Category: Firearms

I guess this thought has been at the back of my mind for a while, I just hadn't voiced it. I recommend a number of different types of ammo for carry because 1) supply levels vary and 2) most modern defensive handgun loads from major manufacturers are really quite good and compare pretty well with one another. Segue to pretty photos... Yesterday I shot some HST in .40 and .45 underwater. The photos are pretty cool. I'm totally not done with this, by the way. As pretty as this stuff… Read More

I have started posting brief "thoughts" on the Vuurwapen Blog Facebook page relating to firearms, accessories, etc. Here are the first three from the last few weeks: Firearm Thoughts, 9/22/12: Muzzle Flash Firearm Thoughts, 9/16/12: Optic Quality Brief Firearm Thoughts, 9/13: Sig P228

Not the most exciting post I've ever made, but here's an update to my February 2012 post regarding which items I would buy in various categories. If I set out to buy one of the following, this is what I would look for as of September 2012. Some things have great alternatives that aren't listed and some things have great alternatives that are listed. Some things I've gotten for free and some things I haven't. Some things might be more or less than you need. But if you ask me… Read More

Look in any firearm magazine and you'll see either advertisements or articles informing you that a certain military unit or police agency uses certain firearms or gear. There are two messages here - first, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you; second, they are way better than you, so their decision making processes are infallible and you'd be an idiot to pick anything else. The truth is that my needs are not the same as, say, DEVGRU's needs. I don't live on an oil platform, so… Read More

I'm gonna try to keep this short, which for me is anything under 5000 words... I grow weary of people claiming that certain products or techniques were invented recently, and that much adulation and praise must be heaped upon those who "invented" them. In reality, there is only so much that can be done while shooting or designing things that shoot. This leads to overlap, current or historical. Take muzzle devices. The way some people tell it, the Battle Comp is the greatest thing ever. A few other companies came… Read More

I differentiate my Mustangs by color ("the silver one" or "the white one") or age ("the older one" or "the newer one"). Same with AR-15s - the spray painted one, the shiny one, etc. This AR-15, a Spike's midlength, I now refer to as "the burned one." It remains serviceable, reliable, and accurate, with the only parts replacement being a new top MOE handguard - the bottom remains the same. It's photographed here with the old handguard for...dramatic effect? Whenever I get some free time (probably sometime in 2014), I… Read More

Whenever I mention that I carry Glock pistols, I am asked what sort of modifications I have done to them - sights, trigger, grip reductions, and so on. When I say that my Glocks are entirely stock, more questions follow - most relating to the word "why." Glocks are similar to AR-15s in terms of popularity, and the number of companies offering every part imaginable for both platforms are too numerous to count. Many of these parts are intended to make the firearm more practical for real-world use, or so… Read More

Today I shot a Spike's Tactical midlength AR-15 until it caught fire. The MOE handguard caught fire, that is. I posted some photos on Facebook, and naturally, it garnered some attention. There were a number of comments about how MOE handguards suck, or plastic sucks, or that normal ARs suck. I am not very concerned about the lamentations of the ignorant, but I would like to address the comments about Magpul products from a quality standpoint. First, I've tested normal and MOE handguards, as well as KAC aluminum handguards, from… Read More

I was in a gun store a while back, trying and failing to find anything exciting, when a friend suggested I look at the new Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD. I thought it was a pretty good deal for a factory threaded .308, until I saw the engraving on the barrel. It said "Tactical Rifling." I handed the rifle back to my friend and moved on. Then I started thinking about what actually makes a "tactical rifle." Is it tactical if you engrave "tactical rifling" on the barrel? I don't… Read More

A friend of mine took an FAMAE SAF and basically modified it to be a lot like a pistol caliber 55X series Sig rifle. Here's a list of the modifications he made, which he said took about 50 hours over two years: New safety (original SIG Parts adapted) left and right hand use free floating barrel with flash hider adapted 553 4rail one piece toprail front and rearsight removed (that was a lot of work to grind it clean) the whole buttplate for the folding stock was removed an original SIG… Read More