm with out without the slide already cut for a red dot is a nice option that seems to be almost necessary today. The Glock 49 does have serrations on the front of the slide that allows manipulating easier, for those that choose to do so from the front. The bottom of the grip also has a slight “flare” that meets the baseplate of the magazine very well, while still allowing quick swaps of the magazine. The 49 has all of the qualities that has made Glock firearms one of the most purchased and beloved firearms all over the world. Simple design, huge market support, ease of use and reliability that sets the bar. There is no doubt that the Glock 49 is going to be the option that many people choose to make their everyday conceal carry firearm. It would be very difficult to come up with a reason that they shouldn’t.
I had been thinking about purchasing a 12ga. shotgun for a a little while. While I don’t spend a lot of time shooting any of the shotgun sports, I try and participate in a couple of fund raisers each year and had given some thought about signing up for a “3 gun” competition. After coming out of a shooting session at my local range I stopped at the sales counter near the shotgun section to take a look to see what they had. It did not take long for me to spot a very interesting looking gun. It was a Rock Island Armory (RIA) VR80. It had several distinct differences from the others that were hanging on the wall. I asked the associate to look at it and he quickly obliged. On their web site RIA advertises that the VR80 “offers familiar AR-15 ergonomics and controls so you don’t need to re-train your mechanics when running 3 gun or out blasting targets”. There are similarities with the AR platform such as the hand grip, safety switch and hand rail. However, a key difference is the charging handle. You will find that on the right side of the gun, by the bolt. I didn’t learn a lot about the gun until I made my impulse purchase, and eventually got it home. I decided on the model that was finished in FDE cerakote. Only because I was not aware of the great looking “Stormtrooper” version that looks great in white and black. In the box was the gun with its accessories. Those are the, replaceable chokes for the end of the 20” barrel, and two 5 round magazines. Thats right. This shotgun is fed via box magazines, and you get two when you purchase the gun. Available in the aftermarket are 9 round, 18 round and even 21 round drum magazines. The gun has a bit of an odd looking “thumb hole” stock that I believe is in place to allow the gun to be imported to various countries that have regulations on shotguns. Before taking it to the range for the first time I actually did some research and found out that these guns can be a little finicky. They have a “Break In” period that requires about 100 shots of shells that have a minimum speed of 1,250 feet per second. I went to the indoor range and set up my station with the first box of 2-3/4” slugs with a 1,300 feet per second designation. I loaded the magazines, flipped up the factory sights, loaded the gun and took a shot. It had significant “kick”. At 10 yards my target had a 1” hole about two inches to the left and two inches low of bullseye. I took two more shots. There was still one hole in the target but now it was larger. The gun obviously shoots consistently. I finished the ten rounds that I loaded and had a lot of fun shooting. Now, however, my shoulder was a little sore. I decided to put away the VR80 for the remainder of my visit to the range on that day. Driving home a thought a lot about my new shotgun and decided I really liked it. After making several people think that I was a super nice guy by letting them use it, they actually finished the break in period for me. I am sure my shoulder has grateful. I used it at a 3 gun event and got a lot of interesting looks at a sporting clay event. The VR80 performed great at the 3gun and pretty good at the sporting clay fund raiser. After that I took out on a recreational day at the outdoor range and started to get a lot of failures. Both failure to feed and failure to eject. It got frustrating. Then I stripped the gun down, cleaned it, lubed it and put it back together. The frequency of failures dropped dramatically but did not completely go away. I have read a few things about drilling out gas ports to help reduce these failures, but have not done so yet. This gun is a lot of fun to shoot. It actually draws attention when you take it out of a case. I may update this review in the future, as I gain more information about it, but I will end this review by saying this. If you are only buying one shotgun, this may not be the one for all of your needs as it seems to be designed for 3 gun type events or even home defense
The summer of 2022 Ruger brought to the market a new rifle, the LC Carbine. The LC Carbine is a rifle that is unlike most rifles that already exist. It is chambered in a caliber that sparks as much debate as asking people “who is the greatest basketball player of all time”. The 5.7 x 28 cartridge. Ruger threw its hat in the 5.7 x 28 ring with its introduction of the Ruger 57 pistol in late 2019. They have opted to use the same magazine, and controls on the Carbine as the 57. For anyone that has a 57, it is great to be able to use the same steel magazine in both firearms. From the factory Ruger provides only one magazine. In most states that magazine has a 20 round capacity, however a 10 round capacity magazine is available where compliance requires it. It would be nice to get at least two magazines with your purchase, largely because staying on target while shooting the LC Carbine is very easy, which causes shooters to go through ammunition very quickly. I typically shoot FN’s SS197SR cartridges, and this firearm has not had any feeding issues. The rifle features a folding stock, that is able to be set up to fold to either side of the firearm. The stocks adjustable butt stock allows 5 adjustments totaling 2 inches. It also features a picatinny rail that runs almost the entire length of the firearm, and has the factory flip up sights attached to it. The thumb safety, magazine release and charging handle are all ambidextrous. The 16.25” barrel has a threaded end that ships covered with a removable cap from the factory. The hand rail consists of M-Lok slots in the 3, 6 and 9 o-clock position, for attaching accessories. There are also a couple of sockets to attach a QD sling. This firearm is a lot of fun to shoot. It has very low recoil and is very “flat” shooting from 3-100 yards. It is definitely capable of shooting quite a bit further but it is not the fire rifle I would grab if I knew that I were going to be consistently between 100 and 300 yards. The trigger has a reasonable amount of smooth take-up, a fairly crisp break and a reset that is very tactile.
I have always been a fan of the 5.7×28 cartridge that was originally developed by Fabrique Nationale Heristol. A review specifically on that cartridge can be found elsewhere on this “Review” page. I have shot the FN Five-seveN pistol that uses this cartridge before and hesitated purchasing one because I didn’t much like the grip or the unconventional manual safety that exists on it. Early January of 2020 I decided that I would look past what I did not like on the FN pistol and look to purchase one when I got back from a scheduled vacation. While on that vacation I learned that Ruger brought to the pistol market their own version that shoots this ammunition. I researched what I could, which wasn’t a lot of information due to it being such a recent introduction, and decided to buy a Ruger 57. After purchasing the Ruger 57 and some ammunition I wasted no time firing it. The gun store that I bought it from also has a range and I took it in to try it right away. Out of the box it was accurate and shot well. That first session I shot 50 rounds and I left the range smiling. The gun was very enjoyable to shoot. The ambidextrous safety was easy to operate but it does have a very stiff slide release. The 57 has a 5” barrel, adjustable rear sight for both elevation and windage. As well as a reversible magazine release that is positioned in a manner that may require smaller hands to have to shift the hand out of a shooting grip to reach. The gun is without a doubt a full size firearm. However, with how thin the cartridge is, the double stack 20 round capacity magazine fits into a grip that is thinner, all be it longer, than a lot of other pistols. The factory rear sight and the trigger are very tolerable but I opted to swap both, to slightly improve the gun. I went with a rear sight that I purchased from Ruger that uses red fiber optic dots , as opposed to the standard “Blade”, to line up with the front green fiber optic front sight that the factory installs. The trigger I went with is a “Victory” flat model by Tandemcross. I also added a rubber grip manufactured by Hogue, that was actually designed for the Security 9 pistol. Like most manufacturers, Ruger has chosen to give buyers options when considering purchasing a 57. There are various colors, models with or without a manual safety and models that already have a red dot optic installed on it. This gun is a lot of fun to shoot. It has about half the recoil that a full size 9mm pistol has and that allows faster re-acquisition of a target and it can be helpful for anyone that is sensitive to recoil. The bottleneck style cartridge makes the gun feed the ammunition very well. That, and the high capacity due to the small size of the cartridge, make this a very attractive option for anyone to use as a self defense gun on a daily basis.
The 1911 inspired Sig Sauer P238 has an appealing look, in any of its wide variety of variations. All of the features that make this gun so easy to conceal (thin, short and lightweight) is also what contribute to the shooter feeling significant recoil. Even being chambered in .380. However, the beavertail and aggressive texture on the factory installed grips make the recoil very manageable on this micro-compact. I sent ball range ammunition and hollow point self defense ammunition through it and did not have one hiccup. Over and over again I tested drawing the pistol, disengaging the manual thumb safety and shooting the target. I did find myself having to focus on disengaging the trigger due to its smaller size. Like a 1911 the p238 is designed to be carried in a cocked and locked position. It is not required to be kept in this configuration, however and can also have the hammer forward with the safety engaged. Drawing and shooting like this did cause more inaccuracy, from my hands though. In my opinion, the trigger is best when it is used as a single action, when carrying with the hammer in the cocked position. Although this is a firearm that a person would typically use on close targets, because of a nice trigger and great factory sights, it feels more accurate than it should. Those sights are especially appreciated because the slide does not come drilled or cut to add a red dot. For me, with big hands, it is not a gun that I will carry for self defense or shoot on a regular basis, even with an extended magazine to increase the standard capacity of 6 rounds. I do think that anyone that has smaller hands can choose one of the many options in color and grip styles, and confidently carry this and be able to depend on it as a self defense gun.
In 2018 Sig Sauer introduced its P365 to the world, and with it, the sub-compact and compact category of firearms was forever changed. Sig developed a double stack magazine and then designed a gun around it. In a rather small package, they were able to produce a compact firearm that allowed the user to carry ten rounds of 9mm ammunition in the magazine and one in the chamber of the gun. At the time, that was unheard of, without using extended magazines. The P365 was one inch wide, just under six inches long and a little over one pound. Demand for the P365 was high, and Sig Sauer didn’t wait very long before offering a 12 round magazine. The additional capacity was nice, but what the new magazine did was allow shooters with larger hands to get a better hold of the weapon, because the 12 round magazine took the overall height from 4.3inches to 4.7inches. Since bringing the original P365 to the market, the variety of P365 models that Sig Sauer offers has grown, drastically. It is now available in .380 in addition to 9mm. A buyer can also choose from several colors, sight options, slides that are pre-cut for red dot plates, with/without a manual safety, triggers and even a version that already has a red dot on it from the factory. I am not sure how many were affected but Sig Sauer did have quite a few, early, P365s leave their facility with a firing pin issue. Every instance that I heard about was resolved quickly and without cost to the buyer. After my P365 was shot for several hundred rounds, the trigger settle into one that had some creep, a little bit of mush but a decent break and a very reasonable reset. Now not only does Sig Sauer offer the wide variety of P365 models but other gun makers have had to develop great firearms just to compete with it. This firearm set the tone for other manufacturers that want to capture some of the “Conceal Carry” market and the industry is better for it. I like this firearm enough that I have recommended it to family members as a daily carry, self defense firearm.
The Springfield Armory 911. A nice looking firearm that strongly resembles the Sig Sauer P238/P938 and Kimber’s Micro series. I shoot the Sig P238 occasionally and a review on that gun can be found on this page as well. I have never shot a Kimber Micro but I imagine that it is similar to the others in the category. That is to say that they are a little snappy. Which is expected with such a small, lightweight gun. That is definitely true with the Springfield 911, even when chambered in .380. The recoil is very manageable though. That is because most people will find that it is easy to get a good “grip” on this firearm. The beavertail and texture on the grips make it comfortable to really grab the gun and not feel as though it will bounce around. As long as your hands are small enough. Mine are not. I am still able to get a tight grasp on the gun, it just doesn’t feel normal for me. That, as it turns out, was the least of my issues with this firearm. I wasn’t 12 shots into shooting this gun and it jammed. Not a huge deal as an isolated incident. Four shots later, the slide did not return to battery. After that I was done with that gun for the day. I subsequently went home, broke down the gun, cleaned it, lubed it and after purchasing a different kind of ammunition was ready to try this 911 again. I only use, US made, new, brass ammunition. Sometimes the manufacturer will change but I like to shoot ammunition that meets those qualifications. I did not make it past the first 6 round magazine before the troubles ensued. Needless to say, I was not happy. After getting home I emailed Springfield Armory to tell them what I encountered. Their response was quick and reasonable. They wanted me to send the gun back to them for testing. A week later I received an email indicating that the firearm was being sent back to me after having some issues resolved. The barrel ramp was re-cut and polished. The extractor was adjusted and the bottom of the slide and the “chamber” were polished. That was all done under warranty and the gun was sent back to me. The next visit to the range I experienced the same issues as my last visit. I immediately contacted Springfield Armory and the gun went back to them for testing. A few days went by and they reached out to me to tell me that nothing was wrong with the firearm. I indicated to them that I do not want the gun. It’s sole purpose is as a self defense gun and I will not be able to have any confidence in carrying it, based on my experience. They understood and bought the gun back from me for what I paid. Although their customer service was very good I was disappointed. I liked the gun. With its nice trigger and tritium night sights I was really hoping that its 1911 inspired design would make a nice addition to my collection. That turned out to not be the case. The interesting part to me is that this all happened the second half of 2019. As of early 2020 Springfield Armory no longer offers the 911 for sale. I have heard that it is because the market has shifted and the demand for micro-compact pistols isn’t very high anymore and I have also heard that they are more focused on compact pistols, such as their Hellcat. Whatever the reason, if someone wants one, they will have to search the “used” market
Walther developed the Q5 Match 9mm, poly-frame, pistol to give individuals the option to purchase a gun that they can use in shooting competitions right out of the packaging. My feeling on the topic is they hit the mark. The firearm exhibits a substantial weight which helps reduce the felt recoil. Aggressive serrations on the slide make it easy to grip and operate. Manipulating the slide lock lever with a thumb is a task that is accomplished without much effort. Similar to a lot of pistols the Q5 has inter-changeable back straps to help a shooter get the most comfortable grip they can. The slide is also drilled to allow the installation of a red dot. In the box Walther includes three adapter plates that are designed to be used in conjunction with several popular optics. Having a 5” barrel and a long slide that boasts a nice, red, fiber optic front sight will help a shooter establish a nice sight picture. Deciding to shoot with a red dot, as opposed to the factory installed sights, means that the only way to accurately aim the gun is with that red dot, as the adjustable rear sight will have to be removed. I was only through one of the three 15 round included magazines before I realized how much I like this gun. It felt great in my hand with a very comfortable grip angle. Recoil was not significant due to the previously stated weight. What really grabbed my attention though is the fantastic trigger. The small amount of take up, crisp break and short reset made me start to question the triggers on some of my other firearms. Walther also sells the Q5 Match in a steel frame option but I do not have any experience with it.
Gear/Equipment:
Installing an ARCA rail to a rifle may be done for a couple of reasons. My reason is that I want the ability to move my bi-pod on my Ruger Precision Rifle quickly. Deciding on which ARCA rail I wanted to purchase became obvious after minimal research. The rails are available in several variations. The criteria that I had was for it to be at least 15” long, was made in the USA and is very rigid. For that, I turned to Crosstac. After receiving it and easily getting it installed with the M-Lok mounting hardware, I had no doubt that the correct decision was made. This ARCA rail fulfills what I was looking for and has additional features, such as three quick disconnect holes for sling position options. The front of the rail is beveled, or what Crosstac calls a “Ramp”, to help avoid getting hung up on obstacles. Crosstac also makes mention of the rail having a “Sand Groove” to help prevent binding as devices are slid back and forth on it. Admittedly, I do not have another ARCA rail on any other firearm to compare this one to, but if I want another one in the future, I am most likely reaching out to Crosstac. Note: This rail was not donated to me or discounted for this review.
GOGUN USA’s gas pedal is the first pedal that I have installed on a pistol. Not using one in the past was not a conscience effort, I just never had. I have shot several pistols with one type of pedal on it or another, at times and always felt “It isn’t bad, but not necessary”. I saw an advertisement for the one offered from GOGUN USA and liked the size of their pedal and the fact that it replaces the stock take down lever on the FN 509, which can sometimes be difficult to manipulate. I decided to purchase one and easily installed it within minutes of opening the package. One drawback to installing this, or presumably any pedal, is that if you use a ridged holster, the new proportions of the gun may not fit into your holster. That is definitely something that is worth noting. I have made a few trips to the range and shot several hundred rounds through this firearm with the new pedal on it. While I can not say for certain that I shot this firearm better with the pedal installed. What I can say is that I like the feel of my grip on it, quite a bit better. For me, that is enough on its own to say that it is a worthwhile purchase, but it also made removing the slide to clean the firearm an easier task. This will not be the last gas pedal that I buy from GOGUNS USA.
I spent a lot of time searching for a safety glasses set for my shooting needs. Probably more time than I should have. That is why when I came across the set offered by Huntpal, I bought them. What I had been searching for was a set that included multiple lenses, in various colors for varying conditions, and a nice case to keep them in. The set that Huntpal put together has four colored lenses that are easily swapped in and out of the frame and nose piece. The set also includes a microfiber pouch, cleaning cloth, and head strap. The clear, smoke, yellow and amber lenses all meet or exceed the ANSI Z87.1 standard. That means that they are rated for high speed projectiles. In addition to their protection from flying debris they offer UV protection, which is nice when participating in outdoor shooting events. The light weight frame has arms that have up/down angle adjustments, in addition to being able to extend the arms. All of these adjustment options allow this set to be used by virtually anyone. Although my use of this system is short term, I am very happy with my decision to purchase it. I will update this review, if necessary.
Pitbull Tactical’s offers what they refer to as a “Universal” magazine holders. It is offered as a single unit or a “double” holder, which is essentially two of the single holders using a mount. I always get little skeptical when a company advertises a magazine holder as “Universal” because one of my favorite cartridges to carry on me is the 5.7×28 and most magazine holders do not accommodate a magazine for that cartridge. This one does not either. However, it does say on the packaging that it is designed for single or double stack magazine for cartridges ranging from 9mm to .45ACP. Although it is not universal, it is a great product. It is designed to expand, when necessary, for wider magazines. It can be used inside the waistband or outside the waistband. It has a pretty slim profile to help with concealment. Being able to accommodate belts all the way up to 2” allows it to be used by a belt that most people are already using. With a very reasonable price point and regular discounts on the magazine holder, I think that most people could benefit by having one or two of these as part of their gear.
Pro Case Range Bag is a recent acquisition to serve a single purpose. That purpose is to be able to transport multiple pistols from my house, to the range. Due to how much equipment I bring with me to the range, this bag is not capable of being my primary range bag. The bag is constructed well and is made of a durable nylon and has an adequate amount of space to carry several full size pistols. The main storage area can be divided into six compartments with 5 removable/adjustable soft dividers. Each one of those compartments, in addition to the “Pocket” on top of the bag means that a person can fit seven pistols in this bag. That sounds great, and it is, except that not much else can be stowed for the commute. My primary range bag, which is a large backpack style, allows me to take three pistols and a lot of gear with me every time I grab it. The only issue with that bag is that I sometimes want to take more than three pistols with me. That brings us full circle back to the Pro Case Range Bag and its purpose. For me to load it up with pistols to take the range. As long as I grab my primary bag to bring all of the essentials, this bag will make loading up the truck a bit easier. I think that this bag is a great option for anyone to bring “additional” items with them on a range visit, but a person would be hard pressed to be able to make this their primary range bag with its limited space.
**STOP Fighting Your Glock 43X: The Radian Afterburner Game-Changer**
The Glock 43X is my go-to carry because it strikes the perfect balance
between concealability and combat effectiveness. But let’s be real:
it’s snappy. Even for a seasoned shooter, keeping the 43X flat during
rapid fire requires a lot of effort.
After meeting the team from Radian Arms at the GOA GOALS event—who
treated me with incredible respect despite me only knowing their
charging handles—I got my hands on the Ramjet Match Grade Barrel and
Afterburner Compensator.
**The Results:**
* **Reliability:** The stock Glock is a tank, and the Radian upgrade
didn’t change that. It ate through a random assortment of range ammo
(Sellier & Bellot, CCI, Mag Tech) without a single jam.
* **Installation:** True drop-in. I had it torqued to 15 inch-pounds
and ready to go in minutes.
* **Performance:** Total transformation. The “harsh mistress” was
suddenly tamed. Recoil was drastically reduced, allowing for much
tighter groups at a significantly faster cadence.
Bottom line: If you want the reliability of a Glock with shootability
that actually keeps up with your speed, the Radian Afterburner is the
answer. (Check out our upcoming pod to hear how I managed to score
this kit!)
***
When I approached the Target Tack booth at Shot Show 2025 to see what the product was, I was unsure as to how the interaction was going to go. I did not have an appointment but was going to simply ask for an on the spot interview. I was quickly referred to Ben Berry. Ben is the inventor and owner of Target Tack. That interview went very well and can be found on the 2A Podcast that is titled Shot Show 2025, from 2-27-25. Ben and I had great conversation about how his product came to be. Target Tack is a paper and vinyl target securing tack. Essentially designed to replace the need for a staple gun at the shooting range. To describe them I would say that they are similar to an over sized thumbtack that uses a barb stem to go through the target and secure to whatever “backing” is behind the target. Initially my first thought was that if the backing is wood, this will not work. However, that obstacle can be overcome be simply drilling pilot holes for the Target Tack and they will work fine. The first question that a couple of people have asked me as I talk about them is “why would I buy these when a staple gun does the same thing for less money?”. That is a great question. The real answer is this. On windy days paper target have a tendency to tear where the staples are and can blow off the backing. By design the Target Tacks spread the pressure of how the target is being secured and the target is dramatically less likely to be blown off the target stand. The tacks are reusable over and over again. They are much more convenient immediately and more cost effective over time. They are available in a couple of different lengths and various colors. One of the most valuable applications that I can see is for a trainer that has several people shooting in a line. When it is time to for the shooters to swap targets, it would be very efficient for each shooter to be able to simultaneously swap targets, using Target Tacks, as opposed to each person waiting to share a staple gun. Ben also described other items that they will be selling. The tacks have a hole through them, where a ribbon can be hung to use as a wind indicator. That is particularly useful when shooters start going out to further distances. Another “Tack” that will be available is one that can hold a business card, to show a company or individual that might be sponsoring an event. At this point my use of “Target Tacks” has not been extensive. I do prefer using them and I do not see any potential durability issues. Something else that I appreciate is that they are made in the USA and Target Tack is a Veteran Owned company.
If you are interested in a lightweight, low profile and comfortable EDC belt then you can’t go wrong with the Zero Belt by Tenicore. In the heat of summer, loaded with EDC gear or not, the Zero belt has remained one of my main pieces of kit for a few years now. It has held up well to the wear and tear I put it through while retaining its rigidity for carrying the loads pictured above. The belt transitions well from hand to hand protection training loaded with inert weapons to my EDC as pictured above and everything in between. On the mats, the Zero is thin enough for exercise without too much pressure on my spine and I often start my day with a warm up and even a run and core training with the belt on. I have used the Zero while running firearms courses from mild to wild and it has proven reliable. The belt’s ease of adjustability due to its ingenious buckle that tucks the free running end of the belt behind instead of in front of the belt is one of the feature that I’ve come to love. It is micro adjustable for concealed carry comfort all day long allowing me to expand the belt with one hand when sitting down to dinner or driving.
Here is a link for the Tenicore Zero Belt in case you are interested:
The Tipton Ultra Gun Vise is a modular system that is very versatile. The two clamps are height adjustable and can be positioned anywhere along the vise frame. This allows the vise to be used on a wide variety of firearms. Using the steel reinforced clamps on their own or in combination with the included vise block allows a person to put a firearm in virtually any desired position. After getting the clamps in place, the parts trays, that each have several compartments, can then also be positioned to keep parts and/or tools within hands reach. The frame of of the vise is steel and has adjustable feet at the four corners, which made using it on the tailgate of a truck easy. There is an available stand, that has folding legs, which the vise will bolt to and allows using the vise without a work bench. The vise is advertised to also work well on compound bows and crossbows, but I can not attest to this as I have not used it for either. In my opinion this vise checks all of the desired boxes for use and I recommend it to everyone that needs one for cleaning or light gunsmithing.
This item was purchased, not donated and discounted.
I had been been going back and forth in my head on whether or not Vaultek’s Lifepod was something that was practical for me. For quite some time I had felt that it was not. After all, there are numerous small safes on the market to keep a firearm secure, while out of the house. I own some of those other options and after booking a trip to Florida, I decided that I was going to bring a firearm. That started my research on how to travel, on a plane, with a firearm. TSA has several requirements with one of the obvious requirements is that the firearm must be locked in a case and that case has to be “TSA Compliant”. That is when I visited Vaultek’s website to confirm that their Lifepod line of products is TSA compliant, and they are. I also discovered that they had come up with new styles and sizes, since I last looked at them. After confirming that their products are manufactured in the USA I decided to order the “Colion Noir” edition of the Lifepod 2.0. This version did not have the biometric scanner to open the safe, but that did not bother me at all. The major factors in me choosing the Colion Noir edition 2.0 is that it includes some accessories that make the safe a little bit more usable. It includes velcro straps attached items to the included tray, extra foam pieces to form around whichever firearm you choose and a lid organizer. The biggest factor in purchasing this edition though is that I specifically wanted to support Colion Noir. He is very significant in promoting the 2A movement. After using this safe on vacation, where the waterproof feature was tested and confirmed, I highly recommend it to anyone that regularly takes a firearms outside of the house, but may need to take it off their body and secure it. Especially if you can benefit from the water proof feature.
Optics:
I had been doing some research to try and figure out which optic that I wanted to put on my AR15, when Leigh handed me his AR that had a Primary Arms Micro Prism 3x on it. I liked it right away. My biggest hang up with red dot sights is the reduction in aiming precision when the actual dot covers the target. The longer the distance, the more of an issue this becomes. A sight that integrates a chevron changes that. I really appreciate being able to aim with the tip of a point instead of remembering what is on the other side of a dot. When I opened the packaging of my Micro Prism, I immediately set aside the lower option of mounting for the optic and installed the tallest riser on my AR-15. I admittedly ordered the 3x magnified optic without reading up on it, so I wasn’t aware of some of the features it had until I started to test the adjustments on it. One of my favorite features is that the reticle does not require illumination, as it is etched. Turning the knob to find which of the wide range of brightness settings takes some doing as it is a little tough to manipulate. Mine did get a little easier to operate after a few months of use. I found that the field of view is wide while being impressed with the glass quality at this price point. The markings on the reticle include drop compensation, wind holds, auto-ranging stadia and moving target leads. Primary Arms offers the Micro-Prism line of optics in a couple of finishes and with either a red or a green illumination, as well as either without magnification, with 3x or 5x magnification. They are light weight and designed well for the most common rifles on the market. I have not tested it with any night vision but they are advertised to do so. I enjoy having the 3x Micro Prism on my AR-15 so much that I ordered a non magnified version to put atop another rifle.
This item was purchased. It was not donated or discounted.
It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that having a “red dot” on your pistol for self defense was contentiously debated. What happens if the glass is broken? What if the battery dies? What are you going to do when you raise your gun and the dot isn’t there? Those were common points that would get made on a very regular basis, and why not? They are or legitimate concerns. Or, they were concerns. The technology and manufacturing of the various styles of “red dots” has gotten to the point that a large portion of guns are manufactured with the disposition that some sort of “red dot” is going to be attached to it. There is even a decent selection of firearms that are sold with a “red dot” already on it. When I decided to jump into the “red dot” world with a pistol, I purchased a FN 509T. That is because it came with a great selection of adapters from the factory to be able to use a large variety of “red dots”. Whichever “red dot” I decided to use would be able to co-witness with the factory raised heights and that was important to me because I was skeptical about the dependability of “red dots” in general. Initially I attached a Vortex Venom to it and got it zeroed. After a couple of days I went to do some dry fire practice and noticed that the actual red dot was not in sights. I checked and it was turned off. I must have accidentally turned it off, was my assumption. After my dry fire practice I put my gear back to the way I like it and I holstered my firearm. A couple of days later I went to the range for live fire practice and again noticed that my “red dot” was turned off. This was not a fluke. The device was turned off. When I got home I investigated a bit and figured out that the power button was being pressed against my body and turning off. This is not acceptable on a gun that is carried for a self defense situation. That caused me to look at other options, even though I could always fall back on my iron sights. The decision to purchase the Trijicon RMR was made. I opted for the 3.25MOA dot, as opposed to the 6.5MOA, in a housing that was of the FDE color. The one I purchased was the 2nd generation and although I am not familiar with the first generation of this optic, I understand the upgrades on the second generation consist of an improved LED system and a smaller housing. What stayed consistent is the superb durability of both the glass and the housing of the RMR. There is not any magnification but a lot of adjustment is allowed in the brightness of the dot. It also allows the buttons to be locked out so the optic does accidentally get turned off. I was happy to see that. There is a “manual” mode and an “automatic” mode. One down side is that the optic has to be removed to change the battery. That doesn’t bother me too much because I enjoy “zeroing” an optic. Although I do not currently use any night vision the RMR is compatible with it, according to the manufacturer. I have now shot approximately 2,500 rounds through this firearms with this “red dot” on it and I really like it. In fact, if I install another “red dot” on a gun that I use for self defense, it is going to be tested to make sure it is at least as good as a RMR. Or I might just keep buying the RMR
The Vortex Venom is a parallax free red dot sight. It is available with a 6moa dot or a 3moa dot. There are several nice features on this cost effective optic. The quality of the housing and the glass are impressive for an optic that can be purchased for about $250.00. The dot on the Venom is crisp, even as the brightness is increased to the highest of its ten settings. The fact that it has battery that is able to be changed while staying mounted to a firearm is also nice feature. Some red dots require the removal of the optic to replace the battery, which in turn means the optic will need to be “re-zeroed”. The auto-brightness, which can be disabled, is another feature on the Venom that many users will find useful. The buttons, that on the left side, are large enough to be used easily. However, those buttons can not be “locked out”, and that is where the limitations of use come in to play. The buttons that are used to adjust the Venom are also the buttons that are used to turn the optic off. With the Venom mounted to a firearm, that is being carried inside a waistband, a person can easily turn the optic off inadvertently. Obviously, that has the potential to create a dire situation. That reason on its own is why I would not recommend this red dot optic to be used on any firearm that is being used for self defense. Mounting it to a gun that is being used for training or competition is a great option, though. That is the application that I have decided to use it for, and it has performed very well for approximately 3,000 rounds.
This optic was purchased. Not donated or discounted.
Riton is a family owned company that manufacturers various optics for the shooting community. My experience with the company is not vast. However, all of the experience was very pleasant. I reached out to them regarding the purchase of a spotting scope for my venture into “Long Distance Shooting”. They only offer one scope for this purpose, so I didn’t have to make any decisions in that regard. The questions that I had more to do with quality and ability of the scope they do offer. With this being considered for my first purchase of a spotting scope, I felt that my research landed me in the right spot. I ordered the Riton Spotting Scope and was anxious to use it when it showed up just a few days later. I like the ergonomics of the scope and the case that it came in. Setting up the scope was pretty simple and straightforward. With the scope having magnification of 15x-45x, I was eager to look through the scope to see where my recent shots landed. The 100 yard target was easy to acquire and see through the scope. That is where my satisfaction with this optic ended. I was with a group and we were shooting at varying distances. Based on my research I did not anticipate being able to see bullet holes on paper much past 400 yards, regardless of the scope I was using but with the Riton scope I was not able to see them at 200 yards. I made various adjustments and had someone else try to see if they had a different outcome. Unfortunately, both of us experienced similar images through the glass. A slightly blurry and darker target than what was desired at that distance. At that moment I decided that I was sending that scope back to Riton. They did make it easy to return and quickly gave me a 100% refund, and that was appreciated.
Ammunition
The FN SS197SR is a round that was developed by Fabrique Nationale Herstal (FN) in the late 1980’s. They submitted it to NATO as a possible replacement of the 9mm round. NATO rejected the proposal and continued to use firearms that were chambered in 9mm. FN continued to develop and manufacturer the SS197SR round, which is a 5.7x28mm centerfire cartridge. For several years there were only a couple of FN firearms that would shoot this cartridge. In the following years a couple manufacturers did develop some firearms that used this ammunition, however over the past few years there has been a resurgence in its popularity and now there are several options for anyone that wants a rifle or a pistol that utilizes this ammunition. It is a bottleneck cartridge and it features a polymer tipped, 40grain Hornady V-Max bullet. It is a round that has a flatter trajectory than most pistol rounds. Testing has consistently shown that after impact this bullet tumbles drastically. That tumbling also limits “over-penetration”, which is a positive attribute of a bullet that typically sees 1,700-1,800 feet per second. This round is regularly used for sport shooting, hunting smaller game and even self defense.
Since the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge came into the market in 2007, it has consistently gained popularity for a growing number of shooters that want to shoot rifles to the 1,000 yard distance. A large segment of “precision” shooters at the competition level have switched from the long proven and popular .308 cartridge. With a “Flatter” trajectory, it isn’t a big surprise. With most of the “Match” variation of this cartridge currently costing $2.00 to $3.00 per round, it makes sense that a company like Winchester offers a great option for target/practice shooting. In their familiar white box, Winchester packages 20 rounds of 125 grain, open tip ammunition that is cased in brass. Typically selling for about half the price of most “Match” cartridges, it makes “zeroing” a new optic or trying to stretch out to a longer distance a fairly inexpensive endeavor. So far, I have only shot this ammunition out to 100yards. However, at that distance, with my limited skill set, the groupings were pretty tight, but more importantly they were consistent. The fact that this is made in the USA is another positive. It also seems as though Winchester has worked through some quality control issues. Several years ago they had more than a couple of negative reviews indicating that opening a box and finding cartridges that were damaged, or having a bullet that was not seated properly was a possibility. I have used several boxes and have inspected several more and have not come across one bad cartridge.
Speer manufacturers ammunition in a wide range of calibers that they sell in one of two categories. One type is their self defense ammunition, that wears the label “Gold Dot”. That product line is made up of hollow point bullets that have proven time and time again to expand on contact. The other is their “Lawman” variety and they promote it as reliable and consistent ammunition that is used for target practice. They focus on their “target” loads as a great option to train and shoot a firearm using as close to self defense ammunition, without the expense of shooting “Self Defense” ammunition. This is a practical theory, due to how expensive self defense ammunition can be. I will take a moment to mention that I put a very high value in training, not only using the exact firearm but using the ammunition that you plan on carrying in your self defense setup. It is well known that variations in ammunition can result in slight differences in where your bullet ends up after squeezing the trigger. So, having target loads that very close mimic a self defense load can be very beneficial. Everything that I have mentioned is either fairly common knowledge in the gun world or information gathered from Speer’s web site. Here is what I know. The Speer Gold Dot 5.7×28 ammunition that I tested in a Ruger 57 had more issues loading than anything else that I have tried to feed through it. One of the features that I like best about most 5.7 cartridges is the common polymer tip that makes it very easy to slide up the feed ramp and seat into the barrel. What I experienced with the Gold Dot cartridge is that the rough edge of the hollow point gave it enough resistance to not run up the ramp, but rather get caught on the ramp and caused a failure to feed. This happened when the magazine was fully loaded, reduced down to 8 rounds and still when there was only 3 rounds in the magazine. This is the only hollow point ammunition that have tried to feed into this firearm, but is the only ammunition that has failed to feed. In case anyone isn’t sure of what that means. I can not use this load in a self defense firearm.
Training:
A more recent aspect of shooting that I have been wanting to explore is long distance rifle shooting. For me, it has been a very gradual process. Mainly due to time constraints but also due to my main focus being self defense shooting and training. The start of this “new to me” shooting brought me to an annual NRA event. There were two goals in attending the event. One was to figure out which cartridge I wanted to use for long range shooting and the other was to try an find the rifle that I wanted to use. The cartridge that I landed on was 6.5 Creedmoor. The rifle that I decided on while at the event, become a bit if a story on its own. After looking at a lot of firearms and a lot of “back and forth” in my head, I had decided that I was going to purchase a Cadex Defense CDX-R7 LCP. However, that is not what I ended up with. That will be explained in an upcoming review. What I did end up with is a Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR). I mounted a Vortex Venom 5-25×56 Optic on it using Vortex Precision mounting rings. It has a Christmas tree style reticle and has MRAD adjustments. The optic will also have a review written about it. To help me reach out to some distance I decided to take the Precision Rifle Course through Fox Valley Range in Elgin, IL. The instructor for the class was Chris Jensen. Three minutes into the first day, of the two day course, I knew I made the correct decision. Chris is very straight forward. That is an effective way to communicate with me. It would be difficult to explain all of the nuances that were taught and learned in the class room on day 1. In fact, it was even a little unclear to me what I had learned until we applied it to the range day, which was day 2. Chris took quite a bit of time helping make sure that everyone’s optics were set up that would allow them to be able to get on a 24” x 24” steel target at 600 yards. This consisted of shooting at 100 yards, making adjustments and shooting at 100 yards again. Using a chronograph to learn bullet speeds and using a ballistic application on our phones to figure out some specific adjustments that needed to be made. Then it was time for me to take the longest shots that I had ever taken. The first 5 shots I took at 600 yards were a hit on the steel. It was exhilarating. The class I was in was made up of 6 students. It was a bit of a windy day and that made all of the cheering on of one another that much more fun. As it turns out, shooting at 600 yards isn’t really considered long range. This course is a fantastic foundation a shooter can use to learn and gain confidence on what they are capable of. With what I learned from Chris and the excitement I felt, I am definitely going to try and be able to consistently shoot a target at 1,000 yards. For anyone that wants to start to shoot at distances greater than their current capability, I recommend looking for this class on the Fox Valley Range web site.
Mantis Laser Academy from Mantis is a laser training system that the company developed after it made training with technology a very viable option for your average consumer. Mantis accomplished this when it released it’s original “Mantis” device. Although this review isn’t about the original device, that review can be found elsewhere on this page, or its improved successors that the company has release since the original, it is worth mentioning because if you have the ability to use two devices simultaneously, the amount of feedback you have access to is extremely impressive. Back to the point of this review and that is the Laser Academy. I like this system. A lot. I purchased the standard kit because it comes with a few more components that the portable kit, for not a lot more money. When I started using the system I knew right away that I was going to enjoy it, and I did/do. There are several videos, drills and courses that require the user to shoot with a minimum level of proficiency. Some are fairly difficult too. It is most definitely not set up to automatically allow a person to just go through the motions and move on to the next level. Without focus and effort, a person can very easily not pass a course. I consider that a good thing. A system that forces improvement in, what is technically still dry fire practice, will undoubtedly help in live fire shooting. That is what this system is. On a very basic level, it is fancy dry fire training. I regularly fall short on my dry fire training. The laser system incorporates audio feedback to mimic live fire for the user. There are several “Targets” to shoot at. Two sizes are included in the standard kit to allow the user to replicate various distances. When purchasing the laser academy, you can choose from which of the most popular calibers you would like your laser cartridge to be included and extras can be purchased at an additional cost. I have a tendency to get bored. By using this, or the Mantis X device, the boredom is removed. In addition, Mantis will send a registered user patches for completing certain levels of training, and that adds to the motivation. I find myself looking for some of those patches on other peoples range bags or attire. A feature that I like a lot is the ability to set up “Groups” so users can compete with others during training. I do have a negative comment about this system, however. The issue is that the user has to reset the trigger after a shot, and that can lead to scores on certain drills to be partially based on how fast a person can rack the slide and not just on moving the firearm on target, in conjunction with trigger manipulation. I am going to call this “Part 1” of this review as I am ordering a system that resets the trigger, in conjunction with firing a laser. Unfortunately, Mantis does not offer a system that resets the trigger for pistols, while firing a laser.“Part 2” will be posted after this additional system is incorporated into the training.
Please note that the Mantis Laser Academy was purchased and not donated or discounted.
Mantis has become and Affiliate of 2A Today. There is a link on our “Home Page” that will take you to their web site where all of their products can be viewed and purchased.
Mantis X10 Elite is the latest generation of the Mantis’ training system that uses technology to give the user the information they need to improve several aspects of shooting firearms. The main component of the Mantis X10 Elite has a “smart sensor” that is designed to be mounted to a rail on a rifle, pistol or a shotgun. If the firearm that you want to train with does not have a rail that allows attachment, Mantis offers a nice variety of accessories that will probably fit your needs. The device tracks the movements of your firearm, it then communicates with the tablet or phone that you choose to use with your Mantis system. Setting up the system is very simple and intuitive. The aiming sequence, trigger pull and the recoil are all relayed to whatever screen that you have synced with the Mantis that is on your firearm. There is immediate feedback that is also saved for later review. There is an accuracy scale for each shot and an overall total score for your shot “set”. There are a few different Mantis X training systems, but the fact that the X10 Elite system has the ability to monitor your holster draw and offer feedback is well worth paying for the most feature filled system they offer. The system is designed to improve a person’s accuracy, trigger pull, grip and holster draw, and can be used with live fire or dry fire training. Mantis also has a “Trade In” program so if a person has purchased earlier versions of their systems, they can traded in and get credit toward the purchase of a new system, which I personally look at very favorably. I strongly recommend this system because it allows training with a firearm virtually anywhere and saves money by being able to train without actually firing your firearm. I was able to notice improvements in my accuracy while implementing some of the drills that are part of the program, in between my range visits. My “draw from holster” also became much more consistent while improving the technique. The information that the system provides allows a person to be very analytical, while reviewing their training sessions. In addition to the X10 system Mantis sells a laser based training system, which will also be reviewed, and a specific rifle training system that has a trigger “auto-resetting” feature. Mantis advertises that this system can also be used for the sport of archery, but I do not have any first hand knowledge of its functionality.
Please note that the Mantis X10 Elite system was purchased and not donated or discounted.
Mantis has become an Affiliate of 2A Today. There is a link on the “Home Page” that will take you to their website where all of their products can be viewed and purchased.
Misc:
I was very apprehensive to order a wrap for any of my firearms. Reasons to apply them and reasons not apply them to a firearm that I owned bounced in and out of my head. I decided to order one from GunSkins.com with the notion that if I don’t like how it turns out, I can just peel it off and be left with my gun as it was prior to the installation. I was very please to not only see a large variety of patterns that can be ordered but also having the option to upload a picture for them to make a custom vinyl wrap. I ended up ordering one a pattern that resembled the United States Flag with the Second Amendment script on it. After watching some videos on prepping the gun for the installation and actual installation of the pre-cut vinyl pieces, I grabbed a heat gun and was ready to try. The gun that I selected to install the Gun Skin on is a Ruger RPR. The pieces are cut to near exact size of the piece that it is intended to cover. Using a credit card to manipulate the vinyl into crevices is made easier when the components are warmed up with the heat gun. Like most projects we encounter, the better the preparation is, the better the end result will be. I was definitely able to tell where my preparing the surface was not as thorough as the areas that received a lot of attention. What I did not like was the lack of instructions. There was not a sheet showing where each vinyl piece was to be applied. Instead each piece has a number by it and a part description of where it was to cover. I am still not certain but half way through my installation I came to think that the numbers on the sheet, next to each pre-cut piece, indicate the order in which the decals were to be installed. I discovered this when one piece that I was installing on the gun overlapped two other pieces that flanked the side of that particular piece. Installing that piece and then the side pieces would have left the gun looking much better. I would very much like to see Gun Skins include a diagram of the firearm that is being “covered” showing where each piece goes and the order in which they should be installed. I am sure that on many firearms, it doesn’t matter too much, but on guns with a lot of pieces, like the RPR, it would be helpful. My gun was finished the middle of January 2024 so I will update this review with a “long term” opinion after the gun sees significant use. In the mean time I say that the firearm turned our decent and that using a wrap on a firearm offers a person to use a wide variety colors and/of patterns. It is also worth mentioning that for someone doing this considering applying this to a firearms, choosing a gun that allows an easier install is advisable.
Rose, by Sig Sauer. What is that? That was my question when I first saw it at the NRA national convention in Indianapolis, IN. As I approached the display, I realized what it was, so I thought. Sig Sauer generated a P365, one of the most popular conceal carry firearms on the market, with some embellishments on it. My immediate thought was that Sig was going to take a dressed up P365 and with some marketing, try and appeal to women. And why not? Why not try and gain some market share by marketing to women. I was meeting my wife at the Sig display so I figured that I would listen to one of their representatives describe to the small crowd around her what “Rose” was attempting. That ended up being a wise decision. What I found out is that Sig Sauer developed a program that encourages and supports women to use, train and carry a firearm with confidence. In the past, many manufacturers in the gun industry have marketed products toward women. I am not surprised to see that Sig Sauer has done in differently, and better. The “Rose” program is a way to connect with women on virtually every level in the gun world. The P365 is available, as a “Rose Special Edition” in calibers .380 and 9mm. With a standard size frame or an XL version. Some even have a compensator built into the end of the slide. A “kit” can be purchased and that includes a Vaultek Lifepod, the firearm, a speed loader, extra magazine, and “dummy” rounds. I reviewed the Lifepod and the P365 in other reviews on this site, so I am not going to reiterate everything in this article. Rather, I am going to focus on what else Sig Sauer is doing with Rose. They have teamed up with professional shooter Lena Miculek to offer the basic components to properly train with a firearm, and hold training classes that are geared specifically to women. I have been told specifically that it is nice to train with a female instructor because they know what women need to do differently from a man to train with a firearm. With Lena’s impressive resume it is a recipe that is almost certain to succeed. There are numerous accessories in the Rose line up as well. Including safety glasses, holsters, cleaning mats, and more. I am really glad that I told my wife that I would meet her at the Sig Sauer booth. I walked away very delighted to see what Sig has brought to the table with this program. Educating and giving more people the confidence to train and carry a firearm is always a good thing, and Sig Sauer is doing that very well.
Joe
Looking forward to Podcast
Also liked ordering your kid to shoot