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Recently, a news story broke about US weapon malfunctions during firefights in Afghanistan. For many, this was a chance to renew their attack on the supposedly faulty Colt M4s in use by our troops overseas. For others - mostly, the troops who had been overseas with the weapons - this was something to scratch their heads about. My experiences with issued Colt M4s, M16A2s and FN M16A4s were nothing short of stellar. Despite claims - mostly by the uninformed - of constant maintenance requirements, I only cleaned mine when the… Read More

After a comparison test I did between the American Defense and LaRue Tactical Aimpoint mounts, I was offered a free Bobro T&E mount by Primary Arms, a Bobro dealer. When I pulled the mount out of the box, I first noticed that the mount seemed exceptionally well machined, although the design initially appeared to be overly complex. There are a lot more screws and springs on this mount than either the ADM or LaRue, and in my experience, while such designs may initially appear to work well in the lab,… Read More

I enjoy teaching folks how to shoot, but in my experience, women make the best students. Besides being a welcome change from the grumpy old men I normally encounter at the range, women approach firearms differently than men. Even though a guy may have no hands-on firearms experience, he's probably seen action movies or gangster TV shows, and has incorrect ideas about weapons safety and handling. A lot of guys are out to show how cool they are at the range. Conversely, women don't have anything to prove. They know… Read More

Okay, if you've read some of my other posts, you'll know that I'm not the biggest fan of piston/op-rod conversions. But hey, if you've got a suppressed full auto rifle, you're getting closer to the zone of performance where the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Some folks may have seen the HK416 OTB test, where it outperforms the Colt M4 - and while that video may also have issues, they aren't as glaring as this one. The whole point of this test is to show that the barrel can be full… Read More

I've only got a little time here, but I wanted to debunk a portion of this show. I've never watched an episode on TV, but was shown a link to this episode as "proof" that the AK-47 is more reliable than the AR-15. The important stuff starts at around 27:45 or so. Well, there are a few glaring problems that a lot of people have probably already figured out. Here, we see both rifles with mud on their sides. Note the mud on the top cover of the AK and… Read More

Today I saw a bumper sticker that read, "If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention." I don't know if that person was a liberal who applied the sticker during the Bush administration, or a conservative who applied it after the election of President Obama. Either way, it's very applicable to our present times. Today the White House announced that it would move to slash the pay of executives at companies which accepted bailout money. "Fine, sure," you say. "Those AIG folks shouldn't have gotten those big bonuses." Well, that's… Read More

We've all heard that the M1 Garand is the "greatest battle implement ever devised", and many folks speak of it as if the weapon never malfunctioned. It's pointed to as an example of how a semiautomatic rifle with a piston and an op-rod is immune to external influences such as mud or dirt. Unfortunately, this article from 1941 tells us that that simply wasn't the case. One sentence accurately describes the testing: "Sum & substance of the findings was that the Garand was a fair-weather rifle." Roy Dunlap's book Ordnance… Read More

This article is intended for shooters who, like me, can't afford to shoot as much ammunition as they would like, or as much as they need in order to stay proficient. The answer isn't exactly a secret, but I thought I'd talk about it anyway. .22 Long Rifle ammunition has been in short supply over the past year or so, though it's starting to become available again. I buy the Federal 525rd bulk packs at Wal-Mart for around $13.50, and also the slightly more expensive ~300rd packs of Federal AutoMatch,… Read More

A few years ago, piston/op-rod conversions for AR-15s were all the rage. We were bombarded with propaganda about how unreliable the standard AR-15 was. We were led to believe that our rifles, which had worked just fine for years, were suddenly obsolete with the introduction of a spigot, op rod, and other parts to replace the gas tube, that we'd have the "reliability of an AK-47" as a result. Many conversions became available in a matter of months. And for a while, everything seemed fine. Until, that is, people started… Read More

I'm a big proponent of concealed carry. I carry everywhere that I legally can. However, I'm not of the opinion that simply carrying a gun means that I'm "covered", that I'm "safe". Yes, Rule 1 of a gunfight is "Bring a gun". However, my personal defense philosophy is based on the concept of avoiding, or reducing, confrontation. If you haven't heard the phrase "the mind is the final weapon", you need to start wrapping your head around it. Your mindset will mean the difference between success and failure in a… Read More