Table of contents for Issue - UN12 #14 in UN12

Transport of Dangerous Goods Ammunition, such as for rifles, handguns, shotguns, starter’s pistols and power tools that contain explosive material are dangerous goods listed under Class 1.4S. The information presented here is for the following UN numbers only: UN0012/CARTRIDGES FOR WEAPONS, INERT PROJECTILE or CARTRIDGES, SMALL ARMS Welcome back to UN12. If this is not your first issue, we thank you for your valuable support. If you are just picking us up for the first time, we thank you and encourage you to hunt down our previous issues. Each edition of UN12 is packed with informative articles and impactful photography that focus on our favorite subjects: firearms and their accessories. Join us as we take a deep dive into the world of firearm customization, artistry, and creativity. If you’re into…

This issue’s lead-off EDC setup comes by way of a cross-country traveler who travels between the east and west coasts in his RV a few times a year. It’s for this very reason he pieced together a go-bag that’s packed full of defensive and other essential gear. It’s always interesting to see what someone’s EDC setup contains, but we found it to be especially so for this one. It’s all completely contained in a plain-looking backpack, allowing the entire array to be removed from the RV without drawing any unwanted attention. Let’s dive into the bag and see what essentials its owner has packed into it. Premium EDC Items Vertx Commuter Sling 2.0 MSRP: $200 URL: vertx.com Our 2¢: We’re impressed that the Vertx Commuter Sling 2.0 carries all of…

Sources SIG Sauer sigsauer.com Strike Industries strikeindustries.com Koted Arms kotedarms.com SureFire surefire.com Mag Release Strike Industries Modular Magazine Release MSRP: $22 Allows you to swap differently sized magazine release extensions for improved ergonomics. Grip Module SIG Sauer P320 X-Five Full Size Grip Module MSRP: $120 The P320 X5 Grip Module features a deeper trigger guard undercut, a higher back strap, and an extended beavertail to encourage a higher grip for better recoil management. It comes standard with a removable weight for improved balance, as well as a removable magazine funnel for faster reloading. Mag Extension Strike Industries Extended Magazine Plate MSRP: $22 Users may extend magazine capacity by five rounds with this extended magazine plate.…

As we’ve stated many times, this publication was founded on the celebration of firearms (and firearms culture), the accessorizing and customizing thereof, and the artisans who’ve made an art of doing it. If you’re holding this magazine, chances are good you’re an enthusiast yourself, if not a full-fledged customizer. It’s a hobby that brings together people from all backgrounds, social strata, and income brackets. For a fortunate few, gun building and customization grows into something much more than just a hobby, or even an obsession. For those people who have a talent for such endeavors and can pair it with a healthy dose of business acumen, it can become a literal way of life. California businessman John Koukios is one such person. Rifle Supply in sunny, surf-sprayed Huntington Beach is…

UN0012/CARTRIDGES FOR WEAPONS, INERT PROJECTILE or CARTRIDGES, SMALL ARMS Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, you might have noticed a surge in popularity concerning Star Wars in general—and Mandalorian specifically—theme builds. We’ve featured a few in these very pages (see UN12 issues 008 and 013). Being that he’s the original and therefore most visible representation of the Mandalorian warrior culture, many “Mandalorian theme” firearm builds have paid homage to Boba Fett, the ruthless bounty hunter who pursued Han Solo in the original films. Without going too far down the very deep (and nearly bottomless) rabbit hole of Star Wars lore, we should point out that the problem with Boba Fett being an appropriate representation of the Mandalorians, especially given the resurgence of Mando…

The warrior community is full of men and women who prepare for battle. This battle could be war, policing, protecting one’s family, or even being an avid student of the gun in open-enrollment weapons classes. The term “combat” is not solely reserved for warfighters on some distant battlefield. Sure, a warfighter engaging an enemy in some remote valley or third-world town is participating in combat. But combat encompasses any physical struggle where you are facing an opponent that is trying to harm or kill you. Cops engaging psychotic gunman during a traffic stop are in combat. SWAT officers engaging suspects during felony warrant services are in combat. A homeowner engaging home invaders is in combat. Any time you are involved in mortal combat, it is… combat. The battlefield’s location has…

I have several plastic bins that are packed full of ancillary pistol gear. I’m talking about the stuff that you accumulate when “moving into” a new pistol, like holsters and magazine pouches. It’s one thing moving from one Glock to another; chances are there’s some accessory crossover that tempers the need to buy a whole set of new gear. But what happens when you decide to try out a new make and model? The need for a new holster is practically a given, and there’s a good chance that you’ll need new magazine pouches, too. It follows that the cost of adding a new pistol to your stable can climb rapidly. This is where Pitbull Tactical steps in with their Universal Mag Carrier. With the aim to cut down shooter…

Vice Hardware THE STASH HOUSE The Stash House design came together over a course of a few years. Vice Hardware wanted to bring a totally new look and new features to the EDC tray concept. Designed to work hand-in-hand with the company’s F22/F1 wallets, the tray can accommodate your favorite custom EDC pistol for quick grab-and-go convenience. The main body is machined from an 8-pound block of aircraft aluminum and the top is adorned with top-grain leather. $185 vicehardware.com Mesa Tactical FALLON RAIL SYSTEM The recent generation of stockless, short-barreled home defense shotguns such as the Mossberg 590 Shockwave and Remington TAC-13/TAC-14 have been the most exciting developments in the shotgun sector in recent years. Mesa Tactical now offers its latest SureShell shell carriers with 18-inch accessory rails in the…

Premium EDC Items SureFire Stiletto Pro MSRP: $229 URL: surefire.com Our 2¢: The Stiletto Pro fits comfortably in any pocket and can be drawn and activated with ease. The pint-sized flashlight delivers 1,000 lumens of smooth, shadow-filling LED white light in high-output mode. It also has a 300-lumen medium output and a 25-lumen low output to suit a variety of tasks. It can be programmed to set the output sequence and its Melonitecoated, reversible, heavy duty spring steel pocket clip keeps the light secure whether you prefer bezel-up or bezel-down stowage. BlackFire Heavy-Duty Multi Tool MSRP: $40 URL: blackfire.com Our 2¢: This is an all-in-one tool designed around a pair of full-sized pliers, an integrated screw-nut driver, a stainless steel knife, file, and bottle opener. Made of heavy duty aluminum…

UN0012/CARTRIDGES FOR WEAPONS, INERT PROJECTILE or CARTRIDGES, SMALL ARMS Pistol-caliber carbines (PCCs) have been a hot commodity in the firearms world for the past few years now, and it’s easy to see why. They’re fun to shoot, they’re cheaper to shoot, and they keep your muscle memory sharpened for the times when you do pick up your rifle caliber carbine. Training and competing with a PCC similar to your regular carbine can help you keep your manual of arms well-honed and ready to go. This is what Will Stone thought when he decided to pick up a Kalashnikov KR-9. The KR-9 is essentially a PCC version of an AK and is chambered for 9mm instead of a rifle cartridge. Stone figured that the KR-9 is an analog to his go…

What do Spotify, IKEA, Volvo, and the handsome firearm duo featured here all have in common? If you guessed that they all have something to do with Sweden, you’d be correct. Well, sort of. While Spotify, IKEA, and Volvo are all native to Sweden, this pair of guns is not. What they do sport though are custom Swedish-style M90 camo Cerakote jobs, so it may be a stretch, but we’re counting them as related to Sweden in some way. Let’s call them Sweden-adjacent. The owner of this pair of firearms, Raul Rodriguez, works at an outfit called Rifle Supply. Rifle Supply is an all-in-one firearms shop located in Huntington Beach, California. Keeping the 2A movement alive and fighting the good fight in California isn’t for the faint of heart, but…

Even in the realm of custom firearm builds, there’s a certain elegance in simplicity. That’s the tack taken on the pictured AR build, put together and customized by Ely Yerian, founder and principal at Ely Yerian Designs (EYD). Yerian is a native of Montana who exercised artistic skill from a very young age. As he tells it, he began airbrushing T-shirts when he was 11 years old, and shortly afterward began painting custom motorcycle parts, which gained him a bit of local notoriety. At age 18 he went to work at a local garage where he apprenticed in painting custom cars. Later, desiring to fund his own shop, Yerian took a job with the local timber company and over time saved up enough money to make it happen. Thus the…

Just when you think you’ve seen the peak of innovation and design in firearms, out comes Trinity Nevada, crushing it with their integrally compensated lineup. At a glance it might look like something inspired by sci-fi; however, it’s cloaking a marvel of innovation, engineering, and design. I was truly excited to have one of their slides transported my way for some hands-on time, a Ground Zero G17 slide package in brushed stainless steel. On initial inspection, my expectations were not only met but in fact far exceeded. This seemed to truly represent a feat of both engineering and design. Since Trinity Nevada does not offer complete firearms—yet—I mated the Ground Zero to my L2D Combat full-size 9mm frame, which is customized with a Tyrant CNC magwell and mag extension. I…

It’s been said that an armed society is a polite society. You might imagine one of America’s Founding Fathers penning the line, or maybe it being uttered by a lawman out of the old American West. In actuality, it comes from a science fiction story called “Beyond This Horizon” by Robert A. Heinlein. In the story, genetically optimized humans carry weapons openly as a way to maintain public civility. Of course, this romanticized notion comes from the practice of pre-arranged combat that was employed in Western civilization since at least the Middle Ages, first as a way to settle personal disputes, then later as a way to preserve one’s personal honor. And thus came the inspiration for the following Glock builds by UN12 contributor Jay Canter, who has built several…

Just like the custom guns we feature, we love unique knives as well. The featured knives you tend to find in these pages are usually personal blades that have been customized by their owners. This knife’s story deviates from that format to focus on a truly outstanding pocketknife made by a master knifemaker whose blades are sought-after by collectors worldwide. Edison Barajas is the owner and operator of the bespoke bladehouse, Sharknivco. He’s also the brand’s knifemaker and the creative mind behind the incredible blade seen here. Called the Mini Ryu, this pocketknife features a profile that harkens back to Japanese blades of old, but with a decidedly modern twist added to it. Sharknivco is known for beautifully crafted knives that blend Old World knowledge with modern materials, knifemaking methods,…

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Sticker-bombing our gear isn’t anything new. We used to do it to our skateboards and Pee-Chee folders back in grade school, and as grown adults we’re still doing it today—only on hardcases, gun safes, and ammo boxes instead. Heck, we even have some on our spotting scope and ear pro. Stickers are a fun, colorful way to customize our gear. Slapping on stickers not only helps personalize otherwise identical storage cases and other equipment, but also gives it artistic appeal. The previous issue’s UN12 sticker sheet was such a hit with our readers and industry partners that a follow-up sheet has found its way into this issue. For the second issue in a row, we are proud to present to our readers an exclusive sticker sheet that’s packed full of…

Customization of pistols was once left to those with abundant time and money to spend on the bespoke craftsmanship of sought-after artisans. While truly one-off customs are still highly prized, many companies are now offering a faster and less expensive path to creating a customized gun. SIG Sauer is among the big-time firearms manufacturers embracing the customization movement. Leading the way with the P320 platform, SIG has steadily pumped out a wide variety of upgraded parts to help make your pistol truly your own. SIG’s P320 FCU makes building a custom gun quick and easy. We started out with a base model full-size P320 and upgraded it using parts from SIG and others to create a pistol that ordinarily might have taken months of waiting and probably double the money…

Before The Cohaire Arms CA94 is a clone of the HK MP5. Ours was purchased long ago and has sat quietly in the safe for some time now. Adding a gun into your collection always makes for an exciting time. No matter how many you’ve got, there always seems to be room for one more. Like Christmas morning when you were a kid, any addition to your pew-pew family is something fun to look forward to. However, we’re willing to bet that over time the excitement fades and some guns have fallen out of favor with their owners. For whatever the reason, it seems that there comes a time when you’re bound to have purchased a gun or two that you’re not quite into anymore. Perhaps it didn’t shoot like…

The rise of social media is something that cannot be ignored. Within the past decade, the ease with which we can access and share information has skyrocketed. (Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up for debate.) Some may view social media as toxic with the type of content that is displayed, yet there is also good that can come from the content creators that simply look to share their expertise and/or advice, and use their platforms for noble causes. One such creator is Last Line of Defense. In only a few short years, Mike of Last Line of Defense has amassed quite the social media following, with more than 365,000 subscribers on YouTube and 138,000 on Instagram. Through social media he’s been able to share gear reviews, tips…

Shooting pistol-caliber rounds out of an AR can save you money on ammo, thereby allowing you more range time. Whether that extended range time is used for plinking or training, we’re all for it. It makes for a helluva good time, too. With so many options on the market, where do you turn when piecing together your own pistol-caliber carbine (PCC)? In the recent past, putting together your own PCC could have been an iffy proposition. There were many questions about parts compatibility and system reliability. Oftentimes these early DIY PCCs would have various “teething problems,” such as ammo feeding and bolt lockback issues. Lucky for us, we have sailed past the PCC Dark Ages thanks to steadfast manufacturers that were hell-bent on improving things. One of the companies at…

Bolt The firing mechanism is a striker-style, two piece bolt carrier, which makes the trigger less than crisp (but still a blast at the range). Ammo Ammunition doesn’t necessarily need to be stored in the quick detach pouches, but it keeps the belts from dragging through the dirt while shooting prone. Custom guns are not all about wild Cerakote jobs or gold-toned TiN-treated barrels. Building a clone of a military weapon may be one of the first things one does when broaching the topic of customized guns. Some want to build a military clone as a tribute to a particular individual, unit, or even an entire branch of the armed forces. Others may want to build a clone of what they carried when they were in the service. Whatever the…

It’s probably safe to say that for as long as humans have existed, fights have been used to settle disputes. But rather than being just an impromptu brawl between two people who disagree over something, dueling in the classic sense was a more formalized affair that followed a certain formula and code of ethics. Wikipedia defines the practice as the following: “An arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules.” Historians believe the formal duel as practiced in the West grew out of the medieval judicial duel (trial by combat) or older pre-Christian practices such as the Viking holmgang. Melee weapons were the most common means of dueling before firearms began to take their place in 18th century England—pistols specifically. And thus the…

The skill of firing accurate rounds into a threat from retention is an under-appreciated and under-practiced skill. Shooting from retention at close ranges can help ensure a threat is unable to gain control of your firearm during an altercation at contact distances. In addition, shooting from retention can help to reduce the likelihood of malfunctions caused by interaction between the threat and the firearm, or even due to the increased support the shooter is able to provide the gun while firing. Including retention as a part of the draw stroke can be one of the most important aspects of developing the skill of shooting from retention. In addition, having retention as part of the draw stroke ensures that the shooter will have the ability to shoot from retention if the…

CA Evike 2801 W. Mission Rd. Alhambra, CA 91803 Tel: (626) 407-0561 URL: evike.com Evike 1400 W. 4th St. #2 Antioch, CA 94509 Tel: (925) 237-2560 URL: evike.com Kings River Coatings 2491 Avenue 400 Kingsburg, CA 93631 Tel: (559) 246-6426 URL: yooying.com/kingsrivercoatings Tactical Pro Shop 3503 W. Burbank Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 Tel: (818) 468-7837 URL: tacticalproshop.com CO Danger Close Armament 6801 S. Emporia St. #102 Greenwood Village, CO 80112 Tel: (720) 638-6572 URL: dangerclosearmament.com LA Iron Sights Weaponry Woodland Trace Ct. Sorrento, LA 70778 Tel: (833) 476-6486 URL: ironsightsweaponry.com MI FiringLine Guns 33000 Ford Road Westland, MI 48185 Tel: (734) 326-7320 URL: firinglineguns.com ND Spartan Firearms 7101 Hwy 2 & 52 W. Minot, ND 58703 Tel: (701) 838-GUNS URL: spartanfirearms.us NV New Frontier Armory 150 E. Centennial Pkwy, Suite…