High Exposure

It appears as though the FBI is looking to remove all .40 weapons from service and replace with 9mm (I had heard that Federal HST 124gr +p is the round they are going to, the comments in the article seem to confirm that). They have been conducting extensive ballistic testing and liked what they saw with the modern 9mm offerings. In the 1990s the FBI convinced the Law Enforcement world that 9mm was inadequate for its purposes and everyone switched to .40S&W. Well, it isn't 1990 any more and ammunition development has progressed tremendously. 9mm is no longer plagued with issues (poor penetration, expansion and fragmentation) that were solved by the adoption of the .40. I am curious to see what the rest of the LEO world does. I have been trying to get my agency to switch for a while now with no traction from Admin and even some active resistance by Officer's claiming that a switch from .40 to 9mm would constitute an Officer Safety Issue As I see it, longer weapon service life, cheaper ammo, softer shooting, more rounds on board, excellent terminal ballistics, everyone shoots it better - seems full of win to me, but what do I know... http://pistol-training.com/archives/8798

I am a right handed shooter. Concealed - pistol at 4:00 (iwb), mags at 9:00 (owb), flashlight in left front pocket. Duty - pistol at 3:00, flashlight at 8:30, mags at 11:00 - all on the belt.

I have an LMT SOPMOD on one SBR, and a B5 Bravo on the other - (both issued work guns). I had a UBR on one of the SBRs for a short time, but I didn't like it so I sold it and put a CTR on there. It gave the carbine a weird balance, so off it came. I tried the SOPMOD next thinking I wasn't going to like it because it was going to be too heavy, but I was wrong. It's perfect. I got the Bravo stock for the other, instead of a second SOPMOD, because the SOPMOD won't fit in the rack in my squad car. It is almost as good, but not quite. It is a close substitute though and it fits in the rack, so it works. My 2 lightweight ARs have pinned MOEs - after trying VLTOR clubfoot and carbine modstocks and Magpul ACS and STR stocks - another AR has a second B5 Bravo, anther has a Magpul PTS and my S&W AR15/22 has a pinned VLTOR EMOD. The VLTOR stocks are comfortable and balance well, but they pull the hairs on my cheek if I don't shave for a couple of days. The MOE/CTR are OK. They work, but ideally I really like the cheek weld you get from the triangular cross section of the SOPMOD/VLTOR. All of my current stocks are great, but the edge goes to the SOPMOD even though it is a bit heavier, with the B5 Bravo in a "comfortable" second place, and the VLTOR stocks in third.

Stupidity.... I don't think the PRO is built to the Mil Spec for the CCO solicitation. The M3 is as it used to be the Army's M68 CCO - the Aimpoint M4 is the new M68 CCO.

I think the only real difference is a 30k hour battery life on the PRO and a 50k hour battery life on the M3. But you get a mount and lens covers with the PRO, so better and cheaper are subjective. Edit: it appears that what I wrote above is no longer the case, looks like ACET tech all around. The PRO has a 50k hour battery life now as well.

The PRO is a 30mm tube sight. It is basically and M2/M3 with M4 electronics and an OEM mount.

Wait... So you guys are saying that guns are really loud?

I am not saying that some rounds are not better at "stopping" a threat than others or that some loading are more suitable for self defense uses than others. Clearly when looking at the difference between a .22 and a 9mm this is a very real and articulable discrepancy between the two cartridges. It becomes less obvious, although just as real, when comparing a 95gr FMJ .380 ACP, .38 special 125gr +p FHSJHP, and a 147gr GDHP +p 9mm. However, I do believe that "stopping power" is an over used and misunderstood term that is often taken out if context and used to justify particular ammo choices when nothing else does. ETA: Like Vlad G stated, no one is stating that lever action rifles are not capable of firing some pretty stout loads.

Intriguing.... Tell me more about this "stopping power". What is stopping power? What units is it measured in? Is it SAMMI specified? How do you determine what round has more of it? Is it a variable feature of a cartridge based on shot placement or is it a universal fact inherent in a cartridge? Does a missed shot have the same stopping power as a hit? Is it based in size, weight, or velocity of the projectile or is it some combination? Does a round have the same stopping power when hitting a squirrel as a bear? Does stopping power trump shot placement? Does stopping power trump capacity? Is it based on potential performance in the chamber or on real results at the time the shot is fired? What is the cutoff for minimum acceptable stopping power? How about maximum acceptable stopping power?

Dupe: http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php/topic/64161-gun-control-politics-to-choose-le-duty-weapons/#entry816189

I have been lusting after this thing for years: Doesn't mean I would grab that out of my safe before my AR if I could only grab one gun. I want to build up 2 of them, one in .45-70 and one in .38/.357. It could make a decent alternatve in states where you can't have an AR or other semiauto rifle. The main reasons I haven't done it yet are directly related to the reliability issues I have had when shooting the leverguns I have had access too.

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=90b176a2daf2b337f945f211f&id=b5e39d4cdc&e=5ee5858286 LE Targets Christmas sale. Just got the email.

Don't do that. If all you had were 15 rounders, that's one thing. But you now have access to standard capacity mags, on the companies dime. It is considered bad form and inconsiderate to your fellow students to game drills. That's equivalent to running bad mags or a rifle that malfunctions all the time just so you can practice transitions. It slows the whole class down, is a drain on the Instructor and any assistant instructors that are present. The drills and POI being taught are geared to work with standard mags. You will have access to standard mags, use them please. It will keep you on the same page as the other students and will allow you to pay more attention to the lessons that are being taught. A reload is a reload, it is no different, no quicker or slower than any other reload whether you are running 10 round, 15 round or 100 round mags.

Not in 3 dimensions...

That's where I buy all my targets from. Great store.

You state that a lever gun wins reliability wise hands down. Where do you get the data that supports that? A gun that is maintaned but never used will certainly last longer than a gun that is used, even occasionally. Either way, I have 10s of thousands of rounds thorough my ARs with no issues. I have supervised many more rounds through student/trainees guns with very few issues. The issues that were found were traced directly back to dry guns (see below), bad mags, and weapons that were not built to the standard (parts is parts syndrome). I have a few hundred through 3 leverguns with quite a few problems, including one rifle that was turned into a club. The preventative maintenance schedule I follow for my ARs has the first part to be swapped (the bolt) at 5000 rounds. How many lever guns have 5k rounds through them before there is an issue? How many have 5000 rounds through them at all? Not to mention tha fact that if I have fired 5000 rounds in the "apocalypse" I am doing something seriously wrong. A few quick things here. First, the lube - you can run - and I have verified/tested - an AR on: Spit Butter Vagisil Motor oil Grease Astroglide Olive oil Vegetable oil Crisco I am sure there are more, but that is the extent of my personal experience. You may have to apply more often, and most of these will stink when they get hot, but the gun will run. Second, those leverguns that have been around for 100 years, how many rounds do you think are thorough them? Total in their entire lifespan, how many rounds has that 100 year old gun fired? What was the mean number of rounds between failures of any kind? How many rounds do you put thorough a rifle during hunting season? I bet I have put more trouble free rounds through my primary work AR in the last year than any 100 year old evergun you have ever heard of. Third, by all accounts the M14 is more finicky than any AR, still requires lube, requires just as much - if not more - logistical support than an AR. Is heavier with heavier ammo, and can not be broken in half and stored in a backpack when you want to be low key and not advertise you are armed. Fourth, you can't rely on military shooting reports to confirm the ability of the 5.56. The terminal effects of a 64gr soft nose or an all copper Barnes round is a lot different than M855 or SS109. "operator" I also plan on making every shot count. Assuming the shooters are equal, what is the deciding factor. The AR is faster to shoot accurately, has higher capacity, a faster reload, easier to shoot on the move. What are the advantages to the levergun in an actual gunfight? I say let's take Vad G up on his offer. If he doesn't mind I want in. See what shakes...

I like the VTAC targets. I use them for everything when teaching except qualifying (we are mandated to use FBI Qtargets for all quals). Everything else I do with post it notes and some adhesive spray (if it is windy). I also like the EAG targets a lot. I have taken classes with them numerous times, but have yet to get any myself for teaching or practice.

http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php/topic/63155-optics-for-mp-core-or-fnx-tac/ We have already had this discussion Get one of the RMRs that are battery powered. I have an RMR02 (old version - before the upgrade) on a Glock that has had the same battery in it for the last 2 years with no issues. It has an 8moa dot which is a little bigger than I would have liked, but it is FAST to pick up and the price was right. If I was going to do it again, I would get an RMR06. 3.5moa and adjustable brightness. The older adjustables were less than ideal for CCW as it was easy to accidentally turn them down/off in the holster, and they had more failures that the auto brightness/dual illum models. By all reports, the new versions have solved these issues and are the bees knees.

Pretty sure that was tongue-in-cheek after my ".45 and machete" comment.

Reflex optic? No thanks. My thoughts in the IDF/ISF/etc. and their penchant for using terrible TTPs and equipment aside... The Meprolight reflex sight pictured above is an almost exact replica of the old Trijicon Reflex sight that was issued as part of the US Special Operations SOPMOD Block I in the late 80s early 90s. That optic has since been removed from the kit, and with cause. The "dual illumination" that allows the the optic to be proudly advertised as "battery free" (appealing to the followers of Ned amongst us) offers abysmal performance in anything but full light or total darkness. Any lighting conditions between those two extremes and the performance of the optic degrades noticeably, especially if shooting in low light and using a bright white light for target discrimination. The condition of darkness surrounding you makes the "self adjusting brightness" of the optic think that a dim reticle is appropriate for the task at hand, but the bright white light projected from the front of your weapon illuminates the threat washing out the dim reticle rendering the optic essentially useless for any social work. Plus at $530 for the Meprolight you can by an Aimpoint Pro (with a 5 year constant on battery life) at around $380 and have plenty of $$ leftover for a few hundred rounds of ammo to sight it in and enjoy a nice day at the range. But, as always, YMMV and all that applies...

The ability of a break/comp to fulfill the shooters expectations is very subjective. What I think works best with my particular rifle with my shooting style, my grip, my ability to control recoil, etc... May be very different interpreters ion of the effectiveness of a break/or comp that you experience. There are a few that are proven by most people to work - for example the BattleComp, PWS556, BCM Comp - but you will be hard pressed to get 3 shooters to agree on which is best amongst them. For example, I like the PWS FSC556. Others prefer the BC, or the Troy Claymore or Midevil, or the Spikes, or the Knight's TripleTap. We would all agree that they all work, but we would argue about which is best.

If I never tried the other grip, I don't think I would have noticed that there could be an improvement.

All of my ARs except one I have set up as a "DMR" type have the BCM Grips. I often end up doing a lot of carrying the carbine one handed, as the other hand is communicating, working the radio, opening doors, etc... And as such I find the angle on the BCM grips much less fatiguing when training and working. ETA: if you prefer the MOE/MIAD type but want a straighter angle, Magpul is also making grips with the "upright" ergos - the MOE K and MOE K2. Note: they are not "rubberized" like the MOE+.

Barms, Looks good, but a couple of quick changes you may want to think about. Slide the BUIS back towards the CH. It will change the appearance of the size of the aperture letting you be a bit more accurate, and will "ghost" the ring a bit more for you. Also, slide the AFG forward. It will keep you from "chicken winging" the rifle and allow you to drive the rifle faster and with more control. It also may make the stock feel like it is the right length for you. Take the rail ladders off - it will make the handguards feel slimmer and give you a more solid grip. Like bhunted said, rattle-can it if you want color. Swapping out the AFG for a short VFG or handstop and using the "half retard" grip will make the handguard feel slimmer as well.

I would bet that that may very well be the case. Aimpoint does sell an additional insert that makes the PRO sit at a true lower 1/3 cowitness.