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It's good to be back

Posted on by Caleb

After a week of rough work in the Arizona desert at Gunsite, I’m finally back in Indianapolis.  I’d like to thank pdb, JayG, and of course Breda for minding the store while I was out – pdb put up some great posts over the week, and Breda and JayG did a great episode of Gun Nuts Radio.  Actually, that episode of Gun Nuts Radio was so good that it makes me want to take more time off to go around the country shooting at stuff!  😉

I have a boatload of pictures and posts forthcoming from the event at Gunsite, so make sure you check back through the week as I sort through the loads of material I have.  Also this week, I should have some big news about the upcoming Gun Nuts Charity Auction, proceeds to benefit Honored American Veterans Afield.

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Another day, another airplane

Posted on by Caleb

Getting ready to head out from the hotel in Arizona for the 2 hour drive to the Phoenix airport. I’ve had a great week, made some good contacts, and taken a whole mess of photos. Once I get back to the office and can sort through all the data, expect a major set of posts.

A couple of items that people asked about: we didn’t do any shooting with the Magpul MBUS plastic sights. Yesterday though I shot the M&P-22 about 300-400 times, and that was not wearing an optic, just the Magpul sights. Sadly, I didn’t drop the rifle to see if they held zero, however I was impresses with the sight picture and ease of aquisition. Plus, that gun is downright FUN. As far as an AR trainer goes, don’t waste your time on the Colt gun – get this rifle instead.

More later!

rifles

Last day of shooting

Posted on by Caleb

Today’s the the last day of the Gunsite carbine course. Last night we did a night shoot using the new Crimson Trace MVF-15, their combo light/laser verticle foregrip. I’ll have more details on that later, however the short version of my review is that if you have a carbine for home defense an you don’t run out and buy one of these then you’re handicapping your rifle for a CQB environment.

Lots of pictures when I get back!

rifles

Piston Madness!

Posted on by Caleb

Finally, we have a new piston-operated AR-15!  I can’t believe we got along with only being able to choose from the H&K 416, Barrett 468 … errr, REC7,  POF / Bushmaster, Ruger SR-556, Colt 1020 … whoops, you can’t have one, the Titan Defense 416 clone, SIG’s 516, the design I shot last year at carbine class that I can’t find any info on now, the CMMG design, the Adams Arms drop-in unit and probably a handful of others I’ve forgotten.

And if you decide to stray off the Stoner reservation, you may also select from the SIG 556, the various AUG clones, the FN 2000, the FN SCAR-L and the Robinson XCR.

That said, I am enthused about the S&W version, not because I’m more confident in their particular design, but because the marketing power and weight of the S&W rollmark  makes this rifle the front runner to achieve market dominance and force some level of standardization to a confused marketplace.

On the third hand, I am yet to be convinced that the usual AR shooter requires a piston gun.  The only reason I would choose one is if I regularly ran the gun with a suppressor.  Otherwise, and this is some gen-u-ine gun-guru wisdom I’m about to drop on y’all, but if you want a truly reliable AR, get a 20″!  A 20″ rifle with a rifle length gas tube, a chrome lined chamber and bore, a correctly dimensioned 5.56 NATO chamber, a correctly aligned gas tube with staked carrier key screws, using Magpul PMAGs, and a fresh extractor spring with black insert will be as reliable a rifle as you could ask for.  The gas piston assembly offers additional parts and points of failure, extra weight and bulk, but somewhat cleaner running.  Contrary to hopes, heavy use seems to disprove the idea that piston operation extends bolt life in short barreled guns that see a lot of full-auto fire.

Direct impingement gas system rifles are successfully used by every military unit and police department that actually matters on Earth.  If you think you know rifles better than all of those guys put together, knock yourself out!

Gunsite/rifles

Gunsite Carbine Class: Day 1

Posted on by Caleb

Yesterday was the first day of the carbine class at Gunsite, which was mostly focused on zeroing our rifles with the excellent Trijicon 3.5×35 optic mounted on the S&W MP-15 MOE rifles.  After the rifles were zeroed, we worked on snaps at 15 and 5 yards so that the instructors could get a feel for where each shooter was in terms of skill set.

One of the areas that I’m in need of correction on is my trigger finger – no, I don’t put it in the trigger guard when it shouldn’t, but rather I take it out before I should.  I’m somewhat conditioned from shooting gun games, because when I shoot a stage, after I’ve fired my required number of shots, be it 1, 6, 32, whatever, I immediately remove my finger from the trigger guard.  I do that before I scan targets to make sure I shot everyone.  At Gunsite, they teach that after you fire the required number of shots, keep your finger on the trigger and look through the sight for just a second, then index on the frame and scan/assess for threats.

The quality of instruction has been resoundingly excellent.  I’ve never been a great rifleman, and I’m an especially lousy prone rifle shooter – so it was amazing to me that after a little bit of instruction, my prone long range groups tightened up significantly.  Of course, it’s mostly the rifle and the instructors – I’m just pulling the trigger.

I will say though that as neat as it was to watch my shooting improve at 50 yards from prone, I’m much more excited about today, as we’re going to be getting into the good stuff, rapid shots, the real meat and potatoes of defensive rifle shooting.

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Gun Nuts Radio: Gun Culture

Posted on by Caleb

Did you miss last night’s Gun Nuts Radio? If you did, you miss a hell of a show. Breda and now semi-official guest co-host JayG had a great show on what “gun culture” means to us as gun owners. If you missed it, check out it here on download. If you’re interested, you can also get a portable version by clicking here for a handy .mp3 format of the show.

You know, “gun culture” is an interesting thing. Here at Gunsite, I’m probably as deep in the “gun culture” as one can be. Daily discussion revolves around the use, care, maintenance, and utility of firearms. Openly worn pistols are not a reason for consternation, but rather a common, accepted sight. In fact, if you’re not openly wearing a pistol here, you’re the weirdo.

Our gun culture in America is a great thing – firearms owners tend to be individuals that still believe in the concepts of liberty, and ultimately that’s what makes our culture great. Check out Gun Nuts Radio’s show on our gun culture. If you’d like to check out the show on iTunes, you can subscribe by going to the iTunes store and searching for “Gun Nuts Radio”, or by following these instructions to subscribe to our RSS feed.

Don’t forget to tune in next week – we’ll have some great product reviews and other coverage coming to you live on the air!

rifles

National AR-15 Bolt Maintenance Day!

Posted on by Caleb

One of the more critical bits of information to percolate out from the massively parallel carbine training efforts in this country is that the bolt in the Stoner pattern rifle has a limited lifespan.  Typically, the failure mode is to crack around the cam pin hole.  The rifle will continue to operate with a cracked bolt, until the bolt fractures completely in two.  Bolts seem to last around 35k rounds in a semi-only 20″ gun, about 20k rounds in a semi-only 16″ gun, to as little as 10k rounds in a 14.5″ M4 that sees a lot of full-auto fire.

If you own an AR, regularly shoot it, and consider it a ‘go-to’ gun in your self-defense battery, I’d like you to take fifteen minutes out of your day today and check your bolt for cracks.  Check to see that your rifle is empty, then go ahead and check it again.  Push out the rear takedown pin and remove the bolt carrier group.  Since you cleaned it right after the last time you shot it (right? Right?), you should be able to easily check it.  Under a bright light, visually check the circumference of the bolt around the cam pin hole, then feel with your thumbnail by dragging it fore and aft down the bolt surface.  Don’t forget to look in the cam pin hole too.  If you have a can of starter fluid or some rubbing alcohol handy, spray that on the bolt.  It will quickly evaporate from the surface, but linger in any cracks.

Go ahead and also check your spare bolt for cracks.  What, you don’t have a spare bolt?  What else do you think goes in the hollow of the pistol grip? Tsk tsk!

While we’re at it, push out the extractor pin and check your extractor spring to make sure it’s not broken, and it has the correct black rubber nub insert installed.  If you run a SBR or even a 16″ gun with an M4 length gas tube, a D-Fender d-ring is a cheap piece of insurance.

Now would also be a good time to check your screws holding the gas key on the bolt carrier.  These should be staked, but many AR factories do not, or do a poor job.  You will need an Allen wrench.  If your screws are not staked, find someone with a MOACKS and slip them a tenner to turn the screws for you.  Brownells now sells a cheaper version that only runs $70.  Don’t bother with locktite on these screws, and for Stoner’s sake, don’t let anyone bang on your carrier with a cold chisel.

If everything checks out, reapply your lube of choice and reassemble your black blaster!  Don’t you feel better?  I know I do!  Please remember to add this little chore to your regular post-practice cleanup and you’ll be very smug indeed when the zombies attack.