If ever a gun said “yee-haw,” it is the new Petra 300 Norma from Falkor Defense. This new AR-style rifle is chambered for the powerful 300 Norma Magnum cartridge and has an effective range of one mile. Let me say that again: this gun can effectively hit targets at one mile.

For those of you that are not familiar with the 300 Norma Magnum, this is a powerful rifle round that was introduced about five years ago. In that time, the cartridge has met with approval from the long range shooting crowd due to its ability to deliver very good accuracy – and energy – at long ranges.

In fact, this cartridge does so well at extreme distances, it was selected by the US Special Operations Command (aka USSOCOM) for its Advanced Sniper Rifle cartridge. Based on the 338 Norma Magnum case, this necked-down round is not the same as the 308 Norma Magnum, and the two are not interchangeable.

Falkor Defense builds some great long range rifles, so this cartridge should perform exceptionally well in the Petra. Currently, the company builds a Patro rifle in 300 Win Mag, so it is a proven platform.

From the Petra, Falkor Defense is reporting 2,860 fps at the muzzle with a 230 grain Berger open tip match (OTM) bullet. At 1,500 yards, the same bullet can deliver more than 1,500 ft-lbs of energy. By way of comparison, a 55 grain 5.56 NATO round at 2,800 fps makes less than 960 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. 

Curious to know what that Berger is making at the muzzle? Nearly 4,200 ft-lbs of energy. That’s a lot of potential work.

With that kind of power, you might expect a lot of recoil. That’s understandable. However, Falkor Defense manages to keep the felt recoil down to that of a .308 Win. In my estimation, that is fairly impressive.

These guns come with a lifetime guarantee on the barrel, which is a fairly special bit of equipment on its own. Falkor Defense uses a Dracos StraightJacket composite barrel system, and the gun is guaranteed to shoot sub-MOA.

A gun of this nature is not cheap; no gun that is accurate at one mile is. The MSRP is $6,000.

Last June we posted a review of the Magpul Sand PMAG. In the article, I briefly went over the steps to dyeing a sand PMAG using Rit Dye. During that test, I noticed some colors did not turn out the same as what the bottle says it is supposed to be. So I decided to try every color and have a comprehensive color chart. I would not try mixing dyes or dipping a PMAG in different dyes to get different colors.  I reached out to Rit Dye and they sent us 25 bottles of their most popular colors for testing. This meant I had to raid the Gunmag Warehouse (no pun intended) for 25 Sand PMAGs. 

After a few stops, I found a bread pan that is just the right size for the PMAG. This way I won't need as much water. In order to stay consistent, I only used three capfuls of dye for every color. I used the same bent wire coat hanger to lower and raise the PMAGs into the dye. I decided to dip the PMAGs one minute at a time up to three minutes. Only a couple colors went on to five minutes.

Below are the results of the dyeing.

Black turned out a very dark blue compared to the factory black 40rd PMAG to the right.

BLACK

PEARL GREY

GOLDEN YELLOW

SUNSHINE ORANGE

The bottles look different but they are the same color. Not sure why the yellower bottle says "NEW".

 HARVEST

 CAMEL

APPLE GREEN

TAUPE

As you can see, taupe does not come out as you hope or expect.  In my previous attempt, it turned green on me.

DARK GREEN

EMERALD

TEAL

KELLY GREEN

Kelly Green is another color that does not turn out as you would expect.

AQUAMARINE

ENAMEL BLUE

NAVY BLUE

PURPLE

VIOLET

COCOA BROWN

WINE

CHERRY RED

SCARLET

FLAME

FUCHSIA

PINK

As you can see in the photos above Taupe, Kelly Green, Pearl Gray and Black do not turn out as expected.

I hope this has been helpful. A Tutorial Video will be coming soon showing every color seen here and how each mag was dyed.

Sturm, Ruger & Co. announced a trio of new bolt-action rifles in a line called the American Rimfire Target. As the name suggests, these guns are designed for rimfire cartridges and are available in the three most popular calibers: .22 LR, .22 WMR and .17 HMR.

These guns are built from the ground up for accuracy at both the range and in the field. The 18” bull barrels are cold hammer forged and threaded (1/2”-28 pattern) for the addition of a sound suppressor. From the factory, the rifles ship with a thread protecting cap. The company’s Power Bedding system ensures the barrel is free floating for maximum accuracy.

Standard on the new American Rimfire Target rifle is the relatively new Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger. This trigger system allows you to adjust the pull weight for your preferred break. The pull weight is adjustable from 3 to 5 pounds. 

On top, these rifles have a Picatinny rail for mounting a scope or other optic. You will need to install some kind of glass as these guns do not come with any sights.

Ruger elected to go with a black laminate stock that has sling swivels and an Alexander Henry forend. A rubber butt pad at the back of the stock absorbs what little recoil these rimfire rounds make. The barrel and receiver have a satin blued finish, which in my opinion, looks great with these stocks.

The .22 LR rifle uses standard 10/22 magazines and comes with a BX-1 10 round magazine standard. The .22 Magnum and .17 HMR rifles both ship with JMX-1 9 round magazines. All of the guns use the same style magazine release as what is found on the 10/22 rifle. Unloaded, the .22 caliber guns weigh 6.7 pounds while the .17 HMR is an additional tenth of a pound.

These rifles will carry a suggested retail price of $499 regardless of caliber. Ruger is already shipping these to dealers, so you should be able to find them in your local gun shop soon.

Bergara Rifles announced a new long gun for the new year. The B14 HMR is a Spanish rifle that is designed for the precision shooting needed in both competition and long range hunting.

At the heart of the B14 HMR is a machined mini chassis made of high strength 7075 T6 aluminum. This chassis allows each gun to be precisely bedded in the solid synthetic stock and keep the barrel free floated. Accuracy is very important to Bergara, and these guns have a sub 1 MOA guarantee when shooting at 100 yards with factory match ammunition. 

The B14 HMR will initially be available in both .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor. A 20” barrel with a 1:10” twist is standard for the .308, while the 6.5 Creedmoor gets a slightly longer 22” barrel with a faster 1:8” twist. Barrels are made by the company of 4140 CrMo steel and are vertically honed with button rifling. Barrels are threaded (5/8x24) for the addition of a suppressor or other muzzle device. A thread protector is included with the gun.

As I mentioned above, the B14 HMR uses a synthetic stock. The solid molded stock has a unique finish that uses multiple stages to complete. This multi part finish gives the stock a unique texture and provides a defense to the stock from all of the bumps and dings a working gun picks up in the field. 

The rear of the stock is adjustable for both length of pull and riser height. This should help shooters get the best fit to their body and put their eye in alignment with the scope. Both QD mounts and sling swivels are used on the stock to allow for the addition of slings and other accessories that use them.

As with many other precision bolt guns, the Bergara feeds from AICS style magazines and ships with a short action Magpul PMAG AICS magazine.

The suggested retail price of the B14 HMR is $1,150. 

Sturm, Ruger & Co. announced the company was adding a .45 ACP option to its newest compact pistol. 

Introduced about a year ago, the American Pistol line is a completely new pistol design for Ruger. The guns are striker fired with special attention given to the trigger pull. As with many of the modern guns, the grip frame is polymer with a wrap around system that allows the shooter to change the overall size of the grip to best fit his or her hand.

The compact version of the American Pistol rolled out about four months ago, and was offered only in 9mm. With this new handgun, Ruger added the .45 ACP cartridge.

New guns load 7 rounds in the flush fitting magazine and three more in the extended mag. Two magazines ship with each pistol: one of each capacity. I really like the magazines Ruger designed for these guns. The bodies are nickel-Teflon coated making them super slick when inserting or dropping from the gun. The Ruger American pistol .45 ACP 10-round magazine used in the full size pistols will fit in the compact guns.

Another feature I like about these pistols is that they have been specifically tested to run on a diet of +P ammunition. This means that, like many of the Ruger guns, they are going to be durable.

Capable of going toe-to-toe with any of the modern compact pistols, the new compact American Pistol is very affordable with a MSRP of only $579.

One thing of note is the lack of .40 S&W in the entire American Pistol line – both full size and compact. In recent years, the effectiveness of the .40 S&W cartridge has been called into question, with some studies showing it no more effective than a 9mm when using good quality defensive ammunition. Consequently, many shooting enthusiasts and police agencies are moving away from the heavier-recoiling .40 caliber round.

While Ruger has made no public statement regarding the possibility of adding a .40 S&W pistol to the line, it is not the only company to de-emphasize the round. For example, when Springfield Armory launched its XD-S line, it started in .45 ACP with a later addition of 9mm. It wasn’t until years later that the company added the .40 S&W, and I saw very little complaint about this.

Despite everyone advising me otherwise, my first rifle was a Yugoslavian Mauser chambered in 8mm Mauser. Between its steel butt pad, hard-to-see iron sights and hard-hitting cartridge, I probably couldn’t have chosen a worse first gun. Yes, it’s even worse than the Mosin Nagant for a first rifle, because at least the Mosin has affordable ammunition -7x57mm AKA 8mm Mauser ammo, ran me close to 50 cents a pop when I bought the rifle.

I enjoyed the hell out of shooting the old war horse, but I rarely hit what I was aiming for, and the defending blast and ass-kicking recoil gave me a terrible flinching habit for a while. This was impetus behind the purchase of my second rifle -the Ruger 10/22.

The most prolific civilian long arm ever built, the Ruger 10/22 has been the de-facto, ‘go-to first gun’ for countless thousands of shooters in the United States for decades. It has always been affordable and reliable enough for shooters new and old to sharpen their marksmanship skills with.

Though in the past few years this hasn’t been the case, due to panic buying and political upheaval. 

Hell, until very recently, much more cost-effective to purchase a 5.56mm carbine and practice with it, than a .22lr one. Because even if the price of the .22lr rifle itself was much cheaper, the cost of ammo and availability of that ammo made the centerfire carbine a more viable choice.

Now with prices falling, will SHOT show 2017 see the return of America’s most prolific plinker to the front stage of gun sales for Ruger and the forefront of aftermarket parts production?

Realistically, probably not. I think most gun makers and aftermarket parts builders expected the election to swing the other way. As such, they probably didn’t invest as much time and money into rimfire accessory production as anything that resembled a so-called, “assault weapon”.

That said, with the election firmly in favor of gun owners, I expect to see prices of .22lr ammo plummet, and numbers of .22lr guns and accessories to inversely skyrocket. Plus, hoarders who purchased tens if not hundreds of thousands of rounds of .22 rimfire ammo, will most likely wish for a gun to burn up some of their exhaustive stock.

Plus, if the Hearing Protection Act gets passed, the .22lr carbine’s ascension will be all but certain. There’s no better tool to learn marksmanship with, than a suppressed .22lr carbine. No recoil, little noise, and inexpensive ammunition – what’s not to love!?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see what SHOT Show 2017 holds in store for us this year.

Special thanks to www.SilencerShop.com for providing a Liberty Regulator suppressor for use on the Ruger-provided 10/22 takedown rifle in this article.

The Colt Delta Elite is one of those rare guns that is universally loved by gun nuts everywhere. It takes the smooth trigger, and God-tier ergonomics of the 1911, and pairs it with the hard-hitting 10mm cartridge.

The action under the hood is still the same swinging-link, locked lug action of Browning’s magnum opus, just reinforced to for the increased pressure levels of the 10mm round. The gun still features the iconic red delta triangle on the grips, but now features a railed dust cover for mounting lights, lasers or any other Picatinny accessory a shooter needs. Check out the press release below.

”WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (January 4, 2017) – Often considered the manufacturer that saved the 10mm round from obscurity in the 1980’s, Colt readies yet another offering in that powerful chambering with the new Delta Elite ® Rail Gun ®. Aimed toward the outdoorsman who requires a sidearm stout enough for midsized game who prefers the proven 1911 platform, the Delta Elite ® has always been a top choice.

With its recent redesign, it didn’t seem that the model could get any better, but Colt found a way to improve upon the design again by offering the Delta Elite ® with an accessory rail.

“The Delta Elite ® started its life as tactical option for 1911 enthusiasts who required more stopping power than your tradition .45 ACP,” said Justin Baldini, Product Director for Colt. “In that world, an accessory rail makes a lot of sense. What we’ve seen, though, is that this is a great platform for hunting pig or other medium sized game. In those types of scenarios, proper illumination is critical, so I think hunters will really appreciate the ability to add on their favorite rail-mounted lighting.”

In a nutshell, Colt is pushing the gun as a solid pig-hunting, man-stopping sidearm; two roles the gun and cartridge both excel at. As a fan of the 10mm, I personally can’t wait to get some trigger time on the new pistol at SHOT Show 2017 – who knows, maybe we’ll get a threaded version in the near future. Because the 10mm is no joke, so even if shooters don’t want to run a suppressor on the gun, a compensator would be a nice addition.

The new Colt Delta Elite Rail Gun retails for $1,299.00

In the middle of December I reported on the likely rumor of a new Smith & Wesson M&P pistol.  It is now confirmed that the popular M&P has been overhauled and is currently available at some dealers.  S&W is now sharing the details on their website.  Follow this link to read our original post on the M&P M2.0.

The New Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0

It now seems clear that the original thoughts on the upgrades are correct in that the new M&P will have a new aggressive grip texture, 4 back strap inserts for a wider fit profile, an improved trigger and a proprietary coating.

New Information

As the embargo has lifted more information has emerged some of it directly from Smith & Wesson.

On the M2.0 page of the manufacturers site the trigger is described as a, “New M&P M2.0 crisp trigger with lighter trigger pull.”  In addition, the trigger is said to have a noticeable reset that is both tactile and audible.  This is likely to appease many of the harshest M&P critics who complained of a gritty trigger in the original models.  It sounds to me like the M&P Pro trigger has simply become the standard.

One of the first things noted in the early images of the FDE M2.0 was a set of windows on the dustcover of the frame.  According to Smith, the odd cuts in the front of the frame show the new stainless steel chassis which is intended to add rigidity and reduce felt recoil.  Apparently this is also the location of the serial number on the new pistols.  I have always felt that the M&P was a smooth shooting gun and will be interested in comparing the performance of the two frames.

Magazine compatibility is one of the issues I have been wondering about.  Several folks that have had hands on time with the new semi auto from S&W have confirmed that the M2.0 will readily accept the M&P legacy magazines.  This is a solid reassurance that if you purchase new or used M&P magazines they will work with your new and improved handgun.

Final Thoughts

I own and enjoy shooting a original S&W M&P 9.  It is an easy gun to shoot both quickly and accurately.  It is good to see an established company like S&W listen to the market and work to make an already outstanding product even better.  If you are a fan of the M&P keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground.  If the gun remains as reliable as the original and delivers the promised improvements it may be a worthy investment or upgrade.

Recoil magazine broke the story three days ago, on the new Hudson H9, but it wasn’t until yesterday that the full details came out about the new automatic pistol.

At first glance, the new Hudson H9 looks like a 9mm 1911 with a more robust dust cover – one that lies almost flush with the bottom of the trigger guard. However, the trigger and lack of swinging, locking links suggests there’s more to it than that.

Despite its futuristic appearance, the Hudson H9 is built on a steel frame, and feeds from 15-round, stagger-column metal magazines. It’s an interesting choice in this era of polymer-framed firearms. But even that isn’t enough to make the weapon newsworthy, but the location of its recoil spring is.

That oversized dustcover area actually houses the short recoil spring for the H9. I can assume this is for two reasons.

First, by not housing the recoil spring and guide ride with the barrel, the slide itself can be shorter, which should result in a lower bore axis. The benefit of which is to reduce the amount of leverage or mechanical advantage the firearm’s recoil has over the shooter’s wrist.  – Think of it like using a short prybar instead of a long one, it takes tremendously more effort to pry open something if you choke up on the prybar.

The second reason is likely to lower the height of the recoil impulse to better align with the shooter’s arm/wrist – though this is not terribly different from the aforementioned reason.

Both of these are very valid improvements to the standard, short-recoil, locked breech automatic handgun design, but what will be interesting to see is whether or not shooters buy the improvements or not.

Stay tuned for more information and hopefully some trigger time on the H9 from SHOT Show 2017 Range Day.

As popular as the AR-15 rifle and its variants are, in my opinion, the platform has on major shortcoming.  Plain and simple, the gun is difficult to operate left handed.  Even some operations are difficult to complete right handed.

For example to lock the bolt to the rear, the shooter is forced to remove the hand from the firing position to lock the bolt to the rear.  In the case of dealing with a complex malfunction, this makes the gun more difficult to operate than I would like.

Patented Ambidextrous AR-15 Lower

Obviously, I’m not alone in my frustration with the manual of arms of the AR-15.  Today, American Defense Manufacturing announced that a US Patent has been awarded to the company for their fully ambidextrous  AR-15 UIC lower receiver.  UIC stands for Universal Improved Carbine and when it comes to complex manipulation it appears that the improved part is no joke.  The controls of the UIC are fully ambidextrous.  In addition to the standard bolt catch on the left side of the receiver, a right side bolt catch has been added.  The same is true for the magazine release in reverse with an additional left side mag release button.  In addition, American Defense Manufacturers offers their UIC lowers and complete rifles with an ambi safety selector and an ambidextrous charging handle.

Details on ADM’s UIC

ADM’s UIC Lower is machined from a 7075-T6 Aluminum billet and has an integrated competition style mag well with a 20 degree bevel for faster reloads and compatibility with a wide array of AR-15 magazines like Magpul’s PMags. The lower also has an enlarged trigger guard for use with gloved hands and in cold weather.

The UIC ambi lower is available in complete rifles, as upper and lower sets and as a lower only to fit whatever purpose you have.  In addition, American Defense Manufacturing will be releasing a new pistol caliber carbine model.  You know the big question I’m wondering is with the PCC take 9mm GLOCK mags???  Only time will tell!

California residents have some tough firearms laws to deal with, and they often get the short end of the stick when it comes to new firearm introductions. Bucking that unfortunate trend, TNW Firearms has a new rifle that might be of interest to our friends in the Golden State. Based on the original Aero Survival Rifle, this state compliant model makes it possible for California residents to own one of these popular guns, and do so without even a bullet button.

The ASR is available in five different calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG, .45 ACP and 10mm. The centerfire pistol rounds are fed from Glock pattern magazines. Magazine restrictions still apply in these states, while the style of the gun avoids classification as an “assault weapon.” Each gun ships with a single 10-round magazine. Additional Glock magazines can be bought here.

These rifles have a fixed Thorsden Stock without a traditional pistol grip and a barrel that lacks any features like threading that would allow for the addition of a sound suppressor to protect the shooter’s hearing. Barrels are 16.25” in length and can be removed for compact storage.

Designed as a survival gun, the ability to store in compact spaces, like under a seat in a small plane, can be critically important. Since the barrels are designed to easily detach, caliber changes are also very easy. Swap out the bolt and install the correct barrel, and you are now ready to shoot the new caliber. This could be especially interesting for anyone interested in both the .357 SIG and .40 S&W rounds as the two calibers use the same magazines.

Similar to an AR-style rifle, the ASR has a buffer tube and a magazine release on the right side of the gun. Also like an AR, the ASR has an upper and lower receiver. Both the upper and lower are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum rather than forged 7075-T6 that is commonly used in AR rifles. Unlike the typical AR, however, these rifles are blowback operated and use a cross bolt style safety. These guns weigh about 6.5 pounds unloaded.

The suggested retail price of these California Compliant ASRs is $829.99.

Inland Manufacturing was a division of General Motors that was originally started to produce wood-wrapped steering wheels for various GM vehicles.

When World War 2 started, GM converted the factory at Inland to produce M-1 carbines for the American Military, eventually churning out over two million examples.

After the war, Inland Mfg. returned to producing GM civilian products, but by 1989 had merged with other GM companies and became part of the Delphi Automotive Systems and leaving GM entirely in 1999.

A few years later, a small company in Ohio purchased the name, and started producing World War II-era firearms like the 1911 and the M1 carbine.

The latest product addition to their lineup, is a reproduction of the T-3 carbine, the T-30.

The original T-3 carbines were issued at the end of World War 2, and while some included a scope like the reproduction Hi-Lux included with the new Inland, they’re most well-known for being issued with a massive infrared night scope and equally enormous battery backpack.

According to the press release, the new T-30 was developed in response to buyers wanting an easy way to mount optics on their little Inland carbines – what’s cooler still, is that the new T-30 has a threaded muzzle – perfect for adding a sound suppressor.

This also means tactical shooters can attach a World War 2-style conical flash hider to their modern weapons, very cool. Look for more info on the new carbine next week when Inland Mfg. unveils all the details at SHOT Show 2017.

One of the main issues plaguing the CZ Scorpion Evo 3 is the stigma of fragile feed lips. While there has not been that many that have broken, there were enough to cast a shadow on the CZ Scorpion weapon. Many potential buyers changed their minds about getting one when they saw the complaints.

The issue of the cracking feed lips has been addressed by CZ-USA. They even offered to replace the broken magazines free of charge. And yet this stigma persists.

Well Prepper Gun Shop and Manticore Arms have collaborated to make a new polymer magazine with metal feed lips. Similar to Lancer magazines like those for the AR15 and MPX.

.300blk has been a very popular round these past few years. The cartridge has some fantastic ballistics and works very well supressed.  The best part is that you can use an AR15 magazine  to feed them and just use a .300blk upper on your existing AR15.

There has been an issue with using PMAGS and that is due to the shape and design of the .300blk cartridge. Your standard PMAG will most likely work for regular off the shelf .300blk ammo. However with the variety of bullet weights and lengths, often those special rounds don't play well in a regular PMAG.

So Magpul has made a new magazine to accomodate these different shapes. The new 300 B Gen3 M3 has a distinctive rib design to distinguish it visually and by touch from a standard 5.56 PMAG.

The central rib has been removed inside the magazine.

The 300 PMAG will retail for only $15.95. It will be available Spring 2017, according to Magpul's website.

For the past few years I have been working to set my oldest daughter up with a handgun she can fire independently.  It has been a struggle.

Before I share my thoughts, let me say that not every child is ready for shooting.  I understand that.  Some kids aren’t ready for the responsibility of handling a firearm.  On the other hand, some are.  The decision to allow your children to interact with and handle guns is a serious one and parents should undertake this decision with the care and consideration it deserves.  Actually shooting guns is another step in a serious direction.  If in doubt, consult a knowledgeable firearms professional and err on the side of caution.  We all have our strengths and areas where we need to improve and there is no shame in delaying your child’s entry into the world of guns.

My daughter, M let’s call her, has a responsible attitude.  She is respectful, follows directions, and has shown a very strong interest in guns from an early age.  I began teaching her how to deal with firearms at the age of two with the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program, followed by the rules of firearm safety that I use and that I teach my students.  She was a natural. By the time she was 3 my wife and I decided she was ready to fire her first, very carefully guided shots.

We selected a Savage Rascal in .22 lr and headed to the range.  She did a great job on that quick range trip and it was the first of many, but we soon ran into a problem.  Just like you and me, my daughter was bitten by the bug.  She really enjoyed shooting and was continually interested in shooting other guns.  The challenge we faced when she was 3 and continue to deal with even years later is her size.  M is a petite little bug.  She is responsible beyond her years and quite capable of learning, but getting that little finger on the trigger is a challenge not to mention the fact that the heft of many double action only triggers is currently an impossibility.  In her 5 years of shooting it hasn’t gotten much better.

Between her Rascal, a Ruger 10/22, and her Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22, she has three rifles that she can operate comfortably and confidently.  As she continues to shoot, however, she wants to broaden her horizons into handguns.  After several false starts, we have finally made some progress and have narrowed her first rim fire handgun down to a few options that might actually work for her.

 The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite

One of the most exciting choices available is in the new Ruger Mark IV .22/45 Lite.  Ruger’s 22/45 has a polymer grip frame and is equipped with an ambidextrous safety lever.  Even better is the aluminum receiver that is ventilated helping to make the pistol light weight and easy to shoot.

In addition, the fact that 22/45 is a Mark IV means that cleaning will now be easier than ever.  With a simple investment in a handgun and some 22/45 magazines, we could be off to the races!

I haven’t spent any considerable time with the Ruger Mark pistols and that makes the Ruger an option that adds something new to “our” collection.  That is never a bad thing.

 The Browning Buck Mark

Where the Ruger would be a new adventure, a Browning Buck Mark would be like a reunion with an old friend.  My first handgun was a Browning Buck Mark Target model and I put 10,000 rounds through her before I purchased my first centerfire handgun.  My Buck Mark is well worn, front heavy and as it is, unsuitable for her to shoot comfortably.  

This makes a Buck Mark Lite Flute URX an attractive option with it aluminum barrel.  Or, I could go the aftermarket route and outfit the original Browning frame with a Tactical Solutions Trail Lite 4” aluminum barrel.  The aluminum barrel improves the balance of the gun while at the same time helping to make the .22 more accurate.

With the addition of the Tactical Solutions barrel, she would have a light and handy gun ready for the range as we already have a compliment of Buck Mark mags ready to go.  Tempting indeed!

 A 1911-22lr Conversion

An option the is very appetizing to me is putting a converted 1911 into her hands.   There are a variety of .22 conversion kits available for 1911’s.  I happen to have a Marvel conversion kit.  The kit is accurate and reasonably reliable.  The best part is that I have an aluminum framed 1911 that makes the perfect low mass lower for my small daughter.

The only modification that might need to be made is a short reach, flat faced trigger to help her place her finger on the face of the trigger so that she can press it straight to the rear.

Magazines are readily available for .22 caliber 1911 conversions and these ProMag 22 magazines would make it easy to have plenty of loaded mags on hand so the shooting fun could continue with few interruptions.

 Final Thoughts

Whichever route we end up taking, we are in for a treat along the way.  There’s nothing better than a trip with your child to the range.  The conversations are wonderful, the responsibility is empowering for both parent and child and there are going to be some great lessons along the way.  Some of those lessons will probably even have to do with shooting!

If you have a child that is interested in shooting and you believe that they have the maturity level to treat firearms with the respect that they deserve, you might consider taking them to the range.  Finding competent instruction isn’t as difficult as you might think and the rewards that shooting can bring may be much more significant and far reaching than you ever imagined.

With the right rifles and handgun, shooting can be safe and enjoyable for any member of your family, maybe even your child.

In a shocking announcement, last Thursday, the US Army announced it had selected a winner of the Modular Handgun System competition. The announcement comes after numerous failed attempts to find a suitable replacement for aging stocks of M9 handguns currently in service.

The program was designed to address the shortcomings of the M9’s design, while simplifying supply and maintenance logistics.

SIG Sauer Inc. released the following statement in response to the announcement, which seemingly came as a surprise to them as well.

SIG SAUER, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Army has selected the SIG SAUER Model P320 to replace the M9 service pistol currently in use since the mid-1980’s. Released in 2014, the P320 is a polymer striker-fired pistol that has proven itself in both the United States and worldwide markets. The P320 is the first modular pistol with interchangeable grip modules that can also be adjusted in frame size and caliber by the operator. All pistols will be produced at the SIG SAUER facilities in New Hampshire.

The MHS Program provides for the delivery of both full size and compact P320’s, over a period of ten (10) years. All pistols will be configurable to receive silencers and will also include both standard and extended capacity magazines.
“I am tremendously proud of the Modular Handgun System Team,” said Army Acquisition Executive, Steffanie Easter in the release. “By maximizing full and open competition across our industry partners, we truly have optimized the private sector advancements in handguns, ammunition and magazines and the end result will ensure a decidedly superior weapon system for our warfighters.”

Ron Cohen, President and CEO of SIG SAUER, said “We are both humbled and proud that the P320 was selected by the U.S. Army as its weapon of choice. Securing this contract is a testimony to SIG SAUER employees and their commitment to innovation, quality and manufacturing the most reliable firearms in the world.”

Firearms aficionados, police and military equipment experts for decades have been calling for a striker-fired replacement for the M9. While the P320 is a critically-acclaimed design, most found the announcement surprising, expecting industry-dominator GLOCK to win said contract.

While the Army hasn’t revealed the official reasons for selecting the P320, it’s safe to assume the gun’s modularity was the deciding factor. More information on this development, when the Army makes a formal statement on the matter.

I have to be completely honest: I enjoy shooting the AR-15, but few new AR rifles excite me. Sure, there are neat additions to the AR world every year, but most are just minor upgrades or changes.

This year at the SHOT Show, there was one new series of AR-style rifles that did impress me: the Troy SOCC line. SOCC stands for Special Operations Compatible Carbine. It is no surprise, then, that the company began the development of these guns by talking to members of the US military's special operations community.

With feedback from some of the military's best shooters, the company set out to make a better AR. The result was the SOCC line of guns. All of these guns are chambered in 5.56 NATO. The full size SOCC gun is the Carbine. Besides the Carbine model, the company is also making PDW and CQB versions of the gun. Both of these are NFA items.

Carbine

The SOCC Carbine uses a 14.5" barrel with a pinned and welded Troy three-prong flash suppressor. Permanently attached, the flash suppressor has an integral sound suppressor mount. The Carbine is a non-NFA gun, meaning it will be available to most US citizens. Local laws may affect availability.

Surrounding the barrel is a SOCC BattleRail hand guard. This hand guard is sculpted inward toward the barrel. This makes the hand guard feel very thin in the support hand. It felt great to me. The BattleRail has M-LOK attachment points for adding accessories without the needless weight of a Picatinny rail system.

On back, Troy uses a SOCC Airborne stock. The Airborne is similar to the company's existing Tomahawk stock, but with a few changes. The guide rails are user configured in one of two ways. The first allows for the stock to have multiple adjustment positions. The second configuration allows the stock two lengths: fully open and completely collapsed.

The Airborne also has a 2" longer length of pull when extended. With the barrel, this gives the rifle an overall length of 30.5" - 34.5".

For the Airborne stock, Troy increased the strength of the system over that of the Tomahawk. I've not heard of any problems with the durability of the Tomahawk, but the Airborne is stronger.

Like the Tomahawk stock, the Airborne has an integrated cheek piece that I find superior to the guide rail only style used by other companies.

On these rifles, Troy changed the safety selector to include a 45˚ down bend to it. This small alteration improved my ability to operate it. Since the switch is ambidextrous, I was able to take it off of safe with my shooting hand thumb. To place it back on safe, I was able to quickly place the gun back on safe with my trigger finger.

Yes, I can perform the same functions with my thumb only. However, I found that being able to use both thumb and finger on opposite sides of the rifle made the process much quicker.

Troy did not skimp on the fire control group. Included as standard is the Geissele G2S trigger. The G2S trigger is a two stage trigger with a total pull weight of 4.5 pounds. It is not adjustable and is similar to the highly regarded Geissele SSA trigger

For these guns, Troy developed an ambidextrous SOCC charging handle. These are included as standard for all of the guns in the SOCC line.

Rounding out this gun is a set of SOCC folding sights. These sights are designed to be durable while maintaining an ultra low profile when folded.

CQB

The CQB has a 10.5" barrel with an unwelded three prong flash hider. Up front, a new SOCC MK18 BattleRail is used that matches the length of the barrel. It uses M-LOK attachment points.

Troy went with the Tomahawk (standard sized) stock on the back end. When collapsed, the gun has an overall length of only 25". With the stock collapsed, the gun will continue to function normally.

The Geissele G2S trigger and the SOCC ambidextrous charging handle are also used in this gun. The CQB comes with a Troy 30-round BattleMag.

PDW

For the smallest possible package, the PDW is the way to go in the SOCC line. This gun has a barrel length of 7.5", which is sure to make for spectacular fireballs when shooting normal 5.56 NATO ammo at night.

Troy equipped the PDW with its Tomahawk Short Stock. When the stock is collapsed, the gun is a mere 21" in length. Fully extended, the gun is still less than 26" in total length. The gun can fire from the collapsed position.

The short length makes this gun a candidate for any use where space is at a premium. Obvious uses for this gun would include personal protection details and for anyone working in and around vehicles.

As with the other guns in this line, the PDW is equipped with a new SOCC hand guard that has M-LOK attachment points. Instead of the three prong muzzle device used in the other guns, the PDW uses the Troy Claymore muzzle brake.

As with the other guns, the PDW is fitted with low profile sights, an ambidextrous charging handle and the SOCC ambidextrous safety selector.

Additional Thoughts

All of the guns in this line carry the same suggested retail price: $1,599. Checking the sample guns in the Troy booth, I was pleased with the quality of the builds. Everything seemed tight and built right. I mentioned previously that I like the new ambi safety selector. I also really like the Airborne stock used on the Carbine model. Outfit it with a Trijicon MRO or similar optic, and I would have a nearly perfect gun.

Unlike the approach Troy has taken in the past, all of the SOCC parts will be available for sale to the public. That means you will be able to equip your currently owned rifle with a SOCC BattleRail, safety selector or Airborne stock.

My defensive AR-15 is on duty for home defense 24/7 and I have it set up to work as efficiently as possible.  It has a fully loaded Magpul PMAG inserted and the bolt is closed on an empty chamber.  A Trijicon MRO sits on top and an Elzetta light is mounted on the left side toward the muzzle just behind a Great Lakes Tactical Commander Muzzle break.  The rifle also has an ambidextrous safety and a Magpul BAD Lever.

The BAD Lever is the part of my rifle that gets the most cheers and jeers for sure.  The Battery Assist Device attaches to the bolt catch paddle on the left side of the rifle and extends down the receiver and then through the trigger guard to the right side of the rifle.  It’s a bit ugly and it has lots of people worried when they see it on my gun.

Why BAD Levers have a bad reputation.

The bad reputation of the Battery Assist Device comes from the fact that it passes through the trigger guard and the idea that it encourages your trigger finger to do more than one thing.  I can see why folks are a bit worried about both these aspects of the bad lever.

When it comes to extra stuff in the trigger guard I’m generally not a big fan.  Extra stuff can lead to extra problems and when we are talking about the direct vicinity of the trigger, extra problems can be extra bad.  So keeping the trigger guard clear is a good idea unless there is a really good reason to clutter things up.  We will talk more about that in a bit.

Your trigger finger has an important job to do and this is the second big reason people get worked up about the BAD Lever.  You finger either needs to be pressing the trigger or not pressing the trigger and both of those tasks are critically important when they need to be done.  Adding any additional work to an already overworked and under compensated finger can be a bad deal.

And so, the bad rep of this little lever and those like it persists with little consideration for the upside of the BAD Lever.

So let’s explore that side of the argument.

Why I want a BAD Lever on my AR.

The reason is simple.  I want a bad lever to help me deal with complex malfunctions where the bolt needs to be locked to the rear.  If you have spent any time with the AR15 you probably know tow things;  

First, the gun (as cool as it is) isn’t quite as reliable as many of the defensive handguns we depend on.  It isn’t the malfunction machine that some clam it to be, but it isn’t as reliable as a top notch defensive handgun.

Second, the manual of arms can be a bit difficult to deal with especially when you have to lock the bolt to the rear.  With the standard set of AR controls your firing hand must come off the grip to either operate the charging handle or to manipulate the bolt catch.  It isn’t efficient and I don’t like it.  The BAD Lever, and other devices like it allow you to keep your primary hand on the fire controls of the rifle and lock the bolt to the rear.  That right there is the whole reason I have a Battery Assist Device on my rifle.

How I Use my BAD Lever.

The way I use it is simple.  Any time I need to lock my bolt to the rear, I use my trigger finger to press the BAD Lever up while I draw the charging handle to the rear.  This lock the bolt to the rear while keeping my firing hand in position on the rifle.  Some folks use the BAD lever to send the bolt home on a reload.  I don’t.  I don’t find the standard methods of releasing the bolts to be a problem.  The tool is simply for helping me to easily and quickly lock the bolt to the rear.

The fact that I only use the tool to lock the bolt to there rear means I only use it when I am not firing the gun.  This simplifies the work that my trigger finger has to do and only employs it when it isn’t getting ready to shoot.

Final Thoughts:

I recently wrote an article about the American Defense Manufacturing UIC Ambidextrous AR lower.  It would eliminate the need for a BAD Lever.  I don’t have one (yet) and I certainly think it is a more elegant solution.  At the same time.  The two products achieve the same goal.  They both improve the manual of arms used to operate the AR15.  It isn’t often that more hardware simplifies things, but, in my opinion, the BAD Lever and the UIC are tools that can really make the operation of our defensive rifles more simple.

What are your thoughts on the BAD Lever?

SilencerCo has announced the release of another threaded barrel.  This one is for the popular Smith & Wesson M&P Shield chambered in 9mm.

The barrel is made from 416R stainless steel and has a total length of 3.65 inches.  Its black Nitride coating protects which has a 1:10 right hand twist and is finished with a 1/2x28 threaded crown.  The barrel is a simple drop in adaptation to the 9mm Shield.  It retails for $220 and ships with a SilencerCo thread protector to keep the threads in good working order when accessories aren’t mounted.

This is an interesting move from SilencerCo as the Shield is a small handgun, however, the fact that there are more than 1 million M&P Shields in customers hands might shed a bit of light on the matter.

The Shield is a popular single stack concealed carry 9mm with its 8+1 magazine capacity.  The fact that it is easy to shoot and conceal, and is reasonably priced, supports this popularity.  As a result, there are plenty of accessories available for the single stack M&Ps.  Holsters and sights are the most common and there are even some performance enhancing products like the Plan B Magazine Base Pad.

The threaded barrel has an obvious use of mounting a suppressor or some type of muzzle brake, but in addition, this barrel could serve as a simple after-market option for folks that are looking to swap out a ported, Performance Center barrel. This would allow the user to have the lightened slide of the ported gun without the worries a ported gun can bring when it comes to self-defense.

Whether for practical use or for a bit of quiet fun, this new threaded barrel from SilencerCo is another strong indicator of the direction that the handgun market is headed.