Are You OnPoint?

Let’s face it: the firearms market has been absolutely saturated with concealed carry guns chambered in the feisty little .380acp.  The most popular thus far has been the inexpensive Ruger LCP.  Unfortunately, the LCP has been affected by a safety recall.  Some early units were not drop-safe– not exactly a good proposition for a gun that is supposed to hurt the bad guy and not you or a friendly in the process.  My personal experience with the LCP is that it does not reliably feed the 6th round from the magazine.  Lightly coating my rounds with CLP was an easy stopgap solution, but I want bulletproof reliability in a concealed carry weapon.  So, I passed on the LCP.

And Ruger is not the only resident of 380 Recall Land. Sig Sauer’s new P238 hasn’t been on the market for long and is already on recall– and the situation is even more dire.  Deactivating the safety lever may cause the gun to fire! Thousands of P238s recently arrived at one of our suppliers and every unit had to go back to Sig as a precaution.  Also, the aluminum grip panels that were shown on the gun at Shot Show are now made of plastic– causing an uproar among buyers.  Frankly, once a gun has been involved in a safety recall, especially of this magnitude, I can no longer trust it for defensive carry.  So, the Sig Sauer P238 is off my list too.

Kahr’s new PM380 is ultra compact and easily has the best trigger of the bunch.  Kahrs have always been known for their buttery smooth double action trigger pulls.  Reliability will probably be ahead of the curve too.  Once we get one of these in, we’ll certainly take it out for a range test.

Walther debuted its new PK380, but it’s rather large for a .380acp.  In this form factor, you’re probably better off with the excellent and super slim Walther PPS in the more potent 9mm cartridge.  This leads us to what is, in my opinion, the best new .380acp on the market:  the Micro Desert Eagle by Magnum Research.

The Micro Eagle is the only steel gun in the group and a stunning piece of engineering artistry.  The proprietary nickel Teflon finish that Magnum Research uses is very attractive, slick, and resistant to corrosion– not unlike hard chrome.  Of course, this is an important attribute for a concealed carry firearm considering the amount of sweat the gun will be exposed to during its service life.

I took the Micro Desert Eagle to the range this morning with 50rds of ancient ammunition that I found at the shop.  Recoil is refreshingly light thanks to its robust steel construction.  However, the trigger is 14 days long and over 8 pounds– something you’ll have to learn to live with it.  My accuracy at 25ft is on par with other micro .380acps that I’ve fired (see target) and nothing to brag about.  I’ve found it best to shoot the Micro Eagle single-handed because the large trigger guard makes your weak hand placement incredibly important– lest you want to lose a digit during fire.  In fact, the slide had a big orange sticker from the factory reminding you of this potential danger!

The Micro Eagle’s sights are miniscule, but useable.  Although the price point seems high ($431), you’re getting a steel-framed handgun and you get what you pay for.   Take down is fascinatingly elegant.  Simply drop the magazine, clear the weapon, move the slide to the rear so its takedown line synchs up with the takedown line on the frame, rotate the barrel clockwise, and the slide comes forward off the frame.  It’s actually pretty fun to field strip the little bugger!  And its most important feature of all: the Micro Eagle is not on a safety recall– which seems like a rarity when you consider the woes Sig Sauer and Ruger have shared lately.

“If” I wanted to carry a .380acp right now, I would probably select the Micro Eagle.  It serves its purpose as a mouse gun, but if you can carry a bigger gun, you should.  I’m hard pressed to be in a situation where my little Glock 26 can’t tag along with me.  When that’s the case, I’m usually in a Speedo or spandex bike shorts.  That in itself is more of a deterrent than any .380acp in my opinion!  I’ll leave you with that unpleasant visual!  Bwahahaha!

Have a good one and God bless.
– Evan

This week, we took delivery of our first SBR from LWRC. It was a 10.5in M6A2 model in 5.56mm that was special ordered for a client several months ago. After handling the unit, I started thinking about a few things. Hopefully, you can glean something from my madness.

In my sick and twisted mind, I see a short barrel rifle (SBR) as a specialty weapon– devoted primarily to CQB operations. It’s great for moving around cramped locations or traveling in vehicles, but there’s an inherent trade off. It’s not firepower. The transition from 9mm to 5.56mm has been widespread. The trade off is accuracy– specifically long range accuracy. It seems that an SBR is great for CQB, but equally inept for engaging targets at 300 meters and beyond. Perhaps that’s one of the many reasons the M4 carbine is so beloved by all. 14.7 inches is a perfect bridge between SBR and a full 20+ inch barreled battle rifle. But are we overlooking a potentially superior option?

Enter my good friend: the bull pup rifle. Most of you know I’m quite fond of my new MSAR STG-556– a clone of the famous Steyr AUG. However, it was only yesterday when I had an epiphany in regards to its true capabilities! Ladies and Gentlemen, this IS the poor man’s SBR! But it does so much more! It bridges the gap between patrol carbine and short barrel rifle.

Immediately, you can see the overall length of these rifles are about the same. The caliber (5.56mm NATO) and capacity are also the same. The weight is about the same. They’re both piston-driven systems, so reliability is above par. However, the bullpup design has a higher muzzle velocity and better accuracy at longer ranges– thanks to its full carbine length barrel (16in). When you look at the cost of ownership, the STG-556 shines even brighter.

An LWRC M6A2 in this exact configuration is $2155. You have to factor in a $200 tax stamp to register as a Class 3/NFA weapon with BATFE and another fee (usually around $50) for your dealer to process the paperwork. Then, there’s the long wait– currently around 14 weeks for Form 4 approval to come back from the Feds.

On the other hand, the MSAR STG-556 rail is $1643– and any 18 year old with a pulse and a clean background can walk out with this rifle the same day in Florida– provided he has enough money at his disposal. Gosh, what a lucky young man– ah, to be 18 again, rich… and have an MSAR STG-556… but I digress… Back to the topic at hand!

Financially speaking, the bullpup makes a lot of sense. When we’re talking about long range accuracy, it’s a no brainer. What about the expensive proprietary mags that the MSAR platform requires, you say? Well sir, they’re only about $30 and are as good or better than PMAGs for the AR15, in my opinion. There’s also a new E-4 model coming out from MSAR that will utilize standard AR15 mags– but at a premium price, of course– several hundred dollars more for the base rifle. With that in mind, the current generation MSAR looks good in my book. Don’t forget, the anti-gunners have probably taken note of the overall length of bullpup rifles. So, there’s a strong probability that these will be on the chopping block when the next AWB rolls around.

Those are my thoughts. They are not meant to bash the short barrel rifle solution that is the LWRC M6A2. It’s a fantastic rifle. If I had the means, I would justify the purchase and hide it from my wife for the rest of my days. Alas, that is not the case. And please don’t tell my wife I said that! Too late, I already published it to the website. What’s done is done, I guess. I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Darn it, there I go again with my stream of consciousness writing style– and the delete key on my Mac is broken.

That’s all for today, my friends. Have a blessed day!
– Evan

By: Erik Laracuente of Rican Havoc Productions

AK47. A combination of letters and numbers that quite possibly evokes more emotion than any other alphanumeric name in the history of our world. The ubiquitous AK47 has come to symbolize liberty, freedom, hope, and defense. It has also come to symbolize tyranny, oppression, and terrorism. No matter the association, the AK47 is the most commonly encountered military rifle worldwide. It has proven itself for combat, Homeland Defense, hunting, and good old fashioned recreation.  In recent years, we have seen the Kalashnikov become more fluent in the tactical language of today’s Law Enforcement and Military circles, with a multitude of rail systems, stocks, and grip options available.

Over the years, the aftermarket for the AK pattern rifles has really stepped it up. No longer are we tied down to the wooden furniture that is better suited  for smaller statures. A whole slew of butt stocks, hand guards, rail systems, and pistol grips as currently available to modify the Kalashnikov. Unfortunately,  that doesn’t mean that all of them are as tough as the gun they’re designed for. A lot of these components are very inexpensive, and for the most part, you get what you pay for. On the other hand, playing the used market and/or looking out for good deals, one can put together a quality package that best suits their needs, sensibilities and aesthetics.

Click here to see what I chose to do! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulMJaGIvbGI)

Enjoy,

Erik @ RHP

Sig Sauer finally hits black with its latest iteration of the 556: the Classic SWAT.  This is the way 556s were meant to be– with a real Swiss folding stock and grip!  If you’re like me, you probably see very little utility in an M4-style stock if the host weapon doesn’t require a buffer tube.  Personally, I don’t like them on AKs, Mini-14s, FALs, XCRs, or the legendary Sig Sauer 55x series.  We’ve been waiting years for this winning combo.
Make no mistake, the new 556 Classic series is the FIRE!  The Ergonomics are perfect.  The feel is authentic and the fit and finish is superb.  For the money, this is one of the best piston-driven rifles on the market.  It comes in a Sig Sauer lockable hard case with all the fixings inside:  a 30rd magazine, rail covers, front sights, and a nifty rear diopter sight– all standard.  Sig thought of everything here, right down to the integral locking mechanism on the stock that secures in the folded position with ease.  The trigger has a learning curve though, but it’s not too steep.  You’ll love it once you get used to it.  The 556 classic even comes standard with a flash hider that is compatible with AAC sound suppressors.  That gave me the perfect excuse to break out a new M4-1000 for a range test!  And believe me, I’m ALWAYS looking for an excuse.

So, Erik from Rican Havoc Productions, Khoa (our LE/Military Veep), and I headed to our friendly Antelope Club on Saturday morning.  I scraped together a sampler of various ammo that has been living in my range bag for months: XM193 on stripper clips, American Eagle 55gr FMJ, Wolf poly 55gr, Remington UMC, and some loose surplus 62gr of unknown origin.  My first task was to confirm zero at 50yds with iron sights.  That took all of 3rds with the XM193.  It’s good to know that someone took the time in New Hampster to zero this rifle at the factory.  Now, that’s the Sig Sauer that I know and love! [ watch our video of the shoot here ]
At the 100yd line, we continued to shoot irons for a while longer and got used to the trigger.  Then, the rear diopter sight was removed and an ACOG 4×32 took its place.  Each of us shot a few groups and enjoyed a respectable 1.5-2MOA.  Surprisingly, we shot the best groups with the Remington UMC.  (Erik rained on our parade though– shooting several subMOA groups through his trusty Rock River Arms CAR-A4 with Aimpoint CompML2.)

Once we twisted on the Advanced Armament M4-1000, the game changed.  Groups  stayed about the same size, but hit paper a few inches north.  We also noticed the heavier 62gr mil-spec ammo was performing better– even though it smelled like ammonia.  The M4-1000 is an entry level suppressor, but it used to be their old M4-2000, so the technology and craftsmanship is there– but it’s not as cutting edge as the current M4-2000 and SPR/M4 cans.  For instance, the SPR/M4 can adjust its orientation on the fly, so that you can retain zero even while suppressed.  The 2000 and SPR are also a few decibels quieter… and a couple hundred dollars more.

Clean up on the Sig 556 Classic SWAT is a breeze– not only because the piston system keeps the innards relatively clean, but also because field stripping is intuitive for most shooters. The upper and lower come apart just like an AR15.  The trigger assembly resembles the movement of a Swiss timepiece.  Simply remove the charging handle from the bolt, not unlike a Benelli shotgun, and the assembly is free to exit the receiver from the rear.  Removing the firing pin for maintenance requires punching out a pin, so I skipped that step this time. Next, remove the enclosed piston and two-position gas regulator from the business end of the rifle, and you’re all done.  It’s an elegant design and easy to maintain.

The Swiss Guard protects the Pope with 55x rifles, so you’ve got the Lord on your side if you’re arming yourself with one of these.  So, if you’re looking for a good Catholic assault rifle– this is it!   What’s not to love about the 556 Classic?

Have a good week and God bless. — Evan