Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2017 en Recoil

Don’t think the fun stops there. Cal made this super shorty Timemachinist AR-M134X to complement the Tailgunner Dillon Aero M134X project. It’s an all-billet build based on a Sharps lower and a custom-made Timemachinist/Tailgunner Gatlingstyle upper. Since the motorcycle itself and miniguns are nearly unobtainable to the public, you might be seeing AR Gatling Gun-inspired full-float tubes for sale in the future if the interest is there. The barrels don’t spin, but this pistol version has a Noveske 7.5 Diplomat barrel inside it. While the AR-M134X was designed to look like a minigun barrel assembly, it was engineered to function as a high-performance handguard. Check out more of Cal’s work, such as his custom watches, at www.timemachinistwatches.com.…

In the 1970s, most NATO countries saw the writing on the wall and started the process of converting their armed forces’ main small arms over to the 5.56 cartridge. This must have been particularly galling for many, as they were originally forced to adopt the 7.62 NATO round by the U.S., despite several of them coming up with smaller, better, generalpurpose designs. After being in service for less than a decade, America then did an about face and introduced the .22 caliber as its main infantry round, while keeping the 7.62 for crew-served weapons. As part of the switch to the lighter caliber, Spain looked at its successful CETME 58 battle rifle and used it as a basis for a smaller version. If you think the CETME looks like an…

We’ve heard it said, “The shorter and more useless a rifle is, the more a soldier wants it.” To some extent, it’s true that an extremely short rifle will always hold some appeal; we’ll readdress the “useless” portion later in this piece. While, no doubt, someone has built a stubby version of just about any rifle ever made (to include the archaic Mosin-Nagant), we’re going to specifically focus on the AR-series of rifles. One of the easiest ways to reduce the overall length (OAL) of an AR is to simply shorten the barrel. And indeed, legally registered short-barreled rifles (SBRs) have gained in popularity over the years — with barrel lengths getting smaller and smaller as time goes on. However, there’s still more that can be done on the buttstock…

We dove down the gully at the dirt road’s edge and launched ourselves without grace through the barbed wire cattle fence. As luck would have it, some unseen bull had been kind enough to break the bottom strand of wire so that we didn’t become hopelessly tangled in the barbs. The khaki-colored native grasses were tall enough to conceal most of our movement as we high-crawled toward the cottonwood-choked creek bottom where the buck was tending his small harem. At just over 100 yards, we’d come far enough — any closer and we’d chance spooking him or his paranoid lady friends. Our plan assumed he’d vacate his current hide within our field of view, offering us a shot. We just didn’t know whether that opportunity would come in the next…

There was a time when drivers only had two choices: a car or a truck. But time goes on, evolution does its thing, and automakers herd consumers toward new classes of automobiles that didn’t previously exist. Today’s plentiful subcategories of vehicles might confuse the masses, but products have also been tailored to perfectly fit individual needs. We now have hybrids, luxury compacts, ESVs, sport luxury midsize crossovers ... and the list keeps getting longer. Meanwhile, we’re still at the rental counter trying to figure out the difference between economy and compact class. Just like automobiles, handguns require increasingly specific monikers and designations to sort them out. The 9mm single-stack carry gun has seen a major influx as of late. The popularity is for good reason, as these guns are made…

The idea of “trunk guns” or “truck guns,” however you choose to refer to them, has made a swift resurgence over the last several years. For the uninitiated, the concept revolves around keeping a long gun in the back of your vehicle for situations where pistols are inadequate. From that point, the truck gun discussion takes on all the fervor of any good gun debate. We worked with Brownells to build two sample long guns to explore the theory and potential capabilities of the venerable truck gun. A TALE OF TWO RIFLES The idea was to create two separate guns — one for a rural environment, the other for the urban jungle. These guns would be built to do all the things reasonably expected of a gun that lives full…

Our EDC gear tends to be as compact and discreet as possible. But every once in a while, we like to get our gigantism on. Whether it’s an iPhone 7 Plus in your pants or a Ford Super Duty in the garage, having big powerful tools is indispensable. So, we’re taking a stab at large folding knives. We don’t always carry them daily, but in certain circumstances they offer benefits that other knives can’t. First is range. The longer the weapon the more reach and the less distance to cover in a self-defense situation. Second, longer blade means more cutting surface — whether that’s for harvesting game, batoning firewood, or intercepting a bad guy’s attack. And for those with big hands (insert joke here), a bigger overall length (insert second…

Scientifically determining which barrel is the most accurate is harder than you may think. No doubt the best tests are performed by engineers under lock and key at large pistol manufacturers and not found on some random internet blog or shade-tree YouTube video performed by an enthusiast. Recently, we received something different: an extensively written white paper from an accuracy test performed at the Proving Grounds of Fire-4-Effect in El Paso, Texas, to evaluate for ourselves. In these initial tests, Fire-4-Effect sought to test just one variable: the accuracy potential of aftermarket threaded Glock 17 barrels. And indeed as stated above, this is harder to properly perform than it initially sounds. In this article, we’ll brief you on their equipment, testing procedures, and some limitations of the testing itself. As…

If you’re running a pistol instead of a legally registered shortbarreled rifle, that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of the PDW game. You still have a couple of options from Maxim Defense. The first is their CQB Pistol PDW Brace. The PDW Brace has all of the same features as the Maxim Defense CQB stock except that it sports a rubberized arm brace in place of their PDW butt piece. Another option is the Pistol EXC, also by Maxim Defense. Instead of a rubber brace or their PDW stock, the Pistol EXC includes just the cheek-piece portion of the stock. Both are currently OEM options from different manufacturers, and either can be swapped out for any Maxim Defense stock assembly once your Form 1 clears, assuming you’re going the SBR…

Remington’s reboot of its pistol division has been nothing if not colorful. The R51 won’t win awards for reliability, but it was an ambitious project that sought to update the historic Pedersen action and bring a pistol to market with an unmistakable charm. The tiny RM380 translated a winning combination of reliability, unique features, and a dash of boutique allure to a much larger audience in the pocket pistol market. But, the Remington RP9 looks and feels like something you get when a board of directors tells its executives to tell its managers to tell its engineers that the company needs to produce a line of polymer striker-fired pistols. Because profits. We’re not saying the RP9 is uninspired; rather that its designers’ inspiration appears in the wrong places. DESIGN The…

RECOIL’s staff turns to Brownells on a regular basis for a lot of our editorial projects. In fact, in a time-crunched, deadline-driven world, they’re our go-to source for gun parts when we feel that a test gun could use a little love, or its performance could be improved by the addition of a better component. No surprises there, as they’ve been supplying professionals and gun plumbers alike since 1939. Recently, they’ve added firearms and ammunition to their lineup, expanding the one-stop-shop experience of their website. In this issue, the good folks from Grinnell, Iowa, bring you information to help you pick a defensive handgun. While we all have our own preferences (and mine didn’t win in the single-stack shoot off), having data points to narrow down our choices is one…

The just-right sized padded sling to fit all mirrorless system cameras, most SLR's, and their lenses/accessories while integrating tactical standards. Like all our world-famous Evac™ packs, this pro-quality sling can be rotated from back to chest for quick access without losing positive control by going off-body. It’s built with our legendary durability and includes a unique thermoformed shell for breakables like batteries, a laser-cut molle/velcro panel for patches or pouches, a thermoformed back panel with storage for smaller tablets, a tripod tie-down area, and, naturally a movable divider system. There is more molle webbing on the main strap and throughout for adding our optional lens pouches/etc. and two grommets for mounting our new Hardpoint modular hardware system items such as loops, plugs, signal lights etc. TONY SENTMANAT, REAL WORLD TACTICAL…

2016 YAMAHA TAILGUNNER DILLON AERO M134X INTERCEPTOR 1,000CC INLINE-FOUR WITH A TWIN NITROUS OXIDE SYSTEM SIX-SPEED WWW.TAILGUNNEREXHAUST.COM We would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall when someone walked into a room and said, “You know what the world needs more of? Motorcycles with miniguns on them!” Did the people blessed with this kind of wisdom previously work as Sonny Barger’s life coach? It certainly seems like every 1-percenter’s wet dream. Were they perhaps former department of corrections employees who were fired over suggesting that electric chairs be replaced with electric bleachers? Perhaps they once pitched an adcampaign slogan to Honda along the lines of, “You meet the nicest people on a motorcycle with a cannon.” Wherever the idea came from, it apparently didn’t fall on deaf ears.…

We’ve all been fortunate enough to be part of the firearms community over the last several years, which has given us the opportunity to bear witness to some pretty cool technological innovations. Not quite at the level of the self-contained metallic cartridge, but significant nonetheless. Some of these advancements are huge and everyone takes notice, others more subtle, and then some go totally unnoticed. Similar to a new release of a popular smartphone or video game console, the firearms industry seems to release new products every few months that makes the same make and model you just waited months to order feel obsolete. As an individual this can lead to jealousy, online hate and envy (thanks, Instagram!), and confusion based on which company is making “the best” product you happen…

The pistol-carrying community is on the verge of something theoretical physicists might call a convergence. Previously, the two primary disciplines of pistolero — the competitor and the tactician, walked distinctly different roads. Each gave the other a wide berth and rarely did they see eye to eye on anything hardware related. But just like the economy, the presidency, and trending hashtags … times change. Many lessons that have been hardearned on the tournament circuit are now being seriously considered as force-multipliers for the professional gunfighter. A decade ago, most racegun upgrades were quickly dismissed with the age-old “that sh*t’ll get you killed on the street!” Many of these upgrades are now widely accepted by those who use lead and brass to save lives. First it was extended mags and floorplates…

Selecting a caliber for the perfect defensive handgun is a topic that some folks could debate for hours. Perhaps you’ve even engaged in some banter pointing out how calibers the size of lug nuts are superior to rounds resembling your grandma’s earrings. When you go into your favorite gun store to purchase a small pistol for concealed carry, caliber is probably one of the first things you consider. Picking up a pistol chambered in .44 Magnum might make you want to eat a pound of bacon and yell “’Murica!” at the top of your lungs, but if you can’t hit a stop sign at 15 yards with it, how useful is it? Technology has changed drastically over the past 10 years, and so has bullet design. Simply claiming smaller calibers…