Category: Firearms

High speed video of an AK-47 in 7.62x39 being fired, including a video of it without the top cover.

In this video, I describe how taking video of yourself shooting can be helpful to technique, and basic factors that relate to camera specifications.

In this video, it is fairly easy to see that both the Sig M400 and Sig 516 are cycling at approximately 830rpm and display a small amount of bolt bounce in stock configuration: Please see my previous SHOT high speed video post for more information. Unlike the video in that link, the rifles in today's post are being shot by the same person. Here's some of what I had to say in that previous article: The rate at which the bolt carrier assembly recoils rearward can have an effect on… Read More

Apologies for the poor video quality - I'm traveling with a laptop and a camera, no lighting equipment. I travel a lot, and sometimes this travel is by commercial airline. In this video, I share some of the federal regulations, airline policies, and general tips regarding the proper way to bring firearms with you when you travel by commercial air carrier. FAR 108.11 TSA Guidelines NRA Link with Airline Policies

I took two photographs of the RRA polymer 1911's guts at SHOT 2012. Here they are. According to the spec sheet, the "polymer frame body" will allow "interchangeable colors." The weight is listed as 2.04lbs. Polymer dust cover, trigger guard, and grip/magazine well, but the rails and guts are composed of a steel chassis. Doesn't appear to have a Swartz type firing pin safety.

I am privileged to have several gunsmith friends. When I say "gunsmith," I mean it in the truest sense. They don't play one on TV - they have no trouble finding good work in hard economic times, which should tell you something about their skills and abilities. From time to time, they turn out unique firearms that I had never even considered before. Of course, I don't see too many SIG 510s/Stgw57s to begin with, so that made these photos even more interesting to me. These are some Swiss Stgw57s… Read More

Back up iron sights, or BUIS, aren't very expensive compared to the cost of a rifle, but can add up to a few hundred dollars. Are they a worthy purchase, or is your money better spent elsewhere?

While at the range doing other stuff, I noticed that I was seeing a lot more muzzle flash because of the overcast conditions. Using the same ammunition (Prvi Partizan M855) in two different 16" barreled AR-15s, I was able to compare the performance of the Spike's Tactical Dynacomp and the Primary Weapons Systems TTO. The image below is representative of the amount of flash seen both with the naked eye and on video, though these are still photographs. Although there is a large difference, the amount of flash seen in… Read More

...and how powerful should your handgun ammunition be? Recently, I was doing some benchrest accuracy shooting at a local range. During a pause in the firing, I overheard some other shooters discussing some hand loaded ammunition one of them was testing in a small revolver. Although it sounded pretty ferocious from where I was sitting, one of the first comments I heard was how the shooter was able to "control" the heavy load. When I looked over, I could see that every shooter was in fact having extreme difficulty controlling… Read More

Ever since I first heard it a few years ago, I haven't liked the term "modern sporting rifle." I thought I'd let things play out before commenting (for the record, I don't really care what these rifles are called, as long as I can legally acquire and own them). It seems that I'm not alone, although the NSSF isn't terribly excited about the opinion of us bloggers. The NSSF invented the MSR campaign several years ago as a way to sell (literally and figuratively) the AR-15 and its derivatives to… Read More