Tabla de contenidos para January/February 2016 en Recoil

Let’s say you were planning on setting up a large manufacturing plant. You’d probably look for a location with easy access to the sea, airports, rail, and roadways. A large population center from which to draw cheap labor wouldn’t hurt, along with plenty of easily developed land for future expansion. In short, you’d end up in Houston. Val Trompia has none of these advantages. Why, then, did gun industry titans such as Beretta choose to hang their shingle here? The reasons lie in history, and lots of it. The town of Gardonne lies at the heart of the Val Trompia valley, and it’s here that you’ll find the bulk of the Italian firearms industry. At its northern end, the valley terminates in a narrow, winding mountain pass — the kind…

You zeroed your rifle and gathered data out to 1,000 yards on a range in Austin, Texas. You just tried using that data in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it didn’t work. You missed the target, and you can’t figure out why. Why did you miss? Simply put, there are external variables that can affect the bullet’s path on the way to the target. If you don’t understand the effect these variables have and compensate for them, you might just keep missing. The theory and technique of precision shooting is often explained in an overcomplicated way. It’s true that the subject is complex and can take a lifetime to master. However, this article is an attempt to explain the external effects on a bullet in flight in a simple way that shows…

There’s no doubt that the AR-15 platform has been a breeding ground for firearms innovation for well over a decade now. We’ve covered plenty of the latest and greatest in these pages. We love the newest, bestest gadgets as much as the rest of you, but it never hurts to take a look back and realize that “old” does not necessarily equal “obsolete.” Throughout the year, we receive press releases at an amazing cyclic rate from all kinds of manufacturers. One of the less flashy, but more intriguing, releases we got this past year was a notice that MKS Supply, through their partnership with Inland Manufacturing, would begin selling newly manufactured M1 Carbines in several configurations. They offered us a test sample, and we jumped at the chance to see…

It’s considered journalistic best practice, endorsed by such august bodies as the New York Times, that any article on flamethrowers must start with the industry-approved, classic George Carlin quote. But as they’re a bunch of whiny, metrosexual dickweasels, we’ll instead invite you to consider why anyone might think it would be a good idea to stroll onto a battlefield with 3 gallons of pressurized napalm strapped to their backs. Seriously, if you saw an enemy with a flamethrower, wouldn’t you want to lay on the trigger and send 200 rounds of 4-bit hate his way — just to see the resulting ambulatory Roman candle? The flamethrower has always been what my former countrymen might refer to as a “comedy weapon.” Ungainly, difficult to use effectively from the prone position, cursed…

Clint Smith is one of the founding fathers of the modern tactical training movement. Been to a tactical class in the last 40 years? Thank Clint. He and his band of contemporaries, including Jeff Cooper, Louis Auerbach, Chuck Taylor, Jim Cirillo, to name a few, were the fathers of the dynamically dynamic teaching schools and methods we all take for granted. How the hell the 66-year-old legend has the energy to continue teaching classes is beyond us. But he does. Out on one of the nicest ranges we’ve ever shot at, we watch as Smith addresses a line of students at Thunder Ranch using a wireless PA system. The same system that was cranking AC/DC while he and his cadre set the range up for the class. He carries a…

Do you have a rigorous travel schedule? Or perhaps you work a graveyard shift that leaves you smoked when you’re done? It’s sometimes hard to find the intestinal fortitude to work out. Sometimes, something is better than nothing. A quick fix for me is to perform a barbell complex. You may recall from my previous articles that I developed a program called Combat Strength Training (CST), designed to retrofit the combat chassis so that it performs with maximum efficiency at maximum capacity. Focusing on self-preservation and longevity, CST introduces the chassis and its external components to power, strength, and agility training in all planes of motion within the full muscle spectrum range. It enhances your performance and tactical effectiveness through maintenance, education, and combatreplicated movements, while following a safe, comprehensive,…

2000 FORD EXCURSION 5.9L CUMMINS 6BT DIESEL ATS AUTOMATIC WWW.SURVIVORTRUCK.COM Back in RECOIL Issue 8 we featured Jim DeLozier’s Survivor Truck — a 1980 Chevy C70 kitted up with just about everything a doomsday prepper could want on a vehicle…and then some. We figured it wouldn’t be the last time we heard from someone so serious about stayin’ alive. Well, guess what? He’s at it again; this time with a 2000 Ford Excursion that leaves little, if anything, off the survival gear checklist. Many of you may wonder why he’s created another version. A glutton for gear, you might ask? That may be so. But like owning a gun, there’s not one that works perfectly for every situation. While you might think having two vehicles this extreme is overkill, Jim…

There’s been a bit of a renaissance of sorts lately for pistol-caliber carbines, with a number of really interesting new options in 9mm on the market. We’ve reported on them in previous issues, and now we’re bringing you the latest just hitting stores as we speak. If you’re a luddite who doesn’t play video games or watch TV or movies, or if you’ve been hiding in a cavern, you might not have heard of the KRISS Vector submachine gun. Featuring space-age looks and a unique operating system designed to mitigate felt recoil, the Vector was launched in .45 ACP. Ever since then, folks have clamored for a 9mm version — and KRISS has finally delivered. RE-VECTOR REVOLUTION The heart of the Vector is the KRISS Super V System (KSVS), designed…

We’ve always been a little skeptical of AR pistols. They’re too big to really work like pistols and, thanks to the NFA, will always fall short of their potential as rifles — unless you’re willing and able to get a tax stamp. So when CMMG’s Mk9 PDW arrived we weren’t quite sure what we were going to say about it. Then we shot it. Back when this gun was originally launched, all was good in the land of stabilizing arm braces. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do, as well as what they could do, and the ATF treated everyone like adults and left well enough alone. That delicate balance was thrown into upheaval and at this point, it’s kind of irrelevant whether you want to blame the pencil-pushers…

U.S. Patent number 984,519 was published on February 14, 1911 — its inventor was none other than John Moses Browning, and it detailed an ingenious semi-automatic handgun. That pistol was designated the Model 1911 and adopted by the U.S. military as its standard-issue sidearm for an astonishing 75 years. The 1911 is an incredibly robust design with potential for great accuracy. Its ergonomics are widely heralded and its trigger — which travels straight back and forth rather than pivoting like most other handguns — can be tuned to absolute perfection. Don’t forget that the 1911 was designed at the beginning of the 20th century, with the materials and manufacturing processes available at the time. Yet the same basic design is still in service with war fighters, law enforcement, armed civilians,…

Gun lifestyle. That’s a pretty damn subjective term if you want my opinion (which you’re going to get even if you didn’t ask for it). Your gun lifestyle may not be the same as his or her lifestyle. I have to remind myself of that periodically to stay grounded. Lots of pro-Second Amendment people have never heard the term OODA loop. We’re over here discussing the relative merits of various barrel lengths on rifles and SBRs and they’re over there saying, “What is this sight radius of which you speak?” That’s reality, and if you live guns and gear and tactics everyday it’s easy to lose sight of that. As part of our effort to stay grounded we’ve been bringing a variety of people in our training events and evaluation…

1 Known for making highly accurate rounds for precision shooters, Barnes Bullets now has its RangeAR Ammunition line for tactical and competitive shooters looking for high-quality training cartridges at affordable prices. Currently, the lead-free, copper-jacketed, zinc-core rounds come in 52-grain 5.56 NATO and 90-grain .300 AAC. We recently tested the 5.56 variety during a firearms course with Survival Edge Tactical Systems and were pleased to find the ammo performed flawlessly without a single malfunction MAKE: Barnes Bullets MODEL: RangeAR Ammunition MSRP: $19/box 5.56 NATO; $22/box .300 AAC URL: www.barnesbullets.com 2 Many people prefer small, slimmerprofile weapons such as the Glock 42, Glock 43, and S&W Shield for concealed carry. Others will only carry a pistol equipped with a weaponmounted light. Since there are few WMLs for subcompacts and pocket guns,…

Defining a gentleman is a breeze — he’s a chap who says “please” and “thank you,” opens doors for strangers, and walks on the outside of the sidewalk to keep himself between moving traffic and his lady. Defining a gentleman’s knife? That’s not as easy. Knife nuts might argue that it can’t have a pocket clip. Some will say it can’t have any modern-day accoutrements like assisted opening. Others will still claim that anything goes, so long as it’s not too long and doesn’t look too gaudy, too tactical, or too outdoorsy. Needless to say, trying to determine exactly what constitutes a gentleman’s knife is much like answering the question, “What’s the best handgun?” Fortunately, most reasonable enthusiasts can agree that a gentleman’s knife is any tool that can be…

All weight-loss programs aren’t the same. While both may weigh 110 pounds, there’s a difference between a methadone addict and an Olympic athlete. No more would we trust a meth addict to function in a life-threatening situation than we’d expect a Swiss cheese AR to stand up to the rigors of combat. And, meth addicts always become ugly. Nobody wants to date a meth addict. WAIT, WEIGHT We spent three days running a pre-production Project Anorexia rifle at Thunder Ranch with one of the driving forces behind the gun’s inception, Clint Smith. Our test rifle was outfitted with a scope and bipod according to Smith’s specifications for use in his urban precision rifle class. The class turned out to be the ideal venue to highlight the advantages the skinny gun…

Back-up sights. For every guy who tells us they aren’t needed, there’s somebody else who tells us about the time their brother’s, girlfriend’s, sister’s, boyfriend’s optic took a bullet and he was forced to use his flip-up sights. We’re still looking for that dude for comment. But, in the meantime, we reached out to three other guys with some verifiable down-range experience and asked them their opinion on backup iron sights. J.D. Potinsky is the CEO of Northern Red, LLC and a veteran of the 3rd Special Forces Group. The man has racked up multiple combat deployments and now runs a company that disseminates what he and his teammates learned in combat. Potinsky recalled one incident when he had to shoot a vehicle speeding toward the checkpoint he was manning.…

If, like many, you’ve daydreamed about hunting in the vast, wild spaces of the American West in pursuit of her largest deer species, then you’ve probably spent an idle moment or two imagining yourself high above an expansive valley, surrounded by aspens. Maybe you’ve done a little online research and discovered firing up Google can be dispiriting, as the first few pages of search results are filled with expensive outfitters hawking their wares. Not all of us can afford seven grand to be chaperoned around for the chance to whack a trophy bull and for many, commercialization of the experience detracts from its innate challenge. There are a lot of reasons why I hunt. There’s the opportunity to be a full and active participant in nature, rather than just a…

1 MAKE: Nemo Equipment MODEL: Astro Insulated Lite 20R Sleeping Pad MSRP: $130 URL: www.nemoequipment.com A good night’s sleep is critical and the Astro Insulated Lite 20R Sleeping Pad from Nemo Equipment helps you achieve it. About the size of two beer cans laid end to end, it takes up little room in your pack and weighs just over a pound. 2 MAKE: Kelty MODEL: Ignite 40F MSRP: $250 (Ignite 20) URL: www.kelty.com Early season elk hunting at 8,500 feet is a pleasantly temperate affair, with the nighttime mercury in the low 50s. We used Kelty’s Ignite 40F lightweight sleeping bag as our horizontal time accelerator and sawed logs for seven hours. Unfortunately, it’s no longer in production, but the 20-degree version is available. 3 MAKE: MSR MODEL: Hubba Hubba…