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It turns out that we
law-abiding Second
Amendment propo-
nents, including the
NRA, Second Amendment
Foundation and other leading
groups, were right all along.
We weren’t fear-mongering at
all. Leftist politicians do want to
take away your guns. At a recent
Democratic presidential debate,
Beto O’Rourke said, “If it’s a
weapon that was designed to
kill people on a battlefield, if the
high-impact, high-velocity round
when it hits your body shreds
everything inside…Hell yes,
we’re gonna take your AR-15,
your AK-47….”
That one fully transparent
statement alone—not to mention
countless others—vindicates us.
But O’Rourke isn’t alone in his
call to do away with our consti-
tutional right to keep and bear
arms. Former Vice President Joe
Biden said the following on a
campaign stop in September of
2019: “The idea that we don’t
have elimination of assault-type
weapons, magazines that can
hold multiple bullets in them—it’s
absolutely mindless.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren
recently rolled out her “plan” for
protecting communities from gun
violence, but it’s full of platitudes
and outright falsities. The same
applies to other presidential
hopefuls’ positions and state-
ments, including Senators Harris
and Booker, Andrew Yang and
Representative Tulsi Gabbard.
Some of Warren’s “if I’m presi-
dent” legislative efforts include—
using her language—creating a
federal licensing system (aka a
gun registry), capping firearms
purchases, passing a new
federal assault weapons ban,
banning high-capacity maga-
zines, prohibiting accessories
that make weapons more deadly
and holding gun manufacturers
2 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

strictly liable for the harm
they cause. Sound common-
sensical to you?
Gun-rights flip-flopper
Senator Bernie Sanders has
also stated that he wants
to ban the sale of assault
weapons and high-capacity
magazines. He’s also made
a solemn vow to take on the
NRA’s lobbying influence in
Washington. Which brings me
to another strange plot twist that
Jim Shepherd recently described
for The Shooting Wire: “The
NRA’s membership has been
defined/labeled/slandered as a
terrorist organization by the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors.
The NRA has filed suit against
the city and San Francisco
County for their ‘obviously
unconstitutional’ action. In fact,
the NRA characterizes it as a
‘new government policy: blacklist
anyone linked to the NRA.’”
There’s no question that the
NRA is facing its own internal
demons, but labeling it as a
domestic terrorist organization
seems like a step toward a future
gun ban, as contributor Will
Dabbs describes in “Gunpoc-
alypse Now” in this issue. And
it’s not just the politicians and
Visit outdoorgroupstore.com
to subscribe to Ballistic
magazine and order
print and digital copies.
Subscribe for a year and
you’ll save money to spend
on things like guns.
mainstream media outlets coming
for our firearms and our rights. As
Shepherd also pointed out, “The
latest Rasmussen poll indicates
that nearly a third of Demo-
crats favor declaring the NRA a
domestic terrorist organization.
Eighteen percent of everyone
surveyed favored prohibiting
Americans by law from belonging
to a pro-gun rights organization.”
Shepherd went on to say,
“It’s time we all realize we’re not
headed for a civil war; we’re
positioning to lose one…if there
are any rational adults left, they
need to stand up and peacefully
remind the duly elected officials
they were elected to represent
the people, not embarrass them
in front of the rest of civilization.”
This is just a taste of the
hot-button issues we’ve got in
this issue of Ballistic, but there’s
a lot more in store for you, in-
cluding an exclusive “first look” at
Springfield’s new Hellcat, which
hails as the world’s highest-
capacity micro-compact 9mm,
exotic hunts around the world,
wild-game recipes and much
more. Consider this a “high-
capacity” magazine. We hope
you enjoy it and your right to
defend yourselves, your actions
and your words. —Nino Bosaz
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nino Bosaz
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Linas Cernauskas
PRODUCTION EDITOR Greg Lickenbrock
ART DIRECTOR/COVER DESIGN Rory Slifkin
PREMEDIA Franco Nguyen
Matthew Hogan
DIGITAL MANAGER
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Richard Ortega
CIRCULATION CONSULTANT Scott Hill/ProCirc
COVER PHOTO Alex Landeen*
CONTRIBUTING FIELD EDITORS*
David Bahde; Will Dabbs, MD; Mike Detty; Kevin Estela;
Mitch Hardin; Karen Hunter; Richard Johnson; Garrett Lucas;
Fred Mastison; Peter Suciu; Jon R. Sundra; Leroy Thompson;
Sean Utley; Len Waldron; Jereme Zimmerman
ballisticmag.com • tactical-life.com
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athlonoutdoors.com
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TO THE READERS: Be advised that there may be products
represented in this magazine as to which the sale, possession or
interstate transportation thereof may be restricted, prohibited or
subject to special licensing requirements. Prospective purchasers
should consult the 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, prod-
ucts, equipment and components under particular conditions and
circumstances, some or all of which may not be reported in the
particular article and which this magazine has not otherwise veri-
fied. Nothing herein is intended to constitute a manual for the use
of any product or the carrying out of any procedure or process.
This magazine and its officers and employees accept no respon-
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BALLISTIC® (ISSN 2573-0290) is published bimonthly by
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26
18 FEATURES
18 GUNPOCALYPSE NOW
What life could be like if the
Democrats get their way in 2020
BY WILL DABBS, MD
26 DON’T TREAD ON US
Proving that past American flags
are about patriotism, not racism
BY PETER SUCIU
80 96 36 OFF TO AFRICA
Pointing a 6.5 Creedmoor
Thompson/Center Compass
56
towards stealthy plains game
BY LEN WALDRON
44 PRIMO HUNTING
Living like a king while on the hunt
for boar and deer in Northern Italy
BY JON R. SUNDRA
56 HELLCAT UNLEASHED
Springfield changes the game
with the smallest, highest-capacity
polymer 9mm in history
BY MIKE DETTY
66 WANNA FLY?
Everything you need to know before
you invest in pilot school
BY CORK GRAHAM
4 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

INSIDE
ISSUE
19
36
74 ALASKAN BUSH COMBO
Creating the ultimate self-defense
and survival gun pairing for the
Last Frontier
BY KEVIN ESTELA
80 INSIDE THE
LAST KINGDOM
How authentic is the weaponry
shown in the hit Netflix series?
BY JEREME ZIMMERMAN
96 LEGION-DARY NINE
Sig Sauer’s cutting-edge P320
XFive Legion raises the bar
for every other handgun
BY KAREN HUNTER
102 MICRO DYNAMIC RIFLE
Desert Tech’s switch-barrel MDR
bullpup is finally ready for prime time
BY DAVID BAHDE
116 BACKWOODS BLADES
Four knives that can handle any task
in the great outdoors
BY GARRETT LUCAS
 THE MAGPUL SL-S STOCK
The culmination of fifteen years of carbine stock innovation, with an optimized cheek weld, sleek on-board
storage, a snag-free profile, shielded levers, ambidextrous sling attachments, a non-slip rubber butt pad,
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and stay on target. All of Magpul’s best carbine stock features, available in one, optimized solution.

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© 2019 Magpul Industries Corporation. MAGPUL, MAGPUL LOGO & DESIGN, and others are trademarks of Magpul Industries Corp.
 INSIDE
ISSUE

19
10 DEPARTMENTS
10 BREW HA HA
Meanderings of a modern cavalier
BY FRANCIS MACOMBER

14 CUSTOM CHALLENGE
Here’s your chance to win two XD-Ms
customized by Detroit’s wildest gun artists
BY ANDY GROSSMAN

34 HISTORIC SPOTLIGHT
How Francis Scott Key’s poem led
to the “Star-Spangled Banner”
BY RYAN LEE PRICE

50 COVERT CARRY
Six discreet packs that will ensure
14 you’re always armed and ready
BY RICHARD JOHNSON

88 BODYGUARD DIARIES
Our resident VIP-protection guru reviews
the BBC’s Bodyguard, now on Netflix
BY LEROY THOMPSON

92 AK CORNER
Sharps Bros. and Tromix have created
the first .458 SOCOM Kalashnikov 128 AFTER HOURS
BY GRAHAM BAATES It’s time to prove that gin is much
more than just a mixer
110 INSIDER REPORT BY FRED MASTISON
Behind the scenes at the PWS factory,
where AR dreams are made 132 THREADS
BY MITCH HARDIN The best gear to make sure you
have a successful fall season
124 WILD KITCHEN BY ALEX LANDEEN
50 Enhancing classic recipes with
fresh rabbit, venison and pheasant 136 LAST BLAST
BY JON R. SUNDRA
Model and fitness icon Dolly Vega
shows off Sig’s M400 Tread Pistol
BY SEAN UTLEY

128

92

6 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 C O M PA C T

BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER

It’s often said the bigger, the better. Unless you are talking about the newly released O.Z-9 Compact.
It features all the same advantages as the full-size version in a compact platform.

The O.Z-9 Compact proves that great things do come in small packages.

See our complete line of innovative products at ZEVTECH.com

The P365 redefined what a concealed-carry pistol should be, delivering unprecedented
capacity and shootability in a micro-compact size. Now the new P365XL is doing it
again, delivering 12+1 or available 15 + 1 capacity, with the shootability of a compact, all
in a profile that is highly concealable, and extremely comfortable.

XSERIES P365® Grip Module With 3.7” Barrel For Increased

Integrated Magwell and Extended Accuracy While Retaining
Beavertail Concealability
Flat Trigger With 90 Degree Break (2) 12rd Magazines Included
Optic Ready Slide Compatible With 15rd Magazines Available
ROMEOZero™ and RMSC Optics
XRAY3® Day / Night Sights
 ¨
rew ha ha

iStock Photo
GOING
UNDERCOVER
So the second time I got arrested

Sean Utley Photo

on foreign soil, I was patronizing

WOULD
an especially squalid strip club
called Lips in San Salvador. I had

YOU palmed a Benchmade Axis Lock

RATHER... CRAFTY BREWS when they patted me down for

weapons because it wasn’t my first
Cool weather is on the way, bringing
Be a quick shot at 10 yards or visit. Less than an hour later, I was
Oktoberfest. As the nights get darker,
dead-nuts accurate at 1,250 yards? dusting off a weak local pilsner
so do my beers. Fall is a good time
Wyatt Earp is attributed with saying, when the cops raided the joint. I
“Fast is fine, but accuracy is final.” for a good scotch ale, and if you find
was kicking the discarded bindles
Most shootings are at point-blank yourself in Atlanta, I recommend you
of coke and weed away from under
distances, but reigning death from afar wander into Monday Night Brewing.
my stool when we were lined up
never goes out of style. Well, we asked The Drafty Kilt is dark and malty but
on the wall, and that’s when they
our readers, and 49.8 percent said smooth. The brewery was started by
they’d rather be super-fast at 10 yards, found my pig sticker.
a bunch of drunk friends who turned
and 50.2 percent would rather be The captain questioned me
inebriation into an occupation, and it’s
super-accurate at 1,250 yards. The in Spanish. I assured him I didn’t
still going strong today. The Drafty Kilt
best responses include “You don’t speak that tongue. Then he told
is the one original beer that they’re still
need to be fast if you’re accurate at a couple guys to take me to the
making, which lends credence to why
1,250” and “Why not both?” station, and my Spanish became
the Scottish still don’t wear chonies
perfecto. I said that I was a visiting
and never giving up on a good thing.
diplomat and a fellow police officer
and asked if he would be kind
enough to uncuff me so I could

GIMME THAT GADGET

give him my business card? A few
minutes later, they were escorting
Ten years ago, when I was teaching hundreds of new recruits which end of me to the door where they gave
their boomsticks meant business, I got to use one of the original Maglula me back my knife, and I literally
BenchLoaders to jam 5.56mm rounds into AR magazines at lightning speed. ran into my boss, who also liked
They cost almost $500, so I never bought one, but that has always been the seedy strip clubs. I got us a taxi to
standard by which I judge magazine loaders. another gentlemen’s club, where
More recently, my editor told me about the Butler Creek ASAP Electronic we arrived only seconds before
Magazine Loader and dared me not to like it. Jacob Edson at Vista Outdoors the same police raiding party. I
was kind enough to loan one to me. Words cannot describe how awesome held the door for them and shook
this thing is. I dumped in rounds, hit a button and had perfectly loaded mag- hands with the comandante. Then I
azines. If they slap a margarita mixer on the back of it, I think Nobel will be took my boss inside to support the
knocking on their door for some much-deserved awards. (butlercreek.com) single moms of Central America.

10 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 [ MEANDERINGS OF A MODERN CAVALIER ] BY FRANCIS MACOMBER

WORTH
THE PRICE
There is no top end on shotguns. You can order a custom shotgun
from a European gun-maker starting at six figures, and it will be ready
in a mere two to five years—unless Germany invades. These are called
“bespoke shotguns,” which means they are ordered or arranged in
advance. Want one that merely costs as much as your car instead of as
much as your house? Check out Beretta’s SL3 line of premium shot-
guns. OK, you can’t get the likeness of your bald uncle Louie smoking a
blunt engraved on the side, but some hand engraving and fitting come
standard. And once you shoot one, you can’t go back to an off-the-rack
scattergun. By the way, Beretta makes bespoke guns, too. If you need
someone to run over to Italy and help you order it, I’m available.

BINGE-WORTHY READ THIS BOOK

Yeah, I wanted to be an FBI pro- A few years after we rotated
filer and find serial killers. A few IQ home from Afghanistan, a
points, a clean background and the buddy of mine and I found
ability to follow orders are all that ourselves stationed in the D.C.
stopped me. But I read all of Robert area. One day he brought over
Ressler and John Douglas’ books American Rifle: A Biography
about how they invented profiling. by Alexander Rose and told
The second season of Netflix’ Mind- me it was written for me. He being felt in firearms design
hunter is out, and I won’t be taking was right. The book starts today. Why did we go from
calls or answering emails until I have with muzzleloaders and the venerable .30-06 to
watched their thinly veiled biography then explains our transitions the mousy 5.56mm? Read
in its entirety. A series about getting between large and small this damn book and a lot of
paid to chat with psychopaths? calibers and the technological strange phenomenon will start
Ready the popcorn. I’m in. developments that are still to make sense.

BLOWIN’’ SMOKE
I may be a modern cavalier, but I relish the cool traits of tradition. Looking
sharp, handling yourself in a scrape and being a gentleman never go out
of style. So when my firstborn was a few weeks from her grand debut into
NOTE:
the world, I made my way over to my local tobacconist and explained I EDITOR’S more
would soon be handing out cigars. They pointed me toward 5-cent “It’s Join in on Ha Ha”
rew
a boy!” crap sticks. Not for me. My kids may bankrupt me, but they won’t Ballistic “B line at
fun o n
ag.com.
have a daddy who lacks panache. I bought a box of Dominican hand- ballisticm
rolled Romeo y Julieta Reserva Reals. I passed them out at work and
to anyone on the street who carried himself with style. I saved the box.
iStock Phot

Someday I will give it to her when it holds a few cherished photos, a

locket of her hair and her first spent shell casing. 
o

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

11
 CUSTOM
CHALLENGE
®

WANNA WIN
THESE GUNS?
Every issue of Ballistic
features a Custom Challenge
gun giveaway. Check out
ballisticmag.com/win-springfield
to learn more and see how you
can get your hands on these
two beauties.

*No purchase required. Open to U.S. residents only and void where prohibited. Prizes worth $2,616. Sponsored by Springfield Armory.
Starts 10/15/19 and ends 12/2/19. Restrictions apply. Visit ballisticmag.com/win-springfield for details, eligibility and a complete list of official rules.

14 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 →
Detroit is known
for its automotive
and manufacturing
roots, and for
being a city that has its own
attitude and a vibe like no
other. This shows in all of the
Motor City area businesses,
especially in the plethora of
custom firearms shops. But two
shops stand out from the crowd.
You’ve probably heard of them if
you’ve read Ballistic in the past:
Blowndeadline—run by Cerakote
wizard Michael Sigouin—and
Odin’s Workshop, with Cody
Dennis as its Cerakote master.
These two Michiganders are only
about 30 miles from each other,
but both are known for their
insanely unique styles.
To level the playing field for
this “Custom Challenge,” we
had each shop work with the
same base pistol, the Springfield
XD-M OSP in 10mm, which
delivers the muscle Detroit is
known for. Optics ready out of more, it boasts a threaded He also created one of the
the box, the XD-M OSP ships barrel and suppressor-height most famous firearms-related
with three adapters plates, iron sights. In my opinion, it’s artworks ever. “Birth Machine”
making it compatible with Vortex the perfect platform to let these is Giger’s manifestation of his
Venom, Burris FastFire, Leupold customizers go crazy. We gave strong belief that the greatest
DeltaPoint, JPoint and Trijicon the gurus at Blowndeadline and threat to our civilization is the
RMR reflex sights. Further- Odin’s Workshop no rules, no approaching overpopulation
themes—just a bare-knuckle, of the planet. What started as
head-to-head battle. artwork on a canvas in 1967
was later adapted into an
GIGER INSPIRED aluminum sculpture in 1999,
Michael Sigouin at Blowndead- and now into a real gun thanks
line decided to pay tribute to the to Blowndeadline’s very creative
twisted mind of H.R. Giger with laser and Cerakote work.

Masterpieces
his XD-M. If you aren’t familiar
with H.R. Giger, he is the
creative mastermind behind the
monsters in all the Alien movies
as well as creatures from many
other silver screen favorites.
HERE’S YOUR
Michael managed to use
only graphite black and titanium
Cerakote on his version of “Birth
Machine,” along with taking
the slide down completely to
raw metal and putting the laser
to work engraving Giger-style
designs into the steel. The XD-M
slide offers a lot of real estate,
and Michael made sure he cov-
ered as much of it as possible,
keeping the factory serrations,
which actually match the design
perfectly. Michael gave the slide

CHANCE TO WIN a graphite black coating before

giving it a “battle-worn” finish
TWO XD-Ms that allowed the raw metal to

CUSTOMIZED shine through—a very subtle

detail that is probably one of my
BY DETROIT’S favorite aspects of this build. He

WILDEST GUN then hit the slide with a clear

ARTISTS
coat to seal it up and give it a
good shine. The deep engraving
just works perfectly with the
BY ANDY GROSSMAN factory features of the slide.
The frame received an insane
amount of laser therapy as well,
and then was Cerakoted to

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

15
 CUSTOM
¨
CHALLENGE

WIN THESE
SPRINGFIELDS:
Visit ballisticmag.com/
win-springfield and
follow @athlonoutdoors
on Instagram to
learn more.

bring out the details. Michael said,
“One of the hardest things to do
is make plastic look like metal
with Cerakote.” Blowndeadline’s
method of applying the titanium
Cerakote achieved the plastic-
looking-like-metal effect perfectly.
The original “Birth Machine” statue
was made of aluminum, which is
why Michael chose the simple
color scheme. Using the original
XD-M logo on the grip panel as
part of the design is a very cool
detail as well. The entire package
would be something H.R. Giger
himself would be proud to carry.
EL DIABLO
Odin’s Workshop’s extremely
detailed, one-of-a-kind laser and
Cerakote work first caught my eye
at the NRA show in Indianapolis. I
still can’t figure out how the com-
pany does it, but Odin’s Workshop
has been blowing minds with its
insanely detailed laser designs,
which pop with techniques that
can only be considered some sort
of voodoo witchcraft.
Cody Dennis is the mastermind
behind the company’s designs.
For this build, he studied his
competition a bit. He said, “I
really looked at Blowndeadline’s
work and tried to curb my design
toward Michael’s characteristics of
custom gun themes. He seems to
do a lot of video game styles, so I
decided to run with a video game I
always liked: Diablo.”
Diablo is set in the fictional
kingdom of Khanduras, in the
mortal realm, and involves the
player taking control of a lone hero
battling to rid the world of Diablo,
the Lord of Terror. Beneath the fic-
tional town of Tristram, the player
journeys through 16 dungeon
levels, ultimately entering Hell itself
in order to face Diablo. Sounds
pretty awesome, right? The Diablo
XD-M that Odin’s Workshop
presented to me tells this story
perfectly. It’s like looking at a piece
of art in a gallery—the details just
keep popping out at you.
Odin’s Workshop works very
closely with Continuous Precision,
a custom slide-milling company
in Milford, Michigan. Instead of
lasering the slide, Cody decided
to send it over to Continuous to
have some custom ports cut into
it. The slide work, with its custom
devil horns, really puts it over
the top and brings that Detroit
vibe into the gun a bit. Then
Cody grabbed his spray gun and
went to work, laying down four
different colors, including crimson,
stainless, Armor Black and a
little Stormtrooper White. After
working his magic, he finished the
slide off with M160 clear coat.
The colors and battle-worn finish
definitely transformed the slide
into the perfect accent piece for
the insane framework.
When I asked Cody how he
creates such intricate designs, he
said, “Three cups of coffee, lack
of sleep, constipation, the bald
eagle on my shoulder—not a real
bald eagle, though, just a parrot I
shaved—a Buzz Lightyear keychain
and a partridge in a bonsai tree.”
He then told me about the color
palette he used after the laser was
finished. I just kind of looked at
him with a blank stare as he rattled
off nearly every color Cerakote
makes. Well, maybe not every
color, but 10 colors on the frame
alone. He started with a dark gray
base coat, then applied nine more
colors: crimson, red, desert gold,
plum brown, Flat Dark Earth, sky
blue, stainless, sand and Storm-
trooper White. Each side of the
frame really tells its own story. The
details just keep showing up as
you stare at the frame, going from
a demon on one side to a demon
hunter on the other.
These incredible Michigan
Cerakote artists were given no
boundaries and were allowed to
roam outside their cages with
these 10mm pistols, delivering the
two baddest XD-Ms I have ever
seen. For a chance to win these
bold beauties, visit ballisticmag.
com/win-springfield, and to learn
more about the base weapon,
check out springfield-armory.com.
Finally, to see more great work
from these top-notch firearms
custom shops, visit blowndeadline.
net and odinsworkshop.com. You’ll
definitely be impressed.

16 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

MULTI CALIBERS

ROLE
338 Lapua Mag
338 Norma Mag
300 Norma Mag

ADAPTIVE
300 PRC
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 ELECTION SPECIAL
¨

WHAT LI
COULD BFE
IF THE D E LIKE
GET THE EMOCRATS
IN 2020IR WAY
BY W
IL L DAB
BS, M
D

18 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

iStock Photos

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

19
 ELECTION
Democrats like Beto
O’Rourke, Nancy Pelosi and
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
have been quite vocal
about their desire to ban
black rifles and standard-
capacity magazines.
→
It’s Wednesday, April 21, 2021,
President Beto O’Rourke is
celebrating his first 90 days
on the job by burning a joint in
the Oval Office. Newly minted
Attorney General Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
has just completed giving all U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agents their
pink slips. Bulldozers have nearly finished
demolishing the southern border wall, and
150,000 hungry Venezuelans have poured
north in three short months.
Cory Booker is the new U.S. Senate
majority leader. In close concert with perennial
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, they have
used their newfound legislative majorities to
push through unprecedented progressive
reforms. The newly enacted Green New Deal
promises to rid the nation of coal, airplanes
20 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

SPECIAL
and cows within the decade. The jewel in their
legislative crown, however, is the passage of
hard-fought gun-control legislation.
Magazines that hold more than 10 rounds
are prohibited. Any semi-automatic firearm
that features a pistol grip, a detachable
magazine, a collapsible stock, a bayonet lug
or a flash suppressor is officially contraband.
Current owners must surrender these
items to federal law enforcement agencies.
Anyone found in possession of high-capacity
magazines or “assault weapons” is subject
to 10 years in federal prison. But unlike the
previous 1994 version, this assault weapons
ban has no sunset clause.
Loaning, gifting or sharing a firearm
without formally transferring the weapon
through an FFL dealer is a felony. If you have
a common-sounding name, it can take weeks
for your National Instant Criminal Background
Check System (NICS) verification to be
approved for a firearm transfer. Law enforce-
ment entities can confiscate your weapons
via a hearing to which you are not invited on
the strength of a single accusation.
You spent the day before this legislation
took effect commiserating with your gun
buddies and lamenting the death of liberty.
You’ve griped so much around the house that
your spouse is threatening to leave you. You
fall asleep in a pool of tears, feeling sorry for
yourself. The next morning the sun comes up,
just as it always has. What do you do now?
BACK TO REALITY
Left-wing politicians prattle on about “com-
mon-sense” gun control. Depending upon
what you read, the current Democratic wish
list includes—using their terms—a renewal of
the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, elimination
of the gun show loophole, nationwide waiting
periods on gun purchases, government-
mandated storage requirements, “red flag”
gun-seizure laws and national licensing of
gun owners. For the sake of argument, let’s
say 2021 sees a Democratic majority in both
houses, a leftist in the White House and timely
passage of everything on their Christmas list.
What would America really look like then?
In the near term, you can relax. Sweeping
gun bans remain utterly unenforceable.
Australia is always lofted high as a gleaming
 <
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PRO STEALTH DESANTISHOLSTER.COM

 ELECTION SPECIAL

indeed. The real threat would stem from being

reported by a concerned citizen. The gun
owner living in Beto’s 2021 America would
have to be discreet. Like the French Under-
ground during World War II, you wouldn’t
talk guns at work or show them off to friends.
Anonymity would be your most effective tool.
Packing guns for long-term underground
storage is a cottage industry. It’s easy and
inexpensive. Google is your buddy. On top
of that, anybody even remotely handy with
tools can create hidden compartments
behind sheetrock walls or fashion proper
attic caches. There are lots of companies
that offer factory-made solutions. Hiding
your weapons is straightforward. The real
challenge is shooting them.
“OUR OPPON
HAVE THE W ENTS
As we all know, shooting is a perishable
skill. While those of us in rural areas enjoy

ALL THAT SEILL.

ready access to remote shooting locales,

FACT FROM FPARATES

urban-dwelling Americans clearly do not.
There are no easy solutions here. A sound

ARE THE VOT ICTION

iStock Photo
suppressor would be immensely useful, but

ES.”
these delightful tools are themselves heavily
regulated. Airsoft and pellet guns could also
facilitate decent training indoors.
What about ammo? Consider stockpiling
example of a universal gun ban successfully rently 1.2 serviceable firearms in circulation it now. “One shot, one kill” looks smarmy
executed, but gun ownership in America is for every man, woman and child in America. on the wall of a man cave, but that’s really
an altogether different beast. In 1996, an The BATFE lacks the manpower to go not the way things roll out in the real world.
omnibus gun ban in Australia bought back knocking on people’s doors looking for guns. Reloading is a theoretical option, but primers
650,000 firearms and effectively sanitized The military lacks the will. cannot be manufactured in quantity without
the country of most of its guns. In 2016, the A conservative majority on the Supreme a significant industrial base. How long would
NICS system reflected that many firearm Court holds out some glimmer of hope, you remain prickly if you really could never
transactions taking again purchase another round of
place in America factory ammunition?
Several companies
every nine days. offer 80-percent- Bulk blasting ammo is selling
The scale is finished lower at unprecedented low prices.
utterly overwhelming. receivers if you Seal it in an ammo can and leave
want to build your
There are an esti- own AR at home. it someplace cool and it will
mated 393 million You just need to outlive your grandchildren. My
guns in our nation of find the right tools wife can attest that I am fairly silly
and jig for the job.
326 million people. when it comes to stuff like this,
That number grows but I buy and store ammunition
by at least 4 million new firearms per annum. but that would be years in the future. What like the supply will dry up tomorrow.
Roughly 20 to 30 million of those guns we wish to explore today are the practical Finally, you can always make your own
would fall under the current legal definition of aspects of living in a world subjected to weapons. There are currently no federal
“assault weapon.” (As this pitifully flawed term an unprecedented national gun ban. Our restrictions on building firearms at home for
is in common use in the media, we will employ opponents have the will. All that separates personal use. So long as these guns are not
it here as well.) There is already one AR or fact from fiction are the votes. intended for resale and otherwise comply
AK in private hands for every 13 Americans. with federal rules regarding barrel length
There are five civilian-owned black rifles for GOING UNDERGROUND and action style, they need not be marked or
every active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army. This hypothetical society after a sweeping serialized. A growing industry orbits around
To put it all in perspective, there are cur- national gun ban is a thought-provoking place this sort of hobby gunsmithing.

22 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 D I S C R E E T
T H E N E W S U B C O M PAC T

T P9 EL I TE S C
CANIKUSA.COM FOLLOW @CANIKUSA: b v a f

FAULTY
BUYBACK
LOGIC
→
Following the tragic shooting
at two mosques in New Zea-
land in March, Jacinda Ardern,
that nation’s prime minister, called for
a ban on all “military-style” rifles. These
firearms were defined as “a semi-
automatic firearm capable of being
used with a detachable magazine
which holds more than five cartridges.”
Of course, no sooner had Ardern
made this announcement than various
gun-grabbers here, including multiple
Democratic contenders for president,
jumped on the proverbial bandwagon
and called for a similar ban in the
United States. Opponents of the
Second Amendment are often vocal
that “nothing has been done to stop
mass shootings,” and clearly saw this
tragedy as an opportunity.
But there are some notable
differences between our laws and New
24 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

ELECTION SPECIAL
Zealand’s. First, we have the Second
and Fourth Amendments. While the
former grants us the right to keep and
bear arms, the latter ensures that all
citizens “be secure in their persons,
houses, papers and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures.”
This is why police need search
warrants, for example, and guns can’t
be seized without due process.
MONEY ISSUES: The bigger issue
is how the U.S. government could, at
least in theory, follow New Zealand
and unveil a forced “buyback” program
on a national scale. Even if it were
deemed constitutional, the costs would
be overwhelming. Prime Minister
Ardern conservatively estimated that
her program would cost New Zealand
taxpayers $100 to $200 million for
roughly 100,000 and 200,000 semi-
automatic weapons returned.
Australia’s 1996 “National Firearms
Buyback Program” took 650,000
firearms out of private hands. To raise
money to pay the “just compensation”
for the private property that was in
essence seized, Australia’s govern-
ment increased the Medicare tax from
1.5 to 1.7 percent for one year.
If such a buyback were forcibly
conducted here, we wouldn’t get off
so cheaply. Some, like Representative
Eric Swalwell, estimate that there are
around 15 million AR-15s in private
hands, so at $1,000 each, that comes
to $15 billion. But that doesn’t take
into account the millions of AKs, FALs
and other semi-automatic firearms
that would fall into the same cate-
gory, which could triple or quadruple
the cost. What about guns that are
deemed more expensive, and thus
cost more to buy back? The total
cost for the buyback program could
top $100 million, which seems rather
impossible for any U.S. politician to
get behind. ÑPeter Suciu
Randy Colas Photo
The Ghost Gunner, for example, is a
tabletop CNC milling machine that requires
about two hours to finish an AR-15 receiver.
The same project can also be undertaken,
albeit without the same panache, with a
router and a drill press. Currently, AR-10 and
AR-15 rifles, as well as 1911 and Glock-style
pistols, are well within the capabilities of your
typical hobbyist. I have heard of California
citizens who keep the makings of proper
black rifles on hand in case the zombies
come. In an emergency, all it would take is
an afternoon and electric power to complete
these operational firearms.
DARK HISTORY
It’s worth noting that in the history of our
great republic, there have been two major
episodes where U.S. troops have attacked
American civilians. In July of 1932, a contin-
gent from the 12th Infantry and 3rd Cavalry
Regiments commanded by General Douglas
MacArthur forcibly crushed a protest involving
17,000 World War I veterans and their fam-
ilies. Six light tanks played a supporting role.
The protestors were called “Bonus Marchers”
(or the “Bonus Army”) because they were
lobbying to receive pay bonuses promised
them during their service in WWI. The after-
math included two veterans killed, a wife who
miscarried, an infant asphyxiated and more
than 1,000 civilians injured. Major George
Patton commanded the armored element,
and Major Dwight D. Eisenhower served as
MacArthur’s aide during the operation.
In May of 1970, members of the Ohio
National Guard opened fire on Kent State
University students protesting the expansion
of the Vietnam War into Cambodia. Twenty-
eight guardsmen fired 67 rounds over the
 Federal troops attacked the Bonus Marchers
in 1932, marking one of two incidents when
U.S. military forces attacked American citizens.
span of 13 seconds. Four students were
killed, and nine were injured.
I was on active duty in the Army back in the
1990s during the Ruby Ridge and Waco disas-
ters. The soldiers with whom I served were
overwhelmingly conservative in their political
views. At the time, we frequently discussed
how we might respond were we to be ordered
to engage American civilians in support of a
law enforcement operation of this sort. We
agreed that there were simply no circum-
stances under which we might be cajoled or
threatened into doing that. I would expect that
today’s warriors espouse a similar ethos.
PREPARE NOW
If a leftist government dredges up enough
horsepower to enact these kinds of funda-
mental cultural changes, then going to jail for
violating some arcane new gun law may be a
trivial concern. The economy will never weather
the Green New Deal. Our opponents’ unprec-
edented willingness to circumvent, marginalize
or ignore the U.S. Constitution means that
anything could happen. Stash your weapons
long enough and the new national currency
likely becomes ammunition and seeds.
A short generation ago, socialists and
communists were facing us over a set of rifle
sights on the Fulda Gap in Germany. Now
they serve proudly in Congress. We have
forgotten the hard-won lessons of the past.
What was unimaginable a mere decade ago
could quite possibly be commonplace a
decade from now.
If you don’t own a gun, you need one. If
you don’t keep enough ammunition to secure
your home and family, you should remedy that
immediately. In the coming years, prepare,
pray and vote like your life and country
depend upon it. Because they do.
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

25
 ’T
HISTORIC SPOTLIGHT

DON TREAD
ON
R O
P A STV I N G
THAT PN FLAGS
US REGARDLESS
REGA RDLESS OF WHO IS
THE CURRENT OCCUPANT OF THE
WHITE HOUSE,
HOUSE July should be a time to
show some patriotism, with parades, fireworks
and certainly respect for the flag. However, the
divisiveness in our country hit a boiling point this
past July. Early in the month, former professional

AMERIECAABOUT
football player Colin Kaepernick called out Nike for
releasing Air Max 1 Quick Strike “Fourth of July” sneak-

AR T I S M ,
ers featuring the “Betsy Ross flag.” Kaepernick, whose
football career crashed and burned when he refused to

PATRIOACISM
stand for the U.S. national anthem prior to NFL games
as a protest against racial injustice, has been a “brand

NOT R
ambassador” for Nike since his forced retirement from
football, and convinced the shoemaker that the flag

UCIU
is offensive because it is associated with slavery. The

BY P ET E R S mainstream media then jumped on the bandwagon and

suggested it was also a flag used by neo-Nazis, white
to
olfe Pho
Josh W supremacists and other racist fringe groups.

26 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


The firestorm over past American flags
continued later in the month, when actor Chris
Pratt was photographed wearing a T-shirt with
the Gadsden flag—also known as the “Don’t
Tread on Me,” or DTOM, flag. Pratt was called
out on social media for wearing a symbol
claimed to be used by alt-right racists. The
shirt was produced by veteran-owned apparel
maker Forged—a company that is noted for
donating a portion of every sale to several
military-affiliated, nonprofit 501(c)3 organiza-
tions that support wounded veterans.
Meanwhile, radio talk show host Rush Lim-
baugh released a T-shirt featuring the
Betsy Ross flag with the words “Stand
Up For Betsy Ross!” and donated $3
million from the proceeds to Tunnel to
Towers, a nonprofit dedicated to sup-
porting families of fallen heroes and
veterans. It’s unlikely that the same
level of altruism or philanthropy can be
said for the makers of Che Guevara or
“Not My President!” T-shirts.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Clearly, American history isn’t being
taught in school anymore. Both the
28 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

HISTORIC SPOTLIGHT
Betsy Ross and Gadsden flags date back to
the earliest days of our Republic, and both
are linked to our military.
The Gadsden flag, noted for its yellow field
depicting a rattlesnake coiled and apparently
ready to strike, was designed in 1775 by
American general and politician Christopher
Gadsden. The timber rattlesnake, which was
found throughout many of the original 13
colonies, was reportedly first used as a sym-
bol of those American colonies by Benjamin
Franklin in a satirical commentary in 1751 in
his Pennsylvania Gazette.
iStock Images
The column noted that Great Britain
sent convicted criminals to the colonies, so
Franklin suggested sending rattlesnakes back
to the motherland. Then in 1754, during the
French and Indian War, Franklin published
what was arguably the first political cartoon
in an American newspaper. It featured a
woodcut illustration of a snake cut into eight
parts that each represented the then-divided
colonies. Under the cut-up snake were the
words “Join, or Die,” which implied that the
colonies needed to stand together to ensure
victory over the French. Following the war, the
snake was seen to represent
the colonies, which were
beginning to move away
from Great Britain.
Along with the bald eagle,
the rattlesnake became one of
the early symbols of American
ideals and society, and was
on the official seal of the War
Office adopted by the Conti-
nental Congress in 1778.
Since the Revolution, the
Gadsden flag has been used
both as a symbol of American
patriotism and as a symbol of
disagreement with the govern-
ment. In the 1970s, the flag
became strongly associated
with the libertarian movement,
and after the 2008 election of President
Barack Obama, it became associated with
the Tea Party movement. However, the flag
has been used by the U.S. Men’s National
Soccer Team and even Metallica as well.
The history of the Betsy Ross flag isn’t so
clear. According to the well-known version
of the story, Ross had a cousin who was
friends with the commander in chief of the
Continental Army, General George Washing-
ton, who commissioned the flag. It featured
the alternating red-and-white stripes with 13
five-pointed stars in the blue canton. The flag
had actually evolved from the Grand Union
Flag, which featured the stripes but had the
British Union flag in is upper corner. It is
worth noting that the Union flag featured the
red-and-white cross of England’s St. George
and the blue-and-white cross of Scotland’s
St. Andrew. The current British Union (it’s
only a “Union Jack” at sea), has the added
red-and-white cross of Ireland’s St. Patrick.
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“BOTH THE BETSY ROSS AND GADSDEN FLAGS
DATE BACK TO THE EARLIEST DAYS OF OUR REPUBLIC,
AND BOTH ARE LINKED TO OUR MILITARY.”
While it’s known as the “Betsy Ross flag,”
the truth about how involved Ross was in cre-
ating it is in debate, and there was likely some
embellishment on the part of her descendants.
However, since the Revolution, this flag has
been a popular symbol of American patriotism.
MODERN CONTEXT
It’s easy to see why the Left in America has
shown disdain for the Gadsden flag, even if
that disdain is misguided or misplaced. The
great offense of the Gadsden flag is that it
was carried by some members of the Tea
Party, and thus became a symbol of those
who opposed President Obama.
In other words, it was used both as a sym-
30 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

HISTORIC SPOTLIGHT
Andy Grossman Photo
bol of patriotism and of disagreement with the
government. It was carried by Americans who
wanted to support their country while still
voicing opposition to the policies of the White
House at the time. Exactly how that made it
a symbol of “alt-right racists” is something
that defies logic—but to liberals, the idea of
opposing President Obama was enough to
brand someone as a racist.
It is harder still to see the Betsy Ross
flag as being racist, but Colin Kaepernick
offered an argument, even if it wasn’t all that
convincing. The flag’s origin came in a time
when, as noted by some in the liberal media,
“America was a slavery-driven and openly
racist country.” In other words, because
some of the Founding Fathers were slave
owners, the flag has a racist past.
Now, this should have been easily
dismissed by the media, given that the flag
has been used on countless occasions as
a symbol of patriotism and liberty. But then
some people started digging and found that
the flag was used by neo-Nazis at a rally
held in New York City.
Except it was really wasn’t. Here again
some historical context is needed. The
images of the rally at Madison Square
Garden were of the German American Bund
in February of 1939. The event took place
on George Washington’s birthday and
featured a huge portrait of Washington with
swastikas on each side, and banners—not
flags—that included both the then-48
American stars in the blue canton and the
Ross-style 13 stars in the blue canton.
So this wasn’t even technically the
Betsy Ross flag that was used, and more
importantly, the 13 stars in a circle were
seen alongside both the 48-star banner and
the image of Washington. To suggest that
the Betsy Ross flag can be associated with
Nazis, past and present, because of this
image would imply that George Washington
is also a symbol of neo-Nazism.
Then there is the fact that this was a rally of
the German American Bund, a group dissolved
in 1941, which has virtually no connection to
the American Nazi Party, which was founded in
1959 by George Lincoln Rockwell.
There are images of the Ross flag being
carried by some neo-Nazis, white nationalists
and others in recent years, but the same
groups have been seen carrying the “Stars
and Stripes”—our current 50-star flag. Of
course, context is key, and some liberal
outlets such as the Daily Kos have offered
examples where Trump supporters have car-
ried the flag in one photo, followed by another
photo that showed white nationalists with the
flag. The message lacks subtlety. If you can
tie the flag to racists, then when supporters of
President Trump carry the same flag, they can
more easily be branded as racists.
There is some bad reporting here, how-
ever, and the editors at the Daily Kos clearly
don’t know their historic flags, because one
image isn’t in fact of the Betsy Ross flag
being carried by one person, but rather the
“Stars and Bars” of the Confederate States
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 HISTORIC SPOTLIGHT

of America. Instead of 13 stripes, it has just

SHOW YOUR SPIRIT

three stripes, or more accurately “bars.”
Then there are the images from the Janu-
ary 2012 inauguration of President Obama,
at which the 13-star Betsy Ross flag was
seen hanging behind the stage. The image
made the rounds in July thanks to Twitter.
The argument from the left is that the context
of the flag has changed, but we must ask if
the nation’s first African-American president
didn’t see a problem with the flag just seven
years ago, then why is it a problem now for a
former football player?
Finally, neither the Betsy Ross flag nor the
Gadsden flag is seen as a “racist” symbol by
the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks the
use of controversial symbols. Both are simply
past flags, and while they’re sometimes used
for insidious or vile purposes, it is wrong to
toss them into the trash bin of history due to
the actions of a few and at the insistence of
the uninformed and insignificant.
Our weapons should reflect
who we are. That’s why Rise
Armament has unveiled a
new trigger to honor the heritage of
the Gadsden flag. Available with a
curved or flat trigger blade, the new
DTOM RA-140 drop-in trigger makes
it easy for shooters to upgrade their
AR’s performance without breaking
the bank. In support of our
country’s founding ideals, the
3.5-pound trigger is encased in a yel-
low anodized aluminum housing that
features the coiled snake and “Don’t
Tread On Me” text of the Gadsden flag.
These drop-in triggers are simple to
install and are compatible with ARs
built to mil-spec dimensions.
If that weren’t enough, Rise Arma-
ment is also offering a custom “Don’t
Tread On Me” T-shirt that will help you
celebrate our heritage wherever you
go. Check it out. (risearmament.com)

32 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


URING THE WAR OF
1812, British Major General
Robert Ross arrested Dr.
William Beanes and four other
Americans after they captured
a small patrol of looting British
soldiers and locked them in the county
jail. Ross had the Americans brought to
the HMS Tonnant.
Nearby townsfolk contacted a lawyer
in Georgetown named Francis Scott Key
to help arrange their release. Key had
made a name for himself during the Aaron
Burr treason trial in 1807. On September
3, President Madison instructed Key and
the local prisoner-of-war exchange officer,
John Skinner, to negotiate freedom for the
Americans.
FREEDOM FIGHTERS
It took Skinner and Key nearly a week
before Ross agreed to release the elderly
Dr. Beanes, but there was a catch. Since
Key, Skinner and Beanes had all heard
the British officers discussing the plans
of the attack on Baltimore, they weren’t
allowed to leave until the battle was over.
The three men were transferred from the
HMS Tonnant to the HMS Surprise and
then back to the “truce sloop” in which
“THE STAR-SPANGLED
the men arrived. Under British guard
and several miles from Fort McHenry,
they could only watch as the Battle of
Baltimore unfolded.
After Washington, D.C., was burned
and looted in late August, the British
turned their attention to Baltimore. More
than 5,000 British soldiers landed at
North Point and headed west toward the
city, where they ran up against 3,185
Americans 3 miles outside of Baltimore.
In the impending battle, General Ross
was killed and the Americans conducted
a fighting retreat back to Baltimore. The
British broke off the engagement and
tended to their wounded. Twenty-four
Americans had been killed and 139 were
wounded while the British suffered 46
killed and 300 wounded.
Meanwhile, under the cover of rain
and darkness, the Patapsco River near
Fort McHenry began filling up with
British warships. The Royal Navy brought
34 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

HISTORIC SPOTLIGHT
five mortar ships, a rocket ship and 10
other warships of various sizes. At 6:30
a.m. on September 13, the bombardment
of Fort McHenry began. Congreve rockets
flashed an eerie red glow as they arched
across the water, and heavy mortars
exploded above the fort.
The cold, rainy night gave way to
a breezy dawn, and the British were
disheartened to discover that they now
faced 12,000 Americans and three times
as many cannons, and Fort McHenry had
brushed off the 1,800 rounds that were
fired at it through the night. The fort’s
massive American flag was still standing.
BIRTH OF AN ANTHEM
Under heavy guard on the British warship,
there was nothing Key, Skinner and Beanes
could do but wait. During the nighttime
bombardment, Key might have been able to
see the American flag “gallantly streaming”
above the fort periodically through the
night, like his poem suggests, but he would
have seen the fort’s storm flag weathering
the battle.
However, as the smoke cleared and the
sun broke through the remaining wisps of
HOW FRANCIS SCOTT clouds on the morning of September 14,
KEY’S POEM LED TO Major George Armistead ordered a giant
American flag hoisted above the battered
ramparts of Fort McHenry. Made by a
BANNER” local seamstress, Mary Pickersgill, it was a
standard 42-by-30-foot garrison flag. Its 15
BY RYAN LEE PRICE stars and 15 red and white stripes could be
seen as far as 10 miles away.
Key was so overwhelmed by seeing the
American flag that he immediately began
writing a poem called “The Defense of Fort
M’Henry.” He completed it a few days later
when he returned to Baltimore, and it was
first published in the Analectic Magazine
in November 1814. It was later paired with
John Staffard Smith’s popular drinking song
“To Anacreon in Heaven” and renamed “The
Star-Spangled Banner.” It was first officially
used by the U.S. Navy as early as 1889 and
by Woodrow Wilson in 1916, but wasn’t
Library of Congress Image
made into the national anthem of the United
States until March 3, 1931. The original
American flag that flew over Fort McHenry
that fateful night now resides in a special
room at the Smithsonian.
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36 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 Photos
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IN TINGA R
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E
6.5 CRCOMPASS
T/C WARDS
TO LTHY
STEAS GAME
PLAINN WALDRON
BY L E

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

37
 OFF TO AFRICA
“HUNRICA IS A S ERIENCE.”
¨
AF IQUE EXP
AFRICA is the largest continent,
covering 20.3 percent of the planet’s surface.
By contrast, the contiguous United States cover
roughly 1.58 percent. But Africa’s vastness and
diversity, above and beyond its size, are what
make it so special. The regions of Africa best
known for hunting are the continent’s southern
and eastern countries. Of course, hunting in
Africa is not without its unique controversies,
not the least of which was the killing of “Cecil
the Lion” in Zimbabwe.
In general, when managed properly and
ethically, hunting helps African game and its
human inhabitants in many ways. In fact, banning
hunting often has the opposite effect, with
Kenya being the most egregious example.
Once the mecca of East Africa hunting, Kenya
banned hunting in 1977 and has since seen a
70-percent decline in its wild animal populations.
There are many factors contributing to this
decline, but government corruption is the largest.
Sold as a way to end the “ivory wars,” the ban
in effect allowed corrupt government officials
to benefit from the short-term profits of illegal
poaching, which increased dramatically with
demand for ivory from affluent buyers in Asia.
By contrast, Namibia, which has incorporated
hunting management and wildlife conservation
into its national constitution and tightly regulates
both hunting and land use, has seen its wildlife
numbers triple over the same period of time.
38 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

GAM E IN
S
PLAININGULARLY
TING
UN
Again, the issues around
wildlife conservation and hunting in
Africa are as diverse as the continent itself. So
let’s narrow down the idea and presume you are
an ethical, conservation-minded hunter who has
always dreamed of hunting in Africa but elects to
avoid the controversy of harvesting what may or
may not be accurately characterized as “endan-
gered species.” If you fit this category, Africa is a
fantastic choice for the experience and cost.
UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE
Hunting plains game in Africa is a singularly
unique experience. Make no mistake, experi-
encing the remote African bush as a hunter is
dramatically different than riding on the top of a
vehicle to get a photo. Being part of the cycle of
life, and seeing the signs of life and death, the
beauty and often the brutality of nature, is hum-
bling and educating. One need only experience
the remains of a large animal killed by a cheetah
coalition or lion pride once to understand that
nature, in its truest form, is nothing like a Disney
movie. It can be, and often is, brutish and violent.
But there is beauty in it as well. Seeing graceful
herds of impalas, springboks, gemsboks and
wildebeests, with their old and young males
and females constantly fighting for dominance,
fertility and survival, reminds you of our small but
inextricably linked role in this vast ecosystem.
Africa presents sights, sounds and smells
that are unlike those you’ll find anywhere else
in the world. On any given day, you’ll see birds,
iStock
mammals, reptiles and insects you never imag-
ined, or only saw in books. Some may chase
Photo
you, bite you or—in the case of baboons—bark
at you, but by about the third day of walking
 OFF TO AFRICA
¨

the bush, you will have changed. Senses party, such as trackers (often highly experienced
your ancestors developed and perfected but locals), as well as the ultimate choice of the
are now rendered dormant by smartphones, quarry. The PH decides which animal in a herd
concrete and electricity will come alive and you are allowed to shoot and is responsible for
enervate your entire being. the ethics by which it is taken. This ensures that
Unlike other hunting destinations, Africa is only mature animals, typically males beyond or at
not a “one and done” experience. Depending on the end of their breeding age, are harvested.
your budget and time, you can hunt numerous And if an animal should be wounded, all
game species, all with their own unique habits efforts are exhausted to dispatch and recover
and habitats. You will also be accompanied by the animal. Several years of training and certi-
a professional hunter (PH). PHs are responsible fication are required to become a PH in Africa.
for both your safety and that of others in your They are tested not only in hunting, but also
broader wildlife conservation practices, medical
and first-aid skills, and tracking. On multiple

THE trips and dozens of hunts, I have yet to meet

a PH who did not care for the wild game as a

THOMPSON/CENTER COMPASS shepherd does his flock. If you watch and listen
closely, you will usually see most of them kneel
privately and hear them quietly utter, “Thank you,

→
Initially, I found the
proposition of taking
a “price-point” rifle
to Africa to be a bit unsettling.
Stalking an elk-sized kudu
through miles of bush is an
entirely different proposition
than shooting a whitetail from
a blind in Texas. I have done
both, and experience has
taught me the vast difference
between the two, particularly
the cost of a mechanical fail-
ure or inconsistent accuracy.
So when I was asked to take
the $350 Thompson/Center
Compass rifle to hunt plains
game in South Africa, I was
a bit skeptical.
The Compass is the most
recent evolution
in the T/C line of
affordable but
technologically
forward-thinking and precisely
manufactured rifles. On the
flat range, my 6.5 Creedmoor
Compass had an average
group size of 0.63 inches,
with a best three-shot group
of 0.33 inches using factory
Hornady 143-grain ELD-X
ammo. I think the rifle is
actually capable of better,
but the Nikon 2.5-10x42mm
is perfect for plains game.
So what makes the
Compass special, besides
the low price and consistent
accuracy? Its smart design.
For example, the three-
position safety includes a
prudent bolt-lock feature in
addition to the traditional on/
off settings. Other out-of-the-
box details include a detach-
able, rotary box magazine
that eliminates loose rounds
rattling in your pocket and
allows for quicker reloads. The
single-stage trigger is adjust-
able from 3.5 to 5 pounds, but
it came out of the box right
in my sweet spot. Finally, the
barrel has 5R rifling and floats
freely within the synthetic
stock. The muzzle is threaded
for suppressor use as well.
The Compass performed
beautifully and reliably both on
the range and in the African
bush, delivering accurate and
cleanly lethal shots on game
ranging from waterbucks to
reedbucks. Dust, dirt, rain,
temperature changes and
10,000 miles of travel couldn’t
pull it off its hinges. (tcarms.
com) —Len Waldron
brother,” over a freshly harvested animal. And
nothing from the animal goes to waste. All of
the meat is consumed by the hunters or given to
local families in the surrounding communities.
RETURNING ONCE MORE
I returned to Africa for the fourth time to hunt
plains game in the Limpopo region of South
Africa near the Botswana border. As guests of
Diekie Muller Safaris, the members of our party
slept in traditionally styled but modern thatch-
roofed huts clustered around the main lodge,
which featured a large firepit on a patio. Like
our petroglyph-painting ancestors, we returned
to the fire each night to share in the success of
our hunts and raise a toast to the animals, or tell
stories of being outsmarted by nature or chance.
The trip’s most memorable hunt, just a notch
above a mad foot chase for waterbuck through
shoulder-high grass, was for a reedbuck. Reed-
buck rams whistle when alarmed or competing
with other males for territory by closing their
mouths and blowing through their nostrils. My
PH, Gaspare Spanio, heard such a whistle. I
thought it was a bird. He knew better.
We followed the whistles at a low crouch,
creeping through the bush, keeping foliage
between ourselves and the sound. It’s in
moments like these that your senses come alive.
You can hear every grain of sand rub beneath
your boots, and your breathing sounds like roll-
ing thunder. Walking close behind, I could see

40 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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fits
at bene
n e o f the gre game
O s
an plain riety of
of Afric the va
n g is the
hunti ble on
s availa
specie . The author
ip
same tr untain
rv e s te d a mo and
ha a n y a la
ck ,
reedbu uck , all with
rb
a wate ss.
Co mpa
the T/C

than I was. Finally, we were able to

Gaspare cringe every time my pants
rubbed together. The PHs wear shorts with
gaiters over the tops and laces of their boots.
Because of the thorns, which are everywhere,
I had mistakenly always thought it was a silly
practice, but he was moving much more quietly
see the reedbuck through the brush, and the
heart pounding truly began. He was close, but
one broken twig or my “loud” pants and he’d hit
the afterburners and be gone.
We managed a few more steps to where I
had a clear shot, and I raised the Thompson/
Center Compass and put a Hornady 143-grain
6.5 Creedmoor round right on the money.
He dropped quickly and cleanly. Upon closer

HELPING AFRICA’S CHILDREN

inspection, he was a very old ram and had scars
all around his neck and scratches on his horns.
He’d been fighting a losing battle for his territory.
He also had one blind eye that had turned blue

→
It’s nearly impos-
sible to fathom the
challenges one will
encounter as an orphan in
Africa. The AIDS epidemic,
genocide, drug abuse and a
variety of other societal crises
produce the tragic casualty of
parentless children. In South
Africa, a man named Abraham
Kriel recognized the problem
after the economic depression
and famine in the 1930s left
hundreds of South African
children homeless. Originally
sponsored by and expanded to
several locations across South
Africa by the Dutch Reformed
Church, the now-independent
non-profit Abraham Kriel
Children’s Home in Nylstroom
is home to nearly 200 children
ranging in age from 3 to 19.
Our hunting party, which
included Gregg Ritz and the
Hunt Masters film crew as
well as representatives from
Thompson/Center and Hor-
nady, spent several hours at
the facility and donated more
than 500 pounds of meat,
36 flats of canned food and
other kid stuff, such as soccer
balls, coloring books, stuffed
animals and rugby balls from
the inaugural season of U.S.
Major League Rugby.
Of all the things we were
able to give to the children,
the facility’s director, Gerda
van der Merwe, told us
that the meat was the most
valuable. This is because the
cost of meat is much higher
per pound than in the U.S.
due to less efficient farming
methods in South Africa. We
were honored and humbled to
contribute. —Len Waldron
and glassed over, which probably explained why
we were able to stalk so close. His good eye
had been facing the reedbuck whistling at him
on an adjacent mountain, which had likely just
recently pushed him out of his territory. There is
always a moment of sadness at times such as
these, and after 30 years of hunting, my feelings
are still a mix of elation from a successful hunt
and somber reverence for the life I took to
extend my own. But I was happy to know that I
gave a quick, clean end to an old animal outside
of his breeding prime.
Robin Hurt, a well-known African PH, once
told me, “Hunting is the chance and the chase.
Without those two things, it ceases to be
hunting.” We had both—and chance, in the form
of a blind eye, favored us on this day. Most days,
the quarry dashes into the bush, and you have a
great story and a humble smile for the campfire.
No matter your views on hunting, the wild
African bush deserves a place on your bucket
list. If you do choose to hunt, do so ethically and
respectfully. Put your phone away and feel with all
your senses the energy and connection with our
ancestors and the wildlife of the African bush.
For more information, visit dmsafaris.com.

42 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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 rim
P ING o
HU NT

iStock Photo
,a
iona ury
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44 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 ROAD
TRIP

e a k in g for
ing lik e h un t
Liv n th
w hile o
n d de e r
a r a
boin Norther n I ta ly

D RA
J O N R. SUN
BY
Photo
iStock

region
th e Umbria eration.
odi in Õs op
nero T part of G &G
Monte o
is als
of Italy

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

45
 PRIMO HUNTING
¨

t
spen
e h u nters g in
: Th alkin
LEFT ir time st rds.
he a
half t und viney
ro
and a s
check
: G iorgio eer. In
W
BELO istant roe e the term
d
d s
out a ey don’t u “male.”
th ply
Italy, t s im
,” bu
“buck

hat comes to mind

when you think of Italy? Maybe Rome
and its rich history, the culture of Florence,
the mind-numbing beauty of Venice, the
food or the wine? If you’re a hunter, I’ll bet
it’s not hunting—especially not big-game
hunting. I don’t know why that is. Maybe it’s
because Italy is a victim of its own success;
the country is unquestionably one of the most
popular tourist destinations in the world. All I
know is that I’ve been traveling in
international hunting circles for more
than 40 years and can honestly say
that Italy just isn’t generally thought
of as a serious venue for big game
compared to other Western and
Central European countries. There are
always exceptions, of course, but for the
most part I believe that to be true. “Any high fences involved?”
I’ve been to Italy 12 times. Four of No, he told me, they were all free-ranging
those visits were spent touring firearms animals taken on his three leased concession
manufacturers in the Brescia/Gardone area, areas in Northern and Central Italy.
but there was no hunting involved. The other Long story short, I left the G&G booth with
eight were spent simply enjoying the cultural the company’s brochure, adding it to the bag
experiences this wonderful country has to offer. of others I had already collected. A week later,
But all that changed last January at the while sifting through the pile of catalogs and
Safari Club International (SCI) Annual Conven- brochures, I once again came upon
tion in Las Vegas, when I found myself at the G&G’s. The more I looked, the more
booth of G&G Hunting Services, which offered interested I became. So, I thought
“luxury hunting in Italy.” As I thumbed through the to myself, I’m already planning to
photo album filled with pictures of roe deer, red vacation in Italy again, either in May
stag, chamois, fallow deer and wild or September. Why not combine
boar, a dapper-looking fellow that with a hunt, if possible?
manning the booth introduced
himself as Giorgio Paraporti. TRIP PREPARATIONS
As we shook hands, I said, I emailed Giorgio and told him I’d
“You’ve got some very impres- be interested in a classic hunt
sive trophies here, Giorgio. Did for Europe’s two most popular
all of these come out of Italy?” critters: wild boar and roe deer.
If I sounded a bit incredulous, Though heavily booked for the
he sounded a bit indignant: “Yes, year, Giorgio had an opening
of course.” from August 3 to 7 at a price

iStock Photo

46 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

of $6,000. It was really more than I wanted to
spend, but it was obvious from his brochure and
website that his hunts were primo class all the
way. Hell, in one place you stay in a castle, in
another a palace, and in another place, a stately
mansion worthy of a House Beautiful cover.
ROAD
The only problem was that I had to find
TRIP
someone to go with me, for at my age I won’t
travel overseas alone anymore. So I called my
buddy Marc Habbouche, an avid shooter and an
aspiring hunter. Marc was part of a small group
of friends who had gone with me to Italy two
years before on vacation. He quickly signed on,
saying it was the best excuse he could think of
for getting back to Italy.
One aspect of hunt planning that I really
enjoy is deciding which rifle and caliber to
bring. For this hunt, I opted for an H-S Preci-
sion rifle in 7mm Winchester Short Magnum
that had proven to be incredibly accurate. I’m
talking 0.5- to 0.75-inch groups at 100 yards
with Winchester 140-grain Silvertips. I sent
all the required information to Giorgio—make,
model, caliber and serial number—so he could
get the necessary paperwork started. However,
I failed to mention that Marc and I had decided
that four days in Italy was too short a time to go
all that way only to come straight back home.
So, we decided that after our hunt, we’d take a
train to Paris and spend three days there before
boarding a nonstop flight back to Charlotte. I
therefore went ahead and booked and paid for
our flights, our train and our hotel in Paris.
Enter Murphy’s Law. When I told Giorgio of
our plans, he told me that bringing a rifle or shot-
gun into Italy was no problem—it just required a
little paperwork. “You fly in, you fly out,” he said.
“No problem. But you can’t board a train with a
firearm, much less cross into another country.”
Great. I needed a Plan B, but at that
moment I didn’t have one. I hate using bor-
rowed guns—rifles especially—but it seemed I
had little choice in the matter.
“You’ll use one of mine, Jon,” Giorgio
offered. “Many of my clients prefer to avoid the
hassle of bringing their own guns.”
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

47
 PRIMO HUNTING
®

H AT THE ND
T TO SAY T CUISINE A E
I
S UF FICE DATIONS, TING THOS
“ MMO RE BEFIT S. IT WAS ”
C CO
A
N ES WE CASTLE G CAMP.
WI LIVE IN UNTIN
O
WH ELLUV A H
ONE H

ia
Ottav
o n t essa justifiably
C
rino is ery ’s
Vista of her win
o u d
pr .
“OK,” I said. “What rifles do neros
pinot
you have available?”
“I’d like you to use my personal rifle,”
he replied. “It’s a Steyr Mannlicher in .270
Winchester that was presented to me by my
father 35 years ago. I’ve killed hundreds of roe Gavi, a medieval walled city dominated by a
deer and boar with it, not counting hundreds 1,000-year-old fortress that loomed ominously
more by clients using it.” above the town. Giorgio had been overseeing La
That’s perfect, I thought, in keeping with the Centuriona’s renovations for more than 25 years
classic European hunt theme. “What scope do in return for hunting rights on the 1,500-acre

ROAD
you have on it?” I asked. estate. Suffice it to say that the accommoda-

TRIP
It was a Swarovski 4-12x50mm Habicht A, tions, cuisine and wines were befitting those who
a scope contemporary with the rifle on which live in castles. It was one helluva hunting camp.
it was mounted, and one of the company’s But we could not have come at
first riflescopes designed for the American a worse time for hunting. Southern
market and which reflected the technology of Europe was in the grip of the most
the time—a 1-inch tube, a 3X zoom ratio and severe heat wave in 50 years, with
a simple plex-type reticle in the second focal temperatures hovering between 96
plane with no BDC hash marks and 98 degrees all three days. As
or illumination. It too was any hunter knows, game simply
perfect for my purposes. doesn’t move much in daylight
when it’s that hot. Nevertheless,
the
ROYAL TREATMENT u
son,
thor’s dra,
we persevered, spending
Th e a un
On the morning of August 3, ean S eral four hours each morning and
late S Italy sev her.
Giorgio met Marc and me at the e d f at another three in the evening in
visit with his r
e boa
Milan airport and drove us to our times e rubs th l tower blinds or stalking in and
h e
digs, La Centuriona,, a 14th century Here Fontana d ence. around the vineyards, which
r
at the ino in Flo
ll
castle nestled in the shadow of Porce were everywhere. By the

48 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

end of the second morning, Marc had his boar,
which came in at a whopping 463 pounds, and
I had a nice roe buck.
At no time were we hunting more than 1.5
miles from the center of Gavi, and we could
easily see the town and the Forte di Gavi
that looms above it from some of the towers.
The town is located in the Piedmont region in
northwest Italy, where some of the country’s
most noble red wines are produced: Barolo,
Barbaresco and Gattinara. But Gavi is also the
home of the Cortese di Gavi grape, which is
used to make what many consider Italy’s finest
white wine: Gavi di Gavi.
Thinking our luck would be better at his
other concession south of Milan, the second
afternoon Giorgio changed our venue to the
Rocca de’ Giorgi estate some 60 miles to
the east, where G&G puts hunters up in the
Villa Fornace, a 17th century palace of the
Vistarino family, where the Contessa Ottavia
Vistarino and her husband, Prince Guido
Vivarelli, were in residence. The three of us
would have stayed there had we not arrived
late in the evening, so Giorgio put us up in a
The last night of comfortable villa smack in the middle of the
the trip, Giorgio 2,500-acre Vistarino estate, where he and his
arranged a hunting buddies stay. I was comforted to see
candlelit dinner
under the stars that our chef from La Centuriona was already
at La Centuriona there to greet us.
.
The following morning, I got my boar and
Marc got his roe deer. I shot my boar after spot-
ting a family of hogs rooting around at the edge
of a vineyard and stalking to within 100 yards or
so. Marc got his buck (although they don’t use
that term in Italy) shooting from a tower blind.
After a spectacular lunch at the nearby Villa
Sparina resort, the Contessa gave us a private
tour of her home and the family winery, Conte
Vistarino, where we sampled all eight of the
wines they produced.
I think Marc may have summed it up best
at our pre-departure dinner under the stars at
La Centuriona when he said, “If this is what
international hunting is all about, I’m in!” For
more information, visit gghuntingservices.it.
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

49
 COVERT CARRY
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→
There’s no getting around the
fact that having a bag or pack
with you throughout the day can
ensure you have the gear you
need in any situation, from an
unexpected client meeting to a disaster scenario.
Consequently, more and more people are carry-
ing packs and sling bags to move gear around.
If you are headed to the range, a good bag
or pack is a must. However, backpacks
can also serve as a great foundation
for your get-home preparations and
are valuable in day-to-day
use. If you don’t have
One bag can easily be used as a tactical bag
with all of your police gear, converted to a
day bag when you head out with the kids and
then set up as an overnight bag when you are
camping with your buddies.
5.11 Tactical accomplishes this through a
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50 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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phone, watch or other small items is included,
and the bag is made from 500-denier nylon with
YYK zippers. (blackhawk.com)

3› COPPER BASIN
TAKEDOWN FIREARM BACKPACK
Discreetly traveling with a long gun can present
a challenge. For example, you don’t want to carry
a rifle case through a hotel lobby before heading

can drastically improve your comfort when it

comes to reaching for important gear.
The AMP24 is a 32-liter pack with a large
main compartment that can be fully opened
for easy packing. It has compartments for both
a 15-inch laptop and a handgun. The CCW
compartment is lined with a loop panel and
webbing strap for the secure placement of your
holster at the perfect angle.
Offering a balance of durability and light
weight, 5.11 uses 500-denier Dobby nylon with
a 1,050-denier nylon bottom for increased wear
resistance. The packs are available in four col-
ors, including black, tungsten, Ranger green and
a tan color called kangaroo. (511tactical.com)

2› BLACKHAWK STAX EDC PACK

BlackHawk was founded by a U.S. Navy SEAL
whose standard-issue pack fell apart in the
middle of an Iraqi minefield. That, I would expect,
is motivation for building a better bag.

52 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 4
out to dinner. Separating the upper and lower on
an AR or using a takedown gun like the Ruger
PC Carbine can help, but you still need a good
case or bag that doesn’t scream “gun.” Copper
Basin’s low-profile backpack was designed for
these weapons and deserves your attention.
CZ-USA.COM
Now in its third generation of evolution, the
Takedown Firearm Backpack looks like a trendy
sports pack and offers circumspect transport of
your takedown or compact gun.
Copper Basin uses materials and colors that
avoid the clichéd law enforcement or military
• CRISP TRIGGER
WITH SHORT RESET
• CORROSION-RESISTANT
NITRIDE FINISH
• FRONT AND RE AR
COCKING SERR ATIONS
look. For example, you can get the Takedown
Firearm Backpack in vintage green waxed can-
vas or in a blue and orange pattern that gives it
a snowboarder look. To enhance the low-profile
nature of the bag, the company elected to use
an exterior bungee cord and multiple zippered
compartments to eliminate the need for MOLLE
and loop panels. Structural foam helps the
pack maintain its shape and not give away the
nature of the contents.
The Takedown Firearm Backpack completely
opens and lays flat to allow for complete
access to all of the interior gear. There are inte-
rior pockets for the gun’s receiver and barrel
assemblies, magazines, ammunition and more.
Each of the pockets is reinforced for improved
durability and long life. For comfort, Copper
Basin uses a mesh backing with a lumbar
support pad. (copperbasingear.com)
4› HACKETT LITTLE BERTHA
Designed as a two-pistol range bag, the Little
Bertha is the latest innovative design from
Hackett Equipment. When I head out for
OPTICS-READY
MODELS AVAILABLE
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

53

Semi-Automatic Perfection
with the Accuracy of
World Class Bolt Actions
New Patented Semi-Automatic
Full Monolithic Chassis System
(M4/AR15/AR10/M110)
631-749-1100
DRAKEASSOCIATES.US
FOR SNIPERS BY SNIPERS
54 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

COVERT CARRY
®
®
some informal practice or fun, it’s the
Little Bertha I carry. This backpack is
5
designed with specialized compart-
ments for a pair of handguns, extra
magazines, ammunition and more. It
has plenty of space for everything I
need for an afternoon on the range
with my CCW guns.
The Little Bertha has two large
compartments that completely open and
fold flat, and two smaller ones that do not.
The largest compartment has a divider. On
one side is a pair of adjustable holsters that
have held every kind of handgun I’ve tried,
from a long-slide .45 to J-Frame .38s. Even a
KelTec SUB-2000 rides in this compartment
without issue. On the other side of the divider
are two rows of elastic for magazine storage.
The divider acts as a buffer between the
two sides, and it also has its own storage
compartment for targets or other gear.
Alternatively, you could load a ballistic panel
into the divider storage compartment.
Eight permanently attached ammo
pouches occupy the second large com-
partment. These pouches use hook-and-
loop fasteners to securely store 50-round
boxes of ammunition. However, there is
plenty of additional room in this compart-
ment for more ammo you can stack in the
center area. I’ve carried bulk bags of 9mm
FMJ rounds in the center area.
The larger of the smaller compartments
is perfect for all of my tools, pens and other
bits of gear I carry to the range. The smallest
compartment is still rather large and can be
accessed when the cinch straps are in place. I
store my emergency medical gear in this pouch.
If I need a tourniquet, QuikClot combat gauze pouch. Two rows of MOLLE/PALS webbing
or compression bandage, I don’t want to fiddle are also included on the front of the bag.
around with a bunch of straps. The compres- Hackett Equipment backs the Little Bertha
sion straps can cinch a lightly loaded bag down with a lifetime warranty, but I doubt you would
to a relatively thin package. With a heavy load, ever need it. Mine is solidly built and has
the compression straps work well with the shown little wear after several months of use.
900-denier polyester construction. Altogether, (hackettequipment.com)
the Little Bertha has proven more than strong
enough to handle everything I’ve loaded into it. 5› MAXPEDITION ENTITY 23
The padding on the shoulder straps is For several years, I’ve carried a Maxpedition
ample and comfortable no matter how much I Condor II backpack everywhere. From Disney
load into this backpack. The pack has a ster- World to martial arts classes, the bag is my
num strap and D-rings on the shoulder straps, regular companion. But the new Entity 23 from
and the backrest has internal padding. On the Maxpedition has a more low-profile appear-
exterior of the bag, Hackett Equipment added ance while being just as tough and holding a
a loop panel for patches or a small admin remarkable amount of gear for its size.
 “…THE PREPARED LIFESTYLE DOESN’T MEAN YOU
HAVE TO LOOK LIKE TACTICAL TIMMY.”
The concept of the “gray man” is someone
who blends into the background of any situa-
tion. The Entity 23 is the bag for that man. It is
literally only available in charcoal or ash—two
shades of gray—with an outward appearance
of being a college backpack or laptop bag.
Maxpedition includes a CCW pistol
compartment that has a security lockout strip.
Depending on how you set it up, the handgun
can be accessed from either the right or left
side of the bag. Side compartments are easily
accessible with interior pockets that neatly
hold AR magazines or other gear. Inside the
main compartment, the pack has an interior
wall of loop lining for attaching hook-backed
accessory panels or pouches. It also has a 6
separate padded laptop compartment that is
lockable. Additional features include magnetic
closures, YKK zippers and soft straps made out
of seatbelt webbing. (maxpedition.com)

6› VERTX LAST CALL PACK

Unassuming but fully loaded for any situation,
the Last Call Pack from Vertx is designed to be
highly flexible and affordable. It can move a lot
of gear, keep a pistol at hand and even be used
GUARDIAN™
EDC CONCEALMENT BACKPACK
as a ballistic shield if needed. Yet it proves that
living the prepared lifestyle doesn’t mean you
* CIVILIAN STYLE
have to look like Tactical Timmy.
Vertx built a lot of great features into this * DISCREET HOLSTER COMPARTMENT
bag. First off, the main compartment is cav- * EVERYDAY PACK UTILITY
ernous with a padded 15-inch laptop pouch,
* MODULAR DESIGN
mesh and a loop panel for additional organiz-
ers. Moving outside, the front panel conceals
multiple rows of MOLLE/PALS webbing and
can be used to hold larger items such as a
helmet or jacket. Should you prefer to expose
the webbing, the front panel can be tucked
under the MOLLE panel.
A special compartment for your pistol is
readily accessible via the company’s Rapid
Access pull tab. Inside is loop material for
attaching a holster at the exact angle you want.
The back panel is made of molded foam for
good airflow and comfort when you’re on the
move. Both the shoulder and sternum straps
are adjustable. The shoulder straps also have
tie downs for your hydration tube if you opt to
add a bladder to the pack. (vertx.com) 866.340.2778 ELITESURVIVAL.COM

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

55
 ON THE COVER

HELLCAT
ELLCAT
¨

EA ED
SPRINGFIELD CHANGES
THE GAME WITH THE SMALLEST,
HIGHEST-CAPACITY
POLYMER 9MM IN HISTORY
( BY MIKE DETTY • ALEX LANDEEN PHOTOS )

→
It was a page out of a Cold War espionage novel. I was
sworn to secrecy and forced to sign a non-disclosure
agreement for something I knew nothing about. In due
time, an unmarked delivery van arrived at my house and
a courier brought a package to the door. All I knew was
that I had been tasked to evaluate a new Springfield Armory product, but
I had no idea what type of gun it would be. I anxiously cut through the
cardboard box and removed a small hard plastic case. Popping the locks
and opening the container, I found a note written by Springfield CEO
Dennis Reese: “This is the first step in a new direction for Springfield
Armory polymer handguns, and we are excited to share it with the world.”
With that, I am proud to give Ballistic readers an exclusive first
glimpse of Springfield Armory’s new Hellcat! Billed as the world’s
highest-capacity micro-compact 9mm, the Hellcat is just 6 inches long,
4 inches tall and 1 inch wide. Boasting an 11+1 capacity with its flush-fit
patented magazine and 13+1 with an extended version, the Hellcat is big
on firepower in a tiny package. In fact, this little mighty-might weighs just
1.9 ounces over the pound mark with an unloaded magazine.

56 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

57
 ON THE COVER
®

“THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN A NEW DIRECTION FOR SPRINGFIELD ARMORY

POLYMER HANDGUNS, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD.”
FIRST IMPRESSIONS SPECIFICATIONS: The iron sights are designed for easy co-
Rattling off dimensions doesn’t truly do the witnessing with the reflex sight. The rear sight
Hellcat justice. This is a gun you have to hold
SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT OSP has a generous U-notch with a white outline
CALIBER: 9mm
in your hand to understand just how small it around it while the front sight has a high-
BARREL: 3 inches
is. Despite its small size, the gun feels good, visibility tritium lamp encircled by a luminescent
OA LENGTH: 6 inches
and the width of the backstrap ensures it won’t yellow/green ring for quick acquisitions during
WEIGHT: 17.9 ounces (empty)
be painful to shoot. It’s also striker fired and daylight. The deep U-notch makes sight align-
GRIP: Polymer
uses a polymer frame with a pinned-in steel ment as easy as putting the ball (front sight) in
SIGHTS: Tritium front, U-notch rear
subchassis that possesses the steel rails the the bucket. The rear sight is also designed for
ACTION: Striker-fired
slide rides on so there is no steel-to-plastic one-handed slide manipulations.
FINISH: Matte black
contact. Springfield Armory Melonites all of The polymer frame has a high beavertail to
CAPACITY: 11+1, 13+1
the steel internals to increase their surface protect the shooter’s hand and promote the
MSRP: $599
hardness and make them corrosion resistant. highest hold possible to help minimize muzzle
Measuring just an inch thick, the Hellcat’s only PERFORMANCE: flip. Springfield also dramatically undercuts
external controls are the slide stop, takedown LOAD VELOCITY ACCURACY the triggerguard where it meets the frame to
lever and magazine release, which are all low Black Hills 115 JHP 1,121 0.78 promote a high grip. The frame also features
profile for painless concealed carry. Colt Defense 124 JHP 1,140 0.82 an accessory rail and Springfield’s Adaptive
I received the OSP (Optical Sight Pistol) DoubleTap 77 SCHP 1,412 0.70 Grip Texture, which is made up of a series of
variant of the Hellcat. The slide is cut for a Federal 147 Syntech 936 0.92 staggered pyramids with the taller ones flattened
micro reflex sight, and Springfield recom- Training Match TSJ for more comfortable carry against the skin.
mends the JP Enterprises JPoint and the Hornady 124 American 1,093 0.75 Located in the usual Browning-inspired location,
Gunner XTP +P
Shield RMSc, which is what my test pistol Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in fps by chronograph
the reversible magazine release is oval and low
came outfitted with. The OSP model retails for and accuracy in inches for best five-shot group at 15 yards. profile to prevent an accidental mag dump.
$30 more than the standard Hellcat, but the To give the gun enough spring mass to cycle
gun does not come with an optic. reliably, a dual recoil spring system is utilized.

58 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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The Hellcat is designed to use flush-fitting
11-round magazines as well as extended
13-rounders, providing exceptional 9mm
firepower for such a small pistol.
60 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019
ON THE COVER
¨
There’s a large-diameter spring wrapped
around a cap that slides over a more
tightly wound spring wrapped
around the recoil
spring guide. There
is no spring-to-spring
contact with this
captured design,
which also makes for
easy disassembly.
Springfield
machines the Hellcat’s slide from a billet of
steel and uses a Melonite finish for corrosion
resistance. The OSP model comes with an
optics plate cover in the event the user does not
want to use a reflex sight, and this gives the gun
an even smaller profile. The slide’s extractor is
designed for maximum contact on the car-
tridge’s rim, and there is a mechanical block to
prevent inertia firings by blocking the striker from
moving until pressure is put on the trigger. The
trigger also has a blade-type safety.
The Hellcat also uses a fully supported
barrel. There’s a cutout at the top of the barrel’s
hood to see if the chamber is loaded. The
barrel sports a Melonite finish and is serialized
to the slide and frame. Finally, the Hellcat was
designed for defensive use with a standoff
device that prevents the slide coming out of
battery when pressed against a hard surface.
PERFORMANCE
I did all of my accuracy testing at 15 yards
using 2-inch-diameter Shoot-N-C targets. I
fired all of my groups from a seated rest, with
the Hellcat’s dust cover supported on a Millett
Benchmaster. It was a simple matter to center
the Shield’s red dot in the center of the target
while adding the 5.5 pounds of pressure nec-
essary to break the shot. After walking down-
range to check my first target, I got a lot more
enthusiastic about the Hellcat. My first groups
measured right around 0.75 inches! I tested the
Hellcat with five different loads and fired five
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 ON THE COVER
¨
5-shot groups with each. The performance table
lists the best groups fired with each load.
As you can see, the Hellcat is quite a shooter.
The average for all five loads was just 0.8 inches!
Quite frankly, for this type of micro-compact,
a group twice this size would be perfectly
acceptable for a concealed-carry gun. Accuracy
certainly isn’t a shortcoming here. My single best
five-shot group came with DoubleTap’s 77-grain
solid-copper hollow points (SCHPs). This load
is consistently accurate in any 9mm I have tried it
in, and the projectile’s light weight makes it soft
on recoil. It gave the Hellcat good slide velocity
and generated a respectable 341 foot-pounds of
energy (fpe), all without +P pressures. Speaking
of +P ammo—yes, the Hellcat is rated for use
with these loads. In fact, I ran Hornady’s 124-
grain American Gunner XTP +P ammo through
the gun and didn’t experience a single problem.
The five different test loads represent four
different bullet weights, each with a distinctly dif-
ferent bullet nose, yet they all fed, fired, extracted
and ejected without issue. The Hellcat chewed
The OSP version of them all up and spit them all out without burping!
the Hellcat allows
you to pair a micro
When shooting from the bench, the majority of my
reflex sight like the casings landed in a neat pile a full 12 feet away.
Shield RMSc with To see just how controllable the little Hellcat
the tritium front sight
and a white-outlined
was, I practiced firing double-taps at a USPSA
U-notch rear sight. target set up at 7 yards. Using a PACT Club
62 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

Shot timer, I only recorded the times when both
of my shots hit the A-zone, and my splits, or the
time between shots, ranged from 0.19 to 0.26
seconds, with the average being 0.22 seconds.
I am far removed from my days of competition,
but I still surprised myself with these low splits.
To be completely honest, I would have been
happy if I had fired these splits with a full-sized,
steel-framed competition 1911, but to do it with
a micro-compact just blew my mind!
Included with the Hellcat was a CrossBreed
Reckoning holster. CrossBreed introduced this
IWB holster earlier this year, and it has several
retention points, including where the Kydex
pocket meets the leather backing and a new
retention device directly under the triggerguard.
It can be worn in strong-side, appendix and
even cross-draw positions, and it can easily be
converted to an OWB holster as well. Given
the Hellcat’s lightweight and the Reckoning’s
design, this pairing can be worn for hours
without any signs of discomfort.
If you’re like me and prefer your carry gun
to be as small and light as possible yet still be
accurate and effective, the Hellcat will demand
your attention. Can you bet your life on it? Abso-
lutely! In a very short time period, I fired 400
rounds through the gun without a bobble. It was
utterly reliable straight from the box. The Hellcat
is also small and light enough that it won’t
require adjusting your wardrobe to conceal it. If
the Hellcat is just the first step in a new direction
for Springfield’s polymer handguns, I can’t wait
to see what’s next! For more information, visit
springfield-armory.com.
 FIRST TO THE FIGHT.
EOTECH Holographic Weapon Sights (HWS) are among the fastest, most intuitive sighting
systems on the planet. Exactly why you’ll find them on the front lines of freedom’s fight
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a laser-driven holographic reticle that’s accurate from anywhere behind the gun, the
advantage is undeniable. See it for yourself at EOTECHGEAR.COM/LEARN.

©Copyright 2019 L3Harris Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. EOTECH¨ is registered trademarks of L3Harris Technologies, Inc.
WANNa
Y
S U RV I VA L S K I L LS

FL ?
EVERYTHING YOU
NEED TO KNOW
BEFORE YOU INVEST
IN PILOT SCHOOL
BY CORK GRAHAM

→
As a teenager in 1983, I was a U.S. Marine-
option naval midshipmen at UC Berkeley with
aspirations of flying the then-new F-18 for the
Marine Corps. But, haunted by having lived in
Vietnam as a child—my first memories of life
start with the Tet Offensive of 1968 in Saigon—I went to my
commanding officer and requested a leave of absence (LOA).
With my LOA and a plane ticket to Thailand, I headed off to try
my luck at combat photography, reporting on American MIAs
left in Indochina at the end of the Vietnam War, the Viet-Khmer
War and the Hmong Resistance. In the end, I spent 11 months
imprisoned by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The story
was later turned into an international bestselling memoir that
stirred Discovery Channel to hire me to appear on its show
Treasure Quest: Snake Island.
Ironically, after my release from Vietnam nearly a year later,
I spent much of my time in the air, either flying on airlines to
locations around the world on assignment for various news
services, or later—when I was recruited by the CIA to help
fight President Reagan’s war against communism—in a
variety of aircraft, including UH-1s, MD-500s, A-37s, O-2s,
C-123s, C-47s and C-130s. I’m probably one of the last to
do a static-line combat jump out of a Southern Air Transport
iStock Images

66 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

67
 WA N N A F LY ?
“REMEMBER THAT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
IS A TEACHER, AND A GOOD TEACHER DIAGNOSES
AND PROVIDES TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES
TO CORRECT AND IMPROVE.”
To save money, the author (right)
traveled from Alaska to Huntsville,
Texas, where he found the perfect
flight school and instructor.
C-47, following a load of weapons and medical
supplies headed for Miskito Indians fighting for
their lives against the Sandinistas. Only a few
months later, another Southern Air Transport
aircraft, a C-123, gained international fame as
the plane in which Eugene Hasenfus was shot
down over Nicaragua.
RISKY BUSINESS
I was always a passenger, never a pilot. That
was until 2000, when, with a rekindled dream to
become a pilot, I went to Bel-Air International at
San Carlos Airport, drawn by an advertisement
for a private pilot license for only $10,000.
As one Federal Aviation Administration(FAA)
investigator would later tell me, “If it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is.”
Weeks passed, and so did the hours.
Fifty-three flight hours were logged in my student
pilot logbook, and I had yet to have my first solo
cross-country, much less my private pilot license
(PPL). Not only that, but the owner said that I had
to pay more. What in the world was going on?
It’s no surprise that Bel-Air International is
no longer in business, and that the last five-star
Yelp reviews were from customers of their air
tours, and one-star reviews were for the flight
training. More importantly, Bel-Air is logged
in the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) crash reports, with two planes down in
68 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

three days, at the same airport of all places—
Byron, California—on June 6 and 9, 2008.
According to the NTSB report on the June
6, 2008 accident, probable cause was “the
flight instructor’s inadequate compensation for
the wind conditions, and his inadequate super-
vision of the student pilot. Factors contributing
to the accident were a sudden wind shift and
wind gusts.” For the accident three days later,
the NTSB said that the accident was due to
the student pilot’s failure to maintain directional
control during landing. The report noted: “The
student reported that he ‘stepped on the right
rudder/brakes’ and ‘lost directional control.’
An estimated 30-foot-long skid mark was
observed on the runway leading off its right
side. Thereafter, the airplane entered a grassy
open field and came to rest upon colliding with
the up-sloping side of a ravine.”
Both of these accidents could have easily
ended in fatalities. So, how do you recognize a
school where they can help you get your private
pilot’s license and make sure you’ll be breathing
for many years of flying to come, too?
CRITICAL TIPS
First, make sure they’re not a PPL mill trying to
get your money, or just as bad, a place for cer-
tified flight instructors (CFIs) to use your flying
hours to add to their logbooks so that they can
get the minimum 500 to 1,000 hours to get that
first airline job. When I was at Bel-Air, I didn’t
realize until I was nearing the end of the 50-hour
package that I was basically just building my
various instructors’ hours. Let me first ask you a
question: Do you want to learn from someone
who just got their CFI certification (on average,
CFIs using an instructor’s license to build hours
have anywhere from 250 to 1,000 hours), or
would you rather be instructed by someone with
years of flight experience?
One sign that the flight school isn’t just a
PPL mill: They don’t have “packages.” If they
do have a package and are reputable, they will
qualify the package description by clearly stating
how much it will cost per hour with a fueled
plane if you have to get more hours for further
instruction, because no two students are the
same. Most importantly, when you sign up with
an instructor, you should have the opportunity to
see if that instructor fits. The only way to do this
is to take a couple of flights with the instructor
and go over exactly what you need to be able to
accomplish in terms of tasks that will show an
examiner on the checkride you are proficient to
be licensed as a private pilot.
This is where you sit down with your
instructor and a copy of the FAA’s Federal
Aviation Regulations and review Part 61. You
should have read this section before you have
the sit-down. By the time you’re done training,
you should have read the latest edition of the
Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Infor-
mation Manual (FAR/AIM) from cover to cover in
preparation for your exam. The sit-down should
take place, at the latest, by the second meeting
with your instructor. Be clear with your instructor
that, once you’ve decided to train with him or
her, they will be your instructor until you get
signed off in your logbook to take your private
pilot exam. You need to focus on the training,
not being bounced around among instructors.
Pay special attention to Part 61.109, which
covers what you must have completed with
regard to aeronautical experience. It’s very
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 WA N N A F LY ?

clear: three hours of cross-country flight, one

cross-country of over 100 miles, and so on. Go
through each one with your instructor. Have
daily, weekly and logbook hours milestones.

PERSONAL SUCCESS
When I moved back to Alaska, I quickly
realized that flying opened up areas of the
“last frontier” like no other form of transpor-
tation. I asked friends and family who were
pilots which schools or instructors they would
recommend. I already knew it was crazy for
me to try to do it in Alaska. Fuel costs alone
made it impossible.
Texas, on the other hand, with low fuel
prices and a place to stay with extended family,
made it easy for me to choose Huntsville
Aviation in Huntsville, Texas. An instructor
with a fueled plane per hour at Huntsville was Despite his experience
around a variety of aircraft
about half the cost of the same in Alaska. as a combat photographer
Captain Wanda Collins was referred as an and CIA operative, the author
instructor, but she was unavailable because didn’t begin his journey to
becoming a pilot until 2000.
of her schedule flying for United Airlines. Her
husband, Leif Mauritzson, was a retired airline

NO LONGER A SHOT IN THE DARK.

pilot, and I was excited to learn from him. If you

haven’t noticed a theme here yet, it’s that neither
of these instructors could possibly be waiting
hungrily to build hours for that new airline job.
The problem was that Mauritzson, though clearly
the perfect candidate for instructor, with a
wealth of information and being retired, would
be out of town when I arrived in Texas.
As I’ve said many times, and especially in
my latest memoir about my experiences in the
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70 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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That he was retired was another bonus. His
schedule became my schedule.
This leads to another step of rapidly
getting your private pilot’s license. If you
really want to get the best out of your training,
dedicate the time. If you live near your flight
school, try to schedule a flight once a day,
five days a week. For this reason, the smaller
schools can be better. Bigger schools are
likely to pass you around between various
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hiring their recent CFI program graduates,
which means that when their CFIs hit that
magic 500 or 1,000 hours, they’ve gone to a
right seat on an airline. If not, they really need
to convince you that they would prefer to be
an instructor.
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72 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

A point to remember when you’re flying is that
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from your instructor on why this is the case.
Remember that your instructor is a teacher, and
a good teacher diagnoses and provides tactics
and techniques to correct and improve. When
you finally get your PPL, keep these words to
heart, as they will help keep you alive: “A pilot’s
license is really a license to learn.”
 ™

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DOUBLING DOWN

ALASKAN
74
BUSHCOMBO
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

CREATING
THE ULTIMATE
SELF-DEFENSE
AND SURVIVAL GUN
PAIRING FOR THE
LAST FRONTIER
BY KEVIN ESTELA
G EO R G E F R A N E K P H OTO S

→
Alaska offers the outdoors-
man an incredible opportunity
to explore a wilderness no
longer found in the Lower 48.
It’s a land of duality. In the
Alaskan bush, there is feast and famine. Sun-
light can be almost an all-day phenomenon,
or there might be none at all. There are also
hunters and hunted, or predators and prey.
Recently, I traveled to Alaska with a few
others for a week of salmon and trout fishing.
But I also went prepared for any worst-case
scenario and carried a big-bore rifle as well
as a small-bore pistol. This combination, in
my eyes, could sustain an outdoorsman in
the wild with both food for the pot and plenty
of protection against dangerous game.

THE BIG BORE

Before we could entertain any ideas of filling
our stomachs with grilled salmon, we needed
to remember whose backyard we were in.
Alaska is home to black, brown, grizzly and
polar bears, and any one of those could inflict
serious bodily harm on an unwary outdoors-
man. I have traveled in bear country countless
times before without issue, and I followed all
the cardinal safety rules. That said, anything to keep things local and use the Wild West includes a solid blade front sight as well as a
can happen, and when I was were there, Guns (WWG) Co-Pilot with a chamber ghost-ring rear sight. More features include
I heard gripping stories of outdoorsmen that allows you to run powerful .457 WWG an aluminum follower, WWG’s “Bear Proof”
mauled by female bears protecting cubs on rounds as well as .45-70 Government ejector and a big-loop lever. The trigger is
the Russian River. There is always a chance cartridges and .410 shotshells. This is the tuned for a crisp 3-pound pull.
of accidentally walking up on a protective kind of versatility required for a survival rifle. My test rifle was equipped with an
mother, for example, but traveling into a Essentially a heavily modified Marlin optional Leupold 2.5x28mm FX-II Scout
potentially dangerous area without protection 1895 Guide Gun, this rifle can be taken IER scope, and I kept it loaded with Buffalo
isn’t an accident—it’s negligence. down easily for portability while still offering Bore’s 405- and 430-grain LBT-LFN ammu-
When it comes dangerous game, penetra- serious ballistic performance. The 18.5-inch nition. On the advice of Tim Sundles from
tion with hard-cast rounds is key. I decided barrel is ported to reduce recoil, and WWG Buffalo Bore, I kept a 405-grain round in the

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

75
 ¨
ALASKAN BUSH COMBO

SPECIFICATIONS:
WILD WEST GUNS
CO-PILOT
CALIBER: .457 WWG
BARREL: 18.5 inches
WEIGHT: 6.5 pounds (empty)
STOCK: Laminate
SIGHTS: Blade front, ghost-ring rear
ACTION: Lever
FINISH: Stainless
CAPACITY: 6+1
The Co-Pilot MSRP: $4,065 (as tested)
came equipped
with a Leupold
FX-II Scout IER
scope, and the chamber followed up by 430-grain rounds in the
author added a a magazine tube, since we would be in areas with
Wilderness Tactical
sling as well as an 1,000-plus-pound bears. Both of these rounds
ammo holder. had the same point of impact at 50 yards.
A standard carry sling from Wilderness
Tactical Products was all that was needed to
shoulder the rifle through the backcountry.
I also tested two different buttstock ammo
holders from Hill People Gear and Rick Lowe
Leather. When I stopped by the WWG shop
in Anchorage, the Co-Pilot was upgraded
with a weapon light adapter that mounted
directly to the magazine tube. Even though
we had sunlight almost 24 hours a day, each
day there was a brief period of darkness when
bears became very active searching for fish
carcasses and other easy meals.
In terms of recoil, I’d say it’s similar to that of
a 12-gauge shotgun with slugs thanks to the
barrel porting and Pachmayr Decelerator pad.
Running the butt of the rifle closer to the cen-
terline of your pectoral instead of the shoulder
helps mitigate recoil, as does leaning into it.

THE SMALL BORE

The last time I traveled to Alaska, I carried a .22
rifle around in the Brooks Range while hunting
ptarmigan. Many of the birds we encountered
were well within 25 yards and could have been
taken with a rock or slingshot. Many ptarmigan
will instinctively stand still, using their natural
camouflage to blend in, which makes head-
shots possible. At the time, I vowed to carry
a .22 pistol the next time I traveled to Alaska
to save weight and pack space while being
equally capable at close range. Pressed into a
survival situation, a .22 pistol could be used to
gather any of the abundant small game found in
Alaska, from rabbits to grouse.

76 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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SPECIFICATIONS:
TACTICAL SOLUTIONS
BUCK MARK
CALIBER: .22 LR
BARREL: 5.5 inches
OA LENGTH: 9.63 inches
WEIGHT: 24.5 ounces (empty)
GRIPS: G10
SIGHTS: Blade front, adjustable rear
ACTION: SA
FINISH: Matte black
CAPACITY: 10+1
MSRP: N/A

belt loop is usually found, slid right into chamber

pockets without much added bulk.
Tactical Solutions Since this is a survival pistol, I didn’t feel
customized the
author’s Browning the need to carry more than two magazines.
Buck Mark Camper The space and weight additional magazines
by adding G10 grip require could be put to better use carrying loose
panels, a fluted barrel
and a Picatinny rail ammunition. A survival pistol isn’t the same as
for optics. one meant for gunfighting.

IN THE FIELD
I carried the big-bore/small-bore combination
throughout the Kenai River area. We stopped
at a spot the locals use for testing their firearms
and sighting in. While it’s not an official “range,”
we were able to safely ensure the rifle’s optic
was sighted in and obtain some velocity data
using a MagnetoSpeed chronograph. Every
group member tried the guns out, too.
One particular drill we practiced was fully
loading our lever gun with a full magazine tube
and one round in the chamber, with the rifle
placed on “safe” and decocked. All it would take
to bring the rifle into action is cocking the ham-

“...I...WENT PREPARED FOR ANY WORST-CASE
SCENARIO AND CARRIED A BIG-BORE RIFLE AS
WELL AS A SMALL-BORE PISTOL.”
For this trip, I decided to bring the ultra-
reliable Browning Buck Mark. It started off as
a standard Camper model, but after a call to
my friends at Tactical Solutions, the Buck Mark
became anything but standard. The rubberized
grip panels were replaced with those made
from textured G10, and the all-steel barrel
was replaced by a lighter fluted aluminum bull
barrel with a steel insert. Last but not least, a
Picatinny rail was added to the top of the gun,
complementing the front and rear sights, in case
I decided to mount a miniature reflex sight.
Given the unique size and shape of this pis-
tol, I needed a holster to accommodate it. Sticky
Holsters created a custom rig that would hold
the pistol securely in my waistband along with
a spare magazine. When I carried it in my pack,
the smooth backside of the holster, where the
mer and disengaging the safety. This procedure
can be done very quickly, and we knew that
in the dangerous game of human versus bear,
split-second actions and decisions determine
who wins and who ends up on or in the ground.
We also tried our hand at popping 12-gauge
hulls left on the ground with the .22. The
lightweight Buck Mark proved very accurate,
and even the most novice shooters in our group
could manage hitting hulls at 10 yards.
At our cabin, we kept the lever action at the
ready in case we received an unwanted visitor.
It’s a good practice to clean any fish and game
far from camp and limit the amount of scent left
behind. When we walked through the woods on

78 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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trails frequented by unarmed tourists, one of
us carried the Co-Pilot assembled and loaded
in a carrying bag for a folding chair. We didn’t
want to trigger anyone offended by the sight
of a slung rifle, though this seemed unlikely.
When we were on the water, we shouldered
the rifle to make it one step closer to being
ready while fishing.
SWITCHING IT UP
The big-bore/small-bore combination can also
work the other way around. Outside of Alaska,
a better option might be carrying a .22 LR rifle
and a .357 Magnum, 10mm or .44 Magnum
handgun. This is especially true when traveling
in the backwoods where a .45-70 is overkill
for personal protection against typically skittish
creatures, or when animals are not in the rut.
Of course, centerfire handguns will never
best centerfire rifles in terms of
performance. But that doesn’t mean
handguns should be dismissed
as ineffective against big game.
Plenty of hunters will defend their
handguns’ capabilities. That’s why
we brought multiple pistols on this
Alaskan trip, including a Sig Sauer
P220 Hunter in 10mm and a Ruger
Redhawk in .44 Magnum, both of FOR MORE
which were finished by Robar. INFORMATION
Browning
The big-bore/small-bore combo browning.com
could also be satisfied with a Tactical Solutions
tacticalsol.com
junior hunter carrying a .22 LR rifle and their
supervising adult packing a heavier handgun.
In any case, one gun in an emergency won’t
be as good as two.
PLENTY OF SIGNS
Alaska is a state with seemingly endless
wilderness. Sightings of large animals are
common, but not all sightings are going to
offer a survivor a shot in range, in time or at
their convenience. Smaller animals are defi-
nitely more common. “Parky” ground squirrels
(so called because their pelts can be used
to make parkas), ptarmigan and porcupines
are seen frequently. Visitors have remarked
about not seeing much while “driving around,”
while those who have stayed motionless in the
woods have commented on animals starting to
appear when their environment is undisturbed.
While harvesting large animals
is ideal for families and villages,
smaller game makes sense for AC-1200-TI-SW
the woodsman who only needs to BOLD
fill one pot. On our trip, we came
across a few large moose and luckily
ACTION
ACTION®® XII
no bears, although we found plenty STONEWASH
of tracks and signs. With all the fish TITANIUM HANDLE
we caught, we didn’t need to draw
either firearm, but we all liked having
the rifle and pistol handy. This com-
bination served us well, and I believe
it can serve you well, too.
USA

Wild West Guns

wildwestguns.com

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

79
 SCREEN GEMS
®

80 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 INSIDE
THE LAST
KINGDOM
HOW AUTHENTIC IS THE
WEAPONRY SHOWN IN THE
HIT NETFLIX SERIES?


BY JEREME ZIMMERMAN • PHOTOS COURTESY NETFLIX

→
If you’re as obsessed with medieval and Viking-era
history and weaponry as I am, then you’ve likely
watched Netflix’s The Last Kingdom or have it on
your to-do list. For those who haven’t, here’s a quick
summary before you get to binge watching.
The show is based on the Saxon Stories, a series of historical
novels by British author Bernard Cornwell. The first book of the series
(of which there are currently 11) is The Last Kingdom, although the
Netflix show covers several of the novels. Set in 9th and 10th century
Britain, the novels and the Netflix series follow the life and exploits
of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. As a young boy, Uhtred (named Osbert at
the time) witnesses a host of Danes attack his home in Northumbria
and kill his brother and father, a Saxon lord. Before he dies, his father
tells Osbert that his new name is “Uhtred, son of Uhtred” since he is
now the eldest son and the new heir of Bebbanburg.

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

81
 ¨
INSIDE THE LAST KINGDOM
The Danish warlord who led the invasion,
Earl Ragnar, decides to take Uhtred as a slave
because he “fights like a Dane” and eventually
adopts him, renaming him Uhtred Ragnarson
and converting him to paganism. Uhtred is
still the rightful heir to Bebbanburg, but his
uncle, Aelfric, takes the title of Ealdorman of
Bebbanburg for himself.
Twenty or so years later, Ragnar is killed
in an attack on his home by a former vassal
whom he had banished. Uhtred is once again
“free” but now must toe the line between
loyalties to his surrogate family (whose deaths
he has vowed to avenge) and pursuing his
rightful position as Ealdorman of Bebbanburg.
The rest of the series follows Uhtred as he
becomes caught up in the ongoing wars
between the Saxons and the Danes, who have
managed to capture all seven Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms but Wessex, the “last kingdom.”

FACT VS. FICTION

I realize that there are many factors that go into
putting together a film or television production,
“THE WAY THE DANES ARE PORTRAYED IN THE
LAST KINGDOM SEEMS MOSTLY ACCURATE, BUT
THE SHOW DOES FALL INTO SOME OLD TROPES.”
including budget limits. Compared to the way
Vikings, battles and life in medieval England
have been portrayed in earlier movies and TV
shows, I give this series an A-. It really is as
close to historically “accurate” as I’ve seen yet.
That said, it’s still a scripted drama and
is based on books of historical fiction, so
we have to expect that liberties are taken.
One thing that bothered me a bit is that the
Saxons sometimes use the word “Vikings,”
which is an anachronism. This makes sense
since it gives viewers some context, and who
doesn’t love Vikings these days?
The invaders from Denmark would histori-
cally have been referred to as Danes, or “North-
men.” “Danes” is used much more frequently in
the show than “Vikings,” so I give credit for that.
The word “Vikings” was initially used only in
parts of Scandinavia to refer to young men who
went off adventuring, whether it be raiding and
 ¨
INSIDE THE LAST KINGDOM
Here y
bearde ou c
d axe b an see a Vikin
lade (to g-era
axe b p) , a
helmet lade (left) , an German
(rig “ow
that co ht) , an ornate l eye”
(below vered m helmet
) and a ore o
highly f the head
sword embe
hilt (be llished
low left
).
Britain. They enjoyed stylized
clothing and jewelry, and took great care
to be well manicured and well behaved.
plundering or discovering, settling and trading The hairstyles seem accurate overall. There
with new lands. The Old Norse noun vik means has been a tendency in modern depictions
“bay” or “inlet,” which is where these men of Viking males to show them with hair that
would keep their ships in preparation for their is shaved off in various places, but from my
travels. This would make anyone who kept a readings, this isn’t accurate. Men kept their
ship in a bay a Viking. And, for the record, new hair long and full, with no stylizing other than
evidence has suggested that female warriors braids or knots. Beards and mustaches were
would join these adventures and very likely common and often stylized.
participated in battle as “shield-maidens.” When it comes to dress and battle wear,
The way the Danes are portrayed in The I’m impressed with the accuracy and realism,
Last Kingdom seems mostly accurate, but the with a few minor caveats. There are no horned
show does fall into some old tropes. While helmets, thank Odin, but unfortunately the
not filthy, they do appear dirtier than their helmets found most often in Viking-era graves
Anglo-Saxon peers and exhibit a lot of the aren’t portrayed. The typical helmet was the
boorishness they have suffered from through “owl eye,” which consisted of a rounded cap
centuries of stereotyping. Scandinavians of made of iron, large eye holes and a broad
the period were actually known to have much noseguard. The helmets in The Last Kingdom
better hygiene and fashion sense than other are simply rounded caps without much else.
people in the rest of continental Europe or That said, iron helmets, particularly owl eyes,
84 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

would have been reserved primarily for elite
warriors. Other than that, heavy padded
clothing with leather protection and chain
mail seems to be the norm. Not many warriors
would have had the wealth to afford a set of
chain mail, which is accurately portrayed.
THE WEAPONRY
Two types of shields are portrayed primarily
in The Last Kingdom: round shields used by
the Danes and rectangular shields used by
the Saxons. Round shields would have been
the most common for foot combat for both
sides. My guess is that the shield shapes
were chosen to differentiate between the
two sides. While there were “kite” and “tear”
shields (named for their shapes) designed
for horse combat that became popular
several centuries after the events of
the show, rectangular shields weren’t
common. The Danish shields are accurate
in that they are circular and painted, some-
times stylized with Scandinavian designs
and mythological subjects.
Shield walls are portrayed on several
occasions, which I’m a bit torn on. There is
some historical evidence that shield walls were
used, but probably not the way they’re used
in the show. Granted, they look damned cool,
but even the sturdiest of wooden shields can
be battered apart pretty quickly by a powerful
steel or iron weapon. More likely, shields were
used to deflect blows in one-on-one combat.
Spears were by far the most common
weapons in medieval times for both Scandina-
vian and British warriors. The sword gets most
of the credit, and axes are just plain cool, but
those weapons were used only by certain
warriors. For one, spears were cheaper and
easier to manufacture. Two types were used
for battle and hunting: shorter thrusting
spears and longer throwing spears. Both
are represented in The Last Kingdom, and
wielded properly, spears are quite formidable
against a swordfighter.
Swords were often named and remained
with the owner through his life. Since a good
sword took significant skill, resources and
time to forge properly, not every warrior was
privileged to own one. Commoners, including
soldiers when not in battle, would carry a knife
and perhaps an axe with them most of the
time, as these have many uses and can be
used in combat in a pinch.
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 ¨
INSIDE THE LAST KINGDOM
Axes weren’t as highly regarded as
popular culture would have you believe.
Rarely are they referenced in sagas or poetry,
as they are mostly practical instruments.
Broad-bladed battle axes with ornate designs
have been unearthed, so it’s not unheard
of for them to be used in battle. Battle
axes were differentiated from utility axes by
socketed heads for securing the haft, rather
than simply being lashed together. They were
also hooked, or “bearded,” giving a longer
ASHLEY HLEBINSKY TALKS
MASTER OF ARMS
D
iscovery’s newest competition show,
Master of Arms, is bringing together
some of today’s most talented
blacksmiths in head-to-head challenges
to try and recreate some of history’s most
iconic weapons. Each challenge is judged
by a set of experts who crown one final
winner and anoint them “Master of Arms.”
Given the show’s subject, it should come
as no surprise that one of Athlon Outdoors’
very own contributors, Ashley Hlebinsky,
was selected as a judge for this upcoming
season. I recently caught up with Ashley to
talk about the show. ÑRichard Ortega
Congrats on the new gig!
How’s it been so far?
I absolutely loved being a part of this
show. Everyone from the cast and con-
86 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

cutting edge and providing the warrior with
a tool for hooking a shield or weapon and
pulling it away from their opponent. In The
Last Kingdom, some characters carry axes,
and sometimes they are thrown. This would
have been a last resort, however.
THE VERDICT
My final verdict is that The Last Kingdom is
one of the most enjoyable historical shows
I’ve watched in some time. Even if the
testants to the crew were so much fun to
work with. But I think my favorite part was
the fact that all of the judges—Zeke, Trent,
Nick and myself—made sure to talk to
every contestant afterward off camera. We
got to meet some pretty incredible people
who have fascinating stories. As someone
who reads and writes about history, I have
a huge respect about being able to watch
it come alive in front of me.
Did you have a favorite challenge?
I don’t know if I have a favorite challenge
per se, but the interesting thing about this
show is that, as a contestant, you don’t
know what type of weapon you’re going to
have to make. So you may be a bladesmith
and have to make a bow or a firearm, or
a gunsmith who has to make a blade. It
armor, clothing and weaponry aren’t entirely
accurate, the events and historical figures
portrayed are very authentic based on to what
we know of the period. The show’s biggest
competitor, Vikings, is a mishmash of different
historical figures and events that happened,
in reality, centuries apart from one another.
Both shows, though, succeed in providing
engaging stories and great atmosphere and
visuals. If I want extreme historical accuracy,
I’ll watch a documentary.
really showcases just how unbelievably
adaptable and talented these people are.
What are your personal criteria for
judging a weapon’s authenticity?
Honestly, it changes depending on the gun,
the time period and my level of personal
expertise. I manage an encyclopedic
collection of firearms and other weapons,
so I always say I know a little bit about a lot.
But I have a large phone book of people I
can call who dedicate their lives to studying
one specific type of firearm or time period,
so I can always call them if something is
really hard to identify.
You’re also the curator at the Cody
Firearms Museum. What’s the rarest
artifact you’ve secured?
We have many prototypes and one-of-a-
kind firearms in the collection, but one if
the rarest is a signed English wheellock
that is one of a few that have survived. In
addition, we also know almost its entire
history from the 1600s to when it arrived
in the museum in the 1970s.
Know any tricks for spotting a fake?
Read books! Of course the historian
would say that. There are ways to identify
replaced parts and modifications, but the
key is studying up on what you are trying
to identify. It takes a lot of skill and prac-
tice to identify fakes or even non-original
parts, so being well read on what you are
looking for is important.
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 BODYGUARD DIARIES
®
®

TRUE
BRIT?
Our resident VIP-protection
guru reviews the BBC’s
Bodyguard, now on Netflix
BY LEROY THOMPSON
P H OTO S C O U RT ESY N E T F L I X

→
Bodyguard is a hit BBC series
that drew a 92-percent approval
rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Some reviewers have termed it a
psychological thriller, but I would
argue that is too simplistic. It’s a combination
of police procedural and political thriller, with
a dash of organized crime, sex, violence and
psychological angst thrown in.
The two primary characters are David Budd,
an Afghanistan war veteran turned police
sergeant, and Home Secretary Julia Montague,
a member of the United Kingdom’s Conser-
vative Party. Budd is assigned as Montague’s
personal protection officer (PPO), but his
combat experiences have left him with PTSD
and a distrust of politicians—not a good mix for
the bodyguard of one of the highest-ranking
and most controversial politicians in the UK.
(Obviously, major spoilers ahead, so read on
at your own risk!)
THE PLOT THICKENS
In hopes of becoming prime minister, Montague
has introduced the controversial Regulation of
Investigatory Powers (RIPA) 18 bill, which would
give the government broad powers for domestic
spying. Budd is played by Richard Madden, most
likely to be recognized by American viewers for
playing John Reid in Rocketman (2019) and
Robb Stark in Game of Thrones. Montague is
played by Keeley Hawes, recognized on this
side of the pond for playing Louisa Durrell in The
Durrells in Corfu and Zoe Reynolds in MI-5. Also
recognizable to American viewers will be Gina
McKee, who played Bella in 1999’s Notting Hill.
Bodyguard consists of six episodes. The first
three deal with Budd’s close-protection duties,
his battle with PTSD and his affair with Mon-
tague. The next three cover political infighting
and the attempt to frame Budd after Montague
is assassinated. Budd thwarts one sniper’s
assassination attempt only to find that the man
is another disaffected Afghanistan veteran. The
assassin turns his weapon on himself rather
than be captured, and Budd fails to mention that
he served with him. The assassination attempt
that finally kills Montague involves an explosive
device detonated while she’s giving a speech.
The final three episodes follow the
investigation into the death of Montague and
infighting between MI-5 and the Metropolitan
Police’s Counter Terrorism Command (CTC),
both of which came under Montague’s super-
vision, and increasing suspicion that Budd
has ties to the assassination. Various villains,
suspected and actual, are encountered
during the investigation. A staffer of Middle
Eastern descent who was attempting to take
a briefcase—thought to hold the bomb—to
Montague is suspected of being the bomber,
putting further suspicion on Budd, who had
cleared the briefcase. A disgruntled former
assistant of Montague’s turns out to have ties
to organized crime. And a mysterious member
of the Security Service keeps turning up.
Matters get worse for Budd, who, using
a Makarov pistol he illegally brought back

88 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 BODYGUARD DIARIES
®
®

an extremely tense sequence. Then he man-

“THE TACTICS USED BY THE PPOs ARE ages to escape to lure the gangster and police
informant—his own boss in Royalty and Special-
CORRECT, AS ARE THEIR RADIO CODES. ist Protection (RaSP)—into a trap. Although we
don’t know if he will be completely exonerated, he
EVEN THE PROPER JARGON IS USED…” does finally agree to get treatment for his PTSD.

from Afghanistan, attempts suicide in despair
over losing Montague, his principal and lover.
However, it turns out someone had broken
into his apartment and switched the gun’s live
rounds with blanks. So, instead of committing
suicide, all he got was a nasty head wound. He
wasn’t done with the Makarov, however. Budd
uses the Makarov as a bargaining chip with the
arms dealer who had sold the FPK/PSL sniper
rifle used in the attempt to kill Montague.
Budd now has a suspicious wound, hasn’t
admitted he knew the sniper, has attempted to
purchase a similar sniper rifle and is suspected
of having let a suicide bomber approach his
principal and kill her. Speaking of suicide
bombers, the series opens with Budd on a
train with his two children when he helps stop
a female suicide bomber by convincing her not
to detonate the bomb.
Budd, still making himself look as guilty as
possible, accompanies the former assistant to
meet the crime boss who, it turns out, is actually
behind the assassination of Montague in order
to stop RIPA 18, which would not only allow
wider surveillance of terrorist suspects but also
criminals. Having made himself a perfect patsy,
Budd is knocked out by gangsters, fitted with a
suicide vest and left in central London.
By this time, it has been discovered that
Budd had known the sniper, so there is an arrest
order out for him. When he attempts to call the
police for help, armed police officers and CTC
personnel respond and throw a cordon around
him. Although a bomb disposal expert is on
scene, the armed police also have authorization
to shoot Budd. His estranged wife is brought to
the scene, but things look bad for Budd.
Budd finally saves himself by revealing he
has information implicating the police leak to the
assassin and showing various transgressions
by the prime minister. With the help of a bomb
disposal expert in a standoff position using a
video camera, Budd disables the suicide vest in
THE REALISM
The portions of the series dealing with the
Specialist Firearms Command (SCO19),
armed response vehicles (ARVs), specialist
rifle officers (SROs), and Parliamentary and
Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) are all very
authentic. The officers are armed with Glock
17s and HK G36C carbines. PaDP officers
assigned to guard Montague’s house have HK
MP5A3 carbines while some SCO19 officers
also have Sig Sauer MCXs. In some scenes,
it appears SROs have Accuracy International
Arctic Warfare sniper rifles.
The processes for weapons being issued
to PPOs and turned back in are authentic.
The tactics used by the PPOs are correct, as
are their radio codes. Even the proper jargon
is used, such as referring to places visited
by the principal as “venues.” I give the series
high marks for authenticity in these details.
When Budd leaves the VIP vehicle to go after
the sniper, he not only grabs a G36K but also
a checkered “Armed Police” hat to identify
himself. That was good detail.
However, compared to most government
bodyguards I have known in the United
Kingdom, Budd is way too “angsty.” The
plotting and infighting among the MI-5 and the
Met have a basis in fact, but its extremity in
Bodyguard is stretched as a plot device. I felt
the entire sequence with the Makarov loaded
with blanks without Budd’s knowledge, and his
being placed in the suicide vest, was a distrac-
tion. That said, defusing the bomb added plenty
of excitement to the final episode.
Bodyguard has lots of action and is espe-
cially interesting for its portrayal of how the
counterterrorist and close-protection forces of
the UK work. These segments made Bodyguard
especially relevant for me.
One final point for Americans watching
Bodyguard: Budd’s Scottish accent when
saying “ma’am” to Montague, as he does con-
stantly, makes it sound as if he’s saying “Mom”!
On The Graham Norton Show, Keeley Hawes
pointed out that Americans might think he had
an Oedipus complex!

90 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

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 AK CORNER

THE
AK
UNICORN
SHARPS BROS. AND
TROMIX HAVE CREATED
THE FIRST .458 SOCOM
KALASHNIKOV

BY GRAHAM BAATES
ST R A I G H T 8 P H OTO S

92 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

 →
Over the last seven decades, the
Kalashnikov design has been modified
to run a wide variety of rounds, from the
needle-like 5.45x39mm to 12-gauge
shells. More recently, two maverick designers,
Sharps Bros. and Tromix Lead Delivery Systems,
have taken the versatile platform to the next level by
building an AK chambered in .458 SOCOM.
SOME BACKSTORY
As you already know, the AK was originally cham-
bered for the 7.62x39mm, an intermediate cartridge.
Having learned from World War II, the Soviets were
looking for a cartridge that, among other things,
could still deliver decent energy at mid-range but
was lighter to carry, less expensive to make and
offered less recoil than their previous standard rifle
cartridge, the 7.62x54R. Western nations also saw
merit in this concept, and a couple decades later,
the Soviets stepped down to the even smaller
5.56x39mm for similar reasons.
In 1993, during Operation Gothic Serpent
in Somalia, the U.S. Joint Special Operations
Command found the 5.56x45mm round to be less
than ideal against drugged militants who felt little
or no pain. Unofficial conversations claimed that
several rounds were required to neutralize numbed
enemies, sparking interest in a big-bore solution.
In 2000, Teppo Jutsu created a special cartridge
within the restrictions of it being able to fit into a
standard AR-15 magazine and receiver set, and the
company contracted Tromix to create a rifle for it in
2001. Since then, the resulting .458 SOCOM has
experienced high and low points of popularity and is
available commercially in supersonic loads as light
as 250 grains and heavy subsonic loads weighing
over 500 grains. In terms of energy, these rounds
are similar to 12-gauge slugs at best and similar to
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

93
 CORNER
a 5.56x45mm at worst, and they’re known for
amazing performance within 150 yards.
THE HYBRID
The base of any AK platform is the receiver.
The lightweight stamped-steel receivers
used on most AKM platforms flex under
7.62x39mm recoil, so with a goal of
increased accuracy, this .458 SOCOM
build uses an MB47 receiver from Sharps
Bros. This receiver begins as a solid
15-pound block of U.S.-sourced steel and
is milled down to around 2 pounds. The
MB47 is patterned similarly to the original
94 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

“…THE RECOIL
WAS SURPRISINGLY
SMOOTH. IN FACT,
THE GUN FELT
SOFTER THAN MOST
12-GAUGE AK
PLATFORMS.”
Bulgarian milled receivers but has an
added receiver extension to accept AR-
pattern buffer tubes and stocks.
The rest of the build was completed
by the pioneer of .458 SOCOM rifles,
Tony Rumore of Tromix. An adjustable gas
block regulates gas from the barrel to help
compensate for such a wide variety of loads.
HK-style iron sights make for quick aiming,
but a Picatinny rail also sits on top of the
dust cover to mount optics. A brief look at
internals shows the enhanced bolt face,
and the action uses modified 5.56mm AK
magazines from Circle 10.
RANGE TIME
Only two of these AKs exist as of this writing,
but I was able to test one of them for this
sneak peek with a few others. In a clear cut
of Oregon mountains, we were able to find
about 80 yards of space to shoot some 300-
grain Wilson Combat rounds loaded with
Barnes TTSX projectiles. This load was cho-
sen because it sits practically in the middle of
commercially available bullet weights.
Right off the bat, the recoil was surpris-
ingly smooth. In fact, the gun felt softer
than most 12-gauge AK platforms. With an
unmagnified optic, we were able to achieve
groups in the 2- to 2.5-inch range.
Again, right now there are only two AKs
like this in the world. But while this partic-
ular build isn’t listed on Tromix’s website,
know that it has been done and therefore
can be done again. For more information,
visit tromix.com. And for more on top-notch
receivers, visit sharpsbros.com.
 9
¨
FIRST LOOK
LEGION-DARY
NINE
SIG SAUER’S CUTTING-EDGE
P320 XFIVE LEGION RAISES THE
BAR FOR EVERY OTHER HANDGUN
→
Since Roman times, the
word “legion” has been
used to describe a large
unit of men in the military,
and it’s still used that way
today. So it’s no surprise that Sig Sauer,
one of the most innovative gun companies
in the world, would coin this term for
an elite line of handguns designed for
serious shooters. But it’s more than just
a name: It’s indicative of a community
full of like-minded shooters around
the globe. This legion of diverse
shooters spans from military and law
enforcement personnel to everyday
The new P320 citizens, each understanding the
XFive Legion has a significance of Sig’s handguns.
number of standout Adding to this elite collection,
features, including
slide lightening cuts Sig Sauer recently introduced
and a tungsten- the new P320 XFive Legion.
infused grip. This isn’t just another
new gun. It’s a full-sized,
striker-fired 9mm that owns a
well-deserved spot in the Legion
family. From muzzle to grip, the
P320 XFive Legion brings to the table
96 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

BY KAREN HUNTER
everything we have come to expect from
Sig Sauer and more. I was honored when
I received the call from Sig to arrange the
shipment of this new gun. Not only was I
able to fully run the gun with an extensive
test and evaluation, but I also experienced
some of what being a member of the
Legion family brings.
JOINING THE LEGION
To really appreciate what the latest P320
has to offer, we first need to understand
what the Legion line is. Sig takes feed-
back from its customers seriously, and the
company noted how often gun owners
customized their guns. Sig wanted to
offer them the same sort of experience,
except do all of the work for you so you
can just buy a custom-grade pistol ready
to go right out of the box. Thus, the
Legion series was born, and these pistols
are far from semi-pro-shop touch-ups.
Legion handguns are fully customized
and designed, incorporating high-end
precision parts with input from some of
the most elite professionals worldwide.
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MADE IN
THE U.S.A.
 ®
LEGION-DARY NINE
As Sig puts it, “These
are serious tools for
serious users.”
Once you purchase
a gun in the Legion
line, you not only own a
top-of-the-line firearm, but
you’re now a member of
an exclusive community,
one that Sig describes
as “a brotherhood of
like-minded people
who push themselves
and their gear to the limits.” Legion
members enjoy perks like members-only
access to unique opportunities, gear,
special promotions and an enhanced line
of products. This includes the ther-
mo-molded carrying case and challenge
coin specific to the member’s gun.
Not every gun Sig Sauer produces
gets to bear the Legion name. Each
of the firearms in the Legion line holds
a significant place in history for when
it was initially introduced. The classic
P226 is a fine example of that heritage.
But the P320 deserved a spot in the
series because of what it brought the
shooting community as Sig Sauer’s first
striker-fired pistol. On top of that, the
P320 is fully modular, allowing you to
use one fire control unit with different
frames, or “grip modules,” and barrel/
slide assemblies. And we all know that
the P320 was chosen to become the
U.S. Army’s M17 sidearm.
98 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

A CLOSER LOOK
The XFive Legion has the same spirit
of the standard P320, in that it has an
almost futuristic feel. Both guns play an
intricate role in Sig’s desire to redefine
the world of modern firearms in the 21st
century. That’s not just hype, either.
Look at some of the innovation that
has gone into the XFive Legion, like it’s
tungsten-infused, or TXG, grip module.
This was a way to add weight to the poly-
mer frame without resorting to stainless
steel or aluminum. In fact, that heft was
the first thing I noticed when I picked the
gun up compared to the lighter polymer-
framed guns most of us are used to.
But the XFive Legion isn’t heavy enough
to make for an uncomfortable shooting
experience. On the contrary, the heavier
frame helps absorb recoil, providing for
faster follow-up shots.
The frame comes with subtle texturing
and a flared magazine well that is remov-
able. The controls are also easy to use.
As a woman with smaller hands, I find
that running the slide release on
some guns can be anywhere
from tricky to just plain difficult.
On the XFive Legion, the slide
release required minimal effort
and presented no issues. Then
there’s the flat, skeletonized
trigger, which is tuned for a
smooth, crisp pull with a very short
reset—another nod to speed.
The slide has a Legion Gray PVD
finish to match the frame’s color. But the
lightening cuts on top of the slide really
caught my attention, and the Dawson
Precision fiber-optic front and adjust-
able rear sights are among my favorite
features. The rear sight is easy to adjust
while also being completely black, which
makes it easier to focus on the front sight
quickly. More importantly, the entire sight
is mounted on an optics plate that, once
removed, allows you to install a miniature
reflex sight like Sig’s ROMEO1.
The lightening cuts on top expose the
5-inch barrel, and the XFive Legion also
uses a steel guide rod that accepts 1911-
style recoil springs. This adds a little more
weight to the front of the gun and allows
shooters to change springs and tune the
gun for a particular load. This is almost
unheard of in the realm of striker-fired
pistols. As you probably noticed, the gun
is much more than just its looks.
TRIGGER TIME
Having ample time on the range with the
XFive Legion proved that this gun lives
up to the expectations that come with the
Legion name. As I stated earlier, this gun
has very minimal recoil, which allowed
me to produce consistently tight groups
with more control. The muzzle rise was
very easy to manage because of the gun’s
weight, grip and general ergonomics, and
the easy-to-use magazine release and
flared magazine well made reloads quick
and exceptionally smooth.
I shot the XFive Legion all the way out
to 100 yards. In all honesty, this holds
very little real-world application, but it was
as if the gun was begging me to take it
back farther and farther until I simply ran
out of room. It was certainly a confidence
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 ¨
LEGION-DARY NINE
builder—and proof that the XFive Legion is
fully capable of consistent accuracy.
In terms of reliability, the XFive Legion was
again above par. There were zero feeding
issues or malfunctions. I ran more than 400
rounds through the gun, with a mix of bullet
styles, and the XFive performed well with each
one. I first ran one of Sig’s own loads, which
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100 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019 
of course performed flawlessly. I then wanted
to up the ante a bit and run different brands
of ammunition to see if the XFive would be up
to the task. From Federal 124-grain Syntech
Training Match TSJs to Hornady 147-grain
XTPs, this gun ate every round it was fed
without an issue. While I did not run any
bargain-basement ammo through the XFive
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Legion, my hope is that you wouldn’t, either.
Guns like this are investments and should be
given a steady diet of good ammo.
MORE OPINIONS
Overall, my range time with the P320 XFive
Legion has been nothing short of amazing.
But to give you more than just my own
opinion, I sought out two pros to provide their
views as well—shooters who have spent far
more time with this gun. I reached out to Max
Michel and Phil Strader from Team Sig. Both
have lists of jaw-dropping competition accom-
plishments, and despite their busy schedules,
they were kind enough to offer their thoughts.
Michel said, “The XFive Legion is extremely
easy to shoot with soft felt recoil and unbe-
lievable accuracy, and like the P320, there
are several options for the end-user to make
this pistol their own. The new TXG grip is like
nothing else on the market. Sig continues to
lead from the front and give shooters exactly
what they’re looking for. In fact, several
changes I have made to my XFives over the
last year or two, you see in the Legion. I love
helping make our products better and am
proud to be a part of this amazing company.”
“The first P320 in the Legion lineup had
to be something special,” Strader said. “The
real question was, how much better could we
do than the current P320 XFive? The new
tungsten-infused material gave us that oppor-
tunity by putting something truly unique in a
platform that has never been done before—a
heavy-as-steel pistol with the recoil absorption
properties of a flexible frame. Along with the
improved trigger and recoil assembly, our goal
was to produce the best-shooting P320 ever.
We surpassed that with the best-shooting
9mm pistol ever.” For more, visit sigsauer.com.
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 ®
NEXT-GEN TEST

MICRO →
My experience with Desert Tech goes
back to the company’s beginnings, or
earlier if you include my time shooting

DYNAMIC
.338 Lapua Magnum rifles with the
owner, Nick Young. The Stealth Recon
Scout (SRS) started as a discussion between us in
the early 2000s, and now it’s one of the only bullpup
precision rifles with any serious reach and credibility.
It’s also extremely innovative and provides one of the
fastest, easiest switch-barrel systems I’ve seen so far.

RIF
RIFL
LE
E
Next came the Covert version of the rifle and then the
Hard Target Interdiction (HTI), which is still the most
consistently precise .50 BMG bullpup I’ve ever tested.
Then Desert Tech unveiled its first carbine, the
Micro Dynamic Rifle (MDR), back in 2014. Solely a
select-fire .308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO design
at the time, it suffered some growing pains as the
company tried to make it accept different barrels and
calibers. That said, it was still quite innovative from the
DESERT TECH’S beginning thanks to its forward ejection and ambidex-
trous controls. It just needed a little tuning, and Nick
SWITCH-BARREL Young set out to prove the doubters wrong.
MDR BULLPUP In 2017, Desert Tech officially launched the pro-
duction .308 version as well as .223 Wylde conversion
IS FINALLY READY kits. The rifles worked well, and it seemed that most of

FOR PRIME TIME the issues had subsided, though the MDR could still
be picky with certain types of ammunition. That’s what I
experienced when I used the rifle for a Follow Through
BY DAVID BAHDE
Consulting course in Texas. The MDR ran flawlessly

102 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


 ¨
MICRO DYNAMIC RIFLE
The author tested the MDR
in several configurations,
including in .223 Wylde
with Leupold sights and an
NG2 Defense MZLMAX.
with Hornady’s 155- and 168-grain Black
A-MAX ammunition but sometimes failed to
eject 175- to 178-grain rounds.
When the MDR was outfitted with a late
prototype 5.56mm barrel and a 3D-printed
ejection chute, it ran reliably with all kinds of
ammunition as I completed a number of training
courses over the next year. And when I was
chosen to rank 17 different semi-auto rifles for
Ballistic’s Best, the MDR finished in the top 10.
Desert Tech wasn’t done tinkering,
however, and changes were made to the
bolt, extractor and ejector, and a six-position
gas valve was added for both .223 and .308
variants. Current production rifles and barrel
conversions include all of these changes,
but older rifles can also be sent in for the
appropriate upgrades. That’s what I did with
my MDR, and after I got it back, it was time to
see if the rifle was really ready for prime time.

TWO GUNS IN ONE

I have both .223 and .308 conversion kits for
my MDR, and my first task at the range was
starting with a “What’s in the ammo can?” test.
After installing a Leupold VX-6HD scope, I
loaded three 20-round .308 magazines with a
variety of rounds ranging from CorBon’s 125-
grain TMKs to Black Hills’ 178-grain ELD-Xs.
Putting the gas valve on the fourth setting
for shooting in adverse conditions, the MDR
digested all 60 rounds and didn’t stop or slow
down until I needed to reload. Empty cases spit
forward to slightly different distances, but they
all ejected nicely, even the steel cases. I then

ABOVE: The specially designed

“ejection chute” sends empty cases
forward and can be installed on
either side of the MDR.
RIGHT: The redesigned handguard
features M-LOK slots along the
sides and bottom so it’s easy to
add mission-critical accessories.

104 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


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 ®
MICRO DYNAMIC RIFLE

The new handguard is made

of polymer with small windows
that allow you to quickly see
the gas valve’s setting.
“SWAPPING BARRELS
IS SIMPLE AND EASY,
REQUIRING NOTHING
MORE THAN A COUPLE
OF TORX WRENCHES.”

set the gas valve on the third setting (normal)

and ran the rifle with a .30-caliber OSS Helix
suppressor. The rifle just kept chugging along.
When I tested more conventional
suppressors, I switched to the second gas
valve setting, and everything but the 125-
grain TMKs ran well. Yes, a lot of gas was
kicked out of the rifle, but it was still reliable.
Then I switched the gas valve back to the
third setting and installed an OSS BPR, and
the rifle digested several hundred rounds
RIGHT: The MDR’s controls are of Hornady 155-grain American Gunner
ambidextrous, including the safety
and primary mag release. Another ammo without missing a beat, even in bad
mag release is near the mag well. weather—pouring rain, hail and some snow—
BELOW: Here the MDR is shown at Buck Doyle’s Follow Through Consulting
set up to eject from the right side, range in Torrey, Utah.
with a solid panel covering the left-
Next, I switched the MDR over to the .223
side port. The bolt release is just
behind the magazine well. Wylde and replaced the Leupold VX-6HD
with my favorite sighting system for this rifle:
the Leupold LCO red-dot sight and D-EVO
fixed 6X optic. This unique setup provides
fast transitions from dot to optic without ever
moving the rifle—you just shift your focus.
Offset sights work on the MDR, too, but most
mounts are designed for an AR, so lining the
dot up with the bore axis requires some work.
The LCO/D-EVO setup eliminates this.
I used Ammo Inc.’s 60-grain V-MAX rounds
to zero the LCO at 50 yards and the D-EVO
at 200 yards. I then tested the rifle from 50 to
610 yards using the 60-grain V-MAXs as well
as Hornady’s 62-grain Frontier FMJs. Out to
381 yards, the 62-grain rounds were spot on
when I held the reticle’s 400-yard mark at the
bottom of the 12-inch steel target. I placed
the reticle at the top of target for the remaining
distances. The 60-grain V-MAXs shot even
flatter and were just as accurate.
Back home, I subjected the .223 Wylde
version to the same test as the .308 with
varying types of ammunition. To be fair, the
MDR had yet to miss a beat, but the new parts

106 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019



Desert Tech earned lots of
attention when it originally
showed off its select-fire MDR
prototype back in 2014.
should ensure proper operation. Here my ammu-
nition consisted of some pretty slow 68- and
69-grain match rounds, 50- and 55-grain Black
Hills TSXs and some very fast Superformance
75-grainers from Hornady. There were also some
55- to 62-grain FMJ rounds of unknown origin.
Again, the MDR ran everything on the fourth gas
valve setting, and almost everything on the third
setting with an NG2 Defense MZLMAX installed.
When I switched to a 3D-printed Thermal
Defense Bantam suppressor, the rifle was
reliable with nearly everything on the second gas
setting. This suppressor weighs only 8 ounces
and is just 3.8 inches long, with backpressure
similar to that of most conventional designs.
Printed from 100-percent Iconel 718, it is about
as tough as it gets, especially for its weight and
length, and it keeps the bullpup quite handy.
RAGING BULLPUP
The Desert Tech MDR offers the easiest
switch-barrel capabilities I’ve encountered while
being completely ambidextrous. Every control is
ambidextrous right out of the box, including the
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

107
 ®
MICRO DYNAMIC RIFLE

SPECIFICATIONS:
DESERT TECH MDR
CALIBER: .223 Wylde, .308 Winchester
BARREL: 16.13 inches
OA LENGTH: 26.2 inches
WEIGHT: 8.3 pounds (empty)
STOCK: Synthetic
SIGHTS: None
ACTION: Piston-operated semi-auto
FINISH: Flat Dark Earth
CAPACITY: 30+1, 20+1
MSRP: $2,274

PERFORMANCE:
.223 WYLDE VELOCITY ACCURACY

Ammo Inc. 60 V-MAX 3,120 0.75

Barnes 55 VOR-TX 3,100 1.25
Black Hills 55 TSX 3,180 1.15
Black Hills 69 TMK 3,050 0.65
Sig Sauer 77 OTM 2,692 0.95 charging handle, bolt, safety and magazine but more importantly, you can operate the
.308 WINCHESTER VELOCITY ACCURACY release. Both sides feature charging MDR from almost any conceivable position,
Colt 155 National 2,686 0.80 handles that can lock the action open no matter your strong side.
Match TMK as well as ejection ports. You determine Swapping barrels is simple and easy,
Federal 168 Tactical 2,570 0.95 what side the rifle ejects from by placing requiring nothing more than a couple of Torx
Rifle Urban
a solid cover on one side and the ejection wrenches. I’ve accomplished this in the field
Hornady 155 Black 2,708 0.60
A-MAX chute on the opposite side. Remove the several times, and considering the rest of
Hornady 155 American 2,680 0.65 ejection chute entirely and the rifle will kick the MDR’s features, no competitor out there
Gunner BTHP casings out like a typical rifle. There’s also a really comes close. Switching from the .308
Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in fps by chronograph
and accuracy in inches for best five-shot group at 100 yards. magazine release positioned forward of the to the .223 resulted in a 3-inch change in
triggerguard, and another is centered on the the point of impact (POI) using the Leupold
magazine well. All of this is good for lefties, VX-6HD. Removing and reinstalling the same
barrel resulted in little to no change. You
can carry everything you’d need to switch
The older OSS BPR suppressor calibers in the field in one little pack.
helped mitigate muzzle blast and
Other bullpups are out there, but none
recoil for faster follow-up shots.
has proven as accurate as the MDR. I reg-
ularly stack 60- to 69-grain rounds at 100
yards with groups in the 0.6-inch range. This
is one of the few carbines that shoots Black
Hills 69-grain TMKs into groups tighter
than an inch at 100 yards. At 300 yards,
my groups are in the 2- to 2.5-inch range.
The flat two-stage trigger helps. Designed
for hard use, it’s no precision trigger, but it
is better out of the box than most standard
“mil-spec” AR triggers and light-years ahead
of its bullpup competition.
Configured in .308 using a flash suppres-
sor, the MDR weighs just over 8 pounds,
which is about the same as most AR-10
rifles. That’s obviously a little heavier than
most .223/5.56mm rifles, but you are getting
a 16-inch barrel in a rifle that is about the

108 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


same length as a 10-inch-barreled AR-15. The
MDR’s weight is centered, with less over the Thermal Defense’s 5.56mm
barrel, so it carries lighter, but it’s all a tradeoff. Bantam suppressor weighs
The .308 recoil is stout with a flash suppres- only 8 ounces and is entirely
3D-printed from Inconel 718.
sor. Adding a brake helps, but that muzzle blast
is closer to the shooter than with most rifles, so
it isn’t particularly comfortable to shoot. Adding
the OSS BPR does not change the length and
eliminates blast with some recoil mitigation. The
OSS HX-QD works really well, too, but then you
add to the overall length. The perfect configura-
tion for me is with the MDR set up in .223 Wylde
with the MZLMAX. The gun is short, handy and
incredibly accurate while being light on recoil.

NEW & IMPROVED

Bullpups offer some real advantages. You get
a compact rifle without the tax stamp, excess
blast or gas, or the loss of ballistic efficiency that
comes with short-barreled rifles. Being able to
switch calibers is a bonus, and no other system
lets you move from the .308 to the .223, and
back again, on the same base platform. The
MDR’s accuracy is excellent, and this latest
production version has proven to be just as
reliable—or more so—than anything else out
there. The changes made, mostly to the bolt and
associated parts, seem to have created a truly
dependable carbine capable of doing almost
anything you would ever need it to do. You can
order it in either .308 or .223, and conversion
kits consist of the barrel, bolt, mag conversion
(where needed) and magazine catch. For more
information, visit deserttech.com.

EXCEPTIONAL DESIGNS. EXCEPTIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP.

www.sharpsbros.com

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

109
 INSIDER REPORT
®
®

PRIMARY
POWERHOUSE
Behind the scenes at the high-tech
PWS factory, where AR dreams are made
BY MITCH HARDIN

→
You would never know where
Primary Weapons Systems
(PWS) is actually located sim-
ply by relying on your phone’s
navigation app or by looking at a map. The
PWS lair is hidden deep in the woods,
where visitors need an escort to find what is
reminiscent of an old bunker entrance.
All kidding aside, it’s actually a rather
large, nondescript building with no external
identifying markers of any kind. It’s just
another building in a Boise, Idaho, industrial
park. As a matter of fact, I had to walk around
the outside just to figure it out. A couple of
employees’ cars with PWS “EVOLVE” stick-
ers provided the final markers I needed to
know that I was in the right place. Then I was
met by a smiling member of the company’s
team and escorted inside, where I met PWS
Marketing Director Brittany Strosnider.
ORIGIN STORY
PWS has an interesting history. For those
who have owned a PWS rifle or have spent
some time behind one, I’m sorry if I’m already
preaching to the choir, so to speak. The ARs
that roll out of the PWS warehouse are built
to last. We don’t think there’s any debate
there, especially with a return rate of less
than 2 percent, according to the company.

110 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


 MI 12 Inch Combat Rail for Ruger® PC9 Carbine
◆ Lightweight design, weighs just 10.9 ounces
◆ Super slim profile, with 1.5 inch outside diameter
◆ 12 inch overall length
◆ Three built-in anti-rotation QD sling sockets
◆ Featuring 8 sides of Magpul® M-LOK™ compatible slots
◆ Mounting bolt, wrench and five slot M-LOK™ compatible polymer rail included
◆ Constructed from 6061 aluminum, hard coat anodized for a lifetime of service
◆ Super easy installation, fully dehorned for non-abrasive, comfortable feel
◆ 100% made in the U.S.A., with Midwest Industries Lifetime Warranty
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◆ Only compatible with new Ruger® PC9 TakeDown Carbines
Models 19100, 19101, 19102
◆ Weighs only 3.0 ounces, fully dehorned for a non-abrasive, comfortable feel
◆ Constructed from 6061 aluminum, hard coat anodized for a lifetime of service
◆ Extremely easy installation, one bolt mounting system attaches to forward Picatinny rail on rifle
◆ 100% made in the U.S.A., with Midwest Industries Lifetime Warranty
MI Mount for Ruger® PC9 Carbine, M-LOK™ Compatible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #MI-PC9M Retail $59.95

MI T1 Mount for Ruger® PC9 with MI Handguards

◆ Designed for Aimpoint T1-T2 Red Dots/clones with detachable base, provides lower one third sight picture with factory peep sights
◆ Constructed from hard coat anodized 6061 aluminum ◆ 100% made in the U.S.A., with MI Lifetime Warranty
MI T1 Mount for Ruger® PC9 Carbine with MI Handguards . . . . . . . . . . #MI-PC9T1M Retail $44.95

MI Bolt Handle MI QD Stock Spacer Plate

for Ruger® PC9
◆ Knurled exterior for better grip
◆ Slightly longer than factory, uses factory bolt for install
◆ Constructed from 4140 steel, magnesium phosphate finish
◆ 100% made in the U.S.A., with MI Lifetime Warranty
MI Bolt Handle for Ruger® PC9 . #MI-PC9BH Retail $19.95
for Ruger® PC9 Carbine
◆ Super easy installation, weighs just 3.2 ounces
◆ Constructed from hard coat anodized 6061 aluminum
◆ Three built-in anti-rotation QD sling sockets
◆ 100% made in the U.S.A., with MI Lifetime Warranty
MI QD Stock Spacer Plate for Ruger® PC9 .#MI-PC9QDSP Retail $39.95

W292S4498 Hillside Road

Waukesha, WI 53189
Tel: 262-896-6780, Fax: 262-896-6756
www.midwestindustriesinc.com
 INSIDER REPORT
®
®

LEFT: PWS has

partnered with
Brownells to offer the
BRN-180. RIGHT: Dean
Sylvester shows
off a cutaway version
of a PWS carbine.

But did you know PWS has its roots steeped
in the reliable AK platform? That’s right—before
PWS, there was AK Concepts, owned by Dean
Sylvester, who built custom AK rifles and muzzle
devices in his garage. Then he started making
muzzle devices for the AR family of modern
sporting rifles (MSRs). But Sylvester wasn’t
satisfied with how a direct-impingement AR could
malfunction when dirty or in adverse conditions.
So he began tinkering, attempting to find a way
to marry the long-stroke gas piston system of the
AK to work inside the AR.
Sylvester found his answer while playing
mad scientist in his garage one dark and stormy
night. Just kidding! But he did bring a revolu-
tionary design to the marketplace. He took all
the hard-learned lessons learned from the initial
errors of the short-stroke gas piston system
and created what you see today. Relying on his
passion for weapons and design experience,
Sylvester successfully adapted the long-stroke
gas piston system to create the first Primary
Weapons Systems AR, and the company’s
products are still built on that heritage today.
PWS currently manufactures a diverse
selection of firearms in multiple chamberings,
including the .223 Wylde, 9mm, .308 Winchester
and 6.5 Creedmoor. Speaking of the 9mm,
PWS offers its Pistol-Caliber Carbine (PCC) as
a 16-inch-barreled rifle or a 9.5-inch-barreled
pistol. You can also just buy a PCC upper with
a 9.5-inch barrel if you’re looking to go the
short-barreled rifle (SBR) route and register
the weapon with the BATFE. The PCC pistol
is a great home-defense alternative to a typical
handgun, and did I mention that it takes Glock
magazines? It runs on a blowback operating sys-
tem, and the bolt will lock back after firing the last
round. On top of that, it’s dead-nuts accurate and
reliable. Mine hasn’t given me a lick of trouble.
ON THE CUTTING EDGE
Inside the Primary Weapons Systems factory, it
was pretty neat watching CNC machines carve
out MK1 series receivers. These machines
are accurate to within 0.001 inches, which is
extremely impressive in terms of tolerances. I
was also allowed to follow a weapon around to
its various manufacturing stages—a fascinating
and informative process. PWS even has its
own shooting room to test each and every
weapon before it leaves the factory.

112 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


ADAPTABLE
CRAFTED PRECISION OPTICS

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S E E T H E D IF F ER EN C E
 INSIDER REPORT
®
®
Not much was held back during this tour.
I was sworn to secrecy on a few things, but
pretty much everything else was open for
discussion. For example, most people don’t
know this, but PWS actually does design and
manufacturing work (as a vendor) for several
other gun companies. So parts of your favorite
AR may just have been made right there in
Idaho at PWS. Of course, I can’t say which
companies work with PWS. You know how it
goes: “I could tell you, but then I’d have to….”
On the tour, I was allowed into one area
of particular interest. Before me on a rather
large table were dozens of upper receivers
To maintain its all lined up in uniform rows. What caught my
high standards, PWS eye, though, is that they were all unique side-
employs dedicated charging piston-operated designs. I was quickly
engineers as well as
CNC machines that informed that these were Brownells BRN-180
hold extremely tight upper receivers based on the AR-18/AR-180,
tolerances. an improved rifle that was originally intended
to replace the M16 in the 1960s. PWS now
manufactures these components and rifles for
Brownells in conjunction with FM Products.
Much of the old design remains the same,
including the twin recoil spring and gas piston
operating system. Changes include things
like the barrel being made of 4150 carbon
“AFTER WHAT I SAW
AND HEARD DURING THE
COURSE OF MY VISIT,
I FELT A SORT FREEDOM
LOVER’S SENSORY
OVERLOAD.”
114 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

steel and a nitride finish for less surface wear
and greater surface hardness. The barrel also
boasts a .223 Wylde chamber and a 1-in-8-
inch twist rate. All that in a side-charging AR
sounds very promising. Now you can install
a Law Tactical folding stock adapter, for
example, and still be able to shoot while the
stock is folded. This is great news, especially
in super-confined spaces like vehicle interiors.
Overall, the BRN-180 looks like a great design,
and I’m looking forward to evaluating (“beating
the snot out of”) it and putting it through its
paces (“making it scream for mercy”).
MORE GOODIES
Walking into the PWS gun library was nothing
short of fascinating. If you were to seal up
the room, it would essentially become a time
capsule for firearms. There was at least one
example of pretty much every battle rifle and
pistol ever used in the last 150 years. I was
particularly impressed with the German StG
44 as well as the collection of old pistols.
Brittany Strosnider may have had someone
looking for a mop to clean up my drool—I was
leaving puddles every few steps.
The PWS factory is a huge building, and
I needed to pay close attention to my guide,
lest I become lost—but I can’t think of a better
place to get lost in. There was so much high-
tech stuff, and CNC machines, and PWS team
members bustling around like busy worker
bees, all focused on completing their tasks to
get top-notch products into customers’ hands.
Overall, I was extremely impressed not only
with the facilities tour, but with Dean Sylvester’s
vision for PWS. Being deeply involved with the
design and engineering side of the house, Dean
looks for voids in the market to fill—but not with
just any old AR. He strives to be innovative,
and together with the rest of the PWS team, to
design, manufacture and bring to market only
the best products for firearms enthusiasts.
After what I saw and heard during the
course of my visit, I felt a sort freedom lover’s
sensory overload. I was privy to so many
different ongoing projects, with a promise of
more cool things yet to come. I see no reason
to doubt that the folks at PWS are plenty busy
bringing gun candy to firearms enthusiasts the
world over. In that same vein, stay tuned for
a complete test and evaluation of the PWS
MK218 in a future issue. For more information,
visit primaryweapons.com.
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 ¨
SURVIVAL STEEL
FOUR KNIVES
THAT CAN
HANDLE
ANY TASK
IN THE GREAT
OUTDOORS
BY GARRETT LUCAS
→
As autumn arrives,
more folks will
venture back into
the woods to
enjoy their favorite
pastimes, whether it’s hunting,
bushcraft or just camping with
family and friends. With cooler
temperatures and the fall
foliage putting on its annual
show, it’s a great time of year to
be outdoors. And as any savvy
outdoors person should know,
the one tool that should always
be at hand is a quality knife.
Everyone enjoys the
outdoors in their own partic-
ular way. With that in mind,
I selected and reviewed four
different fixed-blade knives
that were each designed with a
specific purpose in mind. Let’s
take a closer look.
116 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

ACKWOODS
LADES
1› BENCHMADE 15400
PARDUE HUNTER
The new Benchmade 15400 Pardue
Hunter is an ideal companion for
hunting this autumn. With its short
3.48-inch blade and drop-point
profile, the Pardue Hunter is the
definition of a classic hunter’s blade.
It has good heft in the hand with
most of the weight in the handle,
making the blade nimble and easy to
manipulate while dressing game.
The CPM-S30V steel blade is
crafted with Crucible’s powdered-
metallurgy process, ensuring a
fine and uniform grain structure for
longer edge retention. Additionally,
CPM-S30V is corrosion resistant,
which is handy for use in wet
conditions like inclement weather
or working around blood. In those
slippery conditions, the Micarta
handle offers a slip-resistant
purchase on the knife for better
control and improved safety.
The handle was extremely
comfortable during use, and the
jimping on the spine was some of
the best I’ve seen on a knife. It was
regulated well enough to provide
superb traction without being
overly aggressive and tearing up
my thumb. The blade’s edge was
wicked sharp, and the full-flat
grind made the Pardue Hunter
an excellent slicer when working
with meat, though the short blade
length kept it from being an ideal
knife for a camp kitchen.
Aside from its utility as
a game knife, the Pardue
1
Hunter served nicely as a
general woodcraft knife as well.
It made quick work of tasks like
making shelter pegs, processing
tinder and carving wood for other
small implements. Naturally, it
wasn’t ideal for batoning with its
short length, but for 99 percent of
the things I do outside, the Pardue
Hunter was more than enough
knife for the job.
Also, when I saw the pass-
through bolts that were used to
affix the handle, my survivalist’s
eye saw three lashing points for
an improvised mini-spear. I even
mounted it horizontally in a wooden
handle to fashion an impromptu
defensive tool for more reach and
power, and the lashing points
allowed for rock-solid installation.
These were just spare-time
experiments in the woods, but with
a little imagination, the Pardue
Hunter can be a versatile survival
tool if your back is against the wall.
(benchmade.com)
SPECIFICATIONS:
BLADE STEEL: CPM-S30V
BLADE LENGTH: 3.48 inches
OA LENGTH: 7.96 inches
WEIGHT: 5.08 ounces
HANDLE: Micarta
SHEATH: Leather
MSRP: $230

2› KA-BAR BECKER
BK62 KEPHART
Ever feel you were born a century
too late? Or prefer things that
are simpler and move at a slower
pace? If so, the KA-BAR Becker
BK62 Kephart might just be right
up your alley. Ethan Becker, the
president of Becker Knife & Tool,
got his hands on the only known
original Kephart knife outside of a
museum setting. This allowed him
and the folks at KA-BAR to bring
the classic Kephart sheath knife
back to life in its truest form as a
modern production knife.
As originally envisioned by
Horace Kephart, the BK62 is
everything it needs to be and
nothing more, and it’s quite unlike
most other knives I’ve carried in
the past. The foundation is built on
a 0.158-inch-thick slab of 1095
Cro-Van steel with a blade length
of 5.13 inches and an overall
length of 9.63 inches. True to its
heritage, the BK62 comes with
a very nice leather pouch sheath
with a drop loop.
The blade features a drop-point
profile, a flat grind and a 20-degree
edge. The main difference between
the BK62 and the original Kephart
is that the latter had a convex
shape from the centerline to the
edge and the spine for both a clean
entry and exit when processing
SPECIFICATIONS:
BLADE STEEL: 1095 Cro-Van
BLADE LENGTH: 5.13 inches
OA LENGTH: 9.63 inches
WEIGHT: 6.4 ounces
HANDLE: Walnut
SHEATH: Leather
MSRP: $182
game. The edge on the BK62 that
I received was just a whisker from
being hair-popping sharp, but with
1095’s ease of sharpening, that
2
was easily remedied with a few
minutes of attention.
The BK62 weighs 6.4 ounces
and has walnut slabs affixed with
modern hardware. The thin slabs
were the biggest divergence from
my experience with knives of this
size. I typically prefer a beefier,
rounded grip but was surprised at
just how comfortable the BK62’s
handle really was. After extended
use, I experienced no hot spots,
cramping or fatigue.
The spine is rounded off,
preventing tinder processing or
ferro rod striking, but it allowed
me to comfortably index the blade
with my thumb for more precise
work like carving. The BK62’s long,
slender blade was just as suited
for batoning firewood and small
trees as it was for slicing tasks
with its more rounded belly. The
blade profile and edge geometry
made it a superb camp kitchen
knife as well. (ka-bar.com)
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

117
 ®
BACKWOODS BLADES

3› L.T. WRIGHT TREKKER

You don’t have to be a bushcraft
purist to enjoy the outdoors, but SPECIFICATIONS:
you still need a high-quality blade. BLADE STEEL: AEB-L
An early design from L.T. Wright’s BLADE LENGTH: 4.75 inches
knife-making past, the Trekker was OA LENGTH: 9.75 inches
recently revived and hosts all the 3 WEIGHT: 6.53 ounces
qualities one could want in a grab- HANDLE: Micarta
it-and-go outdoors knife. From light
SHEATH: Leather
bushcraft work to first aid to food
MSRP: $261
prep to whittling around the fire, the
Trekker was intended to be that one
knife that could be taken on a variety
of adventures to meet any challenge.
The Trekker sports a 4.75-inch,
AEB-L stainless steel blade with a
drop point, a flat grind and a matte
finish. AEB-L is an exceptional
steel for this type of knife since it
can weather the elements, but it
also has a very fine grain structure
for easier resharpening. AEB-L is
also very tough, allowing it to be

118 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


 ®
BACKWOODS BLADES
heat treated to a high hardness
for maximum edge retention and
superior edge stability.
The Trekker I received bore
Wright’s signature rounded
and contoured handle that was
extremely comfortable and pro-
vided fatigue-free handling during
more strenuous chores. The grip
slabs were made of black canvas
Micarta—perfect for the outdoors
since it provided excellent traction
in wet conditions. The Trekker
was supplied with JRE Industries’
superb Bushcraft Sheath, which
had a standard loop for high
carry and a dangler loop for easy
access below the waistline when
sitting or doing chores.
As an all-around knife, the
Trekker’s performance can’t be
beat. It was a fantastic slicer,
making it great for food prep
at camp, and would be a solid
choice for dressing game or as
a defensive tool. It doesn’t have
a Scandinavian grind that purists
tend to prefer, but even with its flat
grind, the Trekker held its own with
simple bushcraft work.
For prepping a fire, I had no
problems making feather sticks,
and the blade was just long enough
for some light batoning to procure
dry fuel. With its 0.13-inch-thick
blade, the Trekker isn’t made for
120 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

heavy abuse, but it held up quite
nicely while batoning small trees for
shelter and camp “furniture.”
The Trekker’s sharp 90-degree
spine was useful for scraping
wood to make a nice tinder pile
for a fire. Speaking of which,
that sharp spine also performed
superbly as a striker for my fire
steel. I got showers of sparks with
“…AS ANY SAVVY OUTDOORS
PERSON SHOULD KNOW, THE ONE
TOOL THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE AT
HAND IS A QUALITY KNIFE.”
4 MSRP: $106
little effort and got several fires
going in seconds with only materi-
als procured with the Trekker.
LT Wright’s knives never
disappoint, and the Trekker was
no exception. Whether you’re
backpacking, hunting or testing
your survival skills by taking on
Mother Nature, the Trekker strikes
the perfect balance of features
to do what you need done and
get you where you need to be.
(ltwrightknives.com)
4› MORAKNIV GARBERG
BLACK CARBON
Long celebrated for its bushcraft
knives, Morakniv recently began
offering more robust full-tang
knives for the hearty adventurer,
with the first being the stainless
steel Garberg. It wasn’t long
before the bushcraft community
clamored for a more traditional
high-carbon version, and Morakniv
answered the call.
The Garberg Black Carbon has
a similar profile to other Morakniv
offerings, but the carbon-steel
blade is easier to sharpen in the
field, and the spine easily cast
sparks from the UCO Titan fire
steel I took with me during the
testing—a key feature for a knife
of this type. Another advantage of
the carbon composition is the abil-
ity to strike flint against the spine
for sparks to get a get a fire going
with some char cloth—a definite
plus for a serious bushcraft knife.
The Garberg I received had the
typical rounded and comfortable
SPECIFICATIONS:
BLADE STEEL: CPM-S30V
BLADE LENGTH: 4.3 inches
OA LENGTH: 9 inches
WEIGHT: 5.96 ounces
HANDLE: Synthetic
SHEATH: Synthetic Multi-Mount
 ¨
BACKWOODS BLADES

With its full-tang construction,
the Morakniv Garberg Black
Carbon did an excellent job
when it came to batoning and
processing wood for a fire.
Mora grip. The handle was plastic,
but subtle texturing was molded
into it for a better purchase on the
knife. The handle also included
a lanyard hole for a little extra
insurance as well. The knife came
with a Multi-Mount synthetic
sheath, but a leather sheath is also
available for a more traditional look
and feel. To help with corrosion
resistance, the Garberg was
finished with a black DLC coating.
With its Scandinavian grind, the
Garberg’s 4.3-inch blade was all
about working with wood. The edge
profile was perfect for carving and
cutting sharp angles for things like
triggers or a potholder. The Scandi
grind wasn’t the best with slicing,
such as for food preparation, but
it was more than serviceable for
the job. The biggest advantage
of the grind, aside from working
with wood, is the ease of edge
maintenance in the field.
I had not used the stainless
full-tang Garberg, so using the
carbon version was a revolution for
me, as I had never batoned with
a Morakniv before. The knife felt
much more robust in the hand and
held up well to being batoned to
cut down small trees and process
smaller pieces of firewood. It also
stood up to more aggressive tasks
like prying into wood or bark that I
would not have tried with Mora-
kniv’s earlier hidden-tang models.
Thanks to its full tang and
carbon composition, the Morakniv
Garberg Black Carbon is an
exceptional value for the price
and is probably the best one-knife
bushcraft solution the company
has ever offered. I came away quite
impressed. (morakniv.se)

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122 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


 WILD KITCHEN

3
®

RECIPE 1 After marinating the rabbit pieces in the

wine, some diced onions, garlic, bay leaves,
sugar, cloves, peppercorns, rosemary and
HASENPFEFFER thyme for 24 hours, pat the meat with paper
There’s an extra dimension of satisfaction if towels to get it as dry as possible. Save the
this dinner is the result of a successful hunt, wine marinade for later.
but domestic rabbits are larger, a bit more Sprinkle the rabbit pieces with salt and
tender and in the end a lot cheaper! pepper. In a skillet, thoroughly brown the
meat in butter and olive oil over medium-
INGREDIENTS high heat. When done, set the rabbit pieces
• 1 rabbit, dr aside. Add the leftover marinade and the
in rest of the diced onions to deglaze the
• ¾ bo dry skillet, and continue with it over medium-

DELICIOUS
• 1 lar high heat until the liquid is reduced by half
• 8 clov and the onion is translucent.
• 3 bay Strain out the onions, garlic and

GAME
• 1 Tbsp. sugar seasonings from the marinade and add
• clov the liquid back into the pan. While stirring
• 1 tsp. corns over medium-high heat, add the flour and
• 1 tsp. r continue stirring for two to three minutes

DISHES
• 1 tsp. th until you get a slightly browned roux. Return
• Salt and the browned meat to the skillet along with
• 3 Tbsp. the marinade, add the chicken stock and
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin
xtra-virgin olive
oliv oil bake in a 350-degree oven for 1.5 hours.
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. flour (This can also be done on the stovetop).
• 1 cup chicken
chick stock The marinade should then be the consis-

Enhancing classic
recipes with fresh
rabbit, venison
and pheasant
BY JON R. SUNDRA

→
There’s a school of thought
that says all game—whether it
walks, swims or flies—should
always be prepared as simply
as possible so as not to detract from
what should be an elemental experience.
Well, this boy doesn’t attend that school.
To me, substituting game in classic recipes
is an exciting way to expand one’s culinary
horizons. Got a rabbit? That calls for hasen-
pfeffer,, a classic German recipe. Pheasant?
That’s easy: poulet Dijonnaise. And venison?
The perfect substitute meat for beef bour-
guignon. All of the following recipes serve
two, so adjust for more accordingly.

124 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


tency of gravy, but if it’s too thin, it can be
thickened with another tablespoon or two of
flour dissolved in water to make a slurry, or
thinned with the addition of a little wine.
To accompany the entrée, you’re of course
free to choose anything that strikes your
palate. Some of the more popular pairings are
mashed potatoes or potato pancakes (latkes),
and for a vegetable, asparagus tips or broccoli.
As far as I’m concerned, wine is compulsory
with all but fast food eaten on the run. And I’ve
made exceptions there! If it’s a store-bought
rabbit, the meat will be lighter in color and
milder in taste, so a nice chardonnay, pinot
grigio or Sauvignon blanc pairs well. With wild
rabbit, the meat will be darker and with a more
assertive flavor, so I would personally go with
a pinot noir or a Beaujolais Villages.

RECIPE 2

PHEASANT DIJON
I’ve been tweaking this recipe for decades so
it’s easy, takes less than an hour to prepare
and is still quite extraordinary. If you don’t have
pheasants in your freezer and can’t buy them
locally, use chicken thighs, which makes it a INGREDIENTS
practical dish you can prepare at any time of • t, dr to
year and on short notice. This recipe departs
quite a bit from traditional variations of poulet •k salt and fr gr ,
Dijonnaise, but I think it is better.
Salt and pepper the pheasant pieces and • flour
dump them into a large freezer bag or paper • 3 Tbsp.
bag, along with the flour. Close the bag and • 3 xtra-virgin oliv
shake thoroughly until all of the pieces are • 3 shallots, dic
separated and fully coated with flour. Empty • ½ cup dry
the floured pieces into a colander, and shake • ½ cup dry v
and toss this over a wastebasket or sink to • ½ cup chick
sift out all the excess flour. • 1 tsp. tarragon
If you have a frying pan large enough to • 2 olks
hold all the meat in a single layer, great, but • 4 Tbsp. sour cr
if not, do the following in two batches. Add • 1 Tbsp. y
the floured meat to the butter and olive oil, • z f
and sauté the pieces over medium-high heat • y
until they begin to brown, about seven to • 3 tsp. Dijon mustard

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

125
 WILD KITCHEN
®

eight minutes. Add the shallots and, stirring

constantly, continue to sauté for another five
minutes over medium heat.
Add the white wine, vermouth, chicken
stock and tarragon, and lower the heat to
medium low. Continue braising, uncovered,
for about 20 to 25 minutes, after which time
you’ll find the wine and stock have thickened
to the consistency of a light gravy thanks
to that flour we used earlier in sautéing the
meat. You can control the consistency of the
liquid by adding flour or wine.
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks,
sour cream, honey, lemon zest and 3 to 4
teaspoons of the liquid from the pan, and
whisk to a creamy consistency. Incorporate
the Dijon mustard, stirring until the sauce
is well blended. Add this mixture to the pan
and stir another five to six minutes into a
homogeneous medley.
Since this dish is all meat, it should be
accompanied by a couple of sides. I like to
serve it over a bed of rice or pasta with a
side of yellow wax beans or asparagus tips.
This particular dish is bold enough to pair
well with a red wine, but try a light one like INGREDIENTS butter to the pan, and sauté the carrots,
a chianti or Valpolicella ripasso. I personally • 1½ pound v oast, cut into pearl onions, garlic and tomato paste over
prefer an assertive chardonnay. medium heat, stirring constantly for about
• 3 Tbsp. flour, plus mor for coating seven to eight minutes. Now add the 3
• 12 ounc thick-slic on, pr tablespoons of flour and continue stirring the
RECIPE 3 not smok to lardons veggies for another four to five minutes.
• ¾ bo t noir If your skillet is large enough to hold all the
•4 xtra-virgin oliv ingredients, you can simply add the bacon,
VENISON BOURGUIGNON • 4 Tbsp. venison and veggies back into the pan, along
There are countless variations of this classic • 1 cup carrots, slic with 1½ cups of wine, 1½ cups of beef stock,
French dish made famous by Julia Child, but • 8 ounc froz thaw bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
aside from using venison instead of beef, this • 4 clov If you’re using packaged beef stock, add a
recipe follows her beef bourguignon recipe • 2 Tbsp. tomato beef bouillon cube to enhance it. If your skillet
rather closely, eliminating just a few small • stock can’t handle all the ingredients, simply transfer
steps while still being just as delicious. • everything to a large saucepan or stockpot.
Start by coating the venison cubes with • 2 bay Most recipes call for the braising process
flour. Cut the bacon into lardons (1-inch- •r and th to be done in a covered pot in the oven
wide pieces) and sauté in a skillet until just • salt and at 325 to 350 degrees for 2.5 hours, but
shy of crispy. Set the lardons aside, and in • 8 ounc I prefer doing this uncovered and on the
the remaining bacon fat, sauté the floured • y, as garnish stovetop, where I can more easily check the
venison pieces over medium-high heat until progress and control the thickening of the
nicely browned. Set them aside as well. Now sauce. If you do it this way, you want a low
add ½ cup of the wine and deglaze the pan, enough heat to just disturb the surface with
making sure to scrape up all the little good- an occasional bubble—a slow simmer—for
ies stuck to the bottom that add so much the same 2.5 hours. If the pot is covered,
flavor. When the wine is mostly evaporated, it requires a much lower temperature to
add 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and maintain a simmer. Uncovered, the heat

126 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


setting required is higher, and evaporation will
cause the sauce to thicken faster.
Fifteen minutes prior to the completion of
the braising process, add the remaining butter
and olive oil to another saucepan and sauté the
mushrooms for about five minutes, to where they
are browned and reduced to about two-thirds of
their original size but still firm to the bite. Stir the
mushrooms into the stew and serve immediately
with plenty of fresh parsley for color and fresh-
ness. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
This dish is a complete and balanced meal
by itself, but I would recommend a side dish of
plain old mashed potatoes sprinkled with freshly
grated parmesan and chopped parsley, and
haricots verts. Simple, yet quite elegant. For the
wine, venison can easily stand up to a bold red
like a cabernet sauvignon, a Rhône or a syrah,
but I’d go with a pinot noir.
As always, I would like to thank Chef
Marc Habbouche, my best bud and mentor
in all things culinary, for his assistance in the
preparation of these dishes.

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

127
 AFTER HOURS

→
It’s the 21st century, and many
aspects of society seem to be
racing towards change and
modernization. Few items go
untouched, including the world of spirits. A stroll
through the aisle at your local liquor store can be
a bit overwhelming at times. The shelves are full
of new and exotic concoctions like apple-infused
bourbon or asparagus-based liqueurs. OK, I
made that last one up, but right now someone is
probably thinking of a way to make it.
In all this rush to make something new,
it’s time to remind everyone that some of the
standard bearers are still relevant, tasty and
iconic. One that comes to mind many times in
these discussions is gin. The hipster crowd may
dismiss this epic beverage as an antiquated drink
from the ’20s, but I am here to break that stereo-
type and share with you why gin is still one of the

ALL
best spirits we have the pleasure of enjoying.

THE BASICS
Gin has a very interesting history with more

GINNED
twist and turns than a Tennessee backroad. On

UP 1 2 3

It’s time to prove that

this historic liquor is
more than a mixer
BY FRED MASTISON

“GIN HAS A VERY

INTERESTING
HISTORY WITH
MORE TWISTS
AND TURNS THAN
A TENNESSEE
BACKROAD.”

128 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


the technical side of the house, gin is about
a 40-percent alcohol by volume, or 80 proof,
and is derived from grain distillation. The twist,
if you will, is that gin is flavored with juniper
berries. The history of drinks being flavored
with juniper goes back as far as 70 A.D. when
juniper berries steeped in wine were considered
an herbal medicine to fight chest ailments. This
type of mix continued to be popular and was
seen as a “medicine” for hundreds of years. The
name “gin” is even linked to the juniper tree. The
Dutch word for juniper is genever.
Gin remained a quiet part of medicine cabi-
nets until the last half of the 17th century, when
the British discovered it. While it is worthy of a
much longer discussion, gin’s popularity quickly
went off the charts thanks to political circum-
stances and societal beliefs. In short, the English
government allowed people to make their own
gin without any licensing while they slapped a
heavy duty on things like French brandy. From
1695 to 1735, thousands of gin shops popped
up around England. This alcohol-infused period
is referred to as the “Gin Craze.” Gin was cheap
4 5
and easy to get at one of over 15,000 pubs in
London. But there was no need to hit the pub,
because you could also find gin at coffee and
chocolate shops. It began to get a negative
reputation as over-drinking became a societal
issue. Many historians attribute gin to a higher
death rate in London during that time.
It took Parliament over 22 years and five major
legislative acts to get the genie back in the bot-
tle. It was not without a fight, however. The Gin
Act of 1736 imposed high taxes on retailers and
led to riots in the streets. Like today, the citizens
did not take kindly to government controlling
things by taxation. The prohibitive duty was
gradually reduced and finally abolished in 1742.
However, the government had more success
in 1751 when it forced distillers to sell only to
licensed retailers and brought gin shops under
the jurisdiction of local magistrates. This essen-
tially ended the Gin Craze and actually improved
the overall quality of gin being produced.
The medical connection to gin continued
with the Royal Navy, as sailors would bring gin
on their voyages. Their time in malaria-prone
areas forced them to use quinine, which was a
bitter and terrible-tasting anti-malarial alkaloid.
To offset that, the British company Schweppes
created something called “Indian tonic water”
to offset the terrible taste of the quinine. I
imagine that you have already seen where this
is headed. This “tonic” soon began sharing a
glass with the sailor’s ration of gin, and boom,
the gin and tonic was born.
Today, gin production remains steady as many
people still enjoy this juniper-flavored treat. Like
all other spirits, we have a variety of styles to
choose from. Some gins are super smooth and
are worthy of being consumed neat while others
are more at home as mixers. If you are new to
this old-world drink, it may be tough to know
what is what. So let me offer a few suggestions.
1. Bloom London Dry Gin
Bloom London Dry Gin is produced at the G&J
distillery in northwest England, where gin has
been made since 1761. Drawing on inspiration
from nature, Bloom’s three main botanicals
are chamomile, honeysuckle and pomelo. They
are carefully blended to create a distinctively
delicate, fresh and floral gin with a touch of
sweetness and a smooth finish.
A unique part of this gin has to do with the
people behind it. During its 250-year history,
only seven “master distillers” have fulfilled
the role, which is now carried out by Joanne
Moore, one of the world’s first female master
distillers, and she’s an internationally revered
expert in the gin industry. (bloomgin.com)
2. Brockmans
Brockmans is an English gin made with a
100-year-old traditional copper still. It features
a perfect blend of botanicals, including juniper,
blackberries, blueberries, coriander, angelica
root, orris root, cassia bark, licorice, orange peel,
lemon peel and almond. Brockmans is a true
sipping gin enjoyed over ice, and I consider it
one of the best. (brockmansgin.com)
3. Caorunn
Caorunn is a premium Scottish gin handcrafted
using only the finest pure-grain spirits as well
as traditional and foraged gin botanicals. It has
a very clean, crisp and slightly sweet flavor with
balanced floral and citrus tones. Caorunn is also
unique in that it’s quadruple distilled in small
batches using natural Scottish water and 11
BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

129
 AFTER HOURS
meg, cinnamon and citrus peel. It is also shipped
to Iceland to be blended with “the purest
6 7 8 Icelandic water,” giving it a great taste. While a
little more exotic, it’s a good choice to examine
your more creative side. (martinmillersgin.com)

7. Sipsmith
This English gin is a mix of old and new.
Sipsmith is still made using a traditional copper
pot but contains a diverse and interesting mix
of botanicals that help it stand out, including
lemon peel, Seville orange peel, juniper berries,
Madagascan cinnamon bark, Belgian angelica
root, Bulgarian coriander seed, Chinese cassia
bark, Italian orris root, Spanish ground almond
and Spanish licorice root. Even with these items,
the gin retains a great crisp flavor that isn’t
remotely overwhelming. (sipsmith.com)

botanical ingredients. The result is a gin that is
at home neat or in a mix. (caorunngin.com)
4. Gin Mare
Gin Mare is a great option that comes to us
from Spain. The actual distillery site is a 19th
century chapel built in a small fishing village
south of Barcelona. The gin starts with a quality
6. Martin Miller’s Gin
This English gin is crafted in an old-school
copper pot still. I would consider it a craft spirit
in that it uses a variety of botanicals like juniper,
cassia, orris, licorice, coriander, angelica, nut-
8. The Botanist
This small-batch Islay dry gin is made with a
variety of botanicals that give it a unique and
enjoyable flavor. The gin’s 22 wild botanicals are
handpicked around Atlantic shores and com-
bined to create a liquor that retains its hearty
roots while still venturing into a more diverse
flavor. If you are looking for a flavor adventure
without going off into the deep end, this is a
good option. (thebotanist.com)

HOW TO
neutral-grain spirit base and is mixed with a a Vesper martini after a DIRECTIONS
variety of botanicals. The fruit is macerated in
MAKE THE
woman he falls in love with, First, chill a martini glass
special earthenware jars for one year until the and it has both gin and with ice and set it aside.
citrus oils are ready for distillation. The remaining PERFECT vodka in it. Ian Fleming Then add gin and dry
classic botanicals are then macerated for 36
hours before being distilled separately in Gin
GIN MARTINI created this recipe in his
1953 book Casino Royale.
vermouth to an ice-filled
shaker. Shake the concoc-
Mare’s custom 180-liter copper Florentine still. There are few drinks out But, while I’m a fan of tion for 20 seconds. And
The process seems like alchemy, but the result there that carry the sense Bond, James will have yes, I said shake it. There
is a rich and flavorful gin. (ginmare.com) of class and sophistication to sit this one out as we are countless opinions
like the martini does. Just discuss how to make a regarding this step, but I
5. Monkey 47 think of James Bond’s cocktail using only gin as a find that the combination of
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald dry gin ventures into iconic drink, which is called base. So, without further fresh ice with shaking gets
the exotic, as it is made with a molasses base. ado, I present to you the the drink cold quickly with
The name refers to the 47 different botanicals perfect classic gin martini. minimal dilution.
used in its creation. Made in Germany, Monkey Then remove the ice from
47 includes some unique ingredients as well, INGREDIENTS the serving glass and pour
including lingonberries, blackberries and honey • 2½ ounces gin (and the shaker mix into it while
please, for the love of all straining it. Finally, garnish
pomelo to supplement the more iconic ingredi-
that is holy, don’t use gin the drink with olives. Now
ents. Another unique point about this gin is that
from a plastic bottle.) you’re all set. It’s time to
it is aged in earthenware containers for three
• ½ ounce dry vermouth enjoy your creation!
months before being balanced to 47-percent
• Olives —Fred Mastison
alcohol by volume (ABV) with water from Ger-
many’s famous Black Forest. (monkey47.com)

130 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


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132 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


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Other tactical-specific features include
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waterproof nubuck and textile uppers combine with Storm mem- to sync with smartphones or external sen-
branes to help keep the water out. Under Armour has also included sors. The battery will last 14 days using the
a scent-control lining with a Cupron anti-bacterial, copper-infused Instinct as a smartwatch, or 16 hours in GPS
sock-liner top cover as well as an anti-odor Ortholite inner liner. The mode. All in all, the Instinct Tactical Edition is
lightweight EVA midsole and TPU shank provide optimal cushioning light, comfortable and packed with features,
and motion control, and the hefty rubber outsole keeps your feet and it hasn’t left my wrist since it showed up
firmly planted in rough terrain. (underarmour.com) on my doorstep. (garmin.com)

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

133
 ®
THREADS
®

UNDER ARMOUR
RIDGE REAPER RAIDER
JACKET & PANTS
Ý Dress for hunt success with the
Under Armour Ridge Reaper series
jacket and pants. With a looser cut for
comfort, these garments provide space
for a thermal base layer or puffy jacket,
but aren’t baggy without them. Made
from 91-percent polyester/9-percent
elastane, the jacket and pants feature
Storm 1 technology that provides water
resistance and breathability, and remains
soft and flexible, allowing moisture and
light rain to stay on the outside where
it belongs. The four-way-stretch fabric
allows great flexibility without binding,
and the articulated moto knees on the
Raider pants are perfect for climbing and
kneeling without pulling tight or lifting.
Hiking around for a spot to shoot the
photography for this article, I found out
just how comfortable and quiet these
clothes really are. (underarmour.com)

GO BOLD

BOLDLY BUILT
From ZT and Tim Galyean, the 0223 takes its inspiration from a classic military knife. But
our version is a folder, making it easy to EDC and ready for every task you ask it to take on.
CPM 20CV blade steel takes and holds a sharp edge. Titanium handle with G10 handle
BOLDLY CARRIED scales offers a secure grip. Opens fast and easy with ZT’s KVT ball-bearing opening.

134 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019


BENCHMADE 537 BAILOUT BACKKCOUNTRY
Any time you’re in the field, pack weight BACKCOUNTRY
B ACK
KCOUNTRY
BACKCOUNTRY
is a consideration. The Benchmade 537
Bailout is slim and lightweight—just 2.05
ounces—while still being robust enough to
serve as a workhorse in the backwoods. It
features a 3.38-inch, tanto-style blade made
from CPM-3V steel (available with or without
serrations), black “Grivory” handle scales
and an aluminum pommel, all helping to cut
SUB-MOA
weight without losing any durability. The silver
SUB-MOA
blade and black handle combine to create SUB-MOA
SU
S UB-MO
UB MO
M OA

a knife that is stylish yet low profile. The

handle is slightly larger with a subtle guard
to accommodate gloved hands and prevent
sliding. Finally, the AXIS lock is easy to AN UNACHIEVED COMBINATION... UNTIL NOW
CERAKOTE
CE
ERAKOT
TE
operate with just one hand. (benchmade.com) AN UNACHIEVED COMBINATION... UNTIL NOW
CERAKOTE AN
N UNACHIEVED
UN
NACHIEVED
A IEVED COMBINATION...
COMBINA
COMB
COMBINATION..
OM
MB
MBIN
NATION
ATION..
ON...
ON
N.... UNTIL
UNT
NTIL
N TIL
TIL
IL NOW
N W
CERAKOTE

4 lbs 15oz.
5

F
FA
4 lbs 15oz.

A
4 lbs 15oz.
15
15o
5o
oz.
z.

CARBON
ON
NFFIBER
FIB
IB
BER STOCK
1500
15
500 foot lbs energy
en r att 5
500
00 yar
yards
rds
CARBON FIBER STOCK
CARBON FIBER STOCK 1500 foot lbs energy at 500 yards
THE BACKCOUNTRY SERIES IMPLEMENTS NEW
1500 foott lbs energy at 500 yards
TECHNOLOGIES TO LEAD THE INDUSTRY
22 THE BACKCOUNTRY SERIES IMPLEMENTS NEW
IN LIGHTWEIGHT RIFLES HARNESSING
22 Ti THE BACKCOUNTRY Y SERIES
TECHNOLOGIES
MAGNUM
TECHNOLOGIES ST
TO LEAD
TO
IN LIGHTWEIGHT
IMPLEMENTS
IMPLEMENT
LEAD
RIFLES THE
TS NEW
THE INDUSTRY
OPERFORMANCE. NOW
INDUSTRY
HARNESSING
SPIRAL FLUTED BOLT 22
2 2
Ti AVAILABLE
IN LIGHTWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIG
LIGHTWE
E IGH
G HT
H T IN WEATHERBY’S
RIFLES
RIF
F LES HARNESSING
H
HARNESSI
ARNESSI ING
Ti
TITANIUM ACTION MAGNUM PERFORMANCE. NOW
SPIRAL FLUTED BOLT MAGNUM NEWEST
ERFFIN CARTRIDGE
PERFORMANCE.
PERFORMAN
P ORMAN NCE. NOW
NOW
AVAILABLE WEATHERBY’S
SPIRAL FLUTED BOLT TITANIUM ACTION AVAILABLE 6.5INWBY
NEWEST RPM
WEATHERBY’S
WEAT THERRBY’S
CARTRIDGE
TITANIUM ACTION
NEWEST CARTRIDGE
6.5 WBY RPM
6.5 WBY RPM

54º
54
4 BO
4º BOLT
OLT

HEAT FACTORY 54º BOLT

BATTERY POWERED 54º BOLT

HAND WARMER MUFF

You never want frozen hands to slow you
down, especially if you’re on a once-in-a-
lifetime hunt. Enter the Heat Factory Battery
Powered Hand Warmer Muff. The recharge-
able 5-volt, lithium-ion battery warms the
muff with the push of a button, letting you www.weatherby.com
www weatherby.com
t b

easily set your desired warmth level inside www.weatherby.com

www.weatherby.com
the fleece-lined interior. The muff is currently
available in black and Mossy Oak camo, and
the large zippered front battery pocket also
works to hold gloves, a phone and other
loose items. (heatfactory.com)

BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

135
 ®
TREADING
ON NEW
GROUND
MODEL AND FITNESS ICON
DOLLY VEGA SHOWS OFF
SIG’S NEW M400
TREAD PISTOL
BY SEAN UTLEY
Last year, Sig Sauer introduced
the M400 Tread, an AR-platform
rifle meant to be accurate, reliable,
affordable and easy to upgrade.
Sounds great, right? There’s a lot
of genius in the design. First, Sig
brought out a good, reliable rifle
built on its experience in pro-
viding ARs to military and law
enforcement personnel. The
company marketed it toward
the everyday shooter, not the
wannabe weekend warrior,
and supported its launch
with parts and accesso-
ries to personalize and
make the gun even better.
These upgrades were
made specifically for the
Tread series, which makes for
a complete turnkey solution.
Now that dependable goodness is
available in a shorter, leaner pistol
package with an 11.5-inch barrel, a
free-floating M-LOK handguard and
a Shockwave Technologies Blade
2.0 stabilizing brace. The rest of
the components are the same,
including the single-stage trigger
and ambidextrous safety and
magazine release. The pistol
variant is essentially another way
for more Americans to get behind
the Tread platform and its ideals of
self-reliance and freedom. Which
brings us to our model for this shoot.
136 BALLISTIC 10 11 2019

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizo-
na, 29-year-old Dolly Vega has her
mind focused on strength, fitness and
sculpting her body to the best that
it can be. She is a self-proclaimed
“gym rat” with a goal of competing in
her first NPC bikini competition in the
near future. And don’t let her small
stature fool you. She can regularly be
found bench-pressing, squatting and
deadlifting 205 pounds.
“I like how there are no limits in the
fitness world—just empowerment and
growth physically as well as mentally,”
Dolly said. “If you have the drive and
determination, anything is possible.”
This is the sort of determination
commonly found in the 2A com-
munity, and while this particular
opportunity marked Dolly’s first
time behind an AR-15, she
stepped up like a pro: “I loved
every second of it! From
learning the fundamentals
to feeling the adrenaline
running through me and the
power under control. That
feeling you can’t just find
anywhere. Shooting is
more physically involved
than I thought. You have
to be coordinated and
mentally prepared. There
are a lot of benefits,
too, like stress relief and
improving your physical
health. It’s a ton of fun, too!”
These benefits can only
be realized in a free society,
one that lets its people be who
they are. Out of curiosity, I asked
Dolly what she liked about living in
a free country, and she summed it
up better than I could have: “Equal
opportunity and the right to become
or do anything your heart desires.
Freedom, to me, is having the right
to have a right. To live your life
at its full potential and do what
makes you happy no matter
who you are.”
 REFINED DESIGN.
STRIKING PERFORMANCE.
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and more punch into a range-friendly, full-size polymer frame.

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AMERICA what all guns should beª KIMBERAMERICA.COM

©2019, KIMBER MFG., INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. INFORMATION AND SPECIFICATIONS ARE FOR REFERENCE ONLY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.