19 Dec 07
Universal Wire Loop:
Blue Force Gear is now making an ingenious "Universal Wire Loop" that allows one to quickly and effortlessly mount a sling attachment point to the front sight-tower of an AR-15, allowing the rifle to be slung right-side-up (which is my preference).
Heretofore, we've wrapped slings through the front sight-tower, but, when the rifle gets hot, the sling melts/burns where it contacts metal. The Universal Wire Loop is made of cable, and accomplishes the same thing while eliminating the melting issue.
Attaching the sling to the top part of the butt has always been relatively easy, but the front attachment point has been a thorny issue, until now!
The Universal Wire Loop is available for $20.00 from Blue Force Gear. It elegantly solves a perennial problem and requires no gunsmithing. Highly Recommended! Call them at 877 430 2583.
/John
20 Dec 07
Sage advice from a seasoned veteran in SA:
"At the range earlier this week, I relearned an old lesson.
A colleague challenged me to a duel. Ten rifle rounds at twenty meters on an piece of copy paper. Fastest wins, provided he gets more hits than his opponent. It's a common diversion over here!
We both shot LM4's, the civilianized version of the army's R4 (223), which is SA's version of the Israeli Galil, which is Israel's version of the Soviet Kalashnikov! The friend who challenged me is an accomplished shooter, and his speciality is his stunning rate of fire. I have seen few people who can fire as fast as he can.
Well, I strolled up to the line and formulated a battle-plan: move, mount, sight, fire, catch the link, recover. Simple enough! When the buzzer sounded, I got myself mounted, sights fell in place, and I fired my first shot just about when my challenger's third was going off. I knew my hits were good, so I quickened my pace, catching the link as my sights settled back on target the instant the link snapped in. I fired my last round a second after hislast had gone off.
My challenger beat me on the time portion of the contest, but he had only four hits, to my ten. I won!
Lessons re-learned. Know how fast you can shoot and routinely operate just back from the edge of your envelope. Don't shoot faster than you can hit!"
Comment: It can't be said too often: Slow down and hit! Practiceyour entire routine, so that, as with a ballerina, there are no wasted parts, no wasted motions.
No one will ever be impressed by the speed of your missed shots, just as they 're not impressed with the stylish paint job on the airplane that never reaches its destination!
/John
20 Dec 07
Rohrbaugh R9 Pistol:
The Rohrbaugh R9 is the smallest 9mm autoloading pistol ever made, to the best of my knowledge. It is a seven-shooter. In profile, it is no biggerthan my Kel-Tec 380, albeit a little thicker. Kahr and some others also make excellent backup 9mm pistols, and I have several, but the R9 holds the small-size record.
We've had several R9s in class, and I have to say they've all run fine. The pistol is self-decocking (DAO), has no manual slide-lock lever, and no manual safety. The slide does not lock to the rear when the last round isfired, and the magazine release is in the butt, European style. And, I suspect the pistol's useful life is well under ten thousand rounds.
So, the R9 is slick, thin, and small, and, in Comp-Tac's "Left-Hand Surprise " holster, it makes a formidable back-up. Henk Iverson, at Strike Tactical, makes a similar left-hand, backup holster for the Kel-Tec 380.
The manual advises owners of the R9 not to shoot +P ammunition through it. When I brought this issue up to Mr Rohrbaugh himself at the SHOT Show, he indicated that the use of +P ammunition would not break the pistol but would shorten its life. However, I don't think anyone (certainly not me!) is going to shoot this little pistol enough for any of that to matter!
At $1,100.00 and change, the R9 is pricey, and it is assuredly NOT fun to shoot. A dozen rounds at a sitting is plenty for me! However, as a backup, it is hard to beat. I'm carrying my copy now, with Cor-Bon PowerBall ammunition, in the LHS holster mentioned above. And, I'm practicing shooting it with my left hand, unsupported, as that represents the scenario that is the most likely.
With so many currently trying to get concealed pistols into their lives, the little R9 has come along at the right time!
/John
Copyright © 2007 by DTI, Inc. All rights reserved.
created on Wednesday December 19, 2007 23:59:1 MST