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Whenever the subject of home defense, patrol/duty, or "SHTF" comes up on various forums, a line is drawn in the sands of the internet. On one side are the KISS (Keep It Simple and Stupid or Keep It Simple, Stupid!) aficionados, the guys who feel that anything that uses batteries or has glass does not belong on their weapon. Beyond that, the definition is hard to pin down, because some like lightweight carbines, and others prefer 20" HBAR rifles. The one concession that most will make is that a sling… Read More

I'm going to be honest. If I had never been given a PWS muzzle device, I probably would never have bought one. "Nearly $100," I said. "What does it do that's worth $100? I thought the Smith Vortex was too expensive at $50." Well, I would soon find out. At the 2008 SAR West show, PWS was handing out their FSC 556 muzzle device like Halloween candy, so I gladly took one. Since then, I've fallen in love with it. I've moved it around between a half dozen rifles before… Read More

On the internet, the debate rages on. What is the debate? Well, it doesn't really matter. People will seemingly argue over anything - and I've been guilty of that myself. One of the more popular debates is weight. Proponents of lightweight rifles point to carbine courses where a heavy rifle can get tiring, and accessories that boost the weight of the rifle, meaning that starting with a lightweight carbine is better. Proponents of heavy rifles say that they work out a lot, and their grandfather carried a BAR while assaulting… Read More

If you've been using magazine fed weapons for a while, you've probably loaded quite a few magazines. Steel and aluminum AR-15 magazines are not very well known for being easy to load, and while mag loaders are available, I've never felt the need for one - I've just sucked it up and loaded mags the hard way. This product isn't new, but it does address this issue in a unique way. The Cammenga EasyMag, which is produced in Michigan, features a "sliding body" design that allows the user to slide… Read More

As you can see on this blog, some unknown hacker has done the world a favor by releasing emails and internal memos, among other documents, from a group that receives money from several world governments to do climate change research. I won't bother copying what the other blogger reported, but here's a nice quote from one of the emails: "I'€™ve just completed Mike'€™s Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) amd from 1961 for Keith'€™s to hide… Read More

I haven't posted anything in over a week, as I've been pretty busy. However, I've stayed on top of certain things. In the next few weeks I'll be doing .30 caliber AP projectiles vs. multi-hit Level IV plates - in accordance with NIJ test standards, or as much as I can realistically comply with them. Testing - Cammenga magazine testing, and more AR-15 dirt testing, including starting with the bolt locked to the rear. Gear - a "war belt" write up, and a more extensive review of an ALICE-frame compatible… Read More

Every month, MDTS puts out a short video. They've had good things to say in the other videos I've watched, but this month's video will help just about anyone. I've tried to get across similar points in my blog posts - mainly, avoid confrontation whenever possible, and pay attention to your surroundings - but this is an excellent description of a thought process that might one day save your life.

As some folks have learned the hard way, A.R.M.S. throw levers sometimes fail at inopportune moments. LaRue mounts, on the other hand, are well known for their return to zero qualities and toughness. In this video, I demonstrate the difference between the two. The A.R.M.S. throw lever fails after four hits, while the LaRue is damaged, but still fully functional. The sad part is, a lot of companies get suckered in to using A.R.M.S. mounts for their products - such as the EOTech 553 and Elcan Specter DR - when… Read More

We've all seen the Brinks home security ads. Now, they're operating as Broadview Security - but the ads remain the same. Here's an example. There are a lot of illogical things in the video - one of the biggest things that stands out to me is the fact that the criminal is brazen enough to kick in a door in the middle of the day, while people are at home - whether you're in the backyard or not, that type of criminal isn't going to run away when they hear… Read More

Today I received, by email, an interesting paper - from 1968 - which discusses DOD testing regarding materials to be used in the making of barrels for small arms. Before I go too far, we have to understand what a "small arm" is. To the military, this can be something which is quite a bit larger than what a civilian might encounter at a gun store or shooting range. This report was done at the request of the Air Force, which was interested in improved materials for minigun barrels up… Read More