5 years, 8 months ago
From Shooting Illustrated.
Hammer up, hammer down, round chambered, chamber empty.
I say however you wish. But the nice thing about a 1911 is that it has a safety. Because John Moses Browning. Because smart.
5 years, 8 months ago
Obviously we’re going to suggest no one take a firearm to a bus stop to pick up a child, but as far as criminal behavior, we can’t find a criminal violation,” said Chris Honeycutt with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office.
Ignoring the question whether it was wise to carry a rifle to a bus stop, the Sheriff’s office made the right call here. As we’ve seen before, North Carolina is an open carry state, and that includes any firearm.
I hope that North Carolina LEOs are finally learning this lesson. It’s damn well taken long enough.
5 years, 9 months ago
I get to proudly link David Codrea for this tip. It goes right along with the running gallery of the greats. I’m not sure what a “double barrel magazine extended clip” is, but I want one. I really, really want one. Because. Double barrel. Extended. A clip and magazine all in one. And all of it double, not single. The only thing better would be a triple barrel, automatic, high caliber, magazine extended clip. Somebody get to work on that.
Prior:
5 years, 9 months ago
This Magpul Extended Minute demonstrates what I find to be good practice. But you can always shoot in single action with the hammer cocked (even with DA revolvers), which gives you a trigger pull as light as a 1911.
5 years, 10 months ago
James is also an avid reloader. We had a good chuckle over the latest wonder rifle cartridge, the 6.5 Creedmoor. In 1896 the 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser was introduced to the shooting public. It was a smokeless powder cartridge. It became the most popular moose rife in Sweden and probably still is. When the .270 Winchester was introduced to the shooting public the date on the .270 was very close to the 6.5 x 55. In my teen years I wanted to get one but all that was available was war surplus.
Now comes the 6.5 Creedmoor which if you look closely at the 6.5 stats it is very close to the .270. I don’t remember the .270 ever being suggested as a 1,000-yard rifle. Don’t get me wrong, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a welcomed addition to the shooting community, but is the cost of the ammunition worth it? Next time you are at a retailer, check out the price of .270 ammunition compared to 6.5 Creedmoor ammo.
By the way, a friend of mine hunts with a 6.5, loves it, and has taken a monster Maine buck with it. As for me, when I am hunting in a rifle-authorized area, I will continue to use my .270.
There’s nothing wrong with either one, but remember, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a short action cartridge (based on the .308 case) while the .270 is a long action cartridge (based on the .30-06 case). That means the 6.5 Creedmoor is easier to deal with in semi-auto.
At any rate, I think he’s exaggerating the price of the 6.5 Creedmoor. There is a wider variability in prices for the 6.5, so for a 20-round box you can spend less than a dollar a round, but as much as $2 per round. On the other hand, pretty much all of the 6.5 is available for less than $1 per round if you buy in bulk through someone like Lucky Gunner.
5 years, 10 months ago
Via David Hardy, some useful tests on suppressors.
For our testing purposes, we used a *Larson Davis Model LxT1-QPR Sound Level Meter.
We recorded both suppressed and non-suppressed readings, using the z-weighting method of measuring high pressure levels. This method of measurement is also referred to as linear or unweighted.
Unweighted is a more accurate method of evaluating potential hearing damage and is the best method to use when testing firearms. MIL-STD 1474D is considered the military standard for measuring sound. Following these standards, we placed the microphone 1 meter to the left of the muzzle and 1.6 meters above the ground, with the microphone pointing upward, at a 90 degree angle to the bore. All testing was completed away from any reflecting surfaces, as to not negatively affect the audio readings.
We compared five of the most popular handgun and rifle calibers available on the market today, testing 30 different SKUs of ammunition in the process. Then, we test fired five rounds suppressed and three unsuppressed with each brand of ammo to find an average dB level.
[ … ]
Unsuppressed, we recorded an average of 166-171 dB for the 16″ and 20″ AR15 rifles. When shooting with a silencer, the levels come in at an average of 135-145dB. That’s an average reduction of 36dB between the unsuppressed and suppressed shots.
We observed a change of only 1-4dB between the two barrel lengths, both suppressed and unsuppressed.
Of all the rifle calibers tested, the loudest average unsuppressed measurement of 172.87 dB came from the 18” Ruger American Predator, firing .308 Win Federal Gold Medal Berger 185gr. OTM ammo. The same ammunition fired with a suppressor came in at an average of 148.4 dB.
[ … ]
We saw comparable results for 45 ACP as we did with 9mm. The average unsuppressed levels, which were some of the loudest results for the pistol calibers, came in at average of 165-167 dB, while the average suppressed levels came in 21-26 dB lower, ranging from 141-146 dB.
This is useful, but I do have one gripe with the data and the explanation. An unweighted measurement of sound is not the best or most useful for evaluating hearing damage, regardless of what their cited Mil Std does or doesn’t say.
OSHA uses A-weighting because that is the weighting that most closely approximates the effect of frequency differences on the ear. So does NIOSH, and ACGIH. That’s what the military should be doing.
5 years, 10 months ago
A very good and informative video, well worth the time.
5 years, 10 months ago
Savage Arms has been sold. Providing further news and perspective on this sale, American Rifleman.
More than a year after Vista Outdoor raised eyebrows by placing its Savage Arms business unit on the block, completion of the sale was announced July 8. Press releases from Vista listed the total purchase price as $170 million and said that the buyer—Long Range Acquisition LLC, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing—is a “group of investors headed by Savage President and CEO Al Kasper.”
When Vista’s intentions regarding Savage became known last spring, some pro-gun commentators reflexively feared that the Minnesota-based conglomerate was abandoning the firearm industry amid a wave of craven corporate virtue-signaling in the wake of the Parkland tragedy. As it turned out, the Savage divesture was part of a larger, ongoing strategy by Vista to reduce debt by selling assets outside of its core business of ammunition, optics and other shooting and hunting accessories. At the time, newly arrived Vista CEO Chris Metz told American Rifleman, “I’m a big believer that new products are the lifeblood of our industry, that the reason someone goes out and buys a new 20-gauge shotgun or .30-‘06 hunting rifle is probably not because they truly need one, but because whatever is new is news. All of our brands are vying for funds to feed product innovation. We sat down, took stock and strategically laid out which brands and which businesses we think we can invest in and grow.”
It makes no difference to me whether Savage Arms is owned by Vista Outdoor or someone else, as long as that someone else doesn’t do what was done to Remington (unload debt, suck off the resources via “financial engineering” tactics).
It sounds like this might be a good move if the Savage President and CEO heads the group, but we may have to wait and see.
I consider Savage to be one of the best large firearm manufacturers left. I’d like to see them stay strong.
