FROM THE EDITORS OF GUN WORLD

SUMMER 2015
U.S. $8.99 DISPLAY UNTIL: 7/28/15

54

0 71658 03105 0
Engaged Media Inc.
 WILSON COMBAT PHOTO

SPECIAL SECTION
By Brad Fitzpatrick

18 CHOOSE 22 FIGHT- 26 A LIGHTER,

YOUR STOPPING HANDIER .308
WEAPONS POWER Wilson Combats new
This selection of new Weatherby ups the AR-10 is designed for
pistols, shotguns and ante with its tactical top performance.
rifles offers something pump and semi-auto
for every tactical shotguns. 28 MOSSBERG PRODUCT GUIDE
need. ADDS TO MVP 124 INEXPENSIVE UPGRADES
24 TACTICAL LINE Top tactical accessories
20 RIFLE OR Mossberg has and gear for under $100.
LONG-SLIDE HUNTER? expanded its line of By Sean Cooper
10, SINGLE- Barretts new 98B MVP rifles, and these
STACK 9 Fieldcraft is one gun versatile guns cover COLUMNS
Glock introduces that can perform the needs of most 6 EDITORIAL
two new pistols double duty. every shooter. 8 MEET THE WRITERS
and a versatile new 9 FIRST OBJECTIVE
optics system. 130 LAST PATROL

4 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 PG10

COVE R
ST O RY
EQUIPPED
TO SURVIVE
The militarization of police is good for
the safety of all. By Spiro Demetriadi

FEATURES
32 COUNTER 76 BRIGHT,
AMBUSH TACTICS COMPACT,
Stay alive with these key VERSATILE
awareness strategies. The EDC Tactical flashlight
By Abe Elias from HDS Systems is three
ways excellent.
38 ALL-TERRAIN By Steven Paul Barlow
READY
Five reasons why Madison 80 LONG GUNS,
Countys SOU can handle the SHORT BULLETS
mean streets, the back woods Pistol caliber carbines refuse to
and everything in between. die. By Richard Crays
By John McQuaid
86 THE L.A.W. IS
46 TAKE COVER! ON YOUR SIDE
The seven ways using it The Professional model from
properly can save your life. Legendary Arms Works is a
By Chuck Taylor precision rifle fit for duty or
sport. By Steven Paul Barlow
52 SEE INTO THE
NIGHT 92 PICK THE
Know how night vision optics PROPER AMMO
work and what to look for Handloaded ammo is great for
before you buy. By Abe Elias training, but stick to factory
loads for defense.
58 UNARMED By Chuck Taylor
DEFENSE
What do you do when the 98 A TACTICAL EDGE
ABOUT gunfight starts and you dont Heavy duty for on duty, these
THE COVER have your gun? three tools from Timberline
PHOTO BY By Richard Crays Knives definitely make the cut.
GUS ALONZO
DESIGN BY
By Steven Paul Barlow
ERIC KNAGG 64 AN OLYMPIC
THE MODEL
JASON DAVIS
HURDLE 104 USE ENOUGH
PISTOL: Salient Arms
The versatile new Olympic LIGHT
International Tier One Arms MPR 308-15 is the first Surefires new Wristlight is
Smith & Wesson M&P
in .45ACP .308 rifle to accept standard always there when you need
CARBINE: Colt Com- AR-15 uppers. it. By Pete Fosselman
mando with a Surefire
MINI suppressor and By Terrill Hoffman
3V Scout Light
110 BODACIOUS
HOLSTER AND
MAGAZINE POUCH: 70 A NATURAL BULLPUP
Griffon Industries
REFLEX The current incarnation of the
UNIFORM: CRYE The gun sight that irons out Steyr Aug might be the best.
Precision MULTICam
Black top and bottom the problems with police By Leroy Thompson
PLATE CARRIER: sidearms. By Mike Searson
JPC (Jumpable Plate
Carrier) 2.0 116 AWESOME NOW
KNIFE: Half Face
Blades CROW SCOUT
UPDATED
Model 17 rounds of furious firepower
HELMET: CRYE in the SRM Gen 2 shotgun.
Precision Air-Frame
By Richard Schutz

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 5

LETTER FROM THE

EDITOR
DONT EDITORIAL
Editorial Director: Jason Mulroney

HANDCUFF
Editor-in-Chief: Doug Jeffrey
Editor: Steven Paul Barlow
Managing Editor: Wendy Wilson
Senior Creative Director: Eric Knagg

OUR OFFICERS
BY STEVEN PAUL BARLOW
Art Director: Tracy Powell

CONTRIBUTORS
Sean Cooper, Richard Crays, Spiro Demetriadi, Abe Elias,
Brad Fitzpatrick, Pete Fosselman, Terrill Hoffman, John
McQuaid, Richard Schutz, Mike Searson, Chuck Taylor,
Leroy Thompson
ODAY, THE JOB OF THE POLICE OFFICER HAS NEVER

T BEEN MORE DANGEROUS.

Gone are the days when the common criminal was the only
concern. Now theres the threat from terrorists, religious fanat-
ics and mentally unstable attention-seekers all too willing to die just to
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Our police officers are sometimes hampered by elected officials and

DIRECT MARKETING GROUP
administrators influenced by political correctness, public ignorance and John Bartulin (866) 866-5146 ext. 2746
the fear of litigation. Its Tommy Mora (866) 866-5146 ext. 2093

increasingly difficult for an offi-

OPERATIONS
cer to make split-second, life-
Gus Alonzo: Newsstand Sales Manager
or-death decisions if theres Celia Merriday: Newsstand Analyst
the slightest hesitation to act Mohit Patel: Newsstand and Production Analyst
Shailesh Khandelwal: Senior Logistics & Facilities Manager
because of the real possibility
John Cabral: Creative Graphic Designer
of being reprimanded or sus-
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In this issue, Spiro Demetri- www.facebook.com/eembybeckett
THINKSTOCK

adi takes a look at what some www.facebook.com/TacticalWorldMagazine

are calling the militarization of Tactical World 2015 by Engaged Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
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police. The police have
always borrowed ideas on CUSTOMER SERVICE
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best training and the unending support they deserve. TW

The police have always borrowed ENGAGED MEDIA, INC.

on equipment and tactics from Nick Singh: Executive Director
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ilitary in order to more effectively This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the
understanding that information presented is from
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and safely perform their jobs. responsibility by Engaged Media, Inc. as to the legality,
completeness or technical accuracy.

6 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 5.11TACTICALFILMS PRESENTS AN ALWAYSBEREADY PRODUCTION RIDGELINEPANTS FEATURINGFLEX-TAC TECHNOLOGY

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MEET the
WRITERS
SEAN COOPER is a BRAD FITZPATRICK is RICHARD SCHUTZ is a
freelance writer based the author of five books lifelong hunting and
in Toronto, Canada. He and more than 300 firearms enthusiast with
writes on various topics, articles on firearms a background in
including firearms, the outdoors and and related topics. His latest book, mechanical engineering. He trains and
smart phones. The Handgun Buyer's Guide, will be competes on a regular basis in both
available through Skyhorse Publishing 3-gun tactical and pistol competitions.
RICHARD CRAYS has in 2015.
more than 35 years of MIKE SEARSON is a
law enforcement and PETE FOSSELMAN is Marine veteran who has
military experience in an outdoor writer with worked as a gunsmith,
weapons, tactics and training. He is now 41-plus years on the ballistician, consultant,
the Rocky Mountain Specialist for Pro- Los Angeles County author and instructor. He started his
Force Law Enforcement, focusing on Sheriffs Department in assignments writing career covering boxing and
equipment demonstrations and testing including custody, patrol, administrative, MMA. He played a shark attack victim,
new gear. risk management, internal affairs, detec- a.k.a. the man in multicam, in
tives and narcotics. Sharknado 2 in 2014.
SPIRO DEMETRIADI is
president of Triadi, Inc., TERRILL HOFFMAN is CHUCK TAYLOR is a
a company that special- a long-time gun decorated Vietnam Vet-
izes in customized solu- enthusiast, writer and eran, four-weapon
tions for military/law enforcement spe- photographer. He is Combat Master and an
cial operations units. His services also the consulting expert in SWAT, counter-insurgency and
include consulting on less lethal use of editor for Firepower magazine. counter-terrorist operations. He is a
force, night vision optics and low-light court-recognized expert witness. He
training, defensive tactics and emer- JOHN MCQUAID is a founded CTASAA, which trains military,
gency preparedness. police officer in Central law enforcement and security personnel.
New York. He is a New
ABE ELIAS is an out- York State certified LEROY THOMPSON has
door writer and a cus- firearms instructor and evidence techni- trained military and law
tom knife maker (Diving cian. He holds brown belts in taek- enforcement personnel
Sparrow Knife Works). wondo and Okinawan go-ju ryu karate. in VIP protection,
He has contract knife designs with hostage rescue and counterinsurgency.
Columbia River Knife and Tool, Colonial Hes written more than 50 books
Knife, Tops Knives and Boker Knives. on weapons and special ops and
approximately 3,000 articles.

8 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

FIRST OBJECTIVE

FIRST TO
ENTER
THROWBOT XT PROVIDES REAL-TIME VIDEO
AND AUDIO DURING TACTICAL OPERATIONS

A
RMED AND BARRICADED Throwbot XT. It is 8.2 inches long, 7.6
SUBJECTS, SUSPICIOUS inches wide, 4.5 inches high and is
PACKAGES THAT COULD BE shaped like a weightlifters dumbbell. It
BOMBS, SEARCHES FOR ESCAPEES, weighs just 1.2 pounds.
DRUG HOUSE RAIDS, AND EXECUTING To deploy the Throwbot, an officer
HIGH-RISK WARRANTS: THESE ARE tosses it into a breached door or open win-
SITUATIONS POLICE ENCOUNTER ALL dow. The company says it can be thrown
TOO OFTEN. up to 120 feet. With the handheld control
To complete their objectives safely and unit, an officer can manipulate the robot
successfully, it helps to get a closer look quietly through the environment, to watch
before entering an unknown building or and to listen, to search an area, clear rooms
other dangerous environment. and gather information.
Some special units deploy robots, if According to feedback the company has
they can afford them, to get close enough received, their robots are so small and quiet
to gather intelligence without endanger- that they often approach unnoticed.
ing officers. The trouble is that many of The Throwbot transmits real-time
these costly robots have to be trucked to video and audio up to 100 feet away. Its
the scene. They are cumbersome and the also equipped with an infrared optical
surrounding landscape often prevents system that automatically turns on in low More than 4500 Recon Robotics micro

them from getting close enough to the light situations. robots are in use by various police agen-

scene to be of much help. The unit can also be attached to the cies and military units around the world,

Recon Robotics, a Minnesota-based end of the available Recon Scout Search including our own FBI, U.S. Marshals, ATF

company started in 2007, has the Stick, which converts the robot into a and U.S. military.

solutions to those problems with their pole camera to look over walls and SWAT callouts can cost an agency

line of remote control micro robots that fences or to peek into attic crawl spaces. thousands of dollars. While the Throwbot

can be carried to the scene in a small The Throwbot XT operates on a XT sells for $13,950, that cost is often

backpack. rechargeable battery with a run time of offset because the information these

an hour. The transmitter can be set to dif- robots gather many times helps bring

MICRO ROBOTS ferent frequencies to allow for up to three standoffs to a more speedy and safe

The companys newest model is the units to work an area simultaneously. resolution. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 9

10 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
EQUIPPED TO
SURVIVE
THE MILITARIZATION OF POLICE IS
GOOD FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL
TEXT BY SPIRO DEMETRIADI / PHOTOS BY GUS ALONZO

HE MILITARIZATION OF

T POLICE HAS BECOME A

POPULAR SUBJECT LATELY.
In reality, it has been around for more
than 100 years, going back to the early
1900s when police departments had
armored vehicles and automatic weapons.
The threat to society back then was simi-
lar to what we have today. The only dif-
ference was the players.
To say that that the militarization of
police is a good thing is not to dismiss
the fears and concerns of those wor-
ried about a military state, but rather to
educate them and to clarify any mis-
perceptions.
We have to begin with the question,
Why? Why do our law enforcement
agencies need military equipment and
training? The simple answer is that
law enforcement officers need to have
the best gear and training to counter
any threat to the public that may arise.
Law enforcement special operations
units (a.k.a. SWAT) are what can be
considered the most militarized police
units in the United States. Uniformed
patrol officers today, however, are also
being better armed and trained and for
legitimate reasons.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 11

 PUTTING
FUGITIVES
BEHIND
BARS
In 2014, the U.S. Marshals Service
apprehended more than 33,000 federal
fugitives, clearing approximately
36,800 federal warrants.
Working with authorities at the fed-
eral, state and local levels, U.S. Mar-
shals-led fugitive task forces arrested
more than 71,000 state and local fugi-
tives, clearing 89,131 state and local
felony warrants.
Fugitives captured included career
criminals, such as murderers, sex
offenders, major drug kingpins, orga-
nized crime figures, gang members and
individuals wanted for high-profile
financial crimes.

some had access to 12-gauge shotguns

in the trunks of their patrol vehicles.
Those weapons were no match for
the caliber, range and accuracy of the
weapons the bank robbers had, which
included fully automatic AK-47 and M-
16 style assault rifles with high-capac-
ity magazines and ammo designed to
These days, a police ofcer you encounter might look more like this than one you
remember walking the beat or driving a patrol car. penetrate most vehicles.
On top of that, the robbers had full
body armor that protected them from
BETTER TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT more than 300 law enforcement offi- the low-caliber rounds being shot at
IS NECESSARY cers responded, both bank robbers them by the police. Some of the patrol
One of the most famous examples of were killed, and 11 police officers and officers at the scene went to a nearby
law enforcement officers not being seven civilians were injured, along gun shop to borrow AR-15 rifles that
adequately prepared to deal with a with various property damages. had the necessary firepower to deal
threat is the North Hollywood shootout It was estimated collectively, about with the threat. They evacuated
that took place in 1997. 2,000 rounds were exchanged in the wounded officers and civilians using
Two heavily armed and armored shootout. The patrol officers who first an armored truck that they comman-
bank robbers fought with police offi- engaged the robbers were armed with deered. Both gunmen were eventually
cers from various agencies. In the end, 9mm or .38 caliber handguns and killed at the scene.

12 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

REMINGTON
Specialized tac-
tics sometimes
call for special-
ized tools, in this
case a sniper out-
t complete with
Remington bolt
action rie.

It was this incident that sparked a

RECON ROBOTICS

new trend in U.S. law enforcement

where police patrol officers and not
just SWAT teams, have immediate
access to AR-15 style rifles and more
protective body armor that they now
keep in the trunks of their patrol cars.
Each agency has its own protocols as
to when patrol officers can deploy
those weapons, but the good thing is
that they are available should a threat
require it.

ACTIVE SHOOTER TACTICS CHANGE

Many active shooter incidents, in The latest advances in technology can help
police to save lives. Here a Throwbot XT
particular the Columbine High School micro robot gets a close look at a suspicious
package that could be a bomb.
massacre in 1999, and subsequent

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 13

 RECON ROBOTICS PHOTO
Another tool. The Throwbot XT micro robot
can be mounted as a pole camera to give
ofcers a safe peek over fences and into
attic crawl spaces.

14 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Its not your old fashioned police service revolver. An AR rie, this one with a Pulsar night
vision scope, is necessary equipment for some police units who must handle the
increased threats in todays society.

WHAT IS THE
SECTION 1033 shootings thereafter, also changed
police response tactics. Back then, it
9/11 BRINGS MORE CHANGES
It is interesting to note that after the
PROGRAM? was common to barricade suspects and 9/11 terrorist attacks, as tactics and
Where do police departments get wait for a SWAT team to show up. weapons were concerned, the lines
some of their military equipment? Lessons learned were that the longer were blurred between what were tra-
In the National Defense Authorization you wait, the more death and destruc- ditional roles of our military and U.S.
Act for Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991, Con- tion occurs. Today, patrol officers dont law enforcement.
gress authorized the transfer of excess wait for SWAT. They go in immediately Our military was geared up and
Department of Defense personal property to find and neutralize the active trained for full-on combat that still had
to federal and state agencies for use in shooter threat. This also means that its influences from the Cold War and
counter-drug activities. they have to be trained and armed Vietnam. Law enforcement agencies
Congress later passed the National with the proper weapons to deal with did not have such as big concern that
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year most threats that they may encounter. terrorists would cause mass casualties
1997. This act allows all law enforce- In the summer of 2014, a suspect and destruction.
ment agencies to acquire property for armed with an AK-47 and a 100-round After the attacks, the U.S. military
bona fide law enforcement purposes that drum magazine, unloaded 7.62x39 found itself in a new type of war:
assist in their arrest and apprehension rounds upon the LAPD SWAT team in urban warfare against an enemy with-
mission. Preference is given to counter- downtown Los Angeles. He refused to out uniforms. Our military became in
drug and counter-terrorism requests. surrender and they unfortunately had some respects police-itized. They had
More than 8,000 federal and state law to kill him. A second suspect surren- to adapt quickly and learn how to
enforcement agencies from all 50 states dered. apply policing tactics in Iraq and
and the U.S. territories participate in the This incident could have been far Afghanistan.
program. Property acquired includes more deadly if the police did not have Our Soldiers and Marines were
ammunition, armored vehicles, night a Bear Cat armored vehicle that took patrolling the streets among civilian
vision goggles, body armor, firearms but the brunt of shots fired at the officers. populations. They had to use extreme
also office equipment such as copiers and A regular police car would have been restraint to not use unnecessary lethal
fax machines. ripped apart by those rounds. force because the very people they

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 15

 From the turret of an
armored Humvee, this ofcer

BY THE is capable to disabling a

vehicle engine block with his

NUMBERS .338 Lapua sniper rie.

POLICING IS A
DANGEROUS JOB

49,851 The number of officers

who were victims of line-of-duty
assaults in 2013

29.2 In percentages, the number

of officers who were injured

31.2 The largest percentage were

assaulted while responding to
ATN

disturbance calls

79.8 Assailants used personal

weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) in
this percentage of the incidents

4.5 Firearms were used in this

percentage of the incidents

1.8 Knives and other cutting

instruments were used in this per-
centage of the incidents

13.9 Other types of dangerous Many critical situations occur in low light. A Kevlar helmet equipped with night
weapons were used in this percent- vision optics is one important tool special police units now have available.

age of assaults

were there to liberate could not view officer may have to be a doctor and
76 In 2013, the number of law
them as aggressors. deliver a baby or apply CPR. They
enforcement officers who were killed
have to be a family marriage coun-
in the line of duty
UNDERSTANDING A POLICE selor to deal with a domestic dispute.
OFFICERS JOB They may need to be a mental health
27 Of that death total, the number
The public needs to have a more of expert to deal with a mentally unsta-
of officers who died as a result of
an understanding of what law ble individual who may or may not be
felonious acts (mostly firearms)
enforcement officers go through daily a threat to themselves or others (or
and what they do for us. We need to even more challenging determine if
49 The number of officers who
be a little more appreciative of the they are mentally challenged versus a
died in accidents
sometimes impossible circumstances criminal who wants to do them
that law enforcement officers harm.)
FBI statistics
routinely find themselves. They may need to be the politician,
Within any given day, a police walking the beat and interacting with

16 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

THEY SAID IT

Police need the right
equipment for when a threat
comes up. The same people cry-
play around. They are very well
armed and trained. In order to
protect the public, we must be
Law enforcement officers
should have the best gear and
training. Cops should not be
Police have always been
so called militarized. Look back
at images of the 1900s and you
ing that we should not give the equipped and trained better outgunned and, at the same will see police departments
best gear and training to our than the criminals and believe time, they should be approach- using submachine guns and
police could be the same people me, they arent restricted to the able by the public to have a armored vehicles because back
praying for help from the police types of weapons they use conversation. The deployment then, like today, there were
by an active shooter in a mall. against us. Mel Nuestro, of full tactical gear, including threats that sometime require
GL, owner of a company that Deputy U.S. Marshal (RET) armored vehicles, should be this type of equipment. There
sells tactical gear and weapons used judiciously. David will be grave consequences for
to police

Targeted violence against

law enforcement is increasing.
Demurjian, Demurjian Law
Group, Use of Force Expert
our society if we try to take
away law enforcement agen-

The threats we face are

very real and we need to have
adequate gear to deal with
Officers have been sought and
killed more in 2014 than ever
before. When officers of the law
A lot of the tools that our
SWAT team uses are specialized
cies capabilities to adequately
counter the threats that exist.
FC, law enforcement officer in
them. Federal Agent from leave home to go to work, their and they are designed to protect Texas
Texas spouses and children pray that our law enforcement officers in
they come back alive and in one the line of duty so that we can

They (the critics) are so

uninformed and are making
quick judgments. In my career, I
piece. Local law enforcement is
the front line in our nations secu-
rity. Expecting them to protect us
in turn protect the citizens in
our community. We are not try-
ing to become the military.
have been involved in hunting from extreme violence without the Member of a county sheriffs
down hundreds of the most necessary equipment is unrealis- department in California
wanted fugitives. These crimi- tic. Alon Stivi, President of
nals and terrorists are a very Direct Measures International and
real threat to society. They dont Counterterrorism Expert

the public and hearing their concerns an armed and trained active shooter, taken a weekly mission that involves
that may or may not have anything gang member, drug dealer or terrorist them potentially losing their life, he
to do with their law enforcement who wants to kill them and others. said. If they are able to make it
responsibilities. Yet, with all these challenging sce- through the violence that they may
They may be deployed to a riot narios, these officers are expected to encounter, there is a possibility they
one day and may be charitable with never make a mistake or appear to may be prosecuted, sent to prison
their own money to buy groceries to make a mistake because if they do, and sued for something they may
feed a family in need the next. They they are pounced on and hyper-ana- have done while on duty. And the
may need to help a homeless person lyzed by the media and certain mem- amount of money they are paid to
get off the cold streets into a shelter. bers of the public. take on this potentially fatal task is
They may need to be a racecar driver Use of Force Expert and Attorney meager compared to the risk they
to chase down a crazed suspect dri- David Demurjian summarized the law are exposed to. That is basically
ving at high speeds on and off the enforcement mission well: Law the synopsis of the law enforcement
freeway. They may need to engage enforcement officers have under- mission. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 17

CHOOSE
YOUR
WEAPONS
NEW PISTOLS,
SHOTGUNS
AND RIFLES
THAT OFFER
SOMETHING
FOR EVERY
TACTICAL NEED
STORIES BY BRAD FITZPATRICK
WILSON COMBAT

18 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

W
HATS YOUR WEAPON
OF CHOICE?
Is it a slim handgun for
concealed carry or some-
thing more powerful for use at longer
ranges in remote areas? Do you prefer
an all-purpose bolt action rifle or
would you rather have something more
for long-range tactical applications?
Maybe an AR-10 style rifle in .308 is
more to your liking. Or could it be that
you just need an economical defensive
shotgun?
In this special section, our expert
Brad Fitzpatrick covers all of those
bases when he takes a look at some of
the more interesting new tactical
weapons on the market.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 19

NEW
GUNS

LONG-SLIDE 10,
SINGLE-STACK 9
GLOCK INTRODUCES TWO NEW PISTOLS
AND A VERSATILE NEW OPTICS SYSTEM
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GLOCK

G
LOCK INTRODUCED TWO new guns sight radius (8.19 inches 10mm fodder on tap means youve got
NEW PISTOLS THIS YEAR versus 6.77 for the G20), promoting plenty of knockdown power for stop-
AND THESE GUNS HAVE better accuracy. The added length also ping bears or bad guys, but the G40 is
VERY DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES. allows you to wring out the most surprisingly comfortable to shoot.
velocity from 10mm hunting loads. The G40 also features Glocks new
GLOCK 40 As a tactical firearm, it provides more Modular Optic System (MOS) that Ill
The first, the Glock 40 Gen 4, is the energy than needed, but with lighter discuss here in a moment. MSRP for the
biggest gun that Glock has ever made. 10mm auto loads that are closer to .40 G40 is just under $700.
Previously, the most powerful Glock S&W, it would make a very good tacti-
was the G20 in 10mm, but this year cal gun with substantial knockdown GLOCK 43
the company unveiled its long-slide power. The other new Glock that debuted this
10mm auto, the G40. Unloaded, the gun weighs just over year, the G43, has a very different char-
It comes with a 6.02-inch barrel, 28 ounces and, with a full stack of acter than its larger cousin. The G43 is
better for controlling muzzle flip than 10mm loads in the magazine (thats Glocks first single-stack 9mm pistol,
the G20s 4.6-inch pipe. That addi- 15+1), it weighs just a bit over 40 designed primarily for the massive (and
tional barrel length also adds to the ounces. Having 16 rounds of full-power still growing) concealed carry market.

20 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Unlike previous 9mm Glocks, the 43 is
a very slim gun that fits in an IWB holster
or an ankle rig with ease. The G43 is
indeed slim: At its widest point on the
frame it measures just around an inch and
the slide is just .87 inches wide.
It has a 3.39 inch barrel and an The new Glock 43 is a
overall length of just 6.26 inches and, single-stack 9mm
semi-auto pistol with
when fully loaded, it still weighs 6 6+1 capacity. Its
ounces less than the Model 40 does Glocks smallest 9mm
pistol to date.
empty. That demure size makes this a
gun that will fit just about anywhere.
Magazine capacity is 6+1, on par
with most compact carry pistols and
perfect for most carry situations. But
the G43 is all Glock, and just because
its smaller doesnt mean it suffers from For years, competitive shooters as
inferior build quality or cheap materi- well as a growing number of tactical
als. Its still got the pointability, relia- and defensive shooters have asked for
bility, short-reset trigger and additional an easy system upon which to mount Point, Trijicon RMR and others.
safety features that youd expect from a optics on pistols. The bases are held in place by
larger Glock. The rise in the popularity of reflex screws. Theres also a cover plate to fill
And, like other Glocks, its got a poly- and red dot sights over the last decade the cutout when no optic is being used.
mer frame thats impervious to the ele- has created a jump in the number of Its easy to swap from iron sights to an
ments and has a Tenifer steel slide that is models available, but many of these optic and back again, so theres an
protected against corrosion. Thats very models required gunsmithing to install application for law enforcement as
important on this model because most or removal of the rear sight. well.
buyers will own a G43 with plans to keep Because red dot and reflex sights Today, however, the MOS system
it close to their bodies as a concealed offer an advantage to competitive allows shooters to secure their sight to
carry weapon, and that kind of daily carry shooters, it was desirable for them to the gun using screws and remove it
results in a whole bunch of perspiration have optics mounted on their guns. just as quickly. Its an innovative and
coating the gun. Even though were Previously, that often meant special convenient design, and one that adds
oftentimes not aware of it were con- mounting brackets, extra (and often- versatility to your Glock pistol.
stantly sweating, and cheap finishes cant times expensive) hardware, voided According to Glock vice president
handle that. The Glocks tough exterior warranties and no hope of finding a Josh Dorsey, the new MOS will be
coating has no problem. MSRP for the standard holster that fit properly. offered on the G34 Gen4, G35 Gen4
G43 is $580. Thats no longer the case with the and G41 Gen4 and the new G40 Gen4
introduction of Glocks new MOS, or pistols. TW
MODULAR OPTIC SYSTEM Modular Optic System. The concept is
Another new product that Glock relatively simple: On the top rear portion
introduced this year was one of the of the slide just in front of the rear sight, CONTACT
brands most innovative features since theres a cutout that accommodates four For more information on the G40 and
they launched their first polymer pistol different plates that correspond to popu- G43 pistols and the Modular Optic
lar sights, including the Leupold Delta System, contact Glock,
in the 1980s.
www.glock.com.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 21

 NEW GUNS
FIGHT-STOPPING
POWER
WEATHERBY UPS THE ANTE WITH THEIR
TACTICAL PUMP AND SEMI-AUTO SHOTGUNS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WEATHERBY

Y
OU MAY NOT HAVE with all the extras and features
CONNECTED THE DOTS, you would expect.
BUT YOU SHOULD.
Weatherby is one of the major Ameri- THE WEATHERBY PUMP
can firearms manufacturers, but its not The PA (Pump Action) line of 459
a brand that you might immediately tactical 8-round (7+1) shotguns
associate with tactical shotguns. comes in three different styles: a
In fact, many shooters dont think basic black version, one with a
of shotguns at all when they hear the Proveil Reaper Black pattern stock
name Weatherby because the brand and forearm, and a digital camo ver-
is best known for producing high-end sion that would double nicely as a
bolt rifles and ultra-velocity car- varmint and turkey gun where legal.
tridges. In truth, Weatherby has been All three guns have a 7-shot tube
selling shotguns for more than 50 (6 for 3-inch magnums) and a top rail
years, and many of its scattergun for mounting optics. If you choose to
designs are now classics. go without an optic, Weatherby has
A few years ago, Weatherby added a tough new ghost ring rear
launched its PA-459 and SA-459 sight and fiber optic front. In addition,
shotguns, which were pump action the underside of the forearm has a
and semi-auto (respectively) guns rail molded into the synthetic stock so
with a tactical slant that were you can easily mount a light or laser.
made in Turkey. But they still had The forearm of the PA-459 TR is
5-shot capacities, while most other elongated and features a textured
serious tactical guns had higher grip surface and full-length finger
capacities. groove, so its easy to shuck empties
The Weatherby
For 2015, Weatherby is upping the out and chamber new rounds with SA-459 is a
capacity on its 459 line of guns and confidence. No matter where you tactical semi-
auto shotgun
making it very clear that the company grab under the magazine tube, youre that offers a
good selection
plans on not just offering tactical- going to land on a gripping surface. of features at a
looking field guns, but rather legiti- This extended forearm also has an reasonable
price.
mate defensive and tactical shotguns additional advantage: The slide arms

22 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 The Weatherby PA-459 is a newly updated pump action shotgun
with 7+1 capacity, ghost ring sights and accessory rails.

WHAT DO
are protected from objects that might
slide between the tube and the arm
basic concept of the pump version, but
it is a gas-operated semi-automatic.
THEY COST?
and impede cycling of the action. Think That gas operation softens the punch As tactical guns go, the new

it wont happen? It did to me, and of recoil by spreading out the impact Weatherby guns have the goods.

while it was a hunting situation (a period, so youll notice a softer push Theyre loaded with features and yet

dead limb from a locust tree became with the SA version. they are still affordably priced. The

wedged behind the action arm) it offers Like the PA, it has a lightweight but black PA-459 has an MSRP of $599,

peace of mind knowing that cycling durable injection molded stock (black the two camo versions cost about $50

will not be impeded. only in the SA) and a soft recoil pad more. The 8-shot SA-459 TR semi-

The PA-459 is a short, handy gun, and pistol grip that make it an easy auto has an MSRP of $849, still a

perfect for defensive work. It weighs gun to cling to when firing. It also great bargain for such a versatile

just 6 pounds, but the soft recoil pad comes with a cylinder choke tube and tactical shotgun.

absorbs much of the recoil and the chrome-lined bores, and the SA has a For more information visit

angled stock means the gun rocks on large bolt handle and bolt release but- Weatherbys website at

your shoulder rather than punching ton. It has the same short 13 length www.weatherby.com or call

straight back. of pull. (800) 227-2016.

The soft pistol grip provides a secure For mounting accessories, it has a
and comfortable hold and a firm plat- Picatinny rail on the bottom of the fore-
form for shooting, and the crossbolt arm as well as a side-mounted rail Weatherby, executive vice president/chief
safety is located just behind the trigger between the barrel and the tube. And, operating officer. Because dependability
guard. The action release is located in like the pump, it has an LPA-style is so important for these shotguns, they
front of the trigger, and it is easy to ghost ring rear and fiber optic front are endurance tested and field proven in
access and has a large enough pad sight for rapid target acquisition. accordance with our rigorous standards.
that you can cycle the action without Theres also plenty of room on the Having shot both the pump and
having to fumble for the button. standard top rail for mounting optics. semi-auto Weatherby shotguns, I must
With an 18 inch barrel the Weath- The Weatherby gas-operated semi- say that Ive been impressed with the
erby has an overall length of just 38 auto line has been on the market for craftsmanship that goes into these
inches, making it ideal for just about years, and the design is robust and guns, and the 8-shot version are no
anything youd use an 8-shot 12 gauge reliable. different.
for, whether thats home defensive, Our PA-459 TR and SA-459 TR shot- Whether you shoot competitive 3-
police work, 3-gun competition or guns are designed for threat response in gun, carry a shotgun on duty or rely on
defense in bear country. close quarters and home defense scenar- a scattergun to protect your home and
ios, and with the larger magazine capac- your family, the new 8-shot models
THE WEATHERBY SEMI ity, they become an even better option for from Weatherby offer a lot of gun for
The SA-459 TR utilizes the same three-gun competitors, says Adam the money. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 23

 NEW TACTICAL
GUNS
RIFLE OR
HUNTER?
BARRETTS NEW 98B
FIELDCRAFT IS ONE GUN
THAT CAN PERFORM
DOUBLE DUTY
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARRETT
BARRETT FIREARMS PHOTO

24 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

T
HERE ARE LOTS OF NEW rifle firmly on branches and rocks without This allows for faster follow-up shots
TACTICAL GUNS ON THE a bipod. and helps maintain a sight picture, an
MARKET. The 24-inch black stainless barrel is a engineering cue from the world of preci-
Some are from companies with a long much lighter profile than on other Barrett sion military bolt actions.
history of producing tactical firearms, but rifles, but its still right to get good velocity The muzzle is threaded. On the range,
many of these new guns come from out of the available chamberings. you can place a brake on the end of the
brands historically associated with hunt- Theres a Picatinny rail on the stock rifle for some low-recoil practice. When
ing firearms. where the rear sling stud would normally youre in the field, you can opt to mount a
Ithaca, for example, rolled out a new be found, which offers plenty of mounting suppressor to help minimize muzzle blast.
long range tactical rifle thats a far cry option for monopods. The stock has an There are a variety of chassis finishes
from the brands classic pump shotguns. adjustable cheekpiece that can be easily to choose from, including burnt bronze,
Other companies have modified their field fitted to a shooters stance and facial pro- which is exclusive to the Fieldcraft rifle.
guns to serve as tactical firearms. file. All thats required to change the And at nine pounds, the Fieldcraft is
Fewer companies have developed their comb height is to loosen the knob on the both portable enough to carry in the field
tactical guns into hunting rifles. Barrett is side and move it up or down as needed. and heavy enough to seriously dampen
one of those companies. Their lineup of The bolt area is fully enclosed and recoil. The trigger pull is extremely crisp
tactical rifles is one of the most robust in theres a polymer bolt guide that provides and feeding and extraction are smooth
the industry. slick functioning. The bolt itself is smooth and flawless.
But this year, the company is building a and theres virtually no slop or play what- The 98B Fieldcraft has an MSRP of just
bolt action with the soul of an advanced, soever. The oversized bolt handle makes under $4,000, which isnt cheap, but this
long-range tactical rifle that is light it easy to find for rapid reloads. The bolt is far from your average bolt action rifle.
enough and maneuverable enough to lift is shorter than most other rifles, which At its heart its a serious long-range tacti-
serve as a field gun. serves to cut that time down more. The cal rifle. If youre looking for a lightweight,
rifle comes with detachable magazines. long-range gun, then the Fieldcraft will
TACTICAL TRIMMED DOWN The safety is located in front of the serve you very well. It would also make a
At first glance the new M98B Fieldcraft padded pistol grip. This AR-type position- great hunting rifle as well, so long as you
rifle looks like some concept design of the ing allows you to manipulate the safety dont mind carrying around a little extra
hunting rifle of the future. That may not without removing your head or hand from weight. TW
be too far off the mark. Its lighter than its the shooting position.
predecessor, the 98B, and has an alu-
minum chassis with lots of Keymod rail REDUCED MUZZLE RISE
attachments, perfect for adding lights and
bipods.
Perhaps the most innovative feature of
this rifle is its straight-line design. The
FOR MORE
The front of the chassis is free-floated barrel, action, and stock all form a straight INFO
and ventilated and its diameter is small line from the muzzle back, so recoil comes WEB: www.barrett.net
enough that it is comfortable to grip. The backward in a straight line with very little PHONE: (615) 896-2938
flat-bottom design allows you to rest the muzzle flip.

The Barrett 98B Fieldcraft has the heritage of the companys larger tactical
ries in a lighter prole that will make it better suited for the eld.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 25

 NEW GUNS Wilson Combats
AR-10 style ries in

A LIGHTER,
.308 are offered in
several barrel
lengths and
nishes.

HANDIER .308
WILSON COMBATS NEW AR-10 IS
DESIGNED FOR TOP PERFORMANCE
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILSON COMBAT

B
ILL WILSON, FOUNDER OF light, handy .308 was a real problem.
WILSON COMBAT, FOUND Unlike the rest of us, Bill was in a
THE .308 AR RIFLES ON position to do something about it. As
THE MARKET TO BE TOO HEAVY the owner of Wilson Combat, he had
AND UNWIELDY, NOT LIGHT OR the background and experience
EASY TO OPERATE LIKE THEIR 5.56 needed to design a new .308 and
COUNTERPARTS. bring it into production.
The AR-10 platform offers excellent
long-range capabilities, superb knock- DETAILS OF THE DESIGN
down power and the versatility of a These rifles utilize the companys
.30-caliber semiauto rifle. But finding a BILLet AR receivers, which are
machined in the companys Berryville,
Arkansas facility and are made of
7075-T6 aerspace aluminum billet
stock.
A FIT These receivers are not only light,

FINISH they are extremely durable, perfect for

use in an AR-10 platform rifle. The

FOR A FINE receivers are structurally very strong,

but they dont rely on a lot of extra

FIREARM weight to achieve that strength, so

they provided the perfect platform for
predator, hog and deer rifle too.
The Wilson .308 carbine has a
The upper and lower have a mil- the new Wilson .308. 14.75 inch barrel with an Accu-Tac
spec hard anodize finish, and the And, like other Wilson Combat guns, flash hider, so the overall barrel
Armor-Tuff exterior finish is avail- the exterior looks great. The top of the length is 16 inches and its not an
able in a variety of different custom handguard and receiver have a NFA firearm.
looks. And, as youd expect, the Picatinny rail that offers a very long It comes with one of Wilson Com-
machining, metalwork, and finish platform for mounting optics and the bats Tactical Trigger Unit (TTU) trig-
are outstanding. Wilson Combat TRIM (Tactical Rail Interface, Modular) gers with a four pound single-stage
prides themselves on building high- handguard offers plenty of space for trigger, perfect for hunting, competi-
quality rifles that are ready for the accessories. tion, and duty. TTU triggers are crisp
most demanding tasks, and the new The Wilson Combat .308 with a and break cleanly. Youll be able to
.308s are certain to be among the bipod has tactical applications, but deliver fast and accurate shots with
best in their class in the industry. would serve as a great long-range this rifle.

26 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 WILSON COMBAT PHOTO
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
WEB: www.wilsoncombat.com
PHONE: (800) 955-4856

LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL plated for durability and ease of cleaning. $3,000, but one look at the workmanship
The rifle comes with an innovative Wil- The short-barreled carbine is a handy and an appreciation of the innovation that
son Rogers Super-Stoc, which has a rifle, to be sure, and weighs just 7.65 goes into building these guns helps
unique Cam-Lock system that removes pounds with its fluted 14.75-inch pipe. explain that price. Attention to detail and
the slop that plagues many AR stocks. There rifle is offered in other barrel pro- quality materials cost money.
The Super-Stoc has a top sling loop, files, including 16-, 18-, and 20-inch Cutting weight while maintaining
reversible cam lock lever and release fluted and non-fluted options. structural integrity and extreme accuracy
lever and a removable recoil pad. Another These .308 barrels come with a 1-10 requires serious work. Theres a lot of
benefit of the Super-Stoc is that its light twist rate. Even with a 20-inch non- hand work involved too when tolerances
at only 7.3 ounces. fluted barrel the Wilson .308 weighs just get this tight.
Other features include a Bravo Com- 10.95 pounds when fully loaded, which There are very few new rifles that rein-
pany pistol grip that provides a secure is less than some .308s with that barrel vent a segment, but the new Wilson
platform and aids in trigger control and a profile weigh empty. Combat .308 seems to have done just
premium bolt and bolt carrier that are NP3 Base price for these rifles is just under that. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 27

 NEW
GUNS

MOSSBERG
ADDS TO MVP LINE
MOSSBERG HAS EXPANDED ITS LINE OF MVP RIFLES
AND THESE VERSATILE GUNS COVER THE NEEDS OF
MOST EVERY SHOOTER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MOSSBERG

T
HIS WAS A BIG YEAR FOR MVP LC smooth operation and an LBA bladed
MOSSBERG. IF YOU ADD One of the product lines that under- adjustable trigger.
UP ALL THE NEW PROD- went major expansion this year was the Beyond that, theres very little
UCTS AND LINE EXTENSIONS, THE MVP series of bolt-action centerfires, and about this gun that resembles previ-
BRAND IS NOW OFFERING MORE the new flagship of that line is the MVP ous models. The MDT LSS lightweight
THAN 100 NEW GUNS. THEY HAVE LC Light Chassis tactical rifle. aluminum chassis only contacts the
EVERYTHING FROM THE LIGHT- At the heart of the gun is Mossbergs receiver on the V-shaped bedding
WEIGHT BLAZE RIMFIRE TO BIG push-feed bolt with dual opposed lock- and lug area, so the barrel is com-
BORE HUNTING RIFLES. ing lugs, a spiral fluted bolt body for pletely free-floated for superb barrel

28 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 The Mossberg MVP LC (Light Chassis) is
just one of four new MVP tactical bolt
action ries being introduced this year.

MVP LR AND LRT The Mossberg MVP

Also new to the MVP line are the Long Scout has an
extended rail that
Range and Long Range Tactical versions. allows for the
mounting of an
The Long Range MVP is chambered in
extended eye relief
5.56 and 7.62 NATO and comes with a scope. It also comes
equipped with ghost
20-inch threaded and fluted medium bull ring rear and ber
barrel and a synthetic target stock with optic front iron
sights.
an adjustable comb.
The Long Range Tactical is also cham-
bered in 5.56 and 7.62 NATO and shares
the same stock design with adjustable
bomb, but it comes with a shorter (16-
harmonics and more consistent accu- inch) medium bull barrel. The barrel isnt
racy. The A-frame Magpul mil-spec fluted, but it is threaded so mounting sup-
stock is length of pull adjustable, wont pressors and other muzzle devices is sim-
snag on clothes and provides a com- ple and painless.
fortable platform for shooting. In addition, the LRT has a set of fiber-
The 5.56 NATO (.223) model has a optic iron sights that are perfect for close-
16.25-inch barrel, and the 7.62 range work and are highly visible even in
NATO(.308) comes with an 18.5-inch low-light conditions. The adjustable comb
pipe. Both barrels are fluted, have a on both rifles has a Mosscoat rubberized
medium bull profile and come with a exterior for maximum comfort, and the
threaded muzzle, a thread cap and a comb offers 1 inches of elevation
SilencerCo Saker Trifecta muzzle brake. adjustment with the touch of a button.
Additional features include a bipod, And, like other MVP rifles, both will
MOE pistol grip, 10-round P-Mag accept AR-style magazines and have a
detachable magazine (standard AR top rail for simple and secure optic
magazines work in these rifles, too) mounting. The MVP LR rifle weighs 7
and mounting holes in the forearm of pounds without scope in 5.56 and 8
the chassis for mounting additional pounds in 7.62. Expect the Tactical ver-
accessories. sions to weigh about a half pound more.
Theres also a combo model that comes
with a Vortex Viper 4-16x44 scope pre- MVP SCOUT
mounted. The rifle weighs 8 pounds in Several new scout rifles were intro-
5.56 (without scope) and 8 pounds in duced in 2015, and Mossberg now offers
7.62. this versatile design in the MVP line.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 29

 The MVP LR (Long Range) is available in either 5.56 or 7.62
NATO. It comes with a 20-inch threaded and uted medium bull
barrel and a synthetic target stock with an adjustable comb.

The MVP LRT (Long Range Tactical) has a shorter, 16-inch

barrel that is threaded to allow the mounting of suppressors
and other muzzle devices. The LRT also has a set of
ber-optic iron sights.

One of the hallmarks of the scout the EZ-TAP Illumination Enhancing Sys-
rifle design is the ability to mount an tem that allows you to quickly change
extended eye relief scope for rapid tar-
get acquisition and a more compact,
and set reticle illumination for any light-
ing conditions.
HOW MUCH
maneuverable design. All MVP Scout The 16-inch medium bull barrel DO THEY
models come with an extended top rail,
making it easy to mount an EER scope.
In addition, these rifles feature a set
comes with an A2-style flash suppressor,
and with an overall length of just 37
inches this is a handy rifle and the epit-
COST?
1
of high-quality iron sights. The rear ome of the scout concept. The rifle weighs The MVP LC has an MSRP of
ghost ring sight is mounted to the rear just 6 pounds without the scope (8 $1,438 without the scope, and
of the rail, and the front sight has a with the UTG optic), so its light enough runs about $2,102 with the
fiber optic insert that makes it easy to for all-day carry. Vortex Viper Optic.
get on target.
The rifle is chambered in 7.62 NATO. It
comes with a black synthetic stock that is
resistant to the elements and offers a
BIG ON VALUE
Mossberg has long been known for
their tough-as-nails shotguns, but the
2 The LR and LRC models cost
$996.

3
secure gripping surface even in wet con- MVP line shows that this American The Scout rifle has an MSRP of
ditions. All Scout models come with two brand knows how to build high-quality $777 without the scope and
small front-mounted side rails for easy tactical rifles that are reasonably priced $940 with the UTG optic.
installation of additional accessories like based on the features they include. In
lights, making this rifle even more versa- addition, the ability to use standard AR
tile and user-friendly. magazines in either 5.56 or 7.62 is an
Theres an optional scope/rifle combo added bonus, so if you already own an
that comes with a UTG Accushot 1-4x28 AR rifle you can swap mags without FOR MORE
EER scope already mounted on the rifle,
the perfect addition to the Scout platform.
any hassle. Whether youre planning to
hunt whitetails in dense cover or are
INFORMATION
The UTG scope has a 30mm tube for a trying to produce tight groups at long WEB: www.mossberg.com
PHONE: 203-230-5300
wide field of view and also comes with range, theres an MVP for you. TW

30 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

LIMITLESS
RELIABILITY
R EC7 GE N I I

5.56 NATO
6.8 SPC

The best just got better. Weve reloaded our piston-driven REC7 GEN II,
a compact, accurate, trustworthy rifle, now more balanced than
ever. Built from our legacy of quality and craftsmanship, the new
REC 7 GEN II is unmistakably Barrett. Learn more at barrett.net.

Starting at $2,835
Optional accessories shown
32 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
COUNTER
AMBUSH
TACTICS
STAY ALIVE WITH THESE KEY AWARENESS STRATEGIES
TEXT BY ABE ELIAS / GETTY PHOTOS

I
TS BEEN A LONG DAY RIDING AROUND
IN THE PATROL CAR.
You stop at a store to get something to drink.
While walking to the door you check a couple of text
messages from the family and walk past a car
parked in front. Opening the door, you move to put
your phone away and as you do, you look up. There
is a man in a hoodie with a shotgun. It is too late.
He has the drop on you.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 33

 PRACTICE
SHOULD
SHADOW
LIFE
Life is dynamic and your training
should mimic life. If you are going to
carry a firearm through life, then you
should practice with it, with how you live
your life in mind.
How many times do you just throw
your duty belt on and head out on patrol?
Before leaving to go out, you should go to
the firearms safe room in your station and
practice drawing your side arm. It will
bring back the muscle memory and serve
How do you prevent this? waiting, hiding their intent. They will as a simple gear check.
Ron McCarthy, a retired Los Angeles be constantly observing and, at the Also, practice drawing from a number
SWAT supervisor, is an instructor in point they think they have upper hand, of positions. When out in public, you
Counter Ambush Advanced Field they will attack. often find yourself seated, either in a
Tactics. He has the answers. It can be as immediate as in the restaurant or in your squad car. Can you
opening story or it can take time as on draw effectively from a seated position? If
TYPES OF AMBUSHES a traffic stop when the suspect exits you are knocked to the ground, can you
According to McCarthy, ambushes the vehicle and begins observing the draw your gun while you are on the
surprise attacks by people lying in wait officer and trying to position himself for ground? When at the range, don't just
in concealed positions can come in an attack. On the other hand, he might practice shooting at the target while
two basic types: exit and immediately start closing the standing still. Whenever possible, prac-
distance to you. tice drawing your firearm and shooting
1. THE IMMEDIATE AMBUSH A person who avoids eye contact or while in motion. During an ambush your
An immediate ambush lacks devel- pretends that he doesnt see you as best bet to stay alive is to find cover,
oped planning. An example is the you approach on the street can be move and shoot.
opening story, where the officer enter- indicators. The suspect might also be
ing the store would have been caught fidgeting, possibly checking the posi-
in an immediate ambush. tion of a concealed weapon.
The ambushers in this case are
intent on doing harm to the officer. 2. SOPHISTICATED AMBUSH Creating
They don't have a set plan as to where A sophisticated ambush is an
and when. They are just prepared to ambush planned. The ambushers will
nce can
commit violence to facilitate their have observed the police officers and fit you when
escape. most likely be taking advantage of a
In an immediate ambush, the
ting to an
"predictable pattern" or "response."
aggressors will look for the right time There will often be more than one attacker.
and moment. Although they may not attacker and chances are they will be
be physically concealed, they may be well armed.

34 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 There are three basic employ the same tactics: Draw
elements in a sophisticated your pistol and acquire your tar-
ambush: get on the move.
A good example of unpre-
The Trigger dictability is if you come upon a
The trigger can be a sniper suspect with his hands in his
or decoy of some sort that pockets. Before asking him to take
positions the police officer(s) his hands out of his pockets, first
in the kill zone. The trigger is make him turn around and then
also responsible for setting move from the spot where he saw
the trap in motion. entering a building, have a plan for you last. This way if he is planning to
exiting it." Take notice of places where pull a weapon, he will have lost his fix
Assaulters people might be concealing them- on you and you will have time to
Assaulters are the ambushers selves. Any place that could provide respond.
responsible for closing in quickly on cover to someone else is also a place 3. Knowledge is power. Recon-
the people trapped in the kill zone and that could provide cover to you. If shots naissance of the situation ahead of
opening fire. Their intent along with should be fired, you should already time will help. When responding to a
the trigger is to kill the officers. have an idea where you are going to call, take a drive by. First, look the area
go and be prepared to get there. over before getting out of the car. Get
The Lay-Off 2. Be unpredictable. Change you as much information from dispatch on
A lay-offs responsibility is to close pattern of behavior. Make sure when the call, too. Are there any prior inci-
the door on any retreat. They are to lie dealing with an individual(s) that you dents listed for that address? When
in wait as backup along the most move unpredictably. Don't give them a approaching the house, park down the
anticipated route of escape. As the offi- chance to get a fix on you. A static tar- block and walk up from different direc-
cers retreat, the lay-off is to open fire. get is an easy target. If shooting starts, tions if possible, keeping your partner

HOW TO AVOID AND

OVERCOME AN AMBUSH
1. Situational awareness. This is
first and foremost way to avoid an
ambush. Approach the idea of an
CREATING OR
ambush as something that can and will
happen.
CLOSING DISTANCE
If you acknowledge the possibility, Get used to thinking about when it is knife can close a 21-foot distance very

then you will be able to look for the good to close distance and when it is bet- quickly. You might not have enough time

signs. Are things too quiet? Is there a ter to create distance. During a traffic stop, to run and draw your pistol. Instead, con-

distinct lack of activity? Observe the if a suspect goes to get a firearm out of the sider drawing as you fall to your back or

people around you. Do you notice car are you capable of closing the distance roll to the side.

someone observing you too much? Is before he can get the firearm? If you can, You have taken yourself out of range of

he going out of his way not to draw you will be able stop the suspect before he immediate attack; the attacker would have

your attention? When dealing with a arms himself and end the conflict. to bend over or change direction to strike

suspect, does he seem anxious, con- As Ron McCarthy said, "A pistol is a at you. You can also fire from the ground

stantly clutching at something, check- defensive weapon and you don't want to and if need be push them back quickly

ing on it? Perhaps it is a weapon hid- be facing off long distance." with your legs. If you remain standing, you

den on his person. Creating distance can benefit you when are still on the same level and can be

Take stock of the geography around reacting to an attacker. A person with a struck.

you. As the old saying goes, "Before

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 35

 SNIPER

KILLZONE

LAYOFF

AMBUSHERS

In this diagram of a sophisticated ambush, the sniper is the trigger. You can see the
positions of both the ambushers and the lay-off. If the car tries to back up, it will still
be red upon. The alternative route is to turn right through yards or alleys until you
reach safety. Diagram provided by Ron McCarthy.

in sight. As you approach, you will be better able to survey

the area.
4. Fight no battle that cannot be won. Learn to recognize ESCAPING A
when it is time to defuse a situation. If you find yourself in a
position where a conflict will result in you and your partner SOPHISTICATED
being defeated, then change the encounter. Back off, end the
encounter and then re-engage later when you have the
AMBUSH
advantage.
Sophisticated ambushes are predicated on predictabil-
For instance, on a stop when the signs are present that the
ity. They have it planned: You will take a predictable
suspect(s) are looking for the opportunity for an immediate
path to escape, and they will have foreseen this and
ambush. Tell the suspects that you have to take another call
closed it off. Be radical in your approach and take the
and tell them that they are free to go. In the case of a traffic
route least expected. If you are in your car, go over a
stop, you could tell them you are giving them a break to slow
lawn, through a yard. If you get to a point where you
down.
can go no further, exit the vehicle and use the vehicle as
They are most likely looking to avoid apprehension. There-
bait. The ambushers will zero in on the car so you need
fore, if you let them go, you defuse the situation. Break off
to position yourself to take advantage of that.
contact and wait until the numbers or situation is in your favor
On foot, you can't stay in the open, especially if you
and then re-engage.
are being fired upon from a rooftop. Get indoors: They
To overcome an ambush you have to prepare for when it
will count on you trying to take cover behind objects in
happens. By taking a few steps and being aware, you can
the open and might have already positioned themselves
greatly increase your chances of
accordingly.
surviving an ambush. TW

36 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 OUBLE DOWN & S VE BIG
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PD PROFILE

ALL-TERRAIN
READY
5 REASONS WHY MADISON COUNTYS SOU CAN
HANDLE THE MEAN STREETS, THE BACK WOODS
AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
TEXT BY JOHN MCQUAID / PHOTOS BY STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

38 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

I
T WAS A TYPICAL CALL FOR THE
MADISON COUNTY SHERIFFS
OFFICE SPECIAL OPERATIONS
UNIT (SOU). A MAN WITH A GUN WAS
BARRICADED IN A HOME IN THE CITY
OF ONEIDA AND THE LOCAL PD HAD
CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE.
Team members launched dry chemi-
cal munitions into the north side of the
residence where the subject was
located. At the same time, an entry
team breached the residence from the
south.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 39

Members of the Madison County sheriffs ofce special operations unit (SOU) train regularly for a variety of emergency situations.

The entry team made contact with caded gunman or innocent bystanders. 1. THEY KNOW THE TERRAIN
the subject who was sitting on his The Madison County Sheriffs Office Madison County is located in upstate
couch. Sgt. Lance Zaleski deployed a SOU has responded to barricaded gun- New York and is primarily a rural
dry chemical round near the subject. man calls, suicidal subjects, meth lab county that contains a city and several
The CS powder took effect immediately raids, hostage rescue operations and villages and towns. Terrain ranges
and prevented the man from grabbing drug raids, and conducted search and from urban and suburban environ-
his firearm. The incident was brought rescue operations. The unit is well-pre- ments to deeply wooded rural areas
to a peaceful end with no serious pared to handle most any emergency with mountainous landscapes.
injuries to the SOU team, the barri- callout. Here are five reasons why: Their operational environment can

40 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

change dramatically as opposed to a 2. THEY HAVE THE RIGHT
city police department SWAT team TRAINING
operating in strictly urban settings. The SOU consists of an eight-man
They might be backing up the local team plus two support tactical medics
Oneida City PD with an armed barri- that are TEMS certified. What does
SOU Leader Chris Jones displays the
caded subject one day and conducting it take to be a member of the SOU? Lots
teams Deftech 40mm single munitions
a wilderness rescue the next. They of training and experience. launcher used to deploy chemical and
less lethal rounds. Deputy Tom Durys
have to know the terrain and adapt to The average age of a team member helmet is tted with a night vision monoc-
these different environments as the is about 40 years, and the operators ular, an important addition for all members
of the SOU as the majority of their opera-
mission dictates. bring approximately 80 years of law tions occur in low light conditions.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 41

 ballistic helmets for added protection
from rifle rounds that would otherwise
penetrate soft body armor
Night vision monocular devices that
attach to the operators helmets.
A powered air-purifying respirator
that attaches to each operators belt
and provides a supply of fresh filtered
air through an APR mask.
Infantry first aid kits (IFAK)
Mission specific suits from HAZMAT
suits to camouflage uniforms appropri-
ate for particular surroundings to white
over-suits for winter operations.
Pole camera system with infrared
capability that allows the team to get a
sneak peek at an area, such as an attic
crawl space
Thermal imaging scopes and a
handheld FLIR unit for search and res-
cue operations

4. THEY CARRY .45s AND M4s

The SOU has an assortment of
firearms available to it. Heres a look
inside the armory:
The issued sidearm is the Glock
Model 21 in .45 ACP.
The primary shoulder weapon is an
M4-style carbine in 5.56 NATO
equipped with an EOTech sight. Mem-
bers customize their carbines, such
Stacked and ready for action. Members of the Madison County SOU include: (from front)
Deputies Mike West, Paul Eiholzer, Chuck Seager and Tom Dury. adding a Streamlight TLR2 light with
infrared laser.
enforcement experience to the table. the US Army at Fort Drum, New York, The unit has one fully automatic
The SOU operators have all gone and received combat life saving Kriss Vector submachine gun in .45
through SWAT training and are also certifications. ACP. Its equipped with a suppressor
certified in woodland search and res- and ACOG scope in addition to the iron
cue. The team is also CBRNE certified 3. THEYRE SPECIALLY EQUIPPED sights. Its configured to accept the
through the Department of Homeland For a small team with a limited bud- same Glock magazines that the SOU
Security for chemical, biological, radio- get, the SOU has had to obtain about uses for their G21 semi-auto pistols.
logical, nuclear and explosive hazards. 90 percent of its equipment through The suppressed Kriss is especially
Every team member will be certified federal grants. Some of their special- valuable when raiding meth labs
in high and low angle rope rescue and ized gear includes: because it doesnt have the muzzle
rappelling in the near future. Heavy Dragon Skin body armor flash of other weapons that could
SOU members have also trained with with camouflage plate carriers and ignite volatile chemicals.

42 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
TO SAVE A KIDNAPPING VICTIM
Putting the tactics, training and miles of snow in freezing tempera- standoff of several hours, the victim
equipment to work together enables tures into Madison County. managed to escape while the sus-
these dedicated officers to do their Deputies from the Madison County pect was occupied. The SOU made
job of saving lives. sheriffs office responded along with an entry into the home and found
Another successful callout that the their K-9 unit and successfully the suspect who, realizing there
Madison County sheriffs office SOU tracked the kidnapper to a seasonal was no escape, had ended his own
conducted was in the town of home where he had barricaded life.
DeRuyter, New York. This incident himself with his hostage. This was the first time the unit
involved an armed suspect who kid- The SOU set up a perimeter had deployed its armored Humvee,
napped a woman in Cortland around the seasonal home and left making use of its off-road capabili-
County and walked her through the suspect with no way out. After a ties and ballistic shielding.

The SOU set up a perimeter around the

seasonal home and left the suspect with no way out.

AVAILABLE IN TWO MODELS

OR

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OFAMMO

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SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 43

 The SOU also has a semi-auto
spotter rifle in 5.56 caliber thats
equipped with a thermal imaging
scope.
Team snipers use Remington 700
Target Tactical bolt-action sniper rifles
in .308 Winchester.
A second sniper rifle that the team
uses is a bolt action Savage 110BA in
.338 Lapua. Both rifles are equipped
with Leupold Mark IV scopes.
A Deftech 40mm single munitions
launcher deploys chemical and less
lethal rounds, such as OC rounds (oleo-
resin capsicum) and non-flammable CS
gas rounds for indoor use.
Also available to the unit are 12
gauge less-lethal rounds such as the
Hornets Nest that uses rubber pellets.

5. THEY HAVE AN ARMORED

HUMVEE
Crossing open ground to approach a
remote farmhouse where a suspect
armed with a rifle has barricaded him-
self can be a tactical nightmare.
Thats why the SOUs acquisition of
an armored Humvee was so critical to
their continued success. The team
obtained the vehicle in 2014 through
the federal DRMO military program.
The Humvee is equipped with an
armored, rotating turret so that team
members can deploy chemical muni-
tions from a position of cover. It has
LED lights, siren, police radio and loud-
speaker system. The windows on the
Humvee are bullet resistant.
The Humvee can be used for hostage
or officer rescue, and executing violent
felony warrants. The 4x4 capability of
the Humvee will also allow the SOU the
SOU team members are able to handle a variety of emergency situations more safely
now that theyve acquired an amored Humvee. Members of the Madison County SOU ability to conduct search and rescue
practice advancing in formation, using a ballistic shield for protection. In the drivers
missions where off-road capability is
seat. Deputy Chris Jones is in charge of the Madison County sheriffs ofce SOU.
needed.
The vehicle has a 6.0 liter diesel
44 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
 Deputy Paul Eiholzer uses a Colt M4
Commando topped with a Trijicon ACOG.
Eiholzer painted the teams carbines.

power plant. Its maximum speed is

approximately 55 miles per hour,
limited by the heavy armor. The color
of the SOU vehicle is a flat black, which
is ideal with the majority of callouts
occurring in the evening hours.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS VAN GETS

SOU TO THE ACTION
The SOU also uses a modified 2011
Ford E-350 van that serves as a tactical
operations truck and personnel carrier.
The van is customized with the pas-
senger seats running perpendicular to
the driver and front passenger bucket
seats to allow for the quick deployment
of team members. Custom steel draw-
ers and cabinets hold additional
equipment and ammunition. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 45

TAKE COVER!
SEVEN WAYS USING IT PROPERLY CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CHUCK TAYLOR

I
N RECENT YEARS, THE USE OF 1. DONT CROWD YOUR COVER 2 meters (a bit over 6 feet). This
COVER HAS BEEN CUSSED The first rule of cover, besides will reduce your danger by a huge
AND DISCUSSED WITH EVER- knowing what it actually is and margin, more than 50 percent, in
INCREASING FREQUENCY BY isnt, is to avoid the most commonly fact. However, most tactical shoot-
NEARLY EVERYONE MILITARY encountered and especially danger- ers will run up to their cover and
PERSONNEL, LAW ENFORCEMENT ous error never crowd your cover. often even use it as a support
OFFICERS AND CIVILIANS ALIKE. Doing so exposes you to increased mechanism for their weapon a
In an effort to set the record danger of being hit by ricocheting bad idea for the reasons already
straight, Ive selected the seven most bullets or secondary missiles. discussed.
important principles of using cover. Instead, stay back from it at least

46 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 If shooting around the strong side of
2. AVOID DANGEROUS EXPOSURE none of your thoracic cavity is exposed cover, minimizing your exposure area is
During any discussion of cover, little at all. In fact, all that your adversary critical. By canting the pistol slightly and
leaning out, you can reduce your expo-
attention is paid to actual target sees is the gun, part of your arm and sure area by as much as 40 percent. If
about a third of your head. Thats all. shooting around the weak side, exposure
engagement techniques. For example,
time is more important than exposure
when shooting around the strong side As for the actual effect of canting on area. Dont switch to weak-hand shooting.
of cover, most shooters will lean out as marksmanship, at typical handgun,
far as required to keep their weapon
vertical.
However, when theyre viewed from
the front (as an adversary would do),
an interesting picture emerges
PLAY THE PERCENTAGES
nearly 50 percent of your thoracic cav-
ity is exposed, as well as more than 50% The percentage by which you can reduce your danger
by not crowding your cover.

half of your head and all of your shoot-

ing arm and hand. The percentage of your thoracic cavity and head thats

I know what youre thinking: Well,

theres no other way to do it, so its the
50% exposed when you lean out from strong side cover with
your gun vertical.

lesser of evils. But is that true? No, it is

The percentage by which you can reduce your target profile
not. Keeping your weapon vertical is
based on basic marksmanship instruction,
40% by canting your weapon 6 to 8 degrees when using strong
side cover.
where we were told that canting will
alter our point of bullet impact in the
direction towards which the gun is
canted and that doing so is a bad thing.
50% The percentage by which your error potential can increase
when you switch hands to shoot from weak side cover.

But what if I told you that if you cant The percentage by which rounds from handguns,
your weapon a scant 6 to 8 degrees
and then lean out from the waist to
50% shotguns, sub-machine guns and .223 rifles are effective
in penetrating car doors.
shoot, you could reduce your target
The percentage of the time that you should reload
profile by a full 40 percent? Thats
right 40 percent. And in so doing, 100% behind cover.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 47

Shoot around or beneath rather than
over cover if at all possible. Youre a
much more difcult target that way. In
addition, stay back from your cover to
minimize the risk of being struck by ric-
ochets and other secondary missiles.

COVER
CAN BE
HARD TO
FIND
There is little discussion of what
cover actually is, so lets define it.
Cover is bullet proof. It offers absolute
protection against incoming fire. If it
doesnt, then its concealment, not
submachine gun and shotgun engage- Two sets of criteria are involved in
cover.
ment ranges, the different between effectively engaging from behind cover.
And what in our modern world
Point-of-Aim (POA) and Point-Of- One, of course, is to minimize your tar-
actually is cover? Not much, unfortu-
Impact (POI) is within your error margin get profile as much as possible. And
nately. Many things that once offered
and is thus a non-issue. when engaging around the strong side
excellent protection are now mere
of cover, this philosophy applies 100
shadows of their former protective
3. DONT SWITCH HANDS percent.
selves. Refrigerators, stoves, dish-
Ah, you say, but what about shooting However, when engaging from
washers, freezers and automobiles
around the weak side of cover? Once around the weak side of cover, the sec-
were once constructed of robust
again, dogma continues to prevail over ond criterion applies: exposure time. If
materials that would consistently
safety and efficiency. In this situation, you change from a strong-handed
stop incoming handgun, shotgun,
nearly all shooters will advocate stance to a weak-handed stance, then
submachine gun and even rifle fire.
switching to some kind of weak-hand lean out (even canting the weapon as
No longer; now those items are
shooting stance, then leaning out (usu- discussed earlier), it will (by actual test)
mostly plastic and fiberglass and
ally staying upright in the process) and take you three to four times longer to
what metal is actually used is typi-
engage the target. take the shot(s) and your error poten-
cally lightweight aluminum sheeting.
But is that really efficiency? The tial is also increased by as much as 50
Take a look around your home or
argument for it is almost always that percent.
office and youll quickly see what I
doing so reduces your target profile, So in this instance, we can quite
mean. Most things that are still
just like it does when shooting around legitimately say that when shooting
regarded as cover are now actually
the strong side of cover. Once again, around the weak side of cover, expo-
concealment.
the answer is an emphatic no! sure time overrides exposure area.

48 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Also learn how to shoot through holes in
your cover that are of different shapes and
at different heights. And, of course, stay
back from cover as much as possible.

How do we do it? Simple. Just stay rately engage you. through holes in your cover as well.
in your strong-handed stance, lean out If your cover is too low for you to This will allow you to effectively utilize
(canting as discussed) a bit farther and stand, then drop to both knees, lean any kind of cover to your best advan-
engage. You will always be much out from the waist to the left or right tage. I call it shooting from improvised
faster with a strong-handed stance and engage. If its so small that youre positions and thats exactly what it is
than a weak-handed one. forced to go prone behind it, keep your improvised.
In all my years as both a field opera- body straight-on and remember that There is no set method for it and
tor and instructor, I have yet to see the vast majority of your body is once they try it, most shooters discover
anyone who is truly ambidextrous. behind you, making it all too easy to that their physique is pretty much the
True, some people are less clumsy with allow feet and parts of your legs to be determining factor. Nonetheless, if you
their weak hand than others, but no exposed. dont add it to your repertoire of tacti-
one is truly ambidextrous. Our brains So keep your feet together. I even cal skills, youll be seriously deficient
simply dont function that way. cross my ankles. Then I know for cer- when it hits the fan.
tain none of me is exposed. Otherwise,
4. SHOOT AROUND OR UNDER, people shoot at what they can see and 6. USE YOUR VEHICLE PROPERLY
NOT OVER if they hit whatever part of you is inad- If an automobile is involved, keep
Another rule is to shoot around or vertently exposed, you will react and back from it and station yourself
beneath cover, rather than over it, give them a much better target for fol- behind the front wheels. The wheels
whenever possible, another rule that is low-up shots. themselves will stop handgun, shotgun
constantly violated. The peek over and submachine gun fire, even at short
target profile you present makes it 5. SHOOT THROUGH THE GAPS range, but it wont stop serious center-
much easier for an adversary to accu- Another hint: Learn how to shoot fire rifle calibers until the ranges

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 49

1)

If red on while in a vehicle, dont dismount unless its disabled. If you must do so, move quickly and smoothly from it to outside cover
or concealment. Whenever possible, reload behind cover. Surprisingly, many forget to do so and reload while moving in the open,
which slows down their movement and makes them a better target. Keep your eyes on your threat, however.

exceed 100 meters.

COVERING THE
If youre inside the car as either a
driver or passenger, dont dismount

CONTROVERSY unless the vehicle is disabled. If it is,

then dismount smoothly, stay low
The topic of using cover, particularly in the so-called best ways to utilize and exit. If its simply stopped, then
in those instances where handguns are it. And once again, photos tell the tale. stay inside, stay low, swing the door
involved, seems to generate much con- Take for example the automobile. How open smoothly and hold it there with
troversy. Myriad opinions abound. many times have you seen both still and your foot so it doesnt slam back on
Indeed, pundits with every kind of video photography of police officers hid- your hands or leg. Then shoot
background and many with none ing directly behind their patrol cars, often between the door and windshield
sagaciously opine on the best ways even behind the passenger compartment, frame.
to utilize cover to protect ourselves. with their entire midsection clearly Both military and police personnel
Yet, more often than not, when their exposed through the side-window glass? commonly step out of the vehicle and
photos show us those ways, it quickly And how many times have you seen use the door as cover, but to do so is a
becomes obvious that a lack of under- them actually resting their weapons on dangerous illusion. That door doesnt
standing of the issue exists. In fact, the car itself, across the roof, hood or offer as much cover as most people
many recommended ways to use trunk? One would think that military think it does and the legs below the
cover are so dangerous that we cant personnel would know the difference, knees are entirely exposed. Better to
help but question how anyone could but such is not always the case. How stay inside the vehicle and use the
recommend them in the first place. many times have you seen them lean- whole front of it for cover. Youre in a
Still, even with the term being cor- ing over cover and resting their lot less danger if you do.
rectly defined, we see a wide disparity weapons on it, too? If you need to shoot from a moving
vehicle, brace your back against the

50 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Dont open the door of the vehicle and stand behind it for cover because doing so exposes your legs and feet to incom-
ing re. Handgun and smaller caliber rie re will penetrate about 50 percent of the time.

rear of the window frame to preclude but no longer. And service-handgun and efficiently reload a revolver while
your arms from touching it. Otherwise, cartridges like the .38 SPL, 9mmP, running? Ugh!
the vibration of the vehicle itself will .40 S&W and .45 ACP penetrate with
negatively affect your marksmanship. ease, but will deflect substantially PROVEN TACTICS
If youre inside the vehicle and upward in the process. All of the issues discussed here are
receive fire from the front, duck So aim low (I prefer the base of the result of what Ive learned in
down and let the car absorb the the windshield, just above the wind- more than 40 years as a successful
incoming fire. The engine compart- shield wipers) to compensate. Other- field operative and instructor. Every-
ment and firewall, in conjunction wise, your bullets will pass above thing thats been said here is true
with under-dash wiring and gauges (and sometimes off a bit to the side) and proven to the point of being
will stop all but the most powerful of the target, strike the headliner irrefutable.
cartridges. and lodge above the rear window. No bias is intended toward any-
Generally speaking, typical service one; indeed, were all in the busi-
handguns, submachine guns, shot- 7. RELOAD BEHIND COVER ness of trying the best ways to win
guns and even .223s are only about Common sense dictates that you should gunfights and stay alive in the
50 percent effective in penetrating always reload while behind cover, but process.
door and side-panels. However, once this, too, is often violated unnecessarily. Still, some ways are better than oth-
again, if a serious center-fire rifle Reloading on the move may look cool in ers, and when life and death are on
caliber, such as a .308 WIN or larger an IPSC match (and this is where the idea the line, reality trumps theory and egos
is involved, look out, because youve inadvertently originated), trying to change every time. Take these hints to heart. If
got big trouble! magazines slows down your movement you ever find yourself with a gun in
Windshields would once stop considerably, making you a much better your hand, fighting for your life as I
buckshot, even as close as 7 meters, target. And have you ever tried to quickly have, you wont be sorry. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 51

SEE
into the
NIGHT
HOW NV OPTICS WORK AND WHAT
TO LOOK FOR BEFORE YOU BUY
TEXT BY ABE ELIAS / PRODUCT PHOTOS BY THE MANUFACTURERS

H
UMAN BEINGS DO NOT NATURALLY POSSESS
THE ABILITY TO SEE IN THE DARK.
But we are the ultimate tool users. What we do
not naturally possess we can create a substitute for, as is the
case with night vision. Let's take a look at the three major
types of night vision devices (NVD).

52 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 PHOTO COURTESY OF ATN

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 53

 WWW.ATNCORP.COM
The ThOR by
ATN (American
Technologies
Network Corp.)
is an example
of a thermal
weapon scope.

THERMAL IMAGERY
Thermal imagery is based on the transference of energy, energy being heat in this

LIGHT case. As energy transfers from one object to another, infrared light is emitted.
The ability of a surface to emit thermal energy is called emissivity. Thermal imagery

WONT displays the difference in energy being emitted between an object and its surround-
ings in the form of an image. All objects emit infrared light in varying degrees. Objects
with more heat always transfer their energy to items with less heat. Energy transfer-

BLIND NV ence is why with thermal imagery you can see where a person just touched a tree or
where a suspect just threw a gun away.

USERS
Did you ever see a movie in which
people using night vision devices
were blinded by the sudden intro-
THERMAL IMAGERY:
duction of bright light? This is pre-
vented by a mechanism known as
auto-gating (ATG).
BOTH SIDES
Auto-gating regulates the amount THE PROS we have a number of corn crops; people
of light that gets through the micro- No light is needed with thermal have hidden marijuana crops in among
channel plate (MCP) in a night vision imagery because every object gives off the corn. Planes equipped with thermal
device. This is designed to protect some level of infrared. If you have to fol- imagery equipment can detect the mari-
the tube from being damaged and low an individual who is underground or juana because it has a different heat sig-
failing when exposed to bright light. sweep a structure at night with no win- nature than the corn.
This comes in handy for the user dows, thermal imagery will work. Thermal imaging devices will work
because the ATG function allows the If the devices sensors have a high in the fog or under smoky conditions
device to be used in varying light level of sensitivity, an individual can- because a body still gives off heat into
conditions. If a group of soldiers is not hide from the thermal imager the surrounding environment. Those
clearing a building and they come unless he is wearing specialty clothing conditions might affect our vision, but a
upon a lit room, they are not blinded not available to the public. thermal imagery device is only con-
and do not lose the use of their Thermal cameras are capable of cerned with the contrast of the per-
devices. The devices simply adjust to detecting any type of heat variance. They son's body heat to the surrounding
the brighter light levels. can detect warm engines and items that environment.
have been recently touched. In my area, Thermal imagery devices are
54 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
 IMAGE
WWW.12SURVIVORS.COM

INTENSIFIERS
Image intensier technology uses optics
in combination with an image intensier
tube to generate a visible image. The image
intensier tube is a vacuum tube that has a
photocathode plate, micro-channel plate
and a screen.
When photons of light strike the photo-
cathode plate, the plate emits electrons.
This is referred to as the photoelectric
effect. The electrons then travel across the
tube and pass through the micro-channel
plate (MCP).
As the electrons pass through the MCP,
they are amplied and then strike the
The 12 Survivors Trace 5x50 NV screen, which produces an image that a
recording monocular is equipped camera or the human eye can see.
with a built-in video recorder.

WWW.FIRE-FIELD.COM
The Fireeld Nightfall 5x50 NV monocular has
a built-in IR illuminator and has a range of
detection of 140 yards.

solid-state electronic equipment as

opposed to tube technology. If cared for
properly, they can last a very long time.

THE CONS
Thermal images can be difficult to interpret
at times. Say you see an image of something

ACTIVE ILLUMINATION
lying on the ground in the distance. There
might not be enough detail to tell if that is an
animal or a person. Or you might have an
Both of the rst two systems are area with IR light in the bandwidth
image of a man carrying a firearm, but you passive systems. They rely on light or just below the human capability to
cannot identify him. infrared light that is already there. see it. Flooding the area with infrared
Accurate images can be hard to get The third type of system is referred to light usually results in a high-resolu-
as active because you ood the area tion image.
because of the different emissivity of surfaces
with either near infrared (NIR) light or Active systems are commonly
or the reflection off a surface. If you are look- infrared (IR) light depending on the used on large vehicles. In the case of
ing for a lost hiker during a search and res- system youre using. law enforcement, police helicopters
cue operation, that hiker might be hard to If you are operating an image will use an active system to follow
intensier system in low light to zero suspects. A downside to active sys-
spot if he wrapped himself in a Mylar survival
light conditions such as in a building tems is that because you are actively
blanket. The Mylar blanket not only has a with no windows, you would then ooding an area, anyone with night
poor emissivity, it also reflects the energy of ood the area with NIR. vision of their own will be able to see
objects around it, possibly making the hiker If you were using an active infrared your location, giving away any stealth
system, you would then ood the advantage.
difficult to detect.
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 55
The Pulsar N550A digital NV rie
scope offers 13 reticle options and

WWW.PULSARNV.COM
the ability to save 3 zeros for dif-
ferent loads, ranges or weapons.

WWW.PULSARNV.COM
IMAGE INTENSIFIERS:
BOTH SIDES
THE PROS actually cause the device to shut off.
Image intensified night vision pro- Streetlights might cause a heavy
vides more detail, allowing you to halo effect.
identify the target or suspects. It also Image intensifying devices cannot
provides more detail about terrain see through smoke or fog. The device
than thermal imagery, making it eas- will show you an image as it is. If you
ier to navigate rough terrain at night. are looking in a wooded area for a
A sharper image from image intensi- camouflaged individual, then you
The Pulsar Quantum HD38S thermal
fying equipment also allows positive have to rely on your own ability to
imaging monocular can detect heat
identification of an actual individual. pick him out of the landscape. signatures up to 900 yards away.
Image intensifying units use hol-
THE CONS low state technology, meaning they
Sources of bright light, such as use vacuum tubes. Vacuum tubes
headlights or streetlights, can limit have limited life spans based on
the devices ability. Bright sources of hours used. So eventually, no matter
light can obscure the operator's how well you take care of it, with use
vision if the light is not enough to it will require replacement.

56 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 WWW.PULSARNV.COM
The Pulsar DFA75 forward NV attachment connects directly to
WWW.SIGHTMARK.COM

the objective lens of your rie scope to provide NV capabilities.

WWW.SIGHTMARK.COM
The Sightmark Ghost Hunter 1x24
The Sightmark Ghost Hunter 4x50 NV binocu-
goggle kit comes with a head mount
lar has a high power built-in IR illuminator. It
for hands-free operation.
runs on two AAA batteries.

HOW TO SHOP FOR IMAGE INTENSIFIER DEVICES

4 KEY FACTS
1
Which generation? Image
intensifier tubes technology has
been defined in generations. Cur-
2 Quality optics. Image intensi-
fiers also utilize optics. The
quality of your optics will affect the
compatible with your intended use.
If you will use it for long periods at a
time you might want one that allows
rently available are Gen 2 and Gen quality of your image as much as the you to swap batteries. Recharging
3. Although Gen 2 has some of the image intensifying tube itself. batteries on-board will mean the
features of Gen 3, such as auto-gat- Resolution is measured in line unit is out of service until the battery
ing (ATG), there are still other differ- pairs per millimeter (lp/mm). A high is recharged.
ences. resolution means that your picture
Not to take the easy way out, but I
could write another whole article
just on the generation developments.
shows more detail allowing you to
distinguish between objects, or iden-
tify items and people.
4 Tube life span. A tubes life
span is measured in projected
hours of use. It would be important
Before buying, research the differ- to balance the expected life span of
ences to see if you actually need the
latest and greatest. 3 Power source. You want to make
sure you have a power source
the tube in the device you are buy-
ing against the cost. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 57

UNARMED
CAUGHT
WHAT TO DO WHEN
THE GUNFIGHT
STARTS AND
YOU DONT HAVE
YOUR GUN
TEXT BY RICHARD CRAYS

Y
OUVE PROBABLY CONSID-
ERED WHAT YOUR RESPONSE
TO AN ATTACK WOULD BE IF
YOU WERE ARMED WITH YOUR CON-
CEALED HANDGUN. BUT WHEN WAS
THE LAST TIME YOU ADDRESSED
YOUR RESPONSE TO AN ATTACK
WHEN YOUR GUN WAS HOME IN THE
SAFE? HAVE YOU GIVEN IT ANY
THOUGHT?

58 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Sticks and stones
k bones So do fire
guishers, steak
es, heavy china
plates, chairs and
trash can lids.

THINKSTOCK PHOTO

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 59

 RICHARD CRAYS
Common items you have on you, such as a cell phone, keys and ballpoint
pens, can all make excellent weapons in an emergency situation.

Recently, a guy on a plane started How often do we sit, oblivious of the copies of Sports Illustrated in the wait-
yelling threats, many associated with world around us and unarmed in the ing room, sharpen your situational
extremist terrorism. He started to run waiting room of our dentists office? awareness.
toward the cockpit door on the air- More often than we want to, I am sure.
plane. Several passengers jumped up In all that time, have you thought about SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
and tackled him, holding him in place what youd do if the dentists When you walk into the waiting
until the plane landed. Bravo for them. estranged husband came in wielding a room, or restaurant, or food court at the
Before the plane took off, did they gun and began shooting everyone? mall, I want you to ask yourself these
have a tactical action meeting to dis- Do you sit there wishing youd worn questions:
cuss options for this event? I doubt it. your new Glock 43? (Yes, they are now Where do I sit so I can see the door?
One of the passengers saw a threat, available.) Theres no time for that kind of If I had to leave quickly, other than the
realized that their very lives hung in unproductive wishing now; you have to front door/main exit, where is that
the balance and jumped up to inter- do something or become a statistic in the emergency exit?
vene. FBIs next Active Shooters report. Do this out loud the first few times to
When others saw that they were not Before a situation such as that make sure you are doing it. If your wife
alone, or that, indeed, failure to act occurs, learn to spend a moment to says you are talking to yourself again,
might mean their deaths, they all plan your possible responses. Before just nod. Its not the first time, right?
jumped into the fray. wasting time looking at two-year-old But this time it is important. Find that

60 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

spot that gives you a tactical advantage

STEVE BARLOW
on anyone coming in later.
Things your new planning will
include:
1. A clear view of the room/area, fur-
niture or walls or something that you
could hide behind or push your family
behind in case the shooting starts. If I
am with my family, I try to pick a spot
near the emergency exit. If the spit hits
the fan, out the backdoor they go. We
talk about it frequently, as these mass
killing events happen more frequently.
2. Identification and access to impro-
vised fighting implements. Okay, the
bad guy has a gun. He is probably also
nuts, high and stupid. Your brain is a
better weapon than his gun, so use it.
Sticks and stones break bones,
remember? So do fire extinguishers, Many common items you have around your home could become last resort,
improvised weapons against an armed intruder.
steak knives, heavy china plates, chairs
and trash can lids. Once you have
picked your high ground, locate options
from your environment that will be
your go-to tools as soon as you hear LOOK FOR
the first shot.
From now on, if you go out without IMPROVISED TOOLS
your concealed weapon, you should
constantly be doing the what is my Many everyday items around you Your belt with buckle (wrap the

best weapon right now drill, right can be employed as tools or tongue around your hand and let the

after you do your what is my best weapons in an emergency situation buckle swing like a mace)

escape route or piece of cover right to assist in your survival when youre Anything with an edge, like a

now drill. facing an armed attacker. Here are heavy plate, serving platter, or your

3. Look around and see who will be just some examples to get you iPad.

an ally and who will go running and thinking: Hot coffee, or even better, a pot of

screaming into the middle of the chaos. coffee. What about the carafe that is

Is there an off-duty peace officer in Tableware, such as a steak knife, holding the coffee?

there or do you see a lot of people who butter knife and fork Broom stick: Step on handle right

are oblivious to the world around them Beer bottle, broken and jagged is above the straw, breaking off the

and will sit there and be shot for lack better whisk and using the sharp pointy

of any action? Fire extinguisher end as a jabbing tool

Like those people sitting on the

plane, four or five got up to subdue the
wannabe terrorist, while the rest of four or five got up to subdue the
them watched like it was a TV show. abe terrorist, while the rest of them
Unfortunately, we live in a world
hed like it was a TV show.
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 61
THINKSTOCK PHOTO

62 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

where most of the folks have been 5. Pick your environment. Is that ment park. Are you enjoying yourself in
trained to be good spectators and few possible or not? In battle, the victor an environment that would preclude
are willing to be players. often picks the place for the fight. The protection or escape? We need not live
4. Develop code words and/or fire active shooter is doing this when he in fear, nor let fear dictate our lives, but
drills to get the family to be more goes into a movie theater or food court. with a little forethought on where we
aware. When the spit hits the fan, you He didnt show up at a cop bar do things, we limit our exposure to risk.
may not have time to coach the family (wouldnt that be funny) or an NRA Be aware, have a plan, practice the
toward safety. When you are out and convention. plan, implement the plan with commit-
about, ask members of your family to So, think about where you are taking ment when the time comes, and then
tell you, in five seconds or less, where your family for dinner or to an amuse- live long and prosper. TW
they would run if you yelled escape
or fandango.
I would not use escape code words that
were common or easily misunderstood,
such as ice cream (I scream) or haul it INTRODUCING THE
(hobbit). Approach it seriously, but let LAR-47 CAR A4
them have some fun with it. Go through Combining the best of both worlds, allowing you to
use standard AK-47 magazines in the LAR platform.
these exercises discreetly, so you dont
start a panic in the crowds. The whole
point of this exercise would be for them to
escape without getting the attention of
the active shooter, right?

CRITICAL
CHECKLIST LAR-47 CAR A4 AK1263
WITH RRA 6-POSITION TACTICAL CAR STOCK
MSRP: $1270*

WHEN YOURE UNARMED,

THESE ARE MUST-HAVE ITEMS

1 Clear view of the area and

awareness of exits and cover

2 Access to improved weapons

3 Ability to know your allies

from the bystanders

4 Communications code words

during the chaos

When possible, choose your

5 environment carefully * Prices are subject to change.
Sights sold separately. ROCKRIVERARMS.COM

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 63

 AN
OLYMPIC
HURDLE
THE NEW MPR308-15 IS THE FIRST .308
THAT ACCEPTS AR-15 UPPERS
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY TERRILL HOFFMAN

64 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 SPECS
T
O QUOTE THE MOVIE months ago Olympic introduced their MPR
CHARACTER DIRTY HARRY: 308-15, and the first samples should be
Manufacturer: Olympic Arms, Inc.
A MAN'S GOT TO KNOW HIS hitting the gun shops just about now.
Model: MPR 308-15
LIMITATIONS.
Caliber: .308 Winchester
The capabilities of his weapons play a MPR 308-15
Length: 34.5 inches (stock collapsed)
major role in that determination. Harrys The Olympic MPR (Multi-Purpose Rifle)
Barrel: 18 inches, 416 stainless steel
weapon of choice was the S&W Model 308-15 can be described as a .308 cal-
Stock: Olympic Arms collapsible
29, which propelled that handgun to the iber rifle that accepts AR-15 uppers.
Weight: 8.75 pounds (unloaded)
top of the shooters wish list for many The upper and lower receivers are
Twist: 1 in 10
years. both fashioned from a 7075T6 aluminum
Receivers: 7075T6 aluminum billets
However, it has been more than 40 billets. The trigger assembly, safety, mag-
Sights: None
years since Dirty Harry hit the big screen, azine catch and release are all standard
Pistol Grip: A2 style
and the AR-15 has supplanted the Model AR-15 parts. The same can be said for the
Muzzle Treatment: Threaded with
29 as the must-have firearm. Even pistol grip and collapsible butt stock.
protector cap
though this new generation may have the At this point we start to get into the
Handguard: Free floated Predator
latest and greatest carbines, they are still proprietary parts restricted for use in the
MSRP: $1,558.70 (as tested)
learning the lessons of limitations. MPR 308-15. The front portion of the
The AR-15 with its 5.56 NATO car- lower receiver is where you will first
tridge is a decent little varmint rifle, but at notice that this is not a standard AR-15 or

best a so-so short to mid-range battle even a standard AR-10 style rifle. There
rifle. Once shooters realize these facts, it is are three takedown pins! The rear pin
The .308
not uncommon for them to look for ways looks normal but in the front there are uppers will
to expand its capabilities and decrease its two sets of holes for the forward take- come in three
limitations. down pin.
You can have an AR-15 with multiple Each set has a spring-loaded detent,
configurations
uppers in various wildcat cartridges and but there is also an extension on the with barrel
that will get you to the next level or you detent to allow you to pull back to totally
lengths of 24,
can buy an AR-10 to step up even further. release the pin. This is a needed feature
But now, thanks to Olympic Arms Inc., since you will be using the same pin in 18 and 16
there is an easier way. A couple of both sets of holes. The top set is used inches.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 65

1) 2)

3) 4)

1) The dual set of mounting holes found on the front of the receiver is a dead giveaway that this is not your standard rie. There is a
difference in length between an AR-15 upper and the Olympic .308 upper, which requires this accommodation. 2) The rie comes
equipped with a collapsible butt stock but you can exchange this stock to any other commercial size stock. You can see the exten-
sion on the front of the recoil buffer that allows the tting of both the .308 and AR-15 uppers. 3) Olympic Arms .308 magazine is well
built and operated without aw, but because it is proprietary, you are restricted to its use when the .308 upper is installed. 4) Look at
the magazine well and you see the opening for your typical AR-15 magazine, but you also see how the single stacked .308 magazine
can slide into place. The magazine catch and release operates either magazine. While the rie will accept any AR-15 magazine, when
switched to the .308 only Olympics Arms magazines will t.

when mounting a standard AR-15 upper, proprietary metal Olympic Arms single- guard has short Picatinny rail sections
and the second lower set are located in stack 10-round .308 magazine. AR-10 at both ends in the 3, 6, 9 and 12
protrusions on the front of the receiver, aftermarket magazines will not fit the oclock positions.
which are used to mount the Olympic MPR 308-15. The middle section of the handguard is
.308 upper. This is the one area that gave me free of rails and has a knurled surface.
pause. These magazines have not yet The barrel is threaded at the muzzle and
ACCEPTS STANDARD AR-15 MAGS been added to the Olympic Arms web- supplied with a thread protector, and the
When you look at the lower receiver site and no price is available for addi- user can add the suppressor mount or
from the side the magazine well appears tional units. flash hider of choice.
to be sized for .308 magazines. It really The upper receiver is totally proprietary
gets interesting when you flip the carbine MORE FEATURES and will fit the MPR 308-15 lower, but
on its back and look at the opening for The .308 uppers will come in three .308 uppers from other manufacturers will
the magazine. configurations with barrel lengths of not interchange. The flattop receiver is
The magazine well has an opening 24, 18 and 16 inches. The sample rifle smooth-sided and lacks the forward assist
sized to fit any AR-15 magazine, and came with an 18-inch mid-length but- and dust covers found on other units. The
there is a slot in the forward edge of the ton-rifled 416 stainless bull barrel with gas block and tube are totally covered by
opening that allows the insertion of the a 1:10 twist. The free-floated hand- the handguard.

66 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

The ries ability
to use Olympics
.308 upper or any
standard AR-15
upper gives it
great versatility
that hunters will
appreciate.
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 67
The modular design of the AR-style rie is maintained
even if there is a slight variation to method of disas-
sembly. The versatility of using various uppers and
cartridges more than makes up for any additional
effort required.

READ THE MANUAL

I was totally engrossed by this rifle
until I tried to break it down to remove
the bolt carrier group. I pushed the rear The MPR 308-15 is a
pin out and the upper wouldnt budge. I hybrid AR. All of the
controls are the same
even checked to make sure the bolt was as your typical AR-15
or AR-10. The result is
not locked back, but still no luck. Then I increased versatility in
removed the forward pin and still couldnt a reliable package.
separate the two receivers.
At that point I set aside my manly pride out to totally separate the AR-15 upper in always been my go-to rifle, I know it has
and reviewed the owners manual sup- normal fashion. Due to this unusual buffer never failed to give me MOA accuracy.
plied with the rifle. I found that there is configuration you cannot replace the Once mounted to the Olympic lower, the
an extension on the front of the buffer receiver extension or buffer with after- upper continued to give this outstanding
and it fits into the rear recess of the bolt market parts. performance. The combination operated
carrier group. To separate the upper from It takes longer to explain the procedure as if the two receivers were originally
the lower you must push out both take- than it does to actually separate and built together. There was not a single fail-
down pins and slide the upper forward replace upper receivers. ure to feed or fire.
until the buffer extension separates from The AR-15 magazines all fed properly
the bolt carrier before lifting the upper RANGE TIME and dropped free when ejected. The trig-
receiver up and off. Olympic had sent a separate AR-15 A2 ger was a bit heavier (about 5 to 6
This isnt necessary when an AR-15 upper with the sample rifle, but I decided pounds) than I normally use, but it was
upper is mounted. The buffers extension to take one of my own flattop uppers to crisp and the 7.62x40WT upper main-
is too large to fit into the bolt carriers the range, too. I attached a Leupold 1.5-4 tained its reputation of MOA groups.
recess and only the rear pin needs to be X Mark AR scope to the .308 upper and I I then switched to the Olympic 5.56
pushed out to hinge the two receivers for was off. upper and shot targets at 50 yards using
cleaning. The forward pin can be pushed Because my 7.62x40WT AR-15 has its iron sights. I did better than I expected

68 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 The 7.62x51 mm and
the 5.56x45 mm have
been the last two car-
tridges for the U.S.
militarys battle ries.
If you want to hunt
anything bigger than
a coyote, the 7.62x51
is the better choice.

but I doubt I would give much competition the time to clean the barrel, and it was
to match shooters. then that I notice the groups dropping
The Grid Steel Trap Target Systems
It was at this point that I spent a few down a bit further. The best group of the
recently dropped off one of their new tar-
minutes sighting in the scope on the .308 day was 1 1/16 inches for a five-shot
gets, and I spent some time hitting metal
upper before pulling out the chronograph group using Hornadys 168-grain match.
at 100 yards.
and shooting for groups at 100 yards. This was only a slight improvement over
The target has paddles for both head
The heavy profile of the 18-inch barrel my own reloads using Reloader 15 with
and torso shots that alternate, and
added weight to the package, but it Sierra 165 grain bullets and the Winches-
keeping these jumping with the MPR
helped to reduce felt recoil and muzzle ter match. Both of these loads shot 1-
308-15 was a true joy. The carbine
blast compared to some 16-inch .308 inch groups before the end of that days
handled much better than expected
rifles I had previously tested. range session.
even though it weighs about 8
Velocities all ran as expected with all of
pounds. The balance point is right at
ACCURACY the loads, and reliability was 100 percent.
the magazine well and this made it feel
The MPR 308-15 had no love for the A nice feature was that ejection was con-
lighter.
military surplus ammunition used to sistent for both factory loads with all of
adjust the scope onto the targets, and the brass collecting in the same spot at
CONCLUSIONS
groups ran in the 2- to 2-inch range. about 3 oclock from the bench. My own
The typical AR-15 is limited with its
Once I switched to Hornady and Win- loads collected at about 4 oclock.
5.56 cartridge and moving up to the AR-
chester 168 grain match loads the perfor-
10 requires a second rifle, but the MPR
mance greatly improved and then groups OFF-HAND ENTERTAINMENT
308-15 gives you the option of both in
began to be in the 1-inch range. The fun at the range increased once I
one package.
After several groups were fired I took started shooting off-hand. A friend at Off
The new rifle is currently available
in .308, but Olympic Arms isnt going

PERFORMANCE to rest there. They plan to offer this

rifle in 300 Winchester Short Magnum,
.260 Remington, 7mm-08 and .243
LOAD VELOCITY ACCURACY
Winchester. If a man knows his limita-
Hornady 168 gr. Match 2,583 fps 1.12 inches
tions he can learn how to expand his
Winchester 168 gr. Match 2,632 fps 1.25 inches
capabilities. If Harry was offered the
Sierra 165 gr. Handload 2,665 fps 1.25 inches
MPR 308-15, his only reply could be,
Notes: Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity is average of 10 shots in
Go ahead, make my day! TW
fps measured 10 feet from muzzle, and accuracy is in inches for the best
five-shot group at 100 yards.
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 69
 REFLEX
A NATU RAL

THE GUN SIGHT THAT IRONS

OUT THE PROBLEMS WITH
POLICE SIDEARMS
TEXT BY MIKE SEARSON / PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRIJICON

70 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

T
HE TERM GAME
CHANGER IS THROWN
AROUND THE SHOOTING
INDUSTRY EVERY YEAR
WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW
PRODUCTS.
For each of these products that see
the next years production line, six or
so do not make the cut. Of those that
do make it, only one or two truly
change the playing field.
The reflex sight for use on a hand-
gun has proven to be a game changer
in recent years, and its now poised to
make an impact in the law enforce-
ment world as well.

A reex weapon sight like

the Trijicon RMR may be the
most vital handgun acces-
sory for law enforcement
since the introduction of the
rail mounted ashlight.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 71

Born on the competition
circuit, the latest reex
weapon sights are prov-
ing themselves on the
battleeld and the mean
streets of major cities in
the United States.

HISTORY OF THE REFLEX SIGHT when renowned firearms trainer Kelly Iron sights are effective and have been
The technology is not new. Reflex McCann started using one mounted on his used for many years by officers, but they
sights have been helping competitive daily carry Glock 19. have their limitations.
shooters with matches for more than two McCanns use was considered exotic The first of these comes from an aging
decades. However, these sights were and ahead of its time, but he proved its workforce. As most of us enter our 40s,
large; the batteries drained quickly and worth by carrying and shooting his Glock we find that our eyes are not what they
installing them on a pistol usually meant daily with that sight throughout hundreds used to be, particularly when using a
incorporating a mounting system of some of classes involving live fire and close handgun. For many officers, this can
type on the frame. quarter combat techniques. affect qualifying at the range and can
These sights were built to stand up to Sight manufacturers took notice and lead to more time performing office work
heavy recoil, but they were fragile and began making their miniature sights more or even early retirement.
vulnerable to external impact and shock. rugged, specifically for carry and duty use Using a reflex sight solves most of these
This ruled them out as an option for a by law enforcement. The end result is issues and keeps veteran officers on the
sidearm worn in a duty holster for 12- that most reflex sights have come full cir- job. Superimposing the reticle on the tar-
plus hours a day. cle, and the latest offerings from such get is faster and in many cases more
As the years went by, reflex sights companies as Trijicon are making serious accurate than aligning front and rear
became tougher and smaller and used inroads into law enforcement arsenals for sights and ensuring the front sight is crisp
more effective power sources compared to a number of reasons. while the target is blurry.
their first decade of use. Eventually the That mantra makes sense when the
units became small enough to mount in a IMPROVED SIGHT PICTURE eyes are working and everything is sub-
pistol slides rear sight dovetail. Having a reflex sight mounted on a liminally applied, but when the eyes can
The first time I saw one of these on a duty pistol gives the officer a distinct no longer focus the way they did 20
carry pistol was more than 10 years ago advantage in obtaining a sight picture. years earlier, and sight alignment, sight

72 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 TRIJICONS
RMR LIVES
UP TO ITS
NAME
A variety of reflex sights are on the
market, ranging in price from $20 to
more than $700, which may leave the
reader skeptical about their performance.
Currently, Trijicon (www.trijicon.com) is
paving the way with their RMR
(Ruggedized Miniature Reflex) sight.
This sight lives up to its name by
being rugged and durable as well as

When a suspect poses a compact. The glass faces of these sights

threat to a K-9 ofcer or his can be used to rack the slide of a pistol
four-legged partner, the
reex sight allows the of- when pushed against a hard surface.
cer an option for neutraliz-
The RMR comes in three base models,
ing the threat quickly and
accurately. each one based upon their mode or
power source: the LED RMR ($655),
Adjustable LED RMR ($708) and the
picture takes too long to acquire, it is even while injured.
Dual-Illuminated RMR ($577). Both the
time to change. These same benefits for police officers
LED and Adjustable LED Models are pow-
using a reflex sight transfer to the civilian
ered by a battery which can run for two
K-9 OFFICERS side of shooting and self defense, too.
years if left on constantly or four years
Most of us shoot a handgun with both Whether it is because one hand is being
when stored in darkness.
hands. Some officers, however, do not used to call 9-1-1 on a phone or that
The difference between these two
have that luxury as their off hand is hold- hand is otherwise immobilized, having a
models is the LED RMR has a factory
ing a leash and controlling 80 to 120 reflex sight on a defensive pistol gives the
fixed illumination setting, whereas the
pounds of fury in the form of a police dog. victim a fighting chance.
brightness setting on the Adjustable LED
When a callout involving a K-9 officer
can be changed by the user in eight
escalates but the dog has not been TRAINING
increments, including two night vision
released, the officer may have to take a The learning curve for using a reflex
compatible settings.
shot one-handed while controlling his sight on a handgun is fortunately a short
The Dual-Illuminated RMR works a bit
partner. The reflex sight compensates for one. Most reflex sights will allow the
differently using the same fiber optic and
the lack of perfect body mechanics in this shooter to co-witness with their existing
Tritium illumination system as found on
instance when the officer needs to make iron sights. Officers who have sworn by
the companys ACOG scope. In bright
a critical shot to protect his life and the their irons for over a decade can still use
light the fiber optic gathers light and
lives of others. them, and this makes for quick a quick
generates the reticle. In darkness, the
By the same token, this ability of the transition.
Tritium provides the source. The only
reflex sight to make up for a less than Another aspect that Trijicon brings to
lifetime limit of the power source is the
perfect shooting posture translates into the table is a staggering array of reticle
half-life of the Tritium (10 years).
allowing an officer to make a better shot choices for their RMR sights. Shooters can
while behind cover, on the ground and choose from triangles, round dots, horse

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 73

Ofcers transitioning to
a reex sight mounted
on their pistol slides
immediately see their
qualication scores rise
at the range.

HOW A REFLEX SIGHT WORKS

The late Glyn Bindon, founder of graphic dot and the brain merges vision and, most important, rapid
Trijicon, pioneered a shooting tech- these together to compose an ideal target acquisition.
nique called the Bindon Aiming sight picture. The sights are parallax free and
Concept (BAC). This technique dic- He came up with this idea in his offer no magnification. Regardless
tates that the shooter keeps both of native South Africa around 1970 of the manufacturer, all reflex sights
their eyes open while engaging the and it stands the test of time by are intended to be used on this
target. One eye sees the target, the giving the shooter improved depth principle.
other sees an electronic or holo- perception, increased peripheral

74 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 TOP TO BOTTOM The learning curve of a reex weapon sight is a short one, and new
shooters seem to take to it immediately. A weapon-mounted reex sight allows for one-
handed shooting while the ofcer's other hand is otherwise occupied or immobilized.

shoe shapes and in a variety of colors. number of firearms manufacturers are

Many officers who served in the military incorporating the mounting of these
or on a SWAT team using ACOG scopes sights into their designs.
choose to have a similar reticle used in Manufacturers such as FNH, Smith &
their RMRs. Wesson and most recently Glock have
For new shooters in an academy who made their pistol slides with removable
may have little exposure to firearms, the plates that allow a reflex sight like an
These sights reflex sight offers an easier concept than RMR to simply bolt to the top of the slide
hanging the tried and true align front and rear, as opposed to removing the rear sight and

world focus on the front while the target looks installing a mount.
blurry advice for iron sights. The handgun-mounted reflex sight has
shootings on the truly come of age and evolved beyond the
streets as another SUPPORT FROM THE INDUSTRY needs of competitive target shooters.
Because reflex sights on handguns These sights are changing real-world
tool in an LEOs
have proven themselves not to be a mere shootings on the streets as another tool in
arsenal. flash in the pan, holster companies and a an LEOs arsenal. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 75

BRIGHT,
COMPACT,
VERSATILE
THE EDC TACTICAL
FLASHLIGHT FROM
HDS SYSTEMS IS 3
WAYS EXCELLENT
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY
STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

76 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

I
THINK I FOUND MY NEW
FAVORITE FLASHLIGHT.
My career as a police officer
spanned 27 years, and I
worked night shifts more than any
other. Without a doubt the piece of
equipment I used most often was not a
gun or a radio or a set of handcuffs. It
was a flashlight.
Had the HDS Systems EDC Tactical
light been available at the time, it
would have been my flashlight of
choice.

THE BASICS FIRST

1. Its small. The EDC (Every Day Carry)
Tactical is a small light at about 3
inches long and 1 inch in diameter, mak-
ing it a perfect size to have with you at all
times, whether youre a uniformed officer
or plain clothes investigator on or off duty.
2. It lasts. It runs on one long-lasting

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 77

The EDC Tactical runs on one easily replaced CR123A lithium battery. An optional kit
with rechargeable battery is also available.

WHY A
COMPACT
LIGHT
MAKES
SENSE
Early in my police career, it was neces-
sary to carry a large light for a couple of
reasons.
First, there were no small lights avail-
able that were sufficiently powerful to
THE STANDOUT FEATURES really light up an area enough to reveal
OK, lots of small, powerful LED flash- possible threats.
Second, our issue batons were nothing
lights are on the market these days. So
more than long wooden sticks. You had to
why does this one stand out? remove it from the ring on your duty belt
What separates the EDC Tactical from before taking a seat in a vehicle. That
the competition in my opinion is the way meant that when you had to dash out of
the car in a hurry you usually grabbed
this light functions through its different
your flashlight first and the baton often
modes. There is the typical push button was left behind.
switch in the tailcap, although tailcap Later, we were issued collapsible
isnt the right word because the flashlight batons that could stay on your duty belt
even when seated in a vehicle. And
unscrews to access the battery compart-
advances in technology saw the introduc-
ment at about the mid-point. tion of small, powerful flashlights.
The tail end of the light is actually a It no longer made sense to carry a
rotating dial. With the dial rotated fully long, heavy light. Weighed down with
EDC means every day carry. A light, a full duty gear, including body armor, it
knife and a handgun are some of the
clockwise, pushing the button will give
was hard enough to catch a suspect in a
things an ofcer should think about hav- you momentary-on maximum brightness. hoodie and basketball shoes in a foot
ing on him at all times.
Release the button and the light goes off. chase.
Its a setting thats easy to remember and You need to have your hands free on a
moments notice, whether to handcuff a
easy to find by feel in the dark.
suspect, wrestle a drunk or help to carry a
Its perfect for when using a flash and victim to an ambulance. A small light
CR123A lithium battery. These batteries dash technique a brief flash of light to rides easily on your belt or tucks away in
are now common and are available most reveal threats and obstacles and then a pocket. Its there at all times, even on
the day shifts when you suddenly find
everywhere these days. A rechargeable moving in the dark with the light off to
yourself searching the dark basement of a
battery kit is also available from HDS. The prevent you from being an easy target. vacant building.
light source is a single LED that you wont Back off that rotating control slightly
have to replace. The body of the light is from full clockwise and pushing the but- settings. I counted 12.
durable aluminum with steel bezel that ton gets you to the momentary-on blind- This is especially appealing because
will take being dropped repeatedly. ing strobe mode. many times you dont want or need the
3. Its powerful. The model I tested is Starting at the full counter-clockwise maximum brightness. You might be
rated at 325 lumens in the brightest end of the rotating dial you have the vari- merely filling out a report or you might be
mode. Thats brighter than any 5 D-cell able constant-on settings. Adjusting the engaged in the more serious business of
light I used to use. A less expensive 250- dial clockwise little by little takes you moving into position for a tactical opera-
lumen model is also available and still from the dimmest glow through multiple tion. Preserve your night vision, save your
provides more than enough light for most brightness levels to strobe to maximum. battery and dont give away your posi-
situations. There are not just one or two brightness tion. Go with a lower brightness setting.
78 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
 SPECS
Model: EDC Tactical flashlight
Manufacturer: HDS Systems Inc.
Website: www.HDSsystems.com
Light source: LED
Brightness: 0-325 lumens variable
(tested); 0-250 lumens variable
model also available
Modes: Constant-on variable bright-
ness and strobe; momentary-on full
power and strobe
Size: 3 inches long, 1 inch in
diameter
Power source: one CR123A lithium
battery; rechargeable battery kit also
available for $41
MSRP: $299 for 325 lumens model;
$269 for 250 lumens model

A small light rides easily on your belt or tucks away in a

pocket. Its there at all times, even on the day shifts

IT GETS BETTER
You dont want to be fumbling with
constant-on lower setting.
No fine motor skills are required, no
battery needs to be replaced.

dials or trying to remember a sequence of complicated drills to remember. A double NOT JUST A BACKUP LIGHT
button pushes to reach different modes on click of the button with the light on I dont think this HDS light should be
a tactical flashlight. It has to be easy to allows you to toggle back and forth relegated to mere backup light status.
use under stress with gross motor move- between the constant-on dim setting of My days on patrol are over, but if this
ments. your choice and constant-on maximum light had been available when I
Thats where the EDC Tactical really brightness. worked the road, I would have carried
shines, literally. Say youre jotting down two of them: one as my primary and a
some notes and your light is on a low LOW BATTERY INDICATOR second as a backup. It does everything
brightness setting. Suddenly someone, a When your battery is getting low, I need a light to do without taking up a
possible threat, comes out of the darkness the flashlight will turn off momentarily, lot of room or weighing me down.
toward you. then come back on at one brightness Im still a flashlight fanatic. I use
With your light already at constant setting lower. This will repeat as the them on camping trips and back-coun-
on, you have only to push the button battery continues to be depleted. try hunts. I carry one whenever I go
with your thumb and your light When the battery is no longer capa- out as a companion to my concealed
instantly goes to momentary-on maxi- ble of maintaining a 50-lumen output, carry handgun. Until something better
mum brightness. Release the button the light will double blink once every comes along, this is now my go-to
and you automatically go back to your two minutes as an indicator that the light. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 79

 LONG
GUNS,

SHORT
BULLETS
PISTOL CALIBER CARBINES REFUSE TO DIE
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY RICHARD CRAYS

S
TANDING AT THE SHOT SHOW FEW MONTHS AGO, I
NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PISTOL CALIBER
CARBINES. AND I DO MEAN SIGNIFICANT.
Ever since the early 1980s, an HK MP5 has always been assigned
to the SWAT team, and every once in a while a Colt would show up
as the No. 2 entry weapon.

80 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Rossi Circuit Court Judge
in .45 Colt/.410 shotgun.

I found that
SAA SA-15 Grim Reaper
tration from
lower with Magpul furniture,
then topped off with your
mm using the
choice of uppers and optics
and you are in business. nch barrels
With the wide variety of qual-
ity components out there, showed comparable,
only your pocket book limits
what you can build as far as if not better, penetra-
the perfect pistol
caliber carbine. tion on a variety of
barriers than the
.223.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 81

 Beretta CX4 Storm. If you are looking
for a carbine that uses the same
magazines as your Beretta pistol,
this is it and its very affordable. The
carbine is light, maneuverable and a
lot of fun to shoot.
HOW GOOD
ARE PISTOL
CALIBER
CARBINES?
Early arguments for the 9mm rifle as an entry gun were

1
Penetration. Since January, I have done some
that if you had to shoot from over-the-shoulder or tuck posi- tests. I would encourage you to recreate these
tions as you went through a door, it was more controllable, so you are satisfied that you are getting what you
shorter and lighter. And in a pinch, you could work it and a need out of the pistol caliber carbine.
shield if necessary. With mine, I found that penetration from the 9mm,
So from then to now, why did I see a 9mm or .40 caliber using the 16-inch barrels on two of the guns I tested,
long gun in nearly every booth where I stopped? I had some showed comparable, if not better, penetration on a
theories and ran them by those manufacturers, and while I variety of barriers (denim, sheetrock, milk jugs lined
got head nods, for the most part they said that the market up in a row and full of water) than the .223. Color me
demanded it. Guess that means we gun buyers were asking surprised.
about them a lot. Cost. I compared some prices and in most
I dont know if you are familiar with the choice of
guns/calibers that many of the Arizona or Texas Rangers
2 cases, you can get 50 rounds of 9mm for less
money than 40 rounds of .223. That varies with type
toted back in the 1800s, but many chose rifles that used the of round and manufacturer, but for the most part, more
same cartridges as their pistols, for obvious reasons. bullets for same or less money.
If you were running low on the ammo in the cartridge Recoil Management. I set up five plates at
loops of your belt or having to reload two guns under stress,
such as when gunfire or arrows were being tossed your
3 ranges from 10 to 30 feet. I am faster with the
9mm carbine by about 0.4 seconds. Not a lot of
way, you didnt need the added complication of picking the time? It might seem like a lot of time if you are the one
right load. One cartridge simplified that, and by going with a being shot at when you are that much slower.

82 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Many states authorize suppres-
sors for hunting, and the prices
for quality products are coming
down. They offer the ability to
train more efciently, and you
wont lose your hearing if you
have to re your weapon
indoors. Firearm is an HK MP5.

The Caracal Type F

pistol is the perfect
companion for the
Caracal CC10 carbine
as both use the same
ammo and same mag-
azines.

If you have not shot a

Kriss Vector, you have not
lived a full life. Recoil is
almost non-existent. It
uses a standard Glock
magazine (how is that for
interchangeability?) and at
just under $1,800, its
worth every penny.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 83

 The Caracal CC10 is another pistol caliber carbine thats
fun to shoot. Its 9mm cartridge produces very little recoil,
making it very controllable.

WHATS AVAILABLE
The PISTOL CALIBER CARBINE Roster
So, I was sold and went on the hunt for HK USC: .45 caliber. Heavy, unwieldy FOR THE MORE TRADITIONAL AMONG
a pistol caliber carbine. What did I find? I and one of the most enjoyable carbines I US WE HAVE:
thought youd never ask. have ever run. Like learning a new work- Rossi Circuit Court Judge: Not a stan-
Caracal CC10: 9mm and takes the out that your over-muscled cousin makes dard choice for most, the .45/410 ga
same magazines as the companys Type F you try, you get into the swing of things offers a wide variety of munitions to cover
pistols. Pros include the ambidextrous and understand what they were trying to almost any situation. From birds to deer,
mag release, tac rails and fast exchange do. Moving room to room through wide from carjacking to defending the camp
barrels. doorways or running a wide gangway in from bandits, the 18-inch barrel gives
Colt AR6951: 9mm but requires a spe- a faraway port, this gun would feel at you all the accuracy needed for encoun-
cific magazine, so think about a MOLLE home; in an old house or tenement apart- ters out to 100 yards.
vest customized to hold spares. A hand- ment with narrow corridors, maybe not. Marlin 1894: Available in.45 Colt, .44
gun to pair with it, to be true to the heart, Kel-Tec Sub-2000: Accepting the magnum and .357 magnum, you could
should be something along the lines of a magazines from your Glock 17 and the match this with all sorts of pistols for
1911 in 9mm. Probably the most costly of folding stock are easily the two best fea- ammo interchangeability. With the 20-
the group, but very, nice. tures on this one. The finish was a bit inch barrel on mine chambered in .44
Beretta CX4 Storm: 9mm, .40 and .45 rough on the one I shot, but accuracy was mag, I have no problem hitting paper
and will take Beretta pistol mags from the good and the folding stock would make plate sized targets at 150 yards about 90
PX4 Storm pistol. Exotic, sleek and transporting it in a backpack easy. If you percent of the time. Its not the guns fault
requires some training to get use to the are familiar with the Swedish K, this one I dont do better.
operating system if you are used to John was influenced by that simple and reli- Match either of these two with a Taurus
Brownings, but it is pretty light and accu- able design. This one would be the least Judge or a Ruger Vaquero and you will
rate. If you are new to the 3-gun game, expensive of the lot. feel like pinning on the star, putting on
its worth a second look. Stag Arms Model 9T: A new AR-style the old leather vest and riding off into the
UZI: 9mm, proprietary mags and a bit carbine, but with a blowback operating sunset.
heavier than necessary, but a solid, and system. Its chambered in 9mm with 32- There are others out there that I
from my standpoint, indestructible machine. round magazines. It features a 16-inch havent mentioned. And if they continue
If you are going to beat the be-gee-bees out chrome-lined heavy barrel, Picatinny rail to be so popular, were sure to see more
of a gun and expect it to shoot, this one for optics, Diamondhead metal backup pistol caliber carbines in the near future.
might be the best of the group. Tricky part sights and a mil-spec 6-position collapsi-
is matching the pistol to it. ble stock.

84 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

The new Stag Arms Model 9T in 9mm offers AR ergonomics
with the light recoil of a pistol caliber carbine.

pistol caliber cartridge you could carry are, why spend the money on the I dont know if you picked up on a
more of them. .223? This one (a 9mm) will be mine theme in there, but I had by the fourth
Are those the same thoughts all gun unless I find a pink one, then I get guy I talked to: It was, my wife.
market folks are thinking now? I the used one! Other reasons I heard repeated were
walked around conducting a sort of Unless I am shooting over 100 cost, accuracy, recoil management and
informal Q & A to anyone I saw holding yards, the 9 does all I need it to do and improved ballistic capability. And I
a pistol caliber carbine. the gun is lighter than my Rock River. heard more than one fellow say, and
The responses to my inquiry were: Got one for my wife last year and since the FBI is going back to it, the
My follow-up shots are faster and when we go to the range, I spend as tests must show it to be better than it
when I work them in close, more con- much time shooting hers as I do mine. I was.
trollable. figure there will be less fighting over it Hence, the large number of pistol-
With 9mm ballistics the way they if I get another one. caliber carbines at SHOT. TW

Discover the
World of Firearms
at Your Fingertips.
Visit our new website Today! www.gunworld.com
86 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
THE L.A.W.
IS ON YOUR SIDE
THE PROFESSIONAL MODEL FROM LEGENDARY ARMS
WORKS AS A PRECISION RIFLE FIT FOR DUTY OR SPORT
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

W
ITH THE FIREARMS
MARKET FLOODED
WITH BUDGET-PRICED
BOLT ACTION RIFLES, SOMETIMES
WE ARE TEMPTED TO SETTLE FOR
ROCK-BOTTOM PRICE OVER
TOP-NOTCH QUALITY.
The Legendary Arms Works (LAW)
Professional model in .308 Winchester
is a precision rifle with design features
that elevate it above the tide of
mediocre lead-chuckers. You wont find
it on sale at the discount store, but it
excels in design, manufacture and
performance.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The quality of the Professional is obvi-
ous the moment you pick it up. Its a light-
weight rifle at 6.7 pounds, but its solid.
Theres nothing flimsy about this gun.
The stainless steel is finished with a
Tactical Gray Cerakote non-reflective
coating for additional corrosion protection.
The 24-inch barrel with integral muzzle
brake is fluted. The fiberglass stock is fin-
ished in tri-color OD green speckle paint.
Its an attractive rifle, without being
flashy.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 87

FEATURES
1. LAW 704 ACTION
The Professional uses the LAW 704
SPECS
Manufacturer: Legendary Arms Works
action, designed by the legendary Ed
Website: www.legendaryarmsworks.com
Brown. Its a controlled round feed mech-
Model: Professional
anism that uses a heavy-duty spring-
Action: Ed Brown-designed 704 bolt action with
loaded pivoting extractor to secure a car-
controlled round feed
tridge from the beginning of the feed
Caliber: .308 Winchester (7.62x51 NATO)
cycle all the way to the chamber. It differs
Overall Length: 44 5/8 inches
from a Mauser action in that the bolt face
Length of Barrel: 24 inches, fluted, with integral
rotates around the cartridge and supports
muzzle brake
it underneath when the bolt is closed.
Rifling: 6 grooves, 1:10 twist
Sights: None; two-piece scope base included
2. A BETTER BOLT
Finish: Tactical Gray Cerakote over stainless steel
The bolt on the Professional is
Stock: Fiberglass with aluminum bedding blocks
machined from bar stock. It has two
Length of pull: 13.5 inches
opposing locking lugs and a 90-degree
Magazine: 4-round with hinged floorplate
bolt lift. The body of the bolt has spiral
MSRP: $1,828.99
fluting to reduce weight and to aid
smooth cycling of the bolt. Gas vents on
the bottom of the bolt and on the front left my own trigger pull gauge. The trigger
side of receiver ring protect the shooter if breaks cleanly with no creep or take-up.
a case ruptures. It is an exceptional trigger.
The large claw-shaped extractor is part
of the bolt face rim. By eliminating the 5. THREE-POSITION SAFETY
long rotating claw extractor found on The three-position wing safety is my
other rifles, there is less contact with the favorite type of safety. At the full rearward
receiver, which allows the bolt to cycle position, the bolt handle and firing pin are
smoothly. locked. At the middle position, the firing
There is a tactile cocking indicator at pin is still locked, but the bolt can be
the rear of the bolt. This is a handy fea- safely cycled. The safety is positions
ture if the rifle was ever employed in low positive, well-defined. Just as important,
light tactical operations. it is silent when being moved to the full-
No tools are needed to disassemble the forward fire position.
firing control system, so cleaning and
maintenance in the field is easy. 6. EXCELLENT STOCK
The Professional is fitted with Leg-
3. MATCH-GRADE BARREL endary Arms Works (formerly High Tech
The barrel on the Professional is match Specialties) hand-laid fiberglass stock. It
grade, with a recessed crown to protect uses aluminum bedding blocks for
the rifling. There are six rifling grooves increased strength and accuracy. For
with a 1:10 twist. comfort, the rifle has a 1-inch Pachmayr
Decelerator recoil pad.
4. TIMNEY TRIGGER
The Professional features a custom 7. FLAWLESS FOLLOWER
Timney adjustable trigger. It is set at the The Professional uses a stainless steel
factory at 3 pounds. I confirmed this with reverse round magazine follower that aids

88 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

The bolt of the LAW 704 action used in the
Professional model uses a heavy-duty spring-
loaded claw-shaped pivoting extract that is
actually part of the bolt face rim. It rotates
around the cartridge and supports it under-
neath when the bolt is closed. The LAW
Professional model receiver is drilled and
tapped with heavy duty 8-40 threads and
comes with a two-piece scope base.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 89

 The uted bolt of the LAW Professional model reduces weight and is designed for drag-free operation of the action. The LAW Pro-
fessional is a good-looking rie that is well constructed and has design features not found in the budget-priced competition.

reliability and eliminates drag when feed-

ing a cartridge. The system aligns the car-
tridges to ensure uniform chambering,
which enhances accuracy.

8. EASY OPERATING BOLT RELEASE

The bolt release on the left rear of the
receiver is low profile but has a fumble-
free design thats easy to operate with
either gloved hands or, as I discovered,
with freezing cold bare hands.

9. INCLUDED SCOPE BASES

I hate it when, after buying a new rifle,
The author used a Magneto Speed chronograph that attaches to the barrel to I have to search the earth for the proper
gauge bullet velocities. scope base. The Professional is drilled and
tapped with heavy-duty 8-40 threads to
secure the included two-piece scope base

SHOOTING RESULTS that is compatible with Weaver and

Picatinny rings.

L.A.W. PROFESSIONAL IN .308 WINCHESTER ON THE RANGE

CARTRIDGE AVERAGE VELOCITY BEST GROUP Its great to have a long list of
Hotshot Elite 146-grain FMJ 2,736 ft/sec inch impressive features, but how does the
Winchester (white box) 147-grain FMJ 2900 ft/sec inch rifle perform? I mounted a Vortex Viper
PMC Bronze 147-grain FMJ 2,666 ft/sec 7/8 inch 4-12x40 scope on the rifle and headed
Federal Gold Medal Match 168-grain JHP 2,679 ft/sec 5/8 inch to the range to find out.
Velocity measured with Magneto Speed chronograph. Groups: three shots at 100 yards. I tested the rifle with four types of
ammo: Hotshot Elite 146-grain FMJ,
90 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
At the bench, Todd Freeman, who was at the range shooting alongside the author, gets the feel of the LAW Professional. The author
found the rie consistently able to shoot sub-one-inch groups with a variety of ammo.

Winchester (white box) 147-grain FMJ, years SHOT show where the metal
PMC Bronze 147-grain FMJ and Federal plates were at 500 yards.
Gold Medal Match 168-grain Sierra
Match King BTHP.
It didnt matter what ammo I put
PROFESSIONAL FOR PROS
OR AMATEURS
AVAILABLE
through the rifle or that I didnt let the
barrel cool down between strings or
The LAW Professional model is a
precision rifle with features that would
CALIBERS
that Im not especially patient when appeal to the hunter who travels long The Legendary Arms Works Profes-

shooting from the bench. miles over tough terrain and needs a sional model is available in .22-250;

The best 3-shot group I fired was lightweight, weatherproof rifle thats .243 Winchester; .25-06 Remington;

with the Hotshot Elite 146-grain FMJ accurate at long ranges. .257 Weatherby; .260 Remington; .26

ammo. It measured inch. But to be Add the right optics and a bipod and Nosler; 6.5 Creedmoor; .270 Winchester;

fair to the other ammo brands, I shot this rifle could easily serve the needs of 7mm-08 Remington; .280 Remington;

some sub-1-inch groups with all of special police units who might reach for .280 Ackley Improved; 7mm Remington

them. This is one accurate rifle. the super-accurate Professional at times Magnum; .308 Winchester; 30.06

I moved to a standing position and when heavier guns are left behind. Springfield; .300 Winchester Magnum;

leaned against a wooden post to simu- Though its not an inexpensive rifle .300 Weatherby Magnum; .338 Winches-

late a tree that I might use for a rest in at a suggested $1,828.99, it is a bar- ter Magnum; and .35 Whelan.

the field. I easily clanged the metal gain when you consider that its qual-
plates at 200 yards. ity is right up there with the quasi-pro-
Was I surprised at this performance? duction guns from the custom shops
Not at all. I had fired a LAW rifle at this that cost twice as much. TW
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 91
PICK THE PROPER

AMMO
HANDLOADED AMMO IS GREAT
FOR TRAINING, BUT STICK TO
FACTORY LOADS FOR DEFENSE
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CHUCK TAYLOR

92 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

M
ANY SHOOTERS ARE
HANDLOADERS, BUT
MANY OTHERS, ESPE-
CIALLY THE NEWER SHOOTERS, ARE
NOT. Thus, they depend solely upon fac-
tory ammunition for both their service and
practice needs, not realizing that the need
for balancing cost and performance might
not be as efficiently met as it might be.

CIVIL LIABILITY
Civil liability also influences the situ-
ation. Regardless of what criminal law
might stipulate, civil law is a totally
different ball game. Most expert wit-
nesses will tell you that the use of
hand-loaded ammo, however high its
quality might be, is a virtual guarantee
of an unwinnable lawsuit should you
use it in self-defense.
In truth, careful handloading nearly
always produces ammunition that is
superior to anything available from
commercial sources, but in so doing, it
lends itself to the oft-used claim that
the person using it is somehow the
perpetrator of the deadly event, rather
than the intended victim.
The attorney of the ill-fated perpetra-
tor will claim that you created the dead-
liest, most awesome ammunition possi-
ble all so you could go out and hunt
down hapless victims and shoot them.
Silly? Absolutely. Absurd? Yep. Irra-
tional? No doubt about it.
But none of this matters because via
case law, more than adequate prece-
dent has been established in court. In
instance after instance, this approach
has been used, in all too many
instances with success. Thus, its only
reasonable to anticipate that it will
continue to be used again.
Remember that unless mitigating
circumstances are involved, it is
difficult to counter such claims.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 93

 1) 2)

4)
3)

1) Terminal Shock JHPs from Dynamic Research Technologies (DRT), utilizes a controlled frangible bullet that penetrates to vital
organs before fragmenting. It offers exceptional stopping power while virtually eliminating over-penetration and ricochet hazards. 2)
Longer-barreled .38 SPL revolvers can generate sufcient muzzle velocities for decent JHP expansion, especially with 110 or 125
grain bullets. Cor-Bons 110-grain DPX JHP is one of authors favorites and can be duplicated for practice with Hornadys 110-grain
XTP JHP and 7.5 grains of Alliant Unique. 3) Another revolutionary offering from DRT is lead-free practice ammo loaded to the same
specs as their Terminal Shock loads. As a result, they shoot to the same POA, look and feel the same -- a great idea. 4) Due to serious
civil liability issues, factory ammo is by far the best bet for the vast majority of self-defense functions. Because of its excellent combi-
nation of accuracy, functional reliability and performance, Barnes TAC-XPD JHPs are an excellent choice.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE is often believed, resulting in the jury and winning a fight, while in the
What mitigating circumstances might ruling in favor of the wrong person. process presenting minimal risk to the
successfully counter such a tactic? It On the other hand, the use of hand- surrounding community.
might be argued that the defendant was loaded ammo for practice is a wonder- 2. Can Mirror Carry Ammo. A sec-
using the only ammunition he had avail- ful idea. ond advantage is that it also allows
able at the time. An example of this you to duplicate the performance of
might be someone who was returning ADVANTAGES OF HANDLOADS whatever kind of factory ammo you
from target shooting, hunting or a day of FOR PRACTICE carry.
boondocking out in the field. 1. Cost. Its less expensive than buy- The specific purpose of training is to
Since none of these activities present ing factory fodder because you can provide the physical skills needed to
much of a potential for a deadly force load more ammo for the same price, quickly and efficiently handle and uti-
encounter with another person, using allowing you to practice both more lize your weapon and ancillary equip-
handloaded ammo is a non-issue extensively and more often. We all ment. To do that, subconscious pro-
because it was loaded with the intent know that the more you practice, gramming is required, each one print-
of being used for recreational, rather assuming that what you practice is ing itself in the subconscious mind.
than self-defense, purposes. tactically and technically valid, the The way the gun feels in the hands
Otherwise, the plaintiffs claim that more efficient you become, thus when it is held, manipulated, pre-
you custom-loaded extra-deadly ammo enhancing your chances of surviving sented and fired, how it recoils and

94 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

FAVORITE LOADS
9MM .357 MAGNUM regards it as not only being the best ser-
I have my handloading preferences and In the .357 magnum, every load pro- vice pistol cartridge available, but the easi-
little secrets gleaned from decades of duces serious recoil and bright muzzle est to duplicate via handloads.
experimentation and evaluation. For flash, but the two most popular factory Once again, my preferred .45 ACP
instance, my 9mm carry load is the loads the 110- and 125-grain JHPs are carry load is the DRT 150-grain Terminal
Dynamic Research Technologies (DRT) 85- a snap to duplicate. Shock controlled frangible JHP. Its a
grain Terminal Shock JHP. Using a Remington #5 magnum terrific man-stopper, is highly accurate
Because of its revolutionary controlled primer, and either 16.0 grains of Alliant and functionally reliable, yet without the
frangible bullet, its generally regarded as #2400 for the Hornady 110-grain XTP JHP loss of penetration to vital organs or
the best general-purpose 9mm defense or 15.0 grains for the 125-grain XTP JHP, intermediary obstacles thats so com-
load currently available, and produces a factory performance is mirrored in every mon with traditional frangible-bullets. An
whopping 1350 fps, but with surprisingly way. added advantage is that its lighter bullet
manageable recoil and virtually no muzzle And for those who prefer heavier bullets, also allows superior weapon controlla-
flash. And as if all that isnt enough, its the 158-grain Hornady XTP JHP and 14.0 bility in fast shooting strings.
wont over-penetrate or ricochet either. grains of Alliant #2400 exactly approxi- And, like its smaller 9mm counterpart, it
For a practice alternative, however, DRT mates all factory 159-grain .357s. too is virtually ricochet and over-penetra-
also offers a non-lead 85-grain load that tion proof. Add this and its other positive
shoots to the same POA and exhibits the .40 S&W characteristics to the fact that DRT also
same recoil as their Terminal Shock bullet. The two most common factory .40 offers lost-cost practice ammo for it, and
And its the same price as other practice S&W loads -- the 155-grain JHP @ 985 you can easily see why its the best game
ammo to boot. fps and 180-grain JHP @ 900 fps -- are in town for .45 ACP.
Still, for a low-cost handloaded alterna- also easy to replicate, using the Hor- For my .45 ACP handloading needs, I
tive, I use the Hornady 90-grain XTP JHP nady XTP 155-grain and 180-grain JHPs found Alliant Unique to be the most satis-
and 6.0-grains of Unique. It generates the and 6.5 grains or 6.0 grains of Unique factory in all bullet weights, but Red Dot
same velocity, shoots to the same POA respectively. Both shoot to the same and Green Dot, as well as #231 are also
and generates very little recoil. points of aim as factory fodder, produce popular with many handloaders. Using
exactly the same flash and recoil and Unique, my preferred .45 ACP handloads
.38 SPECIAL are quite accurate. for the different bullet weights and types
In .38 Specials with longer barrels, Ive are as follows:
always preferred the Cor-Bon 110-grain 10MM 185 grain Hornady XTP JHP 7.0-grains
+P+ DPX JHP, driven at 1275 fps. Its The best and only 10mm auto fac- (950 fps).
accurate, expands reliably and in general tory offering thats appropriate for self- 200-grain Hornady XTP JHP 6.5-
is about as good as it can get with that defense is the so-called FBI Load pro- grains (905 fps).
cartridge. duced by Federal. Consisting of a 180- 200-grain Hensley & Gibbs cast SWC
For a handloaded alternative, the 110- grain JHP driven at just over 900 fps, its 6.2-grains (875 fps).
grain XTP JHP is available as a component recoil level is identical to the .40 S&W 230-grain Full Metal Jacket 6.0-grains
from Hornady, making duplication of the load of the same bullet weight, is highly (803 fps).
Cor-Bon factory load a relatively easy task accurate and produces minimal flash. It I prefer the Hornady XTP series for
when loaded with 7.5 grains of Alliant can be duplicated with Hornadys 180- JHP loads because of all the component
Unique. It looks and feels exactly like its grain XTP and 6.5 grains of Unique. bullets, Ive found them to expand more
factory counterpart and shoots to the All other factory and handloaded reliably while still demonstrating good
same POA. 10mms generate excessive recoil, thus penetration from all angles. They also
For the ubiquitous and often tempera- totally destroying high-speed controllabil- shoot quite accurately and feed well in
mental -- .38 SPL snubbie, I long ago dis- ity, are horribly over-penetrative, making all the self-loaders in which Ive used
covered that the only factory load that shot them a questionable choice. them. However, Speer, Sierra, Nosler,
to anywhere near point of aim is the 158- Remington and Winchester also produce
grain lead round nose (LRN). Unfortunately, .45 ACP excellent, high-quality bullets in all cal-
its widely regarded as for a poor manstop- With the exception of the 185-grain tar- ibers and weights. Naturally, these can
per, so I substitute a 158-grain lead semi- get wadcutter, the venerable .45 ACP is a be substituted for the Hornady if the
wadcutter (LSWC) for it, loaded over either good man-stopper in nearly every factory shooter wishes.
3.5 grains of Alliant Bullseye or 5.0 grains loading of any bullet weight and type. Its
of Unique. also so user friendly that nearly everyone

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 95

1)

2) 3) 1) Although its relatively easy to create

handloaded ammo that from a perfor-
mance standpoint is equal to or better
than factory fodder, civil liability con-
cerns are vastly increased by so doing.
2) DRTs 150-grain . 45 ACP Terminal
Shock JHP is a controlled frangible bul-
let at 1100 fps. Easy to control, accu-
rate, functionally reliable, with excellent
stopping power, its now author Taylors
personal factory carry load. 3) Authors
preferred .45 ACP loads, left to right:
Factory Winchester 230-grain Hard-
ball FMJ, 200-grain Hensley & Gibbs
#68 lead SWC with 6.2 grains Alliant
Unique, Cor-Bon 160-grain DPX JHP,
and DRT-150 grain Terminal Shock JHP.

sounds when discharged and how remember the basic fundamentals of handloads can easily duplicate or
much flash it produces in low light are marksmanship, much less recall an outperform factory loads. However, they
critically important factors in establish- altered aiming point at longer ranges present a serious civil liability hazard.
ing those programs. or on a small target, perhaps only par- Thus, they should be used only if miti-
Therefore, practice ammunition must tially exposed target. gating tactical circumstances are present
perform as closely as possible to the Quite often, shooters load their prac- and factory ammo isnt available.
factory loads you carry or subconscious tice ammo to specifications that dont For practice, however, handloads
programming is negatively affected. even come close to factory levels, thus offer substantial monetary savings,
Moreover, if your practice loads dont unwittingly creating dangerously allowing the shooter to train more
shoot reasonably close to the same errant subconscious programs. extensively and more often. This is its
point of aim (POA) as your carry ammo, greatest advantage. Provided you train
a potentially catastrophic glitch is cre- TRAIN WITH HANDLOADS, BUT properly, the more you train, the better
ated. Its difficult enough under the CARRY FACTORY AMMO youll be when the chips are down and
stress of a deadly encounter to even In conclusion, properly loaded the bullets fly both ways. TW

96 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 DOUBLE DOWN
& SA
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98 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
 A
TACTICAL
EDGE HEAVY DUTY FOR ON DUTY, THESE 3 TOOLS FROM
TIMBERLINE KNIVES DEFINITELY MAKE THE CUT
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

P
OLICE OFFICERS REFER TO 1 TIMBERLINE 18-DELTA plicated mechanisms.
THEMSELVES AS BEING ON FOLDING KNIFE The drop point is different than most
THE JOB. A folding knife is a tool to be carried in that the blade maintains most of its
But on any given day, that job can on your person so that its immediately width before dropping off suddenly
mean working at criminal investiga- available to you at all times. Timber- near the tip. Its a very strong design,
tion; traffic enforcement; family coun- lines 18-Delta knife, designed by Greg suited to most cutting tasks.
seling; searching for missing persons; Lightfoot, would be a good choice for The textured G-10 scales over the
accident reconstruction; marihuana every day carry. titanium liners are lightweight and
field eradication; emergency rescue; Its a good-sized folder with a 3.7- durable and provide a secure grip.
dignitary protection or disaster cleanup inch blade, available in three configu- That grip is further enhanced by the
to name just a few. rations: a penetrating tanto, a strong jimping on the top of the handle and
Sometimes those jobs require specific drop point and bull-nose serrated res- on the underside where the handle
tools beyond the handgun, flashlight and cue blade. I tested the drop point and
handcuffs we so closely associate with found it to be a quality knife suited for

police work. Sometimes the tools all-around tactical use.
required require a more keen edge. The blade is of 440C stainless steel Its not
Timberline Knives offers a number of with a titanium coating great to going to
tools in their tactical line that would be stand up to the use, abuse and often
worthy additions to any officers patrol neglect Ive seen similar tactical tools
breakwhen
bag or soldiers pack. Three of those have to endure. using it as a
tools --a folding knife, a tomahawk Dual thumb studs allow for easy
heavy duty can
and a machete -- are especially well- one-handed opening. The simple liner
thought-out designs that offer features lock secures the blade without the opener to rip
not found elsewhere. need of springs, latches or other com- open a vehicle
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 99
 The spike end of
the Timberline
Tomahawk CBT
is serrated to rip
open any material
you penetrate
with the spike.

A closeup of the end of the Timberline Tomahawk CBTs handle shows its possible use as a pry bar, nail puller and wire cutter.
The sharpened notch and serrated edge near the heel of the blade on the Timberline MSS makes it a more versatile cutting
tool than just a brush cutter.

partially wraps around your fourth fin- slash at the wrist of an attacker trying to shot musket, but it was an overall survival
ger. Its a well-designed grip. get to my sidearm. tool. Today, the tomahawk sees more
The handle is an open design the duty as a breaching or rescue tool.
two sides of the grip are separated by 2 TIMBERLINE TOMAHAWK CBT Unlike some tomahawks that have
spacers making it easier to keep The Timberline Tomahawk CBT wooden, plastic or fiberglass handles,
clean. (Combat Breaching Tool) is the most the head and handle of the Timberline
It has a strong pocket clip. I always car- updated and advanced version of a tool CBT is one continuous piece of solid
ried my knife in my uniform shirt pocket that special fighting units have used steel with a rubber grip.
where I could reach it easily while seated dating back to Rogers Rangers. Its not going to break if youre using
in my patrol car if I needed to cut my way Back then, the tomahawk was used not it to gain entry to a building to execute
out of my seat belt or if I ever needed to only as a backup weapon to the single- a warrant; tear through a wall to get to
100 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
The Timberline Tomahawk CBT is long enough at 16.75 inches to provide good leverage for added chopping
power or when using it as a pry bar.

a child trapped in a burning building;

or when using it as a heavy duty can
opener to rip open a vehicle to rescue
TIMBERLINE TOMAHAWK
an accident victim.
The tomahawk has a sharp three-
CBT SPECIFICATIONS
Designer: Dave Young
inch blade on one side of the head and
Blade Material: 440C stainless steel
a vicious-looking spike on the other.
Blade Head Length: 3.0 inches
One nice feature is that the spike has a
Blade finish: Black matte; titanium coating
serrated edge along the bottom, which
Handle Material: TPR
would allow you to cut through any
Overall Length: 16.75 inches
material you penetrate with the spike.
Other: Gas value shut-off wrench in head; pry bar end with nail
In the middle of the head is a cutout
puller and wirecutter; custom nylon sheath with PVC edge and head
that can be used as a gas valve shut-
protector, MOLLE straps and loops, grommets.
off wrench.
Weight: 29 ounces
The other end of the tomahawk is a
MSRP: $275
pry bar with a nail puller / wire cutter
built in, adding to the utility of this
rugged tool. The tomahawk rides in a
nylon sheath with MOLLE straps and

loops as well as grommets for addi-
tional attachment options. Timberline Knives offers a
At the top of the sheath is a molded
number of toolsthat would be worthy
PVC blade protector. I only wish that it
was removable from the rest of the additions to any officers patrol bag or
sheath so that you could keep the blade soldiers pack.
covered to protect your hands when
using the tomahawk as a pry bar.
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 101
 3 TIMBERLINE MSS
The Timberline MSS (Machete
Survival System) is a machete on
steroids that, like the tomahawk, com-
bines several useful features into one
tool. The machete is 23 inches long
overall with a 16.5-inch blade.
Theres plenty of belly in the stainless
steel blade for chopping power.
A portion of the blade near the heel
is serrated for tearing through rope and
other materials. Theres also an edged
notch at the heel of the blade that
could also be used for cutting straps,
rope or wire.
On the back of the blade is a general
utility saw. But theres also a serrated
edge portion on the back of the blade
near the tip. I found that to be espe-
cially beneficial for extending your
reach to cut things, such as overhead
branches or if you had to reach into
wreckage to cut something free.
These are all useful, well-designed fea-
tures not found on most other tools of this
The Timberline MSS is a heavy duty machete with a sawback blade, serrated
portions top and bottom and a sharpened notch at the heel. type. The rubberized handle is formed
with double guards to keep your hand
from slipping forward no matter which
side of the blade youre using.
Some machetes Ive used must have
TIMBERLINE MSS been made out of old lawnmower
blades. But the Timberline MSS is
(MACHETE SURVIVAL made of quality steel and it comes from
the factory extremely sharp. I had to
SYSTEM) SPECIFICATIONS be very careful when moving it for
photographs because a slight nick
Designer: Dave Young
would have sliced my hand open.
Blade Material: 440C stainless steel
Blade Length: 16.5 inches
QUALITY WORTH EVERY PENNY
Blade finish: Black matte; titanium coating
You can buy cheaper tools, but they
Handle Material: TPR
wont perform or endure the way these
Overall Length: 23 inches
Timberline tools will. When you take
Other: Utility saw on back of blade; partially serrated on both sides of
these Timberline tools on the job
blade; carbide glass breaker/trail marker; custom nylon sheath with
with you, especially when lives might
MOLLE straps and loops; grommets
be on the line, you can depend on
Weight: 33.5 ounces
them no matter what the job that day
MSRP: $150
entails. TW
102 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
 TIMBERLINE
18 DELTA KNIFE
SPECIFICATIONS
Designer: Greg Lightfoot
Blade: Liner lock drop point, partially serrated (tested);
tanto, plain edge or bull nose rescue fully serrated
Blade Material: 440C stainless steel with titanium
nitride finish
Blade Length: 3.7 inches
Handle Material: G-10
Liners: Titanium
Length Closed: 5.1 inches
Weight: 6.1 ounces
MSRP: $140

The Timberline 18-Delta knife would be an excellent

choice for every day carry. It features a titanium coated
stainless steel blade and G-10 scales.

HGH IGF-1

www.legalpeptides.com
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 103
 USE
ENOUGH
LIGHT
104 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
SUREFIRES NEW WRISTLIGHT
IS ALWAYS THERE WHEN YOU NEED IT
TEXT BY PETE FOSSELMAN / PHOTOS BY PETE FOSSELMAN & SUREFIRE

EARS AGO, AUTHOR ROBERT RUARK OF

Y AFRICAN HUNTING FAME PENNED THE

PHRASE, USE ENOUGH GUN, AND IT WAS
LATER USED AS A TITLE TO ONE OF HIS
BOOKS PUBLISHED POSTHUMOUSLY IN 1966.
Fast forward to 2015 and one of the top companies
in illumination tools, SureFire, wants one to Use
Enough Light with the advent of their new model
2211 Wristlight series.
These new innovative lights were designed from the
ground up with significant input from active-duty cops
from a variety of assignments.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 105

 PHOTOS BY SUREFIRE
The SureFire Standard
2211 Wristlight features
multiple outputs, is
rechargeable and has
an adjustable nylon
band.
MOST
SHOOTINGS
OCCUR IN
LOW LIGHT
Here are some statistics to
consider:
85 PERCENT OF OFFICER-
THE NEW MOUSETRAP recharge. Charging is accomplished by
INVOLVED SHOOTINGS TAKE
If you hang around cops for long connecting the included USB charging
PLACE IN LOW LIGHT OR DARK
enough, you know they are very resis- cable to a micro port built into the
CONDITIONS. Source: William
tant and reluctant to change. Often Wristlight.
Murphys article, Shooting Straight
times, when technology is involved, A soon-to-be-released third model,
in the Dark, published in 2009.
there can be a learning curve that the 2211X, will be a dual-output poly-
100 PERCENT OF THE
causes most of the resistance. In any mer-bodied Wristlight, which will be
REPORTED SHOOTINGS INVESTI-
case, new tools for law enforcement powered by a single disposable
GATED IN OAKLAND, CALIFOR-
are good and useful if personnel are CR123A lithium battery.
NIA, IN 2011 TOOK PLACE
receptive to the new mousetrap.
BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9:00
One such new mousetrap is the BROAD BEAM VS. NARROW BEAM
P.M. AND 12:00 A.M. Source:
model 2211 Wristlight from SureFire. Unlike many hand-held or weapon-
Spotcrime.com
The standard model 2211 is a multi- mounted lights, the new Wristlight uti-
Every cop on the beat needs to
ple-output rechargeable, while the top lizes a specially designed reflector that
be prepared for any incident at any
of the line 2211 Luminox also includes focuses the powerful LEDs light into a
time of the day or night. Part of that
a fully integrated Luminox watch. broad beam of white light with no dis-
preparation includes having a suffi-
Both models are made from mil-spec cernible drop-off of light. This pro-
cient artificial light readily available
hard-anodized aluminum. Each uses a vides a wide field of vision and helps
at all times to identify threats and
lithium-ion battery that can be checked prevent tunnel vision that can occur
to maximize the safety of everyone
through the onboard LED fuel gauge when using a light with a focused spot
involved, including the officers,
that lets you know when it is time to beam.
suspects and bystanders.

106 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 Nearly
rcent of
r-involved
ings take
place in low
light or dark
conditions.

The SureFire 2211 Wristlight has a built in

fuel gauge that lets you know when it is
time to recharge the battery.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 107

 THE WRISTLIGHT The SureFire 2211
Luminox features

MAKES SENSE multiple outputs, is

rechargeable, includes a
fully integrated Luminox
FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS watch and has an
adjustable rubber band.

The new SureFire 3. Because it is worn and 5. The Wristlight is less

Wristlight offers several key strapped on your wrist, it intimidating than many
advantages for uniformed cant be taken from the offi- flashlights and way less
police officers and plain- cers hands and used as a intimidating than the officer
clothes detectives: potential weapon against using his weapon-mounted
the officer. light as a light source.
1. It is always with the offi-
cer, and cant be forgotten, 4. The officer cuffing some- 6. The Wristlight frees up
left behind, dropped or lost. one has a light source read- both hands when the situa-
ily available that is not tion calls for using two
2. It is readily accessible available when using a hands and there is a need
and eliminates the need to hand-held flashlight that for artificial light.
reach to the duty belt or must be secured to properly
pocket for a light source. facilitate cuffing.

PHOTOS BY PETE FOSSELMAN

LEFT TO RIGHT: Some of

the lights the author used The Wristlight is worn on the sup- target much easier than the narrower
over the years in his law
enforcement career, with port hand and the angle of the beam beams of most weapon-mounted lights.
the new Surere Wristlight will align with a pistol held in the
in the middle. Unlike a
conventional hand-held standard two-handed grip, so it can BLINDING LIGHT
ashlight, the SureFire also serve as a weapon light. Even On peak power, the Wristlight pro-
2211 Wristlight frees up
both hands to facilitate though it is not mounted on the pistol, vides 300 lumens of blinding light.
handcufng a suspect and
provides articial light it is only inches away and points It also has two lower settings that will
during low light and dark wherever the muzzle is pointed when produce 15 and 60 lumens of light that
conditions.
using a two-handed grip. The wide are accessed through integrated push-
field beam allows the officer to stay on button switches. The lower output

108 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 LIGHTS
NEEDED
ON DAY
SHIFTS,
TOO
Day watch officers need to be
prepared just the same for those
low light and dark situations. In
my law enforcement tenure as a
beat cop, supervisor and manager,
I have seen officers working day-
light hours get into situations
where they needed artificial light
and did not have it readily avail-
able.
Because they work predomi-

PHOTOS BY SUREFIRE
nantly in daylight, some officers
get a bit complacent about the
need to carry a flashlight. Yes,
they have a flashlight or two in
the car or patrol bag, but they
arent readily deployable or on
settings are perfect when peak output with timer markings, a hardened their person when they needed it
is not necessary, such as when writing scratch-resistant mineral crystal that most.
citations or taking notes. protects its face and gasket sealing for Plain-clothes detectives are
Pushing the integrated pushbuttons waterproofing. another prime example of those
in a certain sequence will also program It has self-illuminating tritium hands who need a readily available arti-
the Wristlight so the output levels will and markers that glow continuously for ficial light source. Detectives are
switch back and forth from high to low easy reading in those low light and dark constantly in and out of their work
or in between to suit the officers per- environments. The Luminox watch runs location, following up on their
sonal preference for a desired level of on its own lithium disk battery and is not cases or apprehending suspects
lumen output. affected by the battery level or charging identified through their investiga-
A fully charged rechargeable Wrist- for the LED light itself. TW tive efforts.
light will run for one hour on peak 300 They always have their duty
lumens output, four hours on 60 weapon, additional ammo and
lumens output and thirteen hours on
15 lumens output.
FOR MORE cuffs, but few ever have a flash-

INFORMATION light on them in daylight hours.

The opportunity for them to get
WATCH AND LIGHT, ALL IN ONE Currently, the new SureFire Wrist- thrust into a low light or dark
The 2211 Luminox Wristlight fea- lights are the only tactical lights of environment is highly probable.
tures an integrated Luminox watch their kind on the market. For more
with a high-quality Swiss quartz move- information visit
www.surefire.com/2211.
ment, a unidirectional rotating bezel

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 109

110 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015
BODACIOUS
BULLPUP THE CURRENT INCARNATION
OF THE STEYR AUG MIGHT BE THE BEST
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY LEROY THOMPSON

I
M A BIG FAN OF STEYR RIFLES. I USE THEIR
VARIOUS SNIPER RIFLES AS WELL AS THE
SCOUT. I ALSO USE THE AUG.
I had a chance to shoot the AUG fairly early in
its existencecirca late 1979 or early 1980. It was the
first bullpup design I had fired and, at first, I thought it
was quite a strange-looking rifle. As I handled and shot
it, however, I found it quite ergonomic. It was also the
first time I had used an optical sight on an assault rifle
and the first time I had used a vertical fore-grip.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 111

 Ive shot many of the AUG variants, and I
think the A3 M1 with 3X sight is my favorite.

LEFT TO RIGHT: A good view of the AUGs cross bolt safety, bolt release lever, magazine and magazine release lever, and rear sling
swivel. Close up of the AUGs trigger and large trigger guard. The pistol grip is very comfortable and also allows easy retention of
the rie with the shooting hand.

CURRENT PRODUCTION AUG features that have made it a popu-

These days, I understand that the lar civilian and military weapon, let me
receivers are made by VLTOR. The cur-
rent AUG is offered in a variety of con-
take some time to discuss them.
The stock is very comfortable and STEYR
figurations: with flat top (Mil. Standard
1913 rail), with short Picatinny rail,
comes to the shoulder quickly. The
magazine well in the stock is neither a
AUG A3 M1
with longer and taller Picatinny rail, or pro nor a con in my experience. With
SHOOTING
with 1.5X or 3X optical sight.
There are basically three designated
versions: AUG/A3 SA USA, AUG/A3 USA
practice, magazine changes can be
made as quickly on the AUG as on the
M4 or other assault rifle.
RESULTS
Military Overrun M855 62-grain,
NATO and AUG A3 M1. These versions are The magazine release button, located
Muzzle Velocity (nominal) 3,100
available in black, green or mud colors. behind the mag well, may be pressed
feet per second:
Although I own one of the black law with the thumb while removing the mag-
5 shots, 100 yards 3.25 inches
enforcement AUGs that were brought azine to speed up the change. I have
in more than 20 years ago, I wanted to found it necessary to thrust the magazine
Military Surplus M193 55-grain,
try the AUG A3 M1 with the 3X optical home fairly smartly to ensure seating.
Muzzle Velocity (nominal) 3,050
sight. This seemed to me the ultimate The AUGs cocking handle is on the
feet per second:
evolution of the AUGs I had first shot left side of the receiver, allowing oper-
5 shots, 100 yards 2.625 inches
35 years ago. As a result I requested ation by the support hand without hav-
one in green to evaluate for this article. ing to remove the shooting hand from
Black Hills, MK 262 77-grain,
the pistol grip. It is easy to operate and
Muzzle Velocity (nominal) 2,750
AUG FEATURES large enough that it may be kicked if
feet per second:
Because the A3 M1 is chambered in necessary to pull a stuck case from the
5 shots, 100 yards 2.875 inches
5.56 NATO and retains all of the basic chamber.

112 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 affects accuracy.
On select-fire AUGs that I have fired,
the progressive trigger system, which
allows semi-auto fire by pulling the
trigger part of the way to the rear and
full-auto fire by pulling it all the way,
the trigger pull makes finger-controlled
burst fire more difficult than on many
weapons.

THE AUG OPTIC SIGHT

The original AUG 1.5 optical sight
used a circle, sometimes called the
donut of death, that allowed very fast
target acquisition, though not really
precise shooting past 100 to 200
meters.
Austrian infantry squads always had
a couple of snipers armed with Steyr
SSG rifles for longer-range engage-
ment. Later, a circle with a dot allowed
more precise shooting while still giving
the option to use the circle for a quick
shot. A circle with crosshair was avail-
able later as well.
I wanted to try the 3X sight on the
A3 M1. It employs the circle with
A member of the New Zealand Army armed with an AUG. crosshairs reticle and is much more
usable at longer ranges. Because it is a
Sling swivels on the stock and the The Australians, who use a locally 3X, I still find about 300 meters the
top of the receiver allow for the mount- manufactured version of the AUG des- longest range at which I feel capable of
ing of a range of tactical slings. I use a ignated the Austeyreasily identifiable placing my shots precisely. Others can
dual point bungee-type sling that car- because of its bayonet lugnormally likely do better.
ries the AUG across my chest exactly keep the fore-grip folded and grasp it The 3X optic comes with a top
where I want it but lets me quickly as a standard forearm with their sup- Picatinny rail and short side rails for an
bring it into action. port hand. illuminator or pointer. The top rail
The square cross-bolt safety is I like the pistol grip and large trigger could be used for a mini red dot, but I
located behind the trigger and may be guard on the AUG. The latter is large find the 3X works fine for 25 meters so
easily pushed off with the thumb or enough that winter gloves may be readily I would consider the mini superfluous.
trigger finger. useda good feature since the Austrian For a pointer or illuminator, I would use
The folding vertical fore-grip is an Army may have to fight in the Alps. the rails on the sides of the receiver.
aid in controlling the AUG on full auto
fire, and I find it useful for handling the TRIGGER COULD BE BETTER RELIABLE MAGAZINES
AUG for fast shots on multiple targets. Even without gloves, the trigger on When the AUG was introduced, its
When I am shooting at longer ranges the AUG is, at best, adequate. Ive shot synthetic magazines that allowed the
and have a rest available, I fold the thousands of rounds through AUGs and shooter to check the number of
fore-grip and rest it to fire. have gotten used to it, but I still think it remaining rounds were considered

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 113

 quite revolutionary. I have found them
incredibly durable and reliable. The A3
M1 comes with two 30-round maga-
zines, and additional ones are readily
available.
The light machine gun version of the
AUG, the AUG LMG, used a 42-round
magazine, which may also be used in
the A3 M1. I usually stick with the 30-
rounders, as the longer magazine
makes going prone or shooting from a
rest more difficult.

AMMO AND ACCURACY

Because the AUG A3 M1 has a 1-in-
9 twist, it will handle M855 62-grain
and M193 55-grain ammunition well. I
decided to do most of my testing with
surplus or military overrun of both of
these.
My experience in the past has usu-
ally been that M193 will shoot better
groups than M855, and that was the
case in the A3 M1. At 100 yards, the
best M193 five-shot group was 2.625
inches, while the best M855 group was
3.25 inches.
Black Hills 77-grain ammunition,
which has the military designation MK
262, put five rounds into 2.875 inches.
Accuracy with the 77-grain load,
which is normally very accurate, may
have suffered because it is designed for
use in a barrel with a 1-in-7 twist.

HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS
I also wanted to do a lot of practical
tests to evaluate the handling of the
AUG A3 M1. These included putting
double taps on plates or pepper pop-
pers at various distances between 15
and 50 yards, shifting among the tar-
gets as quickly as I could re-acquire.
I also did two engagements of one of
TOP TO BOTTOM: Close up of the vertical fore-grip folded, the gas regulator and the
front sling swivel Right side view of the AUG A3 M1s stock with 30-round magazine in the hostage/hostage taker targets used
place; note the lever magazine release, which may be depressed with the thumb of the by a European counterterrorist unit
support hand while removing an empty magazine. Close up of the 3X optical sight on
the A3 M1; note the mounting points for mini red dot sight or illuminators/pointers. with which I have trained.

114 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 STEYR AUG A3 M1
SPECIFICATIONS
Action: Gas-Operated Semi-Auto (gas regulator with two settings)
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
Overall Length: 28.25 inches
Barrel Length: 16 inches (18.375 inches with flash hider) 1-in-9 twist
Weight: 8.9 pounds with empty magazine
Magazine Capacity: 30 rounds (42-round magazines available)
Sights: 3X Optical
Contact: http://www.steyrarms.com/products/sporting-riflespistols/
new-steyr-aug-a3-m1/
MSRP: $2,599

A good view of the AUGs vertical fore-grip deployed in the locked position and of the
good-sized cocking handle, which may be operated by the support hand, allowing the
shooting hand to remain in position.

At 50 yards, I put three shots as mally necessary to thrust the magazine

quickly as I could into the head of the home smartly to ensure it seats.
terrorist and also into the torso. All As anticipated, the greatest detri-
avoided the hostage and should have ment to accuracy is the AUGs rather
been kill or disable shots. heavy and gritty trigger pull. Ive gen-
Handling and ergonomics on the erally been willing to forgive it because
plates were very good. I did some of the I like the AUG so much.
shooting on plates after bringing the
AUG up on the sling and acquiring the THIS AUG IS A WINNER
sight. I like the 3X AUG sight a lot. Im Ive shot many of the AUG variants, and
used to the AUG safety and magazine I think the A3 M1 with 3X sight is my
release button and found them easy to favorite. This makes a great self-defense,
operate, though as I mentioned, it is nor- preparedness or sporting rifle. TW

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 115

AWESOME NOW

UPDAT
17 ROUNDS OF FURIOUS FIREPOWER
IN THE SRM GEN 2 SHOTGUN
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY RICHARD SCHUTZ

116 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 OW MANY ROUNDS IS ENOUGH IN A

H
ED
TACTICAL SHOTGUN? HOW IMPOR-
TANT IS THE SPEED AT WHICH YOU
CAN FIRE THOSE ROUNDS?
When SRM Arms introduced its original semi-
auto bullpup shotguns in 2011, they upped the
ante in world of tactical shotguns.
They seemed to say, If you want the most
rounds (16+1) and the fastest mode of operation
short of full auto (semi-automatic), then the SRM
Model 1216 is the shotgun for you.
Now the company has made the shotgun even
better with its Gen 2 models.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 117

 The author res the SRM 1216 Gen 2
standing, off-hand. He found the shotgun
to be quite capable and a top contender
for CQB operations.

SEVEN
SRM GEN2
UPGRADES
The Gen 2 version of the SRM
1216 shotgun features several
upgrades over the original models.
They may seem minor but they are
The Winchester PDX1 load, which contains a slug and three 00 buckshot pellets,
showed awesome consistency in the SRM 1216 Gen2 at 15 yards. Overall, the author designed to improve reliability and
found the SRM 1216 Gen 2 was accurate with slugs and patterned well with shot shells.
extend the life of the weapon.
These upgrades include:
OPERATION chambered automatically. With some 1. Billet Receiver in place of a
The SRM 1216 Gen 2 operates on a practice, this operation can be accom- forged receiver.
roller delayed blowback principle. What plished very rapidly. If you hold the mag- 2. Fluted Chamber replaces the
makes this firearm unique is its magazine azine index lever too long, it is possible to smooth chamber to improve
design and operation. In order to obtain over-rotate the magazine and pass by a cycling/extraction.
its 17-round capacity (16 in the magazine loaded tube. 3. Reinforced Zytel Buttstock.
and one in the chamber), the detachable, The buttstock was previously man-
external-rotating magazine uses four sep- MODELS/VERSIONS ufactured from polymer without
arate tubes in a cross pattern, each hold- Three semi-auto models of the SRM Zytel.
ing a maximum of four rounds. Gen 2 are available: the 1216, 16-round 4. Upgraded Tactical Spine. This
This design allows not only for high civilian version with an 18.5-inch barrel; metal spine in the buttstock was
capacity in a compact shotgun, but would the 1208 (eight-round/10-inch barrel) strengthened.
also allow the operator to load different and the 1212 (12-round/13-inch barrel). 5. Hammerhead Bolt Stop. Some
types of rounds into each tube. The tube All three models are also available in may call this the bolt release.
could then be externally marked to desig- select fire NFA versions. These are desig- 6. Reinforced Zytel Magazine
nate what type of round is loaded into nated the MLE 08, MLE 12 and MLE 16. Body. The magazine body was pre-
each tube. All SRM models feature an integrated viously manufactured from polymer
Once the last round in a tube is fired, Picatinny rail on the receiver with a without Zytel.
the bolt locks to the rear. A push of the three-faced handguard rail and a front 7. Hammer-Forged Barrel With
magazine index lever from either side of sight mount on the magazine hanger High-Temperature Nitride Finish.
the shotgun unlocks the magazine. You housing. This allows the attachment of a The original barrels were not ham-
can then rotate the magazine in either variety of sights, optics, lights, lasers and mer forged.
direction to move a loaded tube into oper- other accessories. These upgrades most certainly
ating position. The 1216 comes set up for a right- will improve the reliability and
Upon rotating the magazine into posi- handed shooter, with the safety lever and extend the life of these shotguns
tion, the bolt will close and a shell will be the bolt release on the right and the bolt over the original construction.

118 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 If you want the most rounds (16+1) and
astest mode of operation then the SRM
el 1216 is the shotgun for you.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 119

 SHOOTING RESULTS
BUCKSHOT PATTERNS @ 15 YDS.
LOAD DIA. OF LEFT/RIGHT HIGH/LOW
PATTERN OF CTR. OF CTR.
Fed. XM127 00AC 6 inches 1 inches right --
Fed. F127 00 6 inches 1 inch right 2 inches low
Fed. Prem. PFC154 00 2 inches -- 1 inch low

The SRM 1216 GEN 2 after a hard day's work. The author tested the shotgun during a two-day range
session for this article and also used it to compete in 3-gun matches.

handle on the left. The bolt handle/bolt birdshot, game loads, heavy game loads, 250 rounds of ammunition of various
lock of each shotgun can also be config- turkey loads, steel shot, 00 buckshot and types. This is on top of the approximately
ured by the factory for left-handed shoot- slugs. Any of these models can be made 1,500 rounds that I had already put
ers. One-inch sling attachment points are to fire less-than-lethal rounds by simply through the weapon in previous practice
provided on either side of the buttstock replacing the bolt assembly. and in 3-gun tactical competitions.
and in front of the left and right hand- As with any semi-auto shotgun, it is
guard rails. important to verify that the ammunition FUNCTION FIRST
The barrel has a cylinder bore. The that you plan to use in it functions prop- First, I fired several types of 2-inch
muzzle on my 1216 measures .740-inch erly. SRM Arms recommends that you do 12-gauge birdshot loads to see how each
diameter, which is .010-inch larger than not use the following ammunition in their functioned. I tried Fiocchi Helice 1 1/4
the .730 inch of a 12 gauge bore. shotguns: ounce 7 1/2 shot; Estate Heavy Game
As of this writing, the only color avail- Remington Sport load 1 ounce and 1 Load 3 1/4 dram equiv. 1 1/8 ounce #8
able was black. However, SRM Arms 1/8 ounce shot; and Federal Ultra Clay & Field 3 1/4
anticipates offering FDE and OD green Fiocchi Target Load 1 ounce and 1 1/8 dram equiv. 1 1/8 ounce #8 shot. All
colors this year. ounce functioned without any problems.
Rio Target Load 1 ounce or 1 1/8 ounce Next, I tried 00 buckshot, including
WHAT THEY FIRE Federal Buckshot 9 pellets, Nobel Sport
Both 2 3/4-inch standard and 3-inch AT THE RANGE Italia Law Enforcement Buckshot 12 pel-
magnum shells may be fired from any of I put the 1216 through its paces in a lets and Federal Premium 9 pellets. All
these shotguns. Acceptable loads include two-day range session and expended functioned without any problems.

120 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 From the bench, the author tests
slugs for accuracy at 25 yards. EQUIP
YOUR
SRM
SRM offers three accessory
TacPacs, which include various
styles of sights/optics, a sling, a
recoil pad and a spare magazine.
The Armalite TacPac includes an
AR-style removable combination
carry handle/rear sight, front sight,
Troy 2-point sling, recoil pad and
a spare magazine.
The Troy TacPac has front and
rear flip-up Troy Battlesights, Troy
2-point sling, recoil pad and a
spare magazine.
The Trijicon TacPac contains a
Trijicon RMR optic, Troy 2-point
sling, recoil pad and a spare mag-
azine. A Surefire flashlight with
pressure switch can be added to
any of these packages.
Instead of ordering one of these
accessory packages, I opted to out-
fit the firearm myself. I added a
However, Sellier & Bellot 9 pellets, Win- the right. Thats an outstanding pattern for
Troy Rear Folding Tritium Di-Optics
chester 9 pellets and Fiocchi Exacta Buck Shot birdshot through a shotgun with a short barrel
BattleSight and a Troy M4 Gas
9 pellets all failed to extract approximately with no choke!
Block Mounted BattleSight front
half of the time. I patterned three buckshot loads at 15
sight and a Butler Creek 1-inch
Two slug loads Winchester PDX1 1- yards. Federal Premium (PFC154 00) pat-
nylon utility sling.
ounce slug with three pellets of 00 buckshot terned a tight 2 inches, Federal (F127 00)
The sights work well and the
and Winchester 1-ounce hollow point rifled produced a 6-inch pattern and the Federal
sling is fine for me, but it may be
slugs both functioned flawlessly. (XM127 00AC) opened up a little to 6
too short for a large-frame person
inches.
or if you are wearing heavy outer-
PATTERNS AND ACCURACY The Winchester (X12RS15) 1-ounce slugs
wear or body armor. Both the front
I patterned the Federal Ultra Clay & Field and the Winchester PDX1 loads were the
and rear sling attachment points
#8 shot at 20 yards. On a 24-inch circle most consistent of the loads. At 25 yards,
are only 1 inch wide, so sling
divided into quadrants, the upper half had three X12RS15 slugs made a 1 1/8-inch
options are somewhat limited.
178 hits and the lower half had 175 hits. group, 1 inches high. At 15 yards, three
I tried a low-profile red dot
The shot pattern was skewed 1 inches to PDX1 slug/3 pellet combinations put three
sight first but it was too low. With
the left, which could easily have been the slugs into a 7/8-inch group inch right and
the straight buttstock on the SRM,
hold. If the sights were moved 1 inches to 1 inches low. The pellets in those loads
it is necessary to have a higher
the right or the hold was corrected, the left impacted 4 inches to 5 inches from their
sight than you would on a tradi-
and right halves would have been symmetric associated slugs. This was a very uniform and
tional shotgun in order to maintain
too, with 175 hits on the left and 178 hits on consistent load.
a proper cheek-weld.

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 121

 All loads performed adequately, but the safety. left side of the receiver behind the
both the Winchester PDX1 load and the Anyone who consistently shoots an trigger.
Federal Premium (PFC154 00) buckshot AR-15 or an M4 will likely take issue SRM states that the trigger pull is
load were the stand-outs and could make with the placement and orientation of approximately 6.2 pounds. Using a Lyman
good defensive loads in the SRM 1216. the safety on the 1216. Its on the right electronic digital trigger pull gauge, my
side of the receiver directly above the shotgun averaged 8 pounds for 10 con-
TRIGGER PULL trigger and is parallel to the ground in secutive trigger pulls. The trigger acts like
AND SAFETY LOCATION the fire position. The operation of the a two-stage trigger with the initial take-
From a shooting and handling per- safety will require significant training up requiring 7.25 to 7.5 pounds and then
spective, the two features that I believe for anyone transitioning from an AR- another .5 to .75 pounds to break. It is
could be improved are the trigger and 15/M4 platform with the safety on the smooth, just heavy.

SPECS
Manufacturer: SRM Arms
Website: www.srmarms.com
Model: M1216 (Gen 2)
Action: Semi-auto, roller delayed
Caliber: 12 Gauge; 2 inch- or 3-inch shells
Overall Length: 32.5 inches
Length of Barrel: 18.5 inches
Stock: black Zytel; 12.25 inches length of pull
Weight: 7.25 pounds
Magazine: 16 round (2 -inch or 3-inch shells)
high-capacity detachable (pinned in CA)
Sights: No sights; Mil-Std Picatinny rail for user
installation of sights or optics
Country of Manufacture: United States of America
MSRP: $2,399

122 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

OPPOSITE PAGE: The safety on the SRM shotgun is well-placed, but might require some extra training for those used to the safety
on AR-style ries. The author equipped his SRM shotgun with a Troy Rear Folding Tritium Di-Optics BattleSight (shown) and a Troy
M4 Gas Block Mounted BattleSight on the front. THIS PAGE: A magazine index lever is on each side of the SRM shotgun. By pushing
on the lever and manually rotating the magazine, another of the four ammo tubes can be aligned for the feeding and ring of the
shells. The magazine release at the front of the SRM shotgun allows the operator to quickly detach an empty magazine and replace
it with a spare magazine preloaded with 16 more shotgun shells.

TAKE-DOWN AND CLEANING pivot pin will fall out of the carrier causing extra box of shells so that admirers can
Anyone who has field-stripped an AR- it to be "misplaced." Don't ask how I experience the thrill of shooting a rapid-
14/M4 will have no trouble with the SRM know this. fire, high capacity shotgun.
1216 Gen 2. There are differences, but Next, grasp the bolt handle and pull the It is an excellent weapon and would
the basics are similar. bolt and bolt carrier rearward to remove it make a fine home defense weapon, 3-
After you are sure that the magazine as an assembly from the upper receiver. gun shotgun (where the rules allow)
has been removed and that the chamber Do not operate the trigger while the and military/police weapon for ballistic
is empty, pull back on the bolt handle, weapon is disassembled. If the hammer breaching/entry requirements. Its
push the bolt stop (release) lever and has been inadvertently allowed to fall, design, construction and operation are
release the bolt handle to allow the bolt the receiver will not close until the ham- excellent.
to move to its forward position. mer is manually cocked. No further disas- As a bullpup shotgun, the 1216 han-
Using a plastic or metal drift (or the sembly is required for normal cleaning dles very well due to its short overall
nose of a rifle bullet), push the latch pin and lubrication. length (32.5 inches) and short length-of-
located at the top rear of the receiver from To reassemble the weapon, align the pull (12.25 inches). Its unloaded weight
the right side to the left side of the slots/grooves on the bolt carrier with and barrel length (18.5 inches) are com-
receiver. The pin is captive so it cannot be those on the inside of the receiver and parable to that of the shortest tactical
pushed completely through. This will place the bolt carrier assembly back into pump and semi-auto shotguns without
allow the center portion of the stock to the upper receiver. The bolt stop must be extension tubes.
disengage from the receiver. Carefully pressed to allow the bolt carrier assembly This shotgun, especially the shorter
pivot the stock down and away from the to be inserted into the upper receiver. LE/military versions, would handle very
receiver. Keep the weapon upright and well in close-quarters, such as getting in
make sure that the cam track pivot pin MULTIPLE USES and out of a vehicle, going through a
does not drop out of the carrier. At this After a brief break-in period, this SRM doorway or clearing a room all
point, to not lose the cam track pivot pin, 1216 Gen 2 has performed very well both instances where quick handling is criti-
it may be wise to remove it and safely in practice at my local range and at sev- cal. Yet it would provide much greater
store it for reassembly. If this is not done eral 3-gun tactical matches. It turns heads firepower than a conventional tactical
it is almost certain that the cam track wherever I take it. I always take along an shotgun. TW
SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 123
 INEXPENSIVE
UPGRADES
TOP TACTICAL ACCESSORIES FOR UNDER $100
BY SEAN COOPER / PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MANUFACTURERS

L
ETS DISPEL A COMMON MYTH RIGHT you better prepared for your next mission,
NOW: YOU DONT HAVE TO SPEND A whether that involves executing a warrant or
BUNDLE FOR QUALITY. IN THIS hitting the X-ring at the range.
BUYERS GUIDE, WE LOOK AT FIREARM No, you dont always have to pay top dollar
ACCESSORIES AND GEAR FOR UNDER $100. to be well equipped. Here are some excellent
Beginner or trained marksman, you can choices in useful gear that wont bust your
find a wide range of equipment to help make budget.

124 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

BLACKHAWK!
MODEL: S.T.R.I.K.E. Hydration System MSRP:
WEBSITE: BlackHawk.com $44.99
DESCRIPTION FOBUS
Youll be hard-pressed to nd a
better hydration system on the mar- HOLSTER
ket than the S.T.R.I.K.E. Hydration
MODEL: Universal
System.
In-Waistband Holster
The packs modular design allows
WEBSITE: FobusHolster.com
for easy mounting to neatly organize
your gear with relative ease. The DESCRIPTION
patented Speed Clip 3800 Series These new holsters come in two sizes:
pouches are made of your choice of IWBL for large frame pistols and IWBS for
extra durable 1,000-denier nylon or small frame guns. Theyre exible but
1,000-denier CORDURA nylon. wont collapse, so you can re-holster with
one hand.
QUICK SPECS The exible backing acts as a buffer
Accommodates 100-ounce between your body and the pistol to keep
hydration reservoir moisture away, but it does have ventilation
S.T.R.I.K.E. webbing for attack- holes. A slip-resistant surface keeps the
ing pouches or accessories holster from moving laterally around your
Dimensions: 17 inches high by waist. Two clips encircle your belt and
6.5 inches wide by 2.75 inches position the pistol at waistband level.
deep
QUICK SPECS
Two sizes to accommodates most
pistols
Non-collapsible to allow for one-
handed re-holstering
Slip-resistant surface keeps holster
from moving laterally

ATI GUN MSRP:

STOCKS $19.99
MODEL: TactLite Adjustable Cheekrest Kit
WEBSITE: ErgoGrips.net

DESCRIPTION
You cant adjust most AR stocks to give you the QUICK SPECS
proper cheek weld for quick sight acquisition. With Fits most users
the Adjustable Cheekrest Kit from Tactlite, this Includes short and tall
annoying problem is a thing of the past. cheekrest
This cheek rests lengthened design means it ts
no matter how big or small your head is. At only $20
MSRP:
its a complete bargain. Did we mention it comes $39.99
with a short and tall cheek rest that adjusts for a
customized t?

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 125

ERGO GRIPS
MODEL: Key Mod Delta Grip-Ruger LCR / LCR X Frame
WEBSITE: ErgoGrips.net

DESCRIPTION
Ergo Grips is a name synonymous for
high-quality products. The company
doesnt disappoint with its latest offering.
The Delta Grip from Ergo Grips makes
your favorite handgun t like a glove. For
less than $30, its an absolute bargain. Not
only will you have a better grip on your
Ruger LCR, but youll re with better
accuracy and control. The nger grip area
goes from the button of the grip to the
bottom of the trigger guard, which is per-
fect for shooters of different hand sizes.
MSRP:
QUICK SPECS
Designed to improve your shooting
$29.99
accuracy and control
Fits different hand sizes
Made in the USA

ELITE SURVIVAL SYSTEMS

MODEL: Crossroad Discreet Escape Bag
WEBSITE: EliteSurvival.com

DESCRIPTION
Haul your shooting gear off in style with
the Crossroad Discreet Escape Bag. This
multipurpose bag is does the job whether
youre going on a one-day or one week
hunting excursion.
The Crossroad bag is made to last. Its
made of heavy-duty 1,000-denier nylon.
The bags modular main compartment
design holds all your gear, including rst
aid kid, batteries and ashlight.

QUICK SPECS
Multipurpose bag
Available in black and coyote tan
Velcro belt loops for added stability

MSRP:
$89.95

126 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

BLACKHAWK!
MODEL: LT2 Tactical Shirt, Long Sleeve MSRP:
WEBSITE: BlackHawk.com $59.99
DESCRIPTION
Be prepared for anything that heads your
way friend or foe with the LT2 Tactical
Shirt. This utilitarian shirt helps you blend into
your surroundings, giving you a leg up on the
competition.
Not only is the shirt lightweight, but youll
also stay bone dry thanks to its water-repel-
lent package. Made of durable polyester-cot-
ton ripstop combination, this shirts made to
last!

QUICK SPECS
Made of durable 5.1 ounce
polyester-cotton ripstop
Set-in sleeves with gusseted underarms
for full range of motion
Snap-down media player pocket on left
sleeve with button hole for cord routing
Two front pockets with tabs

COMMAND ARMS
ACCESSORIES (CAA)
MODEL: Mag Coupler
WEBSITE: EliteSurvival.com
MSRP:
$12.25
DESCRIPTION
CAAs Mag Coupler is newly released
and improved. It comes with both big and
small removable pouch pulls. Best of all,
the pouch pulls automatically adjust the
magazine height, so you dont have to
worry about the ejection port getting in
the way.
The Mag Coupler is made to last. Its
robust design means added protection
from breakage. Its versatile, tting most
AR-15/M16 aluminum magazines.

QUICK SPECS
Comes with optional mag height
regulator pouch pulls
Durable
Lightweight

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 127

ATI GUN STOCKS MSRP:
MODEL: AR-15 TactLite Six Position Commercial Stock
with Commercial Buffer Tube Assembly $94.99
WEBSITE: ATIGunStocks.com

DESCRIPTION smooth secure stock adjustments so youll likely never

Are you looking for a lightweight gunstock? Weighing in struggle again. Its versatile, tting most AR-15 variants.
at only 5.85 ounces, TactLite Six Position Commercial
Stock is a match made in heaven. QUICK SPECS
This gunstock features a number of standout offerings, Lightweight
including adjustable M4 style stock, the patented Trak- No snag points
LOCK System and thin scorpion recoil pad. It provides Slot for tactical sling attachment

READYMAX
MODEL: Safety Eyewear with Hearing Protection
WEBSITE: ReadyMax.com
DESCRIPTION the suns harmful rays with 99 per-
Kill two birds with one stone cent UV ray protection. Keep your
with Ready Max Safety Eyewear hearing in tact with decent NRR 25
with Hearing Protection. Not only noise protection.
do you get ReadyMaxs patented
safety eyewear, but you also get QUICK SPECS
retractable hearing protection all Indoor and outdoor use
MSRP:
rolled into one. Anti-scratch lenses $10.98
Keep your eyes protected from NRR 25 noise protection

COMMAND ARMS
ACCESSORIES (CAA)
MODEL: Clear Action Magazine
WEBSITE: CommandArms.com
DESCRIPTION
This AR magazine provides the best of both worlds. Not only do you get a
clear window on the side with the number of rounds left, but theres also a full
MSRP: magazine indicator button on the bottom.
Thats not all we didnt mention the magazine indicator is programmable.
$22.14 Thats right: You can preset it to pop out at 29 or 30 rounds with its follower
extension.

QUICK SPECS
Polymer body reduces noise
High impact polymer 30 round .223 magazine
Non-tilting follower

128 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 MSRP:
$89.95

ELITE SURVIVAL SYSTEMS

MODEL: Cobra Riggers Belt WEBSITE: EliteSurvival.com
DESCRIPTION D-ring. With a straight pull rating of
The Cobra Riggers Belt is no ordinary 4,000 pounds, this belt is made to last.
belt. With a name like Cobra, it lives up
to the moniker and then some. QUICK SPECS
This is the rst Cobra belt to come Quick-release safety buckle
with the D-Ring Cobra Buckle safety Full rigger's stitch on D-ring side
hardware. This unique belt hardware Available in black, coyote and
combine AustriAlpin's patented Cobra olive drab
quick release system with a rescue

SEE ALL OPEN SIGHT AD INDEX

MODEL: See All Open Sight
WEBSITE: www.seeallopensight.com ADVERTISER PAGE

DESCRIPTION QUICK SPECS 5.11 Tactical Series 7

The See All Open sight is a great alter- Unlimited eye relief Adam & Eve/PHE, Inc. 115
native to a red dot sight and a vast No separate front and rear sights
improvement over conventional iron needed American Tactical Imports 45
sights, which require you to line up the Battery-free design
front with the rear. The sight mounts eas-
Barrett 31
ily to the optics rail of any rie shotgun Battenfeld Technologies 43
or crossbow. Your sight picture is a black
triangle against a light-gathering green Caspian Arms Ltd. 129
surface. This very fast and accurate
sighting device is adjustable for windage
DRD Tactical 2
and elevation. LWRC International 131
Major Surplus & Survival 3
PHD Research 103
MSRP:
$98.95 Rock River Arms 63
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. 132

SUMMER 2015 | TACTICAL WORLD 129

One Final Look hat if they werent there, our

WHAT W men and women in uniform?

What would we do when
the crisis occurs, when evil
comes calling, when theres

IF THEY danger at our doors? What if they didnt

give up their nights, their holidays, their
weekends, to resolve our distress? Where
would we turn if they werent there when

WERENT? disaster strikes and theres unpleasant

work to be done?
Who would put their lives on the line if
they suddenly decided it just wasnt worth
it anymore? Could we do it all ourselves if
they werent there?

GETTY IMAGES

130 TACTICAL WORLD | SUMMER 2015

 LW RC I | T HE MO ST REL IABL E, MOST DU R ABL E, FINEST
H AN D L I NG S HORT-ST ROKE PISTON CAR B INES IN THE WOR L D

QLWRCI upper compatible with

any MIL-spec lower

QUser-configurable 12" scalloped cut rail

for longer reach

QCerakote colors:
Flat Dark Earth
Patriot Brown
Olive drab green

LWRCI | HIGH PERFORMANCE FIREARMS

PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA | LWRCI.COM | 410-90 1-1348 Made in the USA