24 Aug 03

We conducted a Defensive Urban Rifle Course here on the East Coast this weekend. In case I've neglected to do so thus far, let me list two items that don't work and should not be part of any professional gunman's inventory:

The Ruger Mini 30 40-round magazines for the AR-15

We've seen a number of Ruger Mini-30s in courses, and we had another this weekend. As we have come to expect, it was malfunction junction from start to finish! This rifle just doesn't work well, with any kind of magazine or with any species of ammunition. The student who owned it was completely frustrated and vowed early on to get rid of it as soon as he got home. I concurred!

Another student had a Bushmaster AR-15, but he was using two after-market, 40-round magazines. Neither worked. Failures to feed were rampant, particularly involving the last few rounds. Next day, we switched him over to 30-round magazines, and problems instantly disappeared. The rifle functioned perfectly from that point forward. The two 40-rounders ended their unhappy careers in the trash barrel!

Lesson: The training range is the best place to discover flaws in technique and equipment. These two students had the courage to face facts squarely and make the corrections necessary. They're going to be okay!

/John