Indice dei contenuti per August/September 2021 in Tactical Life

We’re glad you’ve joined us for our latest issue of Tactical Life, the magazine for hard-core gun enthusiasts and self-defense practitioners like you who want the very latest news and reviews on weapons, training and accessories. We think we’ve put together an eclectic mix of editorial and hope you enjoy the time you spend with it! In our continuing effort to always honor those who serve in our military and law enforcement, check out Rob Garrett’s “Road Trip” to the National Infantry Museum on page 18. It’s the Army’s largest museum, featuring three levels and six incredible galleries—all honoring those who bought our freedom through their hardfought efforts in the Army Infantry. We also give you a behind-the-scenes look at the U.S. Army’s top Rangers in Fred Mastison’s “Best Ranger…

“FOR OVER TWO CENTURIES I have kept our nation safe, purchasing freedom with my blood. To tyrants, I am the day of reckoning, to the oppressed, the hope for the future. Where the fighting is thick, there am I. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!” This article is deeply personal to me. Not only is the National Infantry Museum in my hometown, but I have been directly involved in many memorable and historic events there. First, I must give credit to Michael Lewis who wrote an article in the Army’s NCO Journal in March of 2010. He titled his article, “Experiencing the Smithsonian of the Army.” I don’t think there are any better words to describe this “best in class” military museum. SOME HISTRY In order to fully appreciate the…

If I told you that you could have an AR pistol that would fold up and fit inside of a small lunchbox or the seatback of your vehicle, would it pique your interest? It’s not only possible, but you can build one yourself. To sweeten the deal, with practice you could go from a two-piece AR to being ready to rock and roll in about 10 seconds or less. This is only made possible by using the QRB (Quick Release Barrel) system from Cry Havoc Tactical. The U.S. Air Forces got with Cry Havoc Tactical and then made what is now called the GAU-5A ACSW (Air Crew Survival Weapon). This system was built upon to fit neatly and compactly inside of the ejection seats of select USAF fighter jets. After…

Though not as popular as a bugout bag, the bugout vest has been getting a lot of traction in the survival community as both a primary emergency kit as well as a secondary pack to accompany the traditional backpack. Is it right for you? You decide by judging these bugout vest benefits. Avestcanbestored in far more places than a full-sized bugout bag, and without attracting attention. Using simple math, less weight equals less fatigue, and that means fewer stops on your journey. Abugoutvestmayseem a bit bulky to wear at first, but if you need to hide what you’re carrying, all it takes is to wear a slightly larger jacket. It always leaves your hands free and can be covered easily with a poncho in harsh rainstorms. Ifyoudont…

During the 1960s, Charles de Gaulle survived at least 20 assassination attempts; think of the film Day of the Jackal! One of the reasons for his survival was his team of bodyguards, including Raymond Sasia. Sasia, who became a high-ranking officer of the Police Nationale and a leading firearms trainer, was also the first French police officer to graduate from the FBI Academy, after which he established the Centre de Tir de Paris de la Police Nationale to train French personnel in combat shooting. At that time, French police were armed with semi-automatic pistols in calibers ranging from .32 ACP to 9mm. Sasia returned from Quantico with an appreciation for the police revolver, especially the S&W .357 Magnum. A special order was placed with Smith & Wesson for a fixed-sight…

MICRO-NINES are popular for good reason. These palm-sized 9mm pistols feature double-digit magazine capacity, large sights to track targets quickly and ergonomics that make them feel like a full-size pistol. The new Taurus GX4 checks all those boxes and more. With an 11+1 payload, modular backstrap for custom grip size and a crisp, consistent trigger, the GX4 is an economical option for EDC without compromise. Fact is, micro-nines have been a bit of a compromise. The single-stack magazine design of many sub-compact micronines, make them slim, flat and easy to carry concealed. The compromise is a limited magazine capacity compared to a full-size pistol. Sights were also sized accordingly, and small sights are more difficult to use. As 9mms became smaller, so did the slide and the surface area used…

Teslong makes a bewildering variety of endoscopes. Endoscopes are electronic devices that utilize fiber-optic technology to let you peek into tiny spaces that might otherwise remain inaccessible. Teslong is 12 years old and maintains a staff of 32 engineers among 156 workers. The quality of their products is self-evident. Teslong endoscopes are optimized for a variety of disparate applications. Industrial scopes are designed for automotive applications. Auto mechanics use such tools to assess the entrails of your car’s engine without taking the whole thing apart. Digital otoscopes let you peek inside the human ear to diagnose disease or locate the errant bead should you be graced with a toddler. I do that kind of thing for a living and was honestly not aware such a rig existed. I had been…

COLT ANACONDA After a lengthy absence, Colt has brought back the big snake. The Anaconda is a six-round, large-frame, U.S.-forged stainless steel double-action revolver chambered in the potent .44 Magnum cartridge. The revolver’s iconic profile comes from the full-lug, ventilated rib barrel, available in 6-and 8-inch lengths. The leaf-spring action provides a non-stacking, smooth-as-glass trigger pull, and Hogue overmolded grips are interchangeable with all Colt Python grips. Additionally, the sights are elevation and windage adjustable, and interchangeable with a simple Allen key. (colt.com) BROWNING RECOIL HAWG Browning touts their new Recoil Hawg muzzle brake as one of the best in the industry. According to company literature, the brake devours felt recoil and muzzle jump, having been shown to reduce recoil up to a whopping 73 percent (depending on the caliber).…

“This is a training event that happens to also be a product launch!” With this statement, Bill Dermody, the marketing guru for HK-USA, kicked off a very unique event for the media. We were at West Orlando Firearms Training, a unique training facility located outside Groveland, Florida. Dermody had invited 12 or so media representatives to participate in a threeday training opportunity. What followed was a combination of fun, intense experiences and learning. THE 411 ON W.O.F.T. W.O.F.T. is a 20-acre facility that was founded by Philip Toppino, a self-confessed training junky, with a mission to keep him and his family safe. For several years, he traveled the country training with many of the most respected instructors in the industry. This gave him a broad experience in what was being…

The sole purpose of a bugout bag is to keep you alive for at least three days if, unfortunately, a life-changing event comes your way. This event could take many forms, from a natural disaster where your entire home and all your possessions are literally wiped off the map, or a manmade threat, such as severe rioting in the streets where looters are rampaging through neighborhood homes. It really doesn’t matter what the crisis is: If it causes you and your family to flee your normally safe abode, then a bug-out bag is a vital component to a survival plan for everyone. You can learn to prep your bag correctly by simply avoiding these common blunders. GOING CHEAP COSTS YOU The clichéd expression, “You get what you pay for” is…

Roughly a decade ago I had the opportunity to participate in the development of a new precision rifle system for SOCOM. In addition to stringent precision requirements, the system was required to be modular. Reconfiguration would allow the use of different barrels, bolts and magazines, and the rifle would be capable of firing multiple cartridges. Reconfiguration was to be done by the shooter in only a few minutes and with limited tools. This capability would mark a significant departure from systems of the past. For decades the Remington 700 in multiple forms had been the standard U.S. military precision rifle. The Army used the M24 chambered in 7.62 NATO, and the M2010 had just gotten started in service. The Marines used the M40 in several variants, and SOCOM was using…

In the military you are able to quickly discover units specifically dedicated to special operations. From the Army’s Green Berets to the Air Force’s Para Rescue, we are fortunate to have so many dedicated specialized warriors. One very special part of this special operations family is the Army’s 75th Ranger regiment. The Ranger Regiment is the United States’ premier light infantry fighting force, specializing in raids and assault missions deep inside enemy territory. There are three pillars that make up the Ranger mission: special operations raids, forcible entry operations and special reconnaissance. Earning a Ranger tab is highly prized and is seen as the mark of a leader. Rangers are role-model soldiers mentally, morally and physically. They make sound judgments and they never quit, though their bodies may tell them…

Both 2020 and 2021 were record years for shotgun purchases, and rightfully so. As the country was still struggling with looting, political uncertainty and mass civil unrest, many were making their first firearm purchase. Defensive shotguns are often recommended because a pattern of buckshot can make up for a lack of marksmanship. That’s the thought, anyway, but those of us who know better know that simply isn’t the case. Unfortunately, there is an idea that circulates gun counters around the country that implies that you will hit all four walls in the house with one press of the trigger. The truth is shotgun patterns vary dramatically and nothing is going to have more influence on their size than the ammunition fired. If you ask me (and some of you did),…

Civilian concealed carry numbers have erupted over the last several years. Commitment level within this genre spans from barely ever carrying to dedicated practitioners who regard a firearm as an integral part of an all-encompassing vigilant personal-defense approach/mindset. All of this is a personal decision with many passing to and from different stages during their lifetime. I am not judging. All I know is that I am glad to see our community/culture grow. As concealed carry users tiply, the number of firearms in circulation increases. “Bad guys” mul-will be glad to assume ownership with dire consequences. Law enforcement personnel have been aware of this for decades, thus the creation of retention holsters and training curriculum that focuses on gungrab scenarios. Officer survival mindset training is also a crucial component. Compared…

A new training video made by Michael Bloombergfunded Everytown for Gun Safety for anti-gun politicians instructs them that no matter what question they are asked about guns, the response should always start with, “I support the Second Amendment, but…” Latest information from the White House indicates that Press Secretary Jen Psaki had the strategy down pat after “circling back” on it only a few times, and Vice President Kamala Harris was already an expert at the strategy from the 2020 campaign. President Biden, on the other hand, is apparently having some difficulty. “I support the, ah, you know, uh, the thing,” Biden said in his latest practice session in anticipation of his next press conference. “Now what’s this part about a butt?”…

First developed by Hiram Percy Maxim in 1902, the suppressor gained instant popularity. Marketed as a “silencer,” the device’s sole purpose was to protect shooters from hearing loss and to reduce noise pollution. In the early years, the silencer was a mail-order hearing safety device and available to anyone. This drastically changed during the late 1920s and early 1930s due to the rising violent crime rate. Sadly, Maxim’s silencer became known as a “gangster weapon” to facilitate silent murders. Federal regulations were introduced in 1934 requiring registration and a $200 tax for each silencer sold to decrease sales and reduce crime. Sales drastically declined as very few people could meet such an astronomical cost at the time. In recent years, suppressor ownership has skyrocketed. As of February 2021, more than…

SPEC BOX HK VP9 MATCH CALIBER: 9mm BARREL: 5.51 inches OA LENGTH: 8.78 inches WEIGHT: 24.16 ounces (empty) GRIPS: Polymer SIGHTS: White-dot front, fixed black rear ACTION: Striker-fired FINISH: Black CAPACITY: 20+1 MSRP: $1,099 While at the HK event at W.O.F.T., we were introduced to the new VP9 Match Optics Ready pistol. Originally introduced in 2014, the VP9 has proven to be extremely popular with the U.S. market. The new Match model takes the proven VP platform and enhances its capabilities and versatility. The frame has all the standard VP features to include an ambidextrous paddle magazine release and interchangeable backstraps and side panels. This allows the shooter to truly customize the grip to his or her hands. The VP9 is also available with a push-button magazine release. The VP9…

Don’t go in blind when starting your seemingly overwhelming task of assembling a bugout bag. Survival experts, having hands on in the field for decades, can help. Creek Stewart, host of the Weather Channel’s television show Could you Survive, with Creek Stewart, has written the perfect book for bugout bag beginners. Build the Perfect Bugout Bag can guide you step by step through the entire process. From selecting the proper bag, to gathering gear and supplies, to making your bag environment-centric depending upon your location, Creek leaves nothing to chance and can give you a fantastic starting point to create the best bugout bag possible for you, your family and even the family pet. For more, visit creekstewart.com.…

September 1, 1939, was a Friday. The previous Thursday evening the Germans staged a fake attack on the German radio station Sender Gleiwitz as a casus belli—a cause for war. At 0800, German combat formations attacked near the Polish village of Mokra. They were the spearhead of a 2-million-man military assault into the Polish heartland. Thus began World War II, the bloodiest conflict in human history. What made the German juggernaut so terrifying was blitzkrieg. The brainchild of Heinz Guderian, blitzkrieg was the world’s rude introduction to maneuver warfare. In the previous world war, opposing sides settled into prepared trench systems and slaughtered each other over time. Blitzkrieg was the first concerted application of combined arms doctrine. Air power and artillery prepared the way, armor made the breakthroughs and infantry…

SPEC BOX FALKOR DEFENSE OMEGA CALIBER: 6.5 Creedmoor BARREL: 22 inches OA LENGTH: 43.25 inches WEIGHT: 10.25 pounds (empty) STOCK: Luth-AR MB1 SIGHTS: None ACTION: Direct-impingement semi-auto FINISH: Hard anodized CAPACITY: 20+1 MSRP: $4,210 Modern sporting rifle (MSR) terminology for the AR is an industry attempt to help define the growing role that AR-type rifles have assumed beyond strictly a tactical gun. AR rifles are versatile, easily accessorized and suitable for a wide variety of recreational, sport shooting and professional applications. While ARs were quickly embraced for varmint hunting, caliber expansion has steadily increased popularity with hunters for larger sized game as well. The Falkor Defense Omega is a great example of the growing potential of ARs in the hunting arena, long-range shooting competitions and precision tactical applications. The Falkor…

MAXIMUM MICRO SHOOTOUT RUGER MAX-9 VS. S&W M&P SHIELD PLUS Back in the late 1980s and early ’90s the 9mm pistol underwent a renaissance. During this time, full-sized double-stack designs took center stage and were perfect for duty and open carry. Some might remember these guns as being referred to as “Wonder Nines” as they certainly were remarkable for the day. Of course, these designs didn’t speak to many civilians, so smaller, more concealable handguns started to come out. These pistols were compact by nature and usually fed off of a limited capacity, single-stack magazine. I refer to these guns as “Under Nines” because they seldom broke double-digit capacity without the associated bulk. For decades we just accepted that to be the way things were until around three short years…

In an explanation that sounded more like County Extension Agent Hank Kimball from Green Acres, President Joe Biden’s nominee for head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has admitted the Branch Davidians didn’t really “shoot down” two helicopters at the Waco debacle back in 1993. “I’m David Director, your nominee for ATF Chipman,” he recently told a Congressional Committee. “Wait, no, I’m David Chipman, your nominee for ATF Director. I guess that sounds better. Well not better, but more accurate. Well, not really more accurate, but…” When pressed on his recent statements that .50-caliber Barrett rifles were used to “shoot down” two Texas National Guard helicopters, Chipman again channeled his inner Kimball. “At first I said they were ‘shot down,’ but they weren’t really ‘shot down,’”…