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January/ February 2015 Defense Issue
Collectors’ Corner 8The Model 1873 Winchester—”the gun that won the West”—was the AR-15 of its day and makes a great addition to any gun collection. And with over 720,000 produced, they’re not that hard to find. Bill Battles
Alexander Arms Ulfberht .338 Lapua 10A lead-spitting freight rain that sets a new standard in extreme-range, semi-auto precision rifles. Bill Battles
Kahr Arms CT380 .380 ACP Pistol 20Low price and high shootability are the hallmarks of this new little .380. Massad Ayoob Rock River Arms LAR-47 Delta Carbine 26The new LAR-47 Delta Carbine from Rock River Arms is a 7.62x39mm AR done right. Ben Battles
Aimpoint Micro T-2 Red-Dot Sight 30Not just a repurposed Micro T-1, Aimpoint started at ground level with the new Micro T-2. Dave Bahde
Masterpiece Arms MPAR556 Gen II 34The piston-drive MPAR556 Gen II from Masterpiece Arms is a viable AR alternative. Dave Bahde
Beretta M9A1 9mm Pistol 40Our nation’s service pistol is a modern classic, and is now probably better than ever. We test its latest incarnation: the railed M9A1. Massad Ayoob
Buyers’ Guide To Bullpup Defensive Arms 46Bullpups offer short length and quick pointability, with full-length stocks and barrels for maximum accuracy and ammo velocity. Bill Battles
Kel-Tec Folding Carbines 52The Kel-Tec SUB-2000 and SU-16 rifles fold up into small packages and can be stored in smaller places, then be quickly extended to full length. Bill Battles
Blackheart M92 AK SBR 56This enhanced AK-47 SBR (“short barreled rifle”) may be the ultimate defensive weapon. Ben Battles
New Defensive Gear 62All of the new defensive gear and accesories you need for a well appointed arsenal. OT Staff
FNH USA FN-15 Rifle 68Proven by America’s warfighters, the civilian verson lives up to its military reputation. Guy Coursey
Gun Giveaway Contest 74Enter to win the amazing new Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Pistol from CZ USA, with a retail value of $849.
On Our Cover: Blackheart’s M92 AK SBR wearing Stark Equipment grips fore and aft, Aimpoint’s new Micro T2 optic, Surefire’s M300 Mini Scout Light in a Larue offset Q.D. mount, A US Palm AK30 magazine and Magpul’s new MS1 padded sling. Shown in the foreground is Steel Will’s new Forever 1201 knife. 7
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PUBLISHER Bill Battles
EDITORBen Battles
Tel.: (603) 356-9762Fax.: (603) 356-9130
GROUP ART DIRECTORCrispin Battles
ART DIRECTORMackenzie Battles
CONTRIBUTING EDITORSMassad Ayoob, Joe Byers
Scott Earl Smith, Jeff Gonzales,Wayne Van Zwoll
ADVERTISING SALES
Byers Media, LLCTel.: (989) 826-3296Fax.: (989) 826-6926
Michele [email protected]
Richard [email protected]
Neil [email protected]
Autumn [email protected]
Ross Media Group, Inc.Tel.: (817) 232-5556Fax.: (817) 232-0051
Gerry [email protected]
Mike Nelson [email protected]
Lillian Cliff [email protected]
Dave Irvine [email protected]
CIRCULATIONAngela Battles
Tel./Fax: (603) [email protected]
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONSwww.magzter.com
On Target is a trademark of American Sporting Publications, LLC. Entire contents copyright ©2015 by American Sporting Publications,
LLC. All rights reserved.
TM
COLLECTORS’ CORNER
BY BILL BATTLES
Model 1 87 3 w inchester
SPONSORED BY
THE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873is known today as “the gun that won the West,” and it did so by delivering an overwhelming volume of fire. It was truly the AR-15 of its day. The Model 1873 may not have been the first repeating rifle, but is was the first lever-action repeater to achieve widespread commercial success. Manufactured from 1873 through 1923—in at least fourteen distinct model variations recognized by collec-tors—more than 720,000 Model 1873 rifles, carbines and muskets were produced.
The First Model Rifle (pictured) was the original version, with serial numbers ranging from 1 to about 30,000. They are fitted with a distinctive sliding thumbprint dust cover inte-gral with the upper frame, and bear no caliber markings because they were chambered only in .44-40 Winchester (a/k/a .44 WCF)—a cen-terfire cartridge designed for, and introduced with, the Model 1873 rifle. Colt wasted no time coming out with a Single Action Army revolver chambered in .44-40, and the com-bination of a Model 1873 Winchester plus a Colt Single Action Army (or two) shooting the same ammunition became the de facto arsenal for legendary lawmen like the Texas Rangers . . . and their quarry.
In typical trim, the First Model Rifle has a 24-inch octagonal barrel, full-length mag-azine tube with 15-round capacity, no barrel band, barrel-mounted sights and walnut forearm and buttstock with crescent-shaped
THE GUN THAT WON THE WEST, AND THE AR-15 OF ITS DAY
metal buttplate. Like all things collectable, the value of an antique firearm is determined by its rarity and its condition. Several con-dition grading systems exist, but the one I use is the Photo Percentage Grading System developed over many years by Steve Fjestad, the author and publisher of the Blue Book of Gun Values.
According to the 35th Edition of the Blue Book, the value of a First Model Rifle in “average” condition (10% to 20%) runs from $1,650 to $2,500, while “above average” examples (20% to 40%) are worth between $2,500 and $4,950. As the condi-tion percentage increases, so does the value. A First Model Rifle in 95% condition is currently valued at $22,000.
The second variant of the Model 1873 was the First Model Carbine, with a 20-inch round barrel, forearm barrel band, saddle ring and curved (not crescent) metal buttplate. First Model Carbines carry a premium of 25% to 50% over First Model Rifles, depend-ing on condition. Winchester also produced about 500 First Model Muskets with 30-inch round barrels, 27-inch magazine tubes and three barrel bands, which are valued slightly lower than First Model Carbines.
Second and Third Model rifles, carbines and muskets were offered in later years, along with a .22 Rimfire Rifle, a Trapper’s Carbine and several limited edition versions. The Model 1873 “One of One Thousand” (136 produced) and “One of One Hundred” (only eight known to exist) can be worth over a half million dollars with proper documentation.
Because so many Model 1873s were pro-duced, there’s no shortage of them on the collector market today. Every Winchester Model 1873 will continue to appreciate over time—even the lower grades—so owning one of the guns that won the West is a smart investment.
THIS BEING ON TARGET’S “DEFENSE” ISSUE, WE THOUGHT IT FITTING TO PAY HOMAGE TO THE GUN THAT WON THE WEST—THE MODEL 1873 WINCHESTER.
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Alexander Arm’s entry into the .338 Lapua Magnum rifle market wasn’t exactly planned. Their designs have al-ways focused on optimizing the AR-15 platform, both for enhanced functionality and to push the performance envelope through non-standard cartridges like the engine-block crunching .50 Beow-ulf, the long-range deer-slaying 6.5 Grendel, and the world’s only .17 HMR-chambered AR-15.
Design ConceptWork on their neW R-338 Ulfberht .338 Lapua Magnum semi-auto rifle began nearly seven years ago as an academic exercise. Looking to solve the problem of why the AR-type mechanism was unable to cope with bigger cartridges, initial discussions among the design engineers focused on the length of the operating mechanism, its speed and how it should be timed, the stored energy needed to pick up the next round, barrel design and how to deal with the very
high chamber pressures of the .338 Lapua Magnum round. Eventu-ally, one of the engineers e-mailed Bill Alexander a design proposal.
“Sometimes a design will look strained, forced; but sometimes there is an elegance in the approach,” says Alexander. “This looked elegant—too good to leave alone. Some guns just have to be built.” So over the next six years they built it.
The design objectives for the Ulfberht were to achieve ex-treme-range precision, minimal signature and fast follow-up shots in a platform that was readily man portable. The Ulfberht ($6,850) is a completely new, semi-automatic rifle designed expressly for the .338 Lapua Magnum, a cartridge that will permit the shooter to reliably engage man-size targets out to 2,000 yards and beyond. The rifle’s name comes from the Viking Ulfberht long sword, the first edged weapon to be made from “true steel,” refined in small crucibles to fully melt the materials and remove impurities and carbon. The Viking Ulfberht was the high point in weapon development, and its
UlfberhtR-338
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THIS LEAD-SP IT TING FREIGHT TR AIN SET S A NE W STANDARDIN EX TREME-R ANGE, SEMI-AUTO P RECISION RIFLES.
strength and longevity in battle could not be matched for nearly 1,000 years until the advent of the blast furnace. The Ulfberht rifle follows the sword in representing a pinnacle in weapon evolution.
In fact, the Ulfberht is probably the most innovative firearm design since Gaston Glock introduced the polymer-frame Glock 17 pistol. It features a custom-designed, long-stroke, gas-piston operating system based in part on that of the Russian Degtyaryov DP-28 machine gun, a strong, simple and reliable weapon that made its way through two wars, and the basic operating mechanism of which is still used in the Russian DShK 12.7x109 heavy machine gun.
According to Bill Alexander, “The Ulfberht is essentially a DP28 inverted with a detachable box magazine inserted into the bottom. The non-rotating bolt takes the form of a rectangular block of steel measuring 1.0” x 1.25” x 5.0” in dimensions. On top of the bolt sits a similarly dimensioned carrier which actuates the locking flaps positioned on either side of the bolt. The result is a massive locking
mechanism easily capable of absorbing the loads of the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. The bolt floats on a dovetail below the carrier, and the piston and operating rod together with the carrier guide the whole assembly. In this instance the piston/operating rod is 19 inches long, so in essence the support is a 24-inch-long 1-inch wide carrier.”
.338 Lapua Magnum Cartridgethe big .338 Lapua MagnuM has gained wide acceptance among military snipers. In fact, it’s the current holder of the longest combat sniper kill in history—2,707 yards—accomplished by British sniper, Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison, in November 2009 in Afghan-istan. Just to save you doing the math, that’s 1.54 miles! Corporal Harrison’s shot beat the longest combat sniper kill with a .50 BMG rifle—fired by Corporal Rob Furlong of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in 2002, also in Afghanistan—by exactly 50 yards.
Originally based on the somewhat weak .416 Rigby case, the
UlfberhtALEXANDER ARMS
.338 LAPUA
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.338 Lapua Magnum was refined by the Finnish company Lapua—more accurately, Nammo Lapua Oy—to its current level of power and precision. The .338 Lapua Magnum is a multi-purpose round loaded with a variety bullets for hunting (both 2- and 4-legged critters), as well as armor piercing, incendiary and armor piercing/incendiary versions for the military. Commercial ammunition (meaning non-armor piercing and non-incendiary) is available from a wide range of ammo makers, including Black Hills, Hornady, Federal Premium, Winchester, Nosler Custom, Norma, Cor-Bon, HSM, Prvi-Partizan, Lapua and Sellier & Bellot. While 250-gr. bullets are the most common, bullet
weights of 225-, 235-, 265-, 285- and 300-grs. are also offered.
In addition to its military and long-range competition roles, the .338 Lapua Magnum is increasingly used by hunters looking for the extra challenge of taking
deer, elk, moose and bear at extreme range. Most African countries require bullets of at least .40 caliber, but in Namibia the .338 Lapua Magnum is legal for hunting Africa’s Big Five game animals as long as the chosen load produces at least 3,983 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy at the muzzle. A number of those com-mercial loads listed above exceed 5,000 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy.
In The FleshOur evaluation Ulfberht came in a lockable, waterproof hard case with closed-cell foam cutouts and four 10-round, dou-ble-stack, glass-reinforced polymer magazines, all of which is
ALEXANDER ARMSULFBERHT
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standard equipment. Alexander Arms was kind enough to provide a Steiner Military 5-25x56mm riflescope ($3,599) mounted in 34mm rings on the upper receiver’s top rail. Also included was a Long Range Accuracy F-Class bi-pod ($450) mounted on a 3-inch Picatinny rail section on the underside of the highly ventilated handguard.
The Ulfberht is fitted with a 27-inch, heavy-profile, fluted barrel
A FOLDING AND FULLY ADJUSTABLE MAGPUL PRS STOCK, GEISSELE SSA 2-STAGE MATCH TRIGGER AND ERGO TACTICAL DELUXE GRIP BRING UP THE REAR.
PULLING THE PIN AT THE REAR OF THE RECEIVER ALLOWS BUTTSOCK SEPARATION AND REMOVAL OF THE ULFBERHT’S MASSIVE BOLT CARRIER/PISTON FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING.
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which is Enfield-pattern rifled (heavy, square-edged rifling that bites firmly into bullet jackets) at a 1:9.3” twist rate. The barrel is machined from low-chrome steel alloy, and salt bath car-bo-nitride treated for resistance to wear, corrosion and thermal shock. The muzzle is threaded at the metric standard M18x1.5 and is fitted with a custom three-prong flash hider designed to reduce both muzzle signature and disturbance of downrange material. It is capable of chambering and firing all current-gen-
eration .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition up to 3.750” in overall length.
The receiver is machined from solid billet 9310 steel, an exceptionally high-grade (read “expensive”) alloy with high vanadium content for an extremely tight grain structure for the strength to stand up to a lifetime of ham-mering from the .338 Lapua Magnum. Its hard-anodized aluminum top cover includes a integrally machined, 11.5-inch Picatinny top rail. The magazine well is cut at an angle to allow the shooter to insert and remove mag-azines from the prone position without having to lift or move the rifle out of position. An innovative, push-down magazine release is mounted under and just forward of the trigger guard, and can be operated with either thumb from either side.
While this is clearly no AR, the Ulfberht was de-signed to take advantage of AR ergonomics and some of its key features—like the trigger, buttstock, safety selector and pistol grip. The Ulfberht is fitted with a modified, side-folding Magpul PRS stock that is dial adjustable for both comb height and length of pull. The trigger is Geissele’s excellent SSA 2-stage, match
trigger. The SSA is not adjustable for pull weight, but it breaks like glass at a combined pull weight of 4.5 lbs. (2.5 lb. first stage; 2.0 lb. second stage). The pistol grip is Ergo’s unbeatable rubber Suregrip, and the safety selector is a Mil-Spec part found exactly where it is on an AR.
The hard-anodized aluminum handguard is roughly oval in cross-section, measures 17 inches in length and has an integrally machined, full-length Picatinny top rail. The continuous receiver/
TOP: THE CUSTOM-CUT,FOAM-PADDED HARD CASE IS STANDARD EQUIPMENT. ABOVE: FOUR PROPRIETARY 10-ROUND MAGAZINES AREPART OF THE PACKAGE.
RIGHT: WHILE NO LIGHTWEIGHT, THE ULFBERHT WAS PRETTY PAINLESS TO LUG AROUND WITH THE PADDED BLUE FORCE GEAR VICKERS SAW SLING.
BELOW: A FLUTED 27.5” BARREL, ADJUSTABLE GAS-PISTON AND HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE FOREND HIGHLIGHT THE BUSINESS END.
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handguard top rail has 30 MOA of elevation rise built in to supplement the elevation adjustment of the riflescope. Flats at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions are drilled and tapped for attachment of accessory rail sections. Overall length is 41.25 inches with the stock folded and 50 inches with the stock extended. Empty weight is 19.8 pounds without optics.
The gas-piston operating system includes an adjustable gas block with five settings numbered zero through four. In the zero position the gas system is shut off, making the rifle a single-shot. The “1” setting is for use with high-pressure ammo in hot environments and/or the use of a suppressor. Setting “2” is for general use with most commercial target ammunition. Setting “3” is for lower-pressure/lower-velocity hunting rounds, while setting “4” is for use in extreme cold conditions down to -65 degrees F. In fact, most of our testing was completed at temperatures at or below 0 degrees F, and the Ulfberht ate everything we fed it without complaint.
Other novel features include dual ejectors for redundancy and increased reliability, an HK-style sliding extractor, and components which are made from stainless steel or are car-bo-nitrided, hard-coat anodized or chrome-plated for optimum performance in extreme environmental conditions.
Bill Alexander says, “I wanted to test it against some kind of extreme performance standard, so I used the U.S. Army’s”. Needless to say, the Ulfberht passed both the U.S. Army ex-treme hot and extreme cold firing schedules.
For testing we used the pre-mounted Steiner Military riflescope and shot it for accuracy
at 450 yards—the longest range
Salute Products .338 LapuaSniper Target & Basethe neW .338 Lapua Sniper Target & Base from Salute Products ($549.95) is the perfect training aid for your new Ulfberht rifle. Made from 3/8” thick AR500 armor plate, the target/base combo measures 32” H x 20” wide and weighs 82 pounds. Based on theU. S. military E-Type paper target it features a unique, dou-ble-hinged, swinging/resetting kill-zone plate and an external frame optimized for this high-velocity, high-energy round. While this target/swing plate combination is specifically designed for the 300-gr. Sierra MatchKing loading of the .338 Lapua, other high-velocity ammo can be shot at it, but may not elicit the same smooth opening and closing action of the target’s relatively heavy swing plate. Check out the new .338 Lapua target, as well as a whole slue of other inge-nious creations from Salute Products, at; Tel.: (503) 439-3006; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.salutetargets.com
THE .338 LAPUA CARTRIDGE ISN’T KNOWN FOR ITS MILD RECOIL CHARACTERISTICS, BUT WHEN LAUNCHED FROM THE ULFBERHT, IT’S AN ABSOLUTE PUSSY CAT.
1/2-MOA PRECISION AT 100-YARDS CAME WITH RELATIVE EASE.
THE ULFBERHT DRILLED THIS 1.51” GROUP AT 450-YARDS...A TESTAMENT TO BOTH RIFLE AND AMMO.
that wasn’t snowed-in here in the White Mountains—from the prone position using the Long Range Accuracy F-Class bi-pod. Testing ammo consisted of Black Hills’ 250-gr. Sierra Matchking (2,950 f.p.s./4,830 ft. lbs.), Hornady 250-gr. Interlock SP (2,900 f.p.s./4,668 ft. lbs.) and Hornady 285-gr. BTHP Match (2,745 f.p.s./4,768 ft. lbs.).
While the perceived recoil of the .338 Lapua Magnum can be punishing in a bolt-action rifle, the weight of the Ulfberht—and the mass of its bolt—turn it into a pussy cat. It feels about like shooting .308-chambered AR-10 or Springfield Armory M1A (maybe even less), and the recoil impulse is more like a gentle shove than a kick in the shoulder. Reliability was 100%, with no failures of any kind.
This rifle demonstrated a profound preference for the Black Hills’ 250-gr. Sierra Matchking load, printing a best 3-shot group measuring 0.54” center to center at 100 yards. Both of the Hornady loads printed over 1 MOA at that range, so we didn’t bother to test either of them at 450 yards, where their extrapolated group sizes would have run 5 to 6 inches.
Shooting the Black Hills’ 250-gr. Sierra Matchking load at 450 yards, the best 3-shot group printed an amazing 1.51 inches, with all other groups measuring under 2.0 inches. It’s not very often that we get to test a rifle/ammunition combination that will consistently shoot 1/3 MOA! We were unable to get our hands on an Ulfberht in time for Editors’ Choice Award testing last fall, but we were so thorough-ly impressed with the rifle’s technical innovation, ergonomics and performance that we hereby bestow upon it—somewhat belatedly—a 2014 Editors’ Choice Award. See the amazing Ulfberht at your fire-arms retailer, or for more information contact Alexander Arms, Dept. OT; Tel.: (540) 639-8356; Web: www.alexanderarms.com
Kahr pistols have made a great many friends since their introduc-tion some two decades ago, with the light polymer models leapfrogging the original all-steel Kahrs in popularity. .380s in general, and small light .380s in particular, have also been big sellers of late. Finally, economy priced .380s have also captivated the firearms marketplace. In 2014, Glock’s smash hit G42 .380 proved that there is a huge market for a .380 that’s flat and concealable, but enough bigger than the tiny vest pocket/bra holster size .380s that it’s easy to shoot.
Perhaps it was inevitable that Kahr Arms would tie each of these trends to-gether and come up with a pistol that fit them all. This is precisely what they have done with their new CT380.
OverviewCarrying a manufacturer’s suggested re-tail price of just $399, this is Kahr’s lowest priced .380 pistol. Less sculpting, nothing
fancy, only one magazine. It is to Kahr’s more upscale .380 line what the old Chevy Biscayne was to the Impala: same body, same innards, done in plain vanilla. The slide stop, for example, is MIM (metal injection molded) instead of machined. The polymer frame, reinforced with ordnance steel inserts, brings, weight down to a feathery 11.5 oz. unloaded, and is long enough in the grip to accommodate a 7-round magazine. Yes, it’s “drop-safe” for the eighth round in the chamber.
Kahr spec’d the pistol for maximum slimness: 0.75”, not counting the somewhat
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LOW PRICE AND HIGH SHOOTABILITY ARE THE HALLMARKS OF THIS NEW LITTLE .380.
>>BY MASSAD AYOOB
Kahr ArmsCT380
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protuberant slide release lever. (Yes, I said “slide release.” It’s a slide lock lever too, of course, but with a strong recoil spring assembly and a short slide stroke, I found that with the gun at slide-lock, I couldn’t move the slide back enough to release it and chamber a round with a slide tug. Pressing down on the slide release lever was mandatory to chamber a round.)
The CT380 appears to be designed to compete directly with the Glock 42, and they’re quite similar in dimension, the differences being fairly small. The Kahr is a bit lighter when unloaded, distinctly shorter front to back, and thinner, but longer from rear sight to butt owing to its one more round in the magazine than the six-plus-one G42. Both the CT380 and the G42 come with the good sights of their larger forbears, thank goodness, and not the vestigial and all but useless nubbins we see on some other little .380s. The big difference is seen in trigger-pulling: while both have very short trigger reach, a good thing for small hands and short fingers, the Glock has a shorter trigger pull, where the Kahr’s, while smooth, is distinctly longer. The longer frame of the Kahr also lets you get the little finger onto the frame for a full grip.
Accuracyit has Long been in vogue to test “pocket pistol” accuracy at fifteen yards, ten yards, or even seven yards, on the theory that
they’re meant for close-range self-defense, instead of the usual 25 yard distance for full size service pistols. Until such time as The Bad Guys sign an enforceable treaty to the effect that they won’t shoot at us Good Guys from longer distances, I hope you’ll forgive me if I still test to the 25 yard stan-dard. From that distance, I put the CT380 on a concrete bench with a Caldwell Matrix rest, and ran it with the three most popular bullet weights for the caliber.
The results were instructive. We think of ammunition the way we think of gasoline: if it’s supposed to be the right “octane level” we assume it’s all the same irrespective of brand. When I was young my dad and his friends all seemed to have preferred brands of gasoline: he insisted on Atlantic-Richfield because it seemed to run his cars better than Standard Oil. By the time I started driving, Arco and Esso (and all the rest) seemed interchangeable if the octane level and composition were roughly the same.
In those days, shooters also had distinct ammo preferences. Some insisted on Remington ammo in Remington rifles and Winchester ammo in Winchesters, while others found by experimentation that Winchester ammo might shoot better from this Remington, and Remington cartridges might group best from that Winchester.
And, my now rather long adulthood has proven that the latter was indeed the case.
I saw that classically with On Target’s CT380. The first round I benched it with was Speer Lawman 95-gr. FMJ, which has been the standard .380 format since 1908. The little Kahr spewed a group just over seven inches for five shots, way high from point of aim. Even the best three of those hits were 3.50” apart. Disbelieving, I tried it again, and the next run was even worse. Speer .380 is usually fairly accurate, but not in this specimen.
But then I tried it again with something lighter and faster, Winchester 85-gr. Silver-tip. Those five shots went into a laterally dispersed group that measured 3.30” wide by a mere six-tenths of an inch in vertical dispersion. Night and day!
Finally, I ran Buffalo Bore’s hot 90-gr. JHP, which they call “+P” even though I’m not aware of an industry spec for +P pressure in a .380 auto round, rated by its manufacturer for 1,175 f.p.s. and 267 ft-lbs of energy. This gave the best accuracy of the test: all five shots were in 2.20”, with the best three exactly an inch tighter in 1.20”. With the two JHP loads, the point of aim/point of impact was only a little bit high and a little bit left: close enough for most needs. The CT380 had just redeemed itself accuracy-wise.
Some don’t feel they need accu-
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THE CT380 MAINTAINS THE SLIM AND LIGHTWEIGHT CHARACTERISTICS THAT THE .380 KAHRS HAVE BECOME KNOWN FOR, BUT ALLOWS A FULL GRIP AND ONE EXTRA ROUND IN ITS MAGAZINE.
THE CT380’S SLIDE IS ABOUT A HALF-INCH LONGER THAN THE “CW” AND “P” MODELS. THE P380 IS SHOWN AT RIGHT.
CONTROLS ARE TYPICAL KAHR IN FORM AND FUNCTION. ALL CAN BE REACHED WITHOUT BREAKING GRIP.
THE LONGER GRIP LENGTH OF THE CT380 ADDS TO ITS SHOOTABILITYIN A BIG WAY.
racy in a .380. I do. With this minimum power level, shots will have to be deliv-ered with precision to be effective. This demands an inherently accurate platform, as well as an ergonomically shootable one. The CT380 fulfills both requirements.
Reliabilitykahr, to their everLasting Credit, was the first company to come out publicly and say that their gun should be broken in for a couple hundred rounds before being trusted for reliability. I think that’s true of every other firearm of every kind on the market, but I digress. We had one misfire (very light hit) early in the test. The shoot-er reflexively tap-racked, so we couldn’t examine the gun in situ to see if it might have been out of battery. (The round was a Lawman, and Speer doesn’t have the softest primers on the market.) There were no further mechanical malfunctions.
Concealed Carryi Loaded up the On Target CT380 and carried it in the side pocket of a pair of
Tru-Spec BDU pants for a day in a generic pocket holster. Results were exactly as expected. The gun disappeared; it was as quick to hand as any pocket auto could be; and it was so light, I could easily forget that it was there. Ease and comfort of concealed carry is, of course, the raison d’etre of this type of pistol. The CT380 delivers.
Perks and Quirksevery firearM has features you love, and others that you have to work around. Downsides on this gun: the recoil spring system was very stiff and required a lot of force to operate. This pistol is not the best choice for an arthritic grandma or any woman of slight stature for this reason. The magazine needs to be pushed in hard to seat positively; we found ourselves occasionally giving it an extra rap to make sure it was in place. Being a scaled-down version of the 9mm and .40 Kahrs, the .380 has a proportionally smaller trigger guard. A couple of the testers found the top edge pinched the skin of their index fingers when it returned forward for the next shot. And, of course, it’s a .380, but that’s a top-
ic I’m inclined to leave for another day.However, the perks outweigh the
quirks. Find the ammo it likes, and the CT380 shoots! The recoil is negligible, thanks to its locked breech design and wisely chosen dimensions. The double- action trigger pull was measured from the center of the trigger where the index finger would rest, with a Lyman digital gauge, and came out to an almost exact and very consistent six pounds. This sounds like a lot on an 11 oz. gun, but in fact is very light for double action only, and allowed the test team to hit what we were shooting at. The Kahr CT380 proved, all in all, to be a very good bal-ance of portability and shootability within the power range of its caliber.
If you’re in the market for a .380 with a good balance of “you can hide it” and “you can hit what you’re shooting at,” at a very reasonable price for its high quality, you definitely want to check out the Kahr CT380. For more information contact Kahr Arms, Dept. OT; Tel.: (508) 795-3919; Web: www.kahr.com
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ABOVE: THE CT380 CARRIES SEVEN ROUNDS IN ITS MAGAZINE—ONE MORE THAN MOST, INCLUDING THE NEW GLOCK 42. RIGHT: MAS GOT BEST PERFORMANCE WITH LIGHT, FAST HOLLOW POINT AMMO. THE CT380 SHOT ITS BEST WITH BUFFALO BORE JHP.
THE LEATHER-BACKED KYDEX CROSSBREED MINITUCK IWB HOLSTER RIDES CLOSE TO THE BODY, AND—PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY—REPRESENTS A SUPER-COMFORTABLE MEANS OF ALL-DAY CARRY FOR COMPACT PISTOLS LIKE THE CT380. CHECK THEM OUT AT CROSSBREEDHOLSTERS.COM
I’ve always been a big fan of the 7.62x39 cartridge. I own a number of AK-47s and I’ve grown to appreciate the power of the 7.62x39, especially when compared to the 5.56 NATO round. Comparing a 123-grain 7.62x39 to a 55-grain 5.56 NATO, the former is not only less expensive to shoot, but offers a kinetic energy advantage of about 300 ft. lbs. at the muzzle, 250 ft. lbs. at 100 yards and 175 ft. lbs. at 200 yards. These significantly higher kinetic energy levels—combined with the nearly 50% larger diameter hole it punches—arguably make the 7.62x39 a superior cartridge for urban warfare and personal defense. That’s one of the main reasons why you see so many military contractors and special operators running around with AKs on TV.
Rock River Arms is certainly not the first AR maker to offer a 7.62x39-chambered AR-15, but it is one of the few doing it right. The company’s LAR-47 is offered in two different configurations: The LAR-47 CAR A4 ($1,270) and the LAR-47 Delta Carbine ($1,545). Both are A4 flat-tops, and aside from the CAR A4 having a gas block with 3-slot top rail and sling loop (as opposed to the Delta Carbine’s low-profile gas block), the two models differ only in their furniture. A tricked-out X-Se-ries version is reportedly on the way soon.
The CAR A4 is fitted with a 6-position Tactical CAR stock with round comb and fixed sling loop. The upgraded Delta Carbine gets RRA’s innovative, 6-posi-tion Delta CAR buttstock with triangular-profile comb for an enhanced cheek weld, quick-detach, full-rotation sling swivel receptacles on both sides, two-piece rubber butt pad—the lower section has a push-button release for access to a battery storage compartment in the lower tube and a full-length Picatinny rail molded into the bottom surface of the lower tube.
The CAR A4 is fitted with Mil-Spec A2 pistol grip, while the Delta CAR gets and textured rubber Ergo SureGrip. Mil-spec M4 handguards appear on the CAR A4, but he Delta Carbine is fitted with a two-piece, 6.5-inch long, highly ventilated, machined aluminum quad-rail handguard. The 15-slot Picatinny top-rail is not continuous with the upper receiver’s top-rail, there bring about a 1-inch gap between the two. The two-12-slot side rails have full-rotation, quick-detach sling swivel receptacles front and rear, and the 13-slot bottom rail has a single full-rotation, quick-detach sling swivel
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>>BY BEN BATTLES
1) ALONG WITH BEING MODIFIED TO RELIABLY CHAMBER, EXTRACT AND EJECT THE 7.62X39MM, THE BOLT CARRIER GROUP IS HARD-CHROME PLATED. 2) CREATING AN AR LOWER THAT WOULD ACCEPT AK MAGS WAS NO EASY FEAT, BUT THE END RESULT IS AN AR PLATFORM THAT WILL RELIABLY RUN ON THE SOVIET CARTRIDGE. NOTE THE UNIQUE PADDLE MAG RELEASE.
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receptacle at the forward end. The CAR A4 weighs 6.4 lbs. empty, while the Delta CAR tips the scales
at 7.75 lbs. The Delta CARs two-piece rubber butt pad ads 1/2” to the extended overall length, making it 36.5 inches. Both models come with an RRA lockable plastic hard case and one 30-round polymer AK-47 magazine.
Our evaluation rifle was the LAR-47 Delta Carbine, and everything you’re about to read applies equally to the LAR-47 CAR A4. While the upper and lower receivers are quite similar in appearance to those of a Mil-Spec AR-15, both are RRA proprietary designs forged and machined from aero-space grade aluminum alloy. The external differences in appearance are necessitated by head size and forward-raked angle of the AK magazine, and the way it locks into the lower receiver.
The magazine well is cut high on at the front end to accommodate the forward rake, and the mag release has been completely redesigned. Mounted
on the rear of the mag well, inside the rifle’s elongated winter trig-ger guard, the mag release consists of an ambidextrous paddle that is pushed forward with the tip of either trigger finger to drop the magazine. The magazine is inserted the same way it’s done with an AK-47—holding the magazine almost parallel to the handguard, just shove her into the front of the mag well and swing the body of the magazine down and to the rear to engage the magazine lock. The LAR-47 will accept most steel Mil-Spec AK-47 magazines, and all the ones we tried fit and functioned just fine.
Controls consist of a Mil-Spec safety selector, forward assist and cocking handle. The traditional AR mag release button and bolt release lever mounted on the left side of the lower receiver have been eliminated altogether. Like the AK-47, the LAR-47’s bolt carrier does not lock back in the open position on an empty magazine. The trigger is RRA’s 2-stage model, one of the best factory-standard AR triggers we’ve used. The first stage consists of 1/8” of trigger travel at a pull weight of 2 lbs. 0 oz. With 3.0 more pounds of pressure, the trigger breaks crisply with and al-most no perceptible trigger movement, and no creep or stacking.
The LAR-47 is fitted with a 16-inch, heavy-profile, chrome-lined barrel rifled at a 1:10” right-hand twist. An A2 birdcage flash hider is mounted at the muzzle via 5/8 x 24 threads. The bolt, bolt carrier and gas key are all chrome plated, and except for the larger recess in the bolt face to accommodate the 7.62x39 cartridge head, and a bit of extra mass in the bolt carrier, you wouldn’t know that you weren’t looking at the guts of any di-
rect-gas-impingement operated, 5.56 NATO chambered AR-15.For testing we installed a Blue Force Gear Vickers 221 sling,
mounted a pair of Magpul MBUS Pro steel flip-up iron sights front and rear and a Trijicon SRS Reflex sight with 1.75 MOA illuminated red dot. We used both the SRS and the MBUS Pro sights for reliability testing at 25 yards on our Salute Products steel-plate targets. The rifle transitioned easily between targets, perceived recoil was about equal to that of an AK-47—a bit heavi-er than a 5.56 NATO chambered AR—and we experienced no failures of any kind with the variety of magazines used for testing.
For accuracy testing from the bench at 100 yards, we pulled the SRS and replaced it with a Nightforce SHV 4-14x56 scope in a Nightforce 1-piece mount. Testing ammunition consisted of steel-case Hornady 123-gr. SST (2,350 f.p.s./1,508 ft. lbs.), brass-case Hornady 123-gr. Z-Max Zombie Defense (2,360 f.p.s./1,521 ft. lbs.), Wolf 124-gr. Military Classic (2,330 f.p.s./1,497 ft. lbs.) and Herter’s 123-gr. SP 2,340 f.p.s./1,496 ft. lbs.).
Shooting from the bench at 100 yards, the Hornady 123-gr. Z-Max Zombie Defense turned in the best 3-shot group measur-ing 1.04” center to center. With this Hornady ammo, the LAR-47 was a very consistent 1-MOA shooter. All of the other brands of ammo printed groups running from 1.35” to 2.18”. Only one failure to feed was experienced using the Herter’s ammo.
If you’re looking for an AR with a bit more punch, take a hard look at the LAR-47. Contact Rock River Arms, Tel.: (866) 980-7635; Web: www.rockriverarms.com
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3) WE USED US PALM’S DEFENDER MOLLE (USPALM.COM) CUSTOMIZABLE GRAB-’N-GO CHEST RIG/ARMOR CARRIER THROUGHOUT MUCH OF TESTING. 4) WITH A NIGHTFORCE SHV ATTACHED, WE WERE ABLE TO WRING 1-MOA PERFORMANCE OUT OF THE LAR-47 USING HORNADY’S 123-GR. Z-MAX ZOMBIE DEFENSE LOAD.
1) THE DELTA CARBINE GETS AN RRA DELTA QUAD RAIL HANDGUARD AND 16”, CHROME-LINED HEAVY-CONTOUR BARREL. WE ALSO ENLISTED MAGPUL’S MBUS PRO IRON SIGHTS AND A BLUE FORCE GEAR 221 VICKERS SLING FOR TESTING. 2) AN RRA DELTA CAR STOCK AND ERGO HANDGRIP TAKE UP THE REAR. SINCE THE BOLT DOES NOT HOLD OPEN AFTER THE LAST SHOT, YOU’RE WORKING THE CHARGING HANDLE MORE THAN NORMAL...WE’D LIKE TO SEE A MORE SUBSTANTIAL CHARGING HANDLE AS FACTORY EQUIPMENT.
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As a long time Aimpoint Micro T-1 user, testing the Micro T-2 was a pleasure. This was not just a rebuild or repurposing of the T-1. Rather than just adding features to the T-1, Aimpoint started from the ground up with the T-2, with enhanced optical performance the most important development. New coatings along with a newly designed front lens provide increased clarity and decreased distortion. Whether encounter-ing increased angles or adverse conditions, it keeps you on target. It’s new straight body includes protection for the adjust-ment knobs, along with see-through scope covers. Aimpoint maintained it’s industry leading 5-year battery life, adding even more protection for internal components. Waterproof to 25 meters, it offers 12 settings including night vision capability.
Aimpoint
Field Testingover the years I’ve used Aimpoint T series sights on numerous firearms, as both a primary and a secondary sighting system. Tested on several platforms for fit and function, my LWRCI Six8 was the primary platform for this test. Loaded with Federal’s 90-grain Gold Dot, the Six8 is incredibly accurate and completely reliable.
For longer range work, Aimpoint’s 3X magnifier was added. Mounting the T-2 in an Aimpoint LRP Micro mount with Micro Low spacer lined things up perfectly. It centers the
dot in the front sight, which is my pre-ferred setup for CQB work—especially if the front sight is fixed. LWRCI’s folding sight was used in both positions, with the rear staying folded most of the time.
Zeroing the T-2 is a bit easier using the attached knob covers. The protec-tion added to the body surrounding the elevation knob lets you drop the cap into place without it falling off. Using their included tool is certainly easier, but given how often my sights get moved around, the tool never seems to be handy, so this change is a nice one for me. Windage changes are the same, and instead of two caps with the adjustment tabs there is only one. Out of the box it was very close to my preferred 50-yard zero.
Working at 50 yards and closer the
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT COULDN’T GET ANY BETTER . . .
BY DAVE BAHDE
MicroT-2
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SIMILAR TO THE H1/T1 IN SIZE AND APPEARANCE, THE NEW T2 IS A COMPLETELY NEW ANIMAL, WITH MANY LOGICAL AND USEFUL REVISIONS.
ANY MOUNTS THAT FIT YOUR H1/T1 WILL ALSO FIT THE NEW T2. IF IT AIN’T BROKE...
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T-2 was fast, and even my 55-year-old eyes noticed the difference in clarity. Moving to CQB ranges it was tested at the limits of range inside the glass for parallax. Still a little there, but better for sure. So long as the dot was on the target it hit pretty much spot on. Even with the caps down it was fast. It operates the same as the T-1, it’s just slimmer, clearer, and more consistent.
Increased optical clarity was more noticeable to me using the 3X magnifi-er. Shooting steel at 400 yards, the dot just seemed a bit cleaner, crisper, and easier to see, especially with the covers up. Using established holds it was pos-sible to produce a 5-shot group measur-ing just under six inches at 400 yards—not bad with for a simple red dot.
Aimpoint’s T-2 will fit on any mount
currently designed for use with the T-1 sight. The only places it presented issues were on my AKs using the Midwest In-dustries hand guards. The sight fits fine; there’s just not enough room for the flip up covers. After removing the covers it fit and worked well on AKs. It also worked great on a new CMMG MK47, and as a secondary sight mounted at 1:00 o’clock on my 6.5 Creedmoor.
You expect top-notch quality from Aimpoint, and the T-2 delivers big time. It is clearer, a bit more stream-lined, more rugged (if that’s possible) and crosses over with all your previous mounts. It doesn’t gets an better than that! See it at your firearms retailer ($846), or contact Aimpoint, Dept OT; Tel.: (703) 263-9795; Web: www.aimpoint.com
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ABOVE: THE AUTHOR SENDING LEAD AT DISTANCE WITH THE HELP OF THE AIMPOINT 3X MAGNIFIER.BELOW: FLIP-UP LENS COVERS ARE A WELCOME ADDITION. DOT IS A CRISP AND CLEAR 2-MOA.
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RELIABLE, ACCURATE AND AFFORDABLE,THE PISTON-DRIVE MPAR REPRESENTSA VIABLE AR ALTERNATIVE
Masterpiece ArmsMPAR556 GEN II CERAKOTE
>>BY DAVE BAHDE
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Masterpiece Arms MPAR series of rifleslook to maintain the proven ergonomics of the AR platform while addressing some of its shortcomings. Given the availability of accessories designed around the AR it is hard to beat when it comes to sights, stocks, magazines and other additions. Being able to swap these over is a nice touch, and the overall fit is comfortable for many. At the same time, the lack of a folding stock and a less than easy to access charging handle could see some improvement.
Masterpiece Arms original MPAR was quite popular, providing an alterna-tive to the run of the mill AR rifle while keeping some of its best features. Ac-curate, reliable, and well built. they have proven to be a solid rifle. Their latest version, the Gen II Cerakote, only makes the original design even better.
MPAR 556 Gen II Cerakotestarting With the proven, adjustable, short-stroke gas-piston system, the MPAR Gen II Cerakote reviewed here ($1,133) includes their newly designed Gen II hand guard. The front cover keeps dirt out while provid-ing a solid lockup and nice look. It includes full top and bottom Picatinny rails with mounts for side rails and accessories at various points. My test rifle included an MPAR Hand guard QD sling mount, side rail, and Strike
Masterpiece ArmsMPAR556 GEN II CERAKOTE
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1) THE MPAR USES A SELF-REGULATING, SHORT-STROKE PISTON OPERATING SYSTEM, WHICH WORKS THIS UNIQUE TRIANGULAR BOLT CARRIER GROUP/RECOIL MECHANISM. 2) BECAUSE THE RECOIL SYSTEM IS ENCLOSED WITHING THE UPPER RECEIVER AND NOT THE BUFFER TUBE, A SIDE-FOLDING STOCK IS ABLE TO BE USED. AN ARCHANGEL 6-POSITION STOCK IS STANDARD.
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Industries Angled Foregrip. It covers a 16-inch Chrome Moly 1:9” twist bar-rel chambered in 5.56mm. Finished in black nitride with a threaded muzzle (1/2” x 28 TPI) it comes with an MPA 90556 Premium muzzle brake.
The MPAR bolt carrier group is housed in a strong steel upper receiver with full-length Picatinny top rail. using a left-side, non-reciprocating charging handle. Mated to a the steel lower. it provides a stiff and solid platform. Trigger and safety manipula-tion are similar to those of an AR, as is the placement of the magazine release button. An oversized trigger guard provides access with gloved hands.
The pistol grip is standard AR, this one was an A2 style. Archan-gel’s AA120 6-position butt-stock is installed. It includes QD flush cups at the front and back of the stock on both sides. No butt pad was included, but can be added if desired. It is mated to an MPA stock mount that allows the buttstock to be folded to the right, where it locks in the folded position. It does not block the ejection port and allows access to the trigger for firing when folded.
Vortex’s Strikefire II Red Dot sight ($239) was installed for testing. Its cantilever mount provides a lower third co-witness of the folding sights. A Vortex VMX 3T magnifier ($299) sat behind the Strikefire II on a quick release mount lining up perfectly. Push the large button and it swings out of the way to the right locking in place. Push the button again to move it back into place. Our evaluation rifle was finished in Burnt Bronze Cera-kote. It is also available in Black, Flat Dark Earth and Tungsten Cerakote at the same price. Overall length is 38.5”
with the stock fully extended, 34.75” with the stock full collapsed, and 26.5” with the stock folded. Empty weight is 7.8 lbs.
On the Rangeshooting began with reliability testing over a broad range of ammuni-tion, and different magazines. Several standard AR-15/M16 magazines were used, including PMAGS in both generations, Lancer, IWI, Mil-Spec and Brownell’s aluminum. Most were 30 rounders, but 20-round Gen II PMAGS were also tested. All of them inserted easily and functioned without issue. Every magazine dropped free so long as the rifle remained horizontal. Tilt it back a bit and there was a need for a tug. My preferred procedure is to drop the magazine while indexing the new one, keeping the rifle in the pocket moving it into my “workspace” facilitating the load, so this was a non-issue. It does not spit them out like some, so adjust accordingly. On the other hand, it never had an issue loading on a closed bolt with a full (30-round) magazine.
Given my time on AKs using my left hand to charge the MPAR is intuitive. Whether charging from the pocket or in my workspace, it was easy to access and positive, going into bat-tery without issue. Just be careful with sling placement. My preference when running these systems is similar to the Magpul MS3 Gen 2 setup. Using an RSA sling attachment on the top or bottom rail, snap in for long term car-ry. Get ready for work and snap it into the single point attachment, keeping everything clear around the charging handle. It makes it much easier during reloads. Given no bolt release, the han-
MasterpieceArms mpar
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1) THE LARGE, NON-RECIPROCATION CHARGING HANDLE ALSO ACTS AS A FORWARD ASSIST. 2) THE MPAR USES RUGGED, STAMPED-STEEL RECEIVERS. MAG RELEASE IS WHERE YOU’D FIND IT ON AN AR. A VORTEX STRIKEFIRE II OPTIC AND VMX 3T MAGNIFIER WERE USED THROUGHOUT TESTING (VORTEXOPTICS.COM.) 3) A LIGHTWEIGHT CONTOUR BARREL AND COMPENSATOR HELP KEEP WEIGHT AND MUZZLE RISE DOWN, RESPECTIVELY. 4) THE CUSTOMIZABLE GEN II ALUMINUM FOREND AND ADJUSTABLE GAS PORT.
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3) THE MPAR PROVED A VERY SOFT SHOOTING RIFLE, THANKS IN NO SMALL PART TO ITS COMPENSATOR.
4) 100-YARD PRECISION WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE.
1 & 2) EMPTY MAGS DROPPED FREE WITH EASE, AND WITH A FRESH MAG INSERTED, SWIPING THE CHARGING HANDLE IS POSITIVE AND INTUITIVE.
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dle will be manipulated often, making for smooth work. Its also possible to modify a Blue Force Gear (or similar) sling using QD swivels to do the same thing. Attaching one QD to the rear of the stock, you snap the front one into the hand guard sling mount when carrying it, then switch it back to the one on the front of the Archangel stock during operation.
Pressing the release in the bottom of the folding mechanism moves the stock over and down to the right, locking it into place. It does not interfere with ejection and you can sneak your hand underneath to access the trigger and safety. Push the same button to release the stock for extension. Like all stocks that lock into place folded, quick access will take some practice, but given that it fires folded you are not prevented from engaging threats as needed. Working in tight spaces like a vehicle this is a nice feature to have, and remains one of the AR’s most limiting features.
While the piston system is adjustable, there was never a need over a broad range of ammunition ranging from 55-gr. FMJ to 77-gr. OTM match. Very soft shooting, it was easy to stay on target. The muzzle brake worked great at keeping the muzzle in place, it was just a bit loud, as you would expect. The muzzle brake is removable, so swapping out to a flash hider for duty or close quarter use is pretty simple. For competitive shooting, or range time, it was fantastic.
The MPAR556 acquitted itself well in terms of accuracy, producing groups measuring around 1.5 inches with most loads. My best group was accomplished using Silver State Armory’s 77-gr. OTM Match load measuring 1.35 inches center to center. All of the group testing was accomplished with the Vortex magnifier from prone using a bag as a rest. Certainly more than accurate for most self defense or duty use.
Adjusting the brightness on the Strikefire II was pretty easy,
with buttons that could be accessed even with my gloved hands. There were plenty of settings allowing for use in both the dark shoot house and the bright outdoors. There are even a couple NV settings. Auto shut down turns it off after 12 hours without operation. Turning it back on returns to the last setting used. Battery life ranges from 400 to 7,000 hours depending on the setting. Adjusting for both windage and elevation was easy using the supplied caps.
Using the VMX3T magnifier, it worked well on steel out to 400 yards as well as during accuracy testing. It did not change my point of aim, and stayed pretty steady. The mount requires that you push (or pull) the large button on the front towards you allowing it to swing back and forth. It locks nicely out of the way, but was a bit loose when in place. Not sure if it affected accuracy, but it was a bit annoying on occasion.
Final ThoughtsoveraLL the MPAR556 Gen II worked well. Accuracy was fine, it is very soft shooting and was 100 percent reliable. Being able to fold the stock is a really nice touch, and it locked solidly in place when folded and extended. Having the charging handle on the left side is a positive for me; for others it may take some getting used to. Since it does not reciprocate it really does not interfere while shooting. It retains the ability to act as a forward assist when needed allowing you to make certain you are in battery. If you find muzzle brakes acceptable, this is a good one. For those of us preferring flash hiders, that can be easily facilitated as well. Given that most everything is made in house, quality is great and cus-tomer service is excellent. If you want the feel of an AR with the reliability of a short-stroke gas-piston system and folding stock, the MPAR556 Gen II Cerakote should be high on your list. See it at your firearms retailer, or contact Masterpiece Arms, Tel.: (770) 832-9430; Web: www.masterpiecearms.com
Masterpiece Arms mpar
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>>BY MASSAD AYOOB
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The Beretta 92, designated M9when it was adopted in the mid 1980s, has been the duty pistol of the United States armed forces service wide for almost 30 years now. When I was a kid, the reason every gun collector felt a need for a 1911 seemed to be that if you didn’t own the pistol of your nation’s military, something was . . . missing.
In the current conflicts in what Col. Jeff Cooper called “the sandbox”—Iraq and Afghanistan—house-to-house combat in the first of those theaters and cave-searches in the second showed the need for a pistol with a light attached. This led to the M9A1 Beretta with light rail integral with the dust cover of the pistol’s frame. Beretta now offers this to the gun-buying public as the M9A1.
The M9A1 is an “F-series” gun in Beretta terminology, meaning that the first shot is double action requiring a relatively long, heavy trigger pull for the first shot, and self-cocking itself to lighter, single-action trigger pulls for all subsequent shots unless and until the shooter “de-cocks” it by flipping the slide lever downward. In that down position, the lever of the F-series M9 Beretta is now “on safe,” and has to be flipped up again to fire the pistol. The USAF carries their M9 Berettas “lever up”—off-safe and ready to fire at the first pull of the trigger. The US Army and the US Marine Corps carry “lever down”, on-safe, requiring the user to deliberately take the gun off-safe before firing.
How should YOU keep or carry it? Your call! LAPD, when they issued Berettas. required off-safe carry because they feared their officers would forget to thumb the safety up and off un-der stress. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department required their deputies to carry their Berettas ON-safe, and recorded multiple cases of deputies’ lives saved when a Bad Guy got the Beretta away from the Good Guy and tried to shoot him but couldn’t, because he didn’t know “how to turn the gun on.” Yet from all my research on this, it seems that no Good Guy has ever been shot because he DIDN’T off-safe his Beretta when he drew it to save his life.
The Beretta turns out to be a very shootable pistol, as well as a very reliable one. Shooters like Ernest Langdon won national championships in combat-style IDPA competition with the Beretta 92, defeating all comers who used striker-fired polymer pistols of later design, and even light-loaded 1911 semiautomat-ics from the past. In accuracy intensive bulls-eye shooting at the National Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio, events requir-ing a military service pistol and therefore limited to either the
OUR NATION’SSERVICE PISTOLIS A MODERNCLASSIC, ANDPROBABLY BETTER THAN EVER. WETEST ITS LATESTINCARNATION.
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1) THE VENERABLE M9 HAS EARNED A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF RELIABILITY THROUGH DECADES OF SERVICE. LOOKING CLOSELY, THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE EXTRACTOR IS RAISED WITH ONE IN THE PIPE, SERVING AS A LOADED-CHAMBER INDICATOR.
2) WITH THE A1 DESIGNATION COMES AN INTEGRAL MIL-STD-1913 PICATINNY ACCESSORY RAIL TO ADD WEAPONLIGHTAND/OR LASER AIMING CAPABILITIES.
Beretta 9mm or the 1911 .45 often saw the Beretta in the hand of the shooter winning the National Championship.
This writer makes no pretense to being a National Champion, but has won multiple IDPA and police PPC matches shooting the Beretta 92. My older daughter won High Woman at the National Tactical Invitational event in 1996, at age 19, shooting a Beretta 92 Compact 9mm. To me, these personal experi-ences outweigh Internet ninjas who hide behind false names and proclaim that traditional double-action pistols like the Beretta can’t be shot well.
The Rationale of the M9A1
foLks Who “CaMe in Late” and started shooting with striker-fired polymer guns find it incomprehensible that there are people who prefer a long, heavy double action first shot and then a second, easier type of trigger pull for subsequent shots, not to mention a slide lever that serves as both de-cocker and manual safety. They shouldn’t feel bad: when the traditional double-action auto became popular in the US during the latter half of the 20th Century, the gun geezers accustomed to the 1911 .45 and the 9mm Browning Hi-Power felt exactly the same way.
That long, heavy. double-action pull for the first shot has the effect of making that first shot deliberate under stress; not always, but most of the time. When these guns came out, people were trained to put their fingers on the triggers immediately. But, particularly in police work and armed citizen self-defense, they were taking people at gunpoint far more often than having to reactively draw and shoot them, which remains true today. Nowadays, we’re trained to keep our fingers off the triggers until the time has come to intention-ally fire, but even the best-trained people can, in the grip of high stress, allow their finger to migrate to the trigger even if they don’t know it is happening. The heavier double-action pull for the first shot is a safety net against unin-tended shooting in that situation. Once the decision to shoot has been made and that long, heavy pull has been intentionally accomplished, the shooter is probably in a “shoot situation,” and now the subsequent shorter, single-action pull can improve hit potential.
What about that combination safety/de-cock lever? History has shown that damn few people get killed because they forget to off-safe their gun when they draw and fire in self-defense, but a whole lot of good guys have been killed when bad guys got their guns away from them and pulled the triggers. There are countless “saves” on record where the bad guy tried to do that and failed, because he didn’t even know there was a safety catch, buying the good guy time to rectify the situation and survive.
Perks and Quirksthe good neWs: The Beretta 92 series 9mm pistols are accurate, and they’re extraordinarily reliable. Because winning the US service pistol contract was huge to the players in the handgun industry, there were lawsuits after the Beretta was adopted, and allegations that it might be breakage-prone or unreliable. This led to massive tests of countless thousands of rounds, which showed the Beretta to indeed be extraordinarily reliable. In the last couple of years, there have been
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beretta m9a1 1) FIELD STRIPPING THE M9 TAKES A MATTER OF SECONDS. SHOWN BENEATH THE BARREL, THE BERETTA BORROWS HEAVILY FROM THE WALTHER P38 STYLE LOCKING MECHANISM.
2) THE AMBI DECOCKER DOUBLES AS A SAFETY. SMALL HANDS WILL HAVE TO BREAK GRIP TO WORK THE MAG RELEASE AND SLIDE STOP.
3 & 4) TO ACCOMMODATE OUR PARTICULAR M9A1 AND SUREFIRE X400 LIGHT/LASER, WE HAD THE FOLKS AT GAMEFACE HOLSTERS MOLD US UP ONE OF THEIR LEATHER-LINED KYDEX OWB HOLSTERS AND MATCHING DUAL-MAG POUCH. WE’RE PRETTY STOKED WITH THE RESULT. SEE THEM AT GAMEFACEHOLSTERS.COM.
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beretta m9a1 1) SMOKE AT THE MUZZLE AND BRASS IN THE AIR; AYOOB DEMONSTRATES THE CONTROLLABILITY OF THE M9A1 IN RAPID FIRE. SHOOTABILITY IS MOST CERTAINLYONE OF THE BERETTA’S STRONG SUITS.
2) ON TARGET’S TEST M9A1 “SHOT TOTHE SIGHTS” AT 25 YARDS WITH THREEDISTINCTLY DIFFERENT 9MM LOADS.
3) A SPECIAL PVD COATING —PARTICULAR TO THE M9 MODELS—REDUCES FRICTION AND AIDS IN OPERATION IN SANDY ENVIRONMENTS. THREE 15-ROUND MAGAZINES ARE INCLUDED.
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huge orders by the US government for more Beretta pistols, despite complaints that its 9mm round was proving less than adequate as a “man-stopper” against enemy personnel. However, that complaint related to US military issue, non-expanding 9mm pistol ammo, and not the gun itself. Complaints about reliability were traced primarily to non-Beretta magazines bought on low bid; today’s M9A1 pistols are shipped with three magazines each of an updated design intended expressly to work 100% in high-sand environments. A very few early Berettas experienced slide separations due to over-pressure ammo from one manufacturer, and perhaps also to poorly designed silencers that prevented the Beretta locking blocks from working properly with extended weight hanging off the front of their barrels.
The bad news: The Beretta 92/M9 design has a large grip-frame and a “long-reach” double-action trigger that’s tougher to operate for shooters with small hands and short fingers.
Accuracy
froM a CaLdWeLL Matrix rest on a concrete bench at 25 yards, we tested the M9A1 with three loads that have long and famous association with the Beretta 92 series. Each group was measured once for all five shots, a good gauge of practical shootability from a solid brace in calm conditions, and again for the best three of those hits. Over the decades I learned that the latter measurement would give an excellent approximation of what the same gun/ammo would do for all five from a machine rest, where the “unnoticed human error” factor is, of course, not present. Measurements were center to center on the farthest bullet holes in question, to the nearest 0.05”. We noticed a tendency for the first shot of every string to go a bit higher than the rest, a touch of the “four plus one” syndrome in which the initial hand-chambered cartridge apparently brings the parts into a subtly different battery than subsequent rounds cham-bered automatically as the pistol cycles.
Federal’s 9BPLE load, a 115-grain +P+ jacketed hollow point, established an awesome reputation for quickly stopping gunfights
when fired from the issued Beretta 92G service pistols of the DeKalb County, Georgia Police Department. In our test M9A1, the 9BPLE planted five rounds in 2.90” including the first, high shot. The next four were in a cluster almost twice as tight, 1.50” even, and the best three were in a mere eight-tenths of one inch.
The “natural food” of the military’s M9 is hot 124-grain NATO full metal jacket 9mm. Winchester 9mm NATO punched five of those into 3.15” counting the first high hit, but the other four were in 1.10”, and the best three, in 1.05”. The accuracy is decent, but there have been many complaints from our soldiers and Marines about the poor “stopping power” of this pointy-nose, non-expanding projectile.
147-grain subsonic has been hugely popular with police for a quarter century now, and famous for its accuracy. Standard “cup and core” bullets at this weight and speed sometimes expand satis-factorily, and sometimes don’t: higher tech, more modern projec-tiles do much better in that format. One such is the Winchester Ranger 147 grain, which has been reported to be very successful in the once-standard-issue Beretta 92F series pistols of the LAPD and the LA County Sheriffs. We substituted Winchester’s analog prac-tice round, the 147-grain WinClean with fully jacketed truncated cone bullet. This Winchester load gave us the best 5-shot group of the test, 1.85”. After the first high hit, the subsequent four went into 1.35” and the best three, 0.85”.
Bottom Lineits $745 Msrp, combined with its long-established quality, makes the M9A1 a good value. The “A1” light rail is a bonus for home defense and police work.
If you tell me you don’t care for the Beretta 92/M9 series, I ain’t gonna look at you and plaintively ask, “Why do you hate America?” But I gotta tell ya, once you get to know it, the reliable and accurate Beretta M9A1 turns out to be a very endearing gun.
See it at your firearms retailer, or for more information contactBeretta, Tel.: (800) 237-7382; Web; www.beretta.com
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
Model 95Model 99 BlackModel 99 BlackModel 99 Tan CerakoteModel 99 Tan CerakoteModel 99 BlackModel 99 Tan Cerakote
29.0”29.0”32.0”29.0”32.0”32.0”32.0”
$6,500$3,999$3,849$4,099$3,949$3,849$3,949
Caliber/Gauge.50 BMG.50 BMG.50 BMG.50 BMG.50 BMG
.416 Barrett
.416 Barrett
Barrett Firearms Tel.: (615) 896-2938 Fax: (615) 896-7313 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.barrett.net
AmmoCapacity
Bolt actionBolt actionBolt actionBolt action Bolt actionBolt actionBolt action
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBMNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
5111111
NoNoNoNoNoNoNo
TopTopTopTopTopTopTop
45.0”47.0”50.0”47.0”50.0”50.0”50.0”
23.5 lbs.23.0 lbs.25.0 lbs.23.0 lbs.25.0 lbs.25.0 lbs.25.0 lbs.
RightRightRightRightRightRightRight
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1Stealth Recon Scout A1 CovertStealth Recon Scout A1 CovertStealth Recon Scout A1 Covert
22.0”26.0”26.0”26.0”26.0”26.0”26.0”26.0”16.0”18.0”18.0”
$4,545$4,545$4,545$4,545$4,545$4,708$4,708$4,913$4,577$4,708$4,944
Caliber/Gauge
7.62 NATO7.62 NATO.260 Rem.
6.5 Creedmoor6.5x47 Lapua
7mm WSM.300 Win. Mag.
.338 Lapua Mag.7.62 NATO
.300 Win. Mag..338 Lapua Mag.
Desert Tech Tel.: (801) 875-7272 Fax: (801) 908-6425 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.deserttech.com
AmmoCapacity
Bolt actionBolt actionBolt actionBolt action Bolt actionBolt actionBolt actionBolt actionBolt actionBolt actionBolt action
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBM
66666555655
NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Top, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, Bottom
32.5”36.5”36.5”36.5”36.5”36.5”36.5”36.5”26.0”28.0”28.0”
10.6 lbs.11.0 lbs.10.9 lbs.10.9 lbs.10.9 lbs.11.0 lbs.11.0 lbs.10.9 lbs.9.6 lbs.9.8 lbs.9.9 lbs.
RightRightRightRightRightRightRightRightRightRightRight
I’ll be honest and admit right up front that I have a major bias for bullpup-style rifles and shotguns for defensive use.. My love affair with bullpups began when I drew the assignment to test and re-view the FNH USA FS2000 bullpup carbine a couple of years ago. It was further nurtured by subsequent experience with the Steyr AUG/A3 SA USA, FNH USA FS90, IWI Tavor and Kel-Tec KSG bullpup shotgun.
I think what most impresses me about
bullpups is their short overall length, weight-between-the-hands balance and quick pointability, all with full-length stocks for rifle-like accuracy and full-length barrels to get the maximum velocity out of their respective ammo loads.
Bullpups also keep the BATFE out of your life by offering the advantages of SBRs (short barreled rifles) and SBSs (short barreled shotguns) without the need for the federal registration dog-and-pony show
and payment of the $200 tax.Bullpups have been specifically designed
to comply with the National Firearms Act. Bullpup rifles have to be fitted with a barrel at least 16.0 inches long, and Bullpup shotguns have to have a barrel at least 18.0 inches long. In both cases, their overall lengths have to be a minimum of 26.0 inches.
If you want to save the time, hassle and expense of registering an SBR or SBS, get your self a bullpup instead.
BULLPUPBUYERS’ GUIDE TO
DEFENSIVE ARMS>>BY BILL BATTLES
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Barrett Model 99 Desert Tech SRS-A1
Steyr AUG A3 M1the steyr aug is a short-stroke, gas-pis-ton-operated, bullpup carbine designed in the 1970s that fires the 5.56 NATO round. The AUG A3 M1 is the newest semi-auto-only ver-sion manufactured by Steyr Arms in Alabama. It is available with an 11-slot low or 16-slot top
rail (both $2,099), or either a 1.5x ($2,499)nor 3x ($2,599) optic with its own Picatinny top rail. A 5-slot rail section on the right-hand side of the receiver is common to all models, which are fed by 10-, 30- or 42-round polymer magazines specific to the AUG.
The 16-inch, cold-hammer-forged, chrome-lined barrel is fitted with a screw-on tulip flash suppressor, making the overall
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
RFB CarbineRDB CarbineKSG Shotgun
18.0”17.5”18.5”
$1,880n/a
$990
Caliber/Gauge
7.62 NATO5.56 NATO
12 ga.
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Tel.: (800) 515-9983 Fax: (321) 631-1169 Web: www.keltecweapons.com
AmmoCapacity
Semi-autoSemi-auto
Pump
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBMDBMDT
203014
NoNoNo
TopTop
Top, Bottom
26.1”27.4”26.1”
8.1 lbs.7.0 lbs.6.9 lbs.
Forward/downDownDown
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
FN FS2000 TacticalFN FS2000 CQBFN PS90 Standard BlackFN PS90 Standard OD Green
17.44”17.44”16.04”16.04”
$2,500$2,500$1,449$1,449
Caliber/Gauge
5.56 NATO5.56 NATO5.7x28mm5.7x28mm
FNH USA Tel.: (703) 228-3500 Fax: (703) 288-4507 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.fnhusa.com
AmmoCapacity
Semi-autoSemi-autoSemi-autoSemi-auto
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBMDBMDBMDBM
3030
10 or 3010 or 30
YesYesYesYes
TopTopTopTop
29.29”29.29”26.23”26.23”
7.86 lbs.7.86 lbs.6.28 lbs.6.28 lbs.
Forward/downForward/down
DownDown
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
Tavor SAR (Black, FDE, OD Green)Tavor SAR (Black, FDE, OD Green)Tavor SAR Left HandTavor SAR IDF (MEPRO 21 Reflex)Tavor SAR CA CompliantTavor SAR MA, MD, NJ Compliant
16.5”18.0”16.5”16.5”16.5”18.0”
$1,999$1,999$1,999$2,599$2,049$2,049
Caliber/Gauge
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
IWI US, Inc. Tel.: (717) 695-2081 Fax: (717) 412-0873 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.iwi.us
AmmoCapacity
Semi-autoSemi-autoSemi-autoSemi-auto Semi-autoSemi-auto
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBMDBMDBMDBMDBMDBM
303030301010
NoNoNoNoNoNo
TopTopTop
NoneTopTop
26.13”27.63”26.13”26.13”30.0”30.0”
7.9 lbs.8.15 lbs.7.9 lbs.8.5 lbs.7.9 lbs.8.15 lbs.
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BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
M17S556 17.50” $1,799
Caliber/Gauge
5.56 NATO
K&M Arms, LLC Tel.: (480) 406-3500 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.kmarms.com
AmmoCapacity
Semi-auto
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBM 30 No Top, Bottom, Sides 26.25” 7.40 lbs.Right
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
Hard Target InterdictionHard Target InterdictionHard Target InterdictionHard Target Interdiction
29.0”29.0”29.0”29.0”
$7,134$7,134$7,239$7,239
Caliber/Gauge
.375 CheyTac
.408 CheyTac.416 Barrett
.50 BMG
Desert Tech Tel.: (801) 875-7272 Fax: (801) 908-6425 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.deserttech.com
AmmoCapacity
Bolt actionBolt actionBolt actionBolt action
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBMDBMDBMDBM
5555
NoNoNoNo
Top, BottomTop, BottomTop, BottomTop, Bottom
44.4”44.4”45.4”45.4”
19.7 lbs.20.25 lbs.20.25 lbs.20.1 lbs.
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length 28.15 inches. Empty weight is 8.0 pounds without an optic.
The operating system features a 2-posi-tion gas regulator. In standard configuration, empties are ejected through a port on the right side of the stock. A similar ejection port on the left side is fitted with a snap-in port cover, and the AUG can be switched to left-hand ejection simply by substituting a left-ejection bolt.
When pulled, the trigger actuates dual stainless steel rods that run aft inside the stock some 9+ inches to the trigger group in the rear. Controls consist of a non-reciprocating cocking handle, push-through safety, bolt release and magazine release. When shooting from a rest, the fore-grip can be stowed paral-lel to the barrel. It comes with one 30-round magazine, sling and a cleaning kit that stows in the buttstock. Contact Steyr Arms; Tel.: (205) 655-8299; Web: www.steyrarms.com
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
Model 1208 (NFA-SBS)Model 1212 (NFA-SBS)Model 1216
10.0”13.0”18.0”
n/an/an/a
Caliber/Gauge12 ga.12 ga.12 ga.
SRM Arms Tel.: (888) 269-1885 Fax: (208) 248-1111 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.srmarms.com
AmmoCapacity
Semi-autoSemi-autoSemi-auto
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DMRMDMRMDMRM
81216
NoNoNo
Top, Sides, FrontTop, Sides, FrontTop, Sides, Front
24.5”27.5”32.5”
6.25 lbs.6.75 lbs.7.25 lbs.
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FNH PS90 Kel-Tec RDBKel-Tec RFB
FNH FS2000 CQBthe fnh usa fs2000 CQb is a short-stroke, gas-piston-operated, bullpup carbine chambered in 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem. It has only a small aluminum upper receiv-er encased in a polymer “barrel support assembly,” and no lower receiver. The lower portion is a hollow polymer stock with lots of room for the operating system. An
18-slot, machined-aluminum Picatinny rail rides atop the barrel support assembly, and the 17.44-inch cold hammer forged barrel is chrome lined, rifled at a 1:7” twist rate and fitted with a permanently attached muzzle brake/flash suppressor. Empty weight is 7.6 lbs., and overall length is 29.3 inches.
The gas-piston operating system has a 2-position gas pressure regulator. Housed aft inside the stock is the hammer group,
Kel-Tec KSG Shotgunthe keL-teC ksg ($990) is an 18.5-inch barreled pump shotgun built in a bullpup format. With an overall length of 26.1 inches, it is the most compact shotgun legally possible. It’s almost two inches shorter than the Steyr AUG and 3.1 inches shorter than the FNH FS2000. Empty weight is a svelte 6.9 pounds.
The KSG’s dual, parallel magazine tubes mounted under the barrel each hold seven 2-3/4 shells, or six 3-inch shells, yielding either a 14+1 or 12+1 capacity. Shells are loaded through a loading/ejection port under the stock, and empties are ejected downward through the same port, making the KSG truly ambidextrous. A selector switch permits quick selection between mag tubes, giving the shooter the option of
quickly selecting between different loads. The selector
also can be set to block both tubes for use in single-shot mode.
The receiver, cylinder-bore barrel and magazine tubes are made from hardened steel; the stock (with angled cheek welds) and slide are made from glass reinforced nylon. It has a 30-slot, numbered aluminum top rail and a 14-slot rail molded into the underside of the slide. Controls consist of a trigger
actuated by an 11-inch trigger linkage. Empty cases are ejected upward into an ejection tube that runs to an ejection port at forward end. When the ejection tube is filled, the pressure of the next empty forces the ejection-port cover open and allows the cases to dribble out at your feet, making the FS2000 truly ambidextrous right out of the box.
The 2-position safety is a rotary disc mounted on the floor of the trigger guard. Rotating the disc forward engages the safe-ty; rotating it rearward disengages it. Other features include an elevation-adjustable front sight, flip-up, windage-adjustable, rear sight, sling attachment points front and rear on both sides and a tri-rail fore-end providing 15-slot rails at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions for mounting must-have goodies. Contact FNH USA; Tel: (703) 288-3500; Web: www.fnhusa.com
group housed within the grip, push-type safety selector behind the trigger and ambidextrous slide re-lease on the front of the trigger guard.
The KSG provides unprecedented fire-power, with almost 40,000 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy on tap. In terms of close-quarters agility and raw firepower, it’s the top choice in a defensive shotgun. Contact Kel-Tec CNC Industries; Tel.: (321) 631-0068; Web: www.keltecweapons.com
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
AUG A3 SA USA NATOAUG A3 M1 (Black, OD Green)AUG A3 M1 with 1.5X opticAUG A3 M1 with 3X optic
16.0”16.0”16.0”16.0”
$2,099$2,099$2,499$2,599
Caliber/Gauge
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
.556 NATO
Steyr Arms Tel.: (205) 417-8644 Fax: (205) 417-8647 Web: www.steyrarms.com
AmmoCapacity
Semi-autoSemi-autoSemi-autoSemi-auto
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
AR-15DBMDBMDBM
30424242
NoNoNoNo
TopTop, LeftTop, LeftTop, Left
28.25”28.15”28.15”28.15”
8.15 lbs.8.0 lbs.9.0 lbs.9.0 lbs.
RightRightRightRight
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
Leader 50 A1 24.0” $6.900
Caliber/Gauge.50 BMG
St. George Arms, LLC E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.stgeorgearms.com
AmmoCapacity
Semi-auto
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DBM 10 No Top 39.50” 18.00 lbs.Right
BarrelLength M.S.R.P.
UTS-15 (Black + 10 camo paterns) 18.5” $1,250-$1,650
Caliber/Gauge12 ga.
UTAS USA Tel.: (847) 768-1011 Fax: (847) 768-1001 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.utas-usa.com
AmmoCapacity
Pump
OpenSights
Picatinny Rails
EmptyWeight
MagazineType
OverallLength
EjectionDirection
ActionTypeModel
DT 14 No Top 28.30” 6.90 lbs.Down
Key to Abbreviations Magazine Type: DBM = Detachable Box Magazine; DMRM = Detachable Manually Rotating Magazine; DT = Dual Tubes; AR-15 = Any AR-15/M16/M4 Magazine for the 5.56x45 NATO Cartridge. Ammo Capacity: Plus one round in chamber. Open Sights: May be offered optionally by manufacturer. Picatinny Rails: Additional rail sections may be offered optionally by manufacturer.
UTAS UTS-15K&M Arms M17S556 IWI Tavor
>>BY BILL BATTLES
There’s a lot to be saidfor rifles that fold up into small pack-ages that can be quickly reconfigured to rifle length. Folding rifles not only can be stored in smaller places—like briefcases, backpacks, suitcases, under car seats (where legal, of course) and even violin cases—but they also can be placed closer to areas of anticipated need in an emergency.
Kel-Tec is a company that has been specializing in folding rifles for some time—both pistol caliber and rifle caliber folders—and they’ve raised the convenience factor and performance bar, and lowered the cost, about as far as those measures can be pushed.
COMPACT & LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKGUNS FOR YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE
Kel-TecSUB-2000 & SU-16CFolding Carbines
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9mm model can be configured to accept a variety of stan-dard pistols magazines, including the Glock 17, Glock 19, Smith & Wesson Model 59, Beretta Model 92 and the SIG SAUER P226. The standard magazine list for the .40 S&W model include the Glock 22, Glock 23, Beretta 96, Smith & Wesson 4006 and SIG SAUER P226.
When configured to shoot the same cartridge and accept the same magazines as your everyday carry pistol, the SUB-2000 provides a lot of more accurate, higher velocity and longer-range firepower when the need arises. With typical 9mm defensive cartridges, you can expect 150 to 200 f.p.s. extra velocity out of the SUB-2000’s 16-inch barrel compared to a 4-inch pistol barrel. That increase in velocity is somewhat greater with typical .40 S&W defensive ammunition.
Other features include polymer furniture, aperture rear sight, hooded adjustable fiber-optic front sight, no-tools dis-assembly, and a push-type manual safety that disconnects the trigger bar and locks the hammer and sear. A bolt hold-open lock is built into the operating handle.
During testing we used a Glock 17 magazine and shot for accuracy from a bench at 50 yards with the open sights. Re-liability was nearly 100%, with a couple of short strokes and failures to fully eject with one particularly light 115-gr. load. Our best 5-shot group, which printed 2.67 inches, was fired with Black Hills 124-gr JHP. The sights were tough to use for precision work, so groups ranged all the way up to 5+ inches.
SUB-2000federaL LaW Mandates that rifles with shoulder stocks must be equipped with barrels at least 16 inches in length. Any-thing shorter than that, and you have to go through the BAT-FE dog and pony show—and pay a $200 tax—to register a “short-barreled rifle.” So the Kel-Tec SUB 2000 ($409) has a 16.1-inch barrel. The rest of the rifle—including the receiver, action, trigger group, pistol grip (with internal mag well) and stock—measure only 14.5 inches long. The barrel folds up and back over the receiver simply by pulling downward on the hinged trigger guard, and when fully folded back it locks in place via a spring–loaded detent that holds it securely in the folded position. Folded length, therefore, is exactly 16 inches. To unfold the barrel, simply depress the detent button and swing the barrel up and forward, where it automatically locks in place. The barrel can be folded or unfolded with the action open or closed, and with or without a magazine installed. A proprietary key (included) can be used to lock the barrel in the folded position so the gun cannot be fired.
The SUB-2000 is available chambered in 9mm and .40 S&W. Unloaded weight in either chambering is 4.0 lbs., and overall length with the barrel unfolded is 29.5 inches. The
THE SUB-2000 WAS A FUN PISTOL-CALIBER CARBINE TO SHOOT, AND QUITE A BIT EASIER TO GET LONGER RANGE HITS WITH THAN A PISTOL. THE CHARGING HANDLE AND SAFETY BUTTON ON EACH CARBINE ARE LARGE AND POSITIVE.
THE SU-16C’S SIGHTS ARE MORE PRECISE, RUGGED AND ADJUSTABLE THAN THE SUB-2000’S EFFECTIVE BUT RUDIMEN-TARY SYSTEM. MUZZLE IS THREADED ON THE SU-16C, AND A PICATINNY RAIL IS ADDED FOR RED-DOT OPTIC USE.
SU-16Cif a Longer-range foLding rifLe with significantly greater lethality is more appropriate to your needs, consider the 5.56 NATO chambered Kel-Tec SU-16. Offered in four models—designated A, B, C and CA, and priced from $665 to $770—the only real differences among them are their barrel lengths (18-inch or 16-inch), the types of sights they offer, and the configuration of their folding buttstocks. Otherwise, all four models are identical.
Our evaluation rifle was the SU-16C ($770) with 16-inch barrel and skeletonized buttstock. Overall length is 35.5 inches, but with the buttstock folded the length shrinks to 25.5 inches. Empty weight is 4.7 pounds. Sights consist of an elevation adjustable front integrated into the top of the gas block and a windage adjustable rear mounted at the rear of the integral 14-slot Picatinny top rail. Sight radius is 15.5 inches.
All SU-16s feature a long-stroke, gas-piston operating system utilizing the proven Johnson/Stoner breech locking system. They will accept all standard AR-15/M-16 magazines. The barrels are rifled at a 1:9” twist rate and are chrome lined (as is the chamber). The muzzle is threaded at 1/2x28 TPI for attachment of a muzzle
device or suppressor, and a threaded muzzle protector is provided. Except for the barrel, sights and operating components, the
SU-16 is made entirely of high-impact reinforced polymer. A reciprocating bolt handle (which doubles as a case deflector) and magazine release are located on the right side of the receiver, and the push-push cross-bolt safety can be reversed to show the “off-safe” red ring on either side.
The handguard can be split into two halves by pushing down on two locking latches and swinging the halves down and forward to create a bi-pod. The stock folds forward by depressing a latch behind the abbreviated pistol grip, then swinging it down and un-der the receiver. The butt end of the stock locks into a retention notch on the underside of the handguard, and can be unlocked for redeployment by depressing the same locking latch used to secure the two halves of the split handguard.
For rapid fire reliability testing we used the open sights on our Salute Products steel-plate targets and a variety of Mil-Spec and aftermarket AR-15 magazines. No failures or stoppages of any kind were encountered. For accuracy testing from the bench at 50 yards we mounted a Burris FastFire III mini red-dot optic on the Picatinny top rail. The best 5-shot group was turned in by Black Hills 60-gr. V-Max .223 load, printing 0.89 inches center to center. All other groups landed in under two inches.
See the Kel-Tec folders at your firearms retailer, or for more information contact Kel-Tec CNC Industries, Dept. OT; Tel.: (800) 515-9983; Web: www.keltecweapons.com
Kel-Tec folders
54
WITH ITS LIGHT WEIGHT AND SOFT RECOIL, SHOOTING THE SU-16C WELL WAS AMAZINGLY EASY. BELOW, BOTH CARBINES ACCEPT READILY AVAILABLE AND RELIABLE MAGS—AR-15-TYPE FOR THE SU-16C AND GLOCK FOR THE SUB-2000.
WHILE THE SU-16C HAS A FIREPOWER ADVANTAGE, THE SUB-2000 HAS A DEFINITIVE STORAGE ADVANTAGE WHEN FOLDED. EVEN WITH THEIR RUDIMENTARY DESIGNS, A DECENT CHEEK WELD CAN BE HAD ON BOTH STOCKS.
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SMALL, MEAN AND BRUTALLY EFFECTIVE,THIS IS THE HONEY BADGER OF AKS
In the sixty-five years that have passed since the adoption of the AK-47 by the Soviet Armed Forces in 1949, more than 75 million AK-47s have been manufactured. If you throw in all of its variants—including the 5.45x39mm chambered AK-74 and its variants—the number of “Kalashnikov family” weapons produced is estimated at over 100 million. More AK-type rifles have been produced than all other “assault rifles” combined. There’s a reason for that...
The AK-47 was designed to be a cheap, simple and easy to manufacture selective fire service rifle, which perfectly matched Soviet Cold War military thinking that weapons and equipment—as well as soldiers—were disposable items. In addition to Russia, military variants of the AK-47s were produced by at least 30 other countries. Quality of manufacture ran the gamut from excellent to one short step above junk, but the vast majority were of sufficient quality to establish the AK-47’s reputation as a highly reliable, very lethal weapon that pretty nearly any ^ss#o!e could learn to shoot well enough with just a few hours of training.
Early production AK-47’s used stamped sheet-steel receivers, which created a
>>BY BEN BATTLES
number of manufacturing problems for the Russkies. The “fix” was to substitute a heavy machined steel receiver, but it was expensive to manufacture and slowed down production to such an extent that AK-47s did not reach Soviet troops in any signif-icant numbers until 1956. In the seven years it took the Russians to debug the AK-47, Soviet troops continued to field their semi-auto SKS rifles almost exclusively.
The Russians continued to refine the AK-47, and in 1959 introduced the AKM (Avtomat Kalashnikova Moderniziro-vanniy), a “modernized” version of the original. Ironically, the AKM was built on redesigned stamped sheet-steel receiver, and was fitted with a slanted muzzle brake to reduce muzzle rise under full-auto fire. A “hammer retarder” was also added to prevent the weapon from firing without the bolt being in battery and to reduce the full-auto cyclic rate to conserve ammuni-tion. The vast majority of AKs produced outside of Russia were of the AKM type.
While it would be tough to improve on the ubiquitous AK’s reliability, there’s plenty of room for improvement otherwise, and a small company in Philippi, West Virginia has been doing just that for some time.
Blackheart International
M92 AKSBR
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Perhaps better known for its AR variants, Blackheart International (BHI) is big into AKs as well. BHI was founded in 1999 by Erik Lawrence, a former U. S. Army Special Forces operator, in his garage in Pennsyl-vania. In 2005, he moved the company to Philippi, West Virginia where it has contin-ued to expand. BHI is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and a big part of their business is with the Depart-ment of Defense and other federal agencies. Thankfully, however, they find time to make lots of cool guns for the rest of us.
One of their latest and greatest creations is the 10-inch-barreled M92 AK SBR ($1,399) you see here, which is a modern spin on the familiar, short-barreled “Krinkov” style rifle. “SBR” stand for short-barreled rifle, which is any rifle with a barrel length of less than 16 inches. SBRs are illegal for us peons to own without special dispensation from the Feds, but the process is pretty simple and not terribly costly or time consuming. As long as you’re not a convicted felon, and as long as you live in a state that permits its citizens to own registered SBRs, you’re good to go. In a nutshell, here’s how it works.
Locate a Class 3 SOT dealer in your area. This is an FFL dealer with a Special Occupational Tax Class 3 license to deal in machine guns, suppressors, SBRs, etc. If your local gun shop does not have a Class 3 SOT license, they can probably direct you to a dealer who does. If not, just log onto www.nfadealers.com and find one.
Have the Class 3 SOT dealer order a BHI M92 AK SBR for you if he doesn’t have one in stock. He’ll help you fill out and submit the BATFE Form 1 (downloadable at www.atf.gov). Send it in to the BATFE with a check for the $200 tax payment, and you’re done. When your permit comes in—which could take a few months—then your Class 3 SOT dealer can transfer your BHI M92 AK SBR to you. Simple, huh?
Here’s what to expect when you open the package. The semi-auto only M92 AK SBR is built in Serbia on a top-qual-ity Serbian stamped-steel receiver, and chambered in 7.62x39mm. It takes down just as quickly and simply as any AK . . . because it is an AK, but one with a lot of improvements built in. The 10-inch barrel has a muzzle shroud that is integral with
BHI M92 AK SBR
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FOLDING THE ACE BUTTSTOCK REDUCESTHE M92’S LENGTH DOWN TO 21.75 INCHES...PERFECT FOR SLIDING INTO A BACKPACK.
SITTING BESIDE A FULL-SIZE, FIXED-STOCK AK, THE M92’S MUZZLE ENDS WHERE THE OTHER RIFLE’S GAS TUBE STARTS.
THE M92’S TRUNCATED 10-INCH BARREL IS FITTED WITH THE FAMILIAR KRINKOV-STYLE MUZZLE DEVICE.
WITH LESS WEIGHT AND A BETTER OVERALL BALANCE, WEAPON MANIPULATION IS NOTICEABLY EASIER COMPARED TO AFULL-SIZE AK.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE KRINKOV-STYLE HINGED TOP COVER, FIELD STRIPPING IS CONSISTENT WITH, AND ASEASY AS, EVERY OTHER AK.
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the front sight housing and is threaded to take a variety of muzzle devices. It comes from Serbia with a thread protector spot welded to the muzzle shroud for compliance with U. S. law, but BHI removes the spot weld and installs a Krinkov-style muzzle brake that suppresses most of the muzzle flash and a bit of the report.
The receiver is fitted with an enhanced safety selector lever with a with bolt-hold-open notch, and the top cover swings up on a hinge at the forward end of the receiver to keep it with the gun when pull-ing out the guts. The “guts” consist of the long recoil spring, bolt carrier with attached gas piston/operating rod and bolt group. The gas piston/operating rod is somewhat shorter than that of a standard AK-47 because of the reduced barrel length. The trigger is of the single-hook design, and has a pretty decent pull as AKs go.
One of the most unique features of the M92 AK SBR is its vent-ed, machined aluminum quad-rail handguard which is sourced and installed by BHI. It offers an 11-slot Picatinny top rail for attaching long or unlimited eye relief optics, two 13-slot side rails and one 13-slot bottom rail. In typical Krinkov fashion, the rear sight is welded onto the top cover and has flip-up slotted leaves, one marked with a “4” and the other marked with a “2” with white dots on either side of the vertical sight slot. The front sight is standard AK fare—drift adjustable for windage and screw adjustable for elevation—but it also has a flip-up tab with a prominent white dot, undoubtedly intended to be used with the corresponding 2-dot rear sight leaf. A non-rotating, BHI-exclusive, single-point sling adapter is perma-nently attached to the right rear of the receiver. A SAW-style pistol grip is standard equipment, but our rifle was equipped with the optional and far-superior Stark Equipment SE-1 AK handgrip.
Attached to the aft end of the receiver is a U. S. made Ace tubular buttstock with rubber butt pad installed by BHI. The buttstock folds up against the left side of the receiver simply by
BHI M92 AK SBR
US PALM SPECIALIZES IN AK SOFT GOODS, AND THEIR ATTACK RACK V2 CHEST RIG SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A “MUST HAVE” FOR THOSE RUNNING AN AK. SEE THEM AT USPALM.COM
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pushing up against its retaining spring to release the locking mechanism. Overall length with the Krinkov-style muzzle brake is 21.75 inches with the buttstock folded and 30.25 inches with the buttstock deployed. Empty weight is 7 lbs. 1.5 oz. without magazine. The M92 AK SBR comes with two 30-round steel magazines and a plastic hard case.
For testing we mounted a an Aimpoint Micro T2 red-dot sight in the top rail, as well as a Stark Express Grip ($29.95) on the handguard’s bottom rail. Rather than being vertical, the rub-ber-covered Express Grip is angled to the rear by about 45 degrees. The angle works with the biometrics of your support arm
Not surprisingly, the M92 AK SBR was 100% on our Salute Products steel plates, with no failures of any kind. The Aimpoint Micro T2 was the perfect choice for the fast-paced drills on the steel, making it very easy to quickly change and acquire the next plate. The M92 AK SBR was very fast to swing and we noticed no signifi-cant difference in perceived recoil between it and a full-size AK.
For accuracy testing we used the same Aimpoint Micro T2 red-dot sight on the top rail and went to work from the bench at 50 yards. Test-ing ammunition consisted of steel-case Hornady 123-gr. SST (2,350 f.p.s./1,508 ft. lbs.), brass-case Hornady 123-gr. Z-Max Zombie De-fense (2,360 f.p.s./1,521 ft. lbs.), Wolf 124-gr. Military Classic (2,330 f.p.s./1,497 ft. lbs.) and Herter’s 123-gr. SP 2,340 f.p.s./1,496 ft. lbs.).
The best 3-shot group was turned in by the steel-case Hornady 123-gr. SST, measuring 1.07” center to center. The M92 AK SBR, however, showed almost no ammo preferences, as all of the other brands of ammo tested printed within a quarter to a half-inch of the best group.
As we were writing this article BHI began production of its own line of AKs, so chances are that by the time you open that box your M92 AK SBR will be 100% made in the U.S.A. See it at your Class 3 firearms dealer, or for more information contact Blackheart International, Tel.: 681-404-5656; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.bhigear.com
50-YARD PERFORMANCE WAS OUTSTANDING WITH ALL AMMO, BUT THE M92 SHOT ITS BEST WITH HORNADY.
WE MADE GOODUSE OF AVAILABLE
RAIL SPACE, MOUNTINGAN AIMPOINT MICRO T2,
SUREFIRE SCOUT LIGHT AND STARK EXPRESS FORWARD GRIP.
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NEW FOR 2015
Steel Will Fervor 1201 Tactical KnifeLooking Like a Modern version of the famous Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife issued to British commandos and SAS troops during World War II, the new Steel Will Fervor 1201 Tactical Knife ($379.99) is a stiletto-style fighting knife with a 6.7-inch, dou-ble-edged blade. The one-piece blade/handle/hilt is CNC machined from N690Co Austrian steel—similar to 440C steel, but because of its superior heat treatment has even better wear resistance and toughness—with a Mil-Spec black ASPIS finish. The scales are milled from textured Micarta and machine screwed to the handle. Blade thickness is 0.22”, and it features a glass-breaker hilt for extracting the next terrorist you run into through his driver’s side window be-fore gutting him. Entirely made in Italy, the Steel Will Fervor 1201 comes with hand-made black leather sheath with belt loop and snap retention strap. Contact Sport Manufacturing Group; Tel.: (877) 969-0909; Web: www.steelwillknives.com
Magpul MS1 Padded Multi-Mission Slingthe neW Ms1 Padded Multi-Mission Sling from Magpul ($59.95) is an optimized, dedicated, 2-point sling that serves equally well in a 1-point role using optional adapters. Built around Magpul’s MS1 slider, it provides rapid adjustment to lengthen or shorten the sling with no slippage once set, and no tails, loops or other snag hazards. In 2-point mode, it allows easy shoulder transitions and quick ad-justability for hands-free carry and shooting support. A series of MS1 adapters are sold separately. By adding the appropriate Paraclip or QD Sling Swivel adapter, you can easily create a one-point system. The padded section consists of variable-width tubular webbing over closed-cell foam padding, offering a streamlined solution with no exposed padding, extra folds, or cobbled together components. It comes without connecting hardware so you can choose what fits your specific application. To convert to 1-point use, simply add the appropriate one-point adapter. Contact Magpul Industries; Tel.: (303) 828-3469; Web: www.magpul.com
SIG SAUER 300 BlackoutElite Performance Ammunitionsig sauer has just announCed the first rifle cartridge in its Elite Per-formance Ammunition Series: a 300 Blackout Match Grade subsonic. Designed for the AR-15 platform, it is loaded with a 220-grain Open Tip Match (OTM) bullet with the SIG SAUER proprietary lead/alloy core for improved accuracy. Muzzle velocity is a sedate 1,000 f.p.s., pro-ducing 489 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy at the muzzle. A supersonic version is also in the works, which will propel a 125-grain OTM bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2,200 f.p.s. (1,343 ft. lbs.). Additional offerings in the company’s Elite Performance rifle ammunition line will be introduced throughout 2015. “The subsonic, 220-grain 300 Blackout is fun to shoot, especially using a suppressor, and is extremely popular with those who want to reduce sound signa-ture and muzzle flash,” says Bud Fini, vice president of marketing for SIG SAUER. Contact SIG SAUER; Tel.: (603) 610-3000; Web: www.sigsauer.com
Blackhawk! DiversionWax Canvas Messenger Bagthe neW diversion Wax Canvas Messenger Bag from Blackhawk! ($229.99) is made from 10.1-ounce Army Duck Martexin Original Wax Canvas, and is available in Earth or Slate colors. Hidden, easy-access compartments allow you to carry and protect firearms and other sensitive items unnoticed. Measuring 12.2’’ H x 18.5’’ W x 4.7’’ D, it has usable volume of 1,220 cubic inches. Other features include 2-inch padded quick-adjust removable shoulder strap for cross-body carry, second strap with removable pad for courier-style shoulder carry, top-closure lid with Fidlock
Buckles and quick access pass-through waterproof zipper, padded interior laptop compartment, loop-lined handgun and accessory storage compartment with ambidextrous access through the back of the bag and 2-inch webbing on the side for external pouch attachment. It’s light-colored nylon interior makes it easier to find stuff, and the front pocket includes dual mesh sleeves, key lanyard, phone and pen pockets. Contact Blackhawk!; Tel.: (800) 379-1732; Web: www.blackhawk.com
DefensiveGEAR & ACCESSORIES
>>ON TARGET STAFF
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ExtremeBeam M600Fusion Tactical Light
the neW M600 fusion tactical light from Extreme-Beam ($129.95) pairs a powerful CREE 600 Lumen
LED with a precision machined aluminum reflector to generate the tightest beam angle possible. Powered by two 3.0- or 3.6-volt CR123 batteries, or one 18650 battery, the M600 Fusion offers high, medium, and low power settings, plus a strobe mode via its push-button end cap. Its innovative Anti-Recoil System permits it to be mounted on any weapon up to and including .50 BMG rifles. Protected by an incredibly rugged and virtually indestructible double O-ring sealed machined aircraft aluminum housing, it is waterproof to 30 feet and can throw a tightly focused beam out to 1,300 feet. It measures 6.38” long, with a body diameter of 1.125” and a bezel diameter of 1.75”. Weight without batteries is 8.9 oz. Runtime is six hours on high and 24 hours on low. Contact ExtremeBeam; Tel.: (877) 579-7878; Web: www.extremebeam.com
Steel-FlexPuncture Resistant
InsolesMade froM CoMpression MoLded EVA material with a flexible steel midsole plate, the new Puncture Resistant Insoles from Steel-Flex ($34.95) are an excellent addition to all hunting, law enforcement and tactical foot wear, most of which lack protective steel midsoles. If you take the whole crew here at On Target, we have well over a hundred years worth of hunting experience, and I can’t tell you how much foot trauma we’ve suffered from stepping on broken glass, razor sharp steel, nails and bridge spikes in discarded lumber and all the other sharp stuff idiots throw in the woods. They include molded-in arch supports and heel cups, and the footbed surfaces are lined with Cleansport NXT that provides added comfort and moisture absorption while controlling bacterial growth and odors. They are extremely comfortable and very lightweight—weighing just slightly more than regular foam insoles—and measure only 4mm thick. Contact Steel-Flex; Tel.: (866) 698-9253; Web: www.steelflex.com
Steiner eOptics DBAL-A3 class 1/3R Civiliansteiner eoptiCs (formerly Laser Devices) just announced the DBAL-A3 class 1/3R Civilian, the first eye-safe IR laser pointer, IR illuminator and green laser pointer in a single compact unit. Based on the military version, it brings the latest advances in IR and laser technology to the civilian market for extreme accuracy in low- and no-light encounters. It features new defocused, ad-justable IR illumination technology to enable both midrange and close-quarters target acquisition. It includes a single activation switch, low-profile windage and elevation adjusters and mounting holes for a flip-up front sight, red dot sight or Picatinny top rail. It comes with dual remote cable ports to plug a forward mounted light directly into the housing. One pressure pad switch acti-vates the light and visible laser simultaneously; a second switch
activates the infrared functions. Pricing was not available at press time. Contact
Steiner eOptics; Tel.: (970) 576-3228; Web:
steiner-optics.com
Hornady Critical Defense Lite 100-gr. 9mmhornady’s neW Critical Defense Lite 9mm Luger load ($28.12 for a box of 25) is an effective, reduced-recoil option for any shooter looking to minimize the per-ceived recoil of his or her lightweight, compact personal defense pistol. The new load features a 27% reduction in perceived recoil compared to standard 9mm loads, and provides 10 inches of penetration in ballistic gelatin through heavy clothing in the FBI standard test with consistent expansion to .550” to .590” diameter. Muzzle velocity from a 4-inch barrel is 1,125 f.p.s., generating 281 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. Designed with the same proven components as the company’s Critical Defense line of ammunition, Critical Defense Lite 9mm features a 100-grain FTX bullet with a unique pink Flex Tip. The pink bullet signifies that a portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to help fund breast cancer research. Contact Hornady Manufacturing; Tel.: (800) 338-3220; Web: www.hornady.com
Krebs 4-Prong AR Flash Suppressorperhaps better knoWn for their custom AK rifles and specialty AK upgrade parts, Krebs Custom is also into ARs. Their newest product is a custom, screw-on, 4-prong flash suppressor threaded at 1/2” x 28 TPI specifically designed to suppress the muzzle flash of .223 Rem/5.56 NATO chambered AR-pattern rifles. Precision machined from 4140 steel, and heat treated to increase hardness and durability, the Krebs 4-prong AR flash suppressor ($70) is finished in black oxide. It’s a direct replacement for any existing (non-welded or non-pinned) muzzle device with the same thread pitch, and is easily installed by the shooter using only a wrench.
It has wrench flats machined in the base and comes with a replacement crush washer to keep the flash suppressor tight under fire. During testing we found it to be much more effective at suppressing muzzle flash than the A2 Birdcage
flash suppressor it replaced. Contact Krebs Custom; Tel.: (847) 487-7776; Web: www.krebscustom.com
Defens ive gear & accessor ies
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TacStar Rail/Side Saddlethe neW Top Rail/Side Saddle combi-nation from TacStar ($89.98) is made to fit Remington 870, 1100 and 11-87 12-gauge shotguns, with no gunsmithing installation. Machined from lightweight billet aluminum, this rigid unit straddles both sides of the receiver and is finished
in matte-black, hard-coat an-
Lyman Universal Cleaning Rod, Jag & Brush SetsThe new Universal Cleaning Rod System from Lyman includes one comfortable, chemical resistant, Universal handle plus the four most popular length and diameter cleaning rods for all rifles and handguns: 12-inch (.22 to .26 Cal.), 12-inch (.27 to .45 Cal.), 36-inch (.22 to .26 Cal.) and
Tools For SurvivalWe don’t typiCaLLy bother with book reviews, but here’s one that’s well worth its $18 cover price. Tools For Survival was written by James Wesley, Rawles (yes, that comma is supposed to be there), a former U. S. Army intelligence officer and survival-ist who lives in an undisclosed location west of the Rockies. He is a New York Times Bestselling Author and the founder of Sur-vivalBlog.com. Tools For Survival provides a guide to food preservation, developing the kind of garden that will feed your family, what workshop and automotive tools are essential to own, how to prevent and fight fires on you property, the types guns you need, a guide to using firearms, archery and knives to defend yourself and provide food, a list of must-have items for a well-
Defens ive gear & accessor ies
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36-inch (.27 to .45 Cal.). The rods are machined from spring steel and have a
tough, non-abrasive, proprietary epoxy
coating. The rods and Universal Handle are also
available separately, and a special .17 caliber rod is also offered. They
are threaded for standard 8-32 jags and brushes like those in Lyman’s new 26 Piece Complete Jag and Brush Set, which keeps bore cleaning tools protected and organized in a durable, hinged storage container. The 26 pieces are organized by caliber, from .17 to .45. The .17 caliber jag and brush are threaded 5-40. Pricing was not available at press time. Contact Lyman Products; Tel.: (800) 225-9626; Web: www.lymanproducts.com
odizing. The 12-slot Picatinny top rail can mount any Picatinny-compatible optic or accessory, and includes a see-through base to allow continued use of the shotgun’s bead sight. The integral side saddle holds six 2.75” or 3.00” 12-gauge shotshells securely in individual loops, each made from a proprietary rubber-like material that holds the shell snugly, yet releases it quickly when needed for loading into the chamber or magazine tube. Installation is a two-minute job that only requires replacing two factory pins with the sup-plied machine screws that go in from both sides of the receiver and screw-mate in the middle. For more information contact Lyman Products Corp.; Tel.: (800) 225-9626; Web: www.tacstar.com
stocked first aid kit and a wealth of other practical knowledge and advice on staying alive and well fed. Tools For Survival can be purchased on www.SurvivalBlog.com
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In the pantheon of great militarysmall arms manufacturers, few can equal Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Belgium. FN products have been found throughout the world for 125 years in the form of rifles, assault rifles, pistols, shotguns and machine guns in a variety of configu-rations. FN also has had a long association with the United States, starting with the iconic John Moses Browning him-self. Since the late 1980s, FN has been one of the top suppli-ers of small arms and associated parts to the U. S. military. The FN M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), M240 GPMG and SCAR-17, to name a few, have all been main-stays of our warriors forward deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and other garden spots around the globe. Along with Colt, FN has also produced large numbers of the M16A2 and M16A4 service rifle at its facility in South Carolina. Now, civilians and others can own the semi-automatic version of the battle-tested M16A4, the FN15 rifle.
Before looking at the FN 15 in some detail, a (very) short history on the evolution of the M16A4 in order. With a pedigree of military use for over 50 years and still going, the M16/AR-15 family has a rich background indeed. Follow-ing a somewhat troubled beginning for the M16A1 in the Vietnam War through the 1960s, the Marine Corps decided it could be improved. Adopted in 1983, the M16A2 service rifle had thirteen improvements over the A1 model, including better furniture, a bird-cage flash hider, heavier barrel, and a three-round burst feature. Also, the new rifle was made with the now standard 1:7 twist, versus the original’s 1:12”, which better stabilizes the 5.56mm 62-grain SS109/M855 green-tip penetrator round then replacing the 55-grain M193 ball for common military issue. The fixed carry handle on top of the receiver was retained, as was the 20-inch barrel, leading to a rifle slightly longer and heavier than its predecessor. Later, the M16A3 was made in very limited quantities for the U.S. Navy by Colt, the primary difference from the A2 being the
BATTLE-PROVEN DURABILITYFOR CIVILIAN HANDS
FN 15 RIFLEFNH USA
>>BY GUY COURSEY
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BATTLE-TESTED INTERNALS —INCLUDING THE M16 BOLT-CARRIER GROUP AND TRIGGER—ARE ALL MIL-SPEC.
20-INCH BARREL, BIRDCAGE FLASH HIDER, A2 SIGHT AND RIBBED-POLYMER HANDGUARDS ARE ABOUT AS NOSTALGIC ASIT GETS.
CONTROLS ARE TYPICAL MIL-SPEC. FOR TESTING WE MOUNTED THE US MARINE-ISSUED TRIJICONTA31 RCO 4X32 OPTIC.
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replacement of the three-round burst feature with the ability to fire full-auto like the M16A1. As optics evolved into more common use during the late 1990s, there came a need to bet-ter mount such devices on the M16A2. The flat top, M-1913 Picatinny railed upper receiver similar to that found on the M4A1 Carbine was thus utilized to better facilitate the use of optics, with a detachable carry handle/rear sight available when no optics were used. The M16A4 officially replaced the A2 model as the standard service rifle for the Marine Corps and U. S. Army in 1997. Never quite satisfied, the Marines improved on the rifle further by the addition of the Knights Armament M5 Rail Adaptor System (RAS). The RAS replaces the front hand guards with a four-sided Picatinny rail system that allows the mounting of lasers, bipods, flashlights and other items now virtually ubiquitous on many military and civilian AR-15s/M16s. In 2002, the Marine Corps undertook a deliberate study to determine if it should retain the M16A4 or follow the Army in adopting the shorter M4 Carbine as its standard issue rifle. The Corps stayed with the M16A4 primarily because of its improved reliability and longer-range accuracy over the M4. It remains that way to this day, having provided outstanding service in combat over the past ten-plus years. Change may be in the air, however. Read on.
The FN 15 rifle now available for purchase by law-abiding civilians will be intimately familiar to any Marine, soldier and many other members of our military who have served since the terror attacks of 2001. The FN 15 sports the same hard anodized aluminum upper receiver with Picatinny top rail
and removable carry handle. The lower is practically identical to the issue M16A4, with the same military A2-type pistol grip and a mil-spec trigger, which broke for me crisply at a bit under seven pounds. Controls are in all the usual places for an AR. The heavy steel barrel is chromed lined and button rifled with a 1:7 twist, topped with the now-common bird-cage flash hider at the muzzle. The FN 15 has the standard A2-type fixed buttstock and ribbed plastic handguards with heat shields. Rounding the FN 15 out are parade-type sling swivels fore and aft where they should be, along with a bayonet lug forward of the sight tower, should you feel the need for one. The rifle tips the scales at a shade under eight pounds and comes with an aluminum mil-spec, 30-round magazine with an anti-tilt follower. The FN 15 does not come with the Knights M5 RAS, though my copy was provided with a 4x32 Trijicon TA31 Rifle Combat Optic (RCO, $1,404 to $1,727 depend-ing in reticle) on an issue thumbscrew mount for testing. This fixed power optic has been standard issue with the Marines for
FNH USA FN 15 RIFLE
ABOVE: THE AUTHOR, A RETIRED USMC LT. COL. HAS PUT IN HIS FAIR SHARE OF TIME BEHIND SIMILAR SERVICE RIFLES.RIGHT: OUR TEST RIFLE/ACOG COMBO PRINTED ITS BEST
100-YARD GROUP WITH HORNADY’S 75-GR. TAP FPD.
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several years, and has proven to be a force multiplier. Utilizing the Bindon Aiming Concept (BAC), the RCO contains a red chevron powered by light gathering fiber and tritium, with stadia lines at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock to help with range estimation and engagement on humanoid targets. While not a precision optic or at its most optimal inside 50 meters, when paired with the M16A4 they are a very effective combination .
My testing of the FN 15 rifle provided few surprises. Range firing took place over three separate North Carolina fall days in conditions that most Marines would find familiar, varying from sunny, warm and humid, to overcast, chilly and wet. The FN 15 was right at home, proving reliable and accurate throughout. Note when I say accurate, I mean accurate for normal Earthlings like myself utilizing standard military-issue equipment, as this was never meant to be a precision rifle. Since I did not have the RCO available initially, I started by breaking in the FN 15 using an Aimpoint M4S with a 2-MOA dot on a Larue LT659 QD mount. This is one of my favorite rifle optic combinations thanks to an 80,000-hour battery life, ease of use, and toughness enough to throw against a wall then remount with full zero like nothing ever
happened. Using the M4S and Hornady 55gr Steel Match I was able to shoot inside two inches consistently, which was interesting considering the fairly light bullet and fast rifling twist, but it proved to be the norm. Later, utilizing the RCO, I fired three groups of five rounds apiece with a nine different factory loads. Shooting from a bench at 100 yards utiliz-ing a small MOLLE daypack as a rest, I was able to achieve groups averaging around two inches, which is probably more indicative of the FN 15/RCO combination’s true potential, as often four of five rounds would be tight with a flyer opening up the group. The best group of 1.5 inches was turned in by 75-gr. Hornady TAP FPD. Military standard Federal M855 62-gr. green-tip ball shot a hair above 2.5 inches. MFS 55-gr. brought up the rear with groups in the three inch range, along with a radical shift in point of impact—low and left of POA. Feeding and handling was as one would expect from an AR15/M16 type platform. Reliability with five different types of standard capacity magazines over 300+ rounds was flawless, despite having a virgin rifle with no lube applied during test-ing. An AK could do no better.
My parting shot is less a comment on the FN 15, but on
FNH15 DMR FNH15 moe slg
WE GOT THE HEADS-UP ON THESE FIVE NEW-FOR-2015 FNH FN 15 CARBINES SHORTLY BEFORE PRESS TIME. WE’RE IMPRESSED WITH THE SM ART CONFIGURATIONS AND THOROUGHLY MODERN COMPONENT ADDITIONS...YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO IN-DEPTH COVERAGE SOON.
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the M16A2/A4 series it is patterned after. My concern is the long, fixed stock. The adoption of the A2 stock was driven by the Marine Corps 500-yard known-distance (KD) firing qualification requirement. At 5/8th of an inch longer than the A1 stock it replaced, the sturdy A2 stock is fine when shoot-ing cooperative targets at longer distances in prone, or for butt-stroking an uncooperative enemy closer in when neces-sary. Unfortunately, it is not so great when firing from virtu-ally any other position, especially when wearing body armor. It is also a bit of a challenge to get the proper close eye relief necessary with the RCO, even when shooting from a rest. One does not need to look hard to find contemporary pictures of a soldier or Marine struggling to get a good stock weld while taking aim with the M16A4. While still a fine infantry rifle, its not a secret that it is a touch unwieldy in an era when it does not need to be. The viable options for solving this problem utilizing a quality collapsible stock and receiver extension are much more numerous today than they were ten years ago.
Meanwhile, the issue M4 carbine has a collapsible, six-po-sition stock. Combined with its shorter 14.5 inch barrel, the M4 is lighter, handier, and generally easier to wield than the
longer M16A2 or A4 in confined spaces. For this reason, as well as acceptable accuracy inside 300 meters, the M4 has gained many fans over recent years despite lingering concerns in some circles over its reliability. These facts are not insignif-icant, as the latest intel I have been able to glean reveals that the Marine Corps may not be far from issuing or re-assigning M4 carbines versus M16A4s to the infantry in the near future. The primary drivers for this may be the much increased use of armored vehicles like MRAPs moving our troops around IED sewn battlefields, the comparatively limited numbers of infan-try engagements in excess of 300 meters, and the availability of the M27 IAR (essentially a modified HK416) at the fire team level to handle problems at mid-range. The Marines could be about to come full circle, but that’s a story for another time.
For now, if you want a reliable, accurate AR-15 built by a top-end manufacturer that is true to what our troops have and continue to use, the FN15 ($1,149) is worth a hard look. A carbine version with 16-inch barrel and 6-position collapsible buttstock is also available at the same price. See the FN 15s at your gun shop, or contact FNH USA, Dept. OT; Tel.: (703) 288-3500; Web: www.fnhusa.com
FNH15 patrol FNH15 sporter FNH15 tactical
WE GOT THE HEADS-UP ON THESE FIVE NEW-FOR-2015 FNH FN 15 CARBINES SHORTLY BEFORE PRESS TIME. WE’RE IMPRESSED WITH THE SM ART CONFIGURATIONS AND THOROUGHLY MODERN COMPONENT ADDITIONS...YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO IN-DEPTH COVERAGE SOON.
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THE NEW SCORPION EVO 3 S1 PISTOL is a civilian-legal, semi-auto only version of CZ’s LE/military-only Scorpion EVO 3 A1 compact submachine gun. The Scorpion EVO 3 S1 lacks the A1’s folding buttstock and full-auto operating mode, but is otherwise nearly identical to the original article. This blowback-operated semi-auto is chambered in 9mm Parabellum and is fitted with the same 7-inch barrel as the A1. Newly de-signed, low-profile sights are mounted on an 11-inch Picatinny top rail. The rear sight has four different aperture sizes for every-thing from close quarters to way out there,
but there’s plenty of additional space on the top rail for mounting optics. Other features include 9-slot Picatinny rails on bottom and both sides, a forward hand stop and fully ambidextrous controls. Its non-reciprocating charging handle is swappable to either side, and reach to the trigger is adjustable. CZ also offers an arm brace adapter, which quickly and easily adds an AR-style pistol buffer tube to the rear of the action, enabling the use of an arm brace for added stability. See the new Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Pistol at your gun shop, or for more information contact CZ USA, Tel.: (800) 955-4486; Web: www.cz-usa.com
The prize in this issue’s Gun Giveaway Contest is a Scorpion
EVO 3 S1 Pistol from CZ USA, with a retail value of $849
