I was genuinely impressed when the mag worked after being shot with a shotgun. The jumping up and down and the car stuff is just being silly, but the shotgun? Impressive.
Photo of the day: DPMS Not-SBR AR Pistol
Upper from Brownells, lower from Aero Precision, optic is a Redfield Counterstrike, mags from Troy.
Hornady Critical Defense Ballistic Test
I actually really enjoy TNOutdoors’ videos on ballistic testing. He keeps his methods clear, his testing is simple and easily understood by the layman. In this video, he tests one of my favorite rounds, the Hornady Critical Defense.
Magnified optic vs. red dot for AR pistol?
Yesterday we had a wee bit of Christmas come early at the Gun Nuts office. My 11 inch AR pistol upper showed up, along with my pistol buffer tube and SB15 Arm Brace. Here’s the result:
Here’s a quick look at what’s in the gun:
- Aero Precision Lower
- DPMS lower parts kit
- DPMS 11.5 inch upper with AAC Blackout from Brownells
- Burris 332 3x prismatic scope
I’m going to be running Troy Battlemags in the gun, which have all been laser engraved with the Gun Nuts logo for the test. Ever wonder how tough a Battlemag is? We’re going to find out. However, the question of this post is about the optic we’re using. The Burris 3x is pretty awesome, it has a bullet drop comp and a bunch of other cool features in it. There’s a part of me that thinks it would be better off on a full size rifle like Shelley’s 3-Gun AR. Sitting in the office I also have three different red dot options: a Burris Fastfire III, several different RMRs, and of course the Redfield Counterstrike. I’ll admit there is something deeply giggle inducing about putting an optic called “Counterstrike” on this gun.
Pros for the red dots: infinite eye relief, parallax free, the ability to mount them further forward on the gun to accommodate a rear sight. Pro for the magnified optics (I also have a variable Leupold scope): It’s easier to hit stuff with a magnified optic. Honestly, it’s a toss up in my head. If I had to pick one based on my gut, I’d go with the magnified optic. But something feels a little silly about putting a 3x scope on a gun this small, because realistically, what kind of engagements am I planning for an AR pistol? I’m not shooting hadji at 400 yards with this gun, it’s just a range toy.
What do you guys think? Counterstrike or 332 for this gun? If I go with the C-Strike, the 332 will get put on the eventual ARX-100 headed this way.
Here’s what the hunting industry is missing.
I would like to express my frustration with the hunting industry. They are incredibly kind, and incredibly welcoming – but it’s just a difficult sport to get started in. My options are mostly regulated to “go out into the fields of South Dakota with my friends” or “buy a 2,000+ dollar safari.” Now, going out into the fields with my friends isn’t a horrible option, but I feel like there has to be something better – because not everyone has friends like mine.
So here is my suggestion, hunting industry: An “introductory hunt” program. You see, despite my professional success, there are some things I’m really not too bright about. I am in desperate want of a list of what permits I need and how to get them and when I can shoot stuff and how I can find when I can shoot stuff because I know its out there. I also want someone who, in exchange for money, will spend a few hours with me on a simple, low-pressure hunt. I don’t even care if I shoot anything; I just want to learn what it’s like.
I’ve been through some really basic hunting programs at the NRA Women’s Wilderness Escape, and once got up at 5 a.m. to follow the other ladies at the Girls Gun Getaway on a coyote hunt – but I still feel like I don’t know where to start. And I know, I know, if I am confused there are plenty of other people out there who are confused too.
If that information is available out there on the world wide web, where is it, and why are hunting companies not promoting it? To a certain extent, I feel like I must be missing something – I have the knowledge of the world at my finger tips, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get my own food. I know the information is out there, but it shouldn’t be so difficult to piece together.
Photo of the day: Springfield XDm 5.25 Operator
I don’t normally recommend XDm pistols, but when I do it’s the 5.25.
NRA Action Pistol Month
This Thursday I’ll be winging out to Rockcastle Shooting Center in Kentucky to shoot my first NRA Action Pistol World Championship. Immediately after that, I’m heading to Columbia, MO for the 2014 Bianchi Cup. It’s going to be a hectic couple of weeks for me, that’s for sure.
I’m actually flying in to the World Championship basically cold. Work has kept me busy to the point that my “training” has basically consisted of shooting a few groups, and making sure my guns shot where I wanted them to. I’ll get in Thursday, shoot Friday/Saturday, get home on Sunday. I have literally no expectation for my performance at the World Championship, other than show up and shoot.
For Bianchi Cup, I’m going to follow my usual routine of arriving on Monday and spending some time on the practice range before the match. Because I’m shooting the aggregate match, I’ll actually fire an entire match for record on Tuesday (my agg score) and then proceed through the usual event on the remaining days. I’m taking a much more relaxed approach to the match this year than I did last year.
If you recall last year’s match, I crashed and burned on the Plates, destroying my chances to reach my goal of 1750 and a top 20 finish. Having had a year off to think about the match, I wonder if part of that is because I overtrained for the match last year. I had a great gun, set up perfectly for the event, everything seemed to lined up, but when it finally came time to shoot…I choked pretty hard in the toughest event. I don’t want to overtrain this year, so I’m just going to not worry about. I know where my guns are hitting, I know what they’re capable of with match ammo, so this time, this Cup, I’m just going to try and shoot and relax. I have no expectation of how I’m going to do at the World Championship or at the Cup, and that’s probably the best feeling I could possibly have going into this match.
Art of the Dynamic Mag Flip
Dynamic Pie Concepts kills it again
This is the best video since Sweep the Leg Drill.
Shotgun Shell Carriers Compared
Speed loading a shotgun, a skill I never thought I’d need, has now become a daily activity. There are a few techniques out there, and based on the length of my shotgun’s magazine tube (8 shells) and my newness to 3gun, I chose the “two-at-a-time” shell loading method. I explain this decision in my post, 3 Gun Decision: Shotgun Speed Loading Method. Each technique needs a belt mounted system that aligns the shells and holds them until they are needed. A few manufacturers have come out with models of carriers all with slight variations and certain quirks and benefits. Since it’s rare to find such equipment in a brick and mortar retail store, it can be hard to get any three brands side-by-side and really compare them.
The dumbest ballistic argument ever
If you’ve ever engaged in a discussion of terminal ballistics online, I guarantee you’ve read some variation of this argument: “Oh yeah, well if .45 doesn’t have any knockdown power, why don’t you let me shoot you with mah trusty forty-five!” Other variations are similar, but it basically boils down to “well if you don’t think it’s effective, let someone shoot you with it.” It’s also the stupidest possible thing you could say during a discussion of terminal ballistics. It is the argument of an idiot who doesn’t understand terminal ballistics.
I have a newsflash. No one wants to get shot with anything, not even a .22. Seriously, can you imagine trying that in the real world? “I need volunteers to get shot in the chest with a .22” would probably have a pretty poor turnout, even if you offered free Krispy Kreme for all the volunteers. Getting shot isn’t some sliding scale of do not want – I don’t think “well, I don’t want to get shot with a .22, but I really really don’t want to get shot with a .45-70.” I just don’t want to get shot period.
Let’s have some real talk for a second about terminal ballistics. There are plenty of anecdotal stories out there to support basically any ballistic position. Want to “prove” that .22 is enough? You can find some story about a guy dropping DRT from a single hit. Want to prove that .45 is ineffective? There are stories of guys taking a .45 to the head and it glancing off the forehead. The problem that most internet ballisticians don’t understand is that these are anecdotes, and that just because situation x produced result y in this particular shooting does not mean it’s a typical scenario.
This is why we have ballistic testing in the first place. Proper ballistic testing has produced service caliber rounds that are designed to work in the majority of situations. We have a problem of imagining that a self-defense situation is going to be a certain way, and for some reason that imaginary fight that everyone is planning for involves an unobstructed frontal thoracic cavity shot. Yes, birdshot can incapacitate an attacker, and yes a .22 can penetrate deep enough to hit vital organs. No, there is no major terminal ballistic difference between a 9mm, a .45, or a .40; pick whatever you like most and shoot it.
The reason professionals use the rounds they use is because they’re designed to offer the best possible performance assuming the worst possible set of circumstances. That’s why cops don’t use birdshot in their shotguns, and it’s why by and large most SWAT teams use 5.56 carbines now. I hate to drift into the “appeal to authority” territory here, but there are times when it pays to look at the gear the pros use. The elite LE units generally pick their gear for a reason, and you won’t see birdshot in a SWAT team shotgun; you don’t see Marines forward deployed with .22 pistols either. Gunfights are all unique events. The best defense rounds are designed to work in the worst conditions of those events and still produce the best results on target.