#Handguns

Special Operations Forces the world over are uniquely appealing to firearms enthusiasts for a number of reasons. For me, the sheer diversity of what they carry is fascinating enough. When you study military history, or examine a large number of military photos, the plain jane issue gets very boring, very quickly.This is especially true if you are in the service and all you are surrounded is with the stock gear; the M16A4s, Berettas, and M240s. Even the M27s and SMAWs get boring after awhile… But looking at SOF guys, there’s H&K this, Safariland that, this thing hasn’t come out yet that. Eye candy for the firearms enthusiast, and future envoy of every “operator” nowadays (isn’t everyone an operator these days?). But I digress, this post is about the Afghan SOF community, or at least what they want to allow to show us on their official Facebook page. Apart from browsing through pictures of “Commandos” (all the red patches in the photos are their official insignia, MARSOC wore it in Helmand), I’ve worked with them in Helmand. Many of the Afghan SOF units are partnered with American or British units that help train and mentor them both on the bases and on missions. The particular unit we worked with was Task Force 444, or simply “Triple Four” in short. Their mentors were British Paras, and we would provide security and trucks/helos for them in Helmand. Absolutely great guys, although their dispersion could have used some work. But they were always willing to get in a good gunfight, always willing to push forward despite them not having half of the modern amenities that we had (ECMs, air support, CMDs, Medevacs). Which makes it truly heart breaking to see the current situation the country is in now. Because although many of these ANA and SOF guys absolutely fight like lions, many of their battles were predetermined from the start because of politics/tribal dynamics, corrupt officials, or terrorism.

We’re in the less-than-a-month countdown leading up to SHOT Show 2016 and as usual new products are being announced by various companies. Among those is a new gun from PTAC USA, the Elite Combat Pistol. The new pistol is being produced in a collaborative effort with Apex.

I ran across this story recently, and at face value I found it hard to believe, but after some digging it turns out to be true. I’d certainly like some of our Mexican readers to weigh in on it, but within the entire country of Mexico there is one legally operating gunshop, from which qualifying citizens can purchase firearms. Of course I am aware that Mexico has a large illegal firearms problem, but this is about legal firearms. The gunshop is on a military base, in Mexico City, and by Mexico’s constitution, the shop cannot even advertise its existence to the Mexican public. It is completely run by the military, with even military clerks behind the counter. It sells around six thousand firearms a year, mostly handguns in .22 LR to .38 caliber, and sporting rifles and shotguns, of which most are single shot if I read correctly. The display cases also appear to hold a number of modern day battle rifles such as ARs and Galils, but these seem to be just for display and not for sale. The prices are much higher than in the United States for the same firearms. This is probably because of the import taxes and similar regulations. They also have optics and various other accessories for sale.

I came across this on accident, but there is a Facebook Group, based in Libya that is completely centered around the illicit small arms trade in that country. There is nothing surprising about the huge trade of illicit small arms in war torn countries, but the absolutely blatant exist of such a group is what really got me. The group has almost 9,000 members and is completely public on Facebook, not even secret or a members only section, just all out there for the world to see. It is almost as if Lord of War has entered the social media age in the form of online buying and selling. Everything from rare FN FALs and suppressed Beretta Model 70s, to complete rocket launcher systems and RPGs are sale. The posts read exactly like many of the legal and local firearms selling groups in the United States that I am apart. From places of sale, negotiable prices, bump posts, and reposts of items not sold. Except that potential customers are clamoring for M240s or Benelli M4s instead of Remington 700s or mint 1911s. I find it to be an extremely fascinating look into just what is out there on illicit small arms trade in other countries, almost a case study just by scrolling through all the for sale posts. I’ll attach some of the more interesting stuff I saw on it, but anyone with a Facebook account can log on and see every post in its entirety. If you can’t read Arabic, use google translate to work through the whole thing, and you’ll get a pretty good gist of what is being said.

Mythbusters has been on the air since 2003 and is a favorite of many viewers not only because they prove or disprove myths and experiment with special effects but because they get to play with guns and explosives on a semi-regular basis. Among their various gun-related episodes was one dealing with the reality – or lack thereof – of what they termed the “modern version of the quick draw.” According to hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman viewers had repeatedly asked whether the rapid magazine changes done in movies are actually possible. Although we can all accurately predict the outcome of this one, it’s still an interesting video (and it includes competitive shooter Travis Tomasie, which is pretty cool).

With the upcoming release of Star Wars, fans everywhere are getting back into the momentum of the objects and storyline that the movies are so famous for. Within the firearms world, some people have really been taken to the Mauser Broomhandle carried by Han Solo. Of course, in the actual movies, Solo has a DL-44 paperweight, with all the shooting done by special effects. But that won’t stop  Jerry Miculek from putting together a working C-96 Broomhandle and cloning it into the future by adding a scope and a flashhider! In addition, Jerry made a movie introducing it, with an actor dressed up as Darth Vader, representing Colt, and Jerry of course representing Smith & Wesson. The scene they are imitating is from the second original Star Wars movie where Darth Vader is fighting Luke, cuts his arm off, and tells him that he is his father. I just went back and watched the original scene, and Jerry’s is pretty spot on, complete with the target stand he is holding onto. The second half of the clip is a teaser for the upcoming video of a remake of Han Solo’s blaster, a much undignified Mauser C-96!

Two nationally renowned contributors to the shooting sports have recently passed away this week. Ed Shilen, founder of Shilen Rifles Inc. and an exceptional precision barrel maker passed away recently. Jim Clark Jr. continued his father’s legacy with his Clark Custom Guns business in Lousiana, also making a number of precision parts for a variety of firearms in addition to working custom firearms.

Things are looking up for Smith & Wesson this month, as the company has just passed their millionth mark in Shield production. Hard to believe, the pistol has been in production for five years already, and I think it is safe to say that it is still just as popular as ever. Despite one recall in 2013, but I think that is a good run for a platform that was semi new to the market (from its big brother, the M&P). I remember the first time I shot the full size M&P in around 2008, and was completely blown away by the ergonomics of it. When the Shield came out, I knew I had to get one, and it has been my favorite carry gun since. I’d like to see the production numbers of the Glock 43, and XDs in comparison. In addition to the company posting a 93 percent increase in sales from January of this year. I think Colt should really take a page from Smith & Wesson’s book, in that they are similarly very historic companies, but Smith & Wesson has grown into the current times and adapted to market, instead of simply relying on the same product line and the fact that everything they make is mil spec to begin with. Granted, it took them a while, with some growing pains in their polymer pistol line, but the dedication to producing a better polymer pistol has worked out for them.

Magnum Research’s Desert Eagle is a popular gun and with its .50 AE chambering it’s definitely a force to be reckoned with. The Desert Eagle has been around for some time with its creation starting in 1979 and it is used by shooters around the globe. It’s a gas-operated semi-auto and is solid enough to be used as a bludgeoning weapon if you run out of ammo – or simply prefer a more hands-on approach.

If you own a gun, odds are fairly good you use it for home defense. Although not everyone concealed carries, an impressive number of those who buy guns do so for the purpose of protecting their castle. Yes, there are some hunters out there who do not worry about defense, home or otherwise, but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule. This brings up the question of what you do with your gun at home. Do you keep it locked in a safe? Carry it on your body at home? If so, what do you do with it at night?

Really Miles? Another Kydex whopdeedoo holster has hit the market? Never mind I can make the things in my garage with a couple of presses and a heater, now I have to find another excuse to shell out for this thing that is apparently so special and unique from every other Kydex contraption on the market?

3D printed firearms have faced much stigma since designers and engineers have began dabbling with different design concepts, and halfway 3D firearms in the case of 3D printed AR15 lowers. However from various conversations with law enforcement, it seems that the general professional consensus is that they are not up to the standard that they would have to be, in order to be a threat to Law Enforcement, and a benefit to criminals worldwide (criminals already have a long history of improvised firearms). Most of the 3D printed firearms out there cannot last a significant number of rounds, and are certainly not semiautomatic by themselves (users must add parts that cannot be 3D printed). In addition, they all need various pieces of metal or other material to effectively function.

Recently, myself and three friends attended a course taught by Wes Doss called Lights, Sights, and Lasers Tour in Wabash, Indiana. We’ve blogged about the course before on TFB but this will be an in depth review of the course materials covered and the courses of fire. The course is completely free and offered to Law Enforcement officers and members of the Military, provided they are in an Active or Reserve capacity. Law Enforcement doesn’t just include the typical cops on the street, but also Bail Bondsmen, Federal Firearms certified pilots (we had a civilian airlines pilot that flew Airbus 330s for a living in the class), and other such jobs that fall under this category. Now, unfortunately, if you aren’t in one of these categories, you cannot take the course. But, certainly read this review because there is a vast amount of knowledge and different learning attitudes that you don’t have to take the course to contemplate about and understand. In addition, every bit of information learned in the course is completely applicable to civilian concealed carry, and general situational awareness at night. That being said, although the course is for LE/MIL, it is overwhelmingly directed at Law Enforcement. This is more than evident in the fact that most of the students in the class were police officers. In fact, apart from myself and two other Reserve friends (Army, Marine Corps) and the pilot, everyone was Law Enforcement.

The Daily Mail has an excellent group of photographs concerning an elite Scotland Yard unit that was set up before the Paris attacks, but has increased its tempo of training to counter such attacks as in Paris. Britain has this thing known as SFOs, or Specialist Firearms Officer, and these guys have “CT-SFO” on their vests, which means “Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer”. Essentially SFOs are the only members of British Law Enforcement that can carry firearms on the job.

An officer with the Bensalem Township Police Department in North Carolina was possibly saved by the Streamlight TRL-1 mounted on his Glock stopping a .38 caliber round from a criminal’s revolver. Apparently two officers were searching a house, opened a small closest and the criminal pointed his revolver up at the officer and discharged a few rounds, one of them striking the lens of the TLR-1 and thus destroying it. For the angle shown, the officer must have had his Glock pointed directly at the criminal. The officers immediately retreated from the house, called for back up and a SWAT team entered the house and took everyone inside into custody, with one of the criminals committing suicide instead.