Table of contents for May/June 2014 in Recoil

Dedicated to the Greatest Generation, the National World War II Museum in New Orleans chronicles the story of the American G.I. during the Second World War. It features galleries devoted to D-Day, the war at home, and the war in the Pacific through artifacts, personal tales, and even cutting-edge technology. When it first opened on June 6, 2000, on the 56th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the National D-Day Museum — as it was then known — initially focused on the amphibious invasion of Normandy. The choice of New Orleans as the site for the facility was seen as odd by some, considering it’s known more for its food, music, and nightlife than World War II. On the topic of war history, most would connect the Big Easy with the…

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a golden age of firearms design. The self-contained metallic cartridge was the spark that fired up the imaginations of engineering luminaries, such as Maxim, Mauser, Spencer, Lee, Hotchkiss, and Henry, to name but a few. And then there’s the man described by John Browning as “the greatest firearm designer in the world.” That man was John Pedersen and had he lived today, in addition to being fabulously wealthy, he would no doubt have his own reality TV show. Let’s see, first wife a decorated war hero and model who was a published author and broadcaster? Check. Son a Marine officer who bought a racehorse to use as an ammo carrier in amphibious landings during the Korean War? Check. Designed a cartridge that…

In RECOIL Issue 7, we got to shoot POF’s 7.62mm full-auto SBR and came away with a favorable impression of its quality and accuracy. When the founder and president of the company called us up and offered a sneak preview of the fourth-generation rifle that was due to launch at this year’s SHOT Show, we said, “What the hell? It’s about time we got to break something new.” Popping the catches on the obligatory black plastic shipping case, the first thing that you notice on the new 5.56mm rifle is the hand-guard. It’s now an acceptable length for those of us who like to grind their teeth and make like a tank while we shoot. It’s easy enough to get fixated on one obvious feature, though. Doing so would be…

At the top of the rise, you look around and realize that you haven’t seen a familiar landmark since Tuesday, your supplies have dwindled to near nothing, and there’s no hope of you walking out of this one on your own. It’s time to admit you’re lost and call in the cavalry. Did you remember to pack your ACR ResQLink+ personal locator beacon? Great. Push the button, kick up your feet, and wait for the helo to arrive. But what if the only comms you packed is your mobile phone, thinking Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T will be your salvation? Think again. It might be 2014, but we’re stranded in a technological chasm between futuristic smartphones and less-than-stellar wireless service. And even though your phone might have a compass, flashlight, and…

2011 TOYOTA TUNDRA 5.7L V-8 4WD/SIX-SPEED AUTOMATIC We’re usually not ones to feed into the current, though thankfully fading, undead fetish. You won’t see a special RECOIL flesh-eaters issue or a buyer’s guide on zombie-green rifle accessories. But we have to admit that if there were a living-dead pandemic, we’d have no fear being at ground zero so long as we were behind the wheel of this off-road rig. In recent years, we’ve seen many a truck souped up to serve as zombie apocalypse vehicles. Some are serious tanks that can handle any terrain thrown at them, while others are really just trailer queens disguised with a lot of automotive makeup and not enough muscle. This 2011 Toyota Tundra, however, doesn’t need a boost of creatine. “Another ’Yota?” you might…

Lancer Systems got its start making seals, way back when killing Nazis was the national pastime. No, not those SEALs — we mean the rubber kind. So what happens when a company staffed by gun nuts steps way outside its lane of expertise and tries to make a modern .308 AR rifle? Awesomeness happens. Lancer first came to the fore with the introduction of their L5 translucent magazine. The L5 features an injection-molded, translucent polymer magazine body with steel feed lips embedded into the top portion of the tube. This steel and polymer hybrid design offers the strength of steel magazines mated with the durability and significant weight savings of polymer, all in a translucent package that allows one to visually inspect the number of rounds remaining. As a testament…

SAFETY DISCLAIMER The tactics shown are for illustrative purposes only. Seek professional training or instruction before attempting any techniques discussed or shown in this story. Self-defense is not a game. If you’re in a life-and-death situation, the moves you use must work right then and there — and deliver performance on demand. In writing this article, I took a step back and decided to provide a best-of-thebest set of techniques that aren’t just extremely effective in a high-stress situation, but are also easy to deploy. These are the moves I teach to my dearest loved ones and in my classes. These are also my personal go-to moves for when I have to save my own ass. The reasons for this are simple: They are easy to remember They are easy…

I purchased my first Saiga-12 in 2006 as a solution for dealing with high round count shotgun stages in three-gun matches. When Saiga-12s work, they are awesome, and using one contributed to some match wins and top-three finishes. The higher the round count of a stage, the more advantage gained when using magazine-fed shotguns. The key words there are “when Saiga-12s work” — because when they don’t (which is often), you end up wishing you had a pump gun. I have personally owned eight Saiga-12s, and of those eight, only three worked correctly. CHAMPAGNE TASTES, VODKA BUDGET Earlier imported Saiga-12s generally displayed better construction and reliability than later models, after demand for them increased. I can’t speak to the quality of currently imported guns, but the previous ones often had…

Too often one is asked, “How much can you bench?” — as if this were some sort of useful way to measure strength. To this question, I will typically answer, “No idea, but I can dead lift 405 pounds for five reps.” The mouth-breather who asked the question usually starts looking at me like I’ve got a dick growing out of my forehead. If we were to examine a single exercise to measure strength, it should more appropriately be a query on how much one can dead lift or squat. These types of exercises are also more practical, and the motion is more frequently replicated in actual day-to-day scenarios. In the past three issues of RECOIL, we have been outlining my Combat Strength Training program, which improves how our combat…

1 Do you fancy yourself a modernday samurai? Then the Obake, designed by Lucas Burnley, might be your go-to fixed blade. The 3.64-inch blade is made of 8Cr14MoV stainless steel with a titanium-nitride finish that’s acid-etched, giving each knife a unique pattern. Overall, the Obake is 7.63 inches long and just 2.4 ounces. Comes with a glass-filled nylon sheath. BRAND: Columbia River Knife & Tool MODEL: Obake MSRP: $60 URL: www.crkt.com 2 Though spring is technically upon us, the nights can still be chilly — and there might even be some stubborn snow on the ground in your region. So, the Icon Softshell Vest is a good fit for this season. It keeps your core protected from wind and rain without suffocating you when the sun’s out. Available in black,…

FLIP THE PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS ON EACH KNIFE As one wrinkly, green Jedi likes to say, “Size matters not.” But he’s wrong. Size does matter — just not always in the way you think. Similar to the debate surrounding caliber, pundits often say that the bigger the knife, the better. But as knife nuts know, there’s a task for every blade length. Imagine you’re lost in the jungle with no supplies and no signs of help. Naturally, you’ll want to attack the dense foliage with a machete to make a fire and build a shelter. Now picture you going back to work stocking shelves at a grocery store. Suddenly, that same zombie-chopping blade seems like an expensive paperweight compared to your $1 box-cutter, no? It should always be the…

When we decided to embark on this project, deciding just how to approach removing metal from the 80-percent forging was a tough decision. Everyone wants to see impeccably machined billet and flawless surfaces, but clamping the piece in a CNC machine and pressing “play” would detract from the ethos of the build. In the end, we decided that despite having access to a Haas and a couple of Bridgeports, it was only right and proper that we use the most basic equipment possible. And that means a cheap drill press, handtools and, of course, the inevitable almighty Dremel. Bear in mind that you’re abusing the drill press more than just a little during this adventure. It’s designed to be loaded only in the Z (vertical) axis, and even though you’re…

DISCLAIMER While we always strive to report the most accurate information, laws can change and vary from state to state. Always double-check the laws in your region and seek out professional legal counsel when necessary. As the old axiom goes, knowledge is power. So, empower your arsenal by building your own firearm from an 80-percent lower receiver. Make your own gun? “Isn’t that illegal?” you might ask. Well, actually, it’s not. According to federal law, it’s completely legal to make your own firearm. Under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), an individual can make a firearm for personal use. Surprised? If you are, you need to read on and find out more about what you can and can’t do with an 80-percent lower. Because, as Duke taught us in…

“It’s hard for me not to smile,” says a grinning Julie Golob amidst the low winter sun permeating the landscape near her remote Montana home. Julie’s referring to her struggle with maintaining the alpha pose expected of a world-class shooter during a photo shoot, but an afternoon spent with her and her family reveals a deeper meaning to the phrase. Anybody with a triggerpulling résumé like Julie’s would probably be grinning ear to ear based on her achievements alone. But those shooting-sports triumphs are far from defining her as a person, who lives the fullest part of her life beyond the range. While she is known for her shooting prowess — including being the only shooter, male or female, to win all six division titles in the USPSA Nationals —…

With any weapon system, there is a balance between competing characteristics. With precision weapons in particular, pure accuracy is often the top priority — but look across military, law enforcement, and civilian applications and you will see an ever-increasing emphasis on the ability to engage multiple targets and to deliver quicker follow-up shots. So, while bolt-action rifles continue to provide incredible accuracy, gas guns are being increasingly adopted for their semiauto, magazinefed capability — and they are delivering impressive accuracy, as well. To date, the wonder cartridge .338 Lapua has primarily remained the province of ultra-accurate bolt-action rifles. In fact, the longest confirmed sniper kill to date, at a range of over 1.5 miles, was accomplished by a British sniper with the Finnish round launched from an Accuracy International bolt…