One of the most commonly misused terms when dealing with firearms is the term "clip". In our latest video, we
discuss the proper terminology when dealing with clips and magazines and give some examples of how each are used
in various firearms.
View the Clips vs Magazines video (WMV format):
The AR-15 rifle is the semi-automatic version of the US military's M-16 rifle. It has been refined and improved continuously
since it first saw service in the early 60s and its modular platform allows it to easily be configured with different barrel lengths,
calibers, optics and many other accessories.
View the AR-15 Field Strip video (WMV format):
We also have a full-size (720x480), uncompressed AVI available via BitTorrent. The video is about 1GB and you can download the torrent
file
here.
I recently decided to make a "helmet cam" for doing some new and interesting shooting videos. I had a milsurp kevlar helmet sitting in the garage,
so I picked up a t-bracket (like you'd use on fence posts) and a couple bolts, nuts and washers. I drilled two holes in the helmet, bolted the bracket
onto the side and bent the top up as a platform to mount my small Panasonic PV-GS150 camera. After a little adjusting, it was ready to go.
The following videos where done at a recent informal shoot at the
Tiger Valley
range outside of Waco, TX. I hope to have some video from shooting competitions (IPSC, 3-gun, etc) online in the future.
View the Helmet Cam videos (WMV format):
Next to the Remington 870, the Mossberg 500 is one of the most common shotguns available today. In our latest issue of The Range Bag, we'll show you how to disassemble and reassemble this handy 12ga shotgun.
View the Mossberg 500 Disassembly/Reassembly video (WMV format):
I've often noticed in movies and TV shows how people are able to go up to a padlock, take one shot with a pistol and have it fly off. For some
reason, the question popped into my head recently, "How easy is it in real-life to shoot a padlock off?"
A guy on AR15.com that goes by Old_Painless has been doing some ballistics tests over the past several months on various items
(plywood, drywall, etc), so we sent him some funds to buy some padlocks and do some tests for me to satisfy my curiosity. BTW, check out his web site for
all the different tests he's done so far:
The Box O' Truth. Lots of great pictures and the .45-70 test is quite impressive. :)
The following is a reprint of Old_Painless' "Lock 'O Truth" report.
Here's the set up:
The locks were "MintCraft, 2 inch Laminated Padlocks", a knock-off of Master type locks. They were heavy-duty and turned out to be tough.
We shot from a distance of about 15 feet, mostly to be far enough away in case of lead splattering. Guys on the movies sometimes place the muzzle against the lock, but I'm not that crazy.
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First, we shot a lock with 9mm ball. You can see that it flattened out and dented the lock. It froze-up the lock and it could not be unlocked. But it held tight.
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I decided to shoot the same lock with a 9mm JHP.
As you can see, it dented the lock, but bounced off.
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Next, it was time for John Browning's finest, the .45 ACP.
The .45 ball flattened out against the lock, but the key would still open it. Not much effect.
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So, it was time for the .44 Magnum, "The most powerful handgun in the world and capable of blowing your head clean off!", at least according to Dirty Harry.
I used a 240 grain JHP.
I'll admit to a bad shot that only hit the bottom of the lock, but the second one centered it just fine. You can see where one of the pins on the lock was blown upwards. The lock was frozen shut. But the lock held like a rock.
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Well, it was time for the rifles.
Now, just to get a little technical, rifles, when shot at close range, have what is called "sight-offset", which means they will shoot low due to the sights being higher than the bore. I tested one shot before taking the shot at the lock. The sight offset for an AR is about 2 1/2 inches:
It was now time to shoot the lock, and aim 2 1/2 inches higher than the desired impact.
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First, an AR-15 shooting XM193 Ball.
The 5.56 went through the lock like a hot knife through butter.
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Here's the exit on the back of the lock.
The lock was frozen, but still held.
We also tried a round of Remington .223 Soft Point, with the exact same results
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Next, we shot the FAL, with Australian M1A2 .308 Ball. Here I am busting it.
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Here's the lock.
I am holding the new lock on the right just to compare. The .308 blew the bottom half of the lock off. But, once again, the lock held and did not come off, even when pulled.
I also loaded up a round with a pulled .30 AP bullet and got the same results.
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We were not able to get a "Breeching round" for a shotgun, but my friend Blain had sent me a sample 12 gauge Brennke slug to test and this seemed like a good time to use it.
Here I am getting ready to test the shotgun.
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Here's the result. It blew it to pieces!
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This next picture shows where we found the biggest piece of the lock, 50 feet behind the target.
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Here's the rest of the lock.
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And here is a look from where we found it back to the target area.
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Lessons learned:
- "How hard is it to shoot off a lock?" Answer: Very hard.
- Pistols won't shoot a lock off or even penetrate the lock.
- Pistols are pistols and rifles are rifles. Enough said.
- I now understand why our troops are often seen carrying "breeching shotguns" on their backs and a rifle in their hands. Shotguns will blow a lock off. Rifles will blow holes through a lock, but will not reliably shoot one off.
- The rifles went through the locks with ease. It is obvious that you could "knaw" off the lock, little by little with a rifle, but a shotgun does it with one shot.
Ain't retirement great!
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Invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov and adopted by Soviet army in 1947, the AK-47 is arguably the most prolific and
widely-recognized of any firearm in the world today. It is estimated that between 55 million and 100 million AK-47s
(and the many clone models) have been produced worldwide. They are generally regarded as being extremely reliable and rugged weapons,
though not quite as accurate as other rifles. Our AK-clone is a semi-automatic Romanian WASR-10, and in this issue of The Range Bag, we're
going to show you how to field strip this rifle. This is encoded with Divx 5, so if you have trouble viewing the video,
visit the
Divx website and download the free version. It will install the
stuff needed to view the video.
As you can tell, I'm a big fan of the M-1 Garand. So much so that I whipped up a short video on how
to field strip this excellent rifle! This is encoded with Divx 5, so if you have trouble viewing the video,
visit the
Divx website and download the free version. It will install the
stuff needed to view the video.
Our latest installment of Bump Fire Academy presents the
SKS, a Russian-designed semi-automatic rifle
adopted in 1946 and eventually replaced by the AK-47. It fires the 7.62x39 cartridge from an internal
10-round magazine. My SKS is an Albanian model, produced sometime between the late 60's and 1978.
This is encoded with Divx 5, so if you have trouble viewing the video,
visit the
Divx website and download the free version. It will install the
stuff needed to view the video.
Would you like to purchase an M-1 Garand and have it delivered right to your door? Of course! What a silly question.
Today we'll be talking about how to do just that: purchasing an M-1 Garand from the
Civilian Marksmanship Program.
The M-1 Garand was the primary infantry battle rifle for the US military from WWII to Korea. The Civilian Marksmanship Program, which
promotes firearm safety, training and rifle practice, sells these surplus rifles on behalf of the US government to qualified US citizens. These rifles have seen a
decent amount of use and have been rebuilt by the Army over the years, so don't expect a brand-new rifle out of the box. However, you can
expect a fine-shooting piece of American history. I've often wondered what sort of service my rifle saw, but that is a secrect that will likely
never be discovered. Depending on the type of Garand you order, prices range from $400 to $575.
So how does one become qualified to purchase one of these rifles? There's a bit of legwork involved but the end result is well worth it.
- You must be a US citizen, at least 18 years of age and eligible to own a firearm
- You must be a member of a CMP affiliated organization. A list of affiliated organizations is available
on their web site. When I purchased my Garand, I joined the California Rifle & Pistol Assoc. Most
states have a similar organization and it usually costs about $20 to join. Membership helps satisfy this CMP requirement, but
it also helps these organizations fight for your 2nd Amendment rights.
- You must have fired 50 rounds in a CMP-approved marksmanship event within the past five years. The most common way
to meet this requirement is to participate in an NRA High Power Rifle competition,
sometimes called "Service Rifle" competition. Check with your local ranges to see if they offer these. Many will also have
the service rifle needed to compete in this available for rent. Note: Military or law enforcement service, or people at least 60 years old do not need
to meet this requirement.
Once you have met all the requirements, fill out an order form and have it notarized (for CMP to do the background check), then send it in
with your payment and paperwork. The wait time can vary quite a bit. My first Garand only took eight days and my second took a few months. Then one day, Fedex will
come knocking on your door with a long cardboard box with your very own Garand tucked inside!
The M-1 Garand Rifle Sales Program page has all the information
you need to purchase one of these rifles. The CMP also sells other rifles such as the M1903 Springfield and AR-15 competition rifles.
Once you have a Garand, you need one of our M-1 Garand t-shirts to go with it!
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Our next installment of Bump Fire Academy presents the
M-1 Garand, the primary US battle rifle of WWII.
Firing eight-rounds of .30-06 in under a second is a fast, but exciting ride. My Garand happens to be
from the
Civilian Marksmanship Program and the receiver was made by the Springfield
Armory in October 1944. I'd like to believe that this made its way through the Ardennes and was picking off Nazis
in Berlin, but we'll never know for sure. Maybe for our next installment of The Range Bag, I'll tell you how you can get
your very own Garand. This is encoded with Divx 5, so if you have trouble viewing the video,
visit the
Divx website and download the free version. It will install the
stuff needed to view the video.
Today we present
Bump Fire Academy! What is bump firing you ask? Well, if you have a
semi-automatic rifle, you can use this technique to simulate full-auto firing. This by no means offers
you any tactical advantage and is very inaccurate. It's merely a great way to turn ammo into smiles!
DO NOT try this at your local range as you will likely get kicked out. Instead, head out to your nearest
National Forest or public land, find a nice big backstop and give it a try. Be safe and have fun!
We're pleased to announce the premiere installment of "The Range Bag", a place where
we'll bring you informative, entertaining and FREE content such as videos, pictures, articles or anything
that we think might be interesting.
Here's a video I made a few months back:
Detail Stripping a Glock Pistol. Ever wonder
how to take one of these apart? This video will show you how. Great info to have when your
drastic plastic needs a good cleaning or some internal parts replaced.
Thanks for stopping by and sign up on our
mailing list to be notified when the next
installment is online!