Tactical Weapons 2019-01-01

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2019
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Change is good, right? Well, we royales.” And here’s a little fun fact: upgraded HK416 rifles. And have you
tried something different with this issue Photographer Alex Landeen used the ever wondered where the U.S. Depart-
of Tactical Life magazine: We went with same model for both photoshoots. ment of Defense gets its small-arms
two different cover images. Depending Of course, you can’t judge a book by ammo? Wonder no more, because we
on where you shop for your reading its cover alone. As this issue headed to got an exclusive tour of Lake City Army
material, you might have picked up our press on Veteran’s Day 2018, our staff Ammunition plant in Missouri.
“Retro Rifles” special cover, which is was mindful that paying tribute to our As per usual, we try to cover guns, gear
dedicated to the Vietnam-era M14 (and nation’s best—those who serve with honor and tactics like no other firearms-centric
today’s semi-automatic Springfield M1A), both on battlefields afar and here at home, publication out there today. Inside this
but more importantly to veterans like doing all they possibly can to protect our issue you’ll find what we uncovered at the
Lieutenant John Libs, the man pictured on freedoms and our way of life—is always latest TriggrCon show, the story behind
page 98. Notice any resemblance to our job number one. Besides the “retro fire- Cobalt Kinetics and its attempts to take
cover model? You won’t want to miss John arms” covered in this issue, we also share the AR into the 21st century, new-breed
Libs’ heartfelt story, where he recounts human-interest stories like Peter Suciu’s bullpup shotguns from Turkey, and some
one of Vietnam’s bloodiest battles. What’s spotlight on some great veteran-owned top shooting advice from expert trainer and
interesting is that when our staff was find- gun businesses, and new contributor Rob- retired Navy SEAL Bill Rapier. Oh, and you
ing photos for one of the other Vietnam- ert Harbin tells the story of how an Amer- didn’t think we’d forget long-range pre-
related articles in this issue, that’s when ican company is training military veterans cision rifles, did you? The new LRR from
we came across the war photo of Libs that to work with canines back home after their Thompson/Center is custom through and
was taken during the Battle of Xa Cam overseas deployments. Good stuff! through, but it won’t break the bank!
My. We dug deeper, and the rest is history. Those with combat experience are also There’s much more in store for you
The second cover sports a patriotic- being hired to protect and defend our ahead. But time’s wasting. Dig in and
hat-wearing model toting FN’s newest nation’s nuclear facilities as part of the enjoy! And to all of you veterans, lawmen
SCAR variant, the SCAR 20S. Hey Fort- NSSA’s Federal Protective Forces, and and first responders, thank you all, and
nite fans, this one’s destined to become our very own Will Dabbs has the inside may God continue to bless you and the
an epic weapon for your future “battle story of their mission and their newly United States of America. —Nino Bosaz
2 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

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VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4
JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2019
FEATURES
24 A SCAR REBORN 80 FULLY LOADED XD(M) 24
FN’s battle-proven MK20
Sniper Support Rifle is optics, Springfield’s latest
finally available for civilians 46
BY GARRETT LUCAS
BY DAVID BAHDE
84 M14 TRIBUTE
36 BLASTS FROM A vet compares the current
THE PAST Springfield rifle to the one he
A look at some of the instant fought with in Vietnam
classics honoring the history BY CLINT THOMPSON
of the AR platform
90 RED, WHITE & TRUE
BY T. LOGAN METESH Coming back home might
be tough, but these vets are
46 BUILD YOUR OWN blazing their own paths 36
BARE-BONES BY PETER SUCIU
VIETNAM AR
How to recreate the U.S. 98 BEYOND THE
BATTLEFIELD
military’s first AR using Over 50 years later, war hero
Brownells Retro parts John Libs recounts one of
BY FRANK JARDIM
BY JOHN MARTIN
54 RADICAL 27 RANGER
This innovative 5.56mm 106 CREEDMOOR
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CROSSOVER
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66 BULLPUP FIGHT
Two 12-gauge Turkish 118 BUILT TO PERFORM
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4 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nino Bosaz
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Linas Cernauskas
PRODUCTION EDITOR Greg Lickenbrock
ART DIRECTOR/COVER DESIGN Rory Slifkin
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kenneth Ross
PREPRESS MANAGER Michael Toppin
PREMEDIA OPERATOR Franco Nguyen
DIGITAL MANAGER Matthew Hogan
COLUMNS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Richard Ortega

CIRCULATION CONSULTANT Scott Hill/ProCirc
COVER PHOTO Alex Landeen*
08 GEAR UP! tactical-life.com • realworldsurvivor.com
personaldefenseworld.com • ballisticmag.com
The best new gear showcased
EDITORIAL INQUIRIES editdesk@athlonoutdoors.com
at Athlon Outdoors’ latest event 08
16 TRAINER SPOTLIGHT
Retired SEAL, expert trainer,
athlonoutdoors.com
competitor—Bill Rapier’s
VP/GROUP PUBLISHER Nicholas S. Seifert
done it all & CONTENT DIRECTOR
ADVERTISING SALES
20 GUN SECURITY National Office
Tactical Walls is back with new 212-478-1910; sales@athlonoutdoors.com
ways to keep your weapons
handy and organized INDEPENDENT ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES
NORTHEAST REGION Scott Buchmayr; 978-462-6335
SOUTHEAST & UPPER MIDWEST Amos Crowley; 216-378-9811
32 ADVANCED OPTICS WESTERN REGION Scott J. Cherek; 307-635-8899
Testing a trio of solar-powered MIDWEST/CENTRAL SOUTH Dan Flavin; 248-515-8654
Holosun optics to tackle 76
a number of missions DIRECT RESPONSE SALES Jim Coen; 212-478-1949
SENIOR DIRECTOR, Carrie Roeder
MARKETING & OPERATIONS
62 GEAR GUIDE DIGITAL SALES DEVELOPMENT & Brock Norman
Rounding up the 10 best MARKETING DIRECTOR
tactical gems from TriggrCon
ATHLON MEDIA GROUP
76 AMMO BOX CORPORATE OFFICERS
A behind-the-scenes look at PRESIDENT, CEO Chuck Allen
how small-arms ammunition is CFO/TREASURER Mary Lee Vanderkooi
made for the military CORPORATE ADDRESSES
NEW YORK:
95 AFTER SERVING 60 E. 42nd St., Suite 820, NY, NY 10165; 212-478-1910
How American K-9 Interdiction NASHVILLE:
creates better patrol dogs 2451 Atrium Way, Suite 320
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102 SUBSCRIPTIONS / SINGLE COPIES
800-284-5668; subscriptions@athlonmediagroup.com
102 TORTURE TEST
Proving Primary Arms’ ONLINE STORE
outdoorgroupstore.com
Advanced 30mm Red Dot * Consultant
through extreme measures
TO THE READERS: Be advised that there may be products
represented in this magazine as to which the sale,
110 SPECIAL DUTY possession or interstate transportation thereof may be
The PSRPV course helps restricted, prohibited or subject to special licensing
police personnel protect the requirements. Prospective purchasers should consult the
vulnerable with precise fire local law enforcement authorities in their area. All of the
information in this magazine is based upon the personal
experience of individuals who may be using specific tools,
115 ELITE OPS products, equipment and components under particular
The hardware behind the conditions and circumstances, some or all of which may not
be reported in the particular article and which this magazine
most critical mission America has not otherwise verified. Nothing herein is intended
has ever known 115 to constitute a manual for the use of any product or the
carrying out of any procedure or process. This magazine
122 BATTLE BLADES and its officers and employees accept no responsibility for
any liability, injuries or damages arising out of any person’s
These butterflies and autos attempt to rely upon any information contained herein.
might be hard to come by, but
you can’t beat their speed TACTICAL LIFE is published four times per year by Athlon
Sports Communications, Inc., 2451 Atrium Way, Suite
128 PARTING SHOTS 320, Nashville, TN 37214. Single copy price: $9.95 in
U.S.A., $10.95 in Canada. Submissions of manuscripts,
Get to know the hard-working, illustrations and/or photographs must be accompanied by a
Beltway-born Julia Rihaly stamped, self-addressed envelope. The publisher assumes no
responsibility for unsolicited material. Copyright © 2018 by
Athlon Sports Communications, Inc. All rights reserved under
International and Pan American Copyright Conventions.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of
the publisher is strictly prohibited. Printed in the U.S.A.
6 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019

GEAR UP!
RENDEZVOUS
STOCKPILE
The best new gear showcased
at Athlon Outdoors’ latest
event in Montana 1 2
This past October saw Athlon Outdoors host its second

annual Rendezvous in Greenough, Montana, just outside Mis-
soula. For three days, dozens of gun manufacturers unveiled
their latest and greatest wares—many still under wraps—to
us Athlon editors and contributors, giving us plenty of trigger
time to create more content for our various print magazines
and websites in the coming months. But this amazing event 1> AGUILA AMMUNITION 2 > BLACK HILLS AMMO
wouldn’t have been possible without a few key sponsors There were plenty of new rimfire What would a shooting event be
donating goods for every participant. Here we’d like to show rifles and handguns to test at without Black Hills ammo? For our
our support and fill you in on the great gear that made for an the Rendezvous, and thankfully Rendezvous, Black Hills donated
awesome Rendezvous in Big Sky country. —The Editors Aguila stepped up to the plate hundreds of boxes of .45 ACP
by providing several different .22 and 9mm ammo for handguns
LR loads to keep these weapons and pistol-caliber carbines as well
fed. From high-velocity rounds to as various .223 Remington and
subsonics, Aguila covered all the .308 Winchester rounds to keep
bases. The company also provided the long guns fed. Keep your eyes
plenty of quality 12-gauge fodder, peeled for innovative rounds from
too, for running shotguns from Black Hills’ HoneyBadger line,
Beretta, Mossberg and Remington. which are designed for extreme
(aguilaammo.com) penetration. (black-hills.com)
3 > BLACKHAWK STAX EDC PACK

Available in black, coyote tan and black/gray, the STAX EDC Pack
from BlackHawk is a great go-anywhere option that will hold up to
1,400 cubic centimeters of gear. It’s the perfect blend of tactical and
low profile for your EDC gear. The main compartment can be divided
when needed thanks to a folding shelf, and a padded compartment
3 in the back of the pack will hold a large laptop or hydration reservoir.
You’ll also find side pockets, a smaller top pocket and plenty of exterior
loops for mounting additional gear. (blackhawk.com)
8 tactical-life.com
4
4 > CALDWELL LEAD SLED 3 6 > CRIMSON TRACE SIGHTS

The Lead Sled 3 has become Crimson Trace has unveiled a
6
the standard in shooting rests. whole new series of red-dot sights
According to Caldwell, it reduces for pistols, rifles and shotguns. The
recoil by up to 95 percent while shock-, fog- and impact-resistant
securely holding your gun on CTS-1000 features a 2-MOA
target. The new skeletonized front dot, an aircraft-grade aluminum
rest secures your gun with its housing and runs on one CR2032
non-marring surfaces, and the im- battery for up to nine years. The
proved rear buttstock cradle uses smaller CTS-1200 is designed
top-of-the-line Shock Eliminator for pistols with a 3.25-MOA
7 Technology while locking your aiming dot, while the rifle- and
gun in place. Shooting all of the shotgun-ready CTS-1300 boasts
long guns at Rendezvous would’ve a 3.5-MOA dot as well as a
been a lot harder without Lead low-profile Picatinny rail mount.
Sleds at the ready. (btibrands.com) More options are on the way.
(crimsontrace.com)
5 > CALDWELL TACKDRIVER
SHOOTING BAG 7 > DOA SHOOTING BENCH
Another Caldwell product that If you have a penchant for pre-
helped us zero in was the Tack- cision, you’re probably obsessed
Driver Shooting Bag. Extremely with shooting from a stable posi-
user-friendly and effective, this tion. That’s why every firing station
convenient shooting bag takes the at the Rendezvous had three DOA
place of two. The self-tightening, Shooting Benches. Rock solid
non-marring surface of the bag yet easy to adjust, these benches
grips your rifle and reduces felt feature quality steel tripods and
recoil, all without damaging the seat supports as well as table tops
gun’s finish. Better yet, these bags that are made from either 14-ply
are easy to tote around to various birch or maple for an unbeatable
positions. (btibrands.com) feel. The seat can be moved ver-
tically and laterally, and the entire
setup can support more than 500
pounds. (doashootingbench.com)
tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 9

RENDEZVOUS STOCKPILE
8 > DOA STEEL TARGETS earmuffs combine 5X sound ampli- 10

Nothing beats the pleasant ping fication, a 22-decibel noise re-
of hitting a steel target several duction rating and a lightning-fast
hundred yards away. To help 0.5-millisecond attack time with a
us out, DOA provided over two slim, comfortable and ergonomic
dozen durable steel targets design that uses one control knob.
that survived days of shooting, In short, these earmuffs make
even from large-caliber rounds. it easier for you to hear range
(doashootingbench.com) commands while canceling out the
sound of gunfire. They’re powered
9 > HORNADY AMMO by two included AAA batteries.
Hornady rounded out the event’s (howardleight.com)
ammo supply with a ton of new
rounds for a wide range of weap- 11 > HOWARD LEIGHT
ons. How wide? Hornady rounds UVEX GENESIS EYEWEAR
fed .380 ACP, .38 Special, 9mm, Few things are more frustrating
.40 S&W, .45 ACP, 5.56mm NATO, than having shooting glasses fog
300 Blackout, .308 Winchester, up while lining up sights on a tar-
6.5 Creedmoor, 6mm Creedmoor get or swinging a scattergun over
and .224 Valkyrie weapons. The a flushing pheasant. Thankfully,
company also brought along some Howard Leight has developed a
of its brand-new 300 PRC ammu- new UVEX Hydroshield coating
nition for precise hits at extreme for its eye protection that helps
distances. (hornady.com) keep lenses fog free up to 90
times longer than many other
11
10 > HOWARD LEIGHT popular anti-fogging products. It’s
IMPACT SPORT also scratch resistant and blocks
BOLT EARMUFFS harmful UVA and UVB ultraviolet
Everyone at the Rendezvous used radiation. At the Rendezvous,
a set of Howard Leight Impact shooters got a chance to test this
Sport Bolt earmuffs for hearing coating out on Howard Leight’s
protection. Building on over 30 ballistic-rated UVEX Genesis
years of continuous technolog- glasses. (howardleight.com)
ical innovation, these electronic

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12 > LYMAN BAG JACK 14 > MAGPUL BIPOD

& MATCH BAG COMBO Available for M-LOK slots, Picat-
Lyman’s Bag Jack makes it easy inny rails and ARMS-style mounts,
12
to adjust the elevation of your Magpul’s new Bipods are simple,
rifle and bring it into line with your easy to deploy and reliable. The
target while also allowing you to spring-tensioned legs can be
maintain a comfortable shooting extended from 6.3 to 10.3 inches
position. It’s 10 by 10 inches wide with locking detents every 0.5
so it can accommodate a variety inches. Each Bipod also tilts 50
of bags and rests, but Lyman has degrees and pans 40 degrees, all
made it even easier now by includ- in a rugged, high-strength design
ing one of its durable Match Bags that blends aluminum, steel and
for greater support and shooting polymer. (magpul.com)
comfort. (lymanproducts.com)
15 > MAGPUL DAKA POUCH
13 > LYMAN Available in a variety of colors and
FLIPPIN’ CRITTERS sizes, Magpul’s DAKA Pouches
Flippin’ Critters Walking Tar- are made from polymer-infused
gets keeps your rimfire plinking textiles with fully welded seams
sessions fun and interesting, while and water-resistant YKK zippers.
13 sharpening your shooting skills In other words, these storage
at the same time. Flippin’ Critters pouches are built for rough duty,
have a unique tripod shape that keeping your gear clean and dry in
causes the target to flip and walk the toughest conditions. Carabiner
away from you with every hit. attachments points are located at
(lymanproducts.com) every corner. (magpul.com)
15
14

R T- 6 ™
Ballistic AR™
BURRISOPTICS.COM
17
16
18
16 > MAGPUL EYEWEAR 18 > WHEELER

Magpul has gotten into the GUNSMITHING KITS
eyewear game with three styles When it comes to mounting
to suit a number of needs. The scopes, making adjustments and
Explorer is a casual design with maintaining your weapon, you
high-performance features like can’t go wrong with a simple
a lightweight frame, low-profile screwdriver and hammer set
temples and impact-rated lenses. from Wheeler Engineering. The
The Terrain is designed for 43-Piece Professional Gunsmith-
professionals who need ballistic- ing Screwdriver Set (shown)
rated protection and maximum belongs on every gunsmithing
coverage with padded low-profile bench, and it helped make the
temples. Finally, the Summit is a Rendezvous a success, with a well-
smaller version of the Terrain for thought-out selection of bits made
those who need ballistic protec- from S2 tool steel. This particular
tion on the range. (magpul.com) set also comes with a very com-
fortable overmolded screwdriver
17 > TIPTON ULTRA GUN VISE handle. (btibrands.com)
We also locked down our rifles
with Ultra Gun Vises from Tipton. 19 > UNDER ARMOUR 19
These chassis allow you to shoot, TACTICAL
clean and maintain virtually any PERFORMANCE POLO
long gun thanks to their rigid steel Made from 100-percent polyester,
frames and modular designs. this comfortable, long-sleeved
Fast-turn front and rear clamps Under Armour polo shirt has a
with overmolded rubber contact loose fit and four-way-stretch con-
pads help you secure the weapon struction so you can move better
without damaging it, and all four of on the range. It’s also designed
the vise’s feet are easy to level on to wick away sweat and moisture
any surface. (btibrands.com) for quick drying, and anti-odor
technology prevents the growth
of odor-causing microbes. There’s
also a pen pocket on the left
sleeve. (underarmour.com)

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TRAINER SPOTLIGHT
BILL After multiple tours as a U.S. Navy SEAL,
OF ALL
Bill Rapier transitioned to civilian life. But he
hasn’t slowed down. As the owner of American
Tactical Shooting Instruction, or Amtac, Bill
has brought his unique blend of physicality, martial mindset
and unrelenting drive to law-abiding Americans devoted
to preserving their way of life and the lives of their loved
TRADES
ones. Always seeking out new learning opportunities, Bill
is a solid instructor who understands how to get better
performance out of his students. It is no surprise that his
courses, offered around the country, fill up quickly, and he
is becoming one of the most sought-after instructors. I had
RETIRED SEAL, EXPERT a chance to sit down with Bill and speak to some of those
who know him best. Here’s what you should know.
TRAINER, COMPETITOR— ONE SHARP RAPIER
BILL RAPIER’S DONE IT ALL Right out of high school, Bill Rapier enlisted in the
Navy. For over 20 years, he served the United States and
BY KEVIN ESTELA eventually became a SEAL. In this role, he was active with

THE AMTAC
NORTHMAN
esigned to be worn inside
SEAL Team 3 and spent 14 years with

the Navy Special Warfare Development
Group, or DEVGRU. He was trained
D the front pocket of your
pants by Bill Rapier and
Northman Blades, the new North-
man knife fits in a very unique
as an assaulter and sniper, and he category of blades. The partially
deployed to multiple combat zones, serrated, 4.5-inch Bohler M390
including Iraq and Afghanistan. Accord-
blade can serve in a number of
ing to Bill, “I’m blessed to be around.
roles, with a spear point well suited
Many of my buddies are not.”
for combat. M390 is a stainless
He isn’t one to tell war stories, but
steel known for exceptional dura-
from the details that he does offer up,
bility and toughness.
you know he has seen the best and
Given Bill’s background in
worst come out of war zones. One of
Bill’s SEAL brothers, Kyle Defoor, said, fieldcraft and survival training,
“Bill and I started BUD/S together it makes sense that the Kydex
and graduated as teenagers. Later aren’t studying with a one-trick pony. sheath has an integral ferro rod
we went through another selection According to Tom Kier, director of the that can be used for starting fires
course together as a couple of the Sayoc Tactical Group, “Bill Rapier is on or night signaling. The sheath is
youngest ever. Bill has always had a my short list of people I recommend to designed for deep pocket carry,
great reputation as an operator, and those I come in contact with.” making it easy to conceal. The G10
it’s well deserved. He did 10 years of After all, Bill is more than just a handle sculpting is aggressive for
deployments in the GWOT at a place shooter. He is also skilled in grappling, a secure purchase without being
where the operational tempo destroys striking and edged weapons as well. uncomfortable in hand for sus-
all aspects of life, but Bill was always Bill’s shooting classes incorporate mar- tained use. Finally, the knife comes
solid in the life portion, too.” tial arts, and he draws heavily from his in at 6.88 inches long and would be
When you train with Bill Rapier and training in the Filipino martial art Sayoc an excellent addition to any good
his company, you quickly realize you Kali and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. loadout.
TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 17

TRAINER SPOTLIGHT
Always on the move, Bill Rapier strongly

emphasizes the need to stay in shape, but he also
tailors his courses to fit each attendee’s abilities.
survival skills to cope with the brutal cold

of the mountains they will access with
snow machines and/or snowshoes.
Since many of his students don’t wear
a badge or military uniform, the typical
loadout for his civilian classes reflects
the realistic gear carried by the average
person when battle belts and plate carri-
ers aren’t practical. Instead of rocking the
latest camouflage or chest rig, many of
Bill’s classes center around your average
IWB holster and a couple of spare maga-
zines carried loosely in pockets.
Finally, Bill isn’t one to brag about his
abilities, but the smooth and quick nature
of his movements are indicative of the
expert level of his proficiency. He is scary
fast because he is trained and efficient
in his movements. Even with cover
“TO KNOW BILL IS TO HAVE GREAT REVERENCE garments, Bill’s drawstroke, transitions to
various weapons and calculated move-
FOR HIM, AND TO TRAIN WITH HIM IS TO BECOME ments like reloading and scanning are
incredibly smooth and virtually seamless.
A BETTER SHOOTER AND A MODERN MINUTEMAN.” ATHLETE & FATHER
In 2017, Bill and his close friend, Tom,
Some drills presented in Amtac

courses focus on skillsets like pistol
marksmanship and striking methods.
Everything done in Bill’s classes has
a functional purpose, and there is an
obvious overlap in skillsets, making what
he does a truly integrated combatives
system. Bill also knows how to increase
the intensity level and/or complexity of
his curriculum to meet each student’s
capabilities. I don’t believe he could run
out of material to cover, and you’d be
foolish to believe you could retain all
of the skills presented without taking An avid skier and snowmobiler,
Bill Rapier can be found in the
notes, practicing at home and seriously
mountains year-round. He’s
committing to hard work. also good friends with
Bill places a strong emphasis on Tom Kier of the Sayoc
staying in shape, and his classes include Tactical Group (above).
pistol, carbine and precision scoped rifle
instruction. Mountain trekking is common
in his precision rifle courses, as he offers
high-angle shooting instruction not found
in many shooting schools. Other courses
require students to learn fieldcraft and

Adventure Challenge. Essentially “an
adventure race with guns,” Bill and Tom
trained for this brutal 30- to 60-mile
endurance race for many months prior
to the September start date. Each
contestant was required to carry certain
FORCE ON FORCE
safety equipment along with their rifle
and pistol through high-desert terrain.
Along the way, the team was required
to complete physical and mental chal-
lenges as well as engage targets with
rifles, carbines and pistols. And as Tom
put it, “Bill is a machine” and “I’d follow
that guy anywhere.”
They both completed that race while
many others dropped out along the
way, and even signed up for this year’s
race. This time Bill dropped a total of 26
pounds from his pack and body, and Tom
said, “I had a hard time keeping up with
him. He doesn’t stop.” In 2018, Bill and
Tom took fourth place overall.
In fact, Bill feels modern minutemen
should be able to trek up to 20 miles
with a pack loaded with 25 to 30
pounds and know how to engage
targets out to 600 yards. He knows
the process is gradual and challenging,
but instead of fostering a negative view
toward those who can’t meet this stan-
dard, Bill is willing to work with anyone
to develop the fitness and marksmanship had the opportunity to attend medical devices to address trauma
plan to get there. He is an incredible
coach, and he wants to make you the
best version of yourself you can be.
I the Amtac Force on Force
course hosted by Stone Wall
Arms in Bangor, Maine. This course
needs and how to use a knife in
conjunction with power strikes
using our elbows and open palms.
Back at home in Idaho where Bill builds upon pistol handling and Furthermore, students learned to
has called home for the past four years, introduces the concepts of drawing incorporate more movement in their
you’ll likely find him having a quadruple under stress, movement and sce- actions instead of running drills
espresso with his wife and six children. nario-based decision making. from the static position of a fixed
He owns a small farm, allowing his family Our course started with a review stance on the “X.”
to practice a quiet life of self-reliance, of how to build a proper combative In everything, the concept of
and he drives around in an older Ford stance for using your tools, be it “why” was always discussed.
pickup. You’ll also find a wooden cabinet your empty hands, a blade or a Instead of offering a single way to
engraved with “God, Family, Country” pistol. The course proceeded with a perform a drill, Bill offered multiple
listed in that order for a reason. mix of strict slow-fire accuracy and approaches and allowed students
In the course of writing this article, managing recoil during rapid-fire to determine what worked best for
I had the chance to speak to many of strings. Students also learned vari- them. And every single scenario
Bill’s associates and Amtac alumni. The ous ways of shooting with one hand was grounded in realism. The pur-
word “capable” came up many times in and sighting in using the front sight pose of the training was to better
discussions. Capable is a word we all and back plate of the pistol. prepare students for nightmare
should strive to have associated with our During the course, students scenarios, and the feedback given
abilities and strengths. To know Bill is to had the opportunity to practice by each student to Bill at the end of
have great reverence for him, and to train force-on-force training with airsoft the Amtac Force on Force course
with him is to become a better shooter pistols and protective gear. We served as a testament to his effec-
and a modern minuteman. For more infor- were also introduced to various tiveness. —Kevin Estela
mation, visit amtacshooting.com.

GUN SECURITY
DEAD-ON
DECOR
TACTICAL WALLS IS BACK WITH
NEW WAYS TO KEEP YOUR WEAPONS
Tactical Walls is an
American-owned and
-operated company based
out of the Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia that was co-founded
by Tim Matter and Chris Wood. It pre-
dominantly uses U.S.-made parts rather
than importing foreign-made materials,
and everything it offers to the market is
handcrafted, easy to install and simple
HANDY AND ORGANIZED to use. As the company’s motto states,
its goal is to offer “discreet storage
BY MITCH HARDIN solutions for every room.”

toys in addition to the two MODWall
panels regularly advertised.
The organization opportunities with
the MODWall don’t stop there. Tactical
Walls also allows you to completely
design your own MODWall package. I
ordered four MODWall panels for this
article because I wanted to demon-
strate the versatility of these cool
products. I think of the MODWall as
something like a cross between Tetris
and Legos for grownups. They also
make for a pretty sweet backdrop for
the photographers out there.
When navigating around the Tactical
Walls website, you will find all sorts
of neat stuff for the MODWall, such
as vest hangers, right- and left-facing
pistol and rifle hangers, large and
small shelves, shotgun and rifle racks,
flashlight hangers and a whole host of
other innovative accessories. One of
my favorite accessories is the “Hide-
A-Mag.” It’s a rare-earth magnet that
will not only hide a magazine, but will
also hold a small pistol. It can attach
to the MODWall or be installed under
a cabinet, on the back of a headboard
or wherever else you think you need
easy access to a concealed weapon.
As long as you don’t have little ones
running about, it’s entirely possible to
use the Hide-A Mag to stash a heater
in every room.
SOLID CHOICES
If you are concerned about security,
Tactical Walls offers a whole slew of
other products as well. It’s worth men-
tioning that the company advertises
“discreet home storage solutions,” not
intrusion-proof safes; their products
NOT JUST ANY WALL Up until recently, MODWalls were only keep an honest man honest. Of
One of these new home-storage only available in kits that consisted of course, a thief would have to find the
solutions is the “MODWall” that helps two panels, each 22 inches tall and tools and toys within their hidden loca-
organize and display all of your “cool- 48 inches wide. Recognizing that the tions first, and that actually won’t be as
guy gear.” Not only does the MODWall average consumer might want just easy as one might think. Tactical Walls
help the average Joe get things one panel for a wall, Tactical Walls offers what it calls “wall coverings” that
organized, but it can be installed in gun has made single 22-by-48-inch panels recess within the wall and are covered
shops, non-firearms-related businesses available for just that purpose and by a mirror, art piece or whatever else
and basement man caves alike. It’s the more. And for those who appreciate you might hang on a wall. New to the
perfect solution for reducing clutter package deals, Tactical Walls now line is the “Concealment Flag” wall
and will surely improve your relation- offers Operator and Patriot packages, covering. Nothing screams “Murica!”
ships with those who might take issue both of which include handy acces- like having an American flag on your
with your fun room mess. sories to hang your favorite tools and wall as décor, and behind that flag hide

GUN SECURITY
If you’re feeling
patriotic, check
out Tactical Walls’
Concealment Flag (left),
a wall covering that
slides open to reveal
your hidden weapons.
The 812PLS shelf (right)
is much more subdued.
the very tools that protect our liberties. what about those who may rent rather TACTICAL TABLE
The best part about the wall cover- than own their homes? It’s not like they Speaking of camouflage, check out
ings is that they will look and feel like will be able to just start cutting into the Tactical Walls Concealment Coffee
solid wall fixtures thanks to the two dif- drywall and moving studs. Well, Tactical Table, another ingenious product. You
ferent choices of locking mechanisms. Walls has an answer for that, too. It has can tell the quality of the Concealment
So, if someone tried playing with it to pioneered an option for hiding your cho- Coffee Table in part by its weight and
investigate, it would look like any other sen defensive weapons in plain sight. feel. Its table top and legs are solid
wall covering that is securely mounted Enter Tactical Walls’ diverse line of maple wood, and like the shelves, it’s
to a wall. But with a quick swipe of shelves and tables. I personally own the available in a few different colors and
either an RFID tag or a magnet, it will 812PLS Pistol Length Shelf and the stains, including a clear coat for those
easily slide to the side to expose your Concealment Coffee Table. These are who may want a custom look.
“freedom keepers.” invaluable tools in keeping your long gun This coffee table is unlocked by utiliz-
The choice of locks is one of the and pistol at the ready while not being ing one of the two supplied RFID cards.
biggest selling points to me because my obvious in the least. They are both lock- What I found was the best option for me
wife and I raised two great kids. Keeping able and made rock solid. The pistol shelf was taking a piece of Velcro and sticking
these sticky-fingered, curious kids out of mounts to the wall and just looks like a to the back of one of the supplied RFID
your improvised gun closet is imperative. really nice shelf with decorative trim, so cards, then stashing it within arm’s reach
Again, it’s not a safe, but it is a serious it looks great mounted anywhere in the of not only the table itself but also where
obstacle for them. I’m personally fine with home. I chose the magnet-locking option, I may be sitting in my living room.
leaving a boomstick or pistol loaded in as we don’t have little ones running Probably one of the neatest features
one of these wall coverings due to how around anymore, and I still like the idea of of the Concealment Coffee Table is that
we raised our children, but that’s another having it lockable. It’s made of “furniture- it simply looks like a really nice, but ordi-
story for another time. grade birch plywood and comes fully nary, decorative coffee table. Not a soul
assembled.” You have your choice of fin- will have a clue that your gun is gently
LOCKABLE VERSATILITY ishes, or you can choose “raw” to make resting in its hidden location until you
Having a lockable Tactical Walls prod- it your own. All you need to do is find a proverbially “break the glass” for battle.
uct is also great just in case of a home spot on the wall and screw it in. Then cut It’s also great knowing that when I kick
invasion or burglary. There are over 1.5 the foam inside, stick your favorite heater back in my living room, I have my trusted
million burglaries in the U.S. every single in it, and you’re in business. And don’t friend just inches under my feet.
year, and the victims may never know forget to seal the deal by displaying a
when or why their homes were targeted. nice picture or candle, or whatever else HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
While a BFS (Big Friggin’ Safe) is king, your spouse wants, on top of it. Then it’s If you surf around on the Tactical
not everyone can afford that option. And officially camouflaged. Walls website, you’re sure to find all

sorts of neat and innovative products to
help stash your favorite tools around your Tactical Walls Concealment Coffee Table
humble abode. From wall coverings, rifle
and pistol shelves, and night stands to
clocks, lamps and tissue boxes, Tactical
Walls has your back in keeping you
well-prepared for the zombie hordes or
just a bad guy kicking down your door. It
would seem that Tactical Walls has this
segment of the market pretty well cov-
ered. Not only does it make a solid prod-
uct, but in my experience the customer
service is amazing, too, especially when
asking my famously “stupid questions.”
As a retired police officer, it’s actually
kind of scary how discreet these prod-
ucts really are. One would never know
when walking into a home containing
these products just how available the
weapons they contain really are to the
intended user. That’s a great thing for the badge, I don’t recall burglars walking interior decorator in his spare time. With
the owner of these products. If a cop out of anyone’s homes with coffee tables that, I highly recommend checking out
doesn’t catch it at first glance, then a and shelves. So you should be good to the Tactical Walls website the next time
would-be burglar probably won’t, either. go, unless of course you fall victim to you need furniture. For more information,
In the many moons that I’ve spent behind a burglar who also happens to be an visit tacticalwalls.com.

FIRST LOOK

FN’S BATTLE-PROVEN
MK20 SNIPER
SUPPORT RIFLE IS
FINALLY AVAILABLE
FOR CIVILIANS
BY DAVID BAHDE
tactical-life.com
A SCAR REBORN
The forward portion

of the receiver is
longer than the SCAR
17S’ for night-vision
optics, and a cutout
is one of the most reliable, accurate no wonder that our most elite special provides access to
and dependable 7.62mm NATO battle operations soldiers looked to the SCAR the gas regulator.
17 (or MK17 in military parlance) when
rifles on the market today. The select-
they wanted a reliable, battle-hardened
fire SCAR 17 is still in service with
7.62mm set up for accurate, longer-range
U.S. Special Missions Units, and the fire. The result was the MK20 Sniper
semi-auto SCAR 17S is one of the Support Rifle (SSR).
few that regularly survives Gunsite’s
Battle Rifle class unscathed. Similar GOING THE DISTANCE
In use since 2011 and highly sought
rifles reportedly suitable for hard
after, the MK20 SSR was designed to
use drop like flies in that class, some support snipers and designated marks-
prior to the end of Day One. men. It’s equipped with a 20-inch barrel,
Lightweight with moderate recoil, and the receiver is roughly 6 inches
the piston-driven SCAR 17 platform is longer than the SCAR 17’s so operators
simple, straightforward and accurate can add night-vision and thermal optics
under the harshest conditions. So it’s in front of day scopes. The side and

The Hogue pistol grip
is paired with a non-
folding stock that is bottom rails are also longer, and a cutout
adjustable for length near the front provides access to the
of pull and cheek adjustable gas regulator.
height. Also note the While the MK20 SSR has ambidex-
stock’s bottom rail
for accessories.
trous controls and a charging handle that
can be switched to either side like the
SCAR 17, it also has an improved trigger
and updated furniture, including a Hogue
pistol grip with finger grooves. Unlike
previous SCARs, the stock does not
fold to the side, but users can adjust the
length of pull and cheek height without
tools. Finally, the MK20 SSR comes with
SureFire’s FA762SS sound suppressor
and mount for military clients, adding only
5.5 inches to the weapon’s overall length.
And while only military clients can
obtain the MK20 SSR, FN has finally
unveiled a version for civilians, the SCAR
20S, which is essentially a carbon copy
with an excellent Geissele Super SCAR
trigger—now standard on MK20 SSRs.
Like the MK20 SSR, Once again, the stock does not fold
the SCAR 20S comes but is easy to adjust for length of pull and
with a Geissele Super cheek height on the fly without tools. The
SCAR trigger rated
controls are ambidextrous, the charging
for a 3.5- to 4.5-
pound pull weight. handle is reversible, and the extended
FN also includes a receiver makes it easy to add larger or
10-round magazine, clip-on optics and other accessories.
and the gun can use The 20-inch, 1-in-12-inch-twist barrel
larger 17S mags. is cold-hammer forged, chrome lined
and uses a proprietary barrel extension
to ensure repeatable accuracy at longer
ranges. Like the MK20 SSR, its heavy
contour tapers for use with the SureFire
FA762SS sound suppressor. However,

A SCAR REBORN
rifle well on flat objects as well as barri-

cade edges and other obstacles. It’s an
aptly named accessory.
For a suppressor, I chose the VBS
7.62 from Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT).
Designed for AR-platform rifles, it mounts
over the barrel, adding only a few inches
to the system’s overall length. It’s not
the most attractive can on the market,
but it’s incredibly strong, very quiet and
doesn’t add significant backpressure. It’s
certainly combat worthy.
RANGE TIME
I used three loads to test the SCAR
20S—Black Hills’ 178-grain ELD-Xs,
Federal’s 185-grain Gold Medal Berger
rounds and Hornady’s 155-grain
American Gunner BTHPs—giving me a
nice range of bullet weights. And I’ll cut
to the chase and say that the rifle was
extremely accurate with all three.
The Hornady rounds have produced
match-grade results in every rifle I’ve
tested so far, and the SCAR 20S only
added to that reputation. My groups at
100 yards with this load were mostly in
the muzzle has 5/8x24-tpi threading.

A three-prong flash suppressor is
included in the package.
“THESE AREN’T BUDGET
In other words, it’s a SCAR through RIFLES. THEY’RE BUILT FOR
and through, with the same proven
short-stroke-piston-driven operating
HARD COMBAT USE, NOT WINNING
system. It ships with a single 10-round POPULARITY CONTESTS.”
magazine and can use 17S mags.
TESTING ADD-ONS
You really don’t need much to put
the FN SCAR 20S to work. I added
Nightforce’s 7-35x56mm ATACR F1
scope using a LaRue Tactical mount.
The scope’s Horus T3 reticle is current
in use with many Special Missions Unit
operators, and it’s perfect for this rifle,
allowing for fast and accurate fire. You
don’t need to waste any time dialing
knobs. The glass itself is as good as
it gets, and the ATACR is built to last.
It’ll withstand anything a scope is
expected to encounter.
I also installed my Atlas bipod since
it sits low. It’s very solid and allows me
to adjust the legs for less conventional
positions. Whenever I didn’t use the
bipod, Armageddon Gear’s Game
Changer stepped in, supporting the
28 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019

A SCAR REBORN
Like previous SCAR models, the new

SCAR 20S uses FN’s proven short-stroke
gas piston operating system for greater
reliability and less felt recoil, which in turn
translates to faster follow-up shots.
the 0.7- to 0.75-inch range. The Black accuracy out of the SCAR 20S. perfectly with smaller variable-power
Hills 178-grain ELD-Xs were almost as But the rifle is heavy. Starting at 11.2 scopes and is easily to adjust in the
accurate, but the best overall group at pounds before you add ammo and an field. It shoulders quickly, and none of
100 yards measured just 0.6 inches using optic, it’s more than 3 pounds heavier my adjustments came loose. (Also, it’s
the Federal Gold Medal Berger ammo. than the SCAR 17S. No, it’s not heavier worth noting that the SCAR 20S is
At 300 yards, all three loads pro- than similar systems, but it’s not a fast, compatible with other SCAR stocks you
duced sub-3-inch groups. Shooting lightweight fighter like previous SCARs, might already own.)
out to greater distances, the Hornady nor is it meant to be. It’s designed to be The flash suppressor is typical of
BTHPs held their own until about 600 a sniper support rifle, and in this role it many three-prong designs: It works well
yards, where the Black Hills and Federal excels because of its reduced recoil. but pings like crazy. SureFire’s War-
rounds really took hold. It was almost The stock is nice. In fact, it would be Comp was much better in this regard,
too easy to ring steel silhouettes at my preference over the standard SCAR and it provided a bit more recoil control.
these distances using just the hood of 17S stock. Sure, it’s heavier, but it pairs The rifle also worked with a Dead Air
my truck as a rest. The SCAR 20S was Flash Hider and a couple others, but
easy to maneuver and shoot from other the real solution is a suppressor like the
SPEC BOX
positions, too, including prone. Mod- LMT VBS 7.62, which was very effective.
erately rapid fire at 700 yards yielded FN SCAR 20S Without changing the gas setting, the
six out of seven hits with both loads. ejection pattern remained the same—
Moving to 1,000 yards and dialing in the CALIBER: 7.62mm NATO every casing ejected between 3 and 4
elevation, I managed to get eight hits BARREL: 20 inches o’clock. No excess gas was sent my way,
for 10 shots on a 16-by-20-inch steel OA LENGTH: 40.6-42.5 inches and the brass was clean, too. Adding
target with the Black Hills rounds—as the VBS 7.62 shifted the point of impact
WEIGHT: 11.2 pounds (empty)
good as it gets for a 7.62mm designed downward by 2 inches.
as a sniper support weapon. SIGHTS: None As mentioned, the recoil is minimal,
STOCK: Adjustable even with the flash suppressor, making
PARTING SHOTS ACTION: Piston-operated semi-auto the rifle very controllable. You still get
Without a doubt, the Geissele Super that SCAR-like “snap,” but it’s still a
FINISH: Flat Dark Earth
SCAR trigger is huge bonus on this rifle. soft shooter. The LMT suppressor only
This two-stage trigger is crisp and light CAPACITY: 10+1 helped in this regard, but no matter what,
yet 100-percent reliable and predictable. MSRP: $4,499 the SCAR 20S performed exactly as it
It allowed me to wring the best possible was designed to and will be welcomed

by many SCAR owners. It’s extremely
versatile right out of the box.
Most of us that enjoy or use the
SCAR 17S have been badgering FN
for some version of the MK20 SSR for
a long time. I ran one during a closed
media event and quickly joined that
crowd. So I’m glad the SCAR 20S is
finally here. It might not be for every-
one with an MSRP of $4,499, but
neither is the SCAR 17S at $3,499.
These aren’t budget rifles. They’re
built for hard combat use, not winning
popularity contests.
FN’s SCAR series rifles have had
a very strong and loyal following for
years, and the new SCAR 20S might
just be the perfect variant. It’s a great
rifle because it’s accurate, fun to shoot
and will get the job done. If that’s what
“…NO MATTER WHAT, THE SCAR 20S
you’re looking for, give it a close look, PERFORMED EXACTLY AS IT WAS
but you might want to hurry. I’m sure
these guns will go quickly! For more
DESIGNED TO AND WILL BE WELCOMED
information, visit fnamerica.com. BY MANY SCAR OWNERS.”

ADVANCED OPTICS
Even the micro-sized Holosun

HS507C reflex sight, primarily
designed for handguns,
is built to use solar power
in conjunction with a
CR2032 battery.
HARNESSING
THE SUN
TESTING A TRIO OF
The field of tactical optics is cluttered these
days. This deep into the 21st century, you can’t
eat at the cool kids’ table at the local range if
you don’t have something electronic and spar-
kly perched atop your favorite black gun. While there are
literally hundreds of options that incorporate LEDs, holo-
SOLAR-POWERED HOLOSUN grams, armored housings and lasers, only one company
OPTICS TO TACKLE A directly harnesses the energy of the sun to power its gun
sights. Holosun optics are reliably different and eminently
NUMBER OF MISSIONS cool, all at a surprisingly reasonable price point.
BY WILL DABBS, MD BURNING BRIGHT

Our favorite star is a G2V Yellow Dwarf that is fairly
unremarkable in a universal sense. We spin around the sun
monotonously at a distance of about 93 million miles. If
you could climb into your car, set the cruise control on 65
mph and not have to stop for food, water or potty breaks, it
would take about 163 years to drive there. Sunlight makes
this same trek in a bit more than eight minutes.

Every scrap of non-nuclear energy without having to adjust the controls
on earth originally came from the sun. on your optic. If you ever have to do
Natural gas, coal, gasoline, hurricanes, that for real, there will already be
thunderstorms, a pleasant spring breeze plenty of preexisting distractions. Fart-
and your recalcitrant son’s ill-timed
fart during Aunt Maude’s fancy Easter
ing around with your gun sight need
not be one of them.
“HOLOSUN OPTICS ARE
brunch all originally drew their energy
from a thermonuclear fusion reaction HS503CU
RELIABLY DIFFERENT AND
that transforms hydrogen into helium
in the core of the sun. The sun will
This solar-powered sight isn’t much
bigger than my thumb and features a
EMINENTLY COOL, ALL AT A
eventually expand to consume the earth, dot-within-circle reticle pattern that is SURPRISINGLY REASONABLE
but that won’t be for another 130 million
years or so. That will be somebody
easy to acquire and comparably easy to
track. Elevated mounts will raise the unit PRICE POINT.”
else’s problem. Of all the 174 quadrillion up to your line of sight as needed. The
watts of energy that strike the earth reticle is also selectable to a simple 2
from the sun, a very tiny little bit of that MOA dot if desired. Adjustment turrets
is tapped to power Holosun sights. are guarded by swells cut into the
Most Holosun sights employ a solar aluminum housing.
cell for power along with a battery The sight is parallax-free with an
backup. This lets these sights operate unlimited field of view and unlimited
up to 50,000 hours on a single battery. eye relief. This means you can put it at
This Solar Failsafe feature allows the any spot along the spine of your gun
optic to run on either natural or artificial and expect it to run both fast and well.
light in the absence of battery power. Low-mount and co-witness mounts
Shake Awake technology turns the are included with the sight. Finally, this
sight off when it doesn’t move, but then sight is at home on guns ranging from
reactivates it at the previous brightness compact rifle-caliber pistols to full-sized
setting as soon as it wiggles. In fact, 3-Gun rifles and shotguns.
Holosun sights are the only ones in my
gun room that I leave on all the time. HS510C
Finally, the Multiple Reticle System This sight features a beefier 6061-T6
allows you to choose the best reticle aluminum housing along with a titanium
design for your particular mission and hood for added protection against
comportment. Super Green LEDs are rough handling. The Open Reflex
also available that are four times more
efficient than the red sort.
Holosun solar-powered sights
automatically adjust for ambient light
levels. Not only can you leave the sight
on all the time, but you can also run
from dark indoors to bright sunlight
With its tall mount, unlimited

field of view and easy-to-
access controls, the Holosun
HS503CU is right at home on
this compact AR pistol.
TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 33

ADVANCED OPTICS
“MOST HOLOSUN SIGHTS EMPLOY A SOLAR CELL FOR POWER

ALONG WITH A BATTERY BACKUP. THIS LETS THESE SIGHTS OPERATE
UP TO 50,000 HOURS ON A SINGLE BATTERY.”
Circle Dot design offers an exceptionally

The largest of the bunch, wide, uncluttered field of view as well
the Holosun HS510C as selectable circle, dot and circle-dot
offers three different reticles available with the push of a
reticles, a wide sight button. The same LED drives all of the
picture and a titanium
reticles so re-zeroing isn’t required, and
hood for added protection
against rough handling. a throw-lever mount makes mounting and
dismounting a snap.
This mid-sized sight is perfect for
your favorite black rifle or combat
shotgun. The HS510C offers all of the
standard Holosun cool-guy stuff along
with unparalleled situational awareness
in a rugged and compact chassis. From
submachine guns to battle rifles, this is
the sight that should top your favorite
room-clearing hot rod.
HS507C
The HS507C shrinks quite literally
everything that makes Holosun sights
awesome down into a micro chassis
suitable for mounting atop combat
handguns. Whether you have old eyes
like me, or you just want a tactical
edge for competition or combat, this
tiny solar-powered red-dot sight offers
a 32-MOA ring, a 2-MOA dot or both
in a tiny lightweight package. Despite
its diminutive size, the HS507C still
includes the same Multi-Reticle System,
Solar Failsafe and Shake Awake tech-
nology of its larger siblings.
This tiny sight would drive your long
guns if desired. However, it really finds its
legs atop a proper combat pistol. Most
everybody makes versions of their tacti-
cal handguns that have the top deck cut
for a red dot these days, and mounting
the sight takes maybe five minutes. The
end result is unprecedented speed and
situational awareness. Additionally, for
old guys who can no longer focus well
on the front sight, the HS507C makes us
prickly with a handgun again.

ZEROING IN vative engineering at a price that is literally
You can drop a holy fortune on tactical a fraction of competitors. And with the The Holosun HS507C is so
optics. The gear that Delta Force and advent of the new pistol-sized HS507C, small and lightweight that it’s
perfect for mounting on top
DEVGRU guys are running downrange is Holosun now offers tactical glass for any-
of a combat handgun. Yet the
indeed available on the civilian market, but thing in your CQB inventory. A Holosun rugged 7075-T6 aluminum
it will set you back a pretty penny. How- sight sits atop my favorite tactical working housing means it’ll stand up to
ever, Holosun offers rugged optics along gun. I can think of no higher accolade. For hard use in the field.
with a nice warranty and remarkably inno- more information, visit holosun.com.

RETRO SPECIAL
FROM
While it might be hard to
believe, enough time has passed
for Eugene Stoner’s original
AR-pattern rifles to be classified
as “Curios & Relics” by the government.
How can a platform that is still in wide use
THE PAST
today qualify? The BATFE considers a
firearm that was manufactured “at least 50
years prior to the current date” to fall under
their definition of Curio & Relic, or C&R.
This means that Colt’s SP1, which began
production in 1964, obtained C&R status
back in 2014. Based on serial numbers, it
is believed that there are more than 10,000
C&R-eligible ARs in existence right now.
A LOOK AT SOME Everything old is new again. Combine
OF THE INSTANT the popularity of the AR platform with the
resurgence of all things retro, and it comes
CLASSICS HONORING as no surprise that those original Stoner-
designed rifles have become highly
THE HISTORY OF THE desirable collector’s items. Unfortunately
AR PLATFORM for many of us, those original rifles remain

beyond our budgetary grasp. This has
opened the market for “retro clones” that
BY T. LOGAN METESH closely match the original design and
appearance, but for a fraction of the price.
Multiple companies have gotten into the
game, offering a wide variety of options at
various prices. Here are a few of the best.

COLT AR15A4
ittingly, Colt introduced its civilian-legal variant stands upon the shoulders of the origi-
F retro clone in 2014—50 years after the

civilian SP1 hit the market. The AR15A4 is
based on the M16A4 rifle used by the military,
nal M16 design elements—including its flaws—
that led to the current iteration we have today.
(And if you want a replica for an older design,
which Colt claims to be “the ultimate full-length you can also check out Colt’s Military Classics
combat rifle…for the 21st century.” The AR15A4 line, which has the M16A1 and XM177E2.)
is billed as “a throwback to the full-sized AR-15 As you would expect, the specs on the
which gave birth to the Modern Sporting Rifle.” civilian AR15A4 faithfully replicate those of its
Some may argue that this rifle doesn’t qualify military counterpart. It has a 20-inch barrel with
as retro since the A4 varia- 1-in-7-inch twist rate, a
tion is considerably less than SPEC BOX 39.5-inch overall length,
50 years old. On the contrary, CALIBER: 5.56mm NATO an A2 front sight, a
I would argue that it does BARREL: 20 inches detachable carry handle
indeed qualify because Colt OA LENGTH: 39.5 inches
rear sight and a full-
is creating a rifle that pays sized fixed buttstock.
homage to 50-plus years Basically, the AR15A4 is
of history enveloped in the SIGHTS: A2 front, carry handle rear a spot-on replica of the
M16/AR-15 design. This AR STOCK: Fixed military design. If you
ACTION: Direct impingement semi-auto laid Colt’s military and
FINISH: Matte black civilian versions next to
each other, the average
CAPACITY: 30+1
person wouldn’t be able
MSRP: $1,099 to tell them apart. Given
the whole point of this
rifle, I think that’s a good thing.
Overall, Colt did a great job with this retro
clone. The company successfully took half a
century of history and combined it into a quality
rifle—as Colt should have, given its long history
with the design after which the company mod-
eled the AR15A4. (colt.com)

FN 15
MILITARY
COLLECTOR M16
n 2015, FN launched a new line of rifles that
I would go “from the front lines to your collec-

tion.” The company’s Military Collector Series
includes civilian-legal versions of the M16, M4 and
M249 SAW. Here we’ll focus on the M16.
Like Colt, FN has a rich history of providing
quality firearms for the military. Its first M16 contract
began in the fall of 1988 when the company under-
bid Colt by almost $60 per rifle. At the time, Colt had
built more than 5 million M16 rifles; the initial FN
contract called for more than a quarter-million rifles.
Staying true to the iconic M16 design, FN’s
retro rifle features specs very similar to Colt’s retro
offering. It too has a 20-inch barrel with a 1-in-7-
inch twist rate, a 39.5-inch overall length, a fixed
buttstock and an A2 front sight.
There are some differences, however. FN’s rifle
does not have a detachable carry handle rear sight.
Instead, it has a flat-top receiver equipped with a
flip-up rear sight. The front handguard is different,
too. Instead of the traditional round handguard
seen on the Colt, FN’s rifle ships with a Knight’s
Armament M5 RAS handguard with rail covers.
In the end, FN’s goal with this line of weaponry
is to bring civilian-legal versions of the “world’s
most iconic products to America’s gun owners.”
The company’s Military Collector series offerings
do exactly that. (fnamerica.com)
SPEC BOX
CALIBER: 5.56mm NATO
BARREL: 20 inches
OA LENGTH: 39.5 inches
SIGHTS: A2 front, flip-up rear
STOCK: Fixed
ACTION: Direct impingement semi-auto
FINISH: Matte black
CAPACITY: 30+1
MSRP: $1,749

© 2018 O.F. Mossberg & Sons
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family-owned and operated firearms manufacturer,
we’ve been building dependable, hardworking shotguns
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TROY
M16A2
SFOD-D
art of Troy’s My Service
P Rifle series, the M16A2

SFOD-D carbine com-
memorates 1993’s Operation
Gothic Serpent in Somalia, which
went awry when two Black Hawk
helicopters went down. The rifle
is 30 inches long with the stock
collapsed and has a 14.9-inch,
chrome-lined barrel with an A2
flash suppressor bringing the total
barrel length up to the 16 inches
required by law. Proceeds of the
rifle sales benefit various military
charities that support our veterans
and their families. Also, like every
other My Service Rifle, the lower
can be ordered with custom
engraving. (myservicerifle.com)
SPEC BOX
BARREL: 14.9 inches
OA LENGTH:
WEIGHT:
SIGHTS:
STOCK: Collapsible
ACTION:
FINISH: Matte black
CAPACITY: 30+1
MSRP: $1,299
tactical-life.com
TROY
XM177E2
ecognizing the significance
R of the half-century mark for

AR-pattern rifles in military
service, Troy introduced the “My
Service Rifle” series with a nod to
our Vietnam vets. To commemo-
rate the 50th anniversary of the
XM177E2 rifle introduced in 1967,
Troy rolled out a rifle created to the
“exacting 1967 U.S. military spec-
ifications, ensuring the historical
accuracy and functional reliability
of this venerable carbine.”
Troy’s XM177E2 has a collapsed
length of 30 inches and a 12.5-
inch barrel. A pinned and welded
4.5-inch moderator is attached
to the barrel so it meets legal
length requirements. The rifle also
ships with both 20- and 30-round
magazines, a sling, cleaning kit, a
reprinted manual from 1967 and
a replica M16 PMM comic from
1969. Proceeds of the rifle sales
benefit the Special Forces Associ-
ation and the Special Operations
Association. (myservicerifle.com)
SPEC BOX
BARREL: 12.5 inches
OA LENGTH: 30 inches
SIGHTS: A1 front, carry handle rear
STOCK: Collapsible
FINISH: Matte black
CAPACITY: 20+1, 30+1
MSRP: $1,199
Yamil Sued Photo
42 TACTICAL LIFE 2019

“EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN…
ORIGINAL STONER-DESIGNED RIFLES
HAVE BECOME HIGHLY DESIRABLE
COLLECTOR’S ITEMS.”
ships with the same accessories as the
inch barrel to a 16-inch overall length,

and both 20- and 30-round magazines
are provided. (myservicerifle.com)
SPEC BOX
BARREL: 12.5 inches
OA LENGTH: 30 inches
SIGHTS: A1 front, carry handle rear
STOCK: Collapsible
FINISH: Matte black
CAPACITY: 20+1, 30+1
MSRP: $1,199
TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 43

BLASTS FROM THE PAST
BROWNELLS’ BIG-BORE REPLICAS
Brownells’ BRN-10B is inspired by later export

AR-10s with brown furniture, a 20-inch barrel
and a Portuguese-style flash suppressor.
ur contemporary AR-10 is sep- Those rifles produced during the interim to extract a case. On most battle rifles,
O arated by years of development

from the original Armalite AR-10
battle rifle of the late 1950s. Prototypes
are the ones usually designated as “tran-
sitional.” One obvious change between
the two military contracts was moving the
the cocking handle may be kicked to
open the bolt. This isn’t the case with the
AR-10. You’ll need to use wedge some
of the AR-10 actually preceded the bayonet lug from the bottom of the barrel type of dowel against the cocking lever
AR-15. These first prototypes were pro- to the top on the Portuguese model. and grasp it with both hands so you can
duced during the mid-1950s and were pull the bolt back. Obviously, this isn’t
intended to replace the M1 Garand. Obvi- IN THE FIELD: Most combat use of something you’d want to do in battle!
ously, that didn’t happen because the the AR-10 was in Africa, especially in
M14 rifle was adopted. However, despite counterinsurgency campaigns by the BORN AGAIN: Brownells recently
early AR-10 production problems, in Portuguese but also by the Sudanese launched its Retro Rifles line to compete
1957, Armalite licensed the Dutch arms army. Portuguese paratroopers found in the replica market, but along with
manufacturer Artillerie Inrichtingen (AI) the AR-10 reliable, accurate and quite offering M16 clones, it stands out by
to produce the AR-10. handier than the G3 or FAL. But the fail- offering the BRN-10 in the same style
The history of production changes ure to get other major military contracts and pattern of the original AR-10. It has
would take much more space than is doomed the AR-10, with reportedly fewer the top-mounted charging handle and
available here, but Armalite continued than 10,000 ever being sold. the same contours as the first produc-
development and constantly sent AI Only a limited number of true select- tion AR-10s from the 1950s. The BRN-10
design upgrades, though many also fire AR-10s were imported into the U.S. is compatible with standard DPMS/
originated with AI. Three AI variants are However, quite a few former military SR-25 components, however, including
generally listed: Sudanese, Portuguese AR-10s came into the U.S. as parts kits triggers, magazines, barrels, bolt carrier
and transitional. Sudan purchased 2,500 to be assembled on American-made groups, muzzle devices, buttstocks,
AR-10 rifles in 1958. These rifles had receivers. These rifles were assembled pistol grips, handguards and buffer
lightweight fluted barrels with prong prior to the various assault weapon bans assemblies. It also features a newly
flash suppressors, fiberglass stocks and of the 1990s. I have seen reference that designed rear sight that is adjustable for
forearms, composite pistol grips and some were assembled during the late windage and elevation, with elevation
sights with graduations in Arabic. With 1970s by Paragon, then selling for $800. settings viewable through the rear of the
an empty aluminum “waffle” magazine, These kit guns, when of good quality, are receiver. The BRN-10A is based on early
this variant only weighed 7.3 pounds. now sought after by collectors. models used by the Netherlands while
The Portuguese variant incorporated One notable difference from the the BRN-10B is closer to later models
various improvements, including a AR-15 and its descendants is the cocking used in Portugal and elsewhere.
heavier barrel with a chrome-lined method. Rather than the T-shaped han- The AR-10 played an important
chamber, plastic/metal removable hand- dle most of us are used to on AR-15-type part in the development of modern
guards, an optional bipod, beefier bolt rifles, the AR-10 uses a trigger-style assault rifles, particularly with the later
lugs, a sturdier extractor, a three-position cocking lever on top of the receiver, AR-15s, M16s and M4s. I’m really glad
gas regulator and a forward assist. The under the carry handle. The benefit is to see Brownells doing retro versions
figure given for AR-10s supplied to Por- that this cocking lever may be operated of the original AR-10. It gives shooters
tugal is between 4,000 and 5,000. by either hand. But only minmal leverage a chance to experience perhaps the
Between the Sudanese and Portu- can be applied. A couple of times while most innovative battle rifle of the 1960s.
guese sales, various changes were made. firing an AR-10 on full-auto I had a failure (brownells.com) —Leroy Thompson

THE DIFFERENCE
TRUSTED, RELIABLE, PROVEN

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customers in the most demanding environments in the world.
The guns we’ve built have won over 20 national and world championships
and are in the hands of special operations forces around the globe.
When you know the difference, you choose ZEV.
ZEVTECH.COM
INFO@ZEVTECH.COM
RETRO SPECIAL
HOW TO
RECREATE THE
U.S. MILITARY’S
FIRST AR USING
BROWNELLS
RETRO PARTS
BY FRANK JARDIM

VIETNAM
There’s never been a suppressor and green furniture angular charging handle ($60), early
better time to indulge instead of the familiar black that duckbill flash suppressor ($29),
your retro AR nostalgia. came later. A little over 14,000 were green furniture ($80), chromed bolt
I decided to build up made before production ceased in carrier group without serrations
my own retro AR based on Colt’s 1963. The U.S. Air Force got 8,500, since the 601 had no forward assist
Model 601, the first production the Army took 1,000 to field test in ($150), non-captive and easily lost
model to see military service and Vietnam, and Navy SEALs took a front pivot pin ($15) and alumi-
the sleekest of the ARs. It had no few for their operations. num 20-round magazine ($14). I
forward assist or protective raised chose the gray anodized receivers
gate around the magazine release, SOLID FOUNDATION because the original black rifle
Cassandra Dale Illustration
giving its receiver a slab-sided look For this build project, Brownells wasn’t really black at all. Brownells
you’ll find on vintage civilian Colt was the source for all $648 of the had some color consistency prob-
SP1 rifles. It also had a distinctive newly manufactured early Model lems with the gray anodizing ini-
triangular-head charging handle, 601 parts, including the gray upper tially, but by the time you read this,
a three-prong “duckbill” flash and lower receivers ($150 each), tri- that problem will be solved.

BUILD YOUR OWN BARE-BONES VIETNAM AR
Brownells’ new Retro parts are overall

quite authentically rendered, but neither
the parts nor the complete guns are
meant to be exact copies of the originals.
Brownells nailed the overall impression,
but there are differences in the small
details like the texturing on the magazine
release button, the center holes in the
Assembling a receiver
heads of various pins, the metal and furni-
is a kitchen-table job ture finishes, and the receiver marking—or
if you attach a vise lack thereof. I am sure a purist will criticize
to a board that you the company’s USAF green stocks, grips
can clamp down. But and handguards. They’re brighter than the
make sure you use a
dark olive drab paint applied to the brown
vise block like those
from Real Avid to fiberglass originals. The Retro stock, made
secure your receiver from molded Zytel, may not be a perfect
without damaging match, but it’s much stronger and will wear
its surfaces. better. And if you can’t stand the color, you
can just paint the furniture. Brownells also
has a big selection of standard AR parts
like lower kits, sights, headspace gauges
and tools useful for any build.
I wanted to build my own Model 601
with some modern enhancements that
Though purists will find some discrepancies,

the author’s new home-built Colt Model 601
replica captures the look and feel of the original
AR-platform rifles used by the U.S. Air Force.
1. The author used a

Real Avid Master Bench 1 2 3
Block to support the
triggerguard ears while
driving in the rear pin.
2. Protect the side of the

receiver when it’s time to
tap in your bolt catch roll
pin, and use forceps to
hold it in place.
3. The Real Avid Smart-Fit

AR-15 Vise Block makes
it easier to install the
magazine release without
scratching the receiver.

wouldn’t detract from its old-school
look. First on my list was an excellent The Geissele SSP comes
Geissele Single Stage Precision (SSP) with a slave pin for easy
M4 Curved Bow trigger. With its crisp, installation. Put the
trigger pin in the left-side
consistent, 3.5-pound break, it doesn’t
hole, line up the slave pin
cheat the rifle of its accuracy potential on the right-side hole and
like a stock military trigger does. The gently tap it in place.
Geissele is wire-EDM cut from S7 tool
steel and given a black oxide finish with
polished, butter-smooth contact points. Ensure the hole in your
It installs just like the mil-spec unit, but delta ring is in perfect
that’s where the similarity ends. At $240, alignment with the
hole in the front of the
it’s an investment in accuracy. upper. And make sure
The original Model 601 had a slim you grease the barrel
barrel with a 1-in-14-inch twist rate. extension and threading.
Brownells’ Retro rifles come with 1-in-12-
inch-twist barrels. Both were optimized
for 55-grain M193 ammo. You won’t find
that surplus anymore, so a 1-in-7-inch- or
1-in-9-inch-twist barrel would be more
practical with modern 62-grain M855 ball
rounds. Sherluk Defense, specializing in
AR and other U.S. military firearms parts,
offers 20-inch, 1-in-9-inch-twist “pencil”
barrels complete with front sight bases,
triangular front handguard caps, barrel
nuts, original straight-sided delta rings,
weld springs and snap rings for $195.
Brownells offers the same ready-to-install
setup but with a 1-in-7-inch twist rate as
well as a chrome-lined chamber and bore
for $243. I intend to use my retro rifle for
general shooting and protection around
the property at ranges under 200 yards.
Probably more than anything, my son will
shoot it with a CMMG .22 LR adapter.
For those purposes, a 1-in-12-inch twist
is no handicap. I also had a brand-new
Vietnam-era Colt GI barrel on hand.
The author uses a manual torque wrench to
Instead of the round, elevation- adjust- apply 30 to 80 foot-pounds of torque to line
able front sight and dual-aperture rear up the receiver’s gas tube hole with the first
sight, I chose XS Sights Systems’ Tritium available opening in the barrel nut.
Stripe front sight and CSAT rear sight.
The Combat Shooting & Tactics (CSAT)
rear sight has a notch cut into the top instead of 1 inch like the military front you work, and the Lug-Lok Vise Block for
of the small aperture that serves as a post. This won’t be my first choice for barrel installation and removal. Instead
close-range (7 yards) open sight. Paired competitions, but woe to any home of gripping the comparatively delicate
with the higher visibility of the tritium invader, ground hog or coyote trying to aluminum upper receiver, the Lug-Lok
front sight in low light or darkness, this force their unwelcome presence upon us. engages the lugs in the barrel extension
is an important consideration for home to hold it still while you torque the barrel
defense. The tradeoff is that the com- BUILD TOOLS & NOTES nut down. Very little, if any, twisting
bination isn’t conducive to long-range I also used some well-thought-out stress is put on the upper receiver. The
accuracy because the rear apertures tools from Real Avid for this build. Useful Real Avid Master Bench Block is most
are same-plane, and the front can only for any AR build is the Smart-Fit AR-15 useful for taking ARs apart, but it’s also
be adjusted in 180-degree turns, which Vise Block, which can be tightened in the great for holding the receiver upright for
translates to 2.5 inches at 100 yards magazine well to hold any lower still while installation of the bolt-hold-open latch pin

1 2 3
1. There is no specific position for clocking the

early three-prong flash hider. It stays put by
virtue of an old-fashioned split-lock washer.
2. AR rifles don’t use a back plate like carbines.
The buttstock itself holds the takedown pin
spring in place. 3. Brownells offers “go” and “no
go” gauges to check the headspace. The bolt
should close on the former, not the latter.
and for bracing the front sight base when less than $40. I prefer the manual type The barrel nut torque value of 30 to
pinning in the gas tube. because they don’t lose their calibration. 80 foot-pounds is based on lubricated
Most AR builds today are carbine- Know these principles to accurately threads. Because of friction, dry threads
length guns with free-floating barrels. apply torque. 1. Only pull the wrench will reach the same torque value with
A retro AR build can be done with the from the handle (make sure it’s centered less tightening than lubricated ones.
same tools as long as your barrel wrench on the bar with a manual wrench). 2. If you don’t lubricate the threads and
is the open type. The M16 series had Anything that lengthens the handle torque to the low end (30 foot-pounds),
triangular fixed front sight bases that you results in the application of more torque your barrel nut won’t be tight enough.
have to work around. Most inexpensive than the wrench is reading, so only The procedure to tighten a military AR
($20) barrel nut wrenches are open type. mount your barrel wrench at a 90-degree barrel nut is to torque it up to 30 foot-
Applying the correct amount of torque angle from the torque wrench handle. pounds and then loosen it twice before
to the barrel nut and buffer spring tube The combined tools make a letter “L.” 3. you go for your final tightening to line up
can be the most intimidating aspect of the gas tube hole in the receiver with the
a build for beginners. The rest of the SPEC BOX first available opening though the cas-
assembly can be done on the kitchen tellations on your barrel nut between 30
table with a small vise bolted to a board
CUSTOM MODEL 601 and 80 foot-pounds. Don’t over-torque!
and clamped to the table. To get the CALIBER: 5.56mm NATO Setting the threads with this method will
torque right, you need a few things: a give you a more accurate reading than
BARREL: 20 inches
solidly mounted, stable, workbench vise; using the “one and done” method.
a fixture like the Lug-Lok to safely support Install the buffer tube without greas-
the receiver and barrel in the vise; some WEIGHT: 6.63 pounds (empty) ing the threads. Use a padded vise to
grease without graphite like AeroShell STOCK: Fixed hold the receiver steady along its full
33MS to keep the threads from galling; a SIGHTS: XS tritium front, CSAT rear length, and use a bolt and washer to
barrel nut wrench; a ½-inch drive torque secure the wrench on the rear of the
wrench capable of delivering between tube so it doesn’t slip off and round
30 and 80 foot-pounds of torque; and a FINISH: Gray, green the edges. Support the end of the tube
basic understanding of the principles of CAPACITY: 20+1 attached to the wrench with your free
torque. Either a manual needle or click- MSRP: N/A hand to minimize lateral flexing while you
type torque wrench will do the job for apply 35 to 39 foot-pounds. This is the

COMPLETELY ZEV.
01.01.19
ZEVTECH.COM
1 2
LOOK TO
3
ith the recent spike in interest in
W historic AR platforms, we’re seeing

a number of manufacturers show
some love to the military ancestors of the
world’s most versatile sporting rifle. Luth-AR
makes a number of parts and uppers that
will appeal to the retro AR builder. Luth-AR is
a precision manufacturing shop founded by
Randy Luth, the man who founded DPMS/
Panther Arms, that has earned praise for its
versatile MBA series buttstocks.
The company’s retro line includes stripped
and fully assembled A1 upper receivers,
allowing you to create your own transitional
M16A1E1, the immediate predecessor of the
M16A2. This upper simply sported the now-
familiar shell deflector. It retained the M16’s 1. You will probably have to line up the weld spring and retaining clip to insert your gas tube
original carry handle and two-position flip into the receiver. 2. Forceps and the Real Avid Master Bench Block will save your fingers
when installing the gas tube in the front sight block. 3. Brownells’ Retro handguards have the
rear sight. The receiver was tested by the U.S.
right shape and heat shields but are made of much stronger materials than the originals.
military in the 1970s before the M16A2 upper,
with its windage- and elevation-adjustable
rear sight, was standardized in 1984.
Luth-AR’s A1 uppers are forged from 7075- weakest part of the AR receiver, so washer. Get it hand tight and you’re
T6 aluminum, and for the sake of authenticity, make sure you don’t overdo it. done. It is solid steel and fairly robust
the uppers don’t have M4 feed ramps. despite reports from Vietnam to the
GOING FURTHER: Luth-AR also makes FINISHING TOUCHES contrary. Grunts bent them using the
the retro M16A1 parts used and marketed At this point, any anxiety about your prongs to twist and break the steel
by other top-tier retailers, including rear build should be behind you. When straps on Army ration crates. Obvi-
sight components, A1-style front sight posts, you try to put the early three-prong ously, you should not do that.
triangular handguards, straight A1 delta rings, flash suppressor on, don’t be alarmed For about the same cost as an
early charging handles, teardrop forward that it lacks wrench off-the-rack Brownells BRN-
assists and three-prong flash suppressors. All flats. Early GI barrel 601 rifle, my build captured
of these components are American made and wrenches had slots to the spirit and distinctive
meet or exceed the original quality-control tighten it, but you can appearance of that first
standards. Also, if you plan on installing an accomplish the same military AR-15, but with
aftermarket trigger, you’ll find the Luth-AR thing with a butter enhanced shooting charac-
Builder Lower Receiver Parts Kit very practi- knife. Contrary to what teristics that make it a better
cal. This kit doesn’t have the pistol grip, grip you might expect, and more practical general
screw, trigger, hammer and disconnector, so these weren’t clocked shooter for my family. After
you aren’t paying for parts don’t need for your any particular way and all, getting exactly what you
retro build. (luth-ar.com) —Frank Jardim were held tight with want is the whole reason for
a simple split-lock building your own rifle.

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FIRST LOOK
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T I V E 5
THIS INNOVA
Cobalt Kinetics isn’t exactly a household name in the AR world,
01 • 02 • 2019 55
RADICAL 27 RANGER
eye closed to lessen the visual impact,

and forget about everything your old
range sergeant taught you in Basic.
One of the first and most noticeable
features you see on this rifle is the 27
series stock, which immediately conjures
up pleasant thoughts of exotic locales
such as Maryland, Massachusetts and
California. One would assume the pri-
mary purpose of the missing pistol grip
would be to allow sales in places that
prohibit them, admittedly one of the driv-
ers behind the 27s, but that’s only part of
the reason behind the very spacey stock.
Besides the non-pistol-grip profile, the
billet-machined 7075-T6 aluminum design
also helps reduce the rifle’s height (when
used with a short magazine), and to make
it adjustable for length of pull on the
shoulder, along with a movable cheekrest,
to set up the rifle for an individual shoot-
er’s physique. The entire buttplate is
also a separate component, movable up
or down, again to tailor the stock to the
shooter. It looks ungainly as a unit, but
it’s quite functional in use. And the grip
angle and trigger reach are deliberately
designed to be quite similar to what you
find in a traditional wood-stocked hunting
rifle. Once you get past the aesthetics,
and recalibrate your head after years of
AR tradition, it’s perfectly doable.
MEET THE RANGER

Of the four different models in the
Model 27 series, the Ranger is the
most compact overall, and the one I
got my hands on for testing. There are
fittings and philosophies that include while the company does offer conven- two Ranger levels or stages available,
defense, hunting and competition. tional pistol-grip patterns, the Model 27 reflecting features and pricing, and our
Regarding the interesting name, the series is one that may take some in-hand test sample came in the more deluxe
company’s vice president Skylar Stewart use to fully appreciate. If you happen to Stage II format at $2,250 for the base
said, “Cobalt is a great, strong metal with be a grandpa, the Model 27 rifles may gun with one 30-round PMAG.
lots of interesting properties. It’s radio- easily send you screaming off into the The button-rifled, 13.2-inch, 5.56mm
active. It’s present in every cutting tool night at first glance. Approach with one barrel has a 1-in-7-inch twist rate and
used in the machine industry. It’s used
in bombs and tank armor. Kinetics refers
to our dedication to always be moving
forward and innovating.” “IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE A GRANDPA, THE MODEL 27
KINETIC ENERGY RIFLES MAY EASILY SEND YOU SCREAMING OFF
In a very crowded field where far too
many makers try to introduce “different” INTO THE NIGHT AT FIRST GLANCE.”
largely in areas that make no real differ-
ence, Cobalt Kinetics has reinvented the
wheel in both design and quality, and

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ACR 6.8 SPC

90955 (16”)
NEW FOR 2018

6.8 SPC
450 Bushmaster
ACR 5.56 PISTOL

90036 (10.5”) FOR THE FREE
RADICAL 27 RANGER
and an 8740 firing pin. The barrel is

made from 4150 chrome-moly-vanadium
steel, and it’s paired with an adjustable
gas block. The trigger is a single-stage
adjustable DMR unit. All of the materials
are AISI certified, and every part is heat
treated and coated to meet or exceed its
respective mil-spec criteria.
TRUE INNOVATION
As we all learned in Stoner 101, the
The Ranger comes with two forward assists original M16 rifle was set up strictly
(one on each side) that also act as bolt releases, for right-handers, and that gave us
dramatically speeding up your reload time. several options, all of which were either
shooting right-handed in a military that
refused to acknowledge the existence
SPEC BOX a permanently pinned Cobalt Kinetics of a left hand or fumbling up some con-
Pro muzzle brake. This barrel length trived version of awkward left-shoulder
COBALT KINETICS helps keep the rifle’s weight as rearward shooting in the civilian AR world. Some
27 RANGER as possible without losing too much
velocity. The Pro brake is a proprietary
years later, when companies like DPMS
and Stag Arms produced ARs with left-
CALIBER: 5.56mm NATO Cobalt Kinetics product constructed side controls and ejection, life improved
BARREL: 13.5 inches
of stress-proof carbon steel with a considerably for the 10 percent of the
black lithium-iron surface conversion to population unfortunately born with a
OA LENGTH: 34.75 inches resist gas temperatures and abrasion. left-handed disadvantage (humor only,
WEIGHT: 7.78 pounds (empty) Those gases are vented in diametrically no hate emails, please). It was then pos-
STOCK: Billet aluminum opposed, side-only directions through sible to buy either a right- or left-handed
a symmetrical port-and-baffle design to AR, and off we went.
SIGHTS: None
effectively reduce the already light recoil But Cobalt Kinetics has tossed all that
ACTION: Direct impingement semi-auto without creating a dust signature when out the window, and the 27s combine
FINISH: Gray Cerakote firing from the prone position. both right- and left-hand controls into
CAPACITY: 30+1 All of the major components, including one rifle. Yep—aside from the right-hand
the receivers and stock, are machined ejection being retained, almost every
MSRP: $2,250
from a billet of 7075-T6 aluminum. The other function is duplicated on both
Odin Works handguard is made from sides of the receivers. You’ll find an ambi-
extruded aluminum, however. The Cera- dextrous charging handle, safety, bolt
LOAD ACCURACY kote finish on my test gun came in what release and magazine release as well as
Black Hills 69 OTM 1.00 the company calls “Smith & Wesson dual forward assists. Yep, you read that
Colt Defense 62 Bonded 0.88
Gray,” and the mating of upper and lower right: two forward assists. The only other
receivers is rock solid. In fact, all of the function not duplicated on both sides
Sig Sauer 77 OTM 0.88 Ranger’s machining is A++, and the is the bolt lock, which is in the normal
Winchester 40 Varmint-X 0.88 Cerakote was perfectly applied. position on the left side.
Winchester 55 FMJ 3.38 Inside, the M16 bolt carrier group is I know. For those who don’t use the
from American Built Arms, with a nickel- forward assist and don’t understand it,
Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in
boron-coated carrier of 8620 steel, a why have two? And the answer, besides
fps by chronograph and accuracy in inches
for best five-shot groups at 50 yards. Carpenter 158 steel bolt, a 4130 gas the fact that you should understand
key, a 4340 cam pin, an E4140 extractor the purpose of the forward assist with

The entire upper and lower receivers, including
the unconventional grip and stock design, are
machined from a billet of 7075-T6 aluminum.
a stuck or sluggish bolt, is that Cobalt in a hurry, you’d slam the new magazine for that arm. It’s quick, slick and
Kinetics has designed a cool new bonus in tight and then slap the bolt release completely ambidextrous.
feature into the gun: The forward assists before returning your support arm to the The ambidextrous charging handle is
also act as bolt releases. forend. Three motions. Here, you slam another benefit. You can work out your
Think about that. Before Cobalt Kinet- the magazine in and simultaneously own charging and malfunction clearance
ics came along, when you’d reload your thumb the forward assist to send the bolt drills using whichever combination of
AR, you’d do the time-honored “slam and home while you’re returning support to controls works best in your hands. And
slap” to get it running again. If you were the forend. Now it’s just two motions that means you can load a magazine,

RADICAL 27 RANGER
charge the bolt if forward, release the

bolt if locked and fire the gun, all with the
same firing hand, while the support hand
never lowers the rifle.
SUB-MOA RESULTS
I used five different loads to test the
Ranger, with bullet weights raining from
40 to 77 grains, and at 100 yards, the
compact rifle pulled off sub-1-inch, three-
shot groups with four of those five loads,
which is impressive. The dot reticle on
the Vortex 1-8x24mm Strike Eagle scope
that Cobalt Kinetics sent along for test-
ing on the rifle took some getting used
to, but once adjusted to a power level The Ranger indicated no clear Ranger can obviously handle anything
reducing that dot size to center correctly preference in bullet weight, showing from varmints to defensive needs.
inside the black bullseye for accuracy, the exact same spread with the 40-, The rifle’s functioning wasn’t at 100
it was easy to stay on target. The very 62- and 77-grain loads. Once you match percent, but that’s on me, not the gun.
clean, 5.5-pound trigger helped, and the the gas system to the bullet weight, and The manual states that you should
bolt travel was extremely smooth. the bullet weight to the job at hand, the remove the shipping lube before shoot-
ing, and since I normally don’t on test
guns, I didn’t here. I also ran the gun as
it came, without making any gas block
adjustments. If I’d lubed it and worked
COBALT’S 27 HUNTER with the gas system, I have no doubt the
gun would have run perfectly. As it was,
the bolt failed to lock open on several
last-round strings. The Ranger also
showed one feed ramp malfunction with
Winchester’s “White Box” FMJs, which
consistently produced the worst groups
of the bunch. Again, blame me, not the
ordnance. I was more concerned here
with accuracy, and the Ranger delivered.
STANDING OUT
A wise Spock once said, “A difference
that makes no difference, is no differ-
ence.” Cobalt Kinetics clearly took that
to heart in the new Ranger. The controls
may seem a little crowded at first, and the
grip will take some getting used to, but
once you spend enough quality time with
obalt Kinetics, being a Utah-based outfit, is no stranger to hunting the gun to overcome pretty much every-
C endeavors. In other words, there’s more to Cobalt than radical,

innovative tactical weapons. New this year in the Model 27 series
is the Hunter. Tactical Life recently received a New-York-compliant sample
thing you were taught or learned about
running an AR, you can build up some
serious speed on this platform. And that’s
chambered in the new .224 Valkyrie. Other Hunter chamberings include the regardless of which hand your brain
6.5 Grendel and .223 Wylde. The fit and camouflage finish on the rifle are insists on using for whatever function.
outstanding. We’ll be putting the gun through its paces on Northeastern I can easily see it being hard to go
whitetails, feeding it Federal’s new 90-grain .224 Valkyrie Fusion ammuni- back to a conventional AR after giving
tion. Be on the lookout for a full-length feature in the October/November one of these a good workout. This
2019 issue of Tactical Life magazine, which will be heavily focused on mod- Ranger doesn’t just look different—it
ern sporting rifles, shotguns and big-bore handguns. —Nino Bosaz redefines the platform. For more informa-
tion, visit cobaltkinetics.com.

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Made in USA
GEAR GUIDE
BY JOSHUA HAARBRINK
osted this year in the
tech-centric city of Bellevue,
Washington, just a short
drive from Seattle, TriggrCon
is quickly establishing itself
as a technology-driven event
offering some of the most
innovative and progressive products
in the firearms industry. Although the
Pacific Northwest is often associated with
liberal-leaning politics, there is a strong
CMC DROP-IN GLOCK TRIGGER
defense and aerospace industry pres-
Among the seemingly endless parade of customized accessories
ence as well as a surprisingly large yet and aftermarket products, CMC Triggers continues to grow as one of
somewhat reserved firearms community. the premier providers of high-quality drop-in triggers for rifles, and now
The Bellevue and Seattle areas are home pistols. This proud Texas-based company has become a favorite of many
to such well-known giants as Microsoft, competitive and recreational shooters and offers both curved- and flat-bow
Amazon, Intel, SpaceX and Boeing, and designs in single- or two-stage configurations for a variety of platforms and
the innovative spirit flows over to the in a variety of pull weights. New to CMC’s lineup is a revolutionary trigger
for the Glock platform that features the “Signature Flat” design that is so
popular with rifle enthusiasts. (cmctriggers.com)
the compact Blitz 2.0 pistol in

5.56mm NATO. Featuring ambi-
dextrous controls and a collaps-
ible SBPDW stabilizing brace,
this platform delivers highly
reliable firepower without being
too big. More features include
ROUNDING UP THE 10 BEST a nitrided bolt carrier group,
a 10.5-inch barrel, an M-LOK
TACTICAL GEMS FROM TRIGGRCON 2018 handguard and a Geissele two-
stage trigger. The grip is made
by Hogue or VZ depending on
availability. (falkordefense.com)

GHOST GUNNER 2
Based on readily available materials and parts,
and powered by open-source technology, this
desktop CNC mill offers a turnkey solution to
complete an 80-percent lower receiver. The unit is
fairly priced and includes everything ready to start
milling, apart from the jig sets for each specific
model, which are sold separately. The milling
codes (the files that are imported into the soft-
ware to operate the mill) are offered for free, and
any replacement parts for the mill, as well as the
80-percent lowers themselves, are available for
purchase through the website. (ghostgunner.net)
FULL CONCEAL M3D L2D COMBAT

In the wild world of firearms customizing and accessories, there are Much of the innovation in the firearms
plenty of gimmicky products to choose from. But the Full Conceal M3D, customization market today rightfully focuses
essentially a folding Glock 19, is far from that. It’s difficult to describe the on enhanced functioning, but there is cer-
surprisingly intuitive movement needed to bring this pistol to bear on a tainly something to be said about enhanced
target. You simply unfold the gun and you’re ready to go. Of course, the form. L2D Combat designs and produces
extensive machining and added components create a few new elements a luxurious, functional and ever-evolving
to consider. In the folded position, the magazine may slide out of position line of precision-engineered components
slightly with extensive jostling in a pocket, and there are a couple of hooks for Glock pistols, and has recently begun
and angles that could potentially get caught in clothing when deploying focusing on Smith & Wesson M&P pistols as
in a high-stress situation. While this is obviously not a match-grade pistol, well. Providing replacement parts for nearly
the trigger is replaced by a Full Conceal unit that doesn’t allow for much every component of the pistol platform, L2D
adjustment, and the replacement folding triggerguard also eliminates the Combat applies precision machining as well
option of carrying the modified pistol in any standard holster. To fold the as specialized treatments and coatings to
pistol, the frame is dramatically chopped, which voids the manufacturer’s make beautiful and powerful upgrades to
warranty, although Full Conceal offers is own. (fullconceal.com) create countless combinations of customized
configurations. (l2dcombat.com)

GEAR GUIDE
TACTICAL AR
One of the first products that caught our atten-
tion at this year’s show was Tactical AR, a training
simulator designed to develop real firearms skills
and habits with incredibly realistic VR freedom of
movement and responsiveness. Even more impres-
sive, this revolutionary system allows you to use your
own equipment in order to develop muscle memory
and weapons handling abilities even more effectively.
The Tactical AR system includes a drop-in AR-15 fire
control group that turns your rifle into a surprisingly
NEXTLEVEL accurate VR training device. Entering the VR envi-
TRAINING ronment can certainly be a bit disorienting at first,
SIRT PISTOLS but engaging targets quickly becomes very intuitive.
Not only is this system fun, but it offers a revolution-
For those who recognize and live by the ary way to develop real-world skills in the comfort of
motto “train to win,” getting in a consistent your own home. (tacticalar.net)
and generous dose of trigger time is essential
to developing the muscle memory required
to accurately and effectively operate a fire-
arm, regardless of the application. Endless
amounts of money may be spent on custom
triggers and advanced sight systems, but the
highest impacts on precision shooting come
from the combination of sight picture acquisi-
tion and trigger manipulation.
NextLevel Training’s Shot Indicating
Resetting Trigger (SIRT) pistols and drop-in
rifle bolt have set the standard for functional
high-volume training with their unique single-
and dual-laser configurations, allowing
shooters to improve their front sight discipline
and trigger control in any environment. SIRT
pistols also allow for interchangeable sights,
including a newly produced simulated rear
optic, allowing for daily training in the privacy
your home. (nextleveltraining.com)
STRIKE INDUSTRIES
VIPER PDW STABILIZER
Led by military-grade experience and catering
to shooters with real-world applications in mind,
Strike Industries produces a variety of high-quality
accessories for both rifle and pistol platforms.
New to the company’s innovative lineup this
year, the Viper PDW Stabilizer is a quick-action
two-position brace for the AR platform that is
spring-loaded and easy to use. This compact and
highly intuitive system is designed to maximize the
low-profile functionality of an AR-15 pistol and
works with any standard AR-15 bolt carrier. The
kit includes everything necessary for proper instal-
lation and drops in to any customizable platform
with minimal effort. (strikeindustries.com)

TENICOR VELO
Jeff Mau got quite a jump on the
competition when he produced his
very first holster at the adventurous
young age of 8 years old, and that
creative drive helped him win the
Golden Triggr Award for the Tenicor
Velo at TriggrCon 2018.
Based on years of professional
active and off-duty carry, the Tenicor
Velo was developed as an appendix
inside-the-waistband (AIWB) carry VAULTEK
holster that features a few very specific Vaultek smart safes offer functional features that allow
modifications for enhanced conceal- for quick access to the contents when time counts as well
ability and comfort. A raised bar is as real-time remote monitoring. The company’s rugged
molded into the profile over the trigger- products fit a variety of applications, including lightweight
guard to relieve pressure from the belt travel, larger-capacity storage and mid-capacity storage.
and rotate the grip into the body, and The Slider Series safes feature a three-point rail system
a molded wedge pushes the muzzle so they can be mounted out of the way in quick-access
away from the body. These two unique locations inside vehicles, under desks or on the side of
elements, along with numerous other a dresser. The safes use biometric scanners and come
highly functional features, deliver not with illuminated keypads, machined keys and smart keys
just a comfortable carry experience, for remote coded access. A mobile app also alerts you to
but a safe one as well. (tenicor.com) tampering and more. (vaulteksafe.com)
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66 TACTICAL LIFE
tactical-life.com
BULLPUP FIGHT
S
hotguns have been go-to firearms for That’s because bullpups have their
generations. Double-barreled, pump- operating systems moved back into
action and semi-auto scatterguns have the stock. This allows them to have all
all played important roles in civilian of the power of a gun with a full-length
personal defense. Many law enforce- barrel while still being only about
ment agencies and military units have 30 inches long. Compare that to an
relied on them for close-quarters battle 18-inch-barreled tactical Remington
as well. But today, shotguns are being 870, which is about 39 inches in length.
challenged by semi-auto rifles and rifle- That extra 9 inches makes traditional
based pistols for the title of “top dog” pump guns and semi-autos more diffi-
for close encounters. On the other hand, cult to maneuver around corners when
makers of shotguns aren’t sitting around clearing hallways and rooms. In tight
crying in their beer. One new contender situations, the longer shotgun is also
for the close-quarters heavyweight title is more vulnerable to a gun grab.
the 12-gauge, semi-auto bullpup. Companies like Kel-Tec and UTAS
have come out with pump-action bullpup
BULLPUP BASICS Both bullpups come shotguns that have generated a lot
Some years ago, my friend Massad with detachable of interest. They’re a step in the right
carry handles, but
Ayoob wrote that most shotguns were direction because they maneuver quickly,
the author chose to
like artillery: big and really powerful but remove them and but I find them somewhat difficult to
not very mobile. He suggested that they install optics like the operate. The compact configuration of
were best at engaging targets across Leupold LCO instead. these short pump guns places my hands
a room from behind cover. However, Flip-up sights are quite close together and gives me less
also included.
12-gauge bullpups are more like tanks: leverage to pump the action, especially
fast, accurate and very maneuverable. when I keep my arms tucked in—as they
should be during close engagements.
However, the latest bullpup shotguns
are semi-autos. They don’t require hand
cycling, and like most semi-autos, their
gas operating systems help smooth out
recoil by turning the gun’s kick into a
push. All things considered, these newer
bullpup shotguns have real possibilities.
Alex Landeen Photo

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BULLPUP FIGHT
“ONE NEW CONTENDER FOR THE

CLOSE-QUARTERS HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE IS THE
12-GAUGE, SEMI-AUTO BULLPUP.”
TWIN TURKS
I recently tested early
samples of two new
Turkish-made, 12-gauge,
semi-auto bullpups. The
first is distributed by of the IO is 28.5 inches, and that of the
Inter Ordnance (IO), and the second
is sold by TriStar. Both are made by 8 pounds empty, with the balance point
basic AK-style operating system similar weight on the strong hand, requiring con-
to Saiga shotguns. Turkish guns have siderable hand and arm strength to hold
been improving in quality and reputation the gun and operate the controls.
in recent years, and these two guns These Kral guns have operating han-
show good overall workmanship. dles on the right side of the action and
Since they’re both made at the same should only be fired from the right shoul-
factory, the IO and TriStar guns are very der. They come from the factory with five-
similar. The IO’s barrel is 18.5 inches round magazines and can also accept
long while the TriStar’s is 20 inches. Saiga-compatible, high-capacity SCM
Both use Beretta and Benelli Mobil magazines. Their semi-auto gas operating
threads and come factory-equipped with systems allow them to cycle with a vari-
chokes. The TriStar has an extended ety of loads, from 2¾-inch tactical slugs
screw-in choke tube while the IO has and tactical buckshot up to 1.13-ounce
three screw-in chokes. The overall length slugs in 3-inch shotshells. Anyone who
IO and TriStar both include
five-round magazines with
their shotguns, which can
also user higher-capacity
SCM magazines as well.
The magazine
release is located at
the rear of the mag
well, making it easy
to reload after a
slight learning curve.

work in these 12-gauge bullpups. in order to gain access to the internal
Both guns also come with detach- operating mechanism. The MSRPs are
able carry handles on top as well as projected to be $790 for the TriStar and
flip-up front and rear iron sights that $780 for the IO.
are easy to deploy. If you don’t like the
carry handles, just remove them and the HANDS ON
guns become “flattops” with top rails Although these guns are well made,
for mounting the adjustable flip-up iron I noticed a couple of issues that affect
sights that come with the shotguns, or their handling when I examined them
you can mount an optical sight. IO lent on my workbench. The trigger pulls on
me an Aria 5-MOA red dot for testing both were quite heavy. The IO had a
on its gun, and Leupold lent me a somewhat rough trigger pull that stacked
1-MOA Leupold Carbine Optic (LCO) heavily and broke at an average of
for testing on the TriStar. 8.5 pounds. The TriStar’s 11.5-pound
The IO and TriStar bullpups have trigger pull was a bit rougher and also
short bottom rails on their forends for stacked heavily. Bullpups generally have
attaching lights, lasers and/or slings. long trigger bars with pivot points that
The IO gun also comes with short side must be carefully designed and fitted to
rails on the forend, an adjustable cheek- ensure a good trigger pull.
piece and a plastic case. In addition, The second issue concerned the mag-
both of these Kral bullpups have manu- azines. It was difficult to insert a loaded
ally operated bolt catches. magazine in either gun if the bolt was
Finally, field-stripping both guns is closed. With both Kral bullpups, I did not
more complex than disassembling a have the strength to insert a loaded mag-
traditional Saiga. Taking the bullpups azine into place with the action in battery.
apart requires removing the carrying Shotgun shells are quite heavy, and mag-
handle (if it was mounted in the first azine springs for shotguns need to be

BULLPUP FIGHT
The IO and TriStar shotguns

have short bottom rails
for accessories as well as
manually operated
bolt catches.
SPEC BOX
TRISTAR COMPACT
“ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, THESE NEWER
GAUGE: 12; 3-inch chamber BULLPUP SHOTGUNS HAVE REAL POSSIBILITIES.”
BARREL: 20 inches
OA LENGTH: 30 inches stout to ensure good feeding. Therefore, both shotguns were fired for accuracy
WEIGHT: 8 pounds (empty) I’m not sure this is an issue that can be with both slugs and buckshot.
easily resolved. My personal workaround I created buckshot patterns at 10
STOCK: Polymer
for loading these bullpups involved point- yards, which is a common distance
SIGHTS: Flip-up front and rear ing the gun in a safe direction and then for engagements using this type of
ACTION: Piston-operated semi-auto locking the bolt open. From there I locked ammunition. My 00 buckshot for this test
FINISH: Matte black the magazine in place and released the included Hornady’s 2¾-inch, eight-pellet
bolt to chamber a round. Critical Defense rounds and Remington’s
CAPACITY: 5+1
It’s not a fast procedure, and you may 2¾-inch, eight-pellet Tac-8 ammo. Both
MSRP: $790 develop a different technique that works functioned perfectly. Patterns ranged
better for you. In any case, I’d clearly from 2 inches to 3.5 inches for the Crit-
use 10-round aftermarket magazines in ical Defense ammo, and 4.5 inches to 5
SPEC BOX tactical situations to cut reloading to a inches with the Tac-8 rounds.
minimum and, as always, have a handgun Due to the heavy trigger pulls, the
INTER ORDNANCE COMPACT slug testing was conducted at 15 yards
ready as a backup.
GAUGE: 12; 3-inch chamber instead of a longer distance. Using
LIVE-FIRE TESTING Federal TruBall Low Recoil slugs, my
BARREL: 18.5 inches
Of course, the true test of any firearm five-shot groups were between 4.5 and
OA LENGTH: 28.5 inches is how it shoots. A gun needs to be accu- 5 inches with both guns. And I had to
WEIGHT: 8 pounds (empty) rate and above all reliable. Therefore, I call a few flyers with both guns due
STOCK: Polymer began by running a reliability check. Both to their heavy trigger pulls. Given this,
bullpups were loaded to capacity with a neither one is really amenable to fast
SIGHTS: Flip-up front and rear
combination of shells ranging from 3-inch point-and-shoot maneuvers, which can
ACTION: Piston-operated semi-auto slugs to 2¾-inch target loads and fired be very important in CQB.
FINISH: Matte black as fast as possible. Both guns did not Finally, for those who just have to use
CAPACITY: 5+1
eject empties when the target loads were 3-inch slugs, I tried some of Remington’s
used. But as long as I used full-power 3-inch Premier Expander all-copper slugs
MSRP: $780 and tactical buckshot and slug loads, in both guns. I was surprised at how
the guns functioned very smoothly. Next, well each handled the recoil. Both test

guns just gave me a hard push back-
ward that was reasonably tolerable. I
attribute this improvement in felt recoil
to their low bore axis and semi-auto
operating systems.
REAL POTENTIAL
These compact shotguns made by
Kral have significant potential, provided
they can be equipped with lighter,
smoother trigger pulls that improve their
point-and-shoot characteristics, and
something can be done to make reload-
ing faster. The CEO of IO discussed my
concerns with the factory, and they are
looking into what can be done.
Other than these concerns, both The IO shotgun
guns’ short overall length is clearly created this 15-yard FOR MORE
advantageous in tactical situations, group with Federal INFORMATION
and their ability to throw tight, even TruBall slugs. The
INTER ORDNANCE
TriStar performed interordnance.com
patterns with buckshot at CQB
similarly with the
distances is a very desirable trait in refinement, the future of defensive same slugs and TRISTAR
environments where there is high shotguns could very well be defined by Remington Tac-8 tristararms.com
risk of collateral damage. With some bullpups. buckshot (left).
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BULLPUP FIGHT
3 MORE
RAGING BULLS
In addition to the two AK-pattern scatterguns
reviewed here, there are three more that are either
available now or will be in the near future.
EAA MKA 1923

Made by Husan Arms in Turkey and imported
able magazines. It has a 20-inch barrel and
is ideal for mounting optics, and the stock is
TAVOR TS12
Like the IWI Tavor SAR rifle, this gun is
easily converted to left-hand operation. Its
most outstanding features are its 15-round
three magazine tubes is loaded into position.
M-LOK attachment points, a 3-inch chamber
aluminum receiver, a chromed 4140 steel

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MAXIMUM COVERAGE
UNMATCHED EXPERTISE F I R E A R M S k S H O OT I N G S P O R T S k S U R V I VA L
AMMO BOX
OFF TO
LAKE CITY
A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK
AT HOW SMALL-ARMS AMMUNITION
IS MADE FOR THE MILITARY
BY FRED MASTISON
In a world where the old is replaced by the new at an almost unmea-

surable pace, it’s refreshing to find something that has survived this
obsession. One such pillar of consistency is the Lake City Army
Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Missouri. Founded in 1940, Lake City
is the single largest producer of small-arms munitions used by the Department
of Defense. Organizationally, the LCAAP is government owned but contractor
operated by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, formerly Orbital ATK. While
the name “Lake City” is well known in the shooting and reloading realms, there is
a great deal more to the facility than most people know.
Earlier this year, one other writer and I were honored to be the first journalists
ever to tour the facility. With this distinction, however, came security measures
that make a visit to the Pentagon seem like a trip to a Quickie Mart. Ammunition
production is serious business, and the staff at Lake City are equally as serious.

Once we made our way and pushed out an unbeliev- famous in the reloading world. cutting-edge equipment
through the security check- able 1.1 billion rounds in just I was fortunate to be able side by side with legacy
point and ID card process, 15 months. By the time of to watch as staff members equipment that was in place
we were met by Commu- the Vietnam War, it had pro- took a small brass “cup” and when the facility began
nications Director Whitney duced over 14 billion rounds quickly turned it into a case. producing ammo in 1941.
Watson. I have been fortu- of ammunition. Like me, I’m Yet, while the LCAAP makes Certain controllers have
nate to work with Whitney in sure you are trying to picture almost all of the ammunition been modernized, but the
the past, and his hard work that in your head. for the U.S. military, it also main body and operation of
to make this visit happen is makes ammo or brass for the equipment are just as
greatly appreciated. Whitney BY THE NUMBERS various other companies, they were in 1941. It was
would be a mix of tour guide The name Lake City came such as Federal, Fiocchi, incredible to realize that
and handler during our visit to be because the plant was Hornady and Winchester. In many of the machines I saw
simply because much of a completely self-sustaining fact, about 60 percent of its were producing ammo back
what we saw, for all intents facility. On the 4,000 acres production is commercially in WWII. In 1975, modern-
and purposes, was not for on which it sits, there are 22 centered right now. ization arrived in the form of
public knowledge. Whitney miles of roads, 11 miles of The LCAAP manufac- the small-caliber ammunition
has a passion for the LCAAP, railroads, military housing, tures with a mix of modern, modernization program
and eagerly shared its 24-hour federal law enforce-
incredible story. ment, a hospital, nine medical
locations, a cafeteria, a post
SUPPLYING SOLDIERS office, a fire station complete
Before he was president, with a bunkhouse, a gym
then-Senator Harry S. Truman facility, a road maintenance
was personally involved in service, a water production
securing the land and funding plant and three wastewater
for the LCAAP. In December treatment facilities, as well
of 1940, they broke ground as both indoor and outdoor
on what would be the first of testing ranges. It is set in the
12 small-caliber ammunition low rolling and wooded hills
plants to be constructed of Missouri. Passing traffic
across the U.S. in support of would never guess the mag-
World War II. The first round nitude of what goes on there.
rolled off the assembly line in The LCAAP focuses
September of 1941. on small-arms munitions,
This kind of speed still including 5.56mm, 7.62mm,
astounds me today. In a .50-caliber and 20mm
time where it takes the rounds. The majority of the
government a year to fix a components are made on
pothole, it seems incredible site. And Lake City brass is
to me that Lake City was
able to get up and running
so quickly. As a former resi-
dent of the Midwest, I’d also
like to remind people that a
chunk of this work was done Officials broke
ground on what
during the dead of winter.
would become the
And by October of 1941, Lake City Army
the first rail car left Lake City Ammunition Plant in
full of new ammunition. Missouri in December
During WWII, Lake City of 1940. It was up
and running in less
employed 21,000 people
than a year, and now
and produced an incredible the facility produces
50 million rounds. During the around 4 million
Korean War, the LCAAP had rounds per day.
greatly improved its produc-
tion capabilities and capacity

AMMO BOX
well as high-speed cameras.

These allow the technicians
to determine if any failure
was due to the round or the
weapon. The arms room
is staffed by experienced
gunsmiths who shared with
me the stories of how many
barrels and parts they go
through each year. While all
of these guns, from the M2 to
the M4, are designed to last,
the ballistics lab tests go far
beyond what any member of
the military could ever do.
THE RIGHT STUFF

The LCAAP’s employees
are unique. They are dedi-
cated and have a seriousness
about them that reflects the
gravity of their responsibility.
(SCAMP). SCAMP is a fully older equipment that can be They know that the ammo they
automated, high-speed, up and running in less than produce will be in the hands
computer-controlled produc- a week if needed. They can of a member of our military—
tion system to create vast also shift from civilian pro- someone’s son, daughter,
quantities of 5.56mm M193 duction to military production father or mother. Their ammo
ball ammunition, exponentially should the need arise. needs to function every single
increasing the LCAAP’s pro- time. And because of its age,
duction capabilities. BALLISTICS TESTING the LCAAP is a multi-gener-
Nowadays, the LCAAP The building I was most ational operation with sons,
produces around 4 million excited to see was the ballis- fathers and even grandfathers
rounds per day, averaging 1.5 tics testing lab. This is much having worked at the plant. It
billion rounds a year. Mod- more than a range, and in fact has become a family tradition
ernization also allows them to it’s one of only two NATO for some. Whitney Watson,
track rounds. The headstamps ballistic labs in the world. This who coined the LCAAP’s
on the cases allow the building is a collection of long, motto of “One Team, One Mis-
LCAAP to tell which machine tunnel-like bays, each housing
created which specific round. its own testing equipment.
And did I mention that the At the armory, I was like
facility makes its own links for a kid in a candy store. As
belt-fed weapons as well? I walked in, several items
The LCAAP punches out caught my eye, including an
about 300 million per year. M14 and a well-worn M1
In the end, production- Garand. The M14 is still used
wise, I should mention that for testing 7.62mm NATO
there are currently six specific rounds today. The M1 Garand
case lines in the world, and is the test body for something
five of them are made at the a little more somber: Lake City
LCAAP. The other is located produces the blank ammo
in Israel. At many points, the used by military honor guards
tour turned into me staring for funeral details. Yet, the
at huge crates full of freshly employees take these rounds
loaded ammunition. I was as just seriously as the live
also humbled to see that, with rounds that they produce.
an eye toward preparedness, The shooting bays have
the LCAAP maintains some benched sleds for the guns as

fascinating moment in history. American institution that has
This gentleman was a mem- influenced some of the most
ber of the crew of the USS profound events in modern
Pueblo, which was attacked U.S. history. As I stood there
and captured by North Korean watching the older machines
forces on January 23, 1968. pump out ammunition, I came
The taking of the Pueblo, and to realize that the facility had
the abuse and torture of the made ammo for my father. In
crew during the subsequent his 30-plus-year Army career
11-month prisoner drama, spanning WWII to Vietnam,
became a major Cold War he had definitely used Lake
incident. My hunting partner City ammunition.
was kind enough to share I am grateful to the people
more details on his time as a who dedicate themselves to
prisoner, and it became a tes- incredibly high production
tament to his courage and will standards today at the
to survive. It was an incredible LCAAP, and I tip my hat to
way to end a fantastic event. those who held the same
Lake City is more than just standards when they made
a maker of ammunition. It is an ammunition for my father.
sion,” put it simply when he

said that Lake City is a mod-
ern manufacturing facility with
a long historic background.
In fact, the LCAAP was
Undeterred by the dark.
Quick as he is as competitive shooter, world famous Jerry Miculek was
one of the first facilities to be
even quicker to embrace the new Litewave H3. He had instant respect for the
ISO certified. They also strive
to be good stewards of the *ũUCDKNKV[VQIQHTQONKIJVICVJGTKPIƓDGTQRVKEUVQNKIJVGOKVVKPI6TKVKWO
land and have won awards as darkness approaches.
because of their focus on
protecting the environment.
Lake City also shares a com- NEW—LITEWAVE H3™
mitment to veterans. During
my visit, they were hosting a
veterans’ organization called
the Foundation for Excep-
HIVIZSIGHTS.COM
tional Warriors (FEW), which
provides adventure-based
opportunities so warriors
who served together can
heal together. FEW focuses
on special operations forces,
former prisoners of war,
Purple Heart recipients
and those recognized with
awards for valor of every
© 2018 HIVIZ
era. Their visit to Lake City

was to take part in an annual
turkey hunt for veterans. The BETTER BUILT & BRIGHTER + VISIBLE SOONER IN ALL LIGHT CONDITIONS + PATENTED
group was kind enough to
let me tag along for an early
morning hunt, and it was a
fascinating opportunity.
One of the hunters I was
paired with had been a POW,
but he also was part of a

NEXT-GEN STRIKER
LOADED
READY FOR A SUPPRESSOR
AND OPTICS, SPRINGFIELD’S LATEST
9MM ALSO HOLDS 19+1 ROUNDS
as well for those times when you don’t magazines. And despite its high capac-
want to run a sound suppressor. ity, the XD(M) has a very slim grip and
field Armory? The company has already While on this subject, it’s worth point- extremely comfortable ergonomics.
produced an OSP model previously ing out that Springfield really knows how The XD(M) OSP boasts a number of
for its popular XD(M) series that incor- to put a package together. Not only do features that make it a terrific fighting
porates the Vortex Venom reflex sight. you get two different barrels with the sup- pistol, including a Picatinny rail for
pressor version of the XD(M) OSP, but a mounting accessories. It also features
few other accoutrements are included as both front and rear cocking serrations
well. You’ll find three additional mounting for easy slide manipulations. The grip
is a marriage of these two styles into one plates for other popular reflex sights like
effective pistol. It was bound to happen, the Burris FastFire, Trijicon RMR and for a secure purchase. It offers just
enough traction for a sure grip without
tinny adapter and an adjustment tool for being overly aggressive.
the Vortex Venom as well. My test pistol came with suppressor-
XD(M) OSP a more versatile tool for the At the heart of this system is Spring- height sights that can be co-witnessed
user. Aside from the 5.3-inch threaded field’s 9mm XD(M) pistol. For the unini- with the Vortex Venom. The backside of
tiated, this model is a polymer-framed, the rear sight is serrated to minimize glare,
which is a nice touch for a factory pistol.
FULLY LOADED XD(M)
Along with a Vortex Venom and

threaded barrel, Springfield also
includes adapter plates so you
can mount other reflex sights
as well as a standard barrel.
The front sight is simply a black blade. SPEC BOX WHERE IT COUNTS
The Venom supplied with the XD(M) Specifications and features are all
utilizes a 3-MOA dot, though 6-MOA SPRINGFIELD XD(M) OSP well and good, but I’m a meat-and-
versions are available from Vortex. At 25 W/THREADED BARREL potatoes kind of guy, and the only thing
yards, the red dot will cover 0.75 inches, CALIBER: 9mm that truly counts is how the package
which makes for very precise shot performs as a whole. In this regard, the
BARREL: 5.3 inches (threaded);
placement. The Venom is also waterproof XD(M) OSP did not disappoint.
4.5 inches (standard)
with an IPX7 rating and uses a CR1632 With a good assortment of ammu-
battery that provides between 150 to OA LENGTH: 8.25 inches nition on hand, I fired more than 500
30,000 hours of life depending on the WEIGHT: 30.1 ounces (empty) rounds through the pistol at the range,
brightness setting of the red dot. The GRIP: Polymer including ball ammo and premium hollow
battery compartment loads from the top, points. Running the XD(M) both sup-
SIGHTS: Suppressor-height; Venom
thus allowing the sight to maintain its pressed and unsuppressed, there were
zero. The sight can also be adjusted for ACTION: Striker-fired zero malfunctions during the process.
elevation and windage in 1-MOA clicks. FINISH: Matte black This is typical of my experience with XD
And, finally, the Venom is backed by a CAPACITY: 19+1 pistols I’ve shot in the past. I’ve owned
transferable lifetime warranty. two XD pistols and two XD(M) pistols,
MSRP: $958
some time gauging the accuracy
ber
So if you want to make sure the eral Premium and Sig Sauer were
press-check to visually inspect
XD(M) is a well-appointed pistol
82 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • tactical-life.com

turned in group sizes ranging from less
than 2 inches to 3.75 inches, depending
on the load. Not bad for 25 yards, and
certainly more than acceptable for off-
hand shooting at common defensive
distances. What surprised me, though,
was the significant increase in accuracy
from the 5.3-inch barrel, which produced
groups that were at least an inch tighter
with every load. For example, the best
average group size with the threaded
barrel was 1.4 inches with Federal’s handling was exceptional.
135-grain Hydra-Shok Deep rounds. The ergonomics are there
With the standard barrel, the same load’s with the contoured grip, and
average group size was 2.68 inches. all of the controls are easy
I won’t necessarily conclude that the to access and manipulate
extra barrel length is what did the trick. It while under stress.
could have just been the case of different For whatever reason,
tolerances or harmonics between the I think the XD(M) series
barrels. Either way, the XD(M) is capable sometimes gets overlooked
of extremely good accuracy with the right when users are searching
load—as evidenced by the single best for a pistol with a nice trigger pull. I house for the previous two decades. So
group of 0.94 inches with the Federal have always liked the pulls on XD(M) I set her up with my Springfield XD(M)
Hydra-Shok Deep load. pistols, and this sample was no different. because of its lighter trigger pull, not
While running my SilencerCo Octane According to my Lyman gauge, the to mention the massive increase in
9 suppressor, the XD(M) made fast and trigger broke at an average weight of firepower. If trusting your mother’s safety
accurate off-hand shooting child’s play. just 4.25 pounds. You can’t really ask for to a particular pistol isn’t a testament to
Though a little front-heavy (as are all better than that in a service-style pistol. your confidence in its capabilities, then I
suppressed pistols), the gun balanced That observation isn’t just lip service. don’t know what is.
nicely with a 19-round magazine in When my mother reached her 60s, she
place. The Vortex Venom also provided was having problems pulling the double- ONLY OPERATORS?
a wide-open view and a crisp sight action trigger of the .357 Magnum Colt I read something in a gun forum one
picture. Overall, the complete system’s Lawman she’d been toting around her time where someone made a comment
about a feature on a tactical pistol.
Another poster made a funny comment
and asked, “Do you even operate?”
No, I don’t. I’m not an operator. For
the vast majority of people in the U.S.,
suppressors are used for recreation and
collected for their tacticool factor.
However, as I get on in my years after
a lifetime of shooting guns, my hearing
isn’t what it once was. So I’m really
starting to see the benefits of having a
suppressed pistol in the home if, God
forbid, it ever has to be used indoors for
defensive purposes.
With a setup like the threaded-barrel
XD(M) OSP, a home defender can gain
LOAD VELOCITY ACCURACY
a massive advantage in a dire situation.
AVERAGE BEST
With its 19+1 capacity, sterling accuracy
Federal 124 HST +P 1,212 1.81 1.31 and great reliability, the XD(M) is made
Bullet weight measured
Federal 135 Hydra-Shok Deep 1,052 1.40 0.94 even better when equipped with the
in grains, velocity in fps
Hornady 135 Critical Duty 1,087 2.18 1.75 by chronograph and Vortex Venom and a quality suppressor. If
accuracy in inches for you’re looking for such a rig, Springfield
Sig Sauer 124 V-Crown JHP 1,194 1.43 1.13
three 5-shot groups Armory’s got your back! For more infor-
Sig Sauer 147 V-Crown JHP 995 2.33 1.81 at 25 yards. mation, visit springfield-armory.com.

RETRO SPECIAL
A VET COMPARES THE

CURRENT SPRINGFIELD RIFLE
TO THE ONE HE FOUGHT
WITH IN VIETNAM
BY CLINT THOMPSON
iStock Photo

Alex Landeen Photo

M14 TRIBUTE
Once you were trained with the M14,

1968, a young man from a small what was your impression of it?
town in Kansas was tapped on I thought that the rifle was well made
and designed. Once I mastered the
the shoulder by Uncle Sam to
sights and operation, I grew to love that
take an interesting and chal- weapon system.
lenging trip to Southeast Asia.
The host country was South Was the M14 you carried issued before
Vietnam. In 1969, Harold Schanbacher was drafted shipping out to South Vietnam, or once
you arrived in Da Nang?
by the U.S. Army and sent to training at Fort Leonard
I received my M14 once I arrived in Da
Wood, Missouri, where he was introduced to the Springfield M14. His AIT
Nang and got squared away with quar-
was at the U.S. Army South Eastern Signal School at Fort Gordon, Georgia. ters. I was very happy to get the M14
Once Schanbacher finished training, he was flown to Vietnam and stationed and ammo in my possession. You just
in Da Nang with the 37th Signal Battalion on October 2, 1969. He eventually never knew when you might be called
rose to the rank of Specialist E-4 by the time he left Vietnam and was sta- on to defend the base.
tioned in White Sands, New Mexico.
When the Army took your M14 away
While in training, Harold grew to love the M14. So when the U.S. Army and issued you the M16, what were
issued him his own M14, he was happy and content with the good feeling of your thoughts?
having a weapon he knew how to use and above all could trust. Due to the The M16 was just OK, and I didn’t care
high threat level and the Tet Offensive in the not-too-distant past, the feel of much for it. When firing in full-auto, the
M16 would drift much more than the
ence in the weight of the rifles. The M14

could also shoot much farther and hit
harder than the M16.
At the time you were issued the M16,

did you feel it would serve you as
well as the M14 did?
For my assigned duty, either would
have worked. The weight could make
a difference to others who were out
patrolling on foot. When we left the wire,
we moved in vehicles and accompanied
by equipment. We would set communi-
cation poles and string wire. We had our
rifles at the ready but rarely patrolled any
considerable distances.
What was your overall impression this way, shooters and veterans alike
of the M16 back then? could enjoy this excellent rifle.
My impression at the time was it would Other variations of the M14 platform
be short-lived, as it was so different than were the M21 and M25 sniper rifles,
the M14. It didn’t feel like a real firearm. I which are still used by our special
guess we know this never happened. operations units today. I visited with and
knew a Special Forces unit in Tikrit, Iraq
Being in South Vietnam in 1969 at a (FOB Danger, 2005) who had at least
time when flying metal was common, one M25. I saw several military person-
which rifle, the M14 or the M16, did nel in Kirkuk, Iraq (FOB Warrior, 2006)
you feel more secure with? with M14s that were used as counter-
I would have felt more secure with the sniper weapons. Why’s that? It seems
M14 because of its larger caliber, lon- an excellent battle rifle is hard to keep
ger reach, and for me, it was easier to down. Like the old warhorse 1911, the
control during short bursts of full-auto M14 has proven itself in battle with the
fire. I love that rifle. more capable 7.62mm NATO.
To get a good personal look at the
MOVING FORWARD M14, I went to the 45th Infantry Division
The Springfield M14 served with Museum in Oklahoma City and met
honor as the standard-issue rifle of the with Curator Michael E. Gonzales, who
U.S. military from 1959 to 1970. In was more than gracious in showing me
1974, Springfield Armory in Geneseo, this legendary rifle. With the exception
Illinois, began making a civilian-legal of the wooden forend, selector switch
version of the M14 called the M1A. In and bayonet lug, their example of the

“ONCE I MASTERED THE SIGHTS AND OPERATION,
I GREW TO LOVE THAT WEAPON SYSTEM.”
SPEC BOX
SPRINGFIELD M1A 2.41 inches. And last but not least, the
sion Museum is well worth visiting, as DoubleTap 168-grain BTHPs came in
CALIBER: 7.62mm NATO it has weapons and armor spanning with the best average at 2.1 inches.
almost all of our military history.) The total average for all of the groups
BARREL: 22 inches
was just 2.67 inches. I felt good about
OA LENGTH: 44.33 inches TRIGGER TIME these groupings, since I was not as
WEIGHT: 9.3 pounds (empty) I then took the M1A out to the familiar as I would have liked with this
STOCK: Walnut range to get some average velocities firearm, even after shooting more than
for each of the four types of ammo 200 rounds in the M1A.
SIGHTS: National Match front,
adjustable rear provided by CorBon, DoubleTap, Overall, the Springfield M1A is just
Federal and Hornady. You can see a joy to shoot. This rifle does not have
ACTION: Semi-auto
those results in the included table. much recoil. For comparison (and to
FINISH: Parkerized When it came time to measure get the opinion of a future warrior),
CAPACITY: 10+1 the M1A’s accuracy, I fired five-shot I offered a 15-year-old in my youth
groups with each load at a 12-inch ministry the opportunity to shoot the
MSRP: $1,786
black bullseye set 100 yards away. M1A. Tyler is about 5’5” and tips the
The CorBon and Federal rounds cre- scales at 105 pounds. Yet he had no
ated average group sizes measuring problem shooting this rifle, and he
LOAD VELOCITY ACCURACY
CorBon 175 MPR 2,624 2.80
DoubleTap 168 BTHP 2,765 2.10
Federal 150 Nosler 2,884 3.37
Hornady 155 A-MAX 2,797 2.41
for best five-shot groups at 100 yards.
Curator Michael E. Gonzales

of the 45th Infantry Division
Museum in Oklahoma City
proudly holds an M14 in good
condition. Its full-auto function
has been deactivated, but it
saw action in Vietnam.

ship. And I’d be safe in saying this rifle
Because of his bifocals, is more accurate than I am.
the author had to choke
The .308 Winchester ammo I tested
up on the M1A to get a
clear sight picture, but is some of the finest manufactured in
the rifle still performed the world. I can honestly say I can’t
well. The target below choose one over another. The CorBon,
reflects a typical group DoubleTap, Federal and Hornady
while the author got loads all represent dependable, Amer-
familiar with the gun.
ican-made ammo. I had no problems
with any of this ammo. All of the brands
had impressive velocities and excellent
groupings—certainly good enough for
hunting, from coyotes to moose. As
said he wished they would still issue the for use in times of discord and battle, I
M1A to U.S. military personnel when he wouldn’t hesitate to place my life on the
has the honor to serve. line with any of these loads.
A special thanks to Harold and Janet
CONTINUING LEGACY Schanbacher for allowing Tactical Life
The Springfield M1A is an extremely magazine into their lives and to tell this
well-made firearm. Because of its his- story about an American hero who
tory, I felt proud shooting it. This firearm served his country honorably in Vietnam
never failed to load live rounds or eject carrying one of the finest battle rifles
empties. I was very pleased with its ever made. For more information on the
appearance and quality of workman- M1A, visit springfield-armory.com.

VETERAN SALUTE
COMI N G B A C K H O M E
MIGHT BE TOUGSH,
BUT THESE VE T HE IR
ARE B L A Z I N G T
O WN PATHS
& BY PETER SUC

IU
The 1946 film The Best Years of next chapter in their lives. In many cases, it has
Our Lives, which went on to win included working closely with firearms, including
the Academy Award for Best marketing, manufacturing and selling them.
Picture, told the story of three men “Honestly, firearms are just a portion of the
coming home from World War II skillset I developed while in the military,” said
and their struggles to adapt to civilian life. For Chris Bohan, the business development manager
many coming out of the military today—especially at BG Defense who served in three deployments
after an overseas deployment—that adjustment to Iraq as a Marine. “After my time in the military,
can be just as difficult. However, today’s military I didn’t have a lot to offer. A lot of folks have an
veterans continue to show a determination to MOS [military occupational specialty] that trans-
take their skills and training and build a business, lates to something, but I carried a rifle.”
and with it a comfortable life. Carrying that rifle while in the Marine Corps
It isn’t always easy, but several men and and being a self-described “outdoorsman” put
women offered their thoughts here on how Bohan in a good position to help launch the
their time in the military prepared them for this Type-A rifle line at BG Defense.

RED, WHITE & TRUE
“WITHOUT A DOUBT,
THE MILITARY SHOWED
ME HOW TO EXCEL
WHERE OTHERS FAIL.”
ANSWERING THE CALL Aaron now owns and operates Tac- and his brother finally decided to give
It’s all about figuring out what these tical Shooting Solutions, a training and it a go, and after they partnered with
veterans want to do after leaving the consulting firm that provides world-class someone with an engineering back-
military. For many, the firearms industry firearms instruction for real-world solu- ground, the company took off.
has called to them, even if it has taken tions. He is also the owner and riflesmith “I wish we had jumped in sooner,” Fair-
a while to get there. of Roberts Precision Rifles, a custom fax added. “Before I went into the military
“I didn’t have too much difficulty shop that produces highly accurate I was in and out of college, and felt that
transitioning from military life, and I first hunting, tactical and competition rifles. I was just bouncing around. I have truly
ended up in law enforcement,” said “Most of the precision stuff I learned found my place, but I know you have to
Aaron Roberts, who served with the after the military,” Roberts admitted, but fight for it every day. This is a highly com-
75th Ranger Regiment and later the many aren’t as fortunate. petitive industry, and it saw an explosion of
10th Mountain Division’s Long Range “I always had ideas for firearms small companies during the Obama years.”
Surveillance Detachment before becom- accessories, but I didn’t have a back- F4 Defense has made its name and
ing a Texas state trooper. “I then worked ground in engineering,” explained Dave carved out its own slice of the market
with Blackwater as a defense instructor Fairfax, chief operating officer at F4 by being competitive and offering what
before competitive shooting drew me to Defense. It actually took several years Fairfax believes are superior products.
the firearms industry.” after leaving the military before Fairfax “Innovation is the only way to stay alive,

“What really drove me to start Free- “The discipline from the military cer-
dom Forge Armory in 2013 was that I tainly got me past the hurdles,” said Rob-
watched too many of my fellow full-time erts. “For many there is procrastination,
What helps F4 Defense, an AR rifle
guardsmen retire with no real plan on and the next day often becomes the day
and parts manufacturer (left), and
B-Tactical, a shooting range and what to do after the military, and coming after that, but the military teaches you
academy (below), stand out? Their to the sudden realization that their that you have to show up and be ready
owners and managers are veterans retirement check didn’t go nearly as to work. I’ll be honest: The last thing I
who believe in what they’re doing. far as they thought it would. I decided want to look at some days is a lathe or a
early on that I wasn’t going to go down rifle, but the military instilled in me that I
that road, and I didn’t want to work for have to do the work. I’ll admit too that I
somebody else. The lesson I took away work harder now than I ever worked even
was to start planning early to retire, when I was in the military. I have more
because it will sneak up on you.” freedom but I work a hell of a lot more!”
It may be hard work, but for many
MILITARY DISCIPLINE veterans, this is a labor of love. “Without
Many business owners expect that a doubt, the military showed me how
if they hire the right staff, they can let to excel where others fail,” said Robert
the company run itself. Rarely does “Boz” Bostwick, the owner and operator
this work out, but today’s veterans are of B-Tactical, a Dallas-area gun range
instilled with discipline and a work ethic and training academy.
that you just can’t learn elsewhere. “I have always said military service
is not for everyone, but young men and
women could definitely make worse
choices, and many do, unfortunately,”
Bostwick added. “Being in the military
showed me through it all to keep my eye
on the bigger picture, and you may lose
small battles and still win a war. Every
day I see business owners shut their
doors and hang it all up because they
lost a battle and it took all the fight out of
them. It’s sad to see, honestly. America
runs on small business, and I feel most
veterans could easily run a business if
groomed and trained correctly.”
ADAPTING TO WIN
The other benefit that many veterans
have in the business world is an under-
and one of the things that kept us

going in the beginning was that we
were making our own products,” Fairfax
noted. “We didn’t want to just import
a product and put our logo on it. We
wanted to do something better.”
For some, the road to owning and/
or operating a business can occur while
Join the community for
they’re still juggling that military career. Gunsmiths, Hobby Gunsmiths
This is certainly the case with Brandon and Serious Firearm Enthusiasts!
Pritchard, a master gunsmith with 15
years of experience. Now the owner of
Receive a New Disassembly/Reassembly video course
Freedom Forge Armory, Pritchard still and monthly video magazine every single month!
dons a uniform as he serves full-time in Details are available at:
the Virginia Army National Guard.
“I do have my 20-year letter and plan
on retiring next year,” said Pritchard.

RED, WHITE & TRUE
After being a soldier

and state trooper,
Aaron Roberts now
owns Tactical Shooting
Solutions and Roberts
Precision Rifles.
“THE DISCIPLINE FROM THE MILITARY

CERTAINLY GOT ME PAST THE HURDLES.” Chris Bohan, the business
development manager at
BG Defense, is a retired
Marine who served three
deployments in Iraq.
standing of how to adapt and overcome. divide and conquer. I run the operations “I made the mistake of partnering up
But the transition from being a soldier to side of the company while he is our CFO with another gun shop early on when
a business owner isn’t always easy. and makes all financial decisions. It’s a I started up,” said Pritchard. “Things
“I wish I would’ve prepared better relationship that has taken time to grow, went smoothly at first, but as I became
for civilian life prior to getting out,” said and we are still perfecting it now.” more successful, the owner of that shop
Bostwick. “I had recently returned from In other cases, getting the business saw me less as a partner and more as a
deployment, and had about five months running can come from calling in skills threat. That decision to partner up and
left. I wasted valuable time, but I was from friends and family. then break away cost me
getting married and trying to get a job. “When I got out of the mili- a lot of money and time to
“My biggest mistake was to not tary, my wife and I decided fix afterwards.”
realize how important education plays we wanted to do something
FOR MORE In the end, Pritchard
in the civilian workforce,” said Bostwick, different,” said Bohan. “I
INFORMATION was able expand into his
who is now finishing his MBA. “Military wasn’t a gunsmith, but my B-TACTICAL own building in 2015, and
members should strive to do as much wife’s family ran a tool and b-tactical.com he said it was one the
college during their service as possible. die business. We started BG DEFENSE best decisions he made.
In today’s world, it’s too easy not to, talking about firearms and bgdefense.com “It allowed me to grow. It
and it won’t be any easier to educate prices, and they understood F4 DEFENSE forced me to change the
yourself than it is today.” that it was really about f4defense.com focus of my company from
When formal education isn’t possi- cutting metal. Here we are FREEDOM retail to manufacturing and
ble—or in cases where it might not be several years later. We know FORGE ARMORY contracting. If I had it to do
freedomforgearmory.
the right fit—it is about working with the black gun market is really wixsite.com over again, I would have
those who can bring the skills, as F4 crowded, but we see it as a gone right into manufactur-
ROBERTS
Defense’s Fairfax noted: “Business acu- math problem, and offering PRECISION RIFLES ing and done it on my own
men cannot be learned through school. I a quality product at the right rprifles.com terms. My advice to a vet
can personally attest to this, considering price solves that.” looking to start a company
I got my MBA from the University of Adapting to issues is also would be that it’s your idea
Maryland a few years ago. Running the key to success. This includes knowing and your success. Don’t allow someone
a business takes some serious skill. when things aren’t working, and that can else to take advantage of you for their
Fortunately, my brother has successful include getting out of business arrange- own benefit. Be resourceful and find the
businesses, and we found a way to ments that bring the company down. solutions to get the job done.”

AFTER SERVING
MAN’S BEST
SENTINEL
HOW AMERICAN K-9 INTERDICTION
CREATES BETTER PATROL DOGS
AND HANDLERS
BY ROBERT HARBIN
Are you sitting in your

cubicle after years of
being on deployment, feel-
ing you are in an episode a former Marine infantry rifleman now
of Office Space? Pondering how to training with canines, said, “Without
put your GI Bill to use, but the under- the veterans’ benefits, this is a program
water basket-weaving course at the I always found interesting but would
community college just doesn’t sound not be able to attend due to cost.” ment diplomatic security contractor,
appealing? Well, here’s a program Ryan will finish the three-month said that, while working as a contractor,
that will send you out the door set up school as a certified detection/patrol he developed a strong interest in the
for success with the tools you need dog handler. What is unique about K-9 teams he worked with, and this
for a new mission altogether. AK9I, other than allowing veterans to sparked his interest in beginning a
American K-9 Interdiction (AK9I) is use their benefits, is that students like career in the field. Chris and a canine
the only canine school in the United Ryan will leave with a fully trained dog named Jager will be a trained protec-
States that is currently established to that they own and all of the equipment tion, explosives and trailing K-9 team
allow a student to use their GI Bill ben- they need to start working together as upon graduation.
efits for school tuition. In addition to the a K-9 handler team. AK9I offers several courses through-
GI Bill, service-disabled veterans with Many students were introduced to out the year, including Detector Dog
a 20-percent disability rating or greater using K-9 teams while overseas on Handler and Trainer for finding explo-
can request approval for vocational deployment. Chris Folger, a former sives or narcotics, Patrol Dog Handler
rehabilitation training. Ryan D’Agostino, Marine and then a U.S. State Depart- and Trainer, and a Dual-Purpose track
that combines both Patrol and Detec-
tor skillsets. Many students elect to
enroll in the longer 13-week program
to become certified as Dual-Purpose
handlers and trainers. Since the school
opened in 2001, AK9I President Paul
Roushia and his staff have graduated
more than 1,000 students.
THE FACILITY
The AK9I training academy is
located in Carrsville, Virginia, close
to Virginia Beach. The school owns
approximately 57 acres and has an
18,500-foot kennel complex that can
TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 95

AFTER SERVING
house more than 200 dogs. This kennel AK9I courses train students and dogs to
has been approved by the USMC and detect threats, find suspects and more.
State Department as a K-9 housing and The facility even maintains relationships
with local businesses and schools so the
training facility, with BATFE and DEA dogs can work in different environments.
approval for compliance and storage.
Roushia said that they are constantly
looking at current needs and demand in
the industry and what requirements the
school needs to meet to expand and stay
ahead of agency requirements. are legal, such as marijuana, we hold
The staff members are in a continual off on imprinting that scent.”
cycle of vetting and training for federal, Those aren’t your only choices, either.
state and local agency needs, with There’s been a spike in the need for
breeds including German shepherds, bedbug detection dogs recently, and
Belgian Malinois and Labrador retrievers. AK9I has helped several students team
Patrol dogs are either German shepherds up with dogs for such purposes. It seems
or Belgian Malinois. the training academy’s flexibility is one of
The school has also partnered with its greatest strengths.
many stores, schools and businesses A FLEXIBLE APPROACH In the past, K-9 units have focused
to allow students and dogs to become AK9I tailors its programs to each on training on static objects, such as
accustomed to varyious environments student and his or her future endeavors. luggage laid out in a search sequence,
and conditions. This means the dogs Many current students—roughly 95 per- static vehicles and going from room to
are able to learn to work around loud cent—are choosing to receive “Explosive room in a building. Something Roushia
machines, large crowds, different floor- Detector/Bomb Dog” certification, which and his team train the students on is
ing types, farm animals and people of is a reflection of the current demand in mobile odor detection. The best way to
different ages. This creates a dog that is the government and private sectors, but explain this is when your thoughtless
stable and doesn’t “shut down” due to as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty coworker walks behind your desk with a
some unfamiliar location or sound. of other options. Narcotic detection cup of coffee and you smell it. You get up
And as with any school, there is always dogs, for example, have served many law and bounce around the office until you
some classroom time to instruct the enforcement agencies in the past, and find that glorious cup of coffee, following
foundational elements that students will such teams remain in high demand in the scent along the way. This training
be experiencing in the practical class this arena. Regarding this, Roushia said, style can be utilized to search vehicles
sessions and then in real-world scenarios. “We lay out a training curriculum for the moving slowly through a security or cus-
The staff make sure students have a solid long term for the handler and dog. If the toms checkpoint, and the current focus is
working knowledge of the psychology and concern is present that a dog might be patrolling the hallways of schools. Why?
science of how a K-9 team will operate. working in a state where certain drugs A trained K-9 can alert on a student

“SINCE THE SCHOOL OPENED IN 2001, AK9I and certification from a recognized
training academy. This price tag might
PRESIDENT PAUL ROUSHIA AND HIS STAFF HAVE initially sound shocking, but when a
trained explosive detection dog can
GRADUATED MORE THAN 1,000 STUDENTS.” fetch a price tag of $20,000 and up, the
program cost is reasonable.
On top of a great training program,
Roushia said, “Veterans who come here
and are trying to find their place in the
civilian world are finding their mission.
backpack that is concealing a firearm tractors. Some return to the departments Being paired with a working canine
in a large group of students, even if the they are employed with and become is also creating a brotherhood bond
individual walked through earlier. one of the K-9 patrol teams keeping our with their partner, where both mutually
Another aspect AK9I’s training neighborhoods safe. But if you aren’t depend on the other.”
program focuses on is obedience and former military or have depleted your GI If you are ready to get out of that
off-leash searches. Off-leash searches Bill benefits, can you still attend AK9I? cubicle, get teamed up with a fierce but
allow the handler to stay in a position Absolutely! The most inclusive program, loyal partner and find a fulfilling career,
of safety and cover while sending the Patrol/Detector Dog Trainer, costs give American K-9 Interdiction a call.
dog to check a hazardous object several $21,750. This puts you out the door You can leave the underwater basket
yards away. Once the dog has cleared with a fully trained explosive or narcotics weaving to someone else. For more
the area, the handler can command his patrol canine, all the equipment needed information, visit ak9i.com.
or her dog to return.
TOWARD PATROL
Patrol K-9s are trained for more tasks
than just detecting scents. They are
trained in protection and tracking/trailing
search work. AK9I makes sure students
PROJECT K-9 HERO
know what it is like to be on both very agency handles the
sides of the bite, including being the
decoy—the person in the protective suit
being bitten—and handling a dog that
E retirement of working
military and police dogs
differently. Many donate them to
goes from your cuddly buddy to a fierce their handlers; others are put up
weapon in seconds. Instructor Richard for adoption. Sadly, some are taken
Thompson makes sure dogs are not to the pound. Project K-9 Hero and
accustomed to flat field work and puts its founder, Jason Johnson, have
environmental pressures on the dogs, set up a foundation to offset the
such as being sent into a drainage pipe, expenses of medical, food and
biting the decoy and holding the bite as end-of-duty services.
the handler pulls the dog and decoy out. Jason was a Yakima
Staff members train students to make Police Department K-9
sure their dogs bite only on command, handler who teamed up
and never bite unpredictably. with Flash, a 9-month-old
A major aspect of a patrol K-9 is the puppy that joined the service forced to retire. Ace’s agency
ability to find an evading criminal. With from the pound. Flash took right backdated his retirement so
access to thousands of acres of mixed to narcotics work, and for the next they would not be responsible
terrain, from fields to marshes to asphalt, eight years made more than 2,200 for the escalating veterinary fees.
teams are trained to locate a subject narcotic arrests. When she retired, Thankfully, Project K-9 Hero stepped
greater than 4 kilometers away with a Jason saw that Flash and the major- in to cover the expenses of Ace and
track that is two to four hours old. ity of retired canines have the same assist the current owner in any way
Students have a vast array of choices needs but lack the resources to fill possible. Currently, Project K-9 Hero
for employment after graduating and them. So, Jason and Flash took on has admitted 30 retired canines
certifying with their K-9 partner. Many helping the K-9 community. admitted into its program, and 40
choose the private sector and work for This brings us to Ace, a dog that more are currently on the waitlist.
schools, theme parks, sports stadiums, was diagnosed with lymphoma and (projectk9hero.org) —Robert Harbin
concert venues and government con-

VETERAN SPOTLIGHT
Lieutenant John Libs of

Charlie Company makes
his way through a clearing
in Vietnam in 1966 while
holding his helmet.

OVER 50 YEARS LATER, WAR HERO JOHN LIBS
RECOUNTS ONE OF VIETNAM’S BLOODIEST BATTLES
BY JOHN MARTIN
a Memorial High School and Libs and his men were well
Editor’s Note: This story
was originally published in the Loyola (Louisiana) University aware of the size, might and sav-
Evansville, Indiana, Courier & ROTC graduate. “They said agery of D800. After sunrise on
Press and at courierpress.com. a preacher was coming in for April 11, they saw it firsthand.
Easter Sunday, and that’s always “My counterpart in 1st
nice. I got most of my platoon Platoon called me and said
On Easter Sunday 52 years down on the end of this area, we’ve got a problem, something
ago, Lieutenant John Libs sat about 200 to 300 yards into an doesn’t feel right,” Libs said.
a in jungle halfway around open area…He was talking to “All of the sudden, I heard a
the world from his Evans- us, doing a service for Easter. I few shots.” And that’s how one
ville home and anxiously looked down, just daydreaming, of the largest battles of the
pondered what was to come. and I saw three guys walking Vietnam War got started.
Libs and the Charlie Company down the way. I grabbed one
platoon under his command had of my men and said, ‘Let’s go!’ BRUTAL FIGHTING
already been out a few weeks on Because we were looking for Libs was as prepared for
Operation Abeline—a mission to D800, and this was the first thing this moment as a soldier could
coax a large, deadly Viet Cong we had seen in several days.” be. Upon his enlistment in
unit called D800 into battle. The Libs and two others in his 1965, he was assigned to be
group was on its own, patrolling platoon chased the three men, a finance officer. Bored with
thickets of trees and bushes, firing at them. They killed one crunching numbers, he asked
not returning to base camp. and wounded another. The to be transferred to infantry
Essentially, Libs and his men third one got away. “The one instead—perhaps an unusual
were being used as bait. Charlie we wounded, I interrogated him request at wartime. He then
Company was outnumbered, immediately to find out where went to Ranger school.
too, by at least three to one. D800 was,” said Libs, leader “Believe it or not, that was
The mission was uneventful of Charlie Company’s 2nd Pla- hard to do,” Libs said of getting
until Easter, which fell on April toon. “He said they’re around, his transfer approved. “They
10, 1966. The platoon gath- they’re around.” wanted to leave me in finance.”
ered in an area near Xa Cam Night fell. But nobody in As Charlie Company prowled
My, a village approximately 40 Charlie Company got any rest, the jungle of Xa Cam My, Libs, a
miles east of Saigon. knowing the enemy lurked former football and track athlete
“We were looking for [D800], nearby. “We were right on top at Memorial, was nearing the
hadn’t found them,” said Libs, of their base camp,” Libs said. end of his yearlong deployment.

VETERAN SPOTLIGHT
He was just 23, but he was admission was too little, too
Jason Clark Photos

hardly a rookie. “I had been late. His year of deployment
there [in Vietnam] about 10 was complete shortly after
months already, so I knew Xa Cam My. When the
what I was doing,” he said. time came to re-enlist, Libs
The fight at Xa Cam declined. He’d had enough.
My quickly intensified and “It wasn’t a nice day,” Libs
became bloody on all sides. said of Xa Cam My, 50 years
Libs’ orders were rather later. “A lot of people got
simple: “I’m telling ’em to killed. There were a few of us
shoot whatever walks in front who lived.”
of ’em,” he said. The brutal going to die, because they Xa Cam My battle, Libs did
combat was reported to started doing these human not mask his feelings when RETURNING HOME
have lasted four hours. Libs wave attacks. I called [artil- approached by Major General For John Libs, returning to
thought it was longer. He lery] in right on top of us… William DePuy, commander civilian life in the U.S. didn’t
described the scene as “an The next day, we got relief.” of the 1st Infantry Division. mean a return to peace. He
inferno on the ground.” During a blunt exchange returned to his college town,
Libs vividly remembered HEAVY LOSSES before leaving Vietnam, Libs New Orleans, and ran a night-
the help Charlie Company Of Charlie Company’s 134 was quoted as telling DePuy club for a year. He spent time
received from an Air Force men, 106 were either killed that he had “walked us right working for Mead Johnson
airman named William or wounded, while the enemy into a goddamn holocaust.” and then several years for
Pitsenbarger from Piqua, was reported to have about “Yeah, but there’s no other the local candy business that
Ohio. “All of the sudden I see 150 deaths. The concen- way to get a goddamn fight bears his family’s name.
this guy on a cable coming trated U.S. artillery fire forced going,” DePuy replied. But like many other military
through the triple canopy in the Viet Cong to retreat into Xa Cam My happened as members who experience
the jungle,” Libs said. “I said, the jungle. Libs survived and the Vietnam War was escalat- combat, Libs, upon leaving
‘What are you here for? This was credited with saving oth- ing and a sizable number of the service, struggled to
is a bad zone.’ He came down ers. But he was angry, bitter Americans began to protest come to grips with what he
and was helping get the and depressed that Charlie the war. DePuy and other top had seen and experienced.
wounded off and taken back Company was used as invit- brass reportedly took notice, Nightmares were common.
to the helicopter…He stayed ing target for D800. He was realizing that the American “I went to the VA when
down there and fought with personally close with many of public would not support a I got back,” Libs said. “I
us and got killed.” his men who had fallen. war if casualty totals such thought I was fine. But I was
Pitsenbarger, 21 when he According to Mud Sol- as those suffered by Charlie drinking awfully heavily, and
was slain by a sniper on April diers, which devotes the Company became the norm. I wouldn’t talk about it at
11 at Xa Cam My, posthu- entire first chapter to the For Libs, though, any such all, period…I just figured if
mously received the Medal people didn’t want to hear,
of Honor and the Air Force I would bore them to death.
Cross. It was reported that And if you weren’t there, how
he saved at least nine lives, would you know?
gathering up the weapons of “I also didn’t like the guys,
dead and wounded soldiers and there were a lot of them
and giving them to those who back then, who were lying
were still fighting. about being in Vietnam and
Lieutenant Libs radioed saying how tough it was. I’d
for artillery support through get in a bar fight or some-
the duration of the battle. thing. I was there and got
He ordered many of the shot at, as a matter of fact.”
1,100 artillery shells that Over the years, Libs says,
helped save the company, handling postwar stress
according to the 1991 book has gotten easier. But not
Mud Soldiers, written by the too easy. Now 76, Libs still
late George C. Wilson of The doesn’t talk about his war
Washington Post. experience routinely, but
“I did it all day long,” Libs he credited Wilson, the
said. “I thought we were author of Mud Soldiers, with

helping him open up about “THE BRUTAL COMBAT WAS REPORTED TO HAVE
what happened, and also
with helping him get past a LASTED FOUR HOURS. LIBS...DESCRIBED THE SCENE
mistrust of reporters.
Libs told Wilson he AS ‘AN INFERNO ON THE GROUND.’”
struggled with some of
the most vexing questions
imaginable: “Could I have encouraged Libs to talk or the week before. He said, than him. Joining an ROTC
saved more men?” “Was I when he needs to—if not to ‘Johnny Libs, I just wanted to program and requesting an
smart?” “Why in God’s name her, than to other soldiers. tell you I was thinking of you, infantry assignment in the
am I still alive?” The answers Libs does that, and he’ll also and thank you for saving my mid-1960s meant that Libs,
are difficult, but keeping the receive calls around Christ- life. I’m here on my birthday, in his early 20s, would face
questions bottled up is even mas and the battle’s April just enjoying life, and wanted almost certain danger.
more painful, he said. anniversary from others who to thank you.’” Over 50 years later, Libs
Libs has received support survived Xa Cam My. The veteran who called doesn’t regret those deci-
from other quarters. After “It tickles me—you don’t Libs had just turned 82—a sions. “I just wanted to give
leaving the family business, he realize how old you get,” Libs reminder that most of the back to my country,” he said. “I
retired briefly but then went said. “One of my platoon ser- men Libs led into battle, really felt that and still do. Kind
to work for Best Buy, figuring geants called me last week while young, were still older of old fashioned, I know.”
it would keep him busy a
couple years. It’s turned into
a 14-year stay, and Libs is
still going strong. He’s at the
store several days a week, in
a blue polo shirt with a white
nameplate, assisting shop-
pers and chatting them up.
“I’m strictly an Indian. I’m
no chief,” Libs said. “I told
them I don’t want any promo-
tion or any of that. I’m there
because I want to stay active.”
The job keeps Libs on his
feet. It can be tiring. “But I’m
not gonna quit. I’m afraid of
this,” Libs said, pointing to the
side of his head. “I’m always
on the move. My body doesn’t
like it. But I don’t want that
problem to happen.”
HIS BETTER HALF

“A lot of people know who
he is,” said Judi Freson, Libs’
wife for 17 years. “People
go in there and relationships
develop. He has to have a
purpose, and he’s doing
things to help other people.”
Freson, too, has been a
reliable constant in Libs’ life.
“John has said to me in no
certain terms, if it weren’t for
you or if I weren’t working, I
would die,” Freson said.
Freson has always

PROVING PRIMARY ARMS’ ADVANCED 30MM
RED DOT THROUGH EXTREME MEASURES
BY MITCH HARDIN
Primary Arms recently The dot itself is very bright, without Cantilever 30mm Mounts and fired
released its new Advanced the distortion you’ll find on many some shots to establish a baseline.
30mm Red Dot. It actually competitive models. That’s amazing for After that, it was time to take the
looks rather similar to an a 2-MOA red-dot sight. Primary Arms Advanced 30mm Red Dot fishing.
Aimpoint PRO, but without the steep also claims that it’s stronger than any of Rather than simply dunk the sight in
price tag. And since it’s a 30mm red- its previous full-sized sighting options. a tub or 5-gallon bucket, I like to take
dot sight, there are endless options in And after conducting my recent battery things to extremes in my testing. So, for
terms of supporting mounts. of tests, I’d have to concur. The punish- this waterproofing test, I tied 50 feet of
According to Primary Arms, this ment that I put this new model through paracord to the sight and pitched it into
newest offering has a 14,000-hour run was pretty harsh. the cold waters of Puget Sound. Then
time on one CR1/3N battery, three I simply tied it off to the dock and let it
night-vision settings out of 10 total GONE FISHING marinate at an estimated depth of 25
reticle brightness levels, and a lifetime As always, before beginning any feet for a hour. It was peak Dungeness
warranty. Turning the rotary control torture test on an optic, I establish a crab fishing season, too, so I’m sure
switch all the way in either direction will zero. For that, I locked the sight on an the crabs were wondering what kind of
power the sight down. AR with one of Primary Arms’ High sick joke this was for bait.

Many of the other crab fishermen FREEZING & IMPACTS of just over 6 feet. Not just once, but
were wondering why I was crazy As soon as I got back from water- once on every side and once on each
enough to throw a red-dot sight into the boarding my test subject, I rinsed it lens. Then for giggles and grins, I threw
Pacific Ocean. My response: Why not? off and tossed it into my deep freezer it 20 to 25 feet down onto the same
We can only know our equipment’s for a few hours. This test varies a bit, concrete pad. I can’t think of a better
capabilities if we truly push it to its lim- depending upon when I remember to test of the sight’s integrity.
its. After an hour letting the sight swim retrieve it from the freezer. I usually The sight suffered minor bruises
back and forward with the tide and shoot for three hours if I can. The idea and scrapes but appeared to be just
waves, it was time to reel it and see just was to simulate what would happen if fine. Primary Arms did a great job of
how “waterproof” it really was. the sight got wet in a freezing cold envi- recessing the lenses enough to keep
After I shook off the excess water and ronment. Being stationed in Alaska as them protected should they get banged
turned the power knob, it fired right up part of the 1st/501st Parachute Infantry around. However, I did notice a slight
and displayed a bright, crisp dot. A very Regiment many, many moons ago, I can shift in my pre-established zero. But
kind family who was crab fishing next appreciate a test like this. Equipment after the severe beating this thing took,
to me allowed me to “borrow” one of freezing up was a way of life for us. it’s not surprising that the zero would
their crabs for a moment. At this point, Afterwards, A quick trip to the range shift at least slightly. Keep in mind
the crab was pretty pissed off and just was in order to check the pre-estab- that optics aren’t meant to be thrown
wanted to fight the sight. Judging by his lished zero. Lo and behold, the zero around on concrete, so this just rep-
level of frustration, it was a losing battle hadn’t shifted at all. Thus it was time resents a worst-case scenario.
for the crab. So, for his efforts, I threw to subject the Primary Arms sight to a Since the sight still presented a clear,
the crab back into the depths of the severe beating. For this portion of the crisp red dot and none of the lenses were
ocean to fight again another day. test, I dropped the sight from a height cracked, it was on to the next test. But
first, I re-established a zero, which was

easy since only a slight shift occurred.
POPSICLE TIME
Since most of the “realistic” testing
was done, it was time to push the limits
of the newest Primary Arms model.
Since it had been exposed to salt water,
thrown around and banged up a bit,
now it was time to check those seals.
Into a large plastic water-filled container
it went. This time the sight sat in the
deep freezer until it was frozen solid
in a block of ice. I like to use this test
to gauge if the seals will swell and let
water into the main tube, resulting in
death for the internal electronics.

TORTURE TEST
and crush the body. Nope, not today.

After picking it up, I was shocked to find
that, not only was it still in one piece, but
it only had a few new scratches. So, I
did the only logical thing I could think of
at the time. I had my wife put the Jeep in
reverse and run the sight over again while
I watched in amazement. The results
were the same. To be quite honest, my
wife looked like she was having entirely
too much fun running over the sight.
After another trip to the range to
check the zero, I had to declare it legally
deceased. The windage was just fine,
but all of my shots were hitting low
despite having the elevation topped out.
First, it’s reasonable to assume most
other optics would have been utterly
destroyed by this point. Second, the
mount was slightly bent. Since I didn’t
have a spare mount available, I was
unable to discern if it was actually the
sight or the mount at fault. With a bit of
Kentucky windage, this thing could have
still been in the fight, as the red dot was
still bright and crisp. Either way, this
sight took one hell of a beating, all while
still working exactly as intended.
FINISHING IT OFF
Traditionally, after I kill an optic during
testing, I like to give it a proper send-off.
While rendering my final respects, I dis-
covered another thing about this Primary
Arms sight: The main tube is pretty damn
After freeing the red-dot sight from the timer for this one so as not to find it tough. I fired two high-velocity .22 LR
its icy tomb, I was anxious to see if it “well done.” At this point in the testing, rounds right above the logo on the largest
would fire up. And once again, it did not many of its predecessors would have part of the 30mm tube, but neither pene-
disappoint, turning on to produce a very thrown in their stress cards and quit trated beyond the outer tube wall. A cou-
crisp red dot. I didn’t detect any water working. But not this one. It came out of ple of well-placed rounds in the smaller
or fogging inside the main tube. The the oven laughing at me while muttering part of the tube achieved the desired
sight picture was crystal clear all the way what I could do with that stress card. results and stopped it in its tracks.
through. Everything worked just fine, and As before, I made a trip to the range to If I had to list a negative aspect to
another trip to the range showed that the check the pre-established zero. No shift this sight, it would be fair to mention
zero hadn’t shifted. was found after baking it in the oven. that shortly after the dunk test, I noticed
some rust forming on several of the
BAKED OPTICS RUNNING IT OVER mount’s screws. Overall, though, it’s
Going from one temperature extreme Since I couldn’t find anything else to easy to see that this is a very well-built
to another is very trying for any piece of kill this damn thing, it was time to start red-dot sight. Honestly, I didn’t have
equipment. With optics, it’s a great way getting creative. All that was needed high hopes for an optic that only costs
to see if a thinner, inferior lens will crack. was a medium-packed dirt road and big $130. However, nothing gets special
I’m not sure of the exact specs of the mud tires. Don’t laugh; I’ve had optics treatment in my testing process, and yet
glass used here, but it didn’t crack. survive this same test. the amount of abuse this thing was able
I preset my oven for a balmy 170 I set the Primary Arms sight on the to withstand was shocking. This beast
degrees, and the sight got to work on its road and drove over it slowly, thinking is a sure winner in my book. For more
tan for approximately 30 minutes. I set this would definitely shatter the lenses information, visit primaryarms.com.

PULSAR’S TRAIL XQ50
he Pulsar Trail XQ50 is a mid- And when it comes to night then you may want to opt for one
T priced thermal scope with

some really nice features
that boost its value significantly.
hunting for hogs or varmints, there’s
no comparison to the critter-finding
ability of a thermal. The Pulsar will
of the 38mm models over one of
the 50mm models. The XP series in
either flavor will have a lower base
I’ve been running the XQ50 since soon be headed to Georgia with me magnification than the XQ series.
late spring of 2018 and have found again to chase wild pigs. You’ll have to decide if you want a
the video and photo features to be ON THE TRAIL: The Trail series little more field of view or a little
tremendously useful in assessing from Pulsar includes the XQ38 more top-end magnification.
wildlife populations around the and XQ50 as well as the XP38 A tremendous new feature is the
farm. We’ve located lost chicks after and XP50. The XQ sights have option to have a built-in laser range-
predators have spread the flock at 384x288 sensor resolutions while finder on your thermal with the Trail
dusk and witnessed interactions the XP sights have 640x480 sensor LRF versions of these sights. This
that we would’ve never seen with resolutions. The higher sensor res- essentially takes the guesswork out
an image-intensifying device alone. olution is certainly nice to have, but of engaging targets with a thermal.
I’ve identified new locations where I haven’t felt anything lacking in the Since thermals only see heat signa-
I’ll hang trail cameras this fall by XQ50. Each model also has a differ- tures, it can be extremely difficult to
observing game entering the field ent base magnification. The XQ38 tell how far away a target is under
from over 700 yards away. The and XP38 will have lower base some conditions. In fact, there are
thermal detection capabilities, com- magnification levels (2.1X and 1.2X, times when moisture and tempera-
bined with the variable zoom, help respectively) than the XQ50 and ture conspire to make the image
me keep buildings and equipment XP50 (2.7X and 1.6X, respectively). you see in your thermal nothing but
secure without having to physically If you frequently engage extremely a grey blob of sameness that makes
go to those structures. close targets (under 35 yards or so), the heat signature of your quarry
appear to be floating in empty
nothingness. The LRF integration
is a huge asset here.
EASY TO USE: The menu
system on Trail series thermals is
simple and pretty intuitive. If you’re
like me, you’d rather figure some-
thing out on your own than read the
owner’s manual. I’ll admit that due
to the price tag of a thermal scope,
I glanced through the manual to
get an idea about what buttons
performed what functions, but that’s
about it. From there it was relatively
easy to figure out the menu system,
the zeroing process (which is really
slick) and the other features, like
the camera and video recorder. All
said, I’ve been extremely pleased
with my Pulsar Trail XQ50 and think
it represents one of the best values
on the thermal scope market right
now. (pulsar-nv.com) —Kyle Lynch

FIELD REPORT
REEDMOOR
ROSSOVER SAVAGE’S 10 BA STEALTH
IS PRIMED FOR DUTY, HUNTING
AND LONG-RANGE COMPETITION
BY JAY LANGSTON

SPEC BOX
SAVAGE 10 BA STEALTH
CALIBER: 6.5 Creedmoor
BARREL: 24 inches
STOCK: FAB Defense GL-Shock
SIGHTS: None
ACTION: Bolt
FINISH: Matte black
CAPACITY: 10+1
MSRP: $1,207
The fat lady was blowing on her pitch ammo—to zero the rifle and get ready for the next
pipe on the last day of firearms deer evening’s meat hunt. I didn’t have enough light to
season when the unexpected hap- shoot the rounds across a chronograph, so I had to
pened. The wind was set to shift from guess on the drop data. I still had a range card for a
north to northeast at 3 p.m. on my farm in southern .260 Remington load similar to this Federal factory
Middle Tennessee, which would drift my scent away load hanging from the scope.
from any deer feeding into my rifle range planted in While watching the doe and fawns, I spied
winter wheat and turnips. This last hurrah would be another deer farther downrange. When I focused
as good a chance as any to collect some late- on the deer, I saw that it was a good buck whose
season venison and try out a new rifle. rack was quite a bit wider than his outstretched
The day before, Savage’s new Stealth 10 BA ears. I estimated the buck was just beyond 375
Stealth rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor had arrived at my yards since he had stepped out close to my 400-
local gun shop. I had just enough time before dark yard marker and had walked toward me. I moved
to attach a Bushnell 3.5-21x50mm Elite Tactical the mil-based reticle from the doe to the buck as I
HDMR scope and zero it at 100 yards. increased the magnification.
I’ve got a DOA Shooting Bench situated on the Realizing that the Federal factory load’s ballistic
second floor of a decked tower that allows me to coefficient and velocity were a little lower and
shoot 760 yards in one direction and 300 in the slower than the handload listed on the range card, I
opposite direction. Shortly after getting the rifle sit- held for 400 yards of drop since my range card was
uated, I watched a small six-pointer cross the range for a .260 Remington with 140-grain Berger VLDs
at 3:15 and decided to give him a pass. At 3:44, a in warmer weather. I held on the buck’s shoulder
doe and two big fawns crossed my snow-covered as he walked, angling slightly toward me. When he
range at 110 yards, and I put them in the crosshairs. paused, I had already taken the slack out of the first
This was the opportunity I had been waiting for—to stage of the Savage’s AccuTrigger.
tag a big doe for the freezer.
Since I had so little time to get familiar with Sav- FAMILIAR FEEL
age’s newest offering in 6.5 Creedmoor, I opted to Even though this was a new Savage rifle with an
use what was on hand—Federal’s 140-grain Fusion AccuTrigger, I had some previous experience with

CREEDMOOR CROSSOVER
a very similar platform. I had previously

tested a Drake Associates Hunter Stalker
LWSS (Lightweight Sniper System) chas-
sis rifle using a Savage 10 BA barreled
action. It was one of the slickest all-metal
chassis systems available at the time, and
it quickly became one of my favorites.
A year after testing the Hunter Stalker
LWSS, Savage Arms teamed up with
Drake Associates to expand its 10 BA
line to include the lightweight, compact
Note the rifle’s EGW one-piece scope rail, AR-style
Stealth. It features a factory-blueprinted pistol grip and AccuTrigger. The muzzle sports 5/8x24
10 BA action mated to a custom version threading for things like muzzle brakes (below left).
of the Hunter Stalker monolithic chassis,
which has been modified to Savage’s
specifications. Now the Savage 10 BA
Stealth is available in three different
calibers, and I got my hands on the 6.5
Creedmoor variant for testing.
Machined from a solid billet of
aluminum, the chassis is minimalist in
comparison to earlier chassis systems.
This rifle’s slim M-LOK forend not only
reduces overall weight, but it also feels
good in your hands. A Picatinny rail is
also included for mounting accessories
on the forend.
Another major feature is that the
chassis sports a mil-spec receiver
extension or buffer tube much like an
AR-platform rifle, and Savage includes a
FAB Defense GL-Shock buttstock. This
stock can easily be adjusted for both
length of pull and comb height. Another
noteworthy aspect of the chassis is that
it uses an AR-style pistol grip.
One of the benefits of the chassis
system is that it allows the Stealth to use
detachable box magazines, and Savage
wisely chose to make the rifle compatible
with AICS-pattern magazines. The AR-style FAB Defense GL-Shock buttstock can be
Savage went the extra step and blue- adjusted to six different length-of-pull positions, and a
printed the action to enhance the rifle’s thumbwheel allows you to adjust the cheek height.
accuracy potential. A one-piece Picatinny
rail rides atop the action for mounting an
optic. And the AccuTrigger on my test GOING DOWNRANGE 0.99 inches, and all of my groups with
rifle broke consistently at 2.25 pounds. As I mentioned before, I installed a Bush- this ammo averaged 1.21 inches. Fed-
Finally, the 24-inch, carbon-steel nell 3.5-21x50mm Elite Tactical HDMR eral’s 120-grain Trophy Copper load put
barrel has a 1-in-8-inch twist rate, and scope to get the Savage 10 BA Stealth five rounds into 1.78 inches on average,
the muzzle has 5/8x24-tpi threading for on target. And to measure the rifle’s and the best group here measured 1.37
attaching a sound suppressor or other accuracy from the bench, I tested seven inches. Its average velocity was 2,900
muzzle device. The barrel also has five different factory loads at 100 yards. fps with a standard deviation of 9 fps.
straight flutes to reduce weight and Federal’s 140-grain Gold Medal The last of the Federal loads, the 140-
help facilitate heat dispersion without Match ammo recorded an average veloc- grain Fusion rounds, created the smallest
losing any rigidity. A thread protector is ity of 2,620 fps with a standard deviation group of the day, which measured just
included for the muzzle. of 13 fps. Its smallest group measured 0.76 inches. Its average group size was

MORE ABOUT
CREEDMOOR
he name “Creedmoor” gets
T a lot of play in the firearms

press these days thanks to
a couple of popular cartridges and
a host of new rifles chambered for
them, but many shooters don’t real-
ize the source of the historic handle.
Ironically, the newly formed
National Rifle Association and the
Bullet weight measured in grains, New York legislature formed a part-
velocity in fps by chronograph nership and purchased 70 acres from
SAVAGE 10 BA STEALTH and accuracy in inches for best Mr. Creed, a Long Island farmer, in
LOAD VELOCITY ACCURACY five-shot groups at 100 yards. 1872. Rather British in usage, “moor”
Black Hills 147 ELD Match 2,595 0.80 is defined as a “tract of open land
preserved for shooting,” hence the
Federal 120 Trophy Copper 2,900 1.37 weighed the 3.5-year-old buck, combination of “Creed” and “moor.”
Federal 140 Fusion 2,645 0.76 he tipped the scales at 221 On June 21, 1873, the shooting
Federal 140 Gold Medal Match 2,620 0.99 pounds, which meant I had range officially opened. The Central
half the work ahead of me for Railroad of Long Island established
Hornady 129 SST 2,905 2.26
twice the meat. a railway station nearby, with trains
Hornady 143 ELD-X 2,612 0.91 I took the last few minutes running from Hunter’s Point, with
HSM 130 Trophy Gold VLD 2,822 1.40 of daylight to relive and enjoy connecting boat service to 34th
the quick hunt. I retraced the Street and the East River, allowing
buck’s blood trail to the point access from New York City.
1.07 inches with a velocity of 2,645 fps where I shot him and used my Leica Both the NRA and the Creedmoor
and a standard deviation of 21 fps. rangefinder to learn that the shot was rifle range struck PR gold when
Hornady’s 129-grain SSTs were the 376 yards. The extra 25 yards of range the Irish Rifle Team challenged
hottest from a velocity standpoint— dope, plus the 25-degree weather, were the NRA’s American team to a rifle
shooting match the following year.
maybe too hot. Their average speed was just enough to put the bullet through
This “world championship” took
2,905 fps with a standard deviation of the buck’s heart with a high chest hold.
place on September 26, 1874, with a
12 fps. But this load’s accuracy was When I scored the buck’s rack later, it
crowd ranging from 5,000 to 10,000
lacking, with the smallest group mea- netted just a tad over 131 B&C. spectators, according to newspaper
suring 2.26 inches, and averaging 2.39 Savage Arms offers 30 different rifles reports at the time.
inches. Hornady’s 143-grain ELD-Xs in 6.5 Creedmoor. The company has a The course of fire required 15
performed better in this rifle, with their bevy of bolt actions and ARs. One model shots for each team member at 800,
best group measuring 0.91 inches. The that you’ll want to take a closer look at is 900 and 1,000 yards. After the 800-
average group size for this load was 1.15 the Savage 10 Ashbury Precision model yard event, the Americans were well
inches with a velocity of 2,612 fps and a with a folding stock. Savage also recently ahead in scoring, but the Irish team
standard deviation of 33 fps. The rest of unveiled left-hand versions of the 10/110 caught up after the 900-yard portion.
the results are in the included table. BA Stealth as well as models with Mag- When the Irish team finished the
pul PRS stocks and full-length top rails. 1,000-yard portion, they had pulled
BACK TO THE HUNT Finally, the MSR 10 Long Range in 6.5 ahead by one point. The Americans
When the sear broke, the buck faltered, Creedmoor is a hog hammer. I used that still had one man left to shoot, and it
spun and ran, dragging his front leg. gun last year to fill my freezer with pork. came down to his very last shot. He
scored a 4, which gave the American
He disappeared over a slight rise, but I Savage’s 10 BA Stealth is a fantastic
team a win over the Irish by 3 points.
could make out a blood trail in the snow long-range rifle system that can provide
Thus, “Creedmoor” was forever
with the Bushnell scope’s 21X magnifi- a wealth of fun on the range. If trophy
locked into history as America’s cra-
cation. When I got down and walked to whitetails frequent your area, you can dle of long-range rifle competition.
the buck, I was pleasantly surprised to reach out with this Savage and collect —Jay Langston
find that he had a 21-inch-wide, eight- some venison for your freezer. For more
point rack with long tines. When I later information, visit savagearms.com.

SPECIAL DUTY

GUARDIANS
THE PSRPV COURSE HELPS
POLICE PERSONNEL PROTECT THE
figure it out as you go, but why
take the risk? For more than 10
years, Mark Lang and Tacflow
Academy, along with a cadre of
VULNERABLE WITH PRECISE FIRE seasoned SWAT snipers and
operators, have trained hundreds
BY ANDRE’ M. DALL’AU of law enforcement personnel to
identify, assess, plan and protect
We all know the Within every agency or everything from the Super Bowl
story. On October department’s jurisdiction, there to NASCAR races.
1, 2017, Stephen are soft targets and public Part of the Tacflow
Paddock fired more venues such as arenas, stadiums PSRPV course PUBLIC PROTECTORS
than 1,100 rounds at Route and other municipal areas. What- involves teaching Tacflow’s multi-day Police
91 Harvest musical festival ever goes on, be it a concert, students how to Sniper Response to a Public
concertgoers from his suite at rally or sporting event, a whole coordinate with and Venue (PSRPV) course is taught
effectively utilize
the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las lot of people rapidly enter, stay air assets while
at public venues in the U.S. and
Vegas. The completely one-sided for hours and then exit. Protect- watching over large Canada and includes things like
event left 58 dead and over 800 ing these people cannot be done public events. establishing contact with each
injured. Not a single shot was without preparation, training and facility and thoroughly examin-
fired from outside in response, the right gear. Sure, you can ing the grounds to determine
but an hour later, the shooter overwatch locations, positions
was found dead in his room. where teams can rally or be
But he wasn’t the first. pre-staged, and if there are
On August 1, 1966, Charles vulnerable areas that need extra
Whitman opened fire on random attention. An example would
pedestrians and students from be finding out where propane
the University of Texas tower in tanks are stored, and if a natural
Austin. His 90-minute barrage grass field is present, where the
killed 16 and injured 31 others fertilizer is stored. Both propane
before he was killed during a and fertilizer could be used as
hasty assault. What was learned components for increasing the
from both events, plus many yield of an improvised explosive
others, is what law enforcement device, or IED.
officials now use to plan, train Also covered are the kinetics
and equip themselves to provide of armed overwatch, with a
better safety and security for course prerequisite that every
many public venues in America. student must be an experienced

SPECIAL DUTY
With that, there is an even

“…THE COURSE PROVIDES INSTRUCTION ON THE CALCULATIONS, greater risk for error, as an
uncompensated high-angle
AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE shot will invariably strike high
regardless of whether the
SURE THAT EACH BULLET GOES EXACTLY WHERE IT HAS TO.” countersniper is shooting up
or down. This was found to
be evident during the 1966
Texas Tower shootout, where
the return fire, coming in at
police countersniper who is a high angle upward, mostly
able to routinely and repeat- impacted several feet high
edly place a round within a on the clock face, completely
2-square-inch target hundreds missing the perpetrator. Why?
of yards away. That require- Because of the high angle, a
ment is essential, since part 400-yard shot may cross only
of the curriculum involves live 200 yards of earth, meaning
fire inside the venue into an there’s less gravity to pull
MGM Stadium bullet trap. So the bullet downward like it
the countersniper teams are would if fired on an even
required to provide the cadre level. To counter that, the
with accurate rounds on course provides instruction
target before they are allowed on the calculations, available
to progress to higher-difficulty technology and equipment
shots. Just as in any real sit- needed to make sure that
uation, those higher-difficulty each bullet goes exactly
shots could be from the tops where it needs to.
of press boxes, in covert or Although a law enforce-
overt hides placed in luxury ment countersniper must know
suites, or even from behind how to place bullets precisely
the lights on towers soaring on target, it’s even harder to
high above the stadium. observe and recognize threats

and make quick decisions sons are first identified and
before they even place their described, then tracked
finger near the trigger. Their for further activity. Do have
primary job is overwatch, a triggering device wired
together with the ability to to themselves? Will they
accurately determine threats drop a bag and run away?
and communicate them to Do they open their shirt to
the local command authority expose a bomb vest? The
as well as other SWAT oper- countersniper team must
ators and police personnel recognize the threat and
within the venue. They are act within the law and their
best positioned to see if rules of engagement. As I
a tussle in the stands is a said, this is the hard part.
disagreement between fans
or part of a planned attack. GETTING ON TARGET
They can see a person To help countersnip-
walking with a backpack in ers get to that level of
a no-bags-allowed arena, or professional oversight
someone dressed inappro- and marksmanship, the
priately or with bulky clothes PSRPV course provides
and communicate that infor- case studies and propri-
mation to nearby security for etary information to teach
further investigation. students how to identify
Part of the PSRPV cur- threats, coordinate with
riculum includes dynamic air assets, establish covert
drills in which counter- and overt hides, and select
sniper teams positioned improvised and hasty
high around the stadium positions. To this end, the
must assess role-players cadre exhibits the gear and
roaming throughout the weapons for the job, and
area and determine their while traditional, practiced
threat level. Suspicious per- prone shots might be great
tactical-life.com
SPECIAL DUTY
for square ranges, they aren’t the venue, and since they
quite practical in a venue would’ve already identified
TENNESSEE TITANS like a stadium. This is where the highest-threat locations,
FIELD TRIP things like tripods come in.

The course covers not only
the usual tripod rests like the
they could quickly use their
optics and night-vision gear to
determine the shooter’s perch.
The entire Tennessee Titans football team and coach- HOG Saddle and Reaper The sniper could then pick up
ing staff spent the morning of June 14, 2018, at the Grip, but also Spec-Rest his semi-auto .308, place it in
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s Training systems that allow for com- the Spec-Rest yokes, swing
Academy, learning a bit about gun safety and how offi- plete—and completely repeat- it toward the resort hotel and
cers are trained. It may well have been the first field able—deployment with rifles zero in on the muzzle flashes.
trip of its kind for a full NFL team. up to and including those in At the same time, the
Police Chief Steve Anderson welcomed the four .50 BMG. The tremendous team’s spotter could notify
busloads of Titans at 9:30 a.m. The team then split into
groups of 30 and rotated among three stations, includ-
ing one that involved a “shoot/don’t shoot” simulator
that presented players with a variety of dangerous sce-
narios a police officer could encounter. They were also
exposed to real pistols and rifles on two gun ranges.
Titans General Manager Jon Robinson approached
the police department earlier in June with an idea to
surprise the players on the last day of minicamp with
a visit to the academy.
“The interaction between Titans players and our
officers was exceptional,” Chief Anderson said. “The
conversations were relaxed, and it was clear that both
groups had a good time being with each other. This
was an outstanding idea by Jon Robinson, and I am
grateful that he brought it to us.” —Jay Langston
usefulness of the Spec-Rest the helicopter overwatch of

is that the scoped rifle can the situation with the location
be dismounted and kept out of the shooter. The helicopter
of sight but completely ready crew, including the well-
to be placed and fired with trained pilot and aerial-plat-
MOA repeatability, breaking form-trained marksman, could
an aimed shot within five get into position and engage
seconds if needed. if needed, providing backup
With this information, for the countersniping team
including the right training, in the elevated hide by the
equipment and support, how venue. They could also use
could the Las Vegas shooting their thermal-imaging equip-
have been different? As we ment to make sure the killer
know, after the shooter shat- is down and out of the fight
tered two windows from his before police forces storm
32nd-floor suite with a ham- the hotel room.
mer, he began to fire single Every department should
rifle shots toward the concert have the expert training and
stage northeast of the hotel. In rock-solid equipment to per-
an elevated hide at the venue, form actions like this, before
a police countersniper team a mass shooting becomes an
could have recognized the unmitigated nightmare. This is
distinctive sounds of incoming what the PSRPV course is all
rifle fire and evaluated the about. For more information,
reaction from attendees at visit tacflow.com.

ELITE OPS
NUCLEAR DEFENSE
Viktor Kiryanov Photo
THE HARDWARE BEHIND THE MOST CRITICAL

MISSION AMERICA HAS EVER KNOWN
BY WILL DABBS, MD
For 12 years, Midwest Industries has been driven Japan. The device fell for 44 seconds before a
by a single mantra: Make good guns better. The barometric trigger initiated its chemical explosive.
company applies inimitable American ingenuity The resulting fission reaction consumed about 2
and quality to make awesome additions to just pounds of enriched uranium-235.
about anything that shoots. Headquartered in In keeping with Einstein’s E=MC2 equation, the
a small town in Wisconsin, Midwest Industries amount of uranium that was actually converted
produces affordable, high-quality accessories for into energy was on the order of a single gram.
everything from the Galil to the CZ Scorpion, the This is about the mass of a paper clip or a dollar
M4, the HK416 and everything in between. bill. The resulting explosion released as much
When the United States Department of energy as 15,000 tons of TNT. About 60,000 peo-
Energy needed accessory rails to make the best ple died in the immediate blast, and the ultimate
assault rifle in the world even better, they looked death toll reached more than 140,000.
to Midwest Industries for the gear. Considering Modern nuclear weapons are massively more
what is riding on it, these guys need the best efficient. The world has conveniently forgotten the
hardware on the planet. scale of the carnage wrought by nuclear weap-
ons. Protecting our nation’s stockpile of nuclear
NUCLEAR SECURITY material is arguably the most critical task of the
On August 6, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress entire government. If ever there was an undertak-
named the Enola Gay and piloted by Colonel ing that was intolerant of failure, this is it.
Paul Tibbets released a 9,700-pound bomb from The National Nuclear Security Administration
an altitude of 31,060 feet above Hiroshima, (NNSA) was established by Congress in 2000 as
TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 115

ELITE OPS
a semi-autonomous agency within the Their mission involves securing nuclear state of the art at the turn of the 21st
U.S. Department of Energy responsible material and retrieving it should it be century, more contemporary designs
for maintaining and enhancing the stolen. Their training is formalized and have evolved substantially. And Midwest
safety, security and effectiveness of intense, and they regularly enter tactical Industries is on the cutting edge.
the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. It competitions to compete with other Strolling through the company’s
works to reduce the global danger from agencies to help keep sharp. website is like visiting Santa’s work-
weapons of mass destruction, provides The apex threat these guys train shop. There are 21 different categories
the U.S. Navy with safe and effective against is a potential attack by a large- of weapons for which the company
nuclear propulsion and responds to scale, heavily armed terrorist group that produces accessories. Pistol braces,
nuclear and radiological emergencies might try to force their way into a secure handguards, carry gear, scope mounts,
in the U.S. and abroad. In 2019, we facility and escape with nuclear mate- steel targets and clothing can all be
will spend $19 billion on the NNSA in rials. This eventuality requires different found on its site. Be willing to eschew
support of its critical missions. tools and training than the good folks underwear, as any real man might, and
Because nuclear weapons are so who guard your local bank or airport. As these guys can take care of pretty much
unimaginably destructive, some of the a result, the NNSA doesn’t look like your all your corporeal needs.
world’s very worst citizens are rabid to run-of-the-mill security agency. I was around for the handguard rev-
get their hands on the raw materials The NNSA uses Lenco BearCat olution, and it was indeed revolutionary.
required to build them. Even without the armored personnel carriers for high- What we discovered in short order is
tech required to craft a proper A-bomb, threat security around nuclear sites. that you really don’t need 7 miles of
low-rent miscreants could wrap radio- Their crew-served weapons include rail space sprouting from your gun like
active materials around conventional Mk 19 automatic grenade launchers some unconstrained aluminum fungus.
explosives and produce a dirty bomb and Dillon Aero M134D miniguns. Their You just need rails in certain spots. As
capable of sickening and killing vast small arms consist of SR-25 precision individualizing your favorite tactical
numbers of people. All of this conspires rifles, 40mm HK69 grenade launchers, firearm is now de rigueur among both
to make nuclear materials a high-value and HK416 rifles. And, as mentioned armed professionals and responsible
target for any terrorist worthy of the term. earlier, Midwest Industries was recently citizens alike, Midwest Industries lets
selected to provide new handguards for you do it your own way. Using this
ARMING UP the very important HK416s. company’s gear, you can tack stuff like
The NNSA’s Federal Protective The HK416 comes with a fairly lights, lasers and sights on where you
Forces seek out military veterans, par- conventional and bulky quad-rail fore- want them and leave the rest smooth
ticularly those with combat experience. arm. While this quad-rail reflected the and trim for faster handling. In so doing,
“THE HOLY MELDING OF THE HK416 AND THIS

TOP-END MIDWEST INDUSTRIES HANDGUARD OFFERS
EVERYTHING YOU MIGHT REASONABLY WANT.”

THE
Midwest Industries really does make
good guns great.
PERSONAL TESTING
UNSTOPPABLE HK416
It was tough, but I eventually laid my
hands on what is essentially the same
gun used by the NNSA Federal Protec-
tive Forces to safeguard our nation’s
nuclear stockpile. The host began life as
a semi-auto HK MR556A1. Aside from
a slightly longer barrel and the lack of a
functional giggle switch, this is the same
gun as the HK416.
The proprietary pistol grip has a
slightly more obtuse angle than that of tiative between Heckler & Koch not really clean their weapons until they
the M4, while the sliding buttstock incor- and the U.S. Army’s Delta Force got back to their home station. Con-
porates a rubber buttpad along with in the early 1990s. Their mission was to sidering the caliber of the men behind
swells for a more comfortable cheek- design the most reliable and effective these guns, this is high praise indeed.
weld. The fire controls are bilateral, close-combat weapon in the world. The The HK416 weighs a bit more than
and the dust cover is, for some unfath- resulting HK416 combined mechanical a comparable M4, but it takes all the
omable reason, polymer. The charging attributes from several different systems. ambiguity out of the rifle. The French
handle has an extended release latch. The basic chassis is classic Eugene and Norwegian armies are equipped
The receiver takedown pins include Stoner. The AR sports the finest ergo- with the HK416 throughout. The
a curious built-in mechanism that must
nomics ever built into a combat rifle, so U.S. Marine Corps relatively recently
be depressed with a bullet tip or similar
that didn’t change. The action was born announced that it will increase the
pointy tool to release. After countless
with Stoner’s AR-18, but enhanced and number of M27 Infantry Automatic
thousands of rounds burned through
polished through British SA80 upgrades Rifles—variants of the HK416—among
M16 rifles, I have never once had a pivot
as well as the ill-fated XM8 assault rifle infantry combat formations.
pin work loose. However, these HK ver-
trials. The end result is a rugged gas- The HK416 sports a proprietary
sions will really, really never work loose.
The magazine well also has a slightly piston-driven system adapted from the buttstock and pistol grip along with a
modified shape to make magazine HK G36 that just won’t quit. removable diopter sight and scads of
changes just a smidgen faster. A friend who did more than half a unique incidentals. Modern combat
The Midwest Industries handguard is dozen combat tours as a Delta operator guns live or die on the strength of their
trim and svelte, following the basic con- said they would start a four-month cycle well-reasoned details. In the HK416,
tours of the upper receiver continually with a spotless weapon and then shoot we find the top of the tactical heap.
from the front of the receiver assembly almost every night. Depending upon the (hk-usa.com) —Will Dabbs, MD
out well past the gas block. The top
aspect of the unit is cut as a continuous
Picatinny rail. The other seven facets my favorite defensive rifle ended when top-notch, high-quality support gear that
of the device are liberally adorned with I entered my fifth decade. The holy the NNSA Federal Protective Forces
M-LOK slots. The otherwise sharp edges melding of the HK416 and this top-end use to safeguard nuclear weapons at a
are dimpled with weight-saving divots Midwest Industries handguard offers surprisingly reasonable price.
that provide extra gripping space. The everything you might reasonably want. The United States has just north of
entire rig is as rigidly affixed to the rifle 4,000 operational nuclear warheads.
as a skyscraper is to bedrock. CIVILIAN READY Keeping these rascals secure along
The end result is a handguard that Chances are you don’t keep a select- with the nuclear materials we need to
is comfortable if left naked yet offers fire HK416 tucked behind your closet make more is arguably the most critical
enough space to facilitate quite literally door for those times when you hear security challenge in the nation. Those
anything you might want to strap there. glass breaking downstairs. I have black tasked with this mission use the finest
In my advanced age, I have come to guns coming out of my ears, but I can’t firearms humanity can produce. Now,
appreciate the salient benefits of a afford an HK MR556A1 of my own. How- thanks to Midwest Industries, the same
minimalist light/laser combo, a simple ever, even if your proclivities wander cool-guy stuff that optimizes the HK416
vertical foregrip and a bit of sparkly more toward a budget-priced Romanian rifles wielded by the NNSA Federal Pro-
glass up top. My days of willingly strap- AK or a sub-$500 AR made from various tective Forces is available to us normal
ping an iPhone, PlayStation and portable parts scrounged online, Midwest Indus- folk as well. For more information, visit
espresso machine to the forearm rail of tries can get you into the same sort of midwestindustriesinc.com.

GO LONG
recision rifle competitions and you are talking thousands of dollars, ing guns with black stocks. The RPR
P continue to grow in popu-

larity. Major matches host
as many as 300 compet-
itors over several days.
Most are family oriented,
and many people travel the country in
motorhomes and trailers to attend. The
competitors enjoy the shooting, but they
also look forward to the camaraderie,
so it’s not something everyone can do.
What’s the solution? Local matches
are more affordable and shorter, with
fewer attendees. These require minimal
travel and have courses of fire designed
for mere mortals and factory-built rifles.
Thankfully, firearms manufacturers have
stepped up to the plate, too.
Ruger started driving this train with
brought new shooters to the precision
world and spurred companies to provide
rifles for less. Now you can get a factory
rifle with 1-MOA accuracy or better
using factory ammo. Chassis systems
are the norm, with adjustable stocks,
20-MOA rails and sleek handguards.
Costs range from a tad over a grand to
just under two. The sweet spot seems
fellowship and fun that comes with every the introduction of its Ruger Precision to be in the $1,200 range, leaving plenty
match. Competitions make for great Rifle (RPR). At the time, you either of room for a nice scope and a decent
times, but unfortunately, they can also be dumped thousands of dollars into bipod. This brings us to the new Long
expensive and time-consuming. Include custom rifles or suffered with factory Range Rifle (LRR) from Performance
travel, lodging, ammunition and meals, rifles that were nothing more than hunt- Center and Thompson/Center Arms.

PRECISION MACHINE
The LRR is available in .308 Win-
chester, 6.5 Creedmoor and .243 Win-
chester, and I got my hands on the latter
for testing. The .243 Winchester is a fan-
tastic cartridge for local matches that tend
to stay within 1,200 yards because of its
light recoil, flat trajectory and excellent
accuracy. As a bonus, this caliber is great
for long-range varmint hunting, and doz-
ens of ammunition choices are available.
I mention that because the LRR would
work for hunting as well as competition.
The LRR starts with an aluminum
chassis. Strong and precise, it elimi-
BUILT ACCURATE AND

AFFORDABLE, THE
NEW .243 LONG
TO RANGE RIFLE LIVES

UP TO ITS NAME
PERFORM BY DAVID BAHDE

SEAN UTLEY PHOTOS

BUILT TO PERFORM
SPEC BOX nates the need for bedding and pro- respectively, the .243 Winchester version
vides increased accuracy and plenty has a 26-inch barrel. Made of 4140 steel
PERFORMANCE CENTER of adjustments. The length of pull and with 5R rifling in a 1-in-10-inch twist
T/C LRR cheekpiece can be adjusted via large
dials, and the buttpad moves up, down
rate, the barrel has a heavy contour and
deep exterior fluting. The muzzle sports
and rotates as well. The pistol grip is 5/8x24-tpi threading and comes capped
CALIBER: .243 Winchester
an AR-style unit made of rubber, and with a muzzle brake. All of this creates
BARREL: 26 inches other AR grips can be installed. a match-grade barrel that is guaranteed
OA LENGTH: 47.5 inches The LRR also has an oversized to shoot 1 MOA at 100 yards using
WEIGHT: 12 pounds (empty) triggerguard and a magazine well “premium factory ammunition.”
that accepts AICS-pattern maga- Unloaded, the LRR weighs 12
STOCK: Adjustable
zines (though it won’t accept AW pounds, and it ships in a nice nylon
SIGHTS: None magazines). The magazine release case with a Caldwell M-LOK-compatible
ACTION: Bolt is an oversized paddle that can be bipod and one Accurate-Mag 10-round
FINISH: Matte black accessed from either side. The trigger magazine. Adding an optic and the bipod
is adjustable from 2.5 to 3.5 pounds will take you over 14 pounds. And for an
CAPACITY: 10+1
and breaks cleanly. And though it’s optic, I chose Bushnell’s top-of-the-line
MSRP: $1,211 a single-stage unit, the trigger safety 3.5-21x50mm Elite Tactical DMR II
provides a bit of a two-stage feel. Pro, which I installed using a Seekins
The action uses a three-lug bolt and Precision mount. This scope uses a G3
LOAD VELOCITY ACCURACY a two-position safety. With the safety reticle mounted in the first focal plane.
applied, the trigger is blocked, but you It’s designed for competition use and
Copper Creek 115 DTAC 2,894 0.60
can still run the bolt. The one-piece includes mil markings for holdovers. Hor-
HSM 95 Berger VLD 3,100 0.65 bolt handle itself is short and features izontal markings extend farther as you
Nosler 90 Ballistic Tip 3,004 0.76 a tactical-style knob. Finally, a 20-MOA progress down the scale for wind holds.
Remington 95 AccuTip 2,997 0.75 rail rides atop the action.
The handguard extends 13 inches RINGING STEEL
from the receiver, and you’ll find M-LOK My first task at the range was
for best five-shot groups at 100 yards.
slots for accessories along the sides seeing if the LRR would stand up to
and bottom. Then you have the barrel. Thompson/Center’s 1-MOA accuracy
While the .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor guarantee at 100 yards, and it delivered
LRRs come with 20- and 24-inch barrels, nicely with three different loads. Rem-

headed out to tag varmints, Remington
“THE LRR STARTS WITH AN ALUMINUM CHASSIS. AccuTips are the ticket with this rifle.
As expected, the recoil was minimal
STRONG AND PRECISE, IT ELIMINATES THE NEED and the barrel moved little while firing.
The brake works well. It’s loud, but the
FOR BEDDING AND PROVIDES INCREASED ACCURACY blast is effectively diverted away from the
shooter. I don’t think you’d need some-
AND PLENTY OF ADJUSTMENTS.” thing more competition oriented. I could
watch my hits at 100 yards, and the rifle
did not move off target at longer ranges.
The bolt is smooth, but a tad stiff—
you need to run it pretty hard. Short-
stroke the bolt and you’ll get a stoppage.
It loosened up a bit after 100 rounds or
so. It’s not butter smooth, but we are
talking about an entire rifle that cost a
few hundred dollars less than the bare
action my competition rifle is built on.
When I ran the bolt fast, it worked well.
The Accurate-Mag also worked well,
The match-grade, 26-inch, 5R-rifled barrel is as did my 10-round AICS magazines. My
fluted to reduce weight, and the threaded muzzle PMAGs were hit and miss. Out of five
comes capped with a highly effective brake. magazines, three were excellent, one was
marginal and one was just not reliable.
For what it’s worth, that changes based
on different chassis systems. Magazines
aren’t always built to exacting standards,
so check them out at the range.
The bipod is a nice touch, but I just
don’t think it’s suitable for anything other
than shooting from a bench. You need
a bipod that can pivot at long ranges so
you can stay level, and most people will
remove it during the match at least once.
Notched legs are also much better for
real-world use rather than the friction
knobs. I would like to see a rail included
at the very least so you can use other
bipods right out of the box.
ington’s 95-grain AccuTip ammo was the lighter bullets were far less consistent.
most accurate of the non-match loads, The Copper Creek and Remington QUITE THE STEAL
producing a 0.75-inch group. It was also rounds were the standouts at serious After spending time on the Perfor-
the most consistent hunting load from distances, from 800 to 1,000 yards. mance Center T/C LRR, it was easy
800 to 1,000 yards. Nosler’s 90-grain You kind of expect that from the Copper to forget that I was shooting a rifle that
E-Tip and Ballistic Tip rounds were also Creek—the DTAC bullet is designed retails for $1,211 and comes with a
accurate out to 800 yards. With plenty specifically for long-range stability, magazine, a scope rail and a bipod.
of accurate hunting loads available, this mostly in the 6XC or 6mm Creedmoor. The chassis is solid and offers all the
is a serious varminter. But I was able to get consecutive hits on adjustments you might need. The trigger
As prolific as hunting ammunition is, a 22-by-16-inch target at 860 yards in is crisp and predictable. I prefer triggers
match loads are a bit scarcer. Copper 15-mph winds with the AccuTips. Hits on the strong side—3 to 3.5 pounds—so
Creek’s 115-grain DTACs were the most at 1,000 yards were regular as well—not I was pleased right out of the box. It’s
accurate in the target genre, with a 0.6- quite as regular as with the Copper not the two-stage unit I’d prefer, but it’s
inch group. Given the 1-in-10-inch twist Creek rounds, but common enough. The a nice trigger nonetheless.
rate, I thought these heavy bullets might Remington load’s average velocity was So, adding it all up, the LRR is a
be problematic, but they worked just a tad under 3,100 fps, making it a flat great choice if you’re looking to get into
fine—another example of how internet shooter. Copper Creek’s load was just long-range shooting, whether it’s for
science does not always match up with under 2,900 fps, which is pretty impres- competition, hunting or just for fun. For
the real world. In fact, the 80-grain and sive for the bullet weight. So if you are more information, visit tcarms.com.

BATTLE BADES
BEAR & SON

BOLD ACTION XI
In the wide world of knives, there are dozens

of niches to cover every possible need. And
then you have what I call “taboo blades”
THESE BUTTERFLIES like balisong/butterfly knives as well as autos
and switchblades. These are knives that you can quickly
AND AUTOS MIGHT BE deploy with just one hand.
But what makes these knives so insidious that
HARD TO COME BY, numerous laws from the federal to the local levels have
BUT YOU CAN’T BEAT been created to stifle their possession and use since the
1950s? Do they grant the user special powers? Not at
THEIR SPEED all. In fact, it’d be easy to prove that the latest assisted
openers and other quick-deploy methods have supplanted
BY TODD BURGREEN the more taboo blades. But let’s take a closer look, and
this is a good place to remind readers to check their local
laws before investing in this kind of steel.

“WITH A DOUBLE-ACTION OTF, BOTH
THE DEPLOYMENT AND RETRACTION
ARE POWERED…THIS ALLOWS YOU TO
KEEP A SOLID GRIP ON THE HANDLE
NO MATTER THE SITUATION.”
BEAR/BRADLEY KIMURA
TAKING FLIGHT which the blade rests when the knife is

A balisong or butterfly knife is closed. This style is regarded as being
basically a folding pocketknife. The two stronger than sandwich construction.
handles essentially rotate around the Automatics are typically fold-out/
tang, so that, when closed, the blade swing-out varieties, or out-the-front
is concealed within grooves in the han- (OTF) designs where the blade, con-
dles. The butterfly knife can be flipped tained in the handle, is released auto-
open using various techniques, but matically when a button, lever or switch
once it’s open, it’s stouter than many is activated. After hitting the release, the
other folding knife designs. This is par- internal mechanism does the rest of the
tially because it’s rather simple and has work. This is the key difference between
no springs or other complicated parts. pure autos and the increasingly popular
Many believe the butterfly knife first spring-assisted knives available today.
originated in the Philippines in the There are both single- and dou-
early 1900s. Without a doubt, Filipino ble-action OTF knives. In a single-action
martial artists make liberal use of such knife, only the deployment is powered,
blades. However, recent findings but the blade has to be retracted manu-
point to European origins, specifically ally. With a double-action OTF, both the
France, dating back to 1710. deployment and retraction are powered,
Butterfly knives are typically made usually by pushing and pulling the same
in two different ways: sandwich and control switch in different directions.
channel. Sandwich-style knives are This allows you to keep a solid grip on
assembled in layers that are pinned the handle no matter the situation.
or screwed together, though they may
sometimes use a ball-bearing system. MANY MISSIONS
This allows the pivot pins to be adjusted Excluding the cool factor, why
more tightly without binding. When the would someone want a butterfly or
knife is closed, the blade rests between auto knife over more mundane blade
the layers. For a channel-style butterfly choices? The answer probably lies
HOGUE EX-A01
knife, the main part of each handle is in their restrictions. Here in the U.S.,
formed from one piece of material. In autos are confined to use by military,
this handle, a groove is created (by law enforcement and EMT personnel.
folding, milling or integral casting) in Unfortunately, this is based on a multi-

tude of misguided legal statutes prevent- HOGUE’S HOT RODS
ing more widespread distribution. Refer Hogue is more often associated
to the earlier disclaimer and verify your with stocks, grips and other firearm
own situation based on where you live. accessories. However, the company is
HOGUE
HK HADRON
The salient point for autos, no matter their coming on strong in the knife world and
orientation, is one-handed operation. now offers a myriad of options. One key
I’ve spoken with several federal and aspect for Hogue is its commitment to
law enforcement personnel who seem construct its blades here in the U.S.
to prefer fold-open autos versus OTF rather than subcontracting the work and
versions. This is because fold-open autos then placing its label on the final product.
typically have more useful blade profiles. More importantly, Hogue brought on
After all, a knife is destined to do far more board the well-respected knife expert
mundane tasks during a user’s lifespan Allen Elishewitz as its lead designer. For
than fight or draw blood. It also helps this article, I checked out the HK-branded
that many manufacturers carry both auto Hadron OTF as well as the EX-A01.
and manual versions of the same knife. The HK Hadron is available with either
Butterfly-type blades, on the other hand, a tanto or clip-point blade made from
are rare among police users. 0.125-inch-thick CPM 154 steel, and I
Several of the people I talked to got my hands on the latter for testing. This
also mentioned worrying about an OTF particular steel offers superior corrosion
deploying accidentally. No matter how resistance and excellent edge retention.
much thought goes into the operating The blade is also cryogenically treated as
mechanism, this concern is hard to well as hand sharpened and honed. The
overcome. And many people mistakenly frame is equipped with a tip-down clip
believe that OTF knives deploy with designed for deep pocket carry.
deadly force. The springs in these knives The EX-A01 is built around Hogue’s
are designed to open the blade and own proprietary oversized coil spring,
lock it into place. That’s it. If you were which provides force along the entire
to accidentally open the knife into your range of motion as the blade opens.
hand, you would get cut, but you probably In other words, the blade snaps open
wouldn’t get a serious injury. It’s also with authority. The manual safety locks
worth noting that double-action OTFs the knife open and closed to prevent
open with less force than their single- misfiring, securing the blade no matter its
action counterparts. But the blades position. The 3.5-inch, drop-point blade
on many OTF knives make it clear that is made from CPM 154 steel that is cryo-
they’re designed for offense or defense— genically treated while the matte black
not camp chores, opening boxes, etc. aluminum handle scales provide a secure
Quality autos and butterfly knives are grip. A reversible pocket clip completes
generally more expensive than other fold- the package. (hogueinc.com)
ing knives because of their more complex
construction and limited market. There BEAR & SON CUTLERY
are several noteworthy manufacturers in Bear & Son Cutlery is based out of
this arena, and I consulted Hogue and Alabama and employs a skilled and expe-
Bear & Son Cutlery to explore some of rienced workforce capable of performing
your market options today. many of the extra hand operations that go

into making durable, proven products. In
fact, the company is committed to mak- Bear & Son Cutlery recently collaborated
ing the best U.S. blades, and its man- with Bradley Cutlery to resurrect the
ufacturing operation is self-contained. Kimura butterfly knife. It’s now available
While some companies only assemble with G10 scales and a 154CM blade.
parts bought from various suppliers and
put their names on the products, Bear &
Son Cutlery does everything in-house,
from building its own blanking dies to
heat treating, grinding, assembling and
hand-finishing products. These steps
ensure that the company’s knives are
of excellent quality and represent real
value for both the dealer and consumer.
What’s not to love? WORK SHARP HONORS VETS
To get a better look at butterfly knives
and autos, I checked out the Kimura and s this issue of TL was heading
Bold Action XI, respectively. You might
recognize the Kimura name. Bear & Son
Cutlery worked with Bradley Cutlery—
A to press, we learned about one
of the great ways Work Sharp
Outdoors is giving back to the men
designer and distributor of the original and women of this nation who serve in
Kimura so favored by butterfly knife the U.S. military. Work Sharp Outdoor
recognizes the many sacrifices of the
collectors and practitioners—to design
men and women in our militar, so,
a new version and bring the legendary
to honor their service, all veterans
name back to the market.
and active-duty military personnel
The new Kimura butterfly features a
will receive 15-percent off on Work
tough 3.75-inch, 154CM steel blade Sharp’s Elite Sharpening System,
with an exquisite bead-blasted finish which combines the Ken Onion Knife
and a sturdy taper-ground edge. The and Tool Sharpenener with the Blade
handles are made of stainless steel Grinding Attachment. Kershaw, Zero Tolerance and Columbia
with 3D-milled and contoured G10 Backstory: Ken Onion is a hall-of- River Knife & Tool, and continues to
panels for a positive grip. Premium fame knifemaker, designer, inventor create highly sought-after custom
pivot bearings ensure smooth, “no and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. knives from his shop in Hawaii.
slop” deployment, and the Kimura mea- Several years ago, he began a collab- Onion’s unique approach to design
sures 5.38 inches when closed and 9 oration with Work Sharp Outdoor that leads to concepts familiar yet wildly
inches when open. Finally, a matching resulted in the critically acclaimed Ken different from what’s available. Begin-
stainless steel T-latch keeps the Kimura Onion Edition Knife and Tool Sharp- ning with the end in mind, he imag-
secure in its closed and open positions. ener. His take on Work Sharp’s Original ines a scenario in which a knife or
Its total weight is 6.2 ounces. Knife and Tool Sharpener added com- sharpener is required and backs into
The Bold Action XI—officially plete angle adjustments from 15 to 30 his design decisions based on what
AC-1100-B4-B in the Bear & Son degrees so every knife, regardless of would be most successful in that
Cutlery catalog—features a 3.25-inch, angle, could be resharpened without scenario. It’s a far cry from the typical
Sandvik 14C28N stainless blade. The losing its original angle. approach of finding a differentiator for
Onion’s Take: “Work Sharp is an existing style or category.
handle is made from G10, and the whole
one of the finest companies I’ve ever “The Ken Onion Edition Knife and
knife weighs just 4.1 ounces. You’ll also
had the privilege of working with…a Tool Sharpener uses Norton NorAX
find a safety lock as well as a reversible
company that gets it,” said Onion. “I belts—the same belts I use when
pocket clip to finish out the package. The
wanted something that could sit next making custom knives…the same
latter is an important feature because
to the professional gear I use to make abrasives I use on my big machines,”
we all have different carry preferences, my custom knives. The thing about the said Onion. “The abrasives are
especially when it comes to tip-up Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener stacked up so that they themselves
or tip-down carry with an auto. The is that it will sharpen everything from break down and expose new
Bold Action XI opens vigorously when a lawnmower blade to a scalpel. It will sharp edges. They last longer, they
deployed and locks up tight, making it a literally sharpen everything.” sharpen better and are more heat
great option if you can get your hands Man On A Misson: Onion has resistant than other sharpeners.”
on such a blade. I highly recommend it. collaborated on designs with Shun, (worksharptools.com) —TL Staff
(bearandsoncutlery.com)

PARTING SHOTS
—Continued from page 128
OFF TO THE RACES

There’s no rest for Jewels, as she is a
sponsored lifestyle fitness model and is
currently on an international bikini team.
She keeps busy traveling nationwide,
working ring events, NASCAR races and
concerts as well as competing in various
bikini competitions, many of which she
has won. Besides modeling tactical gear
for various companies, she does commer-
cial shoots for beauty products, bikinis,
She finds sunglasses and fitness clothes.
comfort in know- DEFENSE READY

Jewels got introduced to the gun world
ing how to handle through an ex-boyfriend, an officer in the
U.S. Navy who owned several different
guns in a safe handguns and rifles. She finds comfort
in knowing how to handle guns in a safe beach running with her dogs or hanging
manner and the manner and the sense of security it gives
her. Julia strongly believes a woman
out with her friends on the sand. She is
currently taking classes to get her full
sense of security should be able to defend herself and concealed-carry permit, and she even-
it gives her. family when necessary.

When she isn’t modeling, working
or at the range training with her Glock
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FIT TO
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the ocean, sun and her two dogs, Jester and
Ava. —Continued on page 126

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JAN./FEB.

MODERN FIREARMS™ PRESENTS

$9.95 Display Until Feb. 4, 2019

DOUBLE GUN FUN

2 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

Introducing the TREAD by

4 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019

COLUMNS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Richard Ortega

6 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019

This past October saw Athlon Outdoors host its second

3 > BLACKHAWK STAX EDC PACK

4 > CALDWELL LEAD SLED 3 6 > CRIMSON TRACE SIGHTS

tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 9

8 > DOA STEEL TARGETS earmuffs combine 5X sound ampli- 10

10 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

The Ruger® EC9s™ comes with no

gimmicks, rebates or mail-in offers

for gift cards... just the rugged,

reliability of the striker-ﬁred LC9s®,

now with integral sights and a no-hassle

price point that won’t break the bank.

The Ruger® Security-9™ is an af

mid-sized pistol that provides every

in the perfect caliber, size and price

WHY CHOOSE BETWEEN THEM

RUGER.COM © 2018 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. 011118

12 > LYMAN BAG JACK 14 > MAGPUL BIPOD

12 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

16 > MAGPUL EYEWEAR 18 > WHEELER

14 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

LEARN MORE AT WWW.DESANTISHOLSTER.COM

BILL After multiple tours as a U.S. Navy SEAL,

16 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

SEAL Team 3 and spent 14 years with

TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 17

Always on the move, Bill Rapier strongly

survival skills to cope with the brutal cold

Some drills presented in Amtac

18 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 19

20 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 21

22 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 23

24 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

The forward portion

26 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 27

rifle well on flat objects as well as barri-

the muzzle has 5/8x24-tpi threading.

28 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019

Like previous SCAR models, the new

30 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 31

Even the micro-sized Holosun

BY WILL DABBS, MD BURNING BRIGHT

32 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

With its tall mount, unlimited

TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 33

“MOST HOLOSUN SIGHTS EMPLOY A SOLAR CELL FOR POWER

Circle Dot design offers an exceptionally

34 TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 tactical-life.com

tactical-life.com TACTICAL LIFE 01 • 02 • 2019 35

AR PLATFORM for many of us, those original rifles remain

0%$ 0%$5LÀH 0%$ 0%$

5LÀH%XIIHU$VVHPEOLHV 8SSHUV &DUELQH%XIIHU$VVHPEOLHV

Assembled Mil-Spec and Commercial